ultima-online posts

The Daily Grind: Want realism with that?

by Jef Reahard Jul 22nd 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Economy, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Recently, a buddy and I were discussing the merits of MMORPG realism while waiting in the ironically named fast food drive-thru line. I'm all about the "realistic" social and economic possibilities inherent in old-school Ultima Online, while he digs the accessibility and pick-up-and-play nature of more recent titles such as World of Warcraft and, presumably, The Old Republic. About the only thing we could agree on is that there's room for both in the massive genre.

Realism is highly subjective. For example, a fantasy title full of wizard fire, dragons, and goblins (Ultima Online) is, in my mind, more realistic than a non-combat sandbox based on "real life" like A Tale in the Desert.

What say you, Massively readers? Would you like some realism with your MMORPGs, and if so, what exactly do you mean by that?

Tags: a-tale-in-the-desert, atitd, opinion, realism, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, tdg, the-daily-grind, tor, ultima, Ultima-Online, UO, World-of-Warcraft, wow

Free for All: Remembering my first F2P experiences

by Beau Hindman Jul 14th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Flyff, Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Free for All

I sit here, racking my brain, trying to think of the very first free-to-play game that I experienced. It's been quite a long time, at least seven years. As a quick history, I started in MMORPGs in '99, by bringing home a box of Ultima Online for my wife to look at. She laughed at me at first, but soon I would return home from work to find her in the middle of a marathon gaming session. We then switched to EverQuest and then to City of Heroes. In between those major choices, I spent a lot of time exploring the internet for new games.

I want to say that one of the first free-to-play games I found was FLYFF, or possibly ROSE Online. It's hard to remember exactly. I searched old emails and found a few references to some games, but I can only verify start dates like February of 2004 for games like There or Second Life. On a side-note, my EVE account started on July 30th, 2004. Regardless, I can remember my first experiences with free-to-play games. I recall the grindy-yet-beautiful worlds I visited, marveling at high-level players who must have played for six months solidly in order to achieve their greatness.

Tags: Anarchy-Online, ArchLord, beau-hindman, cash-shop, city-of-heroes, COH, everquest, f2p, facebook, featured, flyff, free-for-all, free-to-play, ftp, maple-story, rose-online, second-life, there, Ultima-Online, UO, World-of-Warcraft, wow

What if...? Ten canceled MMOs that could've changed history

by Justin Olivetti Jun 10th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, MMO industry, Browser, MMOFPS

What if...? Some of the most intriguing questions known to mankind start with those two words, as well as the most maddening. What if...? An entire genre known as "alternate history" is derived from these questions, with scholars and average blokes alike speculating on what might have happened if things went just a little differently. What if Hitler got the bomb first? What if Microsoft developed the iPod instead of Apple? What if Abraham Lincoln decided to see a different play that night?

When it comes to MMORPGs, what if's can drive one up the wall. In this volatile genre, more projects have started, canceled, launched, struggled, faded and morphed into new creations than most of us know. Today, we want to look at 10 MMOs that were axed before their launch, 10 MMOs that could've changed gaming history as we know it... if only they got the chance to prove themselves.

Let's take a journey, you and I, through history itself, and ponder the greatest of questions: How would the MMO industry be different if these titles had made it to release? Click the first picture on the gallery below to start.

Gallery: What if...? Ten canceled MMOs that could've changed history

Tags: alternate-history, cancelled, climax, cryptic, ea, featured, gods-and-heroes, halo, imperator, jagex, level-5, marvel-universe-online, mechscape, microsoft, Microsoft-Game-Studios, middle-earth-online, mythic, Mythic-Entertainment, mythica, origin, perpetual-entertainment, Richard-Garriott, runescape, star-trek-online, super-hero-squad-online, true-fantasy-live-online, ultima-online, ultima-online-worlds-origins, warhammer-online, what-if

The Daily Grind: The Dead Pool

by Justin Olivetti Jun 6th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Now it's widely known that MMORPG players are a cheerful, optimistic bunch [citation needed]. It also goes without saying that no Massively reader would ever be caught wishing the downfall of a particular MMO or company [citation needed]. After all, the more titles that survive and thrive, the more the genre as a whole grows. With games like EverQuest, Ultima Online and Asheron's Call pushing well over a decade of run-time at this point, MMOs have proven that -- given a chance and enough initial steam -- they can go the distance.

