 December 31, Sunday |
 | Are you Good or Evil? Take the challenge! -Videric |  |
| December 30, Saturday |
I hadn't heard about this remake before seeing the stuff mentioned below, looks like it could be good fun though.
RPGdot has an Interview with Telemachos about the remake of Ultima 1, check it out >here.
You can learn more about Ultima 1 at the main website here. |
| December 29, Friday |
| Raymond E. Feist talks about MMORPGs -Melissa | |
| December 28, Thursday |
| About UWO:Origin release in the Europe -Videric | |
About UWO:O release:
It is our intention to launch the game in our other major territories, at the same time as the North American launch. More on this once we start testing.
Tyrant
VP Online Services
Origin Systems, Inc.
|
| Finn's Craftable suggestion -Videric | |
At times people take a lot of effort and time to make their post, and this is one of them. I have always been a big fan of craftables and house decoration so this is interesting subject to me.
Check Finn's post out, it is too big to be posted here:
UO boards |
| December 27, Wednesday |
| About Role-playing by Eidolon -Videric | |
Eidolon had many good things to say, I especially agree with him about time being too fast if you follow in-game days.
Ok. First let me repost what I posted before in regards to Cal's remarks in the thread below.(for those of you who read it already skip to the next part. 8)
---------
It's less a question of races and more a questions of "what" can be Ultima Online history/fiction. I have said this before let me say it again. UO is "based" on the mythos of Ultima. That means we have familiar towns, like Vesper and Trinsic, familiar characters like Minax and Dupre, and a generally familiar setting on the whole. It does not mean that we have/are going to follow the Ultima story line directly. In truth we really do not want to do that. If we did that then the Stranger would return and kill Minax any minute. That to me would not be much fun. 8)
As has been pointed out in early Ultimas there were all types of characters "classes" and "races". There is mention of elves all the way up to U4. In the manual it describes Nixies, as distant relatives of the Elves. (yes I familiar with the manuals...I am a complete Ultima dork...it's my job!) I think you should only limit yourself in your Roleplaying to what you want to limit yourself to. Cal's idea of RP'ing a Mech Warrior. While certainly not a very viable type of character to try to RP in UO is certainly valid on the face level. Just as valid as trying to RP Elves and Orcs. Yes I know Ultima is a "medievil fanstasy-esque" setting, but I see no harm in allowing people to RP what they want. I have seen Vampires, Snakepeople, Undead, Orcs, Elves, Picts, even the Borg all being RP'd in UO. I think its great that people go to such lengths to try and be something unique. Would I prefer that people keep it more fantasy-esque type characters ? Sure, if only for continuity in the game. But again I am not ever going to tell anyone they cannot role play an android from the future if they so choose. Who is to say it could not happen?
One of the great charms of UO is the creativity of the people that play the game. I look at all the different role played characters , and people decorating their houses, and having parties and events and it makes me really happy. UO is more than just a game but it still comes down to having fun. So folks, have fun!
-------
After reading the thread that popped up over Tristam's post I thought it might be a good idea to reinforce some of what I stated above.
Ultima Online. Yes again is "based" on the Ultima series. Ultima 1-9 is what is refered to as Ultima Prime. It being the prime time line from which the Ultima metaverse is based. What does this mean to UO? It means that all the UO shards exist as parts of the shattered Gem inside Ultima Prime. History happened the very same on every shard and in Ultima Prime up until the moment Mondain was defeated and the Gem was shattered. That is where divergence took place and from that spot is where we start historical Ultima Online. Therefore the only shared history that Ultima Prime and any Ultima Online shard have would be previous to the death of Mondain. (You may also argue that anything that happened during Mondain's 1000 year rule does not count since it was all erased when the Stranger went back in time to before the 1000 year reign and killed him. That is a discussion all unto itself best left for another day. 8) )
It has been 306(almost 307) years since Mondain was defeated. Where does that number come from? This time is based off the fact that the second year anniversary of UO was 300 years after Mondains death. I do not use the in game days as a judge for years. That would make over 12 Sosarian years for every RL year. To me that is a bit too much. So as a convention I use 1 RL year = 5 Sosarian years/ 1 Sosarian years every 2.5 months. That would set UO starting at 290 AM(after mondain..yes corny but it works for my purpsoses).
