Why I (a returning player) will not be renewing my subscription

[Cymidei]

Yeah those private shards look pretty but aren't you forgetting something? All the lag, crashes, black holes, bugs, etc. that go with those kind of Mods. That's why we don't have that kind of stuff...it doesn't work very well.

No one even plays on most of those fancy shards, the only ones with a big population don't focus as much on fancy art as they do taming, weapons, niche game-play, etc. Even so...UO is only fun if you make your own entertainment. There is nothing any Dev can add or do that will be more rewarding than having a good guild or having friends to play with.

 

[Taylor]

I doubt that result would be as universally revealing.

The dross would cancel out. But as revealing as occasional one-off messages are, a preponderance of "parting thoughts" posts would have a significantly more forceful impact on Broadsword's planning. One person with the aforementioned concerns is easily overlooked; five hundred people with the same concerns might result in a change.

It might be worth considering a single "parting thoughts" thread stickied somewhere departing players and developer could see it, or even a "parting thoughts" subforum.

 

[Yadd of Legends]

ive actually made surprisingly good suits, 45dci 100lrc 40lmc 30sdi 16mr 12hpr, and damage eater with loot ive found on the ground or stuff left on corpes, with maybe 100k splurged to get a mana phasing orb and kelp legs.

yes, you can spend alot of gold for a "perfect" suit. but i think its also the easiest time in UOs history to be able to make a really good suit with basically no gold at all.

I agree. A lot of the complaints about not being able to get enough gold to compete are imaginary. Unless your UO life is hard-c0re PvP, there's no need to compete in the first place. It's really not that hard to get what you need to do most everything in the game.

 

[Uvtha]

Yeah those private shards look pretty but aren't you forgetting something? All the lag, crashes, black holes, bugs, etc. that go with those kind of Mods. That's why we don't have that kind of stuff...it doesn't work very well.

Aside from the change to the water which is probably unrealistic, nothing was a mod. Just new art that fits with the old stuff and original art assets altered/combined smartly (barrel on it's side with apples falling out, shelves with gold boxes, and scrolls on them, stuff like that) placed and arranged in nice looking and interesting ways.

I'm sure a lot of that sort of thing doesn't appeal to everyone, but even as just a back drop the level of detail and the quality of design help create richness in a world and make the game more engrossing.

 

[Deaol]

ive actually made surprisingly good suits, 45dci 100lrc 40lmc 30sdi 16mr 12hpr, and damage eater with loot ive found on the ground or stuff left on corpes, with maybe 100k splurged to get a mana phasing orb and kelp legs.

yes, you can spend alot of gold for a "perfect" suit. but i think its also the easiest time in UOs history to be able to make a really good suit with basically no gold at all.

This is very true, I have made many well equipped suits for many returning players for under 500k..

 

[keyvan]

Yeah those private shards look pretty but aren't you forgetting something? All the lag, crashes, black holes, bugs, etc. that go with those kind of Mods. That's why we don't have that kind of stuff...it doesn't work very well.

No one even plays on most of those fancy shards, the only ones with a big population don't focus as much on fancy art as they do taming, weapons, niche game-play, etc. Even so...UO is only fun if you make your own entertainment. There is nothing any Dev can add or do that will be more rewarding than having a good guild or having friends to play with.

The free shard iam playing on has over 1000+ players online I've never experienced any lag issues until now unlike Osi where I have lags and lost connection all the times on empty shard like Europa ....
I don't know why they (EA) don't upgarde thier servers because a good dedicated server would cost only 70$ per month and could hold at least +1500 players....

 

[Lady Storm]

Where is Grimm Omen when I need him????
He would be able to explain the ins and outs of the art and UO coding.
Next I would love to have Draconni to give you all a small lesson in UO application of code and the balance of old and new.
Then I would love for Mesanna to explain how and why AGAIN for the umpt time how she can and cant kick out scripters and cheats.
Also
I would love for you to understand just because you can yell or scream it louder then I, it never makes you right.

OP thank you for your time and trying the game again.

I would hope you knew the full extent of the last few years history of the struggles of UO. Mesanna and the dev number 5 people. *one hands worth of digits*
I understand this is a paltry excuse in most books here... they think this all is soo easy to do that in a blink of a few lines of code we would look a lot like the "free" .
Yes it is nice to look at.
Granted
But at what cost, and I don't mean money.
I once asked Grimm about the making of the inside of bags like one shown on a picture from one.
He said sure it was not hard to do but time consuming and he would need to find a bit of free time to do it.
They were in the middle of getting things done for the next update.
EA laid him off.
He was not the only one to go...
Suffice it to say Mesanna has tried to hire more engineers, more artists, and well just about every job that was stripped from them before their escape from Mythic to Broadsword.
It's not the pay... that's good.
Its the devotion to UO.
The College kids today who come for the job plan to stay for a few short months get the company name on their resume and leave for the next job in the industry and wash rinse repeat the same thing till they get the fat money offers at one of the bigger firms.
no loyalty
They have little if any at all knowledge of UO and its history...or even care.
Your right the game has flaws... it has from day 1.
I was there I know....
Every Dev has tried to change UO... to their idea of what UO is or should be...

