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May 2001 News:
|
^ top-And now, for my next update.
[Nieves] May 31 - 10:43 PM EDT | I guess I am in an updating mood today.
If you like Star Wars, you will appreciate this movie called Duality or the precursor to it, Duel. If you want to see more, you can go here and check out some more Star Wars movies.
Duality was the shit. Doubt me at your peril.
Hasta. |
^ top-Lady Kitiara of GL hits it on the nose.
[Nieves] May 31 - 9:47 PM EDT | Just because this is one of the greatest "end all" to the bitching and moaning arguement of PvP as it stands today and Pre-UO:R, I had to put it up for all of you to see.
First Foust copied it, so I give him credit for that...
...this just seemed appropriate. It's from another message forum, but it hits the nail right on the head.
**begin quote**
For simplicity's sake, we have developed forms for Mages and Warriors to use to complain about one another and lament the unfairness of their existence. Instead of sending lengthy emails, or making lengthy posts repeating the same endless, biased message, please simply fill out one of these forms and mail or post it to your location of choice. Thank you.
PVP ALTERATION FORM FOR MAGES
Warriors need to be nerfed because I (circle one):
a) Am too stupid to wear leather armor, let alone magical leather armor which is easily affordable.
b) Am blissfully unaware of what the Arch Protection spell does.
c) Am so eager to cause damage that I overlook the spells Protection and Reactive Armor.
d) Am upset that Resisting Spells is actually effective against my cheap mass Poison tactics.
e) Am not content with being able to kill only Swordsmen and Mace Fighters with ease; all warriors, Fencers included, should be my playthings.
f) Am not willing to develop Anatomy and Healing as a Mage myself.
g) Am of the opinion that an unprepared, unarmored Mage running around in his underwear should be capable of killing armed, prepared Fencers.
h) Am clinging to my story of a Mage taking 100 times longer than a Warrior to create..."Forward one!" *hides the Earthquake scroll*
i) Am a Mage, dammit.
j) Am not satisfied with being the undisputed best class of group combat, I must rule 1 vs 1 fights as well.
k) Am upset that a Fencer just killed me by getting lucky and hitting me 6 times in a row without missing, 2 of them paralyzing hits, and I am going to angrily make a post saying that all Fencers should all be nerfed, writing under the emotional, generalized assumption that all Fencers are overpowered because of the one lucky streak that this single Fencer happened to have against me.
l) All of the above.
PVP ALTERATION FORM FOR WARRIORS
Mages should be nerfed because I (circle one):
a) Am too lazy to balance my stats to defend against Mindblast.
b) Am too cheap to pay 30 gold for a wizard hat to defend against Mindblast.
c) Am a Mace Fighter and cannot accept that this skill sacrifices effectiveness against Mages although I believe it should still wreck Warriors' armor and stamina.
d) Am unwilling to accept a weakness in one area to grow stronger in another.
e) Am too lazy to fight the more powerful magical monsters to train my Resisting Spells.
f) Am too cheap to prepare myself properly with the needed potions and supplies to fight a Mage.
g) Am eager to be able to kill a Mage as soon as my time at the bone knight wall is completed without any further work on my part.
h) All of the above.
Kitiara
Great Lakes
The less somebody has to say, the louder they will say it.
**End quote**
And Kitiara actually wrote it. I used to talk to ol' girl back in the day. She probably doesn't remember me, but, as you can tell, she's got a good head on her shoulders.
And you just HAVE To go and talk about it in the UOPG forum. It's putting my kids through college. Really.
Hasta. |
^ top-Will you fucking quit already?
[Nieves] May 31 - 1:56 PM EDT | Lum as always has the best news. (Yes, I admit it freely, I suck, Lum rules).
He posted a tid bit about a guild being handed a 48 hour suspension for "disrupting" a planned event.
-Time out- Fucking son of a bitch. Netscape won't let me copy and paste so I can make a decent update.
Anyway, until this evening, when I can make a decent update, make comments, and just fill your head with Nieves' patented (Patent Number: Porque-Yo-Dije-0001-0001) "No juus no do dat chit!".
UPDATE: Got to love anticipation huh?
Anyway...let me start this off with this:
Clearly no one can argue against the fact that PKing is part of the game and part of Fel. However, an argument regarding the disruption of an event seems to be getting quite a bit of attention. What exactly makes something an event? In general terms, it's something that you plan in advance, right?
As Lum so eloquently put it:
If you set foot in Felucca, you are saying "I acknowledge that other players may try to kill me." That is the nature of OSI's bizarro-land PK switch. The fact that the cool stuff may be in Felucca or that it's less crowded or that you may own a house there from long ago doesn't make this any different. Felucca is where people go to die. It is part of the game.
The Title of this update was directed at all those people that bitch and moan (that includes all of you in the Stratics/OSI message boards) about something that happens to you in game when it's part of the game's mechanics. You go to Felucca, be aware that you are now in no man's land. You are now playing within it's ruleset. If you get PKed, oh well. Rage. Get angry. Swear revenge. Don't call a fucking GM. That's asinine. Deal with it and move on. It's why shit has gone crappy in some areas of UO's game play. Everybody cries to mommy instead of accepting the current ruleset (especially if it's a decent ruleset) and learning how to play within it and become better with it.
Did those guys deserve to get banned? Not for PKing. Not for thieving. Not for looting. It's part of the game. Even in Trammel. Go bones, and I got your shit. It's that simple. Wah. Until OSI deems it otherwise, I am going to play within the ruleset.
The problem, it seems, was the following:
If you check OPP News we clearly stated several times that we were planning to attack Kalidun that same day. Does this mean we have conflicting events? How exactly is that handled? Now we know...
What do I think? Before EA took over, they wouldn't have been banned. A GM probably would've replied with: "Those players are playing within the game's ruleset. You went to Felucca and thereby agreed to the PvP switch. Please do not contact us about this again." Oh how things change:
...The Trammies are always right.
In closing:
Of course they wouldn't. ToM and SC play(ed) by the rules. OPP didn't. The rules in this case weren't written down. They were implied. The implied rule in this case is - if you're going to kill someone, don't post on your website that you did it. Don't brag about ganking newbies. Just do it. For god's sake, don't be honest about your motivations. Then you can be held accountable for them, despite what the in-game rules may lead you to believe you can and cannot do. In the end, it's all up to whether or not some nameless person at OSI sees your website and approves of how you present your actions.
Don't agree with those rules? Maybe new ones need to be written. Clearer ones.
Hmmm...can you say ToS? Read it. Get educated. It might explain the banning a little better. Then again, what's clear about any of it. But I digress.
As Lum says, play within the ruleset...but don't brag about it.
I guess that means I can't brag about looting ol' Trash Talker after dieing in Trammel Deceit anymore, huh?
Thank you Lum for the great article and inspiration.
Go give him some love and check out the discussion in his message board. He needs the hits. It pays his bills.
You can go to our own forum and tell me how much I suck for not being able to cut and paste this earlier.
Hasta. |
^ top-You got to have a plan
[Nieves] May 31 - 12:30 PM EDT | I get emails from folks all the time about character building and I see questions in the forum about the same topic. I don't mind the emails, but maybe this will help some folks.
When I first got my Masta PvMa going (over 2xGM) and was at a point where I wanted to expand my game play, I had to decide what I was going to do with my last 4 character slots.
First, do your research and look for the information you need to make the right choices. I sat down looking through UOPowergamers' (before I was blessed by Redrum and was made an updater and then new owner of UOPG) templates and thought about what I would do with those slots. I had planned all my D&D characters in the past and decided this could be applied to UO.
I needed a smith. I know I wanted an alchemist because I used alot of potions. I wanted a mage and I loved treasure hunting. I wanted to have another warrior and thought a Weapons Master would be nice to have (hey, even some of the "cool" UO Community members have one of these so hush).
I printed out all the, then, current templates and got a pen and notepad and decided what templates I would use and how I would go about training those characters. Now, mind you, this was BEFORE UO:Renaissance and power hour was not around. Also, skill locks had just come in and that made the strategy of creating a character a bit easier.
I decided on the following:
Alchemist:
GM Alchemy, Inscription, Wrestling, Magery, Eval Int, Resist, Meditation.
Smith:
GM Mining, Blacksmithing, Bowying/Fletching (I used alot of bows and arrows back then), Jacking, Tailoring, Magery, 40 Arms Lore, 60 Hiding (PKs were bad).
New Warrior:
GM Fencing, Swords, Parrying, Tactics, Healing, Anatomy, Resist
(Pure Townie if you would)
Treasure Hunter:
GM Cartography, Lockpicking, Magery, Eval Int, Meditation, Wrestling, Resist.
I then wrote out how I would train those characters. The idea was to give me a focus of what my characters were going to be and follow that plan.
