NEWS [UO.Com] Producer Letter

[Petra Fyde]

Check the info on Broadsword Lady Storm http://broadsword.com/about.html
Check the info Kyronix has put in his board profile
Broadsword IS our UO team, and the DAoC team, escaped from Mythic.

 

[Winter]

Broadsword IS our UO team, and the DAoC team, escaped from Mythic.

That could be the title of the next expansion for UO - Escape from Mythic!

 

[cazador]

That could be the title of the next expansion for UO - Escape from Mythic!

I never really thought mythic was bad..I mean I'm not quite sure what they did other than nothing..but :shrugs: does that guy Jeff still lead UO.. :/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sauteed Onion]

I never really thought mythic was bad..I mean I'm not quite sure what they did other than nothing..but :shrugs: does that guy Jeff still lead UO.. :/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The last I heard in that regard, he was the "Ultima Franchise Producer".

I found this yesterday on my daily info scrounge..

Among other topics, a severely mismanaged and completely abused mmorpg called Wizardry Online was announced to be "sunsetting" in July I think along with a couple other mmorpgs from Sony Online Entertainment. I've mentioned my displeasure with that company several times here on these boards.. and their grievous handling of Vanguard Saga of Heroes (which could have been wonderful).

I suppose what I mean to say is I'm beyond ecstatic that this is happening, and that UO is finally at least getting the chance to escape and expand.

UO could very well have wound up like those SOE games but no, it's getting a whole new breath of life breathed into it, and for all the fussing griping and complaining, I don't think anyone here can legitimately be pissed off about that. People are suggesting go free to play or it dies, and I'm totally against that. This game is totally worth a subscription (if anything consider lowering that price maybe), and if you take a look at the market, most of those free to play games peak right at launch, rot inside out and slam against the megalith mmorpg's like World of Warcraft and sputter out of existence into a spiraling cacophony of hateful bickering and unfulfilled pathological lies.

Just about 2 weeks ago, I helped 2 people who had "come" back to UO with some pretty good "newb" suits and some runes. One mentioned playing WoW, and the other didn't mention what game they just returned from. If I had to wager a guess probably WoW. That may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but the fact they came back to UO means it struck a chord in them, and much of that chord may have changed tune over time, but of all the other games out there, this is the one that they chose to fire up.

Ultima Online offers things that no other competitor does. I don't pvp though, and don't really get into trying to make pvp suggestions but if broadsword reads this or anyone with sayso-ability listen to the pvp'ers about the Factions cluster-*i'mobeyingtheforumrules* or the upcoming "concept" virture vs. vice. REALLY listen to them because they know what they want more than you think you know what they want and want to cram down their throats. Yes, some will try to make it to where loopholes exist they can take advantage of and even if those loopholes exist, I can almost assure you it's got to be better than what they are going on about with people causing grief without even "flagging" for pvp etc cause that would piss me right the hell off too.

I do make suits, for myself, for friends, and for customers. Also for returning players. My suggestion is that you people in Broadsword take an account, and without consulting any current dev on the "team" go make yourself a suit. I could leave it at that, but I won't. I believe you will find it's the most un-intuitive fiasco straight from hell process you could imagine. You've got dci/hci caps, LRC, LMC, HPI, MI, SI, SSI, Enhance Pots, STR DEX and INT increases, refinements and various "conditions" including Ephemeral/brittle/cursed/Cannot be repaired, mana phasing, bloodlust, life leech, stamina leech, mana leech, mana drain, stamina drain hit fireball hit lightning hitlightningareapwers832E=MCsquaaarrrrreeedddddslapyamommaandyapappa. Good luck.

Somethings I do enjoy about crafting. IMBUING. Runic Hammers with the whole gambling for goodies side of things. Different ore and leather types. Some armor being medable, other armor being more protective. The many different kinds of armor there are. The fact I can dye it about any color I want. And yes I'm ranting so meowing wut. It's a forum. Hook up Inscription. The profession is about writing right? So when I make spell books, why the meow can I not "write" what kind of slayer I want? Sure leave scrappers totally random, that's cool. But if I want to make a repond or ele slayer spellbook or necro book or mysticism book let me go farm some ingredients and make that type of book. I'm down for that. Hell even make it the rarest peerless ingredient "Taint" if you must. I spent about 24k scrolls and didn't get any of the spell book slayer types I was after. Of which there were 3. Elemental Repond and Demon.

 

[hen]

I have two simple questions.