Bonnie Armstrong from the day she took the reigns of UO has been non stop fixaholic of the years of bugs, errors , and down right flub ups the past gave us.
Believe me EA didn't help in the facts of handing the running of UO to Jeff or Cal in the last months before they skinned Mythic of all its good parts, firing/layoffs of valuable people. In my opinion it was attempted murder of the game.
Mesanna and the dev got the chance to escape to Broadsword and its owners new start up made just for UO and DoAC, then to give them a Ludacris short amount of time to get the hell out of the Mythic office what they could before the doors shut...
We have seen 5 dev work and produce a publish mind you... fixing anything that pops up as quickly as is humanly possible.
This on top of putting out expected holiday, anniversary, and rewards for the masses.
This with just a handful of staff...
Every Lead Producer has had the supremely hard job of running UO, and her tenure has been more filled with hardships of lack of staff to help give you and I what we deserve as loyal players.
I am super tired of hearing from many here..... Its taking too long.... OFF with her head!
I am not being listened too ...Fire her!!!
I want.... I want... I want.....
ok
You go find another game with so dedicated a staff to keep working for your play.
I wish you luck my friend.
If you think I am mad now.... you have no idea of the state of anger I am in.
I have seen childish attitudes and down right venom spewed when something is not done to your liking....
Right now if your ears are burning be thankfull you don't understand Hungarian...

 

[Eärendil]

You can have a lot of fun in this game with a looted suit and 200k cash. That's a fact. Especially on Siege. Why do we talk about Slithers and EM Items? I have stopped attending EM events because most of them are ridiculously dull: Person talks boring stuff, person opens gate, people running there, people killing waves of meaningless monsters just to meet the boss. Kill boss, hope for drop, spam in chat "selling tonight's item". Terrible, terrible, terrible. The pure horror. Didn't attend EM events for about 5 years and I didn't miss anything. Sometimes I joined just in order to watch if things have changed. And RNG is the best aspect of the system.

Why should we encourage young players to get 100 mil a week? To attend silly events, to get slithers and competitive eater-suits? We should encourage them to learn the game, to interact, to join active and friendly guilds. That's the heart of the game, not em events or high end items. OP is correct in some points, especially with regard to a helpful new player-system and the trashy economy of the shards. You SHOULD in fact be able to buy stuff from looted gold. Sorry, everything else us misleading because it forces new players to participate in the dull events and the silly market. You should be able to make a living from fighting, gathering resources, crafting. And in fact, you can. On some shards.

Bugged landscapes or pixel crack don't bother me too much. Neither do dead quests. Everything depends on communication and a plausible ratio of efforts and reward. Both issues are the main problems. And not to forget the scripting which I hate deeply from my heart. You might not even believe it, but I never scripted, never even used uo assist or cartographer or anything else. Imagine: 10 years only with my mouse and my fingers in CC. I hate cheaters. I really hate them. Many times they destroyed my gaming fun and it took a while to calm down...

 

[Eärendil]

Where is Grimm Omen when I need him????
He would be able to explain the ins and outs of the art and UO coding.
Next I would love to have Draconni to give you all a small lesson in UO application of code and the balance of old and new.
Then I would love for Mesanna to explain how and why AGAIN for the umpt time how she can and cant kick out scripters and cheats.
Also
I would love for you to understand just because you can yell or scream it louder then I, it never makes you right.

OP thank you for your time and trying the game again.

I would hope you knew the full extent of the last few years history of the struggles of UO. Mesanna and the dev number 5 people. *one hands worth of digits*
I understand this is a paltry excuse in most books here... they think this all is soo easy to do that in a blink of a few lines of code we would look a lot like the "free" .
Yes it is nice to look at.
Granted
But at what cost, and I don't mean money.
I once asked Grimm about the making of the inside of bags like one shown on a picture from one.
He said sure it was not hard to do but time consuming and he would need to find a bit of free time to do it.
They were in the middle of getting things done for the next update.
EA laid him off.
He was not the only one to go...
Suffice it to say Mesanna has tried to hire more engineers, more artists, and well just about every job that was stripped from them before their escape from Mythic to Broadsword.
It's not the pay... that's good.
Its the devotion to UO.
The College kids today who come for the job plan to stay for a few short months get the company name on their resume and leave for the next job in the industry and wash rinse repeat the same thing till they get the fat money offers at one of the bigger firms.
no loyalty
They have little if any at all knowledge of UO and its history...or even care.
Your right the game has flaws... it has from day 1.
I was there I know....
Every Dev has tried to change UO... to their idea of what UO is or should be...

Bonnie Armstrong from the day she took the reigns of UO has been non stop fixaholic of the years of bugs, errors , and down right flub ups the past gave us.
Believe me EA didn't help in the facts of handing the running of UO to Jeff or Cal in the last months before they skinned Mythic of all its good parts, firing/layoffs of valuable people. In my opinion it was attempted murder of the game.
Mesanna and the dev got the chance to escape to Broadsword and its owners new start up made just for UO and DoAC, then to give them a Ludacris short amount of time to get the hell out of the Mythic office what they could before the doors shut...
We have seen 5 dev work and produce a publish mind you... fixing anything that pops up as quickly as is humanly possible.
This on top of putting out expected holiday, anniversary, and rewards for the masses.
This with just a handful of staff...
Every Lead Producer has had the supremely hard job of running UO, and her tenure has been more filled with hardships of lack of staff to help give you and I what we deserve as loyal players.
I am super tired of hearing from many here..... Its taking too long.... OFF with her head!
I am not being listened too ...Fire her!!!
I want.... I want... I want.....
ok
You go find another game with so dedicated a staff to keep working for your play.
I wish you luck my friend.
If you think I am mad now.... you have no idea of the state of anger I am in.
I have seen childish attitudes and down right venom spewed when something is not done to your liking....
Right now if your ears are burning be thankfull you don't understand Hungarian...

