Ultima Online's true birthday is September 25th or 30th ?

[popps]

My opinion is the 25th but a friend says the 30th.

Who's right ?

 

[SixUnder]

sept 25th

my account was made on the 28th and beta was out 3 days before

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

I have a pretty valid source

 

[Tazar]

I have a pretty valid source

Eh... I never trust a Wiki... But the 25th is the correct date.

 

[Lord Frodo]

I have a pretty valid source

 

[Gem]

sept 25th

my account was made on the 28th and beta was out 3 days before

Actually, if memory has not failed me, some of us were able to have beta accounts in August....and anyone who complains about lag nowadays has no idea about lag--try ten minutes to cross a screen

 

[Uvtha]

I member playing back in october of 08 at a friends house... didnt get my own account till that xmas cause i was a broke HS student at the time heh.

Good times back then.

 

[JC the Builder]

I have a pretty valid source

Wikipedia used to say it was the 27 or 28 until I changed it to 25. I was going by an article from 1997 which said it was released on the 25.

It appears that former community manager Wilki got the release date from Wikipedia and used that to announce the 10th Anniversary, which is now cited as the source.

 

[SixUnder]

Actually, if memory has not failed me, some of us were able to have beta accounts in August....and anyone who complains about lag nowadays has no idea about lag--try ten minutes to cross a screen

yep

dont ya know we had the most powerful pcs back then, ahahahah people dont even know.. and it was just about 100% dial up

 

[Pfloyd]

Actually, if memory has not failed me, some of us were able to have beta accounts in August....and anyone who complains about lag nowadays has no idea about lag--try ten minutes to cross a screen

They were called Charter Edition accounts...if you played beta you know that when we failed to save Lord British the daemons invaded all the towns killing guards and everyone and then those accounts were deactivated. We only had one week to play before anyone else but that was only Atlantic and Pacific server anyways. Plus we had a few reverts where we lost days of play.

 

[Petra Fyde]

25th. I'm not likely to forget, September 25th was my father's birthday.

 

[Lord Frodo]

Actually, if memory has not failed me, some of us were able to have beta accounts in August....and anyone who complains about lag nowadays has no idea about lag--try ten minutes to cross a screen

wow you must have been running one of the first speed hacks. Take one step wait wait wait wait take another step wait wait wait wait LOL

 

[Trebr Drab]

I have a pretty valid source

Wikipedia used to say it was the 27 or 28 until I changed it to 25. I was going by an article from 1997 which said it was released on the 25.

It appears that former community manager Wilki got the release date from Wikipedia and used that to announce the 10th Anniversary, which is now cited as the source.

I kept notes. What I have is that UO was shipping the Charter Editions on Sept. 24th, and the first people to receive them was on the 25th (me included).

Now, I thought for sure that I had a note in my official handbook that UO went live on the 27th. But I don't see it there, so I can't confirm that. But if memory serves me right, they didn't open the servers for a couple of days to allow people to get their games. So I'm pretty sure that the first server opening was on the 27th.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I have a pretty valid source

Wikipedia used to say it was the 27 or 28 until I changed it to 25. I was going by an article from 1997 which said it was released on the 25.

It appears that former community manager Wilki got the release date from Wikipedia and used that to announce the 10th Anniversary, which is now cited as the source.

I kept notes. What I have is that UO was shipping the Charter Editions on Sept. 24th, and the first people to receive them was on the 25th (me included).

Now, I thought for sure that I had a note in my official handbook that UO went live on the 27th. But I don't see it there, so I can't confirm that. But if memory serves me right, they didn't open the servers for a couple of days to allow people to get their games. So I'm pretty sure that the first server opening was on the 27th.

Also, confirming my own memory, Sept. 27th, 1997, was a Saturday. I believe that UO went live at noon (EST) on this day, to allow as many as possible to start playing right away. Raph Koster took note of the very first player to log in, and contacted him (from a comment at his blog/used-to-be-site). But I don't know who that was.

Edit to add: This part I'm not too sure about, but I think they brought up GL first, then an hour later brought up Atl., then followed in another hour by Pac. (GL, being more centrally located, was the shard of choice by many followers, the reason for it's preference.)

 

[cdavbar]

I have a pretty valid source

 

[THP]

Pretty certain it was the 27th for sure...seems some one as changed it on wiki for no good reason

 

[Nok]

This discussion has become an annual event every year since the first anniversary. Nice to watch the tradition continue.

 

[popps]

This discussion has become an annual event every year since the first anniversary. Nice to watch the tradition continue.