Then UO:R was released and everything about the game changed. Special hits were introduced, Lumberjacking became a skill that mages absolutely hated and the most powerful weapon type to this date (sorry macers, but you don't get +35% damage), and GM Poisoning and GM Magery meant Greater Poison 99% (99 out of 100 poison casts) of the time and Deadly Poison 10% (1 out of 100 poison casts) of the time. Also, at the time, Thor's Hammer (80 points of damage with a War Hammer) was around (it was fixed about 2-3 months later). That was when the idea of Hammer was born and I created my 2nd account. But I digress.
With that release my characters evolved into the following:
Alchemist/Inscriper/Poisoner:
GM Alchemy, Inscription, Poisoning, Magery, Eval Int, Resist, Meditation.
Super Mule (was the Smith):
GM Mining, Blacksmithing, Bowying/Fletching, Carpentry, Tinkering, Magery, Tailoring.
New Warrior:
GM Jacking, Swords, Parrying, Tactics, Healing, Anatomy, 80 Resist, 20 Magery (recalling is easier even with scrolls)
(If I got the special Axe hit in the first 5 seconds of the fight with the mage, I won; if not, I better hope I survived the mana dump.)
Treasure Hunter:
GM Cartography, Lockpicking, Magery, Eval Int, Meditation, Wrestling, Resist.
As you can see, my alchemist, warrior, and smith (now a true merchant mule) changed. The Treasure Hunter stayed the same as I still had alot of Felucca maps (and still manage to find a few).
With the freedom of having a 2nd account and the options UO:R gave me, I sat down and designed my next 5 characters.
Hammer
GM Macing, Parrying, Tactics, Anatomy, Healing, Archery, Resist
Fencer
GM Fencing, Parrying, Tactics, Anatomy, Healing, Archery, Resist
(At one point I toyed with this being my miner, losing archery and adding music to my mule so I could make GM instruments; but noone wants GM instruments, they want newbie ones).
Tamer
GM Magery Five plus Taming and Animal Lore
Bard
GM Magery Five plus Music and Provocation
Thief
GM Hiding, Stealth, Magery, Snooping, Stealing, Resist, Meditation
While reviewing my character creation progression sheet, I looked over my characters one day and realized the only difference between Hammer and my fencer was the melee type. And just had a hard time finishing fights with Hammer. It was frustrating. Also, stable changes were made and you needed some measure of vet to have a full 5 stable slots. Not too mention healing is cheaper and more efficient with bandaids. Then I realized I wasn't interested in a thief. In fact, I hate them more than any other character type in the game. Mainly because I don't like people peeking in my panties and taking my stuff. Don't get me wrong, thieves look fun, but only when you are playing them. It wasn't for me. Personal preferance I guess. Again, I digress.
I redid my character set for the 2nd account as follows:
Hammer
GM Macing, Parrying, Tactics, Anatomy, Healing, Fencing (DP kryss and spears are nice), 80 Resist, 20 Magery
Assassin (was my fencer)
GM Fencing, Magery, Tactics, Anatomy, Healing, Poisoning, Resist
(Absolutely solid character; has to be my favorite arch type).
Tamer
GM Magery Five minus Wrestling plus Taming and Animal Lore and Vet
Bard
GM Magery Five plus Music and Provocation
GM Fisherman
GM Fishing, Archery, Tactics, Healing, Magery, Resist, 75 Magery, 25 Cooking.
I lost a thief and gained a fisherman. I lost the wrestling and added Vet on my Tamer. I changed my fencer to make her something different and fun. I increased Hammer's kill efficiency with the addition of Fencing and the ability to use DP and spears.
My point? When you start thinking about what you are going to do with new/available character slots or on a new shard, have a goal for each character and figure out what skills will meet those goals. Make sure your plan is flexible enough so that characters can change/evolve as needed. It was a pain in the ass adding Magery to my Fencer (now Assassin) after she was near GM in all her fighting skills. But I lost her melee skills and picked them up later (much easier to GM than anatomy/healing). Don't be afraid to cut your losses and change as needed (again, I site the Fencer/Assassin example). And put it on paper. It's easier to refer to than your memory, which can be volatile at times.
If you do this well enough, you will find planning characters can apply to planning things in your life as well.
Good luck, and good planning.
Hasta. |
^ top-Speaking of looters
[Nieves] May 30 - 10:23 PM EDT | Lock them houses and put them rares away in a secure "unseen" chest or your bank. If they can see it, they can take it.
There is an exploit out to take your locked and secure stuff in your house. OSI is aware of it and is working on the problem. I hope they at least let us know when it's "fixed".
Don't email me on how it works or how to do it, you will just get a big fat "delete" from me.
Hasta. |
^ top-A new twist to a old formula
[Epyon] May 30 - 10:19 PM EDT | Hows everyone doing?
Miss me?
I figured as much.
Well, I have some news, since I no longer play UO, but am still a part of this site, I decided to contribute in a different way.
Starting now, I will be updating on all the hottest new console games coming out. I will focus mostly on PS2 and Dreamcast. But I will also explore the original PS and the N64 should the need arise.
Nieves has given me the latitude to also explore the world of anime with you once in awhile. I will give you all information on the newest , or greatest titles in Console Video Games, and Japanese Animation.
I will be rating on a scale of one to five the titles I review, and will give gaming advice or hints when they are called for.
If you have any requests feel free to drop a mail at my address, epyon@uopowergamers.com
-Fin |
^ top-Damn looters.
[Eric] May 30 - 5:32 PM EDT | Well, OSI has some new stuff in the General Testing...
Looting Rights Fixes
The following issues with looting rights have been modified:
-Getting the last hit on a monster will no longer be a determining factor for looting rights.
-Players will no longer get credit for damage done to a creature beyond the amount of hit points remaining when calculating looting rights. For example, if a creature has 5 hit points and a player casts a spell on it that does 40 hit points of damage, the player will now get credit for doing 5 points as opposed to the potential damage amount of 40 points.
It's about time they fixed this. Whenever I'm hunting dragons and deamons, there's always an asshole out there blasting spell at my near-dead monsters and then taking the damn loot. Of course, in Felucca this hardly ever matters, because even if the corpse is blue to me, I'm still taking my damn loot. I guess this fix will help the Trammelites out more. Enjoy.
Cya later. |
^ top-Tips from Troy
[Nieves] May 30 - 9:01 AM EDT | A reader wrote in and had some tips for you Powergamers out there. Most of you should know these but he sent this email twice to me so I figured I better post it before he finds me and PKs me.
I have a trick you need to add.
One thing that pisses me off is fucking idiots in dungeons who come unprepared. IN LOR PLZ!!!!!!! is a spam that I find particularly annoying.
The trick/tip/whatever is to create a character with 1 in alchemy (you can delete this guy later) so that you get a newbie mortar. It takes VERY little skill to produce a Night Sight potion, only 1 silk, and 1 bottle. The silk and the bottle can be picked up off the ground in most dungeons. Instant In-Lor.
Interesting. Think that will stop all the people yelling: "IN LOR PLEASE"? Yeah. Sure.
It might be interesting to put a section in about useful newbie items and what skill you need to get them.
These are some things I find useful:
Cloak: Hiding
Boots: Tracking
Floppy hat: Fishing (for my thief, you also get a pole with this)
scissors: Healing
hatchet: Lumberjacking
Kryss (DP it): Fencing
Musical instrument (if you are a bard): Music, provoke, or enticement.
Katana (DP it): Swordsmanship
Troy
Hasta. |
^ top-Thank you Watts
[Nieves] May 29 - 10:56 PM EDT | Just posted to the Comments from the Team section:
It's been a year since I started with the design team for Ultima
Online Live. As I sat pondering whether I should comment on any hot topics debated on our web boards, I realized that I am just one person on a large team and any changes/additions being considered could not really be commented on accurately. Those changes can be altered at any point in the development cycle and be very different at the time of release, thus any specific comment I make on upcoming changes could be misleading. I'd like to discuss instead bug fixing by the Ultima Online Live team, rather than new and upcoming changes to the game.
Want to read more? Click here for the latest from the UO Live Team, now updated three times a week!
Hasta |
^ top-3l33t MMORPG
[Eric] May 29 - 8:03 PM EDT | Yes, I know, you haven't seen much of me for quite sometime. My cable connection is officially stable (at least I hope) so I'm back "in the game."
Now, the whole reason I posted this update, is this. I'm not sure if this has been posted here previously at one time or another, but this is the first time it's come to my attention. Not only is it funny, but it's true. Again, check it out. Thanks to Iggikey for forwarding me this URL.
Don't you just love MMORPGs?
Cya later. |
^ top-I just realized something.
[Nieves] May 29 - 6:28 PM EDT | You know what's sad? I get more support for UOPG from people I don't know than from people in game that I play with. It's like: "hey, did you know about this?" Um, I posted it on UOPG last week. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see it". Well no fucking shit. If you would SUPPORT MY ASS and come read the shit, you would realize that I AM THE SUPREME NIEVES AND I KNOW MY SHIT! SO SUPPORT ME! READ MY SITE AND SHOW ME LOVE!