You are absolutely right! Thanks!

 

[Eärendil]

And by the way, I like the devs and most of their work. And I disgust crybabies. Ever did.

Gimme more presents!
Gimme more shiny objects!
Gimme more!

I quit because I don't get a valentines gift...

Dis-gus-ting!

 

[FrejaSP]

Disclaimer: This is from my perspective and my play style when returning to Ultima Online after a 10 year break. Please do not take offense and consider this constructive criticism.

It's always hard to come back after 10 years and expect the game to be the one you left 10 years ago. There is alot to learn, the game did changes alot.

Most returning and new players do not know about Stratics or UOGuide (great resources) they should have these sites listed in game somewhere as the help functions in game are useless.

They are listed! Fansites – Ultima Online
And we do have other useful info on Ultima Online Wiki – Ultima Online

1b. Dead shards. Why can we not have an accurate number of active players per shard? Other than low/med/high. I would have never chosen the shard I did if I had more information on what shards were active. this would also help with new players finding shards that actually have players there willing to help.

Both players and Mesanna and her team would love to see alot more players and less dead shards but there are so many games out there now, so it's not as easy as it sounds.

2. The current economy in UO is out of control.

Sure it's not easy, but with the changes to checks, you will see less IDOC houses filled with checks and when a rich player stop playing all his gold will stay in his bank. I believe this will help over time. Also, it will stop duping not having checks in game.
You can always play Siege Perilous as our shard is way more healthy.

3. The events program and EMs.

UO is different than many other games. we do not have lots of quests telling you how to play the game, UO do have much more freedom, you can in so many different ways and be what you want to be.
Also events do not have to be made of EM's, players can make events too, at least we do on Siege. UO is meant to be a world you live in, not just a game!

4b. IDOCs need to be changed back to how the systems were in the good ol' days. I understand that PLACEMENT was changed due to scripting, so that's fine but the actual fall of the house needs to be revamped. Unfortunately many people do have lives lol and can not be on the game at all times.

Not sure IDOC do any good to the game, I know that sounds hard but they keep a lot items in the game, that should had been removed, when a player stopped playing or packed away, to the day he return. I would place the context of the house in a moving box in his bank. let house stay the 3 month but after that, if he comes back and can find a empty place of same size, he can replace it, else he can place a smaller one and manuel move the items he need to new house. No more IDOC Hunters, if you want resources, artifacts, deco, get them the normal way.

5a. I know that expansions are a way for you to get more money and keep the lights on, but you really need to focus on the MAJOR BUGS and horrible content flaws in the game. Hire some folk to run around for a month and do every quest and see how many are dead ends come up and the major content issues that plaque the new questers of the game. Walk around the lands and see all the unnecessary crap laying around. The EMs make messes and forget to clean up.

The last years had been great, lots of bug fix and lots of changes to bring the balance back, after the damage from AoS. The last exp. had been great, SA, High Sea and ToL. I love the booster packs too.
I know players who do come back, always will complain, most because they want their old game back and then find a whole new game. Maybe try to play the game we have now and look how to move forward.

 

[Goodmann]

I have noticed a lot of complaints recently. The natives are restless and I don't think pub 92 will satisfy there thirst

 

[Victim of Siege]

I wish every departing player would take time to memorialize their reasons in a forum post. Thank you, @OldUO.

I'm confused, I thought they already did . . .

 

[Philly]

Very well constructed and accurate post. To bad I never got to meet you Old UO. Safe journeys to you.

 

[petemage]

It's all fair points, but for an returning player thats been away for 10 years, it seems a bit spoiled.

Seriously there is so much content to start with that was not there 10 years ago: Ter-Mur, Abyss, Underworld, revamped dungeons, Mysticism and more skills, getting a new house, etc.

Instead we just go into the same old problems like every third player on here go could ramble about. Is IDOCs, EC/CC or EMs really the things that bug you in your first say half a year? Its like rejoining only to straight head for the worst. idk. It more feels like somebody knows exactly what hes talking about.

 

[Bobar]

You have really good points, but this is really wrong. Im so lazy on some shards I use a fresh character with a Sorcerer's Suit and only having used an Advanced Character Token. The drops themselves are given randomly to everyone who attacks the boss.

Afraid I cannot agree with you here. The OP is talking from a returning players perspective. When your fresh player goes it is equipped with your knowledge of the game and knowledge of the tactics required. You can only get a new players view by being a new player. Even the Sorcerers suit and the token are not available to new or returning players unless they want to pay R/L cash and why should they do that just to participate?.

 

[OREOGL]

Where is Grimm Omen when I need him????
He would be able to explain the ins and outs of the art and UO coding.
Next I would love to have Draconni to give you all a small lesson in UO application of code and the balance of old and new.
Then I would love for Mesanna to explain how and why AGAIN for the umpt time how she can and cant kick out scripters and cheats.
Also
I would love for you to understand just because you can yell or scream it louder then I, it never makes you right.

OP thank you for your time and trying the game again.

