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Gravel
Village Dweller
Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 16
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P.S.
Forgot to ask:
I would like to get a honest answer on this, Will UOX be a level threadmill game (no need to name them, infact 99% of the MMORPG's are one) as we allready have many of these ? EG: Kill, loot, level, kill, loot, level, etc....
I have had my share of these games and i think people really want something new now......... |
Tue Nov 11, 2003 2:36 pm |
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Calandryll_UXO
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 31
Location: Austin |
quote:
Originally posted by Gravel
Callandryll,
quote:
What really separates Alucinor (that's the name of UXO's world) from other games though is that the maps are very, very detailed. Wait until you see the density of some of the forests and the detail in some of the ruins!
Can i make a reference to Gothic2 with this remark ? Because that is truely one of the most detailed RPG i have ever played.
And can we pleassssssssssssssssssse have somekind of ETA of a Beta1, 2, 3, 4, etc and release date ? I am one of the old guys who played Ultima 1 on his ATARI 600 (yup, that old) and i am DYING to play this game !
I am very atracted to the whole concept of Ultima and the fact that (finally) i can play a MMORPG were i am NOT forced to seek a group, but solo whenever I want and group when I want to do so.....
Hope we can get an answer on this 
No official date on beta yet. Once we have one, we'll let you know!
_________________
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Lead Designer, Ultima X: Odyssey |
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Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:31 pm |
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Calandryll_UXO
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 31
Location: Austin |
quote:
Originally posted by Gravel
P.S.
Forgot to ask:
I would like to get a honest answer on this, Will UOX be a level threadmill game (no need to name them, infact 99% of the MMORPG's are one) as we allready have many of these ? EG: Kill, loot, level, kill, loot, level, etc....
I have had my share of these games and i think people really want something new now.........
While we do have levels, I wouldn't say we are a level treadmill...at least not in the negative sense of the word treadmill. In UXO, you do gain experience points and you do spend them to make your character better. But, in order to truly grow your character, you'll also be going on story-driven quests. These quests come to you (as in, the NPC appears at your location and asks for your help, rather than you having to read a website to learn where the quests are), so its a lot more than just monster-bashing.
Of course, our combat system makes monster bashing much more interactive (and fun) than what you are probably used to, so the "treadmill" will be more enjoyable as well.
_________________
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Lead Designer, Ultima X: Odyssey |
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Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:35 pm |
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Hyrrix
Fourty-two
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 282
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Hmm, the questing part sounds very interesting. I really hope this works out well, because I think there's more wrong with current questing in mmorpg's than just the player having to look for the NPC to get the quest.
With my limited expertise in the area of game design, I noticed that creating interesting quests is not an easy task. Especially not when you have limited freedom to do with that quest what you want. Almost automatically it comes down to presenting the player with a "bring this" or "kill that" task. Sometimes a combination or chain of both types and of course with a background story attached to it. But for a simple side-quest, the background story is usually nice and sometimes fun... but not many people actually care about it. So why would they bother to read a rather long conversation if they practically know beforehand that it will come down to a simple task. Thus, many players scroll down and click through the dialogue until they know the task.
Even more so with MMORPG's. Why? Because they won't be missing out on a greater storyline if they skip reading the sidequest, since there is no greater storyline. In a cRPG there usually is... and that's exactly what makes the player interested in paying attention to the smaller quests; that's what makes the smaller quests fun: because they have a reason. Because they are somehow connected to the storyline, because the player knows that it's part of the ongoing story in which he's involved. The particular quest in itself is often boring and is often a simple fetch & destroy mission, but the story behind it might prove to be worthwhile.
So, for me personally, I think that a storyline is a requisite for exciting "questing". Now, how do you provide a storyline to a MMORPG, that's the question. You can't let everyone be the hero, obviously...
Just my 2 coppers. 
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Vault Network Editor |
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Tue Nov 11, 2003 5:25 pm |
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Gravel
Village Dweller
Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 16
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Thank you very much for your (fast) reply Jonathan !
I am looking forward to play UXO. Please keep us posted about the game.
Regards,
Peter |
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Tue Nov 11, 2003 7:55 pm |
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Calandryll_UXO
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 31
Location: Austin |
quote:
Originally posted by Hyrrix
Hmm, the questing part sounds very interesting. I really hope this works out well, because I think there's more wrong with current questing in mmorpg's than just the player having to look for the NPC to get the quest.
With my limited expertise in the area of game design, I noticed that creating interesting quests is not an easy task. Especially not when you have limited freedom to do with that quest what you want. Almost automatically it comes down to presenting the player with a "bring this" or "kill that" task. Sometimes a combination or chain of both types and of course with a background story attached to it. But for a simple side-quest, the background story is usually nice and sometimes fun... but not many people actually care about it. So why would they bother to read a rather long conversation if they practically know beforehand that it will come down to a simple task. Thus, many players scroll down and click through the dialogue until they know the task.