Um...I think I drank too many Maltas.
Hasta. |
^ top-Adam Ant on the Prowl.
[Nieves] May 29 - 5:46 PM EDT | (Please be a part of Adam’s new adventure June 2nd, 2001 at 9:00 PM in the new lands, providence of Napa valley.)
Hail dark friends,
'Tis with some sadness I report that two of the Guardian’s sacred tomes,
“The Book of the Undead” and “The Book of Enchantments” have been lost.
The “Book of the Undead” was taken from me in dungeon Shame by a group of hell-born fiends as the Guardians fought valiantly to protect me.
'Twas only a few months later when I was to move father’s treasures and the “The Book of Enchantments” to a safe location when we were
attacked again!
Well my fellow Guardians, I have decided to move father’s diary to our
J’Fer Sok retreat, least it fall into the wrong hands.
I will be transporting the book in one of Kahn’s cursed chests, which
should afford the tome some protection as I make my journey. I should arrive
at
J’Fer Sok on June 2nd, 2001 at about 9:00 PM in the new lands, providence
of
Napa valley.
Please prepare yourselves for battle fellow Guardians, for the mindless
heathens that do not understand our cause will undoubtedly be there to try
and
stop us.
***************************
The Rules:
Adam Ant’s quest rules are simple: take the book from me and redeem it
for
a fully loaded log cabin complete with rares, full potion kegs, 500 of each
reg,
etc., etc..
Oh, there is one little catch, The Guardians of Undead Lords will be there
protecting me and the book!
- This is a player vs Player event: Please leave your pets at home.
- No Murder Counts: We Guardians love putting on these events, so please
don’t count us!
- How to win: The first player to post the contents of the book on the
GUL
message board at www.game-master.net
takes the house and all it contains.
- Why is the quest called “The Gauntlet”?: 'Cause it sounds cool,
that’s why.
***************************
The Tips:
- I will be live-casting via Adam's WebCam to help you locate me and
the
book.
- The chest is cursed, so it’s going to require more than brute strength
to claim this prize.
- Um, boats are good.
And finally, do not attempt this quest if you are accustomed to the easy
life of
Trammel. These Guardians will use every means possible to insure the safety
of
Kahn’s Treasure and my life.
***************************
The Loot!:
One nice log cabin
in Felucca:
Exquisitely decorated with
rares and other goodies:
Full potion kegs, 500 of each reg, etc.:
Excelent neighborhood (don’t harm the lich though!): ***************************
Come and get it!
***************************
Sponsor:The Nobel Isabella,
Grandmaster Ranger
Thank you Isabella for this most generous donation!
--Adamodious Anthias,
Son of Kahn Anthias
-----------
'nuff said.
UPDATE: Ok, that wasn't it-
Sorry, the long version I sent out didn't have a link to the event!
Could you
please add it?
Regards,
Adam Ant
-------
No, I can't add it.
Told you ol' boy wrote to me. Gee, I feel special.
Hasta. |
^ top-Important Things in Life.
[Nieves] May 28 - 8:40 PM EDT | I was going to tell you all about Shrek. It's not as important as this. Give Jinx all the love you can.
Hasta. |
^ top-Crying Freeman
[Nieves] May 27 - 8:36 PM EDT | Some of you might remember the Anime Version of this movie. Well I got to see the Live Action version of it today. It's too bad the images weren't as clear as the images in that last link.
This live action feature has the actor from the Crow series as Yo the Crying Assassin. It's not the Matrix, but it's true to the original animated version. The movie is made mostly in English with Japanese Subtitles (I assume it was). I was disappointed that during the Japanese speaking parts they didn't have any translation (subtitle or otherwise). It was probably some of the best dialogue in the movie :(. Either way, if you can find it, rent it or buy it. It's sure to be a cult classic.
I updated the Poisoning Section of UOPG. It was WAY off. Thanks to Anonymous for pointing it out.
To Elizabeth in Canada: Too bad you didn't come to Cleveland those two times. You would've forgotten all about those "fellas" and might be happily married now. Thanks for the cards.
Hasta. |
^ top-Ok It's Official
[Ian] May 26 - 11:27 PM EDT | The so called critics have no clue what they are talking about. I should have never paid attention to any of them. I mean, this IS the same collection of pretentious salad tossers that gave Being John Malcovich rave reviews. I just got back from Pearl Harbor and let me tell you, it was a damn good movie. And before any of you jump on the flame train and say that I'm saying that just because I'm in it, consider that I appear on screen for a grand total of the time that it takes Redrum to ejaculate into his couch. In fact, I looked over to the girl I was with and said, there I was, and even though she was looking intently, her reply was, "You were?" So, that being said, I urge you all to go see it.
I must admit that I was a little sceptical about a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay movie because I haven't liked any of the others. They pulled this off though. Let me cordially extend my middle finger to all of the flaming media critics who tried picking on the movie because it attempted a love story. It's called filler. No one wants to go to a movie and watch 2 hours of constant blood and guts. Well maybe some people do, but we have places for people like them.
For those that missed my update about my experience being in the movie I think you can find that in the November archives if you want to catch up.
Here are some pictures of me and a few friends taken while filming.
I'm on the far left.
This is us after climbing up to the flight tower
This was me breaking my confidentiality agreement by taking an un-authorized picture off of said flight tower.
Go see this movie. I have yet to talk to one person that didn't like it.
I wish you all a very happy Memorial Day and remember to give some consideration to the people who currently serve and have served your country. They are responsible for your freedom and way of life. This is my thank you. Gator, Nieves, Vas, I kid you alot, make fun of you relentlessly and all that. Keep in mind though I hold you all in the highest respect for having volunteered parts of and in some cases all of your life to defending America's freedom. You are appreciated. |
^ top-Lurking Nieves
[Nieves] May 25 - 4:03 PM EDT | Since I can't view my own little forum here at UOPG from work, I went ahead and started lurking in the New Player Forums on Stratics. Someone asked the question: Would a GM Fencer with 100 Dex/100 Str/25 Int and a Poisoned Kryss be better at PvM than a GM Swordsman with 100Dex/100 Str/25 Int and a Katana?
Granted he said a bit more than that, and there were some good replies, I felt the need to add to the thread.
Here was my reply:
GM Jacking will give you a +35% damage modifier against players. I don't know what the modifier is against monsters, but the damage is insane. It's nice to kill an Ettin in 2 hits.
The author of this thread had asked why GM Jacking was so good after so many people told him to get Jacking to be an effective PvMer.
Anyway...
it all does boil down to personal preference, but want some advice? Go to Test Center and create all the templates you can get your hands on and figure out what you like best, then build that character.
Just to give you an idea of character types, I will list the ones I have, with comments, and give you a general idea of how I play the game. Bear in mind, I have 2 accounts and can afford to have different warrior templates along with merchants and mages.
Loren
GM swords
GM archery
GM tactics
93+ healing (going to GM)
GM anatomy
92 Resist (going to GM)
71.1 Magery
Rest in Hiding (sometimes the kids call and I got to take care of them; not too mention I hate thieves in Felucca).
This is my premiere PvMer. Why? Because I know how to play this character. Knowing how to play your character helps. Itwas the first character I ever created and I never macroed her. I have hunted everything short of Balrons, Ancient Wyrms, the Ancient Lich in Khaldun, and the new monsters in Ilshenar. If anyone doubts her PvM powers, go to Fire Dungeon and watch her take down 5 liches and a Lich Lord solo.
Drizzt
GM Jacking
GM Swords
GM Parrying
GM Tactics
GM Anatomy
89 Healing (going to GM)
80 Resist (locked)
20 Magery (helps with using recall scrolls and casting night sight when I run out of pots).
Rest of points in misc skills
I built this character with the idea of having a weapons master (macing, parrying, fencing and swords) and then Jacking was added to the mix. I wanted to have a jacker and had to pick a character to have Jacking and this one was it. He has a 67% win ratio versus mages. (That may not seem high, but dammit, I am still winning more than losing.) Getting that first strike in with the intelligence hit helps. Not too mention not wiffing :(.
He was to be my guy to run around and fight in different PvP situations. Since the "gank" is a tactic to watch out for, having parrying became essential to this "towny's" skillset. I love hunting Rat Magi and Water Elementals with this Character. He just does the job well enough that I have no problem. Every once in a while I take him to hunt down Liches and other various Elementals (Elemental Ban kills Blood Elementals dead; but they break too fast). He is a gold sink if I want him to be.
Max
GM Macing
GM Fencing
GM Tactics
GM Anatomy
85 Healing (going to GM)
GM Parrying
80 Resist (locked)
20 Magery (same reason as Drizzt)
This is -my- "premiere" PvP character. Spear for keeping mages from casting ("stand there for a second or 4"), War Axe for
knocking their stamina around, and Quarterstaff for raping said mages. DP Kryss for keeping other Parriers from using their shields. War Hammers for breaking said sheilds. Best overall PvP towny variant I have used to date. He is great for PvM if I use him as such, but it's not what I designed him for.