I would hope you knew the full extent of the last few years history of the struggles of UO. Mesanna and the dev number 5 people. *one hands worth of digits*
I understand this is a paltry excuse in most books here... they think this all is soo easy to do that in a blink of a few lines of code we would look a lot like the "free" .
Yes it is nice to look at.
Granted
But at what cost, and I don't mean money.
I once asked Grimm about the making of the inside of bags like one shown on a picture from one.
He said sure it was not hard to do but time consuming and he would need to find a bit of free time to do it.
They were in the middle of getting things done for the next update.
EA laid him off.
He was not the only one to go...
Suffice it to say Mesanna has tried to hire more engineers, more artists, and well just about every job that was stripped from them before their escape from Mythic to Broadsword.
It's not the pay... that's good.
Its the devotion to UO.
The College kids today who come for the job plan to stay for a few short months get the company name on their resume and leave for the next job in the industry and wash rinse repeat the same thing till they get the fat money offers at one of the bigger firms.
no loyalty
They have little if any at all knowledge of UO and its history...or even care.
Your right the game has flaws... it has from day 1.
I was there I know....
Every Dev has tried to change UO... to their idea of what UO is or should be...

Bonnie Armstrong from the day she took the reigns of UO has been non stop fixaholic of the years of bugs, errors , and down right flub ups the past gave us.
Believe me EA didn't help in the facts of handing the running of UO to Jeff or Cal in the last months before they skinned Mythic of all its good parts, firing/layoffs of valuable people. In my opinion it was attempted murder of the game.
Mesanna and the dev got the chance to escape to Broadsword and its owners new start up made just for UO and DoAC, then to give them a Ludacris short amount of time to get the hell out of the Mythic office what they could before the doors shut...
We have seen 5 dev work and produce a publish mind you... fixing anything that pops up as quickly as is humanly possible.
This on top of putting out expected holiday, anniversary, and rewards for the masses.
This with just a handful of staff...
Every Lead Producer has had the supremely hard job of running UO, and her tenure has been more filled with hardships of lack of staff to help give you and I what we deserve as loyal players.
I am super tired of hearing from many here..... Its taking too long.... OFF with her head!
I am not being listened too ...Fire her!!!
I want.... I want... I want.....
ok
You go find another game with so dedicated a staff to keep working for your play.
I wish you luck my friend.
If you think I am mad now.... you have no idea of the state of anger I am in.
I have seen childish attitudes and down right venom spewed when something is not done to your liking....
Right now if your ears are burning be thankfull you don't understand Hungarian...

I admire your blind defense of the staff.

However, these are all valid points the original poster has and he's certainly not the first person (or second or third etc) to point these out.

I disagree with your disapproval that anyone should have some sort of opinion against the devs because coding and art might be "hard".

Hell, I wish Grimm and Draconi were back to teach THEM all of those things.

But carry on with your rant, I don't mind a little entertainment now and again.

 

[Eärendil]

Afraid I cannot agree with you here. The OP is talking from a returning players perspective. When your fresh player goes it is equipped with your knowledge of the game and knowledge of the tactics required. You can only get a new players view by being a new player. Even the Sorcerers suit and the token are not available to new or returning players unless they want to pay R/L cash and why should they do that just to participate?.

Correct!

 

[BrianFreud]

Yeah those private shards look pretty but aren't you forgetting something? All the lag, crashes, black holes, bugs, etc. that go with those kind of Mods. That's why we don't have that kind of stuff...it doesn't work very well.

Sorrry, but this is straight out FUD. Citation needed?

No one even plays on most of those fancy shards, the only ones with a big population don't focus as much on fancy art as they do taming, weapons, niche game-play, etc. Even so...UO is only fun if you make your own entertainment. There is nothing any Dev can add or do that will be more rewarding than having a good guild or having friends to play with.

Some of those shards publish their actual user counts. Yes, maybe not GL, LS, Atlantic, Cats, Europa, Siege, Chessie numbers... but Arirang, Formosa, Balhae, Sakura, Izumo... they've got better #s than our tier 3 and 4 shards.

 

[Bobar]

This is patently false. I know several people who have used half hour old characters and simply run in and die repeatidly and get a drop at these events. They have done this on multiple shards, multiple EM's, numerous times.

Maybe this is one of the things that is wrong with UO today. What is happening here is that players are not attending events for the RP or the story line but to try to obtain the 'drop' at as many shards as possible. This is because the resale value of the items has become so inflated.. So instead of the event being integral to the shard and its players it is just a means to an end for some. A greed based system does not sit well with me I'm afraid. Just another example of how UO is being degraded.

I have attended events for many years and enjoyed them immensely. Once they had meaning for me but alas, no longer.

I think the OP has made an excellent post with many valid points that the devs would do well to note.

 

[Capt. Lucky]

Gotta wait 97 days and 15 hours

It's a tradition

 

[Tina Small]

Where is Grimm Omen when I need him????
He would be able to explain the ins and outs of the art and UO coding.
Next I would love to have Draconni to give you all a small lesson in UO application of code and the balance of old and new.
Then I would love for Mesanna to explain how and why AGAIN for the umpt time how she can and cant kick out scripters and cheats.
Also
I would love for you to understand just because you can yell or scream it louder then I, it never makes you right.

OP thank you for your time and trying the game again.

