Massively OP seems to think it is going to be a steam launch. I tend to agree.
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Massively OP seems to think it is going to be a steam launch. I tend to agree.
I just don't see the point in a Steam launch. New players aren't gonna play this dinosaur of a game on Steam when there's thousands of other games on the same platform with better graphics, better servers, better communities, better devs.
I think a lot of people will try it just because it's there. I don't think that it's a long-term great idea, but it will increase the population at least temporarily and expose more people to the game. I doubt a lot of people will stay because they tend to be fickle, and with thousands of other titles to choose from, most of them will move on, but a few will stay.
Most times if I am playing some other game and mention my playing UO still, reactions range from "Is that still going??? To "F-That!" Many who used to play quit when AoS started or quit early on in the FEL only days... and those that quit early on most of the HATE the game passionately... and say that was their first introduction to online jerks(only they don't say it that nicely)... Those that quit later say they miss what UO was... but share fond memories of it, though they have little to no desire to play it again... Very few who quit early on liked UO... they talk about how horrible it was... if anyone played it at all... They say something to the effect of Early UO was what NOT to do in an Online game...
That's my general experience when talking to other gamers. I've gotten a few people to look at UO... but most of them either don't like the monthly sub (which I tell them is silly since ONE night at the movies is more expensive than a monthly sub) I don't mention EJ because it's a total joke... or they can't get through the account mismanagment screens to pay for the game and get pissy and quit. They tell me it shouldn't be so hard to give a company money for a game. Not that I disagree with them.
As for what the "Big Announcement" is... I'm prepared to be highly underwhelmed. I gave myself a deadline of if I give a rats to log into the game anytime before the end of the year I'll keep subbing... if not I'm going to stop dropping accounts... If I find the game actually "fun" again I'll keep paying... but don't go looking to find my "IDOCs" ... I plan to delete everything... No desire to leave anything to the vultures.
That's my general experience when talking to other gamers. I've gotten a few people to look at UO... but most of them either don't like the monthly sub (which I tell them is silly since ONE night at the movies is more expensive than a monthly sub) I don't mention EJ because it's a total joke... or they can't get through the account mismanagment screens to pay for the game and get pissy and quit. They tell me it shouldn't be so hard to give a company money for a game. Not that I disagree with them.
As for what the "Big Announcement" is... I'm prepared to be highly underwhelmed. I gave myself a deadline of if I give a rats to log into the game anytime before the end of the year I'll keep subbing... if not I'm going to stop dropping accounts... If I find the game actually "fun" again I'll keep paying... but don't go looking to find my "IDOCs" ... I plan to delete everything... No desire to leave anything to the vultures.
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I can imagine if they did go on Steam and people tried to play on EJ that there would be so much drama because it's so restricted. There are dozens of other games where you can play with almost no restrictions up to a certain level, so people can really get a feel for the game and decide whether to sub/buy. I just don't think it would end well, unless EJ is also getting a total revamp and the new player experience is too, anyway at this point whatever it is is not likely to happen this year now.
Because for the hobbyists it's a passion.
For Mesanna & Co it's just a job.
So the former create a mobile client.
The latter still trying to figure why a cabinet door is not closing properly.
Yet I throw them some peanuts every other month to keep the show going.
Messana said at a meet and greet the BBE wasn't Steam. But who knows, they have dispensed 'misinformation' before.
I have test a mobile version of UO make by an UO fan...This still makes me giggle.
Dev's cannot keep the 500 people that still play UO happy, how do they expect to keep their "biggest audience ever". (from 500 to over 250,000 in one release i gotta see)
I would say if the "mobile" rumour is true, it will be the saddest joke of all time.
UO is so far out of date for "mobile" games these days......unless they monetise the hell out of it
Though you can always count on Messanna to be true to her ways....after stringing you all along all year, it will be a total let down from what people are hoping for
It's hard to play but i think they now maked some feature for try to make the game more playable..
I have test it on not official shard because with this app i can't login on realUO, if you don't know it find it on youtube, i have make some video with the app MobileUO
For some of the "players" it's a job as well!
