Proving that chivalry is alive & well, MMORPG.com has graced us players with the presence of another UO training guide.
MMORPG.com Ultima Online expert Vitaliy Dikker has provided us with this guide to Chivalry Skill training in the classic MMO.
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Grab your sextants and head over to MMORPG.com for their newest UO skill guide!
MMORPG.com's Vitaliy Dikker has provided us with this new guide to Cartography Skill Training in Ultima Online.
The honorable samurai over at MMORPG.com have published the Bushido Skill Training Guide.
MMORPG.com's Vitaliy Dikker provides us with this guide to Bushido Skill Training in the classic MMORPG, Ultima Online.
This week in RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks back at the RP scene in one of the very first MMOs: Ultima Online
MMORPG.com has published an excellent Blacksmithing and Tailoring Runic Bonuses guide for Ultima Online!
MMORPG.com's own Vitaliy Dikker writes this helpful guide to Blacksmithing and Tailoring Runic Bonuses in Ultima Online.
Everything that exists, both in fiction and in reality, has links to what has come before so nothing is truly original. The adage "there is nothing new under the sun" holds true. In order to achieve something that is measurable, I will investigate originality in the sense of what is commonly called new IP.
Crafting remains one of the most tedious aspects of MMOs. For most players, trade skills are a nice addition to the gaming experience but we'd rather not quit our adventuring "day job" for long hours at a time to keep up on crafting. Trade skills are generally time consuming, tedious, and devoid of player skill when they should be enjoyable, not just for the rewards they offer at the end of the hard work, but because the hard work is fun in and of itself.
In his latest Monday column, Jim Moreno gives us a snapshot of the state of roleplaying in two new MMOs and two older ones. For more of his thoughts on World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Ultima Online and Anarchy Online, click below.
World of Warcraft
Wijon'bu Zentao (Earthen Ring), known as Wichdocta, or just 'Wichy' by his friends, is a troll priest of the voodoo discipline. He shuns being called a healer, and his skills go beyond merely using the powers of shadow. He calls no place home, and can be seen walking through Shattrath City or Thunder Bluff one moment, to throwing the voodoo around Shadowmoon Valley or Silithus the next. He meditates often, either in quiet contemplation inside the Pools of Vision, walking amongst the huge mushrooms of Zangarmarsh, fishing around Nagrand, or by mixing and bottling up the mojo at the Undercity Apothecarium. He is always open to helping fight alongside his Horde brethren, especially when it comes to correcting the ways of the tribes of wayward trolls. Don't hesitate to ask this old troll for help, and may the spirits be with you.
Role on!
In the second half of our conversation with Mark Jacobs - former CEO of Mythic Entertainment and now General Manager of EA Mythic - we talked about the health and future of Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot and the company's integration into Electronic Arts.
For the first half of the article, which focuses on Warhammer Online, check out this link.
Despite the downturn, the game still makes a tidy profit for EA Mythic and is in no immediate danger of disappearing. Mythic has a history of maintaining games for years and years, long after they pass their prime. A good example of this is their pre-DAoC games that they maintained long beyond the point that most remembered they existed. The advantage of a mature MMO is that ultimately, it can be maintained - if not expanded - with a very small workforce. So long as DAoC remains profitable, it will march on.
That said, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is on the way and given that they themselves are developing a game that is in many ways a spiritual successor to Camelot, Jacobs fully expects a large hit to the Dark Age of Camelot numbers. He does not, however, believe that it will completely wipe the game out.
Click below for part two.
Today we have a special treat directly from Electronic Arts, an exclusive developer journal focused on the new player experience in Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn. This 2007 coat of paint for the classic MMO that started the whole craze has been a while in coming and as they wind down towards its launch, they're focusing on nuts and bolts like the new player experience. Producer Aaron Cohen explains:
Want to start an argument with MMORPG designers? Bring up new player tutorials.
You'll find some folks feel passionately that these are large complex games that need a lot of teaching. They argue that if you shove players into the world with no preparation, they'll get lost, get frustrated and quit before they see all the great stuff you've spent the last one to five years building. How are they supposed to know to click there and pick up that and swing a sword like this unless you tell them?
Read more after the click.