I would hope you knew the full extent of the last few years history of the struggles of UO. Mesanna and the dev number 5 people. *one hands worth of digits*
I understand this is a paltry excuse in most books here... they think this all is soo easy to do that in a blink of a few lines of code we would look a lot like the "free" .
Yes it is nice to look at.
Granted
But at what cost, and I don't mean money.
I once asked Grimm about the making of the inside of bags like one shown on a picture from one.
He said sure it was not hard to do but time consuming and he would need to find a bit of free time to do it.
They were in the middle of getting things done for the next update.
EA laid him off.
He was not the only one to go...
Suffice it to say Mesanna has tried to hire more engineers, more artists, and well just about every job that was stripped from them before their escape from Mythic to Broadsword.
It's not the pay... that's good.
Its the devotion to UO.
The College kids today who come for the job plan to stay for a few short months get the company name on their resume and leave for the next job in the industry and wash rinse repeat the same thing till they get the fat money offers at one of the bigger firms.
no loyalty
They have little if any at all knowledge of UO and its history...or even care.
Your right the game has flaws... it has from day 1.
I was there I know....
Every Dev has tried to change UO... to their idea of what UO is or should be...

Bonnie Armstrong from the day she took the reigns of UO has been non stop fixaholic of the years of bugs, errors , and down right flub ups the past gave us.
Believe me EA didn't help in the facts of handing the running of UO to Jeff or Cal in the last months before they skinned Mythic of all its good parts, firing/layoffs of valuable people. In my opinion it was attempted murder of the game.
Mesanna and the dev got the chance to escape to Broadsword and its owners new start up made just for UO and DoAC, then to give them a Ludacris short amount of time to get the hell out of the Mythic office what they could before the doors shut...
We have seen 5 dev work and produce a publish mind you... fixing anything that pops up as quickly as is humanly possible.
This on top of putting out expected holiday, anniversary, and rewards for the masses.
This with just a handful of staff...
Every Lead Producer has had the supremely hard job of running UO, and her tenure has been more filled with hardships of lack of staff to help give you and I what we deserve as loyal players.
I am super tired of hearing from many here..... Its taking too long.... OFF with her head!
I am not being listened too ...Fire her!!!
I want.... I want... I want.....
ok
You go find another game with so dedicated a staff to keep working for your play.
I wish you luck my friend.
If you think I am mad now.... you have no idea of the state of anger I am in.
I have seen childish attitudes and down right venom spewed when something is not done to your liking....
Right now if your ears are burning be thankfull you don't understand Hungarian...

Here are two things that I don't understand about the size of UO's dev team:

1. The February 4, 2014 Producer Letter (Producer Letter – Ultima Online) which announced that Broadsword would take over operation, support, and development of UO includes this quote:

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!

Do you know why it seems that Broadsword has never really followed through on this promise to put more money into UO to allow for an expansion of its resources to take on bigger projects? Heck, Rob Denton who heads up Broadsword has never so much as said hello to UO players in any kind of letter or announcement. That in itself makes it seem like perhaps he really doesn't even care about UO. At least Jeff Skalski put out some letters and announcements, showed up in videos, made UO-related tweets, AND popped in on the forums occasionally to give and receive feedback.

2. Why doesn't the team include an Assistant Producer, as promised two years ago? We were told on February 11, 2014 (Producer Update – Ultima Online) that Broadsword was looking to hire an assistant producer who was fluent in Japanese and English and willing to relocate to Northern Virginia. Then on March 13, 2014 (Announcing New Team Member – Ultima Online ) there was an announcement posted that said an assistant producer fluent in Japanese had been hired and that he/she would be introduced in two weeks after joining the team in the U.S. Seemed like great news at the time, most especially for Japanese players. However, after those two announcements there was never any followup.

Do you know whether or not there will ever be any more efforts on Broadsword's part to expand the size of UO's dev team? Are they still looking for someone to act as an assistant producer and who is fluent in Japanese? The only information I've ever seen on Broadsword's site under the Careers heading is a blurb about trying to hire a software engineer.

 

[Zosimus]

Maybe this is one of the things that is wrong with UO today. What is happening here is that players are not attending events for the RP or the story line but to try to obtain the 'drop' at as many shards as possible. This is because the resale value of the items has become so inflated.. So instead of the event being integral to the shard and its players it is just a means to an end for some. A greed based system does not sit well with me I'm afraid. Just another example of how UO is being degraded.

I have attended events for many years and enjoyed them immensely. Once they had meaning for me but alas, no longer.

I think the OP has made an excellent post with many valid points that the devs would do well to note.

There is a lot of things wrong with UO. This is one of them though. They should eliminate drops from EM events all together.

Now with this being said some that complain they want the game fixed before adding anything. These same people will be raising kitten puppies because they will justify that EM events should give out items. Really its the players not the game that has issues

 

[Sarak]

here's one thing i dont get: we have high seas; even at the beginning of time there were sharks and whales; we dont have any sharks or whales; and one last thing we have cannons yet no muskets come on

 

[Capt. Lucky]

Seriously if you can't find enough in UO to keep yourself entertained.... I can't imagine what it would take. I came back a few years ago with really nothing other than some decent characters. It's been a little over 2 years now and I have a really nice set up going on. I have my castle, a ton of rares, My main characters all rock. It's not zero to sixty instant. It takes some time to get back in the groove. Any game this vast is going to have aspects people don't like. None of which are deal breakers. Well maybe the Easter painting

 

[OREOGL]

There is a lot of things wrong with UO. This is one of them though. They should eliminate drops from EM events all together.