However, realism is a nasty mistress, and we can't ignore the fact that sooner or later MMOs will shut down. We've seen some flare up and burn out quickly (Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault), some struggle for years before capitulating (The Matrix Online, Asheron's Call 2), and some quietly put to pasture after all attempts at prolonging life failed (Shadowbane). The dark truth is that even the games we currently play have a finite lifespan, and one day will see their light extinguished.

Cheery, right? So today, let's engage in a bit of macabre speculation and wager on a MMO dead pool. Without using this as a platform to rail against a MMO you hate and were personally wronged by on one midsummer's eve, what MMO do you think will be the next to close its doors? Will it be one of the newer titles, or one published by a company that has the tendency to shutter struggling games, or an aging beauty? Enter into today's dead pool, and earn the right to say "I told you so!" when the sad day happens. Because that will totally make you look tactful, don't you know.

Tags: ac, asherons-call, asherons-call-2, auto-assault, clint-eastwood, dead-pool, dirty-harry, eq, everquest, i-told-you-so, opinion, shadowbane, tabula-rasa, tdg, the-daily-grind, the-dead-pool, the-matrix-online, ultima-online, uo

The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The history

by Justin Olivetti Jun 1st 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Star Wars Galaxies, The Game Archaeologist

Each month, the Game Archaeologist dusts off one MMORPG of yesterday and investigates while hanging on to his hat.

From the ancient lands of Ultima to a galaxy far, far away, the Game Archaeologist is always on the move, looking for the next treasure trove to uncover. Some say that covering Star Wars Galaxies is a moot point: that the true game as it was is dead, and that with The Old Republic on the horizon, SWG is all but passé. Yet through the steamy jungles of Kashyyyk to the dangerous dunes of Tatooine, there is evidence of passion, play and Imperial Stormtroopers shooting all willy-nilly.

It's weird to think that in early 2003, the MMO genre was almost an entirely different creature. World of Warcraft was still over a year away, and the most successful developer at the time (Sony Online Entertainment, along with Verant) had teamed up with LucasArts to create a Star Wars game above all other games. A killer IP, a beefy development team, and incredible fan-fueled hype made Star Wars Galaxies THE game to watch as it raced toward launch -- even IGN crowed in 2000 that SWG could become "one of the biggest games of all time."

Join us now as we hop back to the wild frontier of the early 2000s and peruse the first seven years of Star Wars Galaxies' run. It's had its highs, its lows, and a three-letter acronym that became one of the most infamous MMO events ever -- but no matter what your opinion, the Force has been strong with this title indeed.

Tags: ancient-weapons-are-no-match-for-a-good-blaster, battle-of-echo-base, combat-upgrade, cu, evequest, jedi, jump-to-lightspeed, lucasarts, monika-tsarn, new-game-enhancements, nge, rage-of-the-wookies, soe, star-wars-galaxies, station-access, swg, tashi-station, the-game-archaeologist, the-old-republic, the-trials-of-obi-wan, trading-card-game, ultima-online, verant, world-of-warcraft

The Daily Grind: The consequence of PvP

by Eliot Lefebvre May 30th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, The Daily Grind

PvP has been an important part of the MMO genre right from the start, but it hasn't stayed the same in any way. The earliest implementation in Ultima Online made PvP completely non-consensual and wholly one-sided: you could be killed at any time, and the victor gets to take everything on your person with impunity.

