[UO Herald] Continued Efforts for the Restoration of Magincia

[UO News]

In this week’s installment of the new items that will be available for purchase soon, we present the Raised Garden Bed and the Chest of Sending. While the chest will be associated with the Gothic Theme Pack, the garden bed will come with the Rustic Theme Pack.

The Raised Garden Bed is a maintenance-free gardening plot. Once setup in your garden and seed planted, in seven days you will have a healthy plant you can remove at any time.

The Chest of Sending will allow players to send stackable and non-stackable items from their home directly to their bank box. This item must be locked down in your home.

In addition, we are gearing up for TC in the very near future. Also, we are putting together the high-level document of the REAL additions to UO that will allow players to fill out the rest of the Magincia Bazaar area.

Last not least, please note … the fiction and event timeline for the history of Ter Mur is almost through development approval. We are really excited to reveal the origins of Zhah … and to fill out some of the new areas in Ter Mur.

Stay tuned!



More...

 

[DevilsOwn]

(because it's Derby week)



..........and as they round the far turn and head into the stretch MicroTransactions pulls ahead with Irate Player falling two lengths behind.....

 

[Pinco]

this seems interesting

 

[Gheed]

So two theme packs sold separately, both containing desirable tidbits.... clever

 

[Magnus]

Wow.

So we have game effecting items that have to be bought separately from the game in order to recieve them.

Fun for all, I guess. Just seems like a money grab.

Also I love the wording "In this week’s installment of the new items that will be available for purchase soon". As in, we should get used to this because this is where most of your content is coming from, from now on.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Also I love the wording "In this week’s installment of the new items that will be available for purchase soon". As in, we should get used to this because this is where most of your content is coming from, from now on.

Sure makes it sound that way...
I guess whatever it takes to keep the boat afloat, but I don't like it.

 

[Halister Marner]

*crosses fingers for another 20% storage increase being a part of at least one of these*

 

[olduofan]

The only way I would purchase either of these is if they were sold in a combo pack both for lets say $14.95 and maybe 1 of them for $9.95 and each comes with (and this is the only way I would buy them) 10% storage increase each for anther 20% total

but the planters seem cool the chest looks ok but I dont see it as being used very much by my chars if it worked the other way you could send from bank to house then yes, I already have deed boxes in all my houses so why would i need to send un-deeded bulk supply's ? And I would like to no whats the cost / up-keep charge or items we have to use on these (I'm sure these items are some sorta small gold sink)

I would rather them complete the old house tile sets first, just a thought

 

[Gheed]

Wow.

So we have game effecting items that have to be bought separately from the game in order to recieve them.

Fun for all, I guess. Just seems like a money grab.

Also I love the wording "In this week’s installment of the new items that will be available for purchase soon". As in, we should get used to this because this is where most of your content is coming from, from now on.

Ya so as of now we have one brewing "Mini booster" and two housing "ultra mini boosters" in the pipe?

Maybe next week's installment should be "Here is what your monthly sub is paying for"

 

[puni666]

*crosses fingers for another 20% storage increase being a part of at least one of these*

What are you hoarding that you need even more storage for?

 

[MalagAste]

I'm actually hoping you can buy a combo pack with both of them for under 20 but maybe that's just me.

14.99 each or 25... for both would be ok too.... I suppose... though I must say beyond the niffty stairs and that planter I've NO desire for that rustic one...

I do like the Gothic theme though... I like it a lot.

Another thing I'll add..... the Chest of Sending would be nice if it worked in REVERSE too..... from my bank to my Home.... I have more problems with that then going the other way.

Next Question is also ..... Does it just grow it or will you be able to gather resources from it???? Will it be named like the ones in Magincia????? Or just grown.... without maintenance???

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

*yawns*

Taking more game out of the game by charging extra money... P.T. Barnum must have prohesized about Mythic...

 

[puni666]

My opinion on these items is that they're testing the waters on what's good to sell so they can make this game free to play to attract more players. I don't mind it at all. Kinda useful items anyways. (useful in a non pvp way)

 

[phantus]

I'm sorry. Did I miss the part where we actually play the game? Using my wallet as an input device is starting to wear a bit thin...