1. Are 14 people enough to run UO and DAOC in anything other than maintainence mode?

2. Is Skalski still in charge of UO?

 

[startle]

The last I heard......

'Nuff said, dewd, you had me at spiraling cacophony...

 

[startle]

That could be the title of the next expansion for UO - Escape from Mythic!

Oh yea, uh huh....

 

[startle]

 

[Aran]

I have two simple questions.

1. Are 14 people enough to run UO and DAOC in anything other than maintainence mode?

2. Is Skalski still in charge of UO?

Do you think we have more than 14 now?

 

[Flagg]

Do you think we have more than 14 now?

Depens at least somewhat on whom you count in I'm sure. I'm under impression we currently have 4 or 5 people one would count as devs.

 

[Barok]

Good evening everyone,

Interesting news huh. We are seeing this as a good thing. Its a new adventure that is going to let us put new life into UO that we had not been able to before. So as far as questions, we will try to gather the questions and if I can get the good people on stratics to help us gather them also we will make sure we answer all the questions we can for you. If we are not able to answer it I will just tell you we are not allowed to answer that question at this time. As I stated in the letter our emails have changed and as normal my new email address is mesanna@broadsword.com. If you need me you are all welcome to message me.

We are still getting set up in our new office but its coming along really well. When its set up I will send you pictures, we have nice hardwood floors so I have to buy skates now for the office *evil grin*

We will be posting a lot and getting you guys up to date with what we are doing and what we are going to be doing next. In April we will probably have a Return to Britannia again so tell your friends to come visit and check out what we have done in UO.

Hugs!

Mesanna

So, is this the first step towards merging the two games? Will the final result be called Ultima of Camelot or Dark Age of Ultima?

 

[Viper09]

So, is this the first step towards merging the two games? Will the final result be called Ultima of Camelot or Dark Age of Ultima?

Lol. I like Dark Age of Ultima.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

So, is this the first step towards merging the two games? Will the final result be called Ultima of Camelot or Dark Age of Ultima?

Awesome. A new rumor!

-Galen's player

 

[Lady Storm]

I did Petra. PS. I lovethe Escaped part.... I expect the darth vader voice of EA to chase them through the universe soon.....
I read all I could find on this and its why I said I am waiting for Bonnie to give the all clear signal.
Its also why i said they were so quiet.. they had moved and i am sure many who have moved know it is easy to pack up but hell to unpack and find everything you packed!
There is always something you know you had prior but cant find .....
I am still looking for a box with a few of my tupperwear in it....and its been a year and i watched them take every box i packed to the turck and empty the same truck and all boxes were there.... odd thing is so is a very large jar of my cinnamon..... hmmm gunna have to dig more into the storage in the garage i bet its there.... hehe sorry i digress..
But you get my point.

 

[Aran]

Dark Age of Ultima?

We had that. It was pre-Trammel.

 

[Sargon]

Taking these two snippets from Broadsword's "About Us" page:

We have a team of 14 passionate, hard-core gamers

Our team of producers, designers, engineers, artists, CSRs and QA analysts works day and night

That would lead me to believe that they have 14 total employees, made of of all the different roles described above. With that being the case, I'm afraid they may not have any more development resources than the previous team and we will just continue to see business as usual.

 

[Lady Storm]

Look a bit further up the post about Broadsword said 14 to 50 employees.. I would tend to beleave it would be around 50 about now with all the escapee's from mythic.

 

[kelmo]

Speculation is so easy... anyone can do it.

 

[Lady Storm]

You got that right Kelmo.

I want to wait till Bonnie gives us all the low down...
but i do have the same hopes of others that this will be more for the game.

 

[kelmo]

That last comment of mine was not directed at you Lady Storm. Just so ya know.

 

[Lady Storm]

I know sugar.
But your very right in that no one should be 2nd guessing, this is not the way to go.
Let the Dev give us what we need to know.

 

[Mapper]

Look a bit further up the post about Broadsword said 14 to 50 employees.. I would tend to beleave it would be around 50 about now with all the escapee's from mythic.

50 if you include past and current EMs maybe....

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Look a bit further up the post about Broadsword said 14 to 50 employees.. I would tend to beleave it would be around 50 about now with all the escapee's from mythic.

If this is from LinkedIn then, if memory serves, LinkedIn offers you a menu of ranges.

Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Speculation is so easy... anyone can do it.

