Loyal subscribers & random players?

[bad karma]

Good time of a day everybody! I am glad that there are still some free projects going on too keep this game alive. Myself, I havent played UO for a few months now and feel a bit of nostalgia. I cant remember a HUGE population boost on an of the free shards in several years. Right now there are few UO projects which have got my- and as well as a lot of other, especially western, players interest.

I am curious, how many unique people are going to rush IPY 2.0 when it launches, and what are the methods to let 'everybody' know about that? (sending email copies to subscribed members, internet adverts, anything else etc..)

I don't want to sound as an advertiser, but most of you know about the new runuo project. The question is - do you think IPY 2.0 will win in the population race between this shard and 'that other shard'. Myself, I dont even play UO at all now, I have got loads of reasons to not to play (limited real life time, problems etc), so dont think I am an advertiser or anything. However, I feel a big of nostalgia of UO and would like to play it ASAP, just want to know what is gonna be more popular.

I am just curious. I can't say if I am gonna play IPY 2.0 or any other shard, it all depends on how busy will I be by the time IPY 2.0 launches. However, the Staff, how do you measure your starting population boost at the launch and what is made important to keep IPY 2.0 theme well-known? I don't even care about the changes, because it will still be the same old 'battleground', no matter what the scripter does, I am just asking about the interest it has right now and will have in the future, close to the launch.

Thank you.

[Diz]

I can tell you with some certainty that the long-term viability and balance is incredibly important, and most of the new features were designed for the long haul. Most of the updated systems allow room for the community to mold the server world as they so desire. Introducing intelligent player-ran systems to combat inflation, rampant PKing, and macroing are just a few examples of systems that encourage long-term goals for individual players to aim for and as a result the community itself is encouraged to play the game with an eye on the long-term. Hope that helps!

[bad karma]

Well, this doesn't answers my question at all, but thx, nice to hear about new custom systems which will take place on a new server, however I am not really interested in custom changes because UO will still be the same..never ending pvp and redicilous economy.

It's ok, I'm just saying what I know will never be changed, I'm just curious about how popular will IPY 2.0 be. The only thing what bothers me in UO now is population. How fun will it be and what will be more popular ''UO:R'' or IPY 2.0?

[Diz]

Well again, the difference from IPY 2.0 and 1.0 in relation to the launch, is that players and staff are particularly concerned with the long-term health and balance of the server and community.

I'm not talking about system specifics, I'm saying that the overall theme is about player freedom and the community itself. The players are the focus; keeping them playing as long as possible, creating a world where all different types of players feel excited and don't feel "behind the gun".

IPY 1.0 had a very large playerbase. No other indie server has come close to capturing the activity and diversity that 1.0 had.

2.0 is about retaining that diversity over the long haul and giving all different types of players an opportunity to do whatever they want, even stuff that has never been seen before in UO.

[Az]

Ah, but keeping the players playing as long as possible through their own individual desire to use what tools and toys we've given them...

Not through intentional addiction in every angle of every system we've provided.

What we're doing is more "Here, run the world. Decide the outcome. Enjoy, and we hope there's enough here to keep your interest.", and less "Here. This is REALLY FUN AND EASY. But if you wanna succeed, you have to play 24/7. Thanks for your $15, and keep paying or you lose."

[Budikah]

Well, this doesn't answers my question at all, but thx, nice to hear about new custom systems which will take place on a new server, however I am not really interested in custom changes because UO will still be the same..never ending pvp and redicilous economy.

It's ok, I'm just saying what I know will never be changed, I'm just curious about how popular will IPY 2.0 be. The only thing what bothers me in UO now is population. How fun will it be and what will be more popular ''UO:R'' or IPY 2.0?

How do you expect us to judge that? I understand your concerns too... but... you really just... pick one you like better? Personally I feel that IPY will be more popular, but that happens to be because my best UO experiences came on IPY, and not on RunUO Shards.

Personally, I think flip-flopping to whichever one has a higher population is a shitty move. Things grow and die out. Thats how population works. You can either be a +1 or -1.

Judge them against each other and pick whichever you like best.

[bad karma]

Sounds nice. You have mentioned 'player freedom'. Well, IMO UO was meant to be a game where one can do anything WITHOUT strict limitations and core restrictions. What I mean is that in the very beggining you could do almost everything (what was possible in UO back then) and you didnt care if you need a certatin level of this, a piece of this or anything else to use, produce, enter anything, like in other MMOs.

Shortly and all over the future expansions they began to ruin the game with all these strict shit. Few examples of this may be a warning gump when entering a moongate which goes to outside of town, NPCs got 'yellow' bars and could not be attacked anymore and much, much more. It all ended up with what is called Trammel.

I know that it is not possible to create a good MMORPG without any restriction or any weird gumps at all. It will all cause the chaos, something which was the reason for adding statloss, house secures and Trammel in UO. If there wouldnt be terror in the early UO days, who knows, what would this game be like now hehe.