And still, after 13 years now, there is no complete certainty of which is the 100% sure birth day of Ultima Online.................

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

Lets put this to rest

Date of Publication: 1997-09-27

if someone who is good with wiki's could change that it would be nice.

 

[Trebr Drab]

Lets put this to rest

Date of Publication: 1997-09-27

if someone who is good with wiki's could change that it would be nice.

Well, UO's official stance is that UO was "published" on the 25th. Their 10 year anniversary was on that date. That was the date that people first received copies, which if memory serves me was how they planned it (this included stores). The way I see it, IF it went live on the 27th, that's a separate thing that should be noted also. But we don't have that documented, so I think it would be better to leave it alone for now.

I don't think even UO, under whatever guise (EA, Mythic, whatever) even has anything concrete on this other than the date of the 25th.

 

[ChReuter]

wow you must have been running one of the first speed hacks. Take one step wait wait wait wait take another step wait wait wait wait LOL

Oh come on, beta was not that bad... Unless you were using a machine such as I did which was well below the stated system reqs. (I think the req back than was 133mhz? Which I didn't come near) Somehow I had it working... Kinda?

Oh and because people have commented on beta. I miss RoF and that crazy character Bubba.

EDIT: Opps! Totally forgot that I wanted to comment on the original question. For reasons unknown as I never cared to check, I have Sept 25th stuck in my head as the release date. I know I started my account on the official day but didn't get a chance to log in really till two or three days later. (I suppose the addiction had not set in yet?) I could very well be wrong on date though and sadly I can't check my account info as it was stolen during my multi-year absence from the game. :<

Oh and really... Does it matter? I don't want to knock someone for seeking information regarding a beloved past time, but it just seems a bit extreme to worry about a few days. Sept 97 has always been fine for me, but that's just me, more power to you I guess.

 

[Pfloyd]

rtlfc

My charter edition box was 2nd day aired and says it shipped the 09/24/97 and if i remember i wasn't pissed about paying the extra as it did arrive 2nd day air.

 

[Pfloyd]

I kept notes. What I have is that UO was shipping the Charter Editions on Sept. 24th, and the first people to receive them was on the 25th (me included).

Now, I thought for sure that I had a note in my official handbook that UO went live on the 27th. But I don't see it there, so I can't confirm that. But if memory serves me right, they didn't open the servers for a couple of days to allow people to get their games. So I'm pretty sure that the first server opening was on the 27th.

This is why i ordered mine 2nd day air if i remember right as getting it sooner wouldn't change when i could use it.

 

[Gem]

And who still has their original box and cloth map?

I do

 

[JC the Builder]

Going by the Internet Archive-=:

- September 23, 1997 - The beta ends
- September 24, 1997 - The charter edition is shipped out
- For some reason there are no news updates until November 4, 1997 =[


But now that information seems to be in conflict as there is a letter dated September 23 which says there is a beta ending event "tomorrow" (september 24).

Dear Beta testers, fellow Origin development team members, and fellow citizens of the first ever true virtual world, Britannia:

Tomorrow, the world as you know it comes to an end. We are closing the public beta test after the event planned for tomorrow.

You have just been part of something wondrous. Imagine now what you will be a part of in the future.

Consider what Ultima Online has been thus far. It has been over two years in the making: by far the largest, grandest, most complete virtual world there has ever been. Since the pre-alpha test that many of you participated in over a year ago, we have come so very far. At that time we tested a concept with some early art and some UNIX code running on a couple of servers to see if the virtual world concept could work at all. Now here we are, many months of hard work later, and the future looks bright indeed.

We have three worlds, three "shards of reality," running on server farms scattered across the United States. Each is a testament to the future of online gaming. Each shard holds thousands of Earth-based players, many times more thousands of creatures, and tens of thousands of adventures.

"But is it fun?" you ask.

Oh yes, it is. Over the past few days I have spent many, many hours traveling Britannia, sometimes openly in your company, and sometimes discreetly following and observing. What I have seen amazes me.

I have witnessed brave adventurers delve deep into deadly dungeons in search of danger. I have watched businesses and whole industries spring up to supply the needs of these adventurers. I have seen the blacksmiths auctioning off their wares in crowded squares, hiring miners with guard escorts to bring them metal to forge, hiring bards to calm the inevitable arguments and fights that break out in the fever of competition. I have seen intrepid crews take to the open ocean to seek new islands, only to be surprised by other crews on pirate ships armed with magic, ready to steal the contents of their cargo holds. I have seen people master the arcane and difficult arts of magic, and become powerful mages capable of transforming their shape and walking down city streets, terrifying the populace.