Another thing anyone can do that is of almost as little use as speculation is responding generically, rather than replying to a particular post, thereby creating a certain quite-hurtful doubt about to what you refer.

As to speculation, to me that word implies that it has some basis in reality. What goes on here, more often than not, I put in a separate category: Making **** up. And that's even easier than speculation.

-Galen's player

 

[kelmo]

I know sugar.
But your very right in that no one should be 2nd guessing, this is not the way to go.
Let the Dev give us what we need to know.

*smiles*

 

[Tina Small]

I know this has left everyone with a lot of questions, so I will try to answer a few right off the bat. As always we will collect any additional questions and try to answer them as they come in.

Talk to everyone soon!

Bonnie “Mesanna” Armstrong
UO Producer
Ultima Online

Where/how should we post any questions that we might have to assist Mesanna in collecting additional questions?

Speculation is so easy... anyone can do it.

You got that right Kelmo.

I want to wait till Bonnie gives us all the low down...
but i do have the same hopes of others that this will be more for the game.

I know sugar.
But your very right in that no one should be 2nd guessing, this is not the way to go.
Let the Dev give us what we need to know.

Unfortunately, given some of the past publicity surrounding key people involved in this transition, much of which slid right past UO players because it involved other Mythic games, it's hard for some of us to not speculate about how these changes will play out.

I hope we will get a chance to formally submit our questions about this change and that we'll get solid replies in a timely fashion. I understand this is a big change for the UO team and they have a huge transition process to go through as their new company finds its feet. I'm willing to wait a certain amount of time for the air to clear. However, if questions remain unanswered and the information flow remains as restricted as it has been in past years, I know I won't be the only person who questions the wisdom of pouring more money and time into playing UO.

I believe at this point that this change is probably a good thing for UO because I don't think someone like Mr. Denton would put his time and money into a pointless endeavor. However, when looking at how other game companies manage their communication process, I have felt for several years that we've very much gotten the short end of the stick in that department. I hope that Mr. Denton sees the wisdom in providing his customers with much more robust communication than perhaps was possible in the past when his company was part of EA. Among other things, I'm hopeful some of the same promises that were made to the DAoC customers regarding things like the Herald will also apply to UO, because that will mean that someone finally understands that we need a dedicated, paid "inside" person on staff (and not just unpaid volunteers at fan sites) to handle communication and community-building issues for UO.

 

[Lady Storm]

Listen the lot of you....

Remember when you first got hired, or joined a group?
How long did it take you to get use to your fellow workers, members?
Our UO team just moved to a new setting and a bunch of new rules and faces that have their own ideas of things.
The transition to full working coheasive group might be forming at this moment and I for one want it to go smoothly.
Hopping on people to do our bidding right this minute and demanding things that we need or want done might not be the right thing right this second.
See there (points up) I said time ... minute and second... they need time. Period.
I wish for them meaning the new company, to see what we need and our ideas as well too. Dont get me wrong.
Mesanna, Kyronix and the team are working and ajusting to new digs... and faces.
Yes this must have been in the works and known by them so that was the tight lips I saw for the last few months...
AS Petra said they jumped ship to Broadsword.
YIPEEE!!!
I understand Tina you and alot of others are skeptical of any changes as with past major hand offs of UO. We always lost major things we wanted or needed and personel that we were comfortable with.... or got someone who looked good at first but turned out to be worse.
From what I read Broadsword is not an EA partner, but a seprate and whole company on its own made up of many of Mythic's past people and its co founder.
To me this is a sign EA is washing its hands of UO and only wants our money.... what little it will let us pay that is (i hate that stupid management program!) sorry i digress..

Our little sister game DAoC and UO might have gotten the short end of the EA stick before but I want and hope for a better future then being a rag EA tossed around.

Give the new guys and our people time to snuggle in and get comfortable....

 

[Deimos]

I see their site mentions CSR's as being part of their staff, does that mean UO customer service (perhaps including GM's?) will be part of Broadsword now?

 

[Tina Small]

From what I read Broadsword is not an EA partner, but a seprate and whole company on its own made up of many of Mythic's past people and its co founder.
To me this is a sign EA is washing its hands of UO and only wants our money.... what little it will let us pay that is (i hate that stupid management program!) sorry i digress..

Our little sister game DAoC and UO might have gotten the short end of the EA stick before but I want and hope for a better future then being a rag EA tossed around.