The general setting. by the looks of UO, is similar to the U4 setting . LB rules Britiannia, which makes up most of the the UO map of Sosaria. We have the vitues established but no Avatar. We have the common cities of Ultima Prime. At the same time we have many elements from Ultima Prime after U4 in the game and even some things that really make little sense. IE. Cannons but no gun powder? French Bread and Pizza ? (yet strangely no "french bread pizza"..hmph!) We have Blackthorn who is not around until after the Stranger becomes the Avatar, yet again we have no Avatar. It's very inconsistent if you try to match up everything with the Ultima Prime Time line. Which is why you shouldn't. Again, Ultima Online is only 'based' on the Ultima metatverse. Do I wish it was set in one particular period of Ultima Prime? Some days I do. It would make my job a heck of alot easier. It would also limit the extent to which I could draw on those other Ultimas at the same time. There is a volume of story there that would be a waste not to make use of in one way or another.
Now Ultima Prime 1-3 has everything from aliens and Rayguns to time travel and McDonalds. Those games also have Elves, Dwarves, and other assorted classical fantasy creatures and races. Later Ultimas even have talking horses and even a mouse as a character. So who is to say none or all of the above could not be officially in Ultima Online? Mostly the lead designer and myself. Though Sage has the final nod on such things officially being put in the game. Does that mean I want lasers and aliens in the official fiction? No it doesn't. Does that mean anyone at on my staff is going to be the "Role Playing Police". This brings such a nifty image into mind...
*static* Unit 5 we have a guy pretending to be an elf at the crossroads in Vesper...
RP Cop : *static* Roger that , on our way....
*gate*....
RP Cop : Ok stop right there Llaewlayn. Put your pointy ears and fine features down and step away from the horse....hey you behind the pack horse what do you think you are?
..a druid sir?
RP Cop : *static* base we got another one out here too...claims he is a 'druid'..send some back up...
...Ok Mr Druid put the Earthen Staff of Springtidings down and slowly back over here to us....
...I find that humorous...
Many shards feature large groups of people who play everything from elves to orcs. As I said in my previous post *THAT* is one of the things that makes UO so wonderful. The ability to play the role you choose. Some people pretend to be elves. Do they look different than other players ? Nope but the act the part and therefore are to a great extent achieve what they want to be. Alot of those groups also have a continuity amongst themselves. The way they talk, dress etc. That defines them. UO offers so much flexibility for role playing that its astounding. Let's go back to Cal's example. A really way out there example at that. A Mech Warrior. It could be a fairly easy setup:
I walk around in full plate. I emote *shoots laser* when I shoot Energy Bolts, I emote *recharging main power cells* when I cast Greater Heal. I am low on Mana so I rest and Meditate or allow my "weapon generators to recharge". How did I get here? I am not quite sure although my on-board computer was telling me somehting about a quantum flux time distortion that may have sent me when our base on was blown to bits by an opposing Mech Clan.
Role playing is all about playing your role. I would sooner encourage people role play more fantasyesque characters but role playing a mech sure beats not role playing at all.
There are some people who have an idea of what role playing is in UO set in their head. I often hear you must keep it with in Ultima. I often hear that you must use 14th century olde english and be courtly. The list goes on. There is nothing more I dislike than seeing someone put down another persons role playing style. I still play UO and I do not walk around spouting Shakspearianesque monologues as a rule. I have a character that is very refined and snobbish almost who speaks fluently in such a manner. At the same time I have another character who is a certified nut case and would never be caught dead muttering such "fancy-pants" talk, as that character refers to it. I have been told by some people that playing the later character is *not* role playing because of that. That kind of ticks me off. Anyone who will let the way some one role plays be a barrier to wanting to interact with them, in my mind, it losing another opportunity to have some fun. The same hold true for interacting with people who are not as apt to role play. The barriers that exist between the "k3wl D3wdz" and the "role players" is not just the fault of the d3wdz. It's a two way street. That is not to say that every one who plays the game wants to role play, but to not interact with them because of that fact is a lost chance to get them involved in role playing by default. I have seen more than one d3wd in my days find out that role playing is not all the bad once exposed to it. I am sure you all have met atleast one person like that.