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Maybe next week's installment should be "Here is what your monthly sub is paying for"

Negatives can't be proven...

 

[RaDian FlGith]

I have to say...

This thread sort of proves that Mythic can sell just about anything at any price and people would buy it just because...

I have to admit that I like the idea of the planter. It's nice, it grows plants without me having to attend to them... It grows them 2 days quicker... No way I would ever buy ONE for $3.99, $4.99, $9.99, $14.99, or any other figure. If those suckers don't come in a 5-pack for $1.99, there's no flipping point to 'em at all. Oooh, wow, I could grow ONE plant every seven days. Yeah... No. Thank. You.

The chest of sending... sure, that's a nice one... but if that has more than a $3.99 or $4.99 price point, it's way too expensive.

I mean, come on guys. I know it's "just a game" and that "I don't need these," but let's show a little bit of fiscal sensibility in all of this and not just jump up and down screaming "oooh oooh oooh I want one, I'll give you $25.00 for a pair of those puppies!!!!"*

I mean... SERIOUSLY?


* Edited to add that this response is in no way directed at any one person in particular, especially Malag whom I love, but rather at the those waving the dollar bills in general.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Oh... and one more thing...

Grimm... say the following phrases with me:

Bump map.
Normal map.

That treasure chest in it's current low polycount, hi-res texture looks about as excitingly detailed as a roll of high-gloss wallpaper with a marble texture on it. Which is to say, "Flat and shiny."

Give it some texture, man.

 

[Halister Marner]

What are you hoarding that you need even more storage for?

Player written books, it's mostly the lockdown limit, I need another 250ish or so to add the remaining books I have.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I have no feelings about the new items, or the theme packs, or the like.

Maybe I'll get them, maybe I won't. From a business perspective I'm very curious about what the busiess model is. (I.e., theme packs or micro transactions? Or both? Entirely optional? Required for optional gameplay? Etc.)

And frankly (almost) whatever keeps the game around and interesting and vital and reasonably priced overall....The more I find out about other MMOs the less I like them and single-player games just don't work for me anymore, now that movies are too much like video games with better acting (sometimes) and better special effects (usually).

So anyone mind if I bypass this stuff and focus on....

Last not least, please note … the fiction and event timeline for the history of Ter Mur is almost through development approval. We are really excited to reveal the origins of Zhah … and to fill out some of the new areas in Ter Mur.

Anyone mind if I focus on this part, the part that really interests me, and offer a



Surely you cannot reasonably call me a cheerleader or a care bear or say I love everything they do on that basis.

-Galen's player

 

[Dellaney]

I like decoitems and thinks like tokens from the shop,but the garden bed is an item that destroyes a little piece of ultima - the botanist and alchemy community,who interact together
where is the fun to plant plants without maintenance them ? who needs potions anymore ?
this item was not a good idea,ultima lives longer without this item !
ultima mutated to a simple browser game with those stuff

*worried and afraid*

 

[puni666]

Player written books, it's mostly the lockdown limit, I need another 250ish or so to add the remaining books I have.

Go buy a Kindle .

 

[jbfortune]

Awesome, so now UO is turning like the F2P games but with out the free to play part!

 

[Gunga_Din]

Could be time.

 

[lucitus]

But this chest is only working as one way item or? Only to the bank not out of the bank? Has it charges to be recharged with?

 

[Tina Small]

Last not least, please note … the fiction and event timeline for the history of Ter Mur is almost through development approval. We are really excited to reveal the origins of Zhah … and to fill out some of the new areas in Ter Mur.More...

While you're putting Ter Mur under the microscope, could you please take a look at its connections to the rest of the shard on Siege? Gating out of Ter Mur to anywhere else on the shard is a very inconsistent proposition. I have a house east of the city in Ter Mur and the list below shows some of the places I can gate to and some of the places I can't gate to from that house. For the locations you can't gate to, you just get the "That did not seem to work" message when you make your attempt to cast gate spell.