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They'd be crazy to make a third client. Every attempt at a new client made with vastly larger teams with more resources has not supplanted the classic client and they are already saddled with two that they can't get rid of without undoubtedly losing a lot of subs that UO can't afford to lose.
Steam would be a super disappointing "big announcement" since it's been strung along for years now.
My hope would be a common landmass/dungeon for all shards (per ruleset) or player-generated quest/content tools.
Steam would be a super disappointing "big announcement" since it's been strung along for years now.
My hope would be a common landmass/dungeon for all shards (per ruleset) or player-generated quest/content tools.
Pub 16 Shard (Pre-AoS). Back during Pub 16 was when UO had the "largest audience ever".
Wrong.
Pub16 was in July 2002. UO's "largest audience" (ie peak of subscriptions) was in mid-2003 a few months after Age ofShadows Stuff.
So sayeth The Chart™
Pub16 was in July 2002. UO's "largest audience" (ie peak of subscriptions) was in mid-2003 a few months after Age of
So sayeth The Chart™
I read the newsletter with not much anticipation (just based on the last couple) and it didn't disappoint 
Why even bring up "the biggest announcement ever" at this point? It's like they thought to themselves "oh people are writing it off and there is no more buzz because we have delayed it 6 months... let's put another blurb about it". So what do they do? They say "we have been tip toeing around it for months but it's almost here so we are announcing that we are STILL going to tip toe around it!! Keep subbing for another 6months and we might be closer to not tip toeing!! Stay tuned!!".
Give me a break lol. Maybe it will be something cool and exciting but the past month of zero new content (on top of the previous 7 months of no new content or rerun content) has me not really caring what it is until it's actually here.
I also think it's funny how something that just recently has really come up on the official forums (selling account bound items) seemed to zoom ahead of many other requests that have been out there (like creating a filter for jewelry boxes or the dozens of existing bugs).
All that said, I will give credit where credit is due... they did finally give a blurb about the black gate content!!
I mean Sept is only 3 days away at this point and the blurb that they gave really is something I would have expected a month or 2 ago with a little more meat about it now... but it's better than nothing. The real question now is when will the September content actually start? My guess is a coupled days after Labor Day... anyone else?
Why even bring up "the biggest announcement ever" at this point? It's like they thought to themselves "oh people are writing it off and there is no more buzz because we have delayed it 6 months... let's put another blurb about it". So what do they do? They say "we have been tip toeing around it for months but it's almost here so we are announcing that we are STILL going to tip toe around it!! Keep subbing for another 6months and we might be closer to not tip toeing!! Stay tuned!!".
Give me a break lol. Maybe it will be something cool and exciting but the past month of zero new content (on top of the previous 7 months of no new content or rerun content) has me not really caring what it is until it's actually here.
I also think it's funny how something that just recently has really come up on the official forums (selling account bound items) seemed to zoom ahead of many other requests that have been out there (like creating a filter for jewelry boxes or the dozens of existing bugs).
All that said, I will give credit where credit is due... they did finally give a blurb about the black gate content!!
I mean Sept is only 3 days away at this point and the blurb that they gave really is something I would have expected a month or 2 ago with a little more meat about it now... but it's better than nothing. The real question now is when will the September content actually start? My guess is a coupled days after Labor Day... anyone else?
Whatever it is - let’s just hope it’s good.
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@Keven2002 you said exactly what I was thinking, why mention it when they are still keeping it a secret, they totally missed the boat on having a decent number of people in game to announce it to, they made a mess of things as usual. Like other people I assumed it was something happening this year, but it looks like that is not the case. So there was no new content for a long time because they were working on something new, but they prefer to not tell anyone why they didn't make any new content...
Anniversary gifts Sept 1. The events start Sept 24. Its in the newsletter...
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I made the comment about MobileUO, but I don't think its that.
I think that because we are having The Black Gate this year (anniversary content)...
that next years event will be The Serpents Isle...
Ultima VII part I is the black gate...
this will be the battle with the fellowship and Batlin will escape.