Ok. I said my bit for the day. This went a bit longer than I planned. 8)
NOTE : No pk'ing other posters in this thread. Discuss in a friendly manner and if you feel the urge to be personally nasty to some one else, then stand up walk around for a few minutes and reconsider. Thanks in advance.
-Eidolon
Read it:
UO boards |
I found this interesting note about fishing:
Q: There is supposed to be a fishing "surprise" coming, can you give us a very general idea of when to look for it?
A: After UO3d is released...and it's not a big surprise...although it deals with crafting...
-Hanse
You can read it here:
UO boards |
| Stationary Facet-gates and fiction -Videric | |
This was on the UOboards: the Question:
I'm not an alpha tester, but I have read that the moongates on the alpha shard allow the user to select the city and facet it opens to.
My question is: is this a planned addition to the production shards? (Tyrant, if you're reading this, a one word answer will suffice).
Thanks!
Greyface
And the Answer, followed with short explonation:
"Yes"
-Alai (who is he in dev team? -vid)
I'll first say that anything a designer refuting me on this topic says trumps me ;)
Basically the reason for the moongate system was to make travelling easier on the players and to create a scalable means of moving between existing facets and any we may add in the future. The moongate menu system is a solution which accomplishes both of these goals. As far as policy changes, I don't believe there has been a great shift there. We're just recognizing that players flip between facets often enough to warrent a static means of doing so.
We're presently keeping the new lands completely ship-free and are therefore not adding any new serpent pillars. We didn't want to put in a lot of ocean in the world because it is generally not as useful as terrain, instead we've put in minor bodies of water for people to use and enjoy.
-Alai
A small note for you all fiction fans.
Before anyone asks....
YES. It will be solidly explained fictionally as well.
-Eidolon
You can read about here:
UOboards |
| December 22, Friday |
| Vault Network interviews Paul Sage -Videric | |
Paul Sage is the lead Designer of Ultima Online as we all know. Read the interview here:
The interview |
| December 21, Thursday |
Ok let me clarify a few things. Nystul and Lord British did not just go through the trouble of opening Trammel on a whim. :) Minax had taken Trinsic, was ravaging the landscape, and had polluted the Shrines of Virtue. The Shrines was the last straw for LB. The shrines are the physical embodiment of his whole belief system. Seeing this action take place was the point at which he decided to risk casting such a powerful spell.
As for the FoA? Martoo and company are all dead, save the mysterious FoA leader who is held prisoner some where in the world. Who was he? Will there ever be some answers to those mysteries surrounding the FoA? Stay tuned. ;)
Minax is still plotting in the dark corners of Felucca.
So very weird things have been happening with a little know mage in Moonglow...named Revlo.
and a fellowed named Gilforn...is about to make the discovery of a lifetime.
As Third Dawn nears release who knows what kind of strange and interesting things are going to happen. Or better still what evil lies beyond Britannia waiting to be released.
*speaks no more*
-Eidolon
UO boards message |
| Yes or no, Are vet reward tubs useable by all? -Videric | |
Something some people are probably very sad to hear:
The vet reward dye-tubs are only useable by those with the correct account age. In other words, leather dye-tubs are only useable by characters that are on two years or older accounts.
-Calandryll
Manager of Community Services
Read it here:
UOboards
|
Here is useful data about Fishing from the uoboards,
Fishing up serpents...
1) You need to click on a water tile close to yourself. If your boat is over the spot where the serpent is going to appear, then the serpent will not appear.
2) The location must be in deep water.
3) You must have greater than 80 skill.
4) You must have room in your backpack for a fish.
5) There must be adequate fish in the area (can't fish up serpents without fish available to be fished up).
6) Prior to successful fishing, there is a 1% chance that you will pull up an empty sea serpent (over 80 skill).
7) You must succeed in fishing. If you fail, then the chances below do not apply.
