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UO on Gamasutra

C

Cal_Mythic

Guest
Hey all. This is an article I wrote two years ago ... near the time SA launched.
It's finally made it public.

None of the thoughts have changed, but I've learned a lot more about the game, and find more respect for it every day.

I hope it delivers a message you will appreciate, particularly coming from someone coming to this legacy so late in life.

Best wishes,

Cal

Gamasutra: Calvin Crowner's Blog - For the Love of the Game. . .
 
L

LoL/Sonoma

Guest
Awesome thanks for posting it. Maybe you should start a UO blog ... =)

... now get back to work! Who let you out of your cage?!
 
T

T-Hunt

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Sweet post, and true after so many other games i have played Ultima Online is the one i keep comming back to.

Its like a school yard at launch time, so many things to do and so little time for most.
I hope to see UO grow more in years to come.

See you all in the yard kids... have fun..
 
L

LoL/Sonoma

Guest
Cal_Mythic said:
*hangs his head and goes back to crunching metrics*
Click to expand...
In all honestly a very good read. I think you have a career in writing when this whole video game fad finally dies out and we all go back to board games and pen and paper. Drop me a line and i'll hook you up with a job writing about trucks or construction equipment ... fun stuff! =)
 
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Orgional Farimir

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
If someone could find just a little bit of room in the marketing budget (HAHA) to post a banner to that blog on a few web pages, it would bring a bunch of new players in and old players back.
 
keel

keel

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Good read, thanks Cal. UO and FFXI are the only MMOs that I kept thinking about after I had left. Here I am, back again.

I just wish more people played :(
 
RawHeadRex

RawHeadRex

Slightly Crazed
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I always wondered about the perspective of a Dev vs. a Player who has played from early on.

Like ... Cal did you ever play the game and experience that thing that makes us all come back, or can you live vicariously through us to realize how we feel about it ?
 
NuSair

NuSair

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Ultima is the place where you play without boundaries. It is the source from which all current day MMOs have ventured, and somehow have lost their way... giving the player the experience and freedom... without the virtual shackles of levels and status.

In modern day games, there is a sense of accomplishment associated with a numbers: levels, attributes on items in your backpack, and achievements. There is nothing wrong with the modern day games or other MMOs... if you like your hand held, and told where to go, and what to do.
Click to expand...
Pure awesomeness.
 
C

canary

Guest
My problem with his story is that Cal himself historically doesn't seem to quite 'get' or understand Ultima Online... and yet he writes something about it? Uh, okay.
 
C

Clair The Mystic

Guest
Cal, I am so happy that you know how special UO is. I played other games, and they feel like clothing that is too small.

As for the flamers, you can have your doubts that Cal "gets it" as much as you do. That's fine. But isn't it cool that he wants to get it? He cares. That buys him some slack, at least from me.
 
C

Cardell

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
pfft. You can't compare baseball and uo. Not to the current UO anyway. Sorry, major fail there dude.

In order to compare them, for every baseball field you would have to make a duplicate softball field next to it. Where baseball players were not allowed to run fast or throw hard. You would have a T at home plate so the suckies wouldn't feel sucky when they missed the pitch. There would be no leading off the bases, definitely no stealing (because thats griefing the pitcher), and all bats would have 50 SSI and HOMERUN +100. No one would win because every team runs around with 23435453455444490482390849023804832 punkte (and no one knows how to pronounce or even try to pronounce that number) and even if your score was lower you would lose absolutely nothing. Every player would use the same bat and almost identical uniforms. Oh yeah, and there would be no new players to break any kinds of barriers. Just different old players coming back long enough to be disappointed that it took no skill to play anymore.

If anything you can make some kind of correlation between the use of steroids in baseball and speedhacking and scripting in UO.

:yell:
 
C

canary

Guest
Clair The Mystic said:
Cal, I am so happy that you know how special UO is. I played other games, and they feel like clothing that is too small.

As for the flamers, you can have your doubts that Cal "gets it" as much as you do. That's fine. But isn't it cool that he wants to get it? He cares. That buys him some slack, at least from me.
Click to expand...
The article was written nearly two years ago. He has had more than enough time.
 
Hell's Ironworks

Hell's Ironworks

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Thats all very nice sir.
But id be nice if , on the rare occasions you post on the forums, you could take the time to comment or answer some of the pertinent questions the players have about the game.
 
C

ChReuter

Guest
Clair The Mystic said:
Cal, I am so happy that you know how special UO is. I played other games, and they feel like clothing that is too small.