Rox
GM Fencing
GM Tactics
GM Magery
GM Anatomy
87 Healing (going to GM)
84 Poisoning (going to GM)
75 Resist (going to GM)
Can you say: "Assassin"? Cast Poison, run up, drop Greater Poison, arm Deadly Poison kryss, loot. 'Nuff said. Spear keepsmages honest. Besides, Archery, she has the potential to be a PvM powerhouse like Loren above. Well, anyone can when using DP and Silver Vanqs Spears. At GM magery+GM poisoning you can cast Greater Poison on Ogre Lords. Plus at GM poisoning, you can Deadly Poison an Ogre Lord with a blade. I have seen it done. Can you say gold sink for the cost of a single nightshade (if casting poison).
GM Magery on the Assassin is needed to support the lack of Parrying (paralyze the macer for a second maybe? <---bad tactic, but you get what I mean). I could go on and on about the benefits of GM magery over less than GM magery, but that would be hypocritical to what I have done with my own characters and is besides the point of this thread anyway.
The benefits and drawbacks of the 3 weapon types (4 if you count archery) can be discussed till we are blue in the face. Butyou just got to go with what you think is best for you.
Macing:
War Hammers-Break shields fast and mass damage. Decent PvM weapon.
War Axes-Decent damage, fastest 1 handed macing weapon, and stamina and armor killer. Great PvM weapon.
Quarter Staff-I call this the Mage Killer. If a mage can't cast, he dies. And people say: "but it doesn't take stamina like it used
too". If you take enough damage, you lose stamina anyway. And if you are dead, it doesn't matter how much stamina you have
(had). Great PvM weapon. Very fast. Faster than the War Axe. Too bad wooden weapons fall apart and aren't reapairable (I
wish Blackstaves were craftable and repairable).
Fencing
Spear-Lots of damage, and surprisingly fast. Paralyze hits on players. Mage Killer Part 2.
Short Spear-Decent Damage, and ditto as with the long spear.
Kryss-Fast. Wickidly fast. And decent damage if it's of high quality and in good repair.
War Fork-Parrier killer. Will cause more damage to cut through the shield like the Broadsword. Beware of DPed Forks.
Swords
Katana-Best Blade in game. Nuff said.
Broadsword-Parrier killer. Very hard hitting and if DPed, will wreck you if you are unprepared.
Scimitar-I only list this weapon because it's almost as fast as the kryss and can do decent damage. First PvP encounter I had I won with my +20 Scimitar of Force.
Halberd-Better when used as an opener or a finisher. If you stand there and fight toe to toe with someone/thing with this weapon, expect to die alot. I don't care how much damage you can do, I will hit you 5 times with my katana before you hit me once with your halley. 5x20=100 points of damage. And that's average for a good katana. Imagine if my Katana is DPed.
With any two handed fighting weapon, use the "run through" or "run past" method of fighting. Don't stand there and let the
creature/player beat you down. Unless a mage, stick to him/her like glue.
I hope this helps.
Someone send me some Love. I am lonely :(.
Hasta |
^ top-Spend a minute to remember.
[Nieves] May 25 - 12:25 PM EDT | Only because I served too.
Thank Lum for reminding me.
Hasta. |
^ top-Orc Masks, Scouts, and Frightened Orcs
[Nieves] May 24 - 10:50 PM EDT | Well, I decided to hunt down some of the new Orcs. I found the Orcish Scout, Frightened Orc and misc. other orcs spawning east of Cove. Other than fighting the lag and all the camped players there, it was interesting to see how these creatures fight.
I will say this, fighting the Orc Scout solo would be a serious challenge. Best way to fight them is with a mage. Reveal helps in killing them. The frightened Orc, although as tough HP wise as a beefy Orc, doesn't do anything but run around yelling at you to "YOU FIGURD! Stop THAT!" I think that one called my buddy a fuckhead.
As I was looking throughout the lands trying to find where else they spawned, I came upon my first Orc Magi since the changes to the Orc Family of monsters. He had an Orc Mask! First Orc Magi I kill and it has a mask. Sweet :) After putting it on twice, my character went from illustrious to noble. Big time Karma hits.
Anyway, go to the PvM Pages and check out the additions and corrections to the Orc Section.
Thanks to Cerien of BDA for helping me hunt tonight.
Hasta. |
^ top-Just go read it.
[Nieves] May 24 - 4:11 PM EDT | No need to comment on it, just go over to The Chosen read the Circuit City Article, and give Watts his props.
Hasta. |
^ top-Magery Changes
[Nieves] May 24 - 10:51 AM EDT | Melantus had posted some notes from the UOFaire. I read them over and thought maybe the UOPG readers would like a look see (especially if you haven't seen them yet) and maybe give your two cents to Melantus about them. Let him know you saw it via UOPG and are commenting about the Magery Notes in the subject line. I am sure that will get his attention.
I was going to start a thread in UOPG's Forum, but since Netscape doesn't do a good job of bringing up the UOPG Forum, I am asking a highly motivated individual to start one for me. It's what's on this computer so I am at Netscape's mercy (yippee!).
Gee, don't I feel special asking help from someone else to start a thread in my own forum?
Hasta |
^ top-New Orcs and Possible Faction Fighting in Trammel...
[Gator] May 24 - 7:51 AM EDT | Well as the ongoing "Orc Quest" continues, a new Orc has found it's way into Sosaria, and it seems this fella is using one of the best Monster AIs we have yet to see in UO. And I quote:
Orc scouts are to be feared by many. They use archery, healing, magic, and hiding.
Their tactics are this: They will attack you on sight. When/if they are damaged, they will begin to heal themselves. If the healing succeeds (which it almost always does) they usually end up full-health again. If you do manage to drop them to below 50% health befor they can heal, they will instantly teleport 5 tiles away in a random direction and instantly hide. They will not reveal themselves until they are full health again.
These are to be avoided by all warriors who can not reveal, since they will ALWAYS tele-hide when they reach below 50% health making them imposible to kill if you can not reveal them.
Their loot consists of arrows, apples and gold. (perhaps a rare spawns on them on ocasion like mages, which would explain the sucky loot, but I havn't found any).
Be carefull when dealing with these things! I havn't figured out what they have to do with the quest, but their outside Cove in the forest.
Sydius
UO Forums
And with them comes a brand new spanking weapon too. Though you will not get one with every kill, but Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to the "Orcish bow". It is darkish blue in color. And according to Calandryll:
It's better than a regular bow. It doesn't spawn on every orc scout, but it is more common than the mask.
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Designer, Ongoing Content
The only thing I am clueless to is whether he means it's better than a regular bow, or a GM crafted one. That I have no clue on.
My thoughts on this new change? I like the idea of this new AI. I think once things get going on this quest that they ad this new AI to more of the critters in UO. This will make hunting a little more harder, and trickier. Thus eliminating the ease of gold camping in the game. Could you imagine a Lich teleporting away to hide in safety until fully healed?? That is just BADASS. My hats off to the person who wrote the code for that Orc Scout. This is a new AI that is much needed not only in this quest but on alot more creatures as well.
You can read the enitire Orc Scout thread here
In other news, Melantus, wants to know your thoughts on Faction fighting in Trammel and Ilshenar. I am ALL for it. I think they should make it just like Order/Chaos. Back when I was in Factions I got sick and tired of the punks running around in Trammel running there mouth, then when you told them to hop over to Fel to resolve the difference, they wouldnt show up, or wouldn't go at all. War is war, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to fight in Trammel too. So go on over there and give your thoughts, and maybe this deal can get changed.
Enough from me, I better be getting back to work. Har, Har.
Later |
^ top-In Development Updated
[Nieves] May 23 - 12:00 PM EDT | Some Factions "fixes" are being tested as we speak. The best one I found was:
Aggressors can no longer use moongates of any type while they are classified as an aggressor.
I can see it now.
"WTF! THE MOONGATE ISN'T WORKING!" Deathmoan.
Fight and die. Or get out of Factions. Damn gate jumpers.
Thank you Stratics for this bit of news.
Oh, on a personal note, my Treasure Hunter/Dungeon Chest "Hugger" got to 92.? lockpicking last night. His first level 4 chest yielded 700 gold and a studded gorget of hardening. JOY! I think I found my "niche" for gold farming. So while Mr. Tommy Tamer or Bobby the Bard is popping Liche Lords, Dragons, et al, I can take the chest loot and we both walk away happy.
My loot for an hour of doing this? ~15k, 2 studded gorgets of hardening and misc. junk armor (ingots for me). Bear in mind I was just hitting random spots.