8) If you have 100 skill, you then have roughly a 2.5% chance at getting an SOS on a sea serpent (this percentage does not include failure percentages which vary depending on skill).
9) There is roughly a 10% chance it will be a deep sea serpent, if a serpent is pulled up.
10) There is roughly a 0.6% chance for treasure maps popping up on a sea serpent for being over 80 skill (this percentage does not include failure percentages which vary depending on skill).
Fishing nets are different. We don't want to disclose information on special items such as these. This is for you to discover. :)
-Hanse
UO Live Designer
And as follow up:
The numbers posted above are rough estimates. The percentages are not including previous percentages (as I detailed). So, after previous checks, you would have a 2.5% chance. The previous checks can affect the chance and lower it down. If you pull up an empty sea serpent, it negates an attempt to pull up a sea serpent with an SOS. This is what I meant by previous percentages were not calculated into the 2.5% chance. :)
So, the overall chance is slightly lower. One MIB per hour is probably a very good estimate.
Also, if you fish in an area with a low amount of fish to fish up due to other fishermen, the sea serpents will not spawn. This is what I meant by "adequate fish". This doesn't mean one fish, it means more than a certain amount of fish (which we have not divulged).
Excact numbers and chances are tricky to post because it's easy to misconstrue them. The rough estimates are from looking directly at the fishing code, so they are pretty much on target.
-Hanse
UO Live Designer
To UOboards post |
You can only imagine my relief as resident of Cove when this was added to General Testing:
Nobles and Seekers of Adventure will have the following changes:
- When a Noble or Seeker of Adventure is attacked outside of town limits, they will call "henchmen" for assistance.
- Henchmen that can come to the aid of a Noble or Seeker of Adventure will have increased fighting ability. Some will use archery.
- The Noble or Seeker of Adventure cannot be killed until the henchmen are dealt with (killed).
- Henchmen will carry some of the gold from the noble or seeker of adventure as payment for coming to their rescue.
- After a short time, the henchmen will leave the noble or seeker of adventure and return from where they came.
|
| December 20, Wednesday |
| Interesting post by Calandryll -Videric | |
Calandryll posted interesting comment on the board:
First, very nice job on the event Tristam! Looks like it was tons of fun.
I did want to comment on this line though:
"Why in the world is there an RPC fairy? Fairies don't exist in UO."
This is something I'd like to discuss actually. Who is to say what does and what does not exist in UO? Why, just because there were not fairies in day 1 of UO, can there not be fairies later in the game? On a related question, should we limit ourselves only to things that existed in the single player games and/or base all fiction on those games?
I have my own feelings, but I'd actually like to get some opinions on these questions before I post mine. :)
-Calandryll
Manager of Community Services
He asked comments, so do comment:
The post |
| The Structure of the Virtues -Videric | |
I added a new article in the Ultima Lore section. It teaches to understand the philosophy behind the Virtues and how are they formed.
|
| UO and UO3d: Questions and sometimes answers -Videric | |
I did a board tour, and here is it what I ended up with:
VERY neat idea from Development board about making fishing nets dyable, and introducing carpets this way. Interesting!
Let us dye the nets
About UO:3d ability to equip instruments:
Post about Instruments
About Children in UO:3D: (commented by Tyrant)
About the children
About Player races: (commented by Calandryll)
Player Races
This about having events like feast of masks in Nu'jelm:
a request for a calender
About Eidolon and Seer applications: (commented by Calandryll)
Role-playing things
Eidolon proofs he is not dead *grins* And very positive words of fiction, Great!
The proof
Some people do not take no for answer, from Squall the GM poster at the UO boards:
Name Change Deed
|
There is a new forum installed, so feel free to drop by and tell your opinion or talk about a matter that interests you.
You can access the forum by clicking the forum link at the left, if this does not work, remember to refresh your browser. |
| December 19, Tuesday |
| You will never ever see Lord British again in UO -Videric | |
Yeah, it is official I guess. Lord British will never appear in-game again. I hope they would let Blackthorn, Dupre, Nystul or someone to take over the land, so there would be a king that would actually have some change to appear. I think Having a king is important.
