>> Master Five on Friday List

Treasures of Tokuno II Extension? (Oct 13, 2006)

Will you please extend Treasures of Tokuno II a bit longer?

Aaron “Darkscribe” Cohen, Producer: Since so many of you have asked nicely… YES!

Coins from the Rat Invasion (Oct 13, 2006)

We’re finding some new kinds of coins on the rats invading Castle British, what do they do?

Tim “Draconi” Cotten, Designer: Actually, they’re really *old* coins, from before Britannia switched to the simple gold piece system that we all know today. It looks like the rats managed to get into an old vault beneath the castle, because these have never been seen in the history of UO! They’re rather nice for coin flipping though. (Double click when they’re outside of a container, works when locked down as well).

Be careful though, I’ve seen quite a few merchants who are more than willing to accept them as legal tender. If you need to buy something, make sure you tuck these rare coins safely away first!

Sherry the Mouse? (Oct 13, 2006)

Who is Sherry the Mouse? What does she do?

Tim “Draconi” Cotten, Designer: You can read all about Sherry here: http://www.uo.com/sherrythemouse.html

Treasures of Tokuno II Length (October 6, 2006)

How long will Treasures of Tokuno II last?

Aaron “Darkscribe” Cohen, Producer: We’re planning to leave it active for one more week. We’ve made a few changes we think you’ll like.

Robed Figure in Ankh room (October 6, 2006)

What is the robed figure in the Ankh room doing?

Aaron “Darkscribe” Cohen, Producer: It seems to be some entity attempting to enter our world, yet still unable to do so. The figure appears more often when several people are around, but always flickers back into the ether. Several of our citizens have already come to their own conclusions and drug up old books and legends, but whether or not this is truly the “Time Lord,” as some have rumored, remains to be seen.

Other Events like Treasures of Tokuno, New Rewards? (September 29, 2006)

1. It’s great that the Treasures of Tokuno event is back. Do you have plans to do other events like this, but with new rewards?

Aaron “Darkscribe” Cohen, Producer:
Yes. There are a few variations that we are talking over and will experiment with. We’d like to make a system that isn’t just about combat, but also involves other disciplines like crafting, fishing, mining or others. That would bring players together with different interests and abilities and give them a reason to work together. We’re working on something along those lines and will roll it out when ready. I can’t give a timeline at the moment, but we like the idea a lot.

Dyes From Original Treasures of Tokuno (September 29, 2006)

What happened to the dyes from the Treasures of Tokuno? Ihara Soko isn’t offering any, and there’re new ones on the monsters!

Inocard the Mystic Llamaherder, Office Pest:
I asked the very same question! So I went all the way to Zento to ask, and here’s what I’ve learned.

* The Imperial Minister of Trade, Ihara Soko, has no more dyes of extraordinary and vibrant colors to reward anyone with.
* However, apparently a large set of special dyes washed ashore recently with the rest of the treasure. These have been underwater for a very long time, and so have limited charges and rather dull colors. You can see a set of the dye colors for yourself, here.

Treasures of Tokuno II in Dungeons? (September 29, 2006)

Are the Treasures of Tokuno appearing in dungeons? I thought I saw some earlier, but haven’t seen any for hours.

Ihara Soko, Imperial Trade Minister: (September 29, 2006)
It would appear that the majority of the treasure that washed ashore was taken by monsters roaming the lands above the dungeons. A few might have managed to get a very small quantity into the dungeons, but surely our people have already decimated those foul creatures and recovered it all. We would recommend hunting down these beasts above ground.

More Hints on Blackrock and its uses? (September 22, 2006)

Any more hints on blackrock and its alternate use? We’re going crazy trying to figure it out!

Inocard the Apprentice Scribe: I’m so glad you asked! As I sit here writing this response my mind is filled with the extraordinary things I’ve seen these last few weeks.

As our greatest mages and practitioners of the arts focus their attentions upon this most curious of substances, powers long since left slumbering seem nigh to awakening. I know of one good brother in Britain who simply won’t leave his samples alone – constantly invoking incantation after incantation, night after night. He’d heard that someone had actually managed to cast a hitherto forgotten spell of terrible power, which while failing, consumed the blackrock and left him nearly senseless.