Ultima VII part II is The Serpents Isle...
Batlin flees to the serpents Isle.
Hawkwind and companions follow.
this sounds like a very dangerous former fragment of Sosaria...
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not sure if we can post links here... so do a search on wikipedia for ultima (series)
I think that because we are having The Black Gate this year (anniversary content)...
that next years event will be The Serpents Isle...
Ultima VII part I is the black gate...
this will be the battle with the fellowship and Batlin will escape.
Ultima VII part II is The Serpents Isle...
Batlin flees to the serpents Isle.
Hawkwind and companions follow.
this sounds like a very dangerous former fragment of Sosaria...
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not sure if we can post links here... so do a search on wikipedia for ultima (series)
Hawkwind ≠ The Avatar
Completely separate individual.
Completely separate individual.
would be great if they made both clients on level playing field, ec with pincos is so much better than cc with no legal addon except uo assist. it was bad business practice to add a new client making the existing one, cc inferior compared to cc, with just uo assist. they could make an illegal one legal or make an addon for cc.
i hope they just improve both clients, not work on stuff that will be useless in one to 3 months because they let items drop like candy. hard not to do with the gimme gimme gimme crowd. the devs have improved/done alot of good things but the new loot destroyed alot of the crafting improvements. then was nerf to 8 mods possibly 9. but after years of 12 to 16 mod stuff being given out, it is/was too late. if only the new loot was 7 to 8 mods to begin with, would of made loot, imbueing/reforging all good to do. just my opinions.
with all this being said, big announcement will probably be they are bringing back the old phoenix design lol.
i hope they just improve both clients, not work on stuff that will be useless in one to 3 months because they let items drop like candy. hard not to do with the gimme gimme gimme crowd. the devs have improved/done alot of good things but the new loot destroyed alot of the crafting improvements. then was nerf to 8 mods possibly 9. but after years of 12 to 16 mod stuff being given out, it is/was too late. if only the new loot was 7 to 8 mods to begin with, would of made loot, imbueing/reforging all good to do. just my opinions.
with all this being said, big announcement will probably be they are bringing back the old phoenix design lol.
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I believe I read somewhere,
Ultima Lore says that the Avatar opens a portal to bring the past into the Present.
Isn't that what Hawkwind did 5 years ago?
So thats why I made that comment.
I have only played the online game, so I only know the info wikipedia has on Ultima (Series).
but either way, the sound of Serpents Isle next year would be a big and bold endeavor.
magical storms, 3 new cities to explore... that would be awesome.
everything is just guess work right now.
anyways, I'm sure whatever they have planned will be awesome.
Holding_Valuables
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It would be great to see some role playing and social content added to this role playing game.
Adding additional and more gruesome grinds isn't much of a new concept anymore.
UO in it's current state, presented to the largest audience ever, would be really interesting to watch unfold.
I hope there is a great new player experience for this largest audience ever, instead of just dropping them in haven with no guidance or help.
I hope they clean up outdated content and address crucial bugs so these new players aren't trying to complete quests that are unable to be completed.
(Similar to outdated town crier quests players wasted time with during the "covid-19 returning player burst.")
I hope server stability issues are resolved and improved upon regularly.
I hope lost items and time due to this type of negligence will be reimbursed to all instead of only a select few.
I hope the current UO team gains the approval of the community instead of adding more people to the list of disgruntled players.
(A simple glance through places like Stratics, Reddit, even the official UO forum speaks volumes....)
UO missed the boat in regards to mobile many years ago.
This game would need a lot of patch work to sail properly in the streaming world.
The only logical speculation I can come up with is that the team plans to market the game to underdeveloped countries.
This game isn't ready for prime time.
Adding additional and more gruesome grinds isn't much of a new concept anymore.
UO in it's current state, presented to the largest audience ever, would be really interesting to watch unfold.
I hope there is a great new player experience for this largest audience ever, instead of just dropping them in haven with no guidance or help.
I hope they clean up outdated content and address crucial bugs so these new players aren't trying to complete quests that are unable to be completed.