In this new company, it seems like UO is more likely to be considered the "little sister," given Mr. Denton's history with DAoC. I hope the fact that the DAoC producer letter had more meat to it than the UO letter isn't a good indicator of what we can expect to see in the future. I would be interested to hear from Mr. Denton when things are a bit more settled how much time he's actually spent playing UO and how recently and how closely involved he will be with UO's development in the future.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Tina Small]

I did a mostly paragraph-by-paragraph comparison of the UO and DAoC producer letters from February 4th. There were some interesting differences.

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Greetings Everyone!​

​

I come to you with some exciting news! Since its humble beginnings at Origin Systems Incorporated in 1997, through development at EA Redwood Shores and for the last 7+ years at Mythic, Ultima Online™ has been enjoyed by millions of devoted players around the world.​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Friends and realm-mates,​

​

For more than twelve years Mythic Entertainment’s flagship game: Dark Age of Camelot™ has been remarkably successful. Since its launch in 2001, DAoC forever changed the MMO genre.​

​

Inspiring thousands of gamers and game developers alike, it paved the way for a generation of MMOs to follow. Through the years, Camelot has also seen its share of rough times - but thanks to its many loyal fans and its wonderful and dedicated community, Dark Age of Camelot has proven to be a true survivor. In recent months, Mythic’s leadership began discussing the question of Camelot’s future. Councils were convened, options were discussed - and finally, a decision was made regarding the best possible future for Dark Age of Camelot.​

​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Beginning February 1st, 2014, Mythic Entertainment Co-Founder Rob Denton’s new studio: Broadsword Online Games (http://www.broadsword.com) will partner with EA’s Mythic Entertainment to operate, support and develop Ultima Online on EA’s behalf. Electronic Arts will continue to provide billing and account services through its Origin™ portal. Broadsword and Electronic Arts will work closely together to ensure a bright future for Ultima Online. For future inquiries and support, you can contact UO@broadsword.com.​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

I write to you now with news of the exciting next chapter in the life and history of our beloved game:​

Mythic Entertainment co-founder Rob Denton and a number of Mythic veterans (including two members of Camelot’s original team!) have formed a new game studio - Broadsword Online Games!​

​

Broadsword Online Games will partner with EA’s Mythic Entertainment to operate, support and develop Dark Age of Camelot on EA’s behalf. Electronic Arts will continue to provide billing and account services through its Origin™ portal. Broadsword and Electronic Arts will work closely together to ensure a bright future for Dark Age of Camelot. For future inquiries and support, you can contact daoc@broadsword.com.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

The UO team will continue to work as hard as ever under our new banner. In the immediate future, we will be putting out a publish for Valentine’s Day and a few bug fixes, along with polishing a final release of Vendor Search. I will be putting out a list very soon of all the features we will be working on this year to get everyone’s feedback as well as some updates regarding our ongoing projects.​

​

I know this has left everyone with a lot of questions, so I will try to answer a few right off the bat. As always we will collect any additional questions and try to answer them as they come in.​

​

Talk to everyone soon!​

​

Bonnie “Mesanna” Armstrong​

UO Producer​

Ultima Online​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

There are sure to be many questions, and we will certainly be providing more information very soon. But for now please join us in celebrating this momentous event, and spread the word that the Broadsword team will guide Dark Age of Camelot into the future with renewed dedication and the utmost respect.​

​

​

Faithfully yours,​

​

Talal Saad​

Producer​

Dark Age of Camelot​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Q and A​

​

Will this transition alter the plans for Ultima Online in the near term and the future?​

Yes! Both Broadsword and EA are heavily invested in the continued success of Ultima Online and our future has never looked so bright! Customers in need of help or questions should contact uo@broadsword.com​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

In the wake of such exciting news, we know that there shall be numerous questions about this transition and what it means for Dark Age of Camelot. Let’s explore the answers to some basic questions:​

​

What does the transition to Broadsword mean for Dark Age of Camelot?​

​

EA/Mythic and Broadsword are working really hard to make sure that this transition is as smooth as possible. On February 5th, you shouldn’t notice a thing. Going forward, we hope to bring about some exciting new changes, improved Customer Support, and increased correspondence with the DAoC community.​

​

Broadsword’s dedicated team will also work to modernize and improve existing DAoC content, complete long-awaited improvements to The Camelot Herald, and establish compelling new features for Dark Age of Camelot, both in-game and out.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Is Broadsword an Electronic Arts studio?​