At this point, the "default" standard is closer to World of Warcraft, in which the victor is rewarded, the loser inconvenienced at worst, and no real lasting damage is done. Of course, there are players who prefer the older style, where PvP has lasting consequences, and games such as Darkfall are specifically designed to cater to the older style. But there are PvP focused games such as Warhammer Online which stilll follow the low-impact model, with goodies for the winner but no huge penalty to the defeated.

So what are your thoughts on the gradual erosion of high-stakes PvP from the mainstream? Is it a good way to keep more casual players from being annhilated needlessly, or does it remove too much of the game's excitement and unpredictability? What do you think is a fair penalty for getting killed, if indeed there is one?

Tags: consensual-pvp, consequence, danger, darkfall, opinion, penalties, pvp, rewards, risk, tdg, the-daily-grind, ultima-online, uo, war, warhammer-online, world-of-warcraft, wow

The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: My journey

by Justin Olivetti May 25th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, Hands-on, The Game Archaeologist

The Game Archaeologist is your spunky Tuesday column devoted to exploring the MMORPGs of yesterday.

Enough is enough! No more looking back at history, talking to the players who have been there, or even chatting up the creator of the game -- it was time for the Game Archaeologist to man up and play Ultima Online himself. And so it was with trembling fingers and steely eyes that I downloaded the trial client and entered the game for the very first time.

I will be honest and admit to a degree of nervousness. It's one thing to talk about a great MMO legend; it's another entirely to experience it first-hand. I didn't really know what to expect -- would it be so hardcore that I'd die before I finished? Would it be so ancient, so creaky that I wouldn't be able to figure it out without a degree in assembly code? Would it... be fun?

Fortunately, I was not alone in this journey, as Tipa from West Karana graciously agreed to accompany me for an evening full of Ultimas and Onlines. Oh, the spellchecker simply did not like that one. Tough noogies. Ultima Online has a nice 14-day unlimited trial that doesn't even require a credit card to access, so after a few minutes of patching (UO is tiny compared to many modern MMOs), we were in. And completely, utterly lost.

Tags: assembly-code-rules, champions-online, ea-mythic, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, naughty-cougar, new haven, NewHaven, Richard-Garriott, samurai-pirate, strangled-car-metaphors, syp, the-game-archaeologist, tipa, Ultima-Online, unlimited-trial, uo, west-karana

Massively Speaking Episode 100: The state of MMOs with Richard Garriott

by Shawn Schuster May 19th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Opinion, Humor, Massively Interviews, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 100 marks an epic milestone with an epic episode! Lord British himself joins Shawn and Rubi for some chat on the past, present and future of MMOs. Topics include everything from the early days of Ultima Online to the possible reincarnation of Tabula Rasa and beyond.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Tags: epic, episode-100, featured, massively-speaking, opinions, podcasting, Podcasts, Richard-Garriott, tabula-rasa, ultima-online

The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott

by Justin Olivetti May 18th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist

Before he was Tabula Rasa's General British, Richard Garriott was simply -- and most famously -- known as Lord British, the absolute ruler and creator of the Ultima franchise. From 1980's Ultima I through 1999's Ultima IX, Lord British guided the development of one of the most popular RPG series of all time, including 1997's Ultima Online. Through it, Garriott and his Lord British persona became the de facto face of the series, a video game celebrity before such a thing really existed.

After the floundering of Tabula Rasa and his subsequent falling-out with NCSoft, Garriot took a little R&R time to blast into outer space, returning to Earth to get involved with a social media games company called Portalarium. Because of his stature as one of the founding giants of not only MMORPGs, but video game RPGs as well, the Game Archaeologist stopped at nothing to procure his wise words for an interview. This quest took us to far-off, dangeous places -- including the world's most famous haunted house, Britannia Manor -- at which point we promptly purchased a return ticket and pleaded with our editor to do our dirty work for us.