Now with this being said some that complain they want the game fixed before adding anything. These same people will be raising kitten puppies because they will justify that EM events should give out items. Really its the players not the game that has issues

I think they have relied on EM events as a crutch to keep players interested in the game for whatever the reason they attend.

Personally I've tried events on multiple shards, often to the offense of the natives that you showed up in their shard, and they're all the same rinse and repeat scenario.

I have no dog in the fight really, but i do wonder how effective the events would be with no drop?

Perhaps they'd be better off holding the same event multiple times giving out the exact same item instead?

 

[Capt. Lucky]

I think they have relied on EM events as a crutch to keep players interested in the game for whatever the reason they attend.

Personally I've tried events on multiple shards, often to the offense of the natives that you showed up in their shard, and they're all the same rinse and repeat scenario.

I have no dog in the fight really, but i do wonder how effective the events would be with no drop?

Perhaps they'd be better off holding the same event multiple times giving out the exact same item instead?

EM Events are a fast track to wealth. I love them. I've even started to go to the RP ones where you know there won't be a drop

 

[Cymidei]

Aside from the change to the water which is probably unrealistic, nothing was a mod. Just new art that fits with the old stuff and original art assets altered/combined smartly (barrel on it's side with apples falling out, shelves with gold boxes, and scrolls on them, stuff like that) placed and arranged in nice looking and interesting ways.

I'm sure a lot of that sort of thing doesn't appeal to everyone, but even as just a back drop the level of detail and the quality of design help create richness in a world and make the game more engrossing.

Yes I do in fact love the art, it does of course appeal.

Let me tell you though about private shards...They are always run by a small group of players and inevitably staff has an agenda and plays favorites, private shards tend to be very corrupt, most are buggy, and fly-by-night and can close up suddenly. There was a shard I have heard of where the staff would change rules willy nilly to protect older players and punish younger ones if they somehow managed to become successful and acquire gear, etc. that put them on par with the elite. You will always find an old entrenched elite on those servers who get catered to and run things.

Sure they have a beautiful map but they also have something against tamers...and you can't even have a dragon because it doesn't fit with their shard lore, you also can't even get a Cu or any sort of pet who can fight. The worst ones are those that are all around fun, creative, and enjoyable and then suddenly shut down without any notice.

 

[TimberWolf]

Nailed it.

Exactly!!!!!!!

 

[Taylor]

2. Why doesn't the team include an Assistant Producer, as promised two years ago? We were told on February 11, 2014 (Producer Update – Ultima Online) that Broadsword was looking to hire an assistant producer who was fluent in Japanese and English and willing to relocate to Northern Virginia. Then on March 13, 2014 (Announcing New Team Member – Ultima Online ) there was an announcement posted that said an assistant producer fluent in Japanese had been hired and that he/she would be introduced in two weeks after joining the team in the U.S. Seemed like great news at the time, most especially for Japanese players. However, after those two announcements there was never any followup.

On this point, she left Broadsword shortly after being hired.

 

[Longtooths]

Maybe this is one of the things that is wrong with UO today. What is happening here is that players are not attending events for the RP or the story line but to try to obtain the 'drop' at as many shards as possible. This is because the resale value of the items has become so inflated.. So instead of the event being integral to the shard and its players it is just a means to an end for some. A greed based system does not sit well with me I'm afraid. Just another example of how UO is being degraded.

I have attended events for many years and enjoyed them immensely. Once they had meaning for me but alas, no longer.

I think the OP has made an excellent post with many valid points that the devs would do well to note.

The OP stated that it was impossible for him, a new player, to get a drop at events. I correct him and let him know that it is indeed possible. You offer that my solution is part of the problem. gotcha..

 

[Ansel]

And by the way, I like the devs and most of their work. And I disgust crybabies. Ever did.

Gimme more presents!
Gimme more shiny objects!
Gimme more!

I quit because I don't get a valentines gift...

Dis-gus-ting!

Yes, this is a good reason to ignore "Wah, I'm leaving!!" threads. Anyone who feels the need to start a thread about the reasons they're leaving is a bit too self-absorbed for my taste. They want to feel good at the expense of others, which is why many game forums prohibit such threads.

However I do enjoy some of the replies

 

[Uvtha]

Yes I do in fact love the art, it does of course appeal.

Let me tell you though about private shards...They are always run by a small group of players and inevitably staff has an agenda and plays favorites, private shards tend to be very corrupt, most are buggy, and fly-by-night and can close up suddenly. There was a shard I have heard of where the staff would change rules willy nilly to protect older players and punish younger ones if they somehow managed to become successful and acquire gear, etc. that put them on par with the elite. You will always find an old entrenched elite on those servers who get catered to and run things.

Sure they have a beautiful map but they also have something against tamers...and you can't even have a dragon because it doesn't fit with their shard lore, you also can't even get a Cu or any sort of pet who can fight. The worst ones are those that are all around fun, creative, and enjoyable and then suddenly shut down without any notice.

To clarify I'm not pro free shard, I only bring it up to disagree with messana that free shards look good because they steal, as that's not only not accurate, but also doesn't make a ton of sense. They look good cause someone made smart choices manipulating classic art assets and somone with good design sense arranged said asset in a pleasing way. Both things I think the official team doesen't do so well, imo.