(Similar to outdated town crier quests players wasted time with during the "covid-19 returning player burst.")
I hope server stability issues are resolved and improved upon regularly.
I hope lost items and time due to this type of negligence will be reimbursed to all instead of only a select few.
I hope the current UO team gains the approval of the community instead of adding more people to the list of disgruntled players.
(A simple glance through places like Stratics, Reddit, even the official UO forum speaks volumes....)
UO missed the boat in regards to mobile many years ago.
This game would need a lot of patch work to sail properly in the streaming world.
The only logical speculation I can come up with is that the team plans to market the game to underdeveloped countries.
This game isn't ready for prime time.
Mainline Ultima lore relies heavily on time travel during the Age of Darkness (specifically Ultima I & II). Hawkwind is the Royal Seer during Ultima IV, but is not till the Age of Armageddon (Ultima VI-IX) he really does anything. He's seen and interacted with once in Ultima V, pt. 1 mainly as an exposition dump. It isn't even revealed that Hawkwind and the Time Lord are the same person until Ultima IX. Retcons are annoying that way. (Hawkwind is basically the Doctor from Doctor Who circa 1981, his Ultima VII portrait is that of Tom Baker)
The Avatar is technically a time traveler though, seeing as he normally resides on contemporary Earth. The Britannia he plays savior to exists in the 27th century (Ultima VII is set post 2673).
UO lore pretty much precludes there being "an Avatar," mainly due to the fact the players were intended to be their own avatars. It would be difficult for there to be a game controlled main hero that we'd have been expected to give a damn about for 23 years. while we were all just fodder for his battles. We shouldn't expect that we will ever actually BE "Avatars" though, as that could make the game kind of boring (unless they created a whole new end-game strategy that actually required people to knight all the Virtues...sigh)
We also sorta kinda have Serpent Isle already, it was one of the many iterations/retcons/nightmare pancakings of the ouroboros that is Ilshenar. That facet bears absolutely no resemblance to what it was originally meant to be and the addition of the UO2
Since UO was never meant to last this long, Ultima-ey things have been sort of shoehorned in haphazardly. Undoing that at this stage would take a concerted effort of several years of mandatory worldwide hardcore lore events that actually had consequences.
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Holding_Valuables
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The current EM team has really been providing some juicy story lines with rich narratives that really add value to Ultima lore if I must say so.
There was a recent event with Covid-19 mobs and another event with urine stained sheets and more.
I think these two events are tied to Hawkwind, Avatar and everything else most definitely.
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Keep up the good work guys
I missed the urine event after all the pootery stuff
And anyone who wonders who Tom Baker is just look at my trusty Avatar
Doubt it. It's not exactly a new program, it's been around for years on both Xbox and the Origin client on PC. They just renamed it this month.Hold on, wait a minute.......
Haven't EA just launched or announced the launch of their own version of Xbox Live (basically a monthly sub to access games on the platform)?
Is that the big news, UO is going on EA Play?
Hmmm.... I wonder if they are going to go after the Latin American market? Add some Mayan/Incan/Aztec culture and mythos?
Holding_Valuables
Visitor
Don't buy the cover story, it's in the works.
Forget about the dragon mounts players from around the world have been requesting for over a decade.
Get ready for the Capybara amigo!
Maybe I'm missing it... the only thing I see about Sept 24th is in regards to the "major update". There is nothing in the Black Gate section about a date.
*Apologize if it's somewhere else, just got back from vacation and catching up now.
I thought for sure that I was the only one who determined how late in the month it is using the expiration date of my milk. FYI, the milk I bought yesterday expires on the 26th as well, therefore, I need to pay American Express.
Perhaps they're finally going to release a high resolution 2D client that is a worthy replacement of the current one, instead of wasting god knows how much of our money and development time on 3 failed "enhanced" clients that never really came close to being an acceptable replacement.
A game celebrating 23 years, priced at $14 a month, still has a client that looks mostly the same as it did when it first came out.
A game celebrating 23 years, priced at $14 a month, still has a client that looks mostly the same as it did when it first came out.
