Suggestion for Stratics Staff and Readers

[Tina Small]

This might be a dumb idea, but I was wondering if it might not be fun and educational to start a news feature on Stratics, maybe something like a blog so people can comment if they wish, that gives us a weekly UO "history lesson." A short article that summarizes what happened during the same week 15 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago, a year ago. Something like that. Would that be doable and what kind of assistance from the community would it take to pull off something like that? In addition to news about things that affected UO in general, maybe the articles could remind us of big events that happened on specific shards.

It's probably a dumb idea, but I know I always enjoy reading those types of articles elsewhere. Why not read them for UO too?

 

[LordDrago]

This would be cool.

Ialso enjoy the sections in the newspapers of this nature.

 

[Petra Fyde]

I'm not sure how do-able this would be, or who would be willing/able to do it - unless you're volunteering to join staff?

We do have this UO Herald archive! - Ultima Online Stratics ▶ TGN.TV - Get more views!
and this
UO Stratics *New* | Lore and History

 

[Tina Small]

Can anyone tell me when the UO beta started, with actual non-employees playing the game? I'm thinking we must be getting close to the 15 year mark for that period in UO's history. Are there any notes out there in the ether that kinda talk about that period?

 

[Nimuaq]

I tried to create an article based on Lycaeum net's History of Ultima Online page. The main idea behind it was to add a "Today in UO History" section on the main page of uoguide. I searched through the old archives on google groups and tried to add references to all major events (bottom of the page at the References section). However, after I've noticed that I can not single-handedly add the new content from the publishes, update the main page, the news section and the old articles and continue to find references on old major events on ultima online, (by getting close to no help from others other than the occasional "uoguide is outdated" comments) I gave up and moved to updating the new player guide and fishing changes on uoguide.

Here's the unfinished article:
History of Ultima Online - UOGuide, the Ultima Online encyclopedia

 

[Woodsman]

It started development in 1995, and non-employees were playing it in 1996. They were also showing it off at one of the big expos in 1996 (forgot which one).

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Ultima Online - UOGuide, the Ultima Online encyclopedia
is the one I was looking at, you maybe already been there?

 

[Tina Small]

I tried to create an article based on Lycaeum net's History of Ultima Online page. The main idea behind it was to add a "Today in UO History" section on the main page of uoguide. I searched through the old archives on google groups and tried to add references to all major events (bottom of the page at the References section). However, after I've noticed that I can not single-handedly add the new content from the publishes, update the main page, the news section and the old articles and continue to find references on old major events on ultima online, (by getting close to no help from others other than the occasional "uoguide is outdated" comments) I gave up and moved to updating the new player guide and fishing changes on uoguide.

Here's the unfinished article:
History of Ultima Online - UOGuide, the Ultima Online encyclopedia

Wow, Nimuaq. That is very cool and I can only imagine the amount of work it would take to continue it. Maybe someday it will happen for you??

 

[Tina Small]

It started development in 1995, and non-employees were playing it in 1996. They were also showing it off at one of the big expos in 1996 (forgot which one).

Okay, thanks, Woodsman.

 

[Woodsman]

One problem is that a lot of major UO events are lumped either around holidays, or August/September due to the anniversary.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Tina Small UO Archive Reporter - Congrats!

 

[LordDrago]

Tina Small UO Archive Reporter - Congrats!

Congrats Tina!!!

 

[Tina Small]

Thank you! I'm enjoying trying to find everything I possibly can to read and start building some kind of a rough timeline to work from, without getting totally bogged down in reading all the interesting stuff I'm finding. I might pick on a few people, especially as I get my feet wet, to read stuff before it gets posted just to make sure I didn't totally misinterpret something, since I don't have the personal history in UO that many of you have.

 

[Mirt]

All of us are happy to help. I will even drag some folks to here if you need them!

 

[QueenZen]

I may have some player written books you can have, they would be on Chesapeake shard though. I had housed them in a museum, unlike others' museums featuring STUFF of UO, those books were more about, new inventions things we began to take for granted that we did not always have, like a BOD or rune book, various dye tubs even, once upon a time we couldn't make *a golem* nor *savage kin paints* nor even colors of masonry tables, for example.
The museum no longer exist, but it once held books called *They Build Are World* ! Much of that old Chesapeake museum I once hosted, basically was built around Lord Blackthorn's book called:
Diversity of our Lands and the various contributions various races, over time, had made and given to us.

Some of them give the exact time lines for example as to when we first saw new things, from new *runebooks* being created into game world, the first ever golems/controllers and those evil machines they spawned from, new beings once new that is called savages, gargoyle city the original one bringing about our ability to learn glassmaking, stone furny making etc. or even longer ago to our first sighting of a new tamable beast called a Nightmare, in the new lands called lost lands, & for when bods and reward cloths came into existance, etc. etc. assorted timelines for new things added into our world be it critters or expansions, least up til the advent of Ilshener then AOS.
Those old books, may come in handy for ya, or not.
Good luck with ye new position !

 

[Tina Small]

I may have some player written books you can have, they would be on Chesapeake shard though. I had housed them in a museum, unlike others' museums featuring STUFF of UO, those books were more about, new inventions things we began to take for granted that we did not always have, like a BOD or rune book, various dye tubs even, once upon a time we couldn't make *a golem* nor *savage kin paints* nor even colors of masonry tables, for example.
The museum no longer exist, but it once held books called *They Build Are World* ! Much of that old Chesapeake museum I once hosted, basically was built around Lord Blackthorn's book called:
Diversity of our Lands and the various contributions various races, over time, had made and given to us.

Some of them give the exact time lines for example as to when we first saw new things, from new *runebooks* being created into game world, the first ever golems/controllers and those evil machines they spawned from, new beings once new that is called savages, gargoyle city the original one bringing about our ability to learn glassmaking, stone furny making etc. or even longer ago to our first sighting of a new tamable beast called a Nightmare, in the new lands called lost lands, & for when bods and reward cloths came into existance, etc. etc. assorted timelines for new things added into our world be it critters or expansions, least up til the advent of Ilshener then AOS.
Those old books, may come in handy for ya, or not.
Good luck with ye new position !

Ooooo....that's giving me some ideas. All of you are giving me ideas. LOL This could turn out to be quite fun. I hope if just thinking about this sparks anyone's imagination about doing something for UO's 15th anniversary, you'll get in touch with Petra or Nimuaq and toss some ideas off them. I'm sure BOTH of them would love some help from more folk to publish more stories, musings, whatever, that relate to UO. Or start your own blog!

 

[QueenZen]

The first book I had written, in said museum long ago, in UO, on Chesapeake,
was always locked down, sorta floated, atop 2 once very special shields.

The book was titled:
"Can you, still hear, them ? "

The two shields were ORDER AND CHAOS !

For once upon a UO time [ye could not Equip] said shields unless [ye were] in: Order or Chaos.

I was in Order.

And yep I can still remember that very first sighting in them new lost lands, a dark black beast looking all regal and noble, glancing down at us from atop a hill...
friends with me, were *tamers*
hoping to try to tame said new wild beast.
The nightmare seemed to kick up his heels, shake his long black mane and then...
We were all promptly FRIED ! lol