Further reports seem to all say the same thing: there is but one method of invoking blackrock’s power known for now, yet all seem to report differing results! Truly this is the curiosity of our day, to explore the consequences of the blackrock’s use, not necessarily looking for another way to use it entirely. Rumors abound, but what shall the truth bring forward? I darest not reveal this method to the masses, lest some unwary soul do great harm to themselves or others by mischief.

Blackrock: (Sep 15, 2006)

This blackrock seems incredibly dangerous! What’s the difference between “a piece of blackrock” and “a small piece of blackrock”?

Nicholas, Britain Mage’s Guild: Dangerous? Hardly! Blackrock seems to be completely magically inert - without any practical use at all!

Strangely enough though, our research does indicate that it has some unknown affect on dimensional structures, but we’ve been unable to fathom it.

As far as the difference between the two types of known samples (recently come to light), I can but say that the smaller pieces actually seem more unstable than the larger ones. We aren’t sure why this is so, but perhaps the larger ones will yield more consistent results in further experimentation.

Happenings between 9th Anniversary and Kingdom Reborn (Sep 1, 2006)

Will there be any released products in between 9th ann and UOKR?

Aaron “Darkscribe” Cohen, Producer: No. But plenty will happen between those two releases.

Halloween Shard (Sep 1, 2006)

Is there a chance of a Halloween shard again this year?

Draconi: Count Draconula: Vat a velcome question! Ve suppose it all depends on you… do you veally vish to be our victims for a fortnight vonce more?

Clearing Felucca/Trammel of Invasions (Aug 25, 2006)

Do we need to clear out both Felucca and Trammel cities to progress in the storyline?

Draconi: No, the storyline will continue to progress; yet, the fate of each facet may rely upon the events occurring on that facet.

Invasion monsters hanging around (Aug 25, 2006)

If only Trammel gets cleared will the Ophidians stay in the Felucca cities?

Draconi: Yes, the remnants of the Ophidian army that defected to the rogue queen will continue occupying the cities until they’re forcibly removed.

Kingdom Reborn, changes to existing content (Aug 25, 2006)

Are any changes to existing content (aside from the graphics) coming with or before the new client? Things such as adjusting the spawns and rewards in the old dungeons?

Darkscribe: Between now and the launch of Kingdom Reborn, we are going to focus on live event content, similar to what we’ve been doing with the Inu storyline and the Ophidian Invasion. We want to keep changing things up and offering new kinds of challenges, and that might include altering some of the existing content. I can’t be more specific than that at the moment.

What of Inu? ()August 18, 2006)

What’s going to happen to Inu now?

Wilki: Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

Hint: This isn’t the last you’ll see of Inu the Crone!

Ophidian Invasion Items - Useful? ()August 18, 2006)

Will there be any use(s) for the items we are collecting now from the ophidian invasion like the green journals and the snake skins?

Draconi: Definitely! Some may be more useful than others, though.

Angry Fire blocking Star Room ()August 18, 2006)

Whats with the angry Fire blocking the way to the star room area in the keep?

Draconi: Somehow the Ophidians have managed to seal off the Terathan lair, trapping the bulk of their forces inside. A few brave scouts managed to make their way down there, and have reported the following.

* The flames are deadly to any living thing, and any attempt to simply run through them will be met with a rather unpleasant death.
* The flames are magical in nature, and we’ve asked some of the Grandmasters from Moonglow to investigate their properties. This is proving difficult, however, as the Ophidian forces have been nearly overwhelming.
* The Terathans seem to be trapped on the other side. Our scouts have heard agonizing and otherworldly screams echoing across the sharp snaps of the flames… but can only guess what horrors have been unleashed upon them.

Kingdom Reborn Client ()August 18, 2006)

Can you tell us more about the new client?

Darkscribe: I’d love to answer every question right now, but for now I have to say, “We’ll answer you soon.” By the end of this year, I doubt there will be a question left unanswered. And there will be a full announcement with many more details in the near future.

Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen it, you can check out the teaser site here, and my note about it here

And don’t think that the in-game fiction cycle has ended. More in-game surprises are in store as well.

Fun Loot in the Future (August 11, 2006)

I’ve really enjoyed collecting the new loot that drops from Ophidians. Could we see more fun loot like this in the future?

Ixthiassth the Ophidian: Yesshhh, oh, and ssshouldesth I peristh… pleassh gifth myy shjournal to myy family.

Terathan Disappearance (August 11, 2006)

What happened to the Terathans?

Draconi: The Ophidians have been so aggressive that no one has had a chance to investigate exactly what happened to the Terathans. Something shifted in the balance of power between the two races. If only someone could get down far enough in the Terathan Keep to get more information.

How was Ophidian Invasion developed? (August 11, 2006)

Can you give use some insight on how you’ve developed the Ophidian Invasion? What were your overall goals, and do you think you achieved this?

Draconi: The Ophidian invasion is a bit of a labor of love between a lot of people on the team. We’ve all had our hands in different parts of it, so I’ll try to just give a quick rundown on how it was developed.

The overarching goal for the invasion has been both to entertain and to set the stage for things yet to come. Inu still lies captured, cut off for weeks upon weeks from the world. The visions she sees and the portents foretold are coming to a head, and soon everything must be revealed. It’s only appropriate that in this time of turmoil that the world itself should begin to be plunged into chaos. We felt that the players have been given a chance to stand united against a common foe; some learning how to work with one another for the first time, and others being able to bring their experience to the fore.

So the invasion began in what seems to be a normal course of events. The Ophidians are wronged, and therefore struck back. Yet then the villagers of Papua are decimated, and thus retaliate aided by volunteers from across the facets. We’ve seen the invasion progress from a simple set of random Ophidian scouts, to avengers setting upon thieves, to attacks on cities, and now what seems to be… something more. We’ve worked with the GMs to deliver many portions, created new systems entirely, and even leveraged the abilities of the advanced spawner from the Despise invasion - it’s definitely been a fantastic process.

It’s certainly our hope that we’ve succeeded in our foremost goal: having people enjoy the invasion and feel like they got something from it (mmm, army rations…). Beyond that, yes, be prepared, I don’t think we’re quite done yet.

Ophidian Berserks and Looting Rights (August 4, 2006)

What’s up with looting rights on Ophidian Berserkers?

Draconi: The Ophidian Berserkers absorb damage much differently than the other Ophidians. It seems the original version, while still letting incremental damage build up, wasn’t adding players to the loot table unless they managed significant damage. So if someone walked in and hit it last, they received the loot rights by default. We’ve fixed this by ensuring at least 5% of your damage is applied directly to the Berserker, however, the Berserkers have become slightly stronger to deal with their now weakened shielding.

Power, Vanquishing, Mystic Weapons against Berserkers (August 4, 2006)

How exactly do Power, Vanquishing, and Mystic weapons help against Berserkers, and to what extent?

Draconi: The Power, Vanquishing, and Mystic weapons cut directly through the Berserker’s magical shielding to deal a certain percentage of the damage you would’ve done normally to it. Power does the least percentage, and Mystics do the highest. The damage numbers you see when dealing damage to Berserkers is the 5% mentioned above, and doesn’t include the extra damage the magical weapon has included as well.

Liane’s Death, Why? (August 4, 2006)

5. How come Liane had to die?

Draconi: I think we were all shocked by just how vicious the Berserkers truly are. Even the normal Ophidians fear them, and the higher ranks have weapons made specifically to deal with any that get loose. Intelligence indicates that the Berserkers are only loyal to the Ophidian females – to the point of even murdering their own troops.