Yes, I forgot and I suck. Part 2 of the Treasure Hunter essay will get written before the end of Summer. And I am working on Hammer and Silk Part 2B (don't ask) as we speak. I hope you enjoy it when it's done.
Hasta. |
^ top-Ciao.
[Lawyer] May 23 - 10:05 AM EDT | Well guys, its time to go.
As most of you have known for months, I dont play Ultima Online anymore. However I have continued to volunteer my time in order to help UOPowergamers expand and evolve. I think all of us here at UOPG have done a damned good job with that, and I hope you guys keep up the good work.
I am 'officially' departing UOpowergamers. Im leaving on a good note though, I have had a great time and surprisingly, learned a lot. I have two reasons for leaving, one is much more siginificant. I have nothing else to offer the UO community. I sold my account to Keldon a months ago, and I have no desire to come back to Ultima Online, nor will I ever. Ultima Online is a great game, or better yet, a great social experiment. Depending on your personal experiences, Ultima Online is either a great success or a complete failure. Both are right, Ultima Online had great potential, and it pioneered the MMORPG genre. I personally believe Ultima Online is dead, it is in a downward spiral and will soon be replaced by the upcoming games. Its natural progression, but it could have been prevented.
Ultima Online was a revolutionary game, it still is. Even today UO gives you the more freedom than any other game on the market. No other game allows you to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. UO is not a camp-fest like Everquest, although its becoming that way. UO is not exploit ridden and it doesnt have Flavor-Of-The-Week characters like Asheron's Call. Thats the "big three", and UO is on the top when it comes to gameplay. UO has evolved by leaps and bounds, I am surprised it has become what you see today. Origin was testing the waters, and they have remained afloat. However, they could have done better. But what can you expect from a complete newbie in the business? They wont know everything, they have to learn. Verant and Turbine are the successes they are today because they learned from the mistakes of Origin, which sadly have been plentiful. Im not bashing UO, I feel its the best MMORPG out today; it just has nothing left to offer me. I sincerely hope Origin sends the game in the right direction, but I doubt they will. I have a few ideas on how they should begin.
Dynamic content is promised, and thats a great start. Asheron's Call thrives due to its monthly patches which fix a lot of bugs and introduce new content - thats the only thing I like about the game. Uniform guidelines need to be set for the GMs, so contradictory rulings will not exist. If something is a bug or illegal, it should be posted on the main site so all players are aware what they are doing is wrong - that is Origin's responsibility. There is no excuse not to have that information open for the public, it will help cut bug usage and exploiters alike, and keep the ignorant from being wrongfully banned. OSI, that should be your first priority. Ultima Online needs new content, such as new skills and customization abilities. I remember when EI, Anat, and Healing became useful, and when Stealth was added. Origin should continue to add these sort of things and make less used skills more desirable - without unbalancing the game. If Ultima Online is to survive, these steps are a great start.
On a more personal note, I am leaving for Initial Entry Training (Army Basic Training) June 5th. I will be out of contact with everyone until mid to late August. When I come back, I have no intention on resuming my position within UOpowergamers. However, my goal is to assist the Powergamers aspect in branching off to other games. I am very interested in some upcoming games, most namely SWG, DAOC, and Neocron. My goal is to make Powergaming divisions for each of these games, if they become popular successes. However if Nieves needs anything technical done for UOPG, I would be more than happy to assist. Just remember people, the best is yet to come.
I would like to thank the whole Ultima Online community for both the great and not-so-good experiences I have had. I would also like to thank everyone at UOPG for one hell of a ride. All I have ever wanted was to become a writer for Lum the Mad, but I am very happy here instead. This is a tight-knit community I hope will surivive and expand past Ultima Online, one that will become a powerful force in future MMORPGS. I have made a lot of friends, and I plan on keeping in touch. Im out of the show for Ultima Online, but when I get back I plan on helping the "Powergamer Enterprises" rise to the top of gaming sites. And with the right amount of motivated and dedicated volunteers, I believe that is very possible. I wish you all the best of luck in whatever endeavors you choose to partake. Thanks for the good time.
Elvis has left the building. |
^ top-Funny how I update more when I work eh?
[Nieves] May 23 - 9:58 AM EDT | All it means is I haven't found a job to challenge me and keep me busy. I think.
And now, the news.
We will be activating the new distributed backup system on the Great Lakes and Lake Superior shards on Thursday, May 24th following their regularly scheduled maintenance period. The system has been actively running on the AOL Legends and Atlantic shards since last month, and has reduced backup times considerably. We estimate that this change will bring shard backup times down to between 5-15 minutes per shard. As a result, the amount of time required for shard maintenance, restarts, and ‘time warps’ may be narrowed to between 5-15 minutes in most cases.
Although, no more Server Wars for you.
Please note: As this backup system decreases the amount of time required for a shard backup, it will also decrease the amount of ‘warp time’ available prior to a maintenance period. We urge that players keep this in mind when playing before a scheduled maintenance period.
Shorter backup times and shard warps=good. But does it mean longer play times? Will you be able to play beyond 3AM local server time and not have to worry about losing what you have acquired or accomplished? Of course, no more server wars=bad for the people that practice their trade. Well, there is always the Test Center. I guess.
What will OSI do next? Well, er... ::bites tongue::
Hasta. |
^ top-Ok, I am late
[Nieves] May 23 - 9:21 AM EDT | I got this a couple of days ago, but I didn't post it. I found it again this morning while reviewing email. Enjoy.
As promised, BV has released an interview with Pete “Adrick” Warner, Designer for Origin Systems. This interview includes all aspects of the Faction System. What the current plans are for several different areas of the system and information about what has changed since BV’s interview with Designer Evocare.
Topics include Election system changes, Blues in strongholds, falling sigils, kill point issues, quitting factions, point banking, joining factions and hiding in Trammel, Blue interference, bug reporting for faction issues, communication, point mules, guild changes, player interactions, reputation system, murderer reprieve, thieves in Factions, stronghold balance, faction armor, Warhorses, silver rewards for kills, Bards in factions, and more…
Running time is 46 Minutes.
To listen to the show, you must have an MP3 player or RealAudio to hear the streamed version. More information is available at http://www.battlevortex.com/bvra.php .
Enjoy the interview!
-Fear
Hasta. |
^ top-Since I have down time at work....
[Nieves] May 22 - 1:50 PM EDT | Yes, Nieves has a job again. JOY! (not) Anyway, straight from Stratics, Gromm decides to tell us about his "shooting from the hip" style of setting up our new "quests" in Ultima Online. An excerpt:
This is not a quest engine. That would be handing you a script. We're presenting you with a situation. A change that makes the world itself the stage, a more interesting place for your character to live in and react to. We want to surprise you. We want to keep you on your toes. We want you to expect the unexpected. At the same time, we want you to be able to see what's going on in the background situation and see it react to you. Improvising as you go and living in the situation makes you a part of the plot.
This falls in line with my style of Dungeon Mastering for Dungeons & Dragons. If you ask Vasilius, in most cases, it works very well (don't ask him about the time his group died in Undermountain; he still hates me for that). We will just have to wait and see how it goes.
Hasta. |
^ top-gib twibuut
[Gator] May 22 - 1:18 PM EDT | For the readers that cant stand the new "Orc Quest" I must apoligize, but the news stemming off of this can be very interesting, thus my reporting on it. The latest and greatest to hit a shard near you is the question of grief tactics by Roleplayed Orcs. Ahh yes, in a rush to go out and obtain Orc masks to be sold on Tradespot at 400-500k each, or even on eBay, where you can presently obtain one for 33 bucks if you act now. Better hurry though, our operators are standing by.
But the true question is, when does roleplaying become grief playing? I find it truly humerous when the same folks that bitched and moaned about a new land (Trammel) to prevent them from being peekayed and where they can roleplay in peace, are now the ones pointing the fingers at the Orcs and saying they are griefers. Now where in the hell is the line drawn?
Lets look at the Shadowclan for example. They set up shop in the Orc forts years ago, and have called that place their home. They have brought up their own style of rules and play to entertain that area. Numerous non-ShadowClan players have had a great time duking it out with the Orcs on a day-to-day basis. But now all of a sudden when OSI entertains a new item located primarily where these Orc Forts are, and numerous rare hunting, money grubbing, role-playing characters have shown up to cash in, the Orcs are called griefers?? WTF?
But it doesnt just stop there now does it? How about GUL? They have sworn to be protectors of the liches, and have played the part extremely well. Of course, no "proposed" grief play has ever stemmed from them, because of their location in Fel. But low and behold, when Orc masks were introduced in game, and hundreds of players flocked to Tram Orc Forts only to be found spammed with Bard Music and "All kills". Some players ventured to the locations in Fel to make their claim to Orcish/eBay fame. Unfortunately (fortunately) one thing stood in their way. Orcs, Roleplayed Orcs actually. Defending their home from the foul hummies. Protecting their kind from the foul perfumed folk that inhabited the large cities across the lands. AH-HA! Now we got a story.