​

No. However, for purposes of Ultima Online, Broadsword will be operating the game on EA’s behalf to continue its success.​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Is Broadsword an Electronic Arts studio?​

​

No. However, for purposes of DAoC, Broadsword will be operating the game on EA’s behalf to continue its success.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Will there be a change in the payment system?​

​

Nope! Players will continue to access UO through EA’s Origin™ portal. There will be no interruption or change in the payment service. Players may notice that charges on their bank statements will still indicate a payment to Mythic or EA - - and Game Time Codes will still be available via the EA Origin™ Store.​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Will there be a change in the payment system?​

​

Nope! Players will continue to access DAoC through EA’s Origin™ portal. There will be no interruption or change in the payment service. Players may notice that charges on their bank statements will still indicate a payment to Mythic or EA – and Game Time Codes will still be available via the EA Origin™ Store.​

​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

What will happen to any information I’ve provided to EA/Mythic?​

​

Nothing. Since Broadsword is operating Ultima Online on EA’s behalf, all the information you provided and may provide in the future will continue to be managed according to EA’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

What will happen to any information I’ve provided to EA/Mythic?​

​

Nothing. Since Broadsword is operating DAoC on EA’s behalf, all the information you provided and may provide in the future will continue to be managed according to EA’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

Will there be changes to the Ultima Online development team?​

​

Yes! Broadsword's additional investment into UO gives us the freedom to expand our resources for bigger projects, so again - the future has never looked so bright!​

​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Will there be changes to the Dark Age of Camelot development team?​

​

Broadsword is made up of a people who are passionate about DAoC, and many of whom were responsible for the development and operation in the past.​

​

You can continue to expect the same high level of dedication and commitment to the game, as well as continued interaction with the player-base. You will see some new names, or possibly names you know quite well taking a role in the development of Dark Age of Camelot going forward.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

[The following Q&A doesn't appear in the UO Producer's letter.]​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Will this transition alter the plans for Dark Age of Camelot’s near term changes?​

​

DaoC’s transition to Broadsword will certainly have a positive effect on our future plans. With increased bandwidth and resources we will work toward modernizing some of the game’s features and developing a tangible marketing plan to attract more players, both new and returning.​

​

The mission of the Dark Age of Camelot team will remain the same: to improve the game, listen and respond to feedback, and to provide the best possible content to ensure a great game experience for our players.​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

​

Will emails change?​

Yes, they will, in the meantime you can reach out to us at uo@broadsword.com​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

[The above Q&A does not appear in the DAoC Producer's Letter.]​

UO Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.uo.com/article/Producer-Letter-0)

[The Q&A about e-mail address change was the end of the Q&A for UO.]​

DAoC Producer's Letter and Q&A of February 4, 2014 (http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/next-chapter-dark-age-camelot)

Are you bouncing off the walls with excitement?!​

​

Why yes! Yes we are!​

-----​

​

We’ve just scratched the surface with these basic questions. We’ll set up an avenue for you to submit your questions about the transition, and do our best to provide the answers.​

​

Speaking for the entire Dark Age of Camelot team: Thank you all, very sincerely, for sticking with us through the years. We will do our utmost to take DAoC into a bright and exciting future!​

​

Until next time friends, we await your feedback and questions - and we’ll see you in the Frontiers!​

​

Respectfully yours,​

The Dark Age of Camelot Team​

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I did a mostly paragraph-by-paragraph comparison of the UO and DAoC producer letters from February 4th. There were some interesting differences.

I did about the same things and found the similarities more-remarkable than any differences.

The instructions (see the parenthetical below) to the Producers likely were "write something that incorporate these elements."

(Why do I say instructions? Because at first I'd assumed both letters were written from a centrally produced template. It's as likely, now that I think about it, however, that our producer and the DAOC producer collaborated and/or agreed to incorporate certain elements.)

Regarding something you said in another post about UO's being the "little sister" of DAOC.

This probably is correct but it's always been the case since UO and DAOC were put under the same banner. DAOC was Mythic's baby, one of many games over the years that supposedly were going to kill UO. (I remember people leaving UO for it, I remember being very intrigued by the use of the Arthurian mythos.) As long as we're not mistreated I honestly don't care all that much if we're not exactly equals.

Having said that do I have some specific reason or inclination for thinking we'll have that status? No. I just formed the same impression that you did, from the same (scant) evidence available.

There's a degree to which I've been envious of at least one aspect of DAOC: I have the impression that they stick to minor tweaks to game systems and a steady stream of story-driven global content (see the parenthetic below) and otherwise leave things be. I like that a lot.

