Storm Chat from 2004-02-26

Storm Chat from 2004-02-26

This chat was originally posted at the now-defunct IanStorm.com .

	* Hanse rolls in a cartload of dead and bloated mongbats.
	* Hanse puts on some large, thick, rubber gloves.
	* OSI_Speedman wonders what Hanse is doing with dead mongbats
	* Hanse removes a mongbat corpse with a slight squelching noise and loads it into a small catapult.
	* Hanse pulls a lever and flings the corpse at the crowd where it lands with a squishy slap.
	* [IS]Peaches ducks
Hanse	sorry, no ducks in my cart... :)
Kehleyr	if you have questions.... Our question takers tonight are: Peaches, Silverfoot, Ouch, NickLong and Pittminion. They are easily recognised by the [IS] in front of thier names.
[IS]Peaches	lolol
	* Hanse dodges the thrown tomatoes.
Kehleyr	We will be starting shortly
Kehleyr	meanwhile, enjoy Hanse's evil mongbats
	* Hanse pokes a dead mongbat with a stick.
Hanse	they're only evil in smell...
	* Hanse hears a squeek.
Hanse	ah, he's not quite dead yet...
	* Hanse thumps it.
Kehleyr	Welcome to the 12th UO StormChat! Thank you to everyone for joining us tonight!
Kehleyr	I will be your moderator in TrinityX and Ian's absence... Lucky you! ;)
Kehleyr	This chat will be moderated, general chat can continue during in #ultima-online. To submit a question, please /msg one of the question takers listed in the channel topic. Please do not message myself, or anyone from EA: Origin, they will be ignored.
Kehleyr	Our question takers tonight are: Peaches, Silverfoot, Ouch, NickLong and Pittminion. They are easily recognised by the [IS] in front of thier names.
Kehleyr	Tonight's topic will be: General Discussion. All inappropriate questions will be ignored!
Kehleyr	*Theowulf* Question! The feature of a 'Unified PvP system' was mentioned for the next expansion. Does this mean one common ruleset regarding player interaction accross all facets, or will we still have multiple PvP rulesets (i.e. Fel/Tram)?
Hanse	Ah, that is Adrick's baby!
Hanse	We have a convoluted system of checks for combat related actions (spells, damage, targeting, etc).
Hanse	This is due to hero/evil, factions, guilds, chaos/order, etc...
Hanse	So, when we said there'd be a "unified pvp system", that means we're going to simplify the rules in the code so we can do more with pvp balance-wise.
Hanse	Also, that may mean some systems may get rolled together to simplify it more.
Hanse	Sorry to sound sketchy...but Adrick has a better idea of what exact plans we have than I do, at the moment. I meant to review those docs today, but I was swamped with other work.
Kehleyr	*Zilor* Will there be housing in the new Expansion?
Hanse	We're not planning to do housing in the expansion. It will be an Ilshenar-type expansion. This is subject to change, of course.
Kehleyr	*ghyde* OK what can you tell us about the next expansion for UO, if anything, and the "unified PvP" that was also rumored to be in it?
Sannio	It's too early in development to give out all the details of the expansion.
Sannio	I'll relate some basic details, for those who haven't heard about it...
Sannio	An Asian theme, two new professions, no new housing locations but new customization themes, and a new land to adventure in.
Sannio	That and the PvP updates we mentioned earlier.
Kehleyr	*JustaGirl* Will we be seeing new wall types (ie the walls in doom) Maybe a darker feel?
Hanse	Actually, the expansion does mention more housing decorations.
Hanse	I haven't seen an exact list of those decorations.
Hanse	I was in charge of adding the last few graphics (as well as drew some) in the last two expansions.
Hanse	So, we really don't know at this time... It could be walls, fish tanks, more fountains, anything... with the asian theme, it may be along those lines...
Hanse	The walls in Doom and Umbra are simply re-hued existing walls, though. They aren't available to be used in housing. We'd have to add new artwork to get that to work.
Kehleyr	*Arislan-TC* Is there any information on who is leaving the dev team with the move to Redwood Shores, CA? Conversely who is staying with EA?
MrTact	It's too early in development . . .
MrTact	But seriously
MrTact	We've really just started that whole process. I will say that almost everyone on the dev team is getting an offer to be moved.
MrTact	The executive team has been very adamant about their support of UO and their desire to see us all continue on in Redwood Shores, which was one really positive thing that has come out of this (for me, at least)
MrTact	As for the end result, many of us will be travelling out there soon to look at housing options, see the EARS campus etc. etc.