So what can be done to solve this problem. NOT A DAMN THING. Keep yo punkass in Tram where it belongs. Can't take the heat stay out of the damn kitchen. And for God's sake leave a guild that has truly played the part of Orcs to the upmost alone. Quit trying to pursue a quick dime, and quit trying to dispose of another groups fun and purpose for your own personnal gain.
There is one other thing that can be done. get your friends together and go to the Fort ready to rock and roll. Be ready to bring more of a fight than what you were led to believe and take on the Orcs, but don't point your finger and cry because you can't get your way.
But on another sad note, I have heard that the Orcs have been overran upon this initall "get new loot" deal. Too many tamers and players have overran the fort, making the Orc's lives difficult, so afterall, I guess the Orc's are going to suffer for now. So when you really look at the big picture. Who is the griefers now? The Orcs? Or the other players overrunning the Roleplayed Orcs who have always played in the forts?
With Sage leaving I hear OSI is in the market for a new Lead Desinger. Whatever you do OSI, don't hire me, because a lot of folks would be left pissed off over what I would do. Or shall I say a lot of immature, selfish, no good, crying players would be left pissed off over what I would do. Yeah that sounds better.
Grief or Roleplay all you want here.
Later |
^ top-Christ I wish I could sleep till next century.....
[Anon] May 20 - 11:05 PM EDT | Hail to thee citizen of Britannia, how can I help thee?
The title says it all......it's been a crazy week and it will keep getting worst. I'm doing my MCSE, A+, CNE and CCNA courses/exams so it ain't about to get easier.....for those of you who understand what these titles are/mean, then you know why I'm in such a bad mood right now....those that don't, well, ignorance is bliss.
On to some UO related stuff now. Why is it that OSI's idea of quests and developping a more tighly knit community usually involves a new item that can be obtained a very limited number of ways and generally causes an uproar in said community? Are we, as a UO crowd, not already anti-social towards ourselves enough already that you guys need to bloody add fuel to the fricking fire??? I mean, what is up with these stupid quests and orc masks and shit? The Orc camps have turned into freaking kill stealing, bone looting, greif playing nightmare, and this is worst that the shit that happens in Deceit too!
Now we've got the non-tamers accusing the tamers of hogging the spawn(some do, some don't), the tamers telling the non-tamers that they have a right to hunt as well, and the whole general populace of UO in a freaking uproar. Well, here's a newsflash to the twink, 70/70, mare riding, ranger-armour/deamon bone wearing, ice staff holding, factions title showing, d3wD sPeAkInG Trammel Britain Bank posing tamers out there: You suck. Seriously. I shit you not. You suck. You poor bastards never get out of town unless it's to camp efreets for deamon bone, bloods for the titles and now orc spawns for the masks. I mean, I know you all have a total absence of skills, and those "The Great Lord Twink, Adept Stoic" pretty much prove it, but I mean sheesh, come on.
Do you really need 3 dragons in tow at the Yew Orc fort? Are orcs such terribly powerful creatures that you need the combined power of 3 dragons to kill them? Are you so afraid of those unwashed, smelly and foul looking orcs that once you spot one you are heard casting An Lor Xen? I have a solution for you all....tell mommy and daddy that those big bad orcs are coming to get ya, and cancel your accounts and go back to the sandbox with the other kiddies and try to tame them with your l33t SkIlLz.
And to OSI, please, I mean, would you please put more thought in your future community events? I don't mind this idea of Orc masks but how about next time you make it so that they aren't concentrated in a few inches of real estate so that all of us OTHER people who, like, pay our $10 bucks a month too could like, well, play??? My mother used to say something when I was a child...she'd say that unless I had enough Popsicles to go around that I was NOT going to get one because it would, like, cause a major PK fest and I was NOT about to let my next door neighbour loot MY bones for a lick of the Popsicle.....
Maybe there's a lesson in that for OSI? Hmmmmmmmmm.............
Fare thee well and good luck in thy travels |
^ top-Sword and Fist
[Nieves] May 20 - 7:09 PM EDT | I just spent yesterday and today reading a Dungeons & Dragons release titled Sword and Fist. This makes the old Fighter's Handbook look like a kindergardener's ABC book. It's got alot of new "Prestige" classes (character kits for the 2nd Edition Crowd), some new Feats, as well as descriptions of how some combat situations would work.
A few of the Feats I liked were Rapid Reload, Throw anything (Jackie Chan comes to mind), Eagle Claw Attack (KIAI!), Pain Touch, Power Lunge, and Remain Conscious.
Some of the Prestige Classes of mention were the Duelist, Ravager, Drunken Master (yeah baby), Cavalier (it's back!), Gladiator, Halfling Outrider, and the VERY sweet classes, Lasher and Master of Chains.
If you wish, go to Wizards of the Coast website and order the books from them and check out the other products they have for your pleasure.
If Never Winter Nights includes this new information, or a way for DM "Server Masters" to integrate these features, the game will be even beyond what's everyone is expecting it to be.
Hasta. |
^ top-I'm baaackk...
[Eric] May 19 - 10:58 PM EDT | ...well, sort of. In case you noticed, I haven't been around lately, with the main reason being that I have recently moved. If you have ever moved, you will agree that it's a bitch. Anyways, I moved on Tuesday, and it's taken until today for AT&T to hook up my damn phone lines. They (AT&T's @home cable service) have yet to install my internet cable, and I hate using 56k dial-up. Therefore, I still won't be around quite as much until my cable connection is up.
News? Well, yeah, I found this over at UO Stratics under the "Great Lakes News" section:
Dracul sent me a scroll describing his encounter with a new creature in the realm. An Orcish Avenger! It was traveling with several orc lords, a few orcs and an ettin or two. Use great care when dealing with these creatures. As they were reported to be quite strong. Much stonger than one would expect.
I am awaiting more details now. And shall forward them to the community as soon as possible.
~Barth VanDorn
I haven't read much, but I'm assuming that this goes along with the whole new orc mask addition to the game. If anyone gets further info. on this monster, you can feel free to e-mail me and I'll post anything that sounds interesting.
And right now, I should probably go refresh my houses.....that is, if they're still standing. ::prays::
Cya later. |
^ top-UO Players Will Never Be Happy
[Gator] May 18 - 1:32 PM EDT | I was reading through some forums, and I saw this. I admit, OSI has made more than their fair shake of mistakes. Ok that was a slight understatement. But why do you still play UO? Because simply there is NOTHING better!! Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch, moan moan moan moan moan moan. This same whining and crying that earned us UO:R. The same whining and crying that has probably gotten UO3D and Vet Rewards rushed into existence. OSI heres a clue, screw the whiners. Dont ever mention anything again, dont leak any more stories of possible game enhancements to the public, nothing. You give them glacial staves, special weapons, deamon bone armor, and now Orc Masks, and what happens? People start to whine and cry. Let me add this, I am not big on roleplaying or thee and thouin, I am a PowerGamer. If I can GM a mage in 7 days on a boat going slow forward, so be it, I will do it. If a player chooses to GM his Melee skills by progressing through farm animals and ridding the world of lizardman, hey thats his game not mine. BUT, the ShadowClan is probably one of the BEST roleplaying communities ever played in UO. If anybody deserved anything it's these fellas. They hang out, no scratch that. For all intensive purposes they LIVE in the Orc forts. They speak in Orc, they play it to the hilt. And they DESERVED this. Never have I seen an Orc on the UO forums, whining about anything. They may have asked for this, sure. But if you asked me they earned it. Who's next in line? Adam Ant and GUL if you ask me. Damn right OSI give GUL the opportunity to get lich masks. They are in the same boat, they play the game, they play their part and provide enjoyment for hundreds of players. Quit ruining fun for other players. Play your damn Game and quit your bitchin. And if you dont like it, dont let the Ok to Disconnect screen kick you in the ASS!!
Later |
^ top-Halloween In May?
[Gator] May 18 - 1:00 PM EDT | A new item has been introduced to the game, now whether or not this will rule out a possible Ocr invasion is beyond me, but still this will be very nice for the Roleplaying Orc Guilds out there that like to set up shop in the Orc Forts. Orc Mages have been found carrying "a mask of orcish kin". The mask is green and when worn will allow you to walk among the Orcs and not be attacked. But be warned if you attack an Orc with the mask on it Blows Up and cause damage to you. Also when you put one on it lowers your karma. From what it seems finding one is about as hard as finding Deamon Armor or Glacial Staves. So go ahead and take a wild guess that these puppies are selling for a pretty price right now. My advice? Save your money, and dont buy one. Instead go get some and sell them for alot of cash. Or you can even get one, your nightmare, two White Wyrms, Raner Armor, and a Glacial Staff and hang out at Brit bank in trammel and be l33t. Your choice. I can tell you what I am going to do. I am going to enjoy the non-camped spawn spots since all the tamers can now be found at orc forts across Sosaria. Ohh and just a reminder, you may not be attacked by Orcs, but Ettins still like hummies.
