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Latest Ultima Online News Updates and Reviews Updated daily
Ultima Online : Free for All: Remembering my first F2P experiencesJul 14, 2010 04:00:00 PM News Item: 14728
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Flyff, Business models, belief, Free-to-play, Casual, Free for All
I sit here, racking my brain, trying to think of the very first free-to-play game that I experienced. It's been quite a long time, at least seven years. As a quick history, I started in MMORPGRPGs in '99, by bringing home a box of Ultima Online for my wife to look at. She laughed at me at first, but soon I would return home from work to find her in the middle of a marathon gaming session. We then switched to EverQuest and then to City of Heroes. In between those major choices, I spent a lot of time exploring the internet for new games.
I want to say that one of the first free-to-play games I found was FLYFF, or potentialy ROSE Online. It's hard to remember exactly. I searched old emails and found a few references to some games, but I can only verify start dates like February of 2004 for games like There or Second Life. On a side-note, my EVE account started on July 30th, 2004. Regardless, I can remember my first experiences with free-to-play games. I recall the grindy-yet-beautiful worlds I visited, marveling at high-level gamers who must have played for six months solidly in order to achieve their greatness.Continue reading Free for All: Remembering my first F2P experiences  Free for All: Remembering my first F2P experiences Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : Austin's GDC opens 2010 registration under new nameMay 25, 2010 03:00:00 PM News Item: 14280
Filed under: Events, real-world, MMORPG industry  Registration has begun for Austin's Game Developers Conference 2010, but you won't find it under the "GDC Austin" banner this year. The conference is now known as GDC Online to reflect the spotlight on online gaming. GDC "has always chiefly been themed around online games, reflecting the local importance of MMORPGs and online games, thanks to pioneering Austin-based creators like Origin (Ultima Online), and current studios like BioWare Austin (Star Wars: The Old Republic) and Sony Online Entertainment (DC Universe Online)," and the new name is more accurate in light of that.
Ticket prices are at a 40% early registration discount until September 1st, with a 55% alumni discount for those who attended last year. Five different pass options and prices are obtainable on the GDC site.Austin's GDC opens 2010 registration under new name Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: My journeyMay 25, 2010 12:00:00 PM News Item: 14383
Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, Hands-on, The Game Archaeologist
The Game Archaeologist is your spunky Tuesday column devoted to exploring the MMORPGRPGs of yesterday.
Enough is enough! No more looking back at history, talking to the gamers who have been there, or even chatting up the creator of the game -- it was time for the Game Archaeologist to man up and play Ultima Online himself. And so it was with trembling fingers and steely eyes that I downladen the trial client and entered the game for the very first time.
I will be honest and confess to a degree of nervousness. It's one thing to talk about a great MMORPG legend; it's another entirely to experience it first-hand. I didn't actually know what to anticipate-- would it be so hardcore that I'd die before I finished? Would it be so ancient, so creaky that I wouldn't be able to figure it out without a degree in assembly code? Would it... be fun?
Fortunately, I was not alone in this journey, as Tipa from West Karana graciously agreed to accompany me for an evening full of Ultimas and Onlines. Oh, the spellchecker simply did not like that one. Tough noogies. Ultima Online has a nice 14-day unlimited trial that doesn't even require a credit card to access, so after a few minutes of patching (UO is tiny compared to many modern MMORPGs), we were in. And completely, utterly lost.Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: My journey The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: My journey Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard GarriottMay 18, 2010 12:00:00 PM News Item: 14382
Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist
Before he was Tabula Rasa's General British, Richard Garriott was simply -- and most famously -- known as Lord British, the absolute ruler and creator of the Ultima franchise. From 1980's Ultima I through 1999's Ultima IX, Lord British guided the development of one of the most popular RPG series of all time, including 1997's Ultima Online. Through it, Garriott and his Lord British persona became the de facto face of the series, a video game celebrity before such a thing actually existed.
After the floundering of Tabula Rasa and his subsequent falling-out with NCSoft, Garriot took a little R&R time to blast into outer space, returning to Earth to get concerned with a social media games company called Portalarium. Because of his stature as one of the founding giants of not only MMORPGRPGs, but video game RPGs as well, the Game Archaeologist stopped at nothing to procure his wise words for an conversation. This quest took us to far-off, dangeous places -- including the world's most famous haunted house, Britannia Manor -- at which point we promptly purchased a return ticket and pheaded with our editor to do our dirty work for us.
So bow, mere mortal! For you are now in the existence of LORD BRITISH! (cue wild applause)Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: Richard Garriott Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The PlayersMay 11, 2010 12:00:00 PM News Item: 14381
Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist
Wow! The response to last week's inaugural Game Archaeologist column was phenomenal -- guess we're not the only ones who find MMORPG history and trips down nostalgia lane captivating stuff! Thanks to everyone who commented, sent in e-mails and (heh HEH) volunteered to be conversationed.
Speaking of which, this week we move past the facts of the matter to the experiences. The Game Archaeologist scoured the globe, mostly between coffee breaks, to find some of the most passionate and learned gamers of Ultima Online. In the second part of our Ultima Online exploration, we injected a tiny bead of Hobi frog toxin into their systems, freeing their tongues to tell the truth and their limbs to jerk uncontrollably. Just what do Ultima old guard chat about at the club on the weekends?
We extracted the full scoop from Ultima vets Adam "Ferrel" Trzonkowski, Brandon Crowe, "Professor" B.J. Keeton, Jon Craig and JD DMichael. Read on!Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The Players The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The Players Tue, 11 May 2010 12:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : The Daily Grind: Unfaithfully YoursMay 05, 2010 08:00:00 AM News Item: 13919
Filed under: MMORPG industry, belief, The Daily Grind
MMORPG gamers can be a fickle bunch. Whether its loving a game one day and bashing it the next, or hopscotching from world to world on a weekly basis, MMORPG infidelity runs rampant in my circle of gaming friends.
As for me personally, I'm pretty unfaithful when it comes to the massive genre. Over the past month, I've logged into Age of Conan, Aion, Fallen Earth, EVE, Champions Online, Ryzom, Guild Wars, Runes of Magic, and Everquest 2. Of these, only the first three have captured my attention for more than a day, but I'm sure a time will come when I return to all of them for one factoror another. Outside of gaming, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more faithful individual. I've loved the same woman for over six years and I support my beloved Yellow Jackets even though they've won exactly one game that matters since 1990. Why then, do I have such a hard time sticking with a single MMORPGRPG?
I think it boils down to the fact that just about every game has a great idea or two, but none of them can manage to be the complete experience I've been craving since the days of Ultima Online. Ideally, creators would build on previous games, incorporating absolutely everything that was cool about older titles into their newer ones, and eventually we'd end up with the ultimate uber game that would eliminate my need to try the next flavor of the month. Realistically, budgetary constraints, marketing decisions, and a general lack of creativity have conspired to give us games that have less options than those of years past, which is why I'm continually searching for The One. If someone ever dares to make a single game that features Ultima's economy, Star Wars Galaxies' housing and entertainers, Lord of the Rings Online's music system, APB's tooncreation, Age of Conan's combat system, and World of Warcraft's quests and polish, they'll have at least one customer for life.
What about you, dear readers? Do you suffer from MMORPG infidelity?The Daily Grind: Unfaithfully Yours Wed, 05 May 2010 08:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The HistoryMay 04, 2010 11:00:00 AM News Item: 14122
Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, The Game Archaeologist
Welcome to the first madcap adventure of The Game Archaeologist! In this column, we'll be looking back at some of the MMORPGRPGs that may not get the spotlight these days, but deserve our admirationand attention due to their place in MMORPG history. Together, we'll don our explorer gear, jump back in time, dust off forgotten treasures and look at the titles that helped build an online empire.
Each month, we'll embark on a voyage through a meticulous MMORPG of yesteryear in a three-part series. The first part will examine the history of the game and its place in the genre, the second part will feature conversations with current and past gamers of the game, and the third part will witness The Game Archaeologist himself checking out the title as it stands today (if the MMORPG is still up and running, that is).
For our first column, we'll salute one of the greatest grandfathers of the modern MMORPG: Ultima Online. Crack your whip and dive into the Stygian Abyss with us!Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The History The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The History Tue, 04 May 2010 11:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : Mythic merchandising store closesApr 30, 2010 11:00:00 AM News Item: 13911
Filed under: Fantasy, MMORPG industry, Warhammer Online, News items
In a move that likely signals further cost-cutting measures for Mythic MMORPGRPGs, the Mythic Store has officially closed it's doors to the buying public. Formerly an outlet for game-related apparel and merchandise relating to Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, and Dark Age of Camelot, the store is now nothing more than a solitary JPEG image.
Head on over to the official Warhammer forums for a thread discussing the potentialreasons behind the closure as well as a brief teamer comment from a Mythic question and answer session that attributes the closure to a 'business decision.'
[Thanks UnSub!]Mythic merchandising store closes Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST.
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Ultima Online : Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSWFeb 15, 2010 08:00:00 PM News Item: 13600
Filed under: Video, MMORPG industry, News items  You may love him, or you may hate him; but nobody can deny the influence Lord British has had on the MMORPG industry. Many feel that Ultima Online was a shining example of MMORPG mechanics, not since repeated in quite the right combination. Later, Richard Garriott went on to create Tabula Rasa for NCsoft -- a game beloved by some, reviled by others. As part of his own trip to space, he commenceed Operation Immortality, in an attempt to draw more interest to Tabula Rasa. He went up in space, he came back down, NCsoft released him. We all know the story by now.
But what you may not know is that Garriott had a crew filming the entire time he was concerned with the space agenda. They've compiled the footage into a documentary called Man on a Mission, which is slated to be released later this year at South by Southwest. However, for those who would like a little taste what life was like for Garriott during those hectic days juggling public appearances and training in Russia, you can look into the trailer on his Facebook page now.
[via GameSetWatch]Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSW Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST.
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More Ultima Online News
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Dec 16, 2009 04:00:00 PMUltima Online : 2009 Winter Holiday Event Guide
Dec 08, 2009 09:00:00 AMUltima Online : Celebrate the holidays with Mythic
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Dec 07, 2007 04:30:00 PMUltima Online : Richard Garriott to speak at GWU on December 10th
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