So bow, mere mortal! For you are now in the presence of LORD BRITISH! (cue wild applause)

Tags: 2d, asherons-call, beta, civil-disobedience, crusader, ea-mythic, everquest, general-british, interview, lord-british, meridian-59, pk, player-killer, rainz, Richard-Garriott, tabula-rasa, the-game-archaeologist, ultima-online, ultima-online-2, uo, uo2, wing-commander, world-of-warcraft

The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The Players

by Justin Olivetti May 11th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist

Wow! The response to last week's inaugural Game Archaeologist column was phenomenal -- guess we're not the only ones who find MMO history and trips down nostalgia lane captivating stuff! Thanks to everyone who commented, sent in e-mails and (heh HEH) volunteered to be interviewed.

Speaking of which, this week we move past the facts of the matter to the experiences. The Game Archaeologist scoured the globe, mostly between coffee breaks, to find some of the most passionate and learned players of Ultima Online. In the second part of our Ultima Online exploration, we injected a tiny bead of Hobi frog toxin into their systems, freeing their tongues to tell the truth and their limbs to jerk uncontrollably. Just what do Ultima old guard chat about at the club on the weekends?

We extracted the full scoop from Ultima vets Adam "Ferrel" Trzonkowski, Brandon Crowe, "Professor" B.J. Keeton, Jon Craig and JD DMichael. Read on!

Tags: age-of-shadows, ea-mythic, everquest, featured, housing, mythic, pk, player-housing, pvp, renaissance, the-game-archaeologist, the-second-age, the-stygian-abyss, trammel, ultima-online, uo

The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The History

by Justin Olivetti May 4th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist

Welcome to the first madcap adventure of The Game Archaeologist! In this column, we'll be looking back at some of the MMORPGs that may not get the spotlight these days, but deserve our respect and attention due to their place in MMO history. Together, we'll don our explorer gear, jump back in time, dust off forgotten treasures and look at the titles that helped build an online empire.

Each month, we'll embark on a voyage through a particular MMO of yesteryear in a three-part series. The first part will examine the history of the game and its place in the genre, the second part will feature interviews with current and past players of the game, and the third part will witness The Game Archaeologist himself checking out the title as it stands today (if the MMO is still up and running, that is).

For our first column, we'll salute one of the greatest grandfathers of the modern MMO: Ultima Online. Crack your whip and dive into the Stygian Abyss with us!

Tags: darkfall, ea, featured, kingdom-reborn, lord-blackthorns-revenge, lord-british, origin-systems, pvp, rainz, Richard-Garriott, Tabula-Rasa, the-game-archaeologist, the-stygian-abyss, todd-mcfarlane, trammel, ultima-online, ultima-worlds-online-origin, ultima-x, world-of-warcraft

Mythic merchandising store closes

by Jef Reahard Apr 30th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items

In a move that likely signals further cost-cutting measures for Mythic MMORPGs, the Mythic Store has officially closed it's doors to the buying public. Formerly an outlet for game-related apparel and merchandise relating to Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, and Dark Age of Camelot, the store is now nothing more than a solitary JPEG image.

Head on over to the official Warhammer forums for a thread discussing the possible reasons behind the closure as well as a brief staffer comment from a Mythic question and answer session that attributes the closure to a 'business decision.'

[Thanks UnSub!]

Tags: apparel, dark-age-of-camelot, ea, electronic-arts, merchandise, Mythic-Entertainment, mythic-store, store-closes, Ultima-Online, Warhammer-Online

Richard Garriott and the choppy waters of social gaming

by Eliot Lefebvre Apr 6th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion

The term "social games" or its frequently-used cousin "Facebook games" is one that gets talked about a lot by MMO gamers these days. Specifically, it gets talked about in a similar tone to the UbiSoft DRM nightmare or the entire Infinity Ward fiasco. So it's going to turn some heads -- and raise some hackles -- when Richard Garriott moves into the social gaming scene. Creator of the genre-setting Ultima Online and the much-discussed Tabula Rasa, Garriott has explained in an interview with Gamasutra why he made the shift and what he thinks of the social gaming scene as it stands now.

