Last week I speculated that maybe the next booster pack would be the graphics update, ala Kingdom Reborn. I said it’s just speculation, and it turned out to be just that.
Tonight the Classic Client was updated to version 7.0.12.1
Over on Stratics, a Stratics mod, Nexus, took a look at the Cliloc differences. A lot was added that deals with what is being called the Magincia Land Lottery, including booster pack references.
I wondered how they would deal with not making it Luna 2 and letting it be overrun with plots that do nothing but serve as vendor platforms. Looks like they are going to have the vendors located in one area, the Magincia Bazaar:
Magincia Bazaar Stall Leasing
Leasing a Magincia Bazaar stall requires purchase of the [Booster Name Here]. Stalls are leased for a period of 7 days. At the time a stall becomes available, the highest bid for that specific stall, or the highest bid for the first available stall (whichever is higher) wins the lease for that stall immediately. The funds for the winning bid are taken up front and there are no refunds. Bazaar stall lease winners will be notified immediately if logged in, or at next login.Each person may have one active bid (per account, not per character) at a time. Anyone may place, retract, or adjust a bid for a stall lease at any time. Funds for bids are held in reserve. Bids may only be funded from checks and gold in the character’s bank box, and all returned bids are delivered to the claimant’s bank box. If a person is currently leasing a bazaar stall, that person may bid on another stall. If that person wins a new stall lease, the current lease is abandoned with no refund and the contents of the old stall are relocated to the new one. The current high bid on the abandoned stall immediately wins, beginning a new 7-day lease. Anyone leasing a stall may place a hidden “match bid” to retain that stall. At the time of lease expiration, if the current highest bid for that stall is equal to or less than the match bid, the match bid wins the auction at the highest bid price and the current lease is extended for another 7 days.The current renter may abandon a stall lease at any time but will not receive a refund. Auction end times are always reported as approximations, and an auction reported as “Up To 6 Hours” may end at any moment. In the case that a stall has no current lease and no bids, the stall’s lease will remain at auction for 12 to 24 hours.
Some notes:
* The Cliloc updates contain quite a bit of information about the planting on Magincia that players will be able to engage in.
* There is also a “chest of sending” that looks to be related to the vendor stall.
* The deed that you can win for to place a plot for Magincia can be used as a recall rune to the exact plot.
* If you don’t place, it spells out that normal housing rules take effect after 30 days, but the deed itself will remain as a souvenir.
* There will be several notices for when the lottery takes place.
* You can get updated odds on winning a plot.
* It looks like more of the Stygian Abyss expansion is being fleshed out. Not sure if it will be Gargoyle-only.
* Arena is definitely coming.
These may also be new items:
* A “Resonant Shield of Vengeance” is being added (Gargoyle-related)
* Lantern of Counselor (Legend) (kind of weird if you think about it, reminding players of the counselor program)
* Wedding Book (self-explanatory)
* Memorial Stone (dedicated to past UO players or to Dawn?)
* The afore-mentioned chest of sending.
I’d like to see more about this mailbox that was mentioned in the House of Commons.
A part of me is slightly disappointed that the next booster is tied to Magincia, since it’s taken so long for them to wrap this up. If they charge for this, it better be really cheap. I don’t know that “New Magincia” is worth the money, but I won’t complain as long as work progresses on other additions, such as the high-resolution artwork. I also question the vendor bazaar – the Luna vendors are liable to dominate it if it comes down to bidding wars.
The devs wanted to roll out the next publish dealing with Magincia in March, and they wanted to go through a full cycle with Origin, so the content contained within this patch will probably be live on the Test Center within the week.