Beyond that, I think it’s been an eye-opener that the Royal Council has done virtually nothing to aid Papua or Vesper during this crisis, instead relying on the local militias, guilds, and mercenaries who’ve been doing their best to stem the tide. I don’t feel that Liane did have to die…

Editor’s Note: Speaking of dying, after Draconi so graciously answered these questions, he mysteriously disappeared. An hour or so later, EA Security called to let us know they needed the services of a healer once again, and that we’d need to send someone down to clean up the mess. The odd twist to this story is that Draconi’s ghost apparently has an affinity for photography, as once he was rezzed, he emailed this… um… self portrait. Click here to see it.

Who Upset the Ophidians? (July 14, 2006)

Do you have any clues as to whom or what angered the Ophidians?

Saax Pannae: Last week, they seemed to be focusing on the less virtuous members of society, specifically thieves. Perhaps being unable to find whatever it is that they’re after, they’ve grown frustrated and are resorting to brute force.

Delay of Inu Event (June 30, 2006)

2. What kind of timeframe are we talking about with the delay of the Inu event? Weeks, months, a year?

Darkscribe: The fiction cycle will return as soon as we re-rig and script a couple things. Before the end of July, the in-game story will continue. I’m sorry for the delay. As for the announcement, I can’t say when we’ll make it yet. As soon as I have a firm timeline, I’ll let the community know.

In-Game Events, Gold Runes (June 23, 2006)

What does the Gold Rune signify during an event?

Zilo: When you come to the Gold Rune, you’ve reached the end of the event for that week.

Community Collection - Individual Rewards (June 16, 2006)

Is there any chance that the individual rewards from the community collections will be made easier to get?

Wilki: Yes! The amount of effort required to obtain these through legitimate means is too great. Once we solve the scripting issue, we’ll then take a look at adjusting these downwards into the reasonable range.

Adding/Changing content in Britannia itself (June 2, 2006)

Any plans to add content or spruce up existing content in the original lands (Britannia itself)?

Darkscribe: Yes. I will continue to drop hints until someone has to sweep them up. Follow the clues within the in-game story arc involving Inu. Soon, there will be puzzles to solve that will lead players to an amazing revelation. If players don’t reveal the secret, then they’ll hear about it from a press release a couple weeks later, but I’m betting on the players to find it first.

Inu the Crone at the Bank (May 26, 2006)

Hey, have you guys noticed the crazy old lady at the bank? She’s really got a crowd worked up! What’s going on?

City Guard: We are aware of her presence, yes. She is called Inu the Crone, a visiting national from the Tokuno Isles. Thou art not the first to inquire, and we shall be posting an informative bulletin for the citizenry in the near future. Good day.

New NPCs in Inu the Crone Scenario (May 19, 2006)

I’m seeing a lot of new faces (NPCs) related to the Inu the Crone plotline. Do you have any hints on more ways we can interact with them?

Draconi: *smiles* When I meet new people, one of the first things I like to ask them is their name and a little about their job! This usually gives me enough that I can make much longer conversations with them, rather than just randomly saying something. Also, it really helps if I seem interested in what they’re saying! If I just sat their and spit out one word responses to someone, they’d get tired of it pretty quick. So try to think about what they’re saying, and sometimes phrase things with a few more words than you normally might - in fact, sometimes try to think of things that they didn’t exactly say!

Oh! Sometimes people like to receive gifts or have you run errands for them. Right now there might not be too many of that sort hanging about Inu, but you never know.

Inu Story - The Author (May 12, 2006)

I really enjoyed the “Inu” story that was printed on BNN. Who wrote it, and do you plan on writing more fiction like that?

Inu the Crone: I commissioned this relatively unknown writer who goes by the name Draconi to write the first chapter of my story. So many of you have come to me asking me about bits and pieces of the story. By bits and pieces, I literally mean one word at a time. And you wonder I prefer the company of scorpions and sand to you people? Bah.

In any case, I do think I will have this Draconi fellow write more of my story in the future.

Treasures for Tokuno event - The Future (May 12, 2006)

I really liked the Treasures for Tokuno event. Is there a chance that it, or something like it, will be brought back in the future?

Darkscribe: Absolutely. We really liked that event as well. It needs some tweaks here and there, but overall it got a great response. We’d like to do something similar this year.

Inu Making Sense (April 21, 2006)

I think Inu is a virtue short of a full codex. Is she ever going to make any sense?