MrTact	So it will probably be about two weeks before we can answer that question definitively.
Kehleyr	*Bilbo* I Think i heard in an interview with Sunsword before AoS came out that there are over 100 diffrent artifacts that spawn in Doom right now there are around ~60, also in a later Dev Chat I heard mentioned that others would be added later to keep things fresh, any ideas if there will be new items spawning for thiefs or at Guanlet?
Hanse	As with any system (bod's, skills, magic, loot, creatures), each one has folks demanding our attention.
Hanse	We do want to do more rares, but do not have anything planned.
Hanse	Most likely, we wouldn't keep it limited to Doom, if we did more, though.
Kehleyr	*Bilbo* Are there any plans to bring back the Event Modorators at this time?
Sannio	Yes, we have plans to bring back the Event Moderators, but I don't have any details (such as a schedule).
Sannio	There's still some things that have to be worked out, but we're looking forward to delivering "hand crafted" events once again.
Kehleyr	*Hotaru-Chan* How will the relocation of OSI team members affect the over all production of UO? Can we expect a schedual of updates like sunsword had mentioned, or will the relocation put a kink in those plans?
MrTact	You can expect that it will have at least some impact, yes.
MrTact	The ideal circumstance would be that everyone ends up moving, in which case it'll just be a speedbump.
MrTact	If more people opt to stay in Austin, or whatever, then some hiring and ramp-up time will have to be factored in.
MrTact	Pretty much what you would expect, I guess.
Kehleyr	*Allworth* Has there been any Investigation into the abundance of client crashes that happen in Doom?
OSI_Speedman	I know that Fertbert is trying to set aside some time to look into this
OSI_Speedman	It's definitely high up on our priority list
Kehleyr	*JoO* What can you tell us about "Regents" and the various messages found in the latest patch. IE Doom will become a pvp zone in 60 minutes.
MrTact	We live to torment you
Hanse	Tis a figment of your imagination... Pay no attention to the man behind the curtains...
OSI_Speedman	Apparently Ferrets power the game... I wonder who put that in?
Kehleyr	*DevinWoods* Is it safe to assume that between now and the release of the next expansion it is likely the publishes will be focused on bugfixes only? In other words, are there plans for new content before the expansion's release?
Hanse	The designers work on content docs for the game for areas of the game we're passionate about.
Hanse	IF we get time to develop them, convince management, etc... we sometimes slip in new content.
Hanse	Other than that, we sometimes are specifically given content for publishes (which, has not occured yet...due to obvious hiccups)...
Hanse	So, I can say almost certainly.
Hanse	I can't comment on what will go in, though.
Kehleyr	*Einstein* Is there any progress vs Speedhackers, script looters, and other cheaters?
OSI_Speedman	Short answer is yes
OSI_Speedman	I have a fix ready to be tested to address speedhacking
OSI_Speedman	It's currently in Publish 24, but the release date for that is rather sketchy
OSI_Speedman	As for script looting, it's on the radar
Kehleyr	*Zilor* Will there be any new items to craft for Carpenters, Tinkers, Alchemists, and Inscribers in the next expansion?
Hanse	Last I heard...yes...
Hanse	I can't comment on what yet, though.
Hanse	I can comment it should be extensive.
Kehleyr	*JustaGirl* Sannio.. Your house located in Fel on Chesapeake.. Its so empty and lonely.. I am more than willing to give it a good home! Care to sell it?
Sannio	It's true that my official OSI account owns one house on Chesapeake, but it's not for trade or sale.
Sannio	I'm just the caretaker for Mazrim, an evil fellow who needed some help maintaining his large tower while he was on vacation.
Sannio	Mazrim is the one true owner of that building, sorry. :]
Kehleyr	*thestarrmachine* Question: Will there be a new client within the next year? If so, 2D or 3D? If not, has it been discussed? Is it even really possible? What are the dev team's opinions on the idea of a new client?
MrTact	Why art thou asking me?
MrTact	T'is no good in arguing with the inevitable.
Sannio	Oooo colors.
Kehleyr	*Balif-SP* With the location changes and everything, will pub23 and 24(which I believe contains the long awaited siege resist bug fix :p ) be pushed back as far as release dates
MrTact	That is a complicated question to answer.
MrTact	We are working on getting character transfer on public test centers right now.