I have seen a group of artists hold auditions for their play. I have seen a wrestling pit marked off in the dirt, and crowds calling out bets from the sidelines. I have watched as scholars walked into moongates over and over, building tables of destinations, to try to unlock the patterns behind them. I have read the research into unknown magic, and waited for players to discover the hints left for them. Newspapers have sprung up, and great libraries have been founded to gather the books of the world in one place.

I have seen people build lives here. Build houses and businesses. Tame animals, and cry when they die. Bring old friends with them. Make new ones.
Found cities--shiny new ones like Mystery City, which organized its own town militia, and shanty-towns made of crates and abandoned furniture. Use whatever words you choose: people have made HOMES here. They have settled a new frontier, with all that implies--the joy of breaking new ground, and the lack of conveniences it offers. The frustration of meeting new, unknown obstacles, and the thrill of conquering them.

This game--no, this WORLD--has already become much more than any of us could have envisioned. Yet it is only now about to really begin.

We--all of us, game makers and game players alike--are walking down a new road together. What is this that we have made together? Is it an Ultima, with a finite plot? Is it like other multiplayer games, with a clear goal to reach for? Is it just a huge medieval theme chat zone?

No, Ultima Online is far more than any one of these, it is more than all of these put together. It is an Ultima, with an epic plot as yet largely unrevealed. It is a world. It is now our second home. A living, breathing, changing place, that will provide constantly varying experiences.

Just like the real world, the virtual economy and ecology will change--even fail in places--as players either exploit or care for it. As developers, we will be challenged by keeping up with the "holes" in the "laws" of economy that players discover, just as a government must continue to pass laws to keep the economy and ecology of the real world on an even keel.

There is so much in the world of Britannia that you have seen... and you are about to see much more. Many of the updates that we have made have not been part of the public beta test process. You have yet to see Britannia swept by rain and thunderstorms, or snow falling gently during the winter. You have not seen a crystal blink to let you know your friend is calling you with his own attuned crystal from across the world. You have not seen other things yet to come--the gatherings of necromancers building dread towers in clearings in the wilderness, the wonder of a magic carpet soaring high over the mountains, or the pride of being accorded the title "Dragonslayer" by all who meet you, your deeds known and published to bulletin boards in the local taverns across the land. It will not be long before we see the first wedding, the first day that a couple who met in Britannia send news to us of their child born somewhere here in our world, perhaps in Illinois, or Alaska, or Germany. These and many other things will be adding to the world of Britannia for months and even years to come, providing you with excitement and challenges. We have not "finished" Ultima Online. Finishing implies reaching an end. How does a world reach an end? It grows over time. It lives, it changes. It evolves. It becomes a community.

Come, join the development team, the gamemasters, Lord Blackthorn, and I, as we discover together where that evolution will lead. The world where the future of role-playing resides. The place where we have all found another home...

Come live with us in the world of Britannia in Ultima Online!

-Lord British


Tuesday, Sept 23

I also found a letter detailing why the infamous Rainz was banned. Before we only knew he was kicked for exploiting beta bugs. This says he was mass killing players with them being unable to fight back, forcing them to leave the beta test.

Official response to Rainz ban

To All Concerned,

Recently we were forced to ban a player named Rainz from the Ultima Online Beta Test. I would like to thank him for the wonderful attitude he has maintained despite his ban. He remains complementary of the product and Origin and we are most appreciative.

I would like to clear up the very muddy waters surrounding this incident:

1. He was NOT banned for killing Lord British. This is the stuff of legend, kudos to him for not only attempting it but actually succeeding. He has now made quite a name for himself. The assassination merely provided us an opportunity to get his account information. We had actually been looking for him in order to ban him before this (see below).

2. He was NOT banned for playing an evil character. Evil characters are part of the game world, in fact without them what would good characters do?

3. He was NOT banned from all future Origin Online products, nor has he been banned from Ultima Online as a commercial product. If that was implied, it was said in the heat of the moment by a very tired and overworked Origin employee (who got that way trying to make the game fun for everyone). He is only banned from the Ultima Online Beta Test.

4. Now let me explain exactly what he WAS banned for: He was banned for deliberately going against requests we made of him as a tester. Participating as a beta tester is a privilege we grant people so that they
can help us make it fun for everyone. He was exploiting flaws in the game system that put him at an unfair advantage to other players. He then used that advantage to go on a huge killing spree that left hundreds of players dead. Let me emphasize that going on a killing spree is fine, but doing it when no one that you are attacking has a chance to defend themselves because of your advantage is not fine. Only when he was caught doing this did he then describe the problem to Origin. He was then requested to cease these activities or be banned more than once yet he chose to continue. (Incidentally he participated in very similar activity during our Pre-Alpha test over a year ago.)