Inu the Crone: I make plenty of sense. It’s not my fault that you can’t add two and two together; or any other combination of numbers for that matter.

*mutters* Non dignus.

Inu the Crone - Asian Shards (April 21, 2006)

I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Inu the Crone puzzles. Will my friends on Asian shards get to participate in the event too?

Darkscribe: Absolutely. The Asian shards have separate community teams that will be running the events. The key plot elements will be the same, but delivered in different ways and at different times. We’re going to try and keep all the shards as consistent as possible, but there will be deviations.

Division Rules Sosaria and Inu (April 14, 2006)

Division Rules Sosaria?

Inu the Crone: That’s what it says, doesn’t it? You people are dense!

In-game Item Sales (April 7, 2006)

Are in-game item sales going to be a part of Ultima Online going forward?

Darkscribe: Yes. From time to time we are going to sell commemorative, decorative or interestingly useful items. However, in almost all cases, those items will also be available some other way. For instance, we are adding several formerly on-sale items to the buddy referral system. Some special items will also be included in special boxed products. These offerings might not appeal to everyone, but there are many players who enjoy collecting rarities, decorating their houses and using items with interesting new functionality. They don’t take too long to build, can mostly be built by outside contractors, and make some players quite happy, so we’re going to keep doing it. In fact, because these have been a success, we’re working on some more interesting offerings that should be available sometime this summer.

What I really want fans to understand is that when we enhance one part of UO, it’s not taking away from the parts of UO you like. We are working extremely hard to get the right PvP changes done. We’re working on a year-long fiction cycle that will be centered around large in-game events, along with mysteries, puzzles, and other surprises. We are hunting down and killing significant bugs as quickly as possible. We are working on a solution that will put a huge dent in scripting operations. We are trying to improve several key areas of UO, so when you see something like the Spring Décor Items go on sale, don’t take that to mean UO is becoming Martha Stewart’s Fantasy House Homebuilder. It just means that there are a lot of people in UO who like housing and might want some unique new décor items.

UO is a world of choice. You get to choose how you want to play. We dev team members are trying to make all the choices more fun. Capice?

Spring Décor Collection - Basket of Herbs (March 31, 2006)

The Basket of Herbs in the Spring Décor Collection doesn’t give a bonus if you are at GM Cooking. Is it supposed to be like this?

Wilki: It was designed that way, yes. However, after reading your comments, we’re looking into allowing you to exceed the 100 cooking skill cap with the basket, much like how mining gloves work with mining. No promises that we’ll definitely do this, as there may be some hidden issues that won’t be apparent until we try the change, but it most certainly is being looked at.

EM Events (March 24, 2006)

I really enjoyed participating in the old scenarios, and more recently, the EM events. Are these ever going to return to UO?

Darkscribe: The short answer: Yes. The long answer: I love large scale events that feel like everyone in the world can take part. We had a long planning session this week that will result in a year long arc of events that will tell an epic story with long-lasting implications for Sosaria. What I’m most excited about is that the plan we’re working on incorporates many different kinds of events and puzzles. It will use the temporary dungeon system, the advanced spawner for invasions, the quest system, EM events, and even hidden messages on the website and riddles hidden in remote areas of Sosaria. When will it kick off? I can’t say at the moment. It’s a pretty aggressive plan and we need to do a lot of work on the development schedule. But stay tuned. I want to get chapter one up and running as soon as possible. Meanwhile, as you travel Sosaria, keep an eye out for anything unusual.

Moonglow Zoo Community Collection (March 17, 2006)

The Moonglow Zoo Community Collection seems like it is too hard for my shard to advance to the next tier. Are you going to change it to make it easier?

Niobe: Yes, we are going to change it to make it easier. After reviewing the numbers and all the player’s posts on the subject, I reduced the number of points needed for each tier substantially. Tier 11 now takes about the same number of points that Tier 1 used to take. I posted some information to the community recently, and you can read it here. So far the reaction has been favorable, and we’re waiting to see how it looks when players actually get in and test it.