Even more so with MMORPG's. Why? Because they won't be missing out on a greater storyline if they skip reading the sidequest, since there is no greater storyline. In a cRPG there usually is... and that's exactly what makes the player interested in paying attention to the smaller quests; that's what makes the smaller quests fun: because they have a reason. Because they are somehow connected to the storyline, because the player knows that it's part of the ongoing story in which he's involved. The particular quest in itself is often boring and is often a simple fetch & destroy mission, but the story behind it might prove to be worthwhile.
So, for me personally, I think that a storyline is a requisite for exciting "questing". Now, how do you provide a storyline to a MMORPG, that's the question. You can't let everyone be the hero, obviously...
Just my 2 coppers.
Story is a huge part of the adventure design. As you said, most quests can be broken down into "kill this", "find that", "bring this" etc. types. Even Lord of the Rings can be considered a "fetch and carry" quest. What makes LotR so great though isn't the fetch and carry, it's the story, the characters, and the setting.
Although this is a MMORPG, we believe we can create a an experience where you DO feel like a hero. With the story-driven questing, private areas, interactive combat, and the rich Ultima history I believe we are well on our way to achieving that goal.
_________________
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Lead Designer, Ultima X: Odyssey |
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Thu Nov 13, 2003 5:11 pm |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
You mentioned "private areas". Just how private are these areas? Would this be like a house that you can lock up? Or a castle for a guild?
_________________
Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound=  |
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Thu Nov 13, 2003 6:43 pm |
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Hyrrix
Fourty-two
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 282
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quote:
Originally posted by Calandryll_UXO
Although this is a MMORPG, we believe we can create a an experience where you DO feel like a hero. With the story-driven questing, private areas, interactive combat, and the rich Ultima history I believe we are well on our way to achieving that goal.
Thank you for your answer. That indeed sounds like a huge undertaking and quite a challenge. A story (especially for a MMORPG) is something that can't be debated beforehand, so I think we'll just have to wait and see... Really looking forward to it.
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Vault Network Editor |
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Thu Nov 13, 2003 11:36 pm |
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Calandryll_UXO
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 31
Location: Austin |
quote:
Originally posted by Val
You mentioned "private areas". Just how private are these areas? Would this be like a house that you can lock up? Or a castle for a guild?
Private areas are instances of a map that only you and your party can enter. For example, lets say you get a quest that requires you to travel to Red Fang Keep (a dungeon map) to kill the Gnoll King. When you enter the Keep, you'll zone to a private version of the dungeon. Only you and your party will be in the dungeon, meaning nobody else can interfere with your quest. Now, if I get the same quest (or any other quest that uses Red Fang Keep) and my party enters the Keep, another instance of the map will be created. That way my party won't interfere with your party.
Every map has a public version too. So if you just want to go kill monsters to gain XP or loot, you can do that in the public map.
We use private areas to allow Guilds to battle each other without outside interference as well. We'll be releasing more info on how that works later.
_________________
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Lead Designer, Ultima X: Odyssey |
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Sat Nov 15, 2003 1:42 am |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
That sounds very nice. I'd hate to be on a quest and then have some power-gaming idiot charge in and break it because they think it's funny. 
Good to know! 
_________________
Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound= |
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Sat Nov 15, 2003 6:14 pm |
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vaticide
Put food in here
Joined: 21 Feb 2002
Posts: 1122
Location: One step behind a toddler bent on destruction. |
On the other hand though, I'd hate to get stranded deep inside a dungeon with no chance of someone being able to come and rescue me. (That is supposing you can't invite additional people to your private dungeon after the fact.)
-vaticide |
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Sun Nov 16, 2003 4:28 am |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
umm i havent seen this question asked before anywhere i go, so...
are there lots of dungeons, caves, ect, in this game? bcuz in that other game Horizons, there is zero dungeons. thats shameful. |
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Wed Nov 19, 2003 6:59 am |
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Calandryll_UXO
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 31
Location: Austin |
quote:
Originally posted by Ammon777
umm i havent seen this question asked before anywhere i go, so...
are there lots of dungeons, caves, ect, in this game? bcuz in that other game Horizons, there is zero dungeons. thats shameful.
Yes there are dungeons and caves. Some caves are very small (one or two rooms) and some areas (like Red Fang Keep, Rat Caves, etc.) are quite large!
_________________
-Jonathan "Calandryll" Hanna
Lead Designer, Ultima X: Odyssey |
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Wed Nov 19, 2003 4:48 pm |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
Cool, thanks!  |
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Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:31 pm |
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RedTiger
Village Leader
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Posts: 93
Location: Center of Chaos |
Wow. I've been away for awhile. Can I just say how awesome it is to have Calandryll here! Thanks so much for the insight into the game, i'm really looking forward to it. I saw that there's new screenshots on the main website.
http://www.uxo.ea.com/download_screens.html
are the cave shots part of the larger areas you were talking about?
also, do you have anymore plans to include fan recommended characters like the Succubus? |
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Fri Nov 21, 2003 6:01 pm |
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