In short, he sees in social and mobile games the same things that marked other major shifts in the overall philosophy of making games, making them the next big wave. It's not an uncommon sentiment, but he goes on to point out that many of the virtues these games have, such as no installation and no up-front cost, are desirable traits in any game. He goes on to discuss stories in games and how he thinks that even social games can have them, even as he advocates less emphasis on freeform player-generated narratives. Take a look at the full interview to get a clearer picture on what we can expect from Garriott next -- and considering his place in the field of MMOs, it should be notable.

Tags: controversy, facebook, facebook-games, garriott, interviews, richard-garriott, social-games, social-gaming, tabula-rasa, tr, ultima, ultima-online, uo

The Daily Grind: Do you want player housing?

by Eliot Lefebvre Apr 4th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, Player Housing, The Daily Grind

It features in Lord of the Rings Online, doesn't make an appearance in World of Warcraft, and an extended form is the heart of Second Life. It's player housing, and it's had a long and interesting history ever since Ultima Online pioneered the idea. There were hiccups to the approach back then, so many that some later designs have eschewed the entire idea.

Other games that use it have gone with an instancing model a la Final Fantasy XI, ensuring that there's not actual game space being taken up by unused houses. But like so many features, there are debates as to its worth. For every person who loves the idea of player-run cities in Star Wars Galaxies, there's someone who would rather see the same amount of development time going toward endgame content or system balancing.

Housing has always struggled to be an element that's meaningful beyond the cool factor of just owning a player-made house... but then again, many would argue that the cool factor itself is meaningful and why they want it. Where do you fall? Do you like the idea of player housing, are you opposed, or do you fall somewhere in the middle?

Tags: ffxi, final-fantasy-xi, lord-of-the-rings-online, lotro, player-housing, second-life, sl, star-wars-galaxies, swg, tdg, the-daily-grind, ultima-online, uo, world-of-warcraft, wow

The Daily Grind: Does viewpoint matter to you?

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 7th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind

While the ancestry of MMOs were played via text-only clients and thus didn't have to worry about it one way or the other, the modern generation of games has either a first-person view or a third-person view. (Experiments with a second-person view were briefly carried out via webcams, but it proved distracting.) And it can produce some passionate opinions on both sides, much like, well, every other issue about MMOs under the sun.

Proponents of first-person views are quick to point out that it's more immersive and forces a player to be more aware of the field beyond what they can see. It lends depth to the game, frees you from concern over needless aesthetics of gear, and it was how things were done back in the day of EverQuest. Proponents of third-person views, on the other hand, point out that it gives a better view of the world as a whole and is more responsive to controls. It lets you see the character you've sculpted, gives you a better sense of what's going on, and it was how things were done even further back in the day with Ultima Online.

So today, we ask you -- which do you prefer? Is a good first-person or third-person mode a must for you to consider the game, or do you simply prefer to play one way or the other?

Tags: eq, everquest, first-person, first-person-view, second-person-view, tdg, the-daily-grind, third-person, third-person-view, ultima-online, uo

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
GenCon Indy	Aug 5-8, 2010
SOE Fan Faire	Aug 5-8, 2010
Xsyon Prelude Launch	Aug 15, 2010
GamesCom Expo	Aug 18-22, 2010
Earthrise Launch	Q3 2010
Dragon*Con	Sep 3-6, 2010
PAX Prime	Sep 3-5, 2010
Final Fantasy XIV Launch	Sep 30, 2010
GDC Online	Oct 5-8, 2010
LEGO Universe Launch	Oct 26, 2010
DCUO Launch	Nov 2, 2010

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Seraphina Brennan	Senior Editor
Brianna Royce	West Coast Editor
Dan O'Halloran	Features Coordinator
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Rubi Bayer	Contributing Editor
Tateru Nino	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Larry Everett	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist