Patch Notes from 1997-06-11

Patch Notes from 1997-06-11

Dear Ultima Online Tester:

At long last, the time is upon us. As these messages are being sent, the

first CDs for the Ultima Online public beta test are in the mail. All of us here at ORIGIN wish to thank you for your extraordinary patience, and for the help you're about to give us.

               MAILING SCHEDULE
For logistical reasons, we will be sending out the CDs in mailings of

several thousand at a time. The CDs will be sent in the order in which you applied for the test. We are now mailing out the first lot for initial testing. Once this phase is complete, we will begin shipping the remaining CDs at regular intervals. Phase 1 of the test will run for approximately a week or two, with the full public test to begin two or three weeks later. Please do not attempt to contact ORIGIN to determine when your CD will be shipped. Although it will take several weeks before all testers receive their CDs, please be assured that the test will continue long enough so that every tester will have ample playing time. You will be informed (via the website) when the full public test begins, when all the CDs have been shipped, and any other timely information related to the beta test.

               INSTALLATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
When your CD arrives, just insert it in your CD drive and follow the

prompts onscreen. You will be required to set up a player account in order to enter the game - the install instructions will make registration easy. If you're in phase 1, you will be sent to a web page where you will be given a user ID and password for the test. Full HTML game documentation will be available on our website. A beta testing center will be provided on the website where you can leave reports and feedback on issues you feel are significant. If you have a technical problem, please use the technical support link provided at the testing center site. Technical support for the public test will be via the website only. Please do NOT reply to this message - use the link on the website. ORIGIN will not be able to provide phone support for the testing period, nor will ORIGIN reps on the UO chat zone be able to answer technical questions. Web support for Phase 1 of the beta test will be fully operational no later than Monday, June 16 (but feel free to try to log in earlier).

               WHAT TO EXPECT
Please remember that we are in a testing period. We do expect to take the

servers offline at unpredictable intervals over the course of the test, to upgrade the code. We will post notification of any significant downtime on the website, and we ask your patience when it occurs. Likewise, please be aware that there is a strong likelihood that you will have to restart with a new character several times during the test. Both downtime and restarts are a normal and expected part of the testing cycle, and we trust you will take such events in stride. Finally, as a tester you may be asked to take part in certain planned events at certain times. It is very important that you cooperate with such requests - and anyway, they should be fun! Wouldn't it be horrible to have to confess in future years that you had the opportunity to participate in the legendary first storming of Lord British's Castle, but decided to do something else instead?

               FEEDBACK

In conclusion, please play as much as you can and have as much fun as you can. We ask you to check the website on a regular basis during the testing cycle - all news and updates will be posted there! This is NOT just a load test - we want to be sure you're having fun, and that your expectations will be met when the final version of the game is released.

On behalf of ORIGIN and Lord British Productions, thank you, and have fun!

Your Obedient Servant,

LORD BRITISH Wed, June 11

UO-Patch Notes