CC users will never accept any other client and I don't blame them if they like it.... personally I don't like the CC and where they are failing is starting new clients and giving up finishing them...KR had promise and they gave up fast....EC has CC graphics scaled up with different character and monster models so it looks awful
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Holding_Valuables
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I'm surprised in 2020 this game doesn't offer a high res 2D option with a cross compatible 3D client.
I thought these things would exist by now when I experienced the UO 2 demo decades ago....
Seems like a reasonable investment for the eyes of an aging player base.
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One of the best things about playing the ultima series growing up was when the new adventure came out it was always cutting edge. It was part of the draw and reputation. Just like the launch of UO.........
Now keep in mind. Minecraft is cutting edge making a ton of $$$.
Now keep in mind. Minecraft is cutting edge making a ton of $$$.
Oh yes! I played them all starting off on my atari 800xl to commodore 64 to amiga till now was there best times! Ultima IV my all time favorite...
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Well said Doctor
I'm convinced we could get a client with the graphical fidelity of, say, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, that runs on PCs from a decade ago, and most of the players would still complain endlessly about it because it's not the same **** they've looked at for 20 years.
Join the WETC guild.
We exist to complain.
No New fiction will lead into a new client. I assume we will get a new Expansion. Maybe Portals to the moons. A new Expansion has to be bought and gives money.
We exist to complain.
No New fiction will lead into a new client. I assume we will get a new Expansion. Maybe Portals to the moons. A new Expansion has to be bought and gives money.
I don't know about the rest of you all but I never paid for ToL... not a penny.
Because there Was a time frame where ToL where added for free to active subs.
As we all know or feel, whatever comes first, they don't care much about player wishes. They need money to drive the game engine.
The biggest and boldest increase of income would be a new expansion with top loot at the beginning so all subs have to pay for it.
Going back to the actual time line of things (I really don't care about any "big announcement" at this point), it doesn't really line up with their previous event list of Sep-Dec if they are really waiting until September 24th to start it. Based on the June newsletter, Black gate was "September", Undead Lords was "October", etc, etc.
So while yes technically it's September when they start it, that means that they either only run it a week, or they run it into October and whatever they are doing for Undead Lords (assuming that's the Halloween content) won't start until mid-end of October. Keeping in mind that every other "event" that's ever been run (using last few Halloween ones and recent re-run content as examples) has been at least 1 month but has also been up to 2-3 months.
If they are only running a week or 2 event, I can already see an issue where people are complaining the event wasn't long enough for them to get enough of the drops/rewards.
It seems to me that the DEVs dropped the ball somewhere and didn't plan properly if they are releasing "September content" during the last week of September. That's like someone telling you happy birthday at 11:59pm on your birthday; yea technically they weren't late but let's be honest, it wasn't even close to a priority and they just happened to make it.
So while yes technically it's September when they start it, that means that they either only run it a week, or they run it into October and whatever they are doing for Undead Lords (assuming that's the Halloween content) won't start until mid-end of October. Keeping in mind that every other "event" that's ever been run (using last few Halloween ones and recent re-run content as examples) has been at least 1 month but has also been up to 2-3 months.
If they are only running a week or 2 event, I can already see an issue where people are complaining the event wasn't long enough for them to get enough of the drops/rewards.
It seems to me that the DEVs dropped the ball somewhere and didn't plan properly if they are releasing "September content" during the last week of September. That's like someone telling you happy birthday at 11:59pm on your birthday; yea technically they weren't late but let's be honest, it wasn't even close to a priority and they just happened to make it.
The big event/announcement was gonna take us to the largest crowd ever. Nothing in that roadmap for fall will do that, it has to be something else.
The Devs have been quiet since Aug. 27th. They are probably behind schedule and will not admit it. But they are working without distractions on it. Since we know they will send it to TC with very little testing.
All four of those events could be Treasures of events that are already made, just need rewards and hued armor...
So Big announcement? Let's see if it happens on Sept 24th.
All four of those events could be Treasures of events that are already made, just need rewards and hued armor...
So Big announcement? Let's see if it happens on Sept 24th.