Personally I hope they would write the 3rd Dawn fiction on website at least, if nothing introducing it within game. So we have a reason why new land appear when we are role-playing.
Anyway, read it yourself:
http://www.ultima-worlds.de/spieltips/thirddawn/interview_tyrant_eng.html |
| December 17, Sunday |
| All new Tales of a Traveller! -Videric | |
As you see the whole site has got a Huge facelift, I hope you enjoy it. There will probably be some minor tweaking and such in few days to make all work perfectly, so please be patient.
Please note that the forum does not work currently as I will switch to entirely new one very soon.
Also Burrator has joined as a full member in our reporter team
|
| December 14, Thursday |
I noticed this at Guardsmen Militia board, and I thought it might be useful in few ways. Firstly it shows clearly how the ranks within militia goes, and secondly it shows how good it is to have guild organized.
http://www.torget.se/users/s/Selmon/chainoc.jpg
What do I mean?
I think part of the reason why guilds like Guardsmen Militia are so popular is that they have clear hierarchy and goals & Quests within the guild... something to wish and hope for. I think many guilds lack this, mainly because sometimes only the guildtitle unites them. Nothing happens within guild by itself, everyone is looking for others to do their quests for them. It simply is not enough to have a loose story and people inside your guild to keep people happy. No, you need to offer something different. Make traditions, feasts and keep your members updated.
Sometimes your quest or idea fails, you get tired and things just drop... One good solution to avoid all this is to write up what you plan, and your plots. Write them, this way they take shape better, and you have a change actually compleating something.
So basicly: More you do for your guild, the better it gets.
Am I the best person to tell about this? Certainly not, Caravan guild would need more caretaking, more goals and more regular events. It is easy to tell what to do, but it is not easy to do it yourself. At end we all can only try our best within the time limits we have.
|
| December 13, Wednesday |
Well in a way, at least. And no, it is not Ultima related directly, but it is about roleplaying, about the First great 3D adventure there ever was! Dungeon Master!
I have learned that there is Dungeon Master (Interplay/FTL) dedicated site at the internet, so naturally I need to share this information with you!
Use this link:
The Dungeon Master Encyclopaedia |
| December 12, Tuesday |
| December 10, Sunday |
You know it does indeed irritate when people need to block an area with boats such as Titan valley. It literally had 2 layers of boats to surround it.
Paging GMs helped this time luckily, as it was clearly illegal blocking. The boats were moved, so I was finally able to get to the shore.
Teaching is, DEED your boats people! There is no reason not to!
And special thanks to GM Sol for helping out.
|
| December 9, Saturday |
It was once again time for House of Commons last Thursday, and few interesting things came up:
Glamdring - *Seraine* will there be a permanent facet gate between felucca and trammel some day?
FierYiCe - maybe :)
At least it sounds like that they are considering more permamnent gates instead of those irritating moonstones. Maybe with 3rd Dawn as new lands will require a facet gate as well, I understand.
Next Intersting thing:
Glamdring - *Adam_P* Is the alliance patch for guilds or a Vize-GM even in the dev-team's mind?
Sage - It is not in development at this time, but it is in our mind. :)
In other words not in near future *sighs* Although the good thing is that they have not given up on them.
Rest of the UO:HOC can be read at uo.stratics.com
|
| December 7, Thursday |
| It's not UO related, but it's good stuff -Melissa | |
Warren Spector, the man behind such games as the Ultima Underworld games, System Shock, Ultima V and Deus Ex (and at least in my opinion, perhaps the greatest game designer EVER) has written a fascinating article about Deus Ex on Gamasutra. The article is a "post mortem" on Deus Ex, in which mr. Spector looks back on the things Ion Storm did right, and most importantly, what they did wrong when designing Deus Ex.
It's great reading for everyone even remotely interested in game design.
Warren Spector's article |
| December 5, Tuesday |
| Cry havoc, and let slip the ostards of war! -Melissa | |
First things first: the T2A lands will be at last fully integrated with the old lands.