Later
***************************UPDATE***************************
Calandryll has some more intereting info on the whole orc quest. Some important things to take note of are these:
I won't give anything away, but let's just say that all fighting styles (tamers too) were thought about. Later in the scenario, I'd advise tamers to think twice before bringing their favorite pets to certain places. :)
Mages, fighters, bards, etc. will be in for some surprises too.
-Calandryll
Designer, Ongoing Content
Remember also that this is but one piece of the puzzle. There will be many more. As someone else said, there is always a huge clamor to get a new item that often dies down over time. The orc mask is hardly the only content we have in store.
-Calandryll
Designer, Ongoing Content
You can read the entire topic here.
All I can say is MUAHAHAHAHA Tamers are gonna get theres. ROFL!
Later (I swear this time) |
^ top-Lumberjacking or Poisoning...
[Galahad] May 18 - 8:49 AM EDT | There comes a point in your UO career where you realize an important fact:
You only have so many character slots and not enough money to pay Satan (OSI) 10 dollars a month for another account.
So I am in limbo now. What to do with my last character. He is :
GM Swords
GM Tactics
GM Magery (pretty close :) )
GM Anatomy
GM Healing
The other skills I am working on as we speak. Now my question you all the reader are : What is better on a character : Lumberjacking or Poisoning.
Lumberjacking has its many positives. The damage bonus, the ability to wax mages in 2 hits etc etc. Poisoning has its advantages too. To people on their toes, to make them use those G Cures etc etc. I have no idea what to do.
So I am asking for your help. Email me suggestions / ideas / experiences you have had with your characters. I need direction people. Thanks in advance.
Ill post in a few weeks after I have your input and credit those that helped me make my decision. |
^ top-After over a year of trying.
[Nieves] May 17 - 2:50 PM EDT | I finally hear from OSI.
Your best bet is through Leilo or Mel. I’m not in community anymore.
-Calandryll
Designer, Ongoing Content
Ok, I am happy. Someone, (thank you Cal) wrote back acknowledging receipt of my email and UOPG's existance.
Hasta.
|
^ top-The Orcs are Coming!! The Orcs are Coming!!
[Gator] May 17 - 8:45 AM EDT | Recently I have taking up the Bard Profession on a Shard near you and I am loving it. No essay as of yet since rounding this character off to maximum potential will take me a bit. Afterall Provocation is Hard, as it should be. In fact I believe they should make it harder, make it difficulty based for all the shards just like Siege. Why? Because right now I have GM Music, 85 Magery and 77 Provo and I am running around Destard like its cool making the Big Bucks. And the Character is ony 5 DAYS OLD!! Shadow Wyrms are evil, and don't worry, soon they will be added to our PvM section for all to enjoy. But yes make Provo difficulty based. Like you need to be GM to provo Balrons and Ancient Wyrms. These creatures are vast in intelligence (hence the high mana levels they maintain). Therefore dancing around them playing a flute wearing leotards with 65 Provo should get you laughed at by them and then eaten. Imagine that if you will.
"You see pEtEr pAn Provoking Lord of the Abyss on a mongbat."
"You see Lord of the Abyss Chuckle."
"You see Lord of the Abyss Stomping a new ass in pEtEr pAn."
pEtEr pAn: OoO Oo OOoOo (Translation: Rez me Thou?)
"You see Lord of the Abyss ROFL!!"
I won't get in on taming yet. But the levels there should be adjusted as well. Whats that Gator? Tired of Twinks? Your damn skippy.
At the rate things are going they should make everyones house spawn capable. Maybe like on the menu you can turn on a certain spawn in your house. So like every 2 minutes you get a Balron spawn or something. Because things have now reached the level of beyond crazy. Let me tell you what a true rare is... A true Rare is a Newb at Brit bank begging for gold. IT'S TOO EASY TO GET!! Better yet, just make a new house add-on. ATM Machines. Sheesh. All dungeons should be outfitted with a new NPC. I read this somewhere I think it was in our forums but why not setup a HotDog vendor at all the famous camp spawns. Hell I would love to set that vendor up, I would get rich I tell you. I did a T-Hunt for the very first time the other day as well with a good friend of mine. Damn that was fun. I just sat on the boat and provo'd away. Great fun. And I can't wait to do it again.
Let's see whats going on in the news.
Rumors are flying around that Orcs are getting ready to mount a vicious attack on Sosaria. Hey I am all about it. If anyone was around during the Trinsic Invasions last Jan/Feb that was AWESOME!! Course I would rather have the undead attacking again, but I can live with Orc's I guess. But supposedly what I can take from reading different posts is that these will not be your normal run of the mill Orc's. But we will see.
Check out the Ultima Online Merchant Alliance. They have some great topics on vendor running and things of that nature. Another excellent site for Pricing and Merchant releated topics is The Blackdagger.
New Farming Skill? No it's not for real, but check it out, I like it. Now if they could find away to incorporate that in with Cooking and Alchemy to make a true Alchemist, that would rock. But still a good idea. I for one am sick of reg shopping. It has gone past the point of being old.
Vet Rewards?
Hi folks,
I just wanted to take a moment and give everyone an update on reward testing. So far things have been going well. With all your help we have been able to identify three small issues and I’m happy to say we have eliminated them. Keep it up!
Prophet
Lead Programmer - Ultima Online
One Day... One Day...
Remember the old Fire Isle Days. You know the days when stepping out on your porch meant insta-death from the incredible large spawn that you would be overwhelmed by? We were talking Fire Eles, Earth Eles, Water Eles, Orc Lords, Orc Mages, Ogres, Trolls, and Harpies, and every other creature you dont want to run into with your newbie carpenter. Well it has been turned off for some time now, but alas its not forgotten..
No decision has been made. If you remember, the spawn was out of control. If turned back on with the faster and more efficient spawner, it would produce unpredictable results. It would not be a simple flipping of a switch, I'm afraid.
-Hanse
UO Live Designer
Will it ever be turned on? Will Vet rewards ever live up to their name? Will Orcs rule Sosaria with an iron fist? Will Gator ever shutup?
Later |
^ top-Remove Stat Loss!! Or Something...
[Gator] May 16 - 7:44 AM EDT | Ok, ok, ok, I am a known Stratics Thief. But see they got it from the Ultima Yahoogroups Email Group. So technically speaking I just borrowed what they had already borrowed or something. Well anyways this actually is one of the better articles I have read from OSI. So without furthur delay, for your reading pleasure I present to you, Sage, the Lead Designer of UO, on the issues of Stat Loss, PK's, and Virtues:
Stat loss. Those two words strike fear into the heart of every PK in the game. To understand why stat loss was put into the game, you need to analyze the past of Ultima Online in an objective manner.
Originally, the ability to kill an opponent in UO was a way for the players to police themselves. It was a survival of the fittest plan, where those people who bothered you could be killed by you. However, you could also be killed by people you weren't bothering, or kill people who weren't bothering you. The system did not try to divine intent, which is impossible for a game to do.
Those who did not wish to be killed could stay in towns, which were basically safe areas. The problem, of course, was that towns were not very interesting places. Other than buying things from the NPC vendors, the only thing to do in town was bank. Even the bank was a paranoia zone, because while murdering was outlawed in towns, sneaky thieves could steal with very little worry of being caught. Players were more wide-eyed and paranoid than a mob stool pigeon on crack in the Sopranos house. At that time, you had to yell "guards" for a thief to be caught, unless an NPC noticed it and yelled for you. Thus many people created the macro "Vendor, buy, bank, guards!" Even towns weren't safety zones, and UO was basically a PvP world.
So what did a PvP world really mean? Basically, it boiled down to might makes right. As most of you know, in UO, might is equal to time. The time you invest in your character usually means your character will become better (usually being the operative word, since some people don't spend their time on character growth). Thus those with more time to spend in the world could pretty much beat on (gank / r0xx0r) those who spent less time in the world, or those just entering the world. This, of course, created some pretty severe problems. As the game matured, you started to whittle down your playerbase because new players could not join the game without spending a majority of the time looking at a screen with more black and white than the first season of Gilligan's Island. Some new players were tenacious and willing to stick it out, but many weren't. Even older players got tired of getting beat on because they could not exact retribution.
Why could they not exact retribution? Kal Ort Por. The recall spell basically allowed any person intent on killing another to escape with less mana than it cost to begin the fight in the first place. By the time word that PKs were around reached the eyes of an anti (someone who enjoyed hunting PKs), the murderers would be gone, leaving only a pile of bodies and some "OoooO Oo Ooing" ghosts to mark that they had ever been in the area.