5. Hundreds of complaints were posted by other testers, many of them saying that they would no longer be participating in the test because of this activity. Please understand that we are trying to stress test our servers to make sure they can properly handle large loads, losing testers makes that much harder. The last thing we need is to lose hundreds of testers because of one player who continues to break the rules.

6. If he had found the flaw, reported it immediately, and then left it alone then no harm would have been done.

These are the facts as we at Origin see them. We have always, and will continue, to try to be as fair as we can to everyone who participates. We hold no animosity towards Rainz and we hope that he will join us (hopefully reformed from his fault-exploiting ways) in Ultima Online when we release the final version.

Sincerely,
The Ultima Online Team


Tuesday, August 12

I could not find any other news on the official UO website indicating what date the game launched on. Who knows if September 25 is the correct date or not. It is just the most reliable date available.

 

[Trebr Drab]

That takes me back, JC. It was a magical time full of expectations. Even the boards were full of interesting things. Lore, game mechanics...

There was a guy who pulled something on, I think it was Auric's Ultima Moongates message boards. He acted out two extremes in a very good roleplayed deception. Back in those days, your IP address was listed with your post, and he used two different ones, it was later assumed (after he was discovered) one was from work and the other from home because of the times of postings.

He had two names he posted under.

One was "Blade", the common persona of a PK kid, going to teach everyone to fear him, going to kill everyone and be the most famous PKer evar.

The other was "The Pilgrim Barbasol", and here he really shined. This persona was the ultimate roleplayer, going to go on his pilgrimage to visit each and every one of the Shrines. He didn't care about power, building his character, gold, anything. He just wanted to travel the lands, on foot, in his modest and austere life in Sosaria and in his sojourn to pay tribute to the virtues via the Shrines.

And the two, at first, did not cross post. This went on for at least a month. Blade had everyone hating him, challenging him to "prove it", etc. While The Pilgrim Barbasol had many offering to help him, to protect him, to do whatever was needed to lend a hand to this modest and mild mannered man of virtue.

Then Blade started replying to Barbasol's posts, saying he'd kill him every day, he'd kill anyone who tried to protect him, etc., typical PK geek talk. And Barbasol was ever the modest roleplayer, the meek pilgrim who would travail onward despite all difficulties.

Until one of these personas posted with the other's IP address, and the gig was up. It was then that people realized, "Barbasol" is a shaving cream, and of course "Blade".

 

[Andsteel]

And who still has their original box and cloth map?

I do

I still have the map and the pamphlets that came with the box but no box.

 

[popps]

Lets put this to rest

Date of Publication: 1997-09-27

if someone who is good with wiki's could change that it would be nice.

Well, UO's official stance is that UO was "published" on the 25th. Their 10 year anniversary was on that date. That was the date that people first received copies, which if memory serves me was how they planned it (this included stores). The way I see it, IF it went live on the 27th, that's a separate thing that should be noted also. But we don't have that documented, so I think it would be better to leave it alone for now.

I don't think even UO, under whatever guise (EA, Mythic, whatever) even has anything concrete on this other than the date of the 25th.

Personally, I think that Ultima Online's correct birth day should be the exact day that the servers where turned on for players to play.

Not considering the beta, of course, but the very first day the servers where online and available for use from those players who had received the published game.

 

[Pfloyd]

And who still has their original box and cloth map?

I do

Same
Everything including the Dungeon Keeper ad hehe

 

[Zym Dragon]

As I recall, the Beta ended on Wed the 24th and the live servers were turned on the 25th for the Charter Ed owners. I remember being upset that my Charter Ed didn't arrive. I ended up buying a regular copy on the 28th.

Personally, I think the date should be the 25th since that's when the live servers were first turned on. If the servers were opened up to everyone else on the 27th, then I can see where the confusion comes from.

 

[Setnaffa]

I believe the servers went live on the 25th. I didn't receive the game in the mail until the 26th, which is the first day I logged into the game. I pretty much played 24 hours a day for the first 3 days.

I still have the original Charter Edition box and all the parts.

 

[Lord Chaos]

Well, UO's official stance is that UO was "published" on the 25th. Their 10 year anniversary was on that date. That was the date that people first received copies, which if memory serves me was how they planned it (this included stores). The way I see it, IF it went live on the 27th, that's a separate thing that should be noted also. But we don't have that documented, so I think it would be better to leave it alone for now.

