Update – Full Transcripts
* Part 1
* Part 2
Notes from the video House of Commons (Latest at the top):
Note: There are probably going to be errors in what I typed below, in regards to matching up with the video. I intend to go through and put together a coherent post with direct quotes. I was typing really fast, and once or twice the video glitched or I missed something. Do not take what I typed as 100% accurate!
And the HoC is finished.
Keeps/Castles customizable
* Not an easy question
* Have talked about enhancing them
* Talk about locking things down in courtyard
Abandoned Homes
* Getting rid of them as they can
* Takes time
* Associate Producer just deleted 200 houses on Legends
Discussion of Reptalon and slots
* Associate Producer will discuss it later
In-Game Economy
* Change the amount of gold looted on monsters to be lower
* Lead Developer/Supreem: Gold should be higher in monster loot. (UOJ Note???)
* More loot should be on monsters to help the new players
UO Game Codes Store
* More stuff up, rotating items out, etc.
* Getting an item up on the store is a huge process
Siege Perilous
* Can’t character transfer, technically impossible
* Many exceptions required
* Siege is an island and is designed that way
Character Copy
* Character Copy – character transfer without removing it from the source
* Lets you take your specific characters and try them out out on TC.
* Only on Test Center
PVP Arena open this spring
* “Hope so”
* Hardware migration delayed it
* Starting to be looked at
* 90% of the way there, but the 10% left is 90% of it.
* Something headed towards the Test Center
Idea behind Exquisite Corpse thread
* Storytelling
* Acknowledge that they get guff over their fiction
* Want to discuss player-fiction
Small soul-forge on Brit Ship
* Yes
With land being under-utilized, what about player-towns
* Not for now
Cal note: He says what’s talked about can take 2-3 publishes
Crystalized Essence Stackable
* Doable
Enhanced artwork
* Just really starting to talk about it.
* The first look is (they just muted their microphones)
* “We will let you know”
House pack-up feature like in Star Wars Galaxies
* Cal made a little rip on Star Wars
* Not easy to implement.
Merging Servers/Combining populations
* Discussion of Warhammer and how that came about
* No plans to merge servers, acknowledge that smaller shards have their communities and like them.
* Discussion of clustering like what happens with Camelot, but it would cost too much in resources.
* Cal raises the issue of how would you determine who would get merged.
* Not going to happen.
F2P (Free to play?)
* No.
* Plans are to made to keep the game viable and players coming.
Missed Question (Glitched, short answer)
Linux or Mac client
* Cal plays UO on a Mac! Join the club Cal.
* For now, no. Cal wants it on a Mac.
Question about physical maps
* Can’t answer it right now
Champ Rewards
* No change at this time.
* not been discussed.
Can you end up with a Fel Magincia house instead of a Tram house
* No, you have to voluntarily decide what you are entering the raffle for.
Real cellars/basements on houses
* Maybe one day.
* Deeper answer than they can give right now. Will be addressed later. Has been discussed.
Enhanced Client – Dark nights and colored lights?
* Maybe
Deco items as fishing quest rewards
* Lots of talk, but items are seen as being fished up from wrecks and not shallow-water
Scalis drops
* No changes for now
Question about ships and crews
* Would like to add more
UO on other platforms (mobile, etc.)
* Not for now
Factions
* Factions being looked at
Get rid of bank checks and replace them with something else
* Being discussed
* Don’t want to commit to things fully in the planning stages
Will people ever see UO in stores again (Marketing)
* No
* Intent for anything now is digital media.
* They are looking at other marketing avenues
* Looking at offering things other than “pixel crack”
Existing houses on Magincia (beach)
* Beach houses not going to be touched
Spawn problems
* Acknowledged
Rebuilding of Magincia in Tram/Fel
* Houses treated the same
* It will be rebuilt, there will not be an “if”
* How it looks will depend on players but it will be rebuilt.
New players and existing players in the new player area
* No existing players in new player area
* No companion program
Training of UO-specific GMs
* Not their department, they cannot answer it.
Transferring house in Magincia
* Will be treated like regular house transfers (here comes Luna 2!)
Play-sound functions to the UO Clients?
* No
Estimate on arrival of next booster
* When new items appear, it will indicate the new booster
* Not a full-blown booster
Fix for status bars in CC
* Bug is logged
Spring Cleaning
* When: After Pub 70, but before summer
* No details
* Blue crystals – something more creative
Revitalizing Old Dungeons
* There are plans
Griefing at events
* Discussion of banning players
* EMs told to contact their lead and will move future griefers
Any new deco items on UO Store
* Eventually, yes
Official Events related to Gargoyles
* Needs more work
* Need to include more facets
* More history would be good
* New quest and new mobs coming in Pub 70
Work that’s been done
From October to now:
— High Seas (boat movement, combat, etc.)
— Thanksgiving (events)
— Publish 69 (Massive, bug fixes, EC)
— Live Event (Shadow of Virtue)
— January – Performance of Live shards
— February – working towards Magincia being restored in March
— Publish 70 will be restoration of Magincia, also end of a longer story
— No long-term events after Magincia
— Leaves room to re-address old story arcs, problems
Bugs in the EC
* Care very much about the EC.
* Want to fix the bugs
* Don’t have the resources all the time
Hatchet
* Not going to change art for now
Higher Resolution Artwork
* Not just one blast of an art update
* Will be in pieces, to show progress and to make sure that things aren’t overlooked
Future of Siege Perilous
* Cal is learning more about the history of Siege design decisions
Pirate Ships
* Damage will be fixed
Fix on the gold situation (inflation)
* Current system in development to address the massive amounts of gold.
House customization
* New sets, but not in Pub 70
New Player Area
* Not certain yet on location.
* Still in major planning
Blue Essence
* Nothing to talk about now.
Explanation of mailboxes
* GUMP to tell you if you won a contest. Not a piece of paper in your backpack.
Hardware Updates
* All of the live shards are on the new hardware
* Going to pay off in the long run
* Long time coming.
* More behind-the-scenes, but no major downtimes tied to that.
* The worst of it is over.
New, Shorter Story Arcs
* Feedback received is that game is item-oriented and easy.
* Broader game – don’t hand things out, you have to earn them.
* Make sure that they are engaging and repeatable. Don’t want players to be bored – want “sandboxy” feel.
New Player Experience
* Can’t go too deeply at this point.
* Don’t limit you to a rail.
* High-level (broader) concepts.
* Traveling – moongates, etc.
* Magincia, No Luna 2!
* No other player-driven towns
* Oh goodness, there are going to be plots in Magincia. That is Luna 2, I’m sorry to say.
* Lottery system for the houses.
* Two areas – North and South side.
* Northern pieces will be by account, one ticket per account
* South side – enter as many times as you want, but it will cost you. Hello Luna vendors.
* Will be fully tested on Origin first.
* Player-named plants (or plants named after you) but you have to maintain the plants.
* Maybe pre-determined houses.
* Room left for future expansions