AREAS YOU CANNOT GATE TO FROM TER MUR ON SIEGE:

Some locations in "upper" Malas like Luna and Hanse's Hostel and some of the area east of Luna, as well as some areas north of the hills around Luna
The island of Makoto-Jima
The island of Homare-Jima
Certain locations on Isamu-Jima (e.g., the Fan Dancer's Dojo, the champ spawn area, Beetlescape, Lightest Dark)
The Hedge Maze
Skara Brae
Yew and Empath Abbey
Destard
Shame
The farm fields west of Britain

There are probably other areas as well that you can't get to from Ter Mur using a gate spell that I haven't discovered yet. There also seem to be problems gating from the above areas to locations in Ter Mur.

SOME AREAS YOU CAN GATE TO FROM TER MUR ON SIEGE:
Umbra
Doom
Grimswind
Malas Desert (e.g., the pyramid)
Labyrinth (in front of the building itself)
The Citadel
Covetous
Deceit
Demon Temple
Fire
Hythloth
Ice
Wrong
Britain
Bucs Den
Cove
Jhelom
Magincia
Minoc
Moonglow
Nujelm
Ocllo
Serpent's Hold
Trinsic
Vesper
Other locations in Ter Mur

 

[olduofan]

Why cant they just make the chest act as your bank box but in your home problem solved .... no ?

 

[Tjalle]

I like decoitems and thinks like tokens from the shop,but the garden bed is an item that destroyes a little piece of ultima - the botanist and alchemy community,who interact together
where is the fun to plant plants without maintenance them ? who needs potions anymore ?
this item was not a good idea,ultima lives longer without this item !
ultima mutated to a simple browser game with those stuff

*worried and afraid*

This.

It looks big enough to fit multiple seeds so question is if you only can plant one at a time or more. Also will it be able to grow plants that will produce resources?

If multiple seeds then it will most likely mess with the main income from gardeners (seeds of renewal) if non-gardeners can just get a bunch of these, plant a lot of seeds and 2 weeks later reap a bunch of seeds with no maintenance required.

Cuz I believe it´s the maintenance part that keeps average players away and lets the gardeners have their own way to make gold.

So list me under "worried" as well...

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Cal said when we see the new items ...will be near/close
can someone remind me what it was that comes next? spring cleaning?

 

[Woodsman]

Cal said when we see the new items ...will be near/close
can someone remind me what it was that comes next? spring cleaning?

Booster Pack, although I guess technically it's "booster packs"

 

[Anvil of Crom]

Why cant they just make the chest act as your bank box but in your home problem solved .... no ?

Heck there's a tremendous opportunity to sell a token for $15 or $30, something shiny that grants you the ability to bank at any one house location of your choosing. Player towns could even designate their own banks. Would imagine that would sell quite well.

 

[Woodsman]

I'm actually hoping you can buy a combo pack with both of them for under 20 but maybe that's just me.

Mesanna said it would be a mini booster, although now I guess it's two mini boosters so it can't cost too much.

With such small boosters, they must be putting all of their resources into the graphics and EC and arena and everything else they are trying to do.

I'd rather they skipped the boosters and put everybody to work on the other stuff, but EA probably mandated they bring in X amount of revenue and this helps I suppose. Of course if they wanted more revenue, rather than a couple of new mini boosters, they could just run a permanent sale on High Seas and SA.

 

[G.v.P]

So we have game effecting items that have to be bought separately from the game in order to recieve them.

Moving content from your house to your bank doesn't seem like a game-breaker. Nor does a planter that grows a plant for you automatically in the same time span it would take to grow it normally (pending the seven day case).

I like decoitems and thinks like tokens from the shop,but the garden bed is an item that destroyes a little piece of ultima - the botanist and alchemy community,who interact together

If each planter grows one plant, and I'll assume they'd be valued at maybe $2.99 each and probably $14.99 or more in a pack of five assorted items to make up their pack. I doubt they will kill what has already become a dead market. I agree gardening is fun for those who love the wait, but does anyone really make money selling natural dyes anymore? I used to love selling them when they first came out but now everyone sells them and no one really seems to buy them.

I have to admit that I like the idea of the planter. It's nice, it grows plants without me having to attend to them...It grows them 2 days quicker...

The seven days could be misleading. It takes seven days for a plant to become a plant. Would be interesting if the item indeed shaved two days off the cycle. I definitely think most of the people who will end up getting them will pay in-gold money to brokers.