From the General Testing section of uo.com update center:
Changes to T2A/Britannia transportation
Dec 4 2000 4:57PM CST
The current travel restrictions that exist between T2A (Second Age lands) and Britannia (Old Lands) will be lifted in the following manner:
- Players will be able to recall and gate between the Lost Lands (T2A) and Britannia.
- Passageways and connection points between the Lost Lands and Britannia will be open to tamed creature travel.
- Players will be able to use stablemasters in both areas with T2A or Britannian creatures. Players will be able to remove Lost Lands creatures from the stables while being within the Britannian lands, and vice versa.
- Players will be able to ride a mounted ostard or rideable llama across Lost Land/Britannian access points.
- Allow for rideable llamas to be mounted in the Old Lands (Britannia).
This also explains last weekend's Great Ostard Confusion, since obviously GMs had been told of this imminent change and therefore they did not take any action when people started bringing ostards to the old lands.
And remember, for all your forest or desert ostard needs, contact the good people of the Trade Caravan of Cove, who will certainly provide you with no less than the finest ostards and ridable llamas, delivered to you straight from the Lost Lands!
Second things second: factions will be at last activated on the remaining shards.
From the FYI section of uo.com update center:
Factions System, All Shards
Dec 4 2000 6:35PM CST (GMT -06:00)
We will be activating the Faction System publish, as listed in Testing for Next Update, on all remaining UO shards on Wednesday, December 6th (local server time). The publish will be active on shards following their regularly scheduled maintenance period on Wednesday morning.
The remaining shards activated with this patch will be Baja, Napa Valley, Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Catskills, Chesapeake, AOL Legends, Formosa, Oceania, and all European, Japanese, and Korean shards.
The changes will be added to Latest Game Updates once the publish is active on all shards.
Cry havoc indeed... |
| December 4, Monday |
| No ostards for thee today! -Melissa | |
There has been some confusion regarding the ostards in the old lands. Like I posted a few days ago, some GMs see nothing wrong with ostards out of T2A, while other GMs (according to the uo.com boards) think it's an absolute no-no and have (again, rumours on the boards) forced players to take their ostards back to T2A or face disintegration (of the ostard, not the player).
Finally, after several days of silence, OSI has made an official statement:
T2A Animals in Britannia
Dec 3 2000 4:35PM
As a reminder you may not bring animals from T2A to the old lands (Britannia) if bringing them requires the use of a bug or exploit. At this time, it may not be possible to mount these creatures while in Britannia. Using a bug to bring a T2A animal to Britannia could result in action being taken against your account.
The Development Team is working on systems to allow players to bring animals (such as ostards) from the T2A lands to the old lands. Once those systems are designed, we will post them on the site. Until then, please do not call a Game Master regarding issues with these animals.
So at the moment the facts are these:
1. It is ILLEGAL to import ostards to the old lands using a BUG or an EXPLOIT. (Apparently there are *no* legal ways of accomplishing the transfer.)
2. It is LEGAL to possess and ride an ostard in the old lands.
However, do not blame me if Fact Number 2 proves to be false, I am merely quoting what a GM told me. If you currently have an ostard in the old lands, I would consider twice before flaunting your pretty lizard at the Brit bank, since the GMs are known to sometimes act on a whim and you just *might* find yourself staring at the cold stone walls of the jail.
Then again, you might not.
[Disclaimer: I have a few ostards in the old lands, please do not e-mail me asking or revealing how the transfer is done, I know but I won't tell. And I am considering of stabling my ostards and letting them wait for the day they will be made completely legal.] |
| December 1, Friday |
In the last couple of days, there has been an inhuman amount of rumours spreading about ostards in the old lands.
Some people claim that it's possible and legal to bring them over, while others insist that it's not possible and definitely not legal (ie. they will be deleted on sight by a GM).
As usual for us here at Tales of a Traveller, I decided to find out the truth about this matter. Since there were no responses on the uo.com boards regarding this, I bravely mustered all my courage and paged a GM on the Europa shard.
(In my page I asked if it is possible and legal to bring ostards over to the old lands.)
So, at least according to GM_Darkness, it is now legal to import those lizards from the Lost Lands. If anyone figures out how to do it, please e-mail me. :) |
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