How bad was it really? Well, since I was a GM in the "old" days, I can tell you that one or two PKs could cause 200 calls in one night. Imagine that every call takes five minutes to answer on average. That is 16 man hours. Basically, one guy could cost you four headcount for the evening, and a lot of pissed off people. It didn't matter that killing was part of the game, and should not have necessitated a GM call; people called into the queue anyway. It didn't matter if most people were reasonable and wouldn't kill everyone in sight; it only took one dedicated sociopath to create havoc.
At the time, the dev team responded with the new reputation system. They were under constraints to use a small amount of memory when creating a system to stem the flow of murderers. The idea of innocents=blue / and murderers=red was the plan they came up with. Still, players learned to skirt this system and use the boundaries to exploit every possible loophole. Eventually the system had to be modified to plug the holes, and the complexity grew. If players did actually become Red, they could make another character, and simply use that character to bank and go to town for them. (Townie mules.) Really, being a murderer wasn't hard; it was quite easy. There were still no consequences that could not be avoided. Thus the idea of stat loss came up. Those who remember the early stages of UO may remember that stat loss was actually an original penalty for dying. Of course, realities of the internet changed the original design as people died due to lag, or at times, bugs. It was felt that loss of items and stats was too severe. However, the idea of stat loss was brought back up as a way to curb murder. People were voluntarily murdering other people, so it stood to reason that if they continued along that path, they would have to pay the penalty. What this really stopped were those people who went out and murdered, at will, any moving target. With the new system, if the PK died, they could not simply go back out and be at the top of their game. Basically, stat loss was effective at reducing the number of sociopaths from the game by costing them time. Still, even this did not really give those players who wanted nothing to do with murderers a place of reprieve. This is why Trammel was introduced. Trammel gave those people who did not like murdering a place to be safe. (Note: This is by no means a complete history and some motivations and facts have been left out in the name of brevity, which Cynthe would remind me is a good thing.)
Finally we get to the question that many have asked: why not remove stat loss on Felucca, since the introduction of Trammel allowed people to escape murderers? Right now, Felucca is still a place people can go to explore and socialize, and they can feel reasonably assured that they won't get ganked ten seconds after stepping through the Facet Gate, leaving them staring at a black and white screen. Many people still have their homes and towns in Felucca. Removing stat loss would change all of this. The same problems that existed in UO before the split exist now. If we removed stat loss, we would simply be subjecting Felucca to the old times where people were free to kill everyone in sight. That means that very few people would ever go to Felucca. Far fewer than go there now. Felucca would become a wasteland of no visitors and the space there would be wasted.
I am now going to express my personal opinion on the subject. This in no way implies that any of the things I mention are going to implemented in UO at any time. So if you quote me out of context, you suck.? The problem wasn't the game mechanics of the system, the issue is that player to player interactions are social and require social fixes, not mechanical ones. Murdering was allowed for at least these two reasons:
1. It served as a form of player justice, something Tyrant might call the punch in the nose factor. You are far less likely to be a taunting moron if someone can end your foul mouth with a sword in the head. Taunting is somewhat less annoying when it is only OOOOoooOOOO.
2. It gave people a reason to band together. When you have a threat to your existence in the form of a sociopath, the way to solve it is to group together to get rid of the sociopath.
#1 failed because the outlaws grew stronger faster than those who were devoted to justice. #2 failed because people could not band together to form a posse if outlaws could always get away. What is incumbent to be done in the future is to look at social methods for solving social problems.
What kind of social methods? For instance, if someone is bothering you, rather than killing them, you could "tag" them with an opinion. Of course, that opinion could be given in a positive light as well as a negative. People who are thought of highly would have a little bit more say in your reputation, just as those who are thought of negatively would have less say or none.
Your reputation should carry over with you across any character on that shard. Your actions impact the community, therefore you should be subject to all of your actions in that community. You can't escape your reputation. Of course, all of this would have to be tracked carefully, so a guild of griefers couldn't tag any one person they didn't like and make them suffer. And even more importantly, getting a good reputation should have rewards associated with it. Being Honorable is a really good thing.
Frankly, I feel combat should be moved into another place all together. Combat should be a badge of honor. Imagine a situation where you could only complete certain quests, gain items, etc. if you had Valor. Now imagine that Valor could only be gained if you agreed to participate in PvP. The more you win, the more Valor you receive. To gain more Valor, you would always have to take on people with greater or equal Valor. You could not take on someone with no Valor. The idea would be to encourage PvP without necessitating it, and to decouple it from one's social reputation.
Another possible solution would be to make PvP combat more similar to PvM in tactics, so when players do try out PvP, it won't be something they can't be competitive at because they don't understand undocumented tricks. An example of an undocumented trick is trapped pouches. No PvP player worth their salt leaves home without them, yet many players don't even know why they would have them. Some console games do a great job of this, educating people into tactics gradually. Of course, this means monsters would have to use the same tactics players use.
So there are some ideas as to what can be done in the future. As I said, before stat loss could ever be removed, it would be crucial to have a better system in place. Just removing stat loss would not make Felucca into the great land of yesteryear. It would turn it into a ghostland. The ideal I hold is that one day there would be no more split, per se. The Virtues would bind the people and would reward good behavior. But I'm definitely an old school virtue nut.
Let me give credit where credit is do and throw a link out to Stratics.
And then another link out to our glorious forum so you can like discuss Stat Loss among many others while drinking your morning coffee, Ale, or what have thee. Or something...
Later |
^ top-Some more math from Professor Nieves.
[Nieves] May 15 - 9:39 PM EDT | So, you pay 9.99/month, I pay 9.99 a month, everyone pays 9.99/month right?
They say they have over 250,000 subscribers right?
Let's see now: 9.99 x 250,000 = 2,497,500 a month.
Now the yearly gross is: 2,497,500 x 12 = 29,970,000.
Nice hunk of change huh? Now, will someone FUCKING tell me why OSi can't afford to have a server that doesn't go down twice a fucking week!????
::throws his keyboard at the Great Lakes server::
Update: Due to server problems, the Great Lakes Shard is currently unavailable . We are currently working to resolve this issue and expect the shard to be available in approximately 1.5 hours.
Ah, bite me.
Ok ok, maybe I am not being sympathetic. Maybe I am not being fair. Maybe I am just mad because OSI won't give me any play returning my emails. Maybe I am just mad because I hate hearing my GF bitch at me about the 300Celeron computer she plays on and how it's slow as fuck and always locks up (buy your own freaking computer dammit). Maybe I am just fed up with losing con every other day.
Maybe I just need to shut the hell up.
Update Part Duex: Well, um ::looks at his dinner in his hand with disdain then puts it in his mouth:: Great Lakes is back up again. ::goes to get the ketchup:: ::munch, chomp:: *gag*
Anyone know what goes good with shoe leather?
Hasta. |
^ top-Virus Alert.
[Lawyer] May 15 - 8:51 PM EDT | If you recieve any emails from anubis@hqgaming.com that look like fan fiction and contain an attachment, please do not open them. The hqgaming.com email server was hacked and the newbie hacker is sending out a PE_MAGISTR.DAM virus under the FOXHHELP.EXE attachment.
I see stupid people. I cant believe this wannaba is so stupid as to send the virus to my military email. Of course the server is going to detect it...
Fucking idiots. |
^ top-Nothing of Importance at it's Finest
[Ian] May 15 - 11:46 AM EDT | I guess I should, I don't know, update and stuff. Not much has been happening as of late. I'm still playing UO. More specifically, I've started a toon on Siege Perilous with the guild -S- from Chesapeake. They've been there exactly 3 weeks and have already begun to dominate. Hmm imagine that, another top guild from Chesapeake dominating a shard in what is supposed to be made up of the cream of the crop in pvp talent. I just got there last night. I'm going to bust out the old school powergaming skills and get my char to 6x in 2 weeks. Much thanks to Memnoch for all the help he's about to give me.
It sort of sucks building a character on SP. Thankfully, I have an old friend willing to help a brother out on the cashflow or it would be mucho hard going. But armed with 100k I will make my 6x mage. Like I said I started out last night, already have my character at 100 100 25 for proper skill building.
Upon completion I'm going to put up a "how to" on character building on SP for those that have been wanting to make the transition to something more challenging than what your current shard has to offer.
Ok that's it for UO, let's see what else is going on in the world. Tupac's new CD is out. I can't stand rap today, but damn, I wish he had lived a while longer. He was the epitomy of a great artist. You might not agree with his views but you couldn't deny that he was passionate about what he was talking about. People either loved or hated him. That, my friends, is an indicator of high art. I bought the CD. It's raw and full of energy, I only wish the guy could have stuck around long enough to grow and put all of that heart and soul into positive energy because he inspires thought and emotion, and that's why I did and still do like his music. You can read some more reviews of the album by clicking HERE
In other news, the movie I was in as an extra is coming out in a few weeks (May 25). It's gotten a lot of exposure and mixed reviews. The general consensus is that it has great visual and special effects but an uninvolved and unin |
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