 

[Llewen]

Here we are folks, getting the the worst of both possible worlds. We pay a high monthly subscription, plus we are getting all kinds of micro transactions on top of that. I think we may be officially playing the oldest, and most expensive MMO. However, on the plus side you can buy just about anything in the game for gold, including, I expect, all of the above once it's released...

 

[Lady Michelle]

While the chest will be associated with the Gothic Theme Pack, the garden bed will come with the Rustic Theme Pack.

Will the garden bed be sold separately, or will it only come with the Rustic Theme Pack?

So two theme packs sold separately, both containing desirable tidbits.... clever

looks like the chest is only associated with the Gothic Theme Pack, not coming with the pack, like the garden bed will come with the Rustic Theme Pack.

 

[MalagAste]

Oh... and one more thing...

Grimm... say the following phrases with me:

Bump map.
Normal map.

That treasure chest in it's current low polycount, hi-res texture looks about as excitingly detailed as a roll of high-gloss wallpaper with a marble texture on it. Which is to say, "Flat and shiny."

Give it some texture, man.

Amen!

 

[Llewen]

That treasure chest in it's current low polycount, hi-res texture looks about as excitingly detailed as a roll of high-gloss wallpaper with a marble texture on it. Which is to say, "Flat and shiny."

Give it some texture, man.

Amen!

It doesn't really matter anyway, that's just concept art. What makes it into the game won't be a model like that is, in either client.

 

[THP]

Real coin in UO will always win the day/////

take the 2 story statue and scafold debate... both heavy duped and both for sale for real cash or high gold price week in week out ON CERTAIN SEAR5CH ENGINES.. ALWAYS IN STOCK!!!!!!!??? why dont the devs stub this out by making em spring clean rewards???? basically shafting in the the mouth of the dupers big style??? why not???? DO IT!!!!!!

 

[calibek]

I like decoitems and thinks like tokens from the shop,but the garden bed is an item that destroyes a little piece of ultima - the botanist and alchemy community,who interact together
where is the fun to plant plants without maintenance them ? who needs potions anymore ?
this item was not a good idea,ultima lives longer without this item !
ultima mutated to a simple browser game with those stuff

*worried and afraid*

Sorry but I fail to see how the botanist and alchemy community interact together. I have an alchemist so i don't need to buy potions and I get seeds on my own. I'm self sufficient in this area. For me though this is a good thing as I don't have time to log in EVERYDAY to tend to the plants to make sure they stay alive...sometimes I can't log in for 4 or more days. This just ensures that my plants stay alive.

Also for the people talking about the RMT. Most of this stuff is fluff and not needed to play the game properly. This is just fun little things for collectors and people who love decorating. Things like these seems to be the future of current MMO's...Blizzard does it, NCSoft does it, Sony does it...though their current concerns I don't think anyone is able to play their online games...It's just how it is anymore. If this keeps UO afloat and able to live on then whatever. If i don't want the items I don't buy them. Sorry but RMT is not new and, like I said, seems to be the future for games.

 

[canary]

It doesn't really matter anyway, that's just concept art. What makes it into the game won't be a model like that is, in either client.

Correct. But other games have a stable of talented artists, and we have... GrimmOmen. And I think its been proven time and time again he's not exactly 'bringing it' to the table, so to speak.

In other words, concept art is usually a hundred times nicer than the finished product, so if its already this bleh, and its in GrimmOmen's hands, its going to look even worse upon release.

 

[Amber Moon]

For me though this is a good thing as I don't have time to log in EVERYDAY to tend to the plants to make sure they stay alive...sometimes I can't log in for 4 or more days. This just ensures that my plants stay alive.

You can grow them in a backpack you know and log in whenever it is convenient to do so, as long as 24 hours has elapsed. The only thing this item addresses is potion use and number of logons, which is pretty trivial.

The really question about it are unanswered: seeds, resource production, and number of seeds per bed. My bet is that people will be underwhelmed when this is disclosed.

 

[canary]

Also, can someone... anyone... please inform me as to why we are continuing to get things in game that no one or only a minute fraction are asking for in game when there are obviously other things they should be spending their time on?

 

[Amber Moon]

Also, can someone... anyone... please inform me as to why we are continuing to get things in game that no one or only a minute fraction are asking for in game when there are obviously other things they should be spending their time on?