As for the flamers, you can have your doubts that Cal "gets it" as much as you do. That's fine. But isn't it cool that he wants to get it? He cares. That buys him some slack, at least from me.
Click to expand...
Doesn't that depend on the reasons why "he wants to get it"? I mean, of course he wants to get it for reasons of his continued employment, that's to be expected, but if that is the only reason, well than... I just don't think it's all that "cool".

I haven't read the article yet, therefore I really shouldn't have replied at all yet. I've been very critical of Cal and in order to prevent myself becoming just another hater who attacks everything regardless of it's merit, I think I'll just shutup and read what obviously will be a huge load of BS! before forming an opinion and possibly posting it.
 
A

AesSedai

Guest
- Aye, good article.

From it, you say:
... the longevity and memories of tales and long-lasting relationships between developers and community – Ultima Online stands apart from others in the genre.
Click to expand...
- Aye, do keep all of that in mind; hopefully there are enough resource allowances, to continue to perpetuate such boldness...---...

Yet it is a good article, especially if dated as proclaimed; and I'm sure it will intrigue many that have not been here since '97 (and I'm sure it will agree with many that have been here since '97).

- I have plenty more to say, and I will return; I just don't have enough time to point out more than this, now. I do hope the proper people were able to read this. And I do hope that this does not fall on deaf EArs, err, I mean the erts directors of our UO resurgent resources.
 
O

Orgional Farimir

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
sure you can compair UO and baseball. I can't play UO with out drinking beer and I can't watch baseball with out drinking beer.
 
C

ChReuter

Guest
CAL, READ THIS OR I'LL BEGIN SAYING MEAN THINGS IN EVERY THREAD YOU POST IN!

Ok still haven't read the article, but upon opening it I saw the photo of your grandfather in his old baseball uniform. My wife happened to be walking by and saw it and is very interested to know about the team as am I. While I'm english, my wife is a rotten yank and from maryland also, hence why the photo sparked her interest. We're currently living in maryland in fact and aside from my unhealthy obsession with real football, baseball has become my sport of choice. I know a fair bit about the general history of the negro leagues, but this team of your grandfathers interest me in particular being from maryland, so if you don't mind, I'd love to hear about them.
 
A

AesSedai

Guest
ChReuter said:
...what obviously will be a huge load of BS!.
Click to expand...
- Speaking of a huge load...

Ya' might: try reading before responding. It is hard to respect such a response, after reading such an actual response.. if you care to accept constructive criticism.

(You probably should've just, as you say, "shut up and read," and thought, before being critical and replying. Yup)
 
Viper09

Viper09

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
AesSedai said:
ChReuter said:
...what obviously will be a huge load of BS!.
Click to expand...
- Speaking of a huge load...

Ya' might: try reading before responding. It is hard to respect such a response, after reading such an actual response.. if you care to accept constructive criticism.

(You probably should've just, as you say, "shut up and read," and thought, before being critical and replying. Yup)
Click to expand...
I gotta second that....

ChReuter: Just top talking and hold your comments until after you read it.
 
M

mjolnir131

Guest
Ty cal it's good to know the person at the helm feels that way
 
Nok

Nok

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Great stuff Cal. Nice to hear the back story about your grandfather, your curiosity of him, and how his love of the game translates to your life now & love of the game.

*bows respectfully*

P.S. Being a history and sports fan, your grandfather is a hero.
 
P

popps

Always Present
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Nice......good reading.

For me, even with its flaws, there simply is nothing like Ultima Online out there.

Sometimes I think of UO like a thing with a life of its own, a creature that evolves, gets better, grows up little by little......
 
Y

Yalp

Guest
Sigh.. I miss Five on Fridays..

(I had more to say but I've censored myself... is there an icon for that? )
 
Llewen

Llewen

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
Excellent article, and pretty much explains why I personally want the game to be played by people, and not by scripts, and why I want it to be a game where you can be "good" and still compete and be successful.
 
T

Trebr Drab

Guest
Cal, the home run!
I wasn't a star or good enough for a scholarship, but I was fairly good in football.
I remember my first "home run", my first touchdown. A 20 yard run up the middle to win the game. It started with the most perfect blocking by the linemen to open up the hole, then followed with a couple of jocks left on the field, and concluded with me holding the ball up in victory while teammates mobbed me.

This is UO's story, the home run. At present, the jocks are still on the field... and the fans are still looking for the baseball.
 
JC the Builder

JC the Builder

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Benefactor
My question is when is UO going to start having an impact again. Every MMO in development is referencing what UO did 10 years ago for their design decisions. Why has UO development stopped after the Age of Shadows?
 
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