 

[Zeph Wightfyre]

Yes, this is a good reason to ignore "Wah, I'm leaving!!" threads. Anyone who feels the need to start a thread about the reasons they're leaving is a bit too self-absorbed for my taste. They want to feel good at the expense of others, which is why many game forums prohibit such threads.

However I do enjoy some of the replies

I think you're misreading the intent here. Nothing about the original post has a "Wah, I'm leaving!" vibe. OldUO is someone who clearly cares quite a bit about the game and is dismayed about the direction it's gone in. His feedback was well-constructed and non-toxic, which is a rarity, and something that we should applaud when encountered. You can disagree with that feedback, sure, but let's dispel this notion that any critical feedback is whining. It is not. Anyone who gives Broadsword money in exchange for the service of Ultima Online has the right to voice feedback, positive or negative.

 

[OREOGL]

Yes, this is a good reason to ignore "Wah, I'm leaving!!" threads. Anyone who feels the need to start a thread about the reasons they're leaving is a bit too self-absorbed for my taste. They want to feel good at the expense of others, which is why many game forums prohibit such threads.

However I do enjoy some of the replies

Sometimes I wonder if the team views this in the same manner and completely disregards this as being something other than constructive criticism.

There were multiple items he listed and politely. He edited it for suggestions based on feedback of his thread.

He did not state something ridiculous like "I didn't get "X" so I'm bailing!"

What more could they ask for?

 

[Longtooths]

Afraid I cannot agree with you here. The OP is talking from a returning players perspective. When your fresh player goes it is equipped with your knowledge of the game and knowledge of the tactics required. You can only get a new players view by being a new player. Even the Sorcerers suit and the token are not available to new or returning players unless they want to pay R/L cash and why should they do that just to participate?.

Except that you dont even need a suit or token. You can do it on a fresh character, with absolutely nothing on.

 

[Deaol]

Seriously if you can't find enough in UO to keep yourself entertained.... I can't imagine what it would take. I came back a few years ago with really nothing other than some decent characters. It's been a little over 2 years now and I have a really nice set up going on. I have my castle, a ton of rares, My main characters all rock. It's not zero to sixty instant. It takes some time to get back in the groove. Any game this vast is going to have aspects people don't like. None of which are deal breakers. Well maybe the Easter painting

I think your missing the OPs point, its not about the "amount of things" to do to keep them happy, its the system and how its' extremely confusing it can be for most who return to Britannia. It is very hard for a veteran player who has grown with Ultima to see it from the perspective of an old returning or new player. And actually now that I think of it.. maybe that is one of the issues there is far too much going on.

 

[hen]

Anyone got an email for Rob Denton? I want to ask him how a subscription based game can only have 5 (FIVE) devs, one of which being the producer.

 

[Picus at the office]

If anyone wants to really understand the OP and his situation try to write a new player guide......

 

[Corwyn]

If anyone wants to really understand the OP and his situation try to write a new player guide......

I've contemplated giving that a shot. However, it's a daunting task (which I'm sure was the point of what you said). Where do you begin? Do you try and walk them through setting up an EA account? Do you walk them through downloading the game? Do you tell them to download and patch both clients and pick the one they like best?Do you start with them logging in for the first time, and if so, do you then discuss the myriad of template choices, stat set ups, skills to avoid starting with?

Given all of the information needed above, you're probably looking at 30 minutes of tutorials, and they haven't even set foot on the map yet.

Yeah... the game is complex.

 

[Picus at the office]

I started and came to the conclusion that once they are in game the best thing was to spam(after telling them how to type and which key is gen chat, and to move channels...uh what?) to beg for a quick mil...and hope that they get picked up and luck out into a vent server.....

 

[vegasy]

I very much agree with OldOU.
I am new to this game, but veteran in free shard.
At first the game seems - almost - intuitive. But after I used to wonder: "And now? Where do I go? What should I do? What can I do?".

The quests are not many for beginners and is no spur to go over New Haven. I decided to continue only because I like this game, otherwise I would be quickly returned to play anything else.

To begin, I think, just change a few things:

- As told OldUO, many servers are half-empty. is useless to keep as many servers with a low average population. You have to delete some server and transfer the players for free. This will increase the average population in the other server. This makes it easier to find other characters and the player is spurred to continue.
- One thing that helps keep the player is the possibility of the house. it is right to leave one home for account. With the increase of population in the server (see above) you have to free up space for the houses. This way, if a player is able to have a house more easily, have more desire to continue playing.
- Thirdly, important (I repeat what has already been said, hoping that the UO team takes into consideration the thing), you need more aid to the new players like quest: 50 to 80 skill many dungeons it is not easy to make them yourself; You need to easier targets. Long story short I fully agree with OldUO and I repeat what I told him.

 

[Bobar]

Except that you dont even need a suit or token. You can do it on a fresh character, with absolutely nothing on.

Exactly!. And the purpose of that is?. In my opinion it is NOT to participate in the event but to obtain the drop.

Unfortunately that's what events have become.