(What do I mean by a steady stream of story-driven global content? I've rarely seen DAOC not have some kind of global event, varying in scale, every few months or so. Sometimes it's a world boss in their PvP zones. Sometimes it's an invasion -- by the Picts, for example. At least twice it's been a "Gypsy Caravan," essentially a temporary gold sink wherein certain unique items are made available.) (What do I mean by minor tweaks to game systems? Mostly from them I've seen stuff like "here's a minor change to our realm vs realm system to reflect a diminished player base," rather than stuff like "here's a brand new combat system.")

If I'm right about how DAOC does things, and if UO gets that? Then I'll be rather pleased.

-Galen's player

 

[Flagg]

Despite cash flow, subscription plans and such (maybe) stays out of Broadsword's power, I wonder if they are more free/motivated/able to try some proper adjustments that Mythic dould/would not. Ie Combining/opening subs of both games would likely benefit Uo and DAOC both in multiple ways.

 

[Jusenkyo Guide]

For those wondering if UO will be the "Little Sister", look up when was the last paid new content DAoC had. UO has far exceeded DAoC in the last few years in both paid and free content ie: events. DAoC's only source if revenue is currently subs where UO has both subs and the Origin Store. If I were to guess based solely on my playing time in both games in the last year, I'd guess UO has more subs than DAoC currently. No hard numbers, just observations from different servers and RvR in DAoC.

 

[Lady Storm]

***Shakes head****

OK..... one more time.

Give the Team time to ajust and fit in....

Tina those points you were posting are from 2 seprate people, who I might add work for different games.
So there is bound to be a difference in communication.
DAoC's Producer and Ultima's have different styles of their preception of how to talk to their players.
Bonnie knows all too well if she told all the maybe items they are thinking of doing or might happen in passing conversation there are many who will take it for a given and demand why if it cant or isnt done to their speed or liking.
This is the main reason she is so tight to chest on all she has in the works... And I cant blame her!
I have been at many a meeting where players try to get info out of the poor woman almost as bad as they try for named treets!
For once in your UO lives sit back and wait a few geesh!

I understand your feelings on the DAoC producer's message..it was a hope building note on what they plan. The players who are steadfastly holding on will certinly tell their long gone friends the game is looking forward to may more years of well build play.
What I read.... was 2 producers looking forward to making their respective games live on...

As a old DAoC player I can apreciate his enthusiazim in his message.
Bonnies was exactly as I expected as well.. You dont know how hard it is for her not to tell you all she wants to do but knows she must keep it just to the Dev team's ears for now.

You must remember EA went after Mythic and Bioware not because they were failing companys but that they were doing it right... and well. Same with our Origin Systems..

Grasshoppers.... patience dear ones good comes to those who wait

 

[kelmo]

 

[Tina Small]

Give the Team time to ajust and fit in....

Tina those points you were posting are from 2 seprate people, who I might add work for different games.
So there is bound to be a difference in communication.
DAoC's Producer and Ultima's have different styles of their preception of how to talk to their players.
Bonnie knows all too well if she told all the maybe items they are thinking of doing or might happen in passing conversation there are many who will take it for a given and demand why if it cant or isnt done to their speed or liking.
This is the main reason she is so tight to chest on all she has in the works... And I cant blame her!
I have been at many a meeting where players try to get info out of the poor woman almost as bad as they try for named treets!
For once in your UO lives sit back and wait a few geesh!

I understand your feelings on the DAoC producer's message..it was a hope building note on what they plan. The players who are steadfastly holding on will certinly tell their long gone friends the game is looking forward to may more years of well build play.
What I read.... was 2 producers looking forward to making their respective games live on...

As a old DAoC player I can apreciate his enthusiazim in his message.
Bonnies was exactly as I expected as well.. You dont know how hard it is for her not to tell you all she wants to do but knows she must keep it just to the Dev team's ears for now.

You must remember EA went after Mythic and Bioware not because they were failing companys but that they were doing it right... and well. Same with our Origin Systems..

Grasshoppers.... patience dear ones good comes to those who wait

Well, I just hope that whenever Mesanna does feel ready to pass along more information, she does it in a formal announcement that is available to all players. It has not been confidence-building at all in the past to find out that she shared news with a handful of players at a meet-and-greet, over general chat, or over ICQ or Skype and the rest of us apparently are second-class customers who have to get filtered news after the fact.