I don't think even UO, under whatever guise (EA, Mythic, whatever) even has anything concrete on this other than the date of the 25th.

UO is the servers, not the physical game disks. The game is merely a UI to the game Ultima Online, thats why they're called "clients".

 

[Trebr Drab]

Well, UO's official stance is that UO was "published" on the 25th. Their 10 year anniversary was on that date. That was the date that people first received copies, which if memory serves me was how they planned it (this included stores). The way I see it, IF it went live on the 27th, that's a separate thing that should be noted also. But we don't have that documented, so I think it would be better to leave it alone for now.

I don't think even UO, under whatever guise (EA, Mythic, whatever) even has anything concrete on this other than the date of the 25th.

UO is the servers, not the physical game disks. The game is merely a UI to the game Ultima Online, thats why they're called "clients".

Well, I agree. But it's hard to argue with an official interpretation that's different from their perspective as a business.

Besides, there's enough variation in memories of how exactly it all happened that we just don't have enough to go on to actually make that argument.

But I do agree with you. They should have done it differently on their end and we wouldn't have this ongoing thing.

It's sort of like a business selling something, and delivering it later. On their books, they sold it on that date. But the customer didn't get it until later. Whata yado?

 

[Ox AO]

I have a pretty valid source

how did you do that video?

that was cool

 

[ingsmsico]

how did you do that video?

that was cool

he didn't do it. he's just an unhelpful smart ass.

 

[Ox AO]

UO needs a birthday cake

 

[whiterabbit]

YOOS GET MIXED UP 30TH OZOG'S BRIFTDAY .SENDS PRESSYS

OZOG DA ICE CREAMS GOBLIN

 

[ChReuter]

Some part of me wants to say the birthday for the UO we know today is February 11th 2003 and not Sept (Whatever) of 1997. I suppose some will know what I'm saying... (And no, I don't hate uo today. I like both.

 

[Ox AO]

Some part of me wants to say the birthday for the UO we know today is February 11th 2003 and not Sept (Whatever) of 1997. I suppose some will know what I'm saying... (And no, I don't hate uo today. I like both.

I noticed on Wiki (Not a good source) says:
"Subscriber numbers peaked at around 250,000 in July 2003"

Noting your date was when equipment became the focus over skill on February 11th 2003

it took a couple months for people to realize what the change meant.

 

[Surgeries]

And who still has their original box and cloth map?

I do

I still have the map and the pamphlets that came with the box but no box.

I have the Cloth Map, the original Beta Test CD, and the original Lapel Pin. Very amazing that I do, but I do...

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

he didn't do it. he's just an unhelpful smart ass.

well thats just rude.

 

[Aran]

Truth hurts

 

[ingsmsico]

well thats just rude.

LTGTFY is #1 not funny and #2 (since you brought up rudeness) it is also rude.

 

[ingsmsico]

My opinion is the 25th but a friend says the 30th.

Who's right ?

wikipedia now cites 1up.com saying it is sept 24, 1997

 

[JC the Builder]

*never mind*

 

[UONoob08]

And who still has their original box and cloth map?

I do

But do you still have your Ankh pin?

I always believed the release date was the 24th

But I guess with all the date confusion the Devs have an excuse not to give us our 13th year Vet rewards!!

 

[Pandora_CoD]

UO Facebook Fan Page, created and maintained by EA.
Welcome to Facebook

Sept. 25th, 1997.

 

[toots222]

My opinion is the 25th but a friend says the 30th.

Who's right ?

i think it is before 25 as my account turned 13 a week or better ago

 

[JC the Builder]

i think it is before 25 as my account turned 13 a week or better ago

All accounts get an additional 2 months tacked on. Or at least ones before a certain date do.

 

[wilki24]

JC: I wouldn't use wikipedia as a source for this. I'm not sure where you got that from.

What I did use as a source was this:
The World's Most Anticipated Online Game Hits the Market as Electronic Arts Delivers Ultima Online; Groundbreaking PC Title Supports Thousands Playing Simultaneously in the Same Persistent World Over the Internet. - Business Wire | HighBeam Research

Also, you can find more info from old usenet posts, such as this:
Charter edition exists - server opens tonight - rec.games.computer.ultima.online | Google Groups

To the best that I've been able to determine, the beta ended on the 23rd, the live servers first came up the evening of the 24th, and Charter Edition players who overnighted the boxes got them on the 25th.