But of course there will be endless PK raids and mass griefing until something inst restricted. I'm against two things in UO:

1. Neons

2.Strict limitations


IMO everything what causes trouble in the game or is a risk to be overused for griefing SHOULD NOT be dealed by simply making it impossible by overwriting the code or even deleting this function. I think that there should be ways to balance things up by working with the community. Paladings sound perfectly nice for this. This doesnt smell like statloss or anything special, but it sounds like true blue force which will fight against mass PKing. Social attraction is the must IMO.

Anyway, this really sounds like fun projects, hope to not to miss it when it comes out. Anyways, any thoughts on how many people are interested in playing IPY 2.0? 'that other shard' has a smaller map(which some people already say sux) and it might be pretty fun there right now - smaller map/more action, while IPY 2.0 will still have Britannia(which is better IMO), just saying.. I wanna see crowded WBB again :)

[bad karma]

How do you expect us to judge that? I understand your concerns too... but... you really just... pick one you like better? Personally I feel that IPY will be more popular, but that happens to be because my best UO experiences came on IPY, and not on RunUO Shards.

Personally, I think flip-flopping to whichever one has a higher population is a shitty move. Things grow and die out. Thats how population works. You can either be a +1 or -1.

Judge them against each other and pick whichever you like best.

Yea maybe you're right. But I think I will just wait for IPY 2.0 because commercial isnt fun for me. Azaroth already stated in his blog and this thread that hes not going to make IPY 2 his main bussiness and thanks to him for that. When it comes out to paying for playing, gameplay stops to be fun and rewarding, you can watch this picture on UOG:Hybrid..ugly neons(thousands of them), stupid handouts('Weird Phrase goes Here' shirt) and donations. Look at their economy... Also, Im sure Ryan has stolen half, if not more ideas from Az while developing 'UO:R' and few people from IPY team were helping him technically.

This is all ok... I would not even bother starting this thread, but current atmopshere in whole UO is pretty dead and these few projects are like small lights in the abyss so I thought like its a big race heh.

[Aarlock]

I think a lot of people make the mistake of assuming there is a static population of UO freeshard players, and IPY and that ******** shard are going to survive or fail by attracting the majority of that population. I would wager that at least half of the IPY population is going to be people who are not active UO players and haven't really even heard about the ******** shard.

So we'll see. At the end of the day, I just see IPY (1) attracting more of the well-known guilds and (2) offering a fuller experience for new/returning players.

[abm]

I think a lot of people make the mistake of assuming there is a static population of UO freeshard players, and IPY and that ******** shard are going to survive or fail by attracting the majority of that population. I would wager that at least half of the IPY population is going to be people who are not active UO players and haven't really even heard about the ******** shard.

So we'll see. At the end of the day, I just see IPY (1) attracting more of the well-known guilds and (2) offering a fuller experience for new/returning players.


qft. Pretty sure IPY2.0 will bring alot of players out of retirement. There is a genuine buzz of enthusiasm around it which is getting people very interested. I had a few ex guildmates whom I haven't talked to in over 5 years contact me and ask if I had heard/was thinking about joining IPY2.0

Bring it on!

[Romp]

So we'll see. At the end of the day, I just see IPY (1) attracting more of the well-known guilds and (2) offering a fuller experience for new/returning players.

Wouldn't a fuller experience be a custom map, not more of the done.to.death?

[abm]

Wouldn't a fuller experience be a custom map, not more of the done.to.death?

It's big enough that surely you still get lost in some areas. As for pvp hotspots, classics aside, they also change along with guild houses etc. And with these new systems being implemented I wouldn't be surprised if new areas get brought back to life. Personally I love the map and it is far from done to death. But it's all subjective right?

[Aarlock]

qft. Pretty sure IPY2.0 will bring alot of players out of retirement. There is a genuine buzz of enthusiasm around it which is getting people very interested. I had a few ex guildmates whom I haven't talked to in over 5 years contact me and ask if I had heard/was thinking about joining IPY2.0

Bring it on!

Yeah, I'm the same way. No one I'm playing with, myself included, has played UO in at least 3 or 4 years.

[Aarlock]

Wouldn't a fuller experience be a custom map, not more of the done.to.death?

I mean I think there's an argument for that, I'm not personally persuaded though. A big part of the King system on IPY seems to be revitalizing lesser-used parts of the classic map. I think a lot of people who would complain about the UO map being old and played out really are just tired of the staple UO hotspots. You don't need to make a whole new map to change that, you just need a system that encourages players to stray from the beaten path, and I think Az is doing that.

There are definitely players who would disagree, and really value consistently having entirely new areas to explore. But at the end of the day I think most of those players are going to realize they would rather be playing WoW or some other game that really caters to that kind of playstyle.

[skimmo]

Wouldn't a fuller experience be a custom map, not more of the done.to.death?

There is a difference between a new map and a good map.