 

[Smoot]

Afraid I cannot agree with you here. The OP is talking from a returning players perspective. When your fresh player goes it is equipped with your knowledge of the game and knowledge of the tactics required. You can only get a new players view by being a new player. Even the Sorcerers suit and the token are not available to new or returning players unless they want to pay R/L cash and why should they do that just to participate?.

but to be fair, you could say that about anything in the game that takes learning. learning the new boss encounters. learning the reforging menues. learing locations of new stealables or where and how to do fishing, etc etc.

i know what you mean, but theres of course going to be some learning curve in everthing. you can really get drops on absolutely terrible chracters with little training and horrible gear. the lack of gear is really no excuse for not participating in events. some of my characters have suits ive built from free looted armor and free vvv arties with only 70 real tactics and archery skill to do an AI (which you can train up killing stuff in haven)


i do agree that events arent a perfect system at all, but i dont think thats bad design of the event system, its less than optimized design of daily content.
for example:
since blackthorns is afk scripted on some shards by 15ish accounts, it has driven the value of that content down to the point where its not really worth doing.
since legendaries are so common, and not really needed for pvm they really arent "worth it" for the average player to sell.

but also because these items are so cheap, or so easily obtainbable, it makes it extremely easy to make that decent suit, something much better than minimal, for free. as always in UO, it does take time to train your character skills but thats just what UO is.


and on a side note, i think all the ops points are legitimate (except the maybe the misconception about needing a good suit and character for events). i myself wouldnt be playing broadswords version of UO if i hadnt already had almost 2 decades invested in it.

 

[OREOGL]

I very much agree with OldOU.
I am new to this game, but veteran in free shard.
At first the game seems - almost - intuitive. But after I used to wonder: "And now? Where do I go? What should I do? What can I do?".

The quests are not many for beginners and is no spur to go over New Haven. I decided to continue only because I like this game, otherwise I would be quickly returned to play anything else.

To begin, I think, just change a few things:

- As told OldUO, many servers are half-empty. is useless to keep as many servers with a low average population. You have to delete some server and transfer the players for free. This will increase the average population in the other server. This makes it easier to find other characters and the player is spurred to continue.
- One thing that helps keep the player is the possibility of the house. it is right to leave one home for account. With the increase of population in the server (see above) you have to free up space for the houses. This way, if a player is able to have a house more easily, have more desire to continue playing.
- Thirdly, important (I repeat what has already been said, hoping that the UO team takes into consideration the thing), you need more aid to the new players like quest: 50 to 80 skill many dungeons it is not easy to make them yourself; You need to easier targets. Long story short I fully agree with OldUO and I repeat what I told him.

In regards to server migration, be prepared for the "Mesanna said this will never happen!" and the "If this happens I'll close my accounts!" posts.

 

[Smoot]

Exactly!. And the purpose of that is?. In my opinion it is NOT to participate in the event but to obtain the drop.

Unfortunately that's what events have become.

you can participate fully in the rp. which is sometimes alot more valuable to the EM than just killing monsters. the monsters will die fine, i dont think anyone worries about that too much. and being technically able to get a drop (but yes it takes alot of skill actually) on a naked noob with no chracter skills means it really isnt about the gear.

 

[OREOGL]

you can participate fully in the rp. which is sometimes alot more valuable to the EM than just killing monsters. the monsters will die fine, i dont think anyone worries about that too much. and being technically able to get a drop (but yes it takes alot of skill actually) on a naked noob with no chracter skills means it really isnt about the gear.

I wish a few events would last longer than an hour.

And be open ended for completion in that time frame.

I think it'd add to the follow me and let's kill this monster, event.

 

[Tamais]

I agree with a lot that has been said. I run a new player center and have written a ton of new player guides. There is just so much to explain that I have an over whelming amount of information. But what good is a center if no one knows it is there. Guess I need to move it to luna. I tried putting out runes and books but others pick them up as fast as i put them down. Most of the libraries have locked down a rune for me.If i stay in the help channel, I miss the new and returning players who are in general chat. I love the idea of some how announcing them or a way to watch two channels at once.
I've kept a list of all the new and returning players. All most all are gone.

The economy is a mess but you can get training suits using looted pieces. On LA I most people will help out with suits. The player center helps as much as it can, but getting the special artis is terrible to get.

EM events are tough to do. Some are there for the story line and yes at times there is a lot of plot building. The only reason there are so many battles is people complain about building the plot line. Every event people start complaining "stop with the taking and lets get to the boss".

There is a lot that can be improved and alot that makes the game wonderful. For me it is the friends I make, but nothing tears my heart out more is losing them.

 

[Ansel]

Sometimes I wonder if the team views this in the same manner and completely disregards this as being something other than constructive criticism.

There were multiple items he listed and politely. He edited it for suggestions based on feedback of his thread.

He did not state something ridiculous like "I didn't get "X" so I'm bailing!"

What more could they ask for?

Excellent point. And the exit poll they give you when you cancel an account is not formatted in a satisfying way. But there is a feedback for Broadsword form available from this forum.

The reason I consider "I'm quitting" threads bad form, and I would prohibit them entirely on any game forum I supervised, is that they tend to generate a great deal of heat but little light.

This thread has not, however, followed that trend completely, probably because it was indeed phrased in a manner that isn't typical of such posts

 

[Uvtha]

- Thirdly, important (I repeat what has already been said, hoping that the UO team takes into consideration the thing), you need more aid to the new players like quest: 50 to 80 skill many dungeons it is not easy to make them yourself; You need to easier targets. Long story short I fully agree with OldUO and I repeat what I told him.

I imagine knowing what to do next to gain has to be a pain in the ass. You pretty much just have to stab around in the dark or look it up online, and hope the guide isn't 5+ years old.