They hate us.

 

[Woodsman]

Here we are folks, getting the the worst of both possible worlds. We pay a high monthly subscription, plus we are getting all kinds of micro transactions on top of that. I think we may be officially playing the oldest, and most expensive MMO.

Even with 6-month cards, Warcraft is still $3 more per month, and Warcraft requires you to buy all previous expansions if you want to play the latest expansion, so no, UO is not the most expensive MMO.

UO monthly subscription with a 6-month gametime code = $10 a month
All content prior to Stygian Abyss = free/included
Stygian Abyss = $9 - $10 if you catch it on sale
High Seas = $9 - $10 if you catch it on sale

World of Warcraft monthly subscription with 6-month gametime = $12.99
Original World of Warcraft = $15 or so on sale
Burning Crusade = $13 or so on sale
Wrath of the Lich King = $35 or so on sale
Cataclysm = $35 or so on sale

You can't just go buy Cataclysm either, you have to have the original WoW, BC, and WLK before you can buy Cataclysm.

If you want to be current on UO, you'll have to spend $20 or so if you catch Stygian Abyss and High Seas on sale, or around $35 not on sale.

If you want to be current on World of Warcraft, you'll have to spend $100 or so if you catch the expansions on sale, or $110+ if they are not on sale.

I don't know why people think UO is so expensive, it's $10 a month, and with a few months of patience, another $20 can get you Stygian Abyss/High Seas.

Dollar for dollar, UO is about as good of a deal as you can get in the MMO world. It offers the most depth you can find for $10 a month.

I can't believe you think $10 a month is high, given how much content there is.

 

[Woodsman]

Also, can someone... anyone... please inform me as to why we are continuing to get things in game that no one or only a minute fraction are asking for in game when there are obviously other things they should be spending their time on?

We are getting brewing, vendor bazaar, and a couple of small add-on housing packs with the gardens and chest, and the gardens and chest are using existing systems with only a few tweaks, especially the chest which is basically a bag of sending with new artwork. Brewing could be seen as a simple extension of gardening/alchemy and not requiring any major effort. Honestly it's not that much when you break it down, which means they better not try and charge too much.

None of those should take much time to work on, but it's painful because the few weeks or month they spend on those could be better spent on graphics and EC updates, but oh well, EA probably wants some kind of booster packs while they work on the graphics and EC.

 

[Painted Elves]

I actually like the planter box...even though it's a bit of a cheat IMO.
However I'm not sure I like how they are implementing these items....


I could keep my 3 accounts active and just play with what I have now....or have one active account and buy mini upgrades.....Suppose it's about the same either way eh?
Still not sure how I feel about all this paying for content.......IMO.

 

[Amber Moon]

Still not sure how I feel about all this paying for content.......IMO.

Was just having a conversation with someone in game who said they were closing accounts over this trend. You are not the only one who feels this way apparently.

I find it worrisome

 

[Eyes of Origin]

I dont see what the big deal is... I would buy it even if it were $20...

Now mind you, even though I say I would buy it, it better be worth it. It better include both new housing tiles, the distilling, all the new stuff they are advertising and more and it should be wrapped up into one mini booster.

If they are going to seperate them and make two mini boosters, well both sets better include more than a couple items..

I dont mind paying for stuff like this. It helps support UO, even if the money goes to something else. It shows theres still interest in the game and reason to keep it up and running.

Not to mention, closing accounts over this is silly. Instead of buying one big expansion, we're getting content is smaller doses and still having to pay for it so theres no difference really.

 

[DevilsOwn]

I dont see what the big deal is... I would buy it even if it were $20...

if anyone is keeping track, please put my little check mark in the column of 'those that don't have $20 for a little white box'

 

[puni666]

I actually like the planter box...even though it's a bit of a cheat IMO.

True, before people either had to tend to the plants manually which is an utter waste of time, or use the unmentionable ways to tend to the plants which I'm guessing many people still do. Seems like they're putting a price tag on the unmentionable system .

 

[puni666]

if anyone is keeping track, please put my little check mark in the column of 'those that don't have $20 for a little white box'

I'm willing to bet it's only going to be 3 or 4 bucks since it only does one plant. Anything more is laughable.