[Diz]

Yeah good maps are timeless.

Zelda 1 Hyrule overworld.

UO Sosaria overworld.

Halo 1 Blood Gulch multiplayer.

Goldeneye 007 Library/Stack multiplayer.

The San Francisco track in Cruisin' Tunes.

The only course in Golf for NES.

UO ain't no ROGUELIKE!!!

[abm]

Goldeneye 007 Library/Stack multiplayer.

Incorrect! Facility! Freaking LOVED (love) that map.

[Romp]

There are definitely players who would disagree, and really value consistently having entirely new areas to explore. But at the end of the day I think most of those players are going to realize they would rather be playing WoW or some other game that really caters to that kind of playstyle.

Of course, Aarlock, that MUST be it. The player that thinks that a new map to explore qualifies as a point of strength must surely be better off playing WoW.


UO:Gamers, their staff and their fat-headed attitudes can drink the bile of a thousand apes. Don't think for a second that because I have the maturity and lack of bias to present an objectionable argument, that it means I'm some "WoW Fanboy" or have a hard on for the raging e-peens over on that other shard. I mean, did my short and direct comment about their custom map really incite my having to justify this?

Weather the new map on Revelation is good or not, and from what I can see it's had a massive amount of work (conservatively) put in to it to make it feel original but new, it merits a mention in this context.

[abm]

Don't think he meant it as an attack. Pretty generic comment.

[Romp]

Don't think he meant it as an attack. Pretty generic comment.

I just woke up with a raging hangover (thought I was going to say something else, right? :P) and re-read his comment and realised I probably took it out of context. I edited my post before your reply, but you're right.

Don't mix your drinks.

[Jack Straw]

A big part of the King system on IPY seems to be revitalizing lesser-used parts of the classic map.

Where is this coming form? I still haven't seen anything about the Kings system..

[Budikah]

Where is this coming form? I still haven't seen anything about the Kings system..
10-in-10 bro, where have you been? I mean.. it isn't posted yet.. but wait for it.

UO's default map is great in my opinion. I fucking love it. What I don't love is that a majority of the landmass really just gets ignored for these same old hotspots.

[bad karma]

Great disscussion guys! Also, where can I read about the King system? Somewhere I heard there will be a political system in..something I always missed in UO!! Any info?

EDIT: got it.

Also, Budikah, I agree with you about the map. I love it, I think its better than any custom, because it just has to do with Ultima storyline, which IMO, has to be overread before making a shard. But yea, 80 % of the map is useless..all these places of interest, guar outposts, other random spots..just dead static...few towns, hot spots and guild houses/vendors, moongates are actively used. Hope this will be changed in IPY.

[Jack Straw]

10-in-10 bro, where have you been? I mean.. it isn't posted yet.. but wait for it.

Well I've been reading the 10 in 10.. but as you said.. Kings isn't posted. So my question still stands

[skimmo]

Also, Budikah, I agree with you about the map. I love it, I think its better than any custom, because it just has to do with Ultima storyline, which IMO, has to be overread before making a shard. But yea, 80 % of the map is useless..all these places of interest, guar outposts, other random spots..just dead static...few towns, hot spots and guild houses/vendors, moongates are actively used. Hope this will be changed in IPY.

I remember back in the day you saw people wandering around the wilderness. Back when people didn't KNOW the hotspots. Would be nice to see some good world spawn that wasn't mongbats and snakes. I think Portals hopes to address that.

[bad karma]

I remember back in the day you saw people wandering around the wilderness. Back when people didn't KNOW the hotspots. Would be nice to see some good world spawn that wasn't mongbats and snakes. I think Portals hopes to address that.

what kind of Portals? Will they be similiar to what Ultima moongates were (poppin out at the certain time/place and taking you to another spot) ?

[abm]

what kind of Portals? Will they be similiar to what Ultima moongates were (poppin out at the certain time/place and taking you to another spot) ?

Check the front page. Everyone has the same info atm. More and more will be revealed as launch date gets closer.

[Aarlock]

Well I've been reading the 10 in 10.. but as you said.. Kings isn't posted. So my question still stands

Well I mean everyone knows that a couple (arguably one) UO cities are where the vast majority of server population can be found. The main page suggests that kings will have some sort of power over their city, and depending on how they exert this power it will make the city more or less attractive to players. I'm assuming this will sort of shift the hotspots depending on the various kings. It won't just be west brit bank all the time. I guess we'll find out later today though.

[bad karma]

Well I mean everyone knows that a couple (arguably one) UO cities are where the vast majority of server population can be found. The main page suggests that kings will have some sort of power over their city, and depending on how they exert this power it will make the city more or less attractive to players. I'm assuming this will sort of shift the hotspots depending on the various kings. It won't just be west brit bank all the time. I guess we'll find out later today though.

Amen..thats what I said about my post of 'inactivity' of a lot of Britannian places. I cant wait..