MrTact	That got derailed by a couple of days for obvious reasons, but I think we will be back on track tomorrow.
MrTact	We may well be able to release publish 23 in March, which is our goal.
MrTact	We are also going to ATTEMPT to squeak out one more small publish before the move, but I think everyone's a bit iffy on that.
MrTact	That would probably end up being nothing more than a few high-profile bugfixes.
Kehleyr	*VIVIsectVI* Will we see pet dye tubs on shards other than Test?
OSI_Speedman	probably not
OSI_Speedman	Not everyone likes the flash of neon that you see when you log in :P
OSI_Speedman	While you're there, check out the Mysterious Dark Father of Pet Bonding :)
Kehleyr	*Zilor* Will the Factions and Order-Chaos system be removed with the addition of this Unified System?
Hanse	We haven't decided what systems will go where, yet. I've seen grandiose plans on Adrick's dry-erase board, but like I said earlier I haven't seen the docs yet.
Kehleyr	*BA_Barrackas* SunSword stated that the upcoming expansion was a "small step" (or words to that effect) in plans that EA have for UO's future. Are there any details
Hanse	Yes...
Hanse	We have a long term plan for the game...
Hanse	Some of those plans seemed right to roll up into the expansion instead of releasing later.
Hanse	The major one was PvP. We thought it could not wait.
Hanse	We're looking to prepare with the expansion (and it's not much of a small step) for our long term goals.
Kehleyr	*Dolgorath[ATL]* Are there any plans to make it so that Runic Sewing Kits can craft magic hats in the future? Thanks!
Hanse	An interesting idea...
Hanse	It's possible something in the expansion may help, but I don't see runics being applied to cloth-based items in such a way. Maybe...something ancient? :)
Kehleyr	*thestarrmachine* Will there be any artwork upgrades for models and/or terrain in the near future?
Hanse	Artwork upgrades...
Hanse	It takes 1050 pictures to make up all the animations for a single piece of art.
Hanse	That means your hair, your goatee, your dagger, your shoes, etc... we have rendered 1050 pictures for each different one
Hanse	So, as you can see, it's a major undertaking and only weapons (since the beginning of UO after beta) have been added.
Hanse	To do this, it will be a large patch or a CD...we're opting on the expansion on this one...
Kehleyr	*LordTennfan* Will pvp house hiding and the faster casting cap be put in before the next expansion?
Hanse	I'd like to see these changes before the expansion. I have a good grasp of both issues and we'll see what can be done.
Hanse	Opinion: if I had my way, first thing...but we'll see
Kehleyr	*Farquhar* Are you guys willing to relook at the mana consumption rate for paladins. Close wounds costs 1 less mana then greater heal yet heals 10 less dmg at highest karma level. Remove curse costs 9 more mana then curse which means it can not be used defencively, and cure costs 10 mana compared to cure for mages which is 6. For a warrior with extremely limited mana pool, this seems a little backwards. Can we get it reworked so a paladin dooesn't
Hanse	Send specific balance information to [email protected] or [email protected]... We do want to look over balance info for the expansion that you feel is unbalanced.
Hanse	and/or
Hanse	preferably...and... :)
Kehleyr	*DarkChronus* Are there still plans to give 2d users updated art on some things like clothing? Or make new art for 2d users in the next expansion? (I thought I read somewhere that you were trying to find the original tools)
Hanse	Clothing, weapons, armor, etc... It's being considered. I found the original tools, already.
Kehleyr	*GSG8* Will there be any new artifacts associated with the new expansion?
Hanse	We have not decided that yet.
Kehleyr	*wilki24* What was behind the decision to give the expansion an Asian theme?
Sannio	There were a few things behind that choice.
Sannio	UO has long been considered a "medieval fantasy" setting, but if youlook harder you'll see some middle-eastern flair in Nujel'm, some Roman/Greek columns in locations like the Gargoyle city in Ilshenar, and a smattering of other cultures here and there.
Sannio	It's important that you don't keep recycling the same look and feel for your new ideas, and over time we've seen things like Dragon Armor come into the game to add some extra spice.
Sannio	We want that spice to be a bit more significant with the next expansion, and we know that an Asian theme will be well-received, worldwide.
Sannio	There's more to it than that, but the two biggest reasons are probably variety and appeal.
Kehleyr	*Redlow* Are there any plans to revamp skills that never have or no longer serve any purpose? (ie: item id)
MrTact	We are planning for a skills overhaul, but that's way off on the horizon.