 

[Flagg]

For those wondering if UO will be the "Little Sister", look up when was the last paid new content DAoC had. UO has far exceeded DAoC in the last few years in both paid and free content ie: events. DAoC's only source if revenue is currently subs where UO has both subs and the Origin Store. If I were to guess based solely on my playing time in both games in the last year, I'd guess UO has more subs than DAoC currently. No hard numbers, just observations from different servers and RvR in DAoC.

Yeah very stucture of UO(vets with "only" 1x monthly sub fee are a minority,cash shop frequently used) ensures difference in income must be huge. Even if both games had as many players (Which prolly isn't the case like you said) UO would still bring at least 300% the cash.

btw, Do you know how many devs DAOC has had?


Considering DAOC's size, it still being alive is pretty gigantic miracle,even more so than with UO.From what I've understood,it doesn't have cash hooks comprable to what UO does, only subs? Goes to prove how a sub based MMO free of licensing costs can be ran with very few players, in very small scale, and still remain somewhat profitable. On flipside of the coin, MMos with costly license to 3rd party(Star Was Galaxies,Warhammer Online, Matrix Online..) seem to get the axe very fast if they diminish too badly. I predict Age of conan is next to fall!



Very structure of UO is such that having..say, 80k active players would ensure it is among most succesful western MMOs. Such number still could and would(have been..) be reachable had managment,marketing side not been dominated by *** ups with utter indifference towards the game. I hope Broadsword has enoug freedom and muscle to change things around even a little.

 

[kelmo]

I trust Mesanna to deal with us fairly. I mean all of us. Speaking for myself... and I am fairly well thought of here on Stratics and I even have the super secret decoder ring. I had no clue this was coming. None of the folks I visit with on a daily basis dropped a hint to me.

 

[kelmo]

Let's just wade into this new place with an open mind. I am pretty excited and hopeful over this deal.

 

[Victim of Siege]

*steals Kelmos decoder ring*

 

[kelmo]

Be careful what ya steal Smeagol...

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

I'm just hoping that Broadsword decides to follow the same style of "doing it wrong" that Portalarium has. It's made quite a difference in how I've been following the two games (UO and SotA).

 

[Goodmann]

If things were indeed at rock bottom they would smile and tell us the future is bright....Doesn't make sense Mythic would just hand this over if UO was/will be a great earner for them. I am sure Broadsword has many plans to get UO player base back and most likely has a time line they have to follow. If they don't get things turned around I am afraid this could be one step closer to . I do think this will be a good year for adding content and changing the game up.

 

[Lady Storm]

Kelmo you can borrow mine.... I even got the secret compartment full of chiclets!

 

[startle]

I had a big write up but decided that I would just wish them luck they will need it *walks out the big double doors of his castle and hangs the For Sale sign up looks to where his neighbors used to live but nature has reclaimed the plot's of land, pats his old pack horse on the rump* lets go old girl were headed home to that old musty Keep.

And now, on a more positive note, ba-bye....

 

[Viper09]

I bet Broadsword is reading this forum and thinking, "Oh my god, what have we gotten ourselves into..."

 

[SinDee]

BROADSWORD INTERACTIVE LIMITED
8 SCIENCE PARK
ABERYSTYWTH
CEREDIGION
WALES
SY23 3AH
UNITED KINGDOM
Well looks like I been to my last UO Town Hall meeting lol.

 

[Petra Fyde]

I bet Broadsword is reading this forum and thinking, "Oh my god, what have we gotten ourselves into..."

I wouldn't worry. The 'Broadsword' staff reading here are Mesanna, Kyronix, Bleak and Misk, they already know about the cynical, demanding, bolshie posters on UHall. They also know about the supportive, enthusiastic and encouraging ones.

 

[Petra Fyde]

BROADSWORD INTERACTIVE LIMITED
8 SCIENCE PARK
ABERYSTYWTH
CEREDIGION
WALES
SY23 3AH
UNITED KINGDOM
Well looks like I been to my last UO Town Hall meeting lol.

heheh Not the same company! try Broadsword Online Games instead.

 

[Tazar]

BROADSWORD INTERACTIVE LIMITED
8 SCIENCE PARK
ABERYSTYWTH
CEREDIGION
WALES
SY23 3AH
UNITED KINGDOM
Well looks like I been to my last UO Town Hall meeting lol.

^^ What Petra Said. They are in Virginia.