MrTact	Some of those skills will be removed and some will have additional content added to make them useful again, but they will not be left in the game with nothing to do.
Kehleyr	*MSGuildmaster* I was wondering if you could give us any insight on what will be done to balance a heavily unbalanced PvP system at this time
Hanse	PvP towards magical properties is the major complaint we have right now...second to insurance...
Hanse	We're looking at changing the way faster cast and faster cast recover works. It may be a reduction in time, but still useful or something else. We haven't decided yet.
Hanse	As for insurance, that's Adrick's area. I'd need to check what ideas and solutions he's come up with to know for sure what we intend to do.
Kehleyr	*phantus* Will there be new quests in the expansion as well or is that something that is no longer being pursued?
MrTact	We are pursuing it much the way a thirteen-year old boy pursues the object of his affections at a school dance
	* Sannio laughs
MrTact	We sort of hang out against the wall . . . glance in that direction . . . look away suddenly if we see her looking back
MrTact	We really want to beef up the quest system & start churning out quests but that's not part of the expansion AFAIK
MrTact	(Hanse, please feel free to jump in & say that I'm mistaken on that if I am)
MrTact	Anyway . . .
Hanse	Uhm, no...you're spot on... :)
MrTact	That may happen as part of the ongoing live publishes, but as with all of our live plans, it depends on what happens with staffing up after the move.
Kehleyr	*Bilbo* Will the new expansion have a Mongbat based only champ spawn where each level has more diffucly Mongbats ending with the elusive Mongbat Lord?
Hanse	Of course! The mongbat lord's minions are 5 harrowers, ya know... and there's the super power of the mongbat lord to eat little mongbats and spit bones out for insta-kills....
Hanse	but don't let that bother you! the loot is... *cough* ...mongbat themed loot! yeah! that's the ticket!
Kehleyr	*Red_Falcon* I was wondering if the lamp room exploit would be fixed anytime soon, as it is getting out of hand on all shards?
Hanse	Mail bugs to [email protected], please... I've heard this before, but have been assured it isn't happening. We need a detailed steps of how to re-create the bug, of course.
Kehleyr	*Mekere* Any chance that there will be enhancing for Bowyers or possibly introducing Runic Fletcher's Tools?
Hanse	There's always a chance. I'm afraid I personally am leaning towards the last skill that widely uses ingots, tho... *coughs*
Kehleyr	*Bell_of_Ygg* Would it be possible to implement a ridable drakes? They're more balanced than nightmares and it looks neat!
MrTact	We don't have any plans to introduce new ridables at this time, sorry.
Kehleyr	*Eirik_Bloodhand* Is UO going to become more item based, or will it return to a more character skills based game?
Hanse	We are planning long-term and partially in the expansion for more skill-based.
Hanse	Although, we may introduce on both sides of the fences new content that applies to both.
Hanse	The plans are long-term and subject to change, of course. We would like you to have more decisions in your gameplay, though. That means we lean towards skill.
MrTact	Hmm, according to the PVP community the game is already 100% item-based, so technically it CAN'T get any more so . . .
Hanse	I pvp.
Hanse	I have seen superior weapon/armor/jewelry outfits beaten by better skill.
Hanse	I do realize that the fast cast/recover is unbalanced, though. It's something we mean to look into.
Kehleyr	*Navarone* have you guys ever consider to make footwears as part of armor that will have properties too?
Hanse	No, the system is balanced for armor only, right now. We're not looking to introduce more complexity into the system.
Kehleyr	*Caelan* When the EM's come back, who will replace kieron? Will you guys rehire? Also, with the change of locations for you guys, will this effect the EM's too?
Sannio	We'll have to see what happens with the EM staffing when/if they come back.
Sannio	They actually didn't work in the building. They "telecommuted" to their events, so the change of locations shouldn't have much of an impact on that kind of team.
Kehleyr	*Peaches* Give us a mongbat recipe!
Hanse	It's a family secret! These in the cart were just a little too ripe, though...
	* Hanse flings another bloated mongbat at the crowd from his mini-catapult.
Kehleyr	And that ends our 12th UO StormChat!
Kehleyr	I'd like to give a thanks Sannio, Hanse, AviStetto, Speedman and MrTact for joining us tonight and answering our questions.
OSI_Speedman	Thanks all
Sannio	Thanks everyone!