For the two of you still playing DAoC/Ultima Online...

[luckton]

...you now have a newly minted dev studio taking the reigns.

http://www.broadsword.com/

DAoC Producer Letter: http://www.broadsword.com/daoc_producers_letter.html

Ultima Online Producer Letter (Which is TOTALLY not a copy/paste and find/replace of the aformentioned letter!): http://www.broadsword.com/uo_producers_letter.html

Do we call it a comeback, or just *meh* and drive on?

[HaemishM]

EA gets to shed properties that likely aren't making them any money, DAoC and UO get a studio that might be able to put resources into further development that EA would not have signed off on. Broadsword is probably a skeleton crew level shop in comparison.

If you aren't a customer of either game, yes it's a *meh* and drive on.

[Numtini]

I really can't believe that DAOC is still around, but UO has a reasonable amount of life because nobody else has done anything like it. It'd be nice to see a bit more activity on it.

[Nebu]

I really can't believe that DAOC is still around, but UO has a reasonable amount of life because nobody else has done anything like it. It'd be nice to see a bit more activity on it.

There's a german DAoC emulator that has been quite active for the past 3-4 years.  I even played on it pretty actively a year ago. 

I'd be excited about someone fixing what was broken in DAoC and re-releasing it to a niche audience.  I'd even give them money if it held some nostalgia value.

[Goreschach]

It'd be cheaper to just do a search for 'DAOC' on youtube.

[Cadaverine]

It'd be cheaper to just do a search for 'DAOC' on youtube.

Less disappointing, too.

[Azaroth]

I... classic.. shard...?

Oh, nevermind.

So tired...

[Soulflame]

I played both of those for a long time, and I don't think there's any possible way to get me back into either of them.

[UnSub]

In related news possibly covered elsewhere, EA is shutting down Lord of Ultima, Barnett's F2P iOS thing.

Which leaves Dungeon Keeper iOS as Mythic's only remaining game.

 

[jth]

In related news possibly covered elsewhere, EA is shutting down Lord of Ultima, Barnett's F2P iOS thing.

Which leaves Dungeon Keeper iOS as Mythic's only remaining game.

 

You're confusing Lord of Ultima (F2P browser strategy game) with Ultima Forever (F2P iOS "RPG").

I was one of those crazy people who played LoU on and off for all it's lifetime, almost four years. It was a strategic war game that had nothing to do with Ultima, except the name. I'm not too sad to see it go, since EA closed the studio responsible for it already in last summer, it was already on life support.

Ultima Forever I never tried, but I've read horror stories.

[Lucas]

How is this for a "blast from the past"?

http://www.uo.com/article/Return-Counselors

Heh, memories of being a counselor myself...hmm, 14 years ago (a few months before the introduction of Trammel) 

[Xuri]

So, have they found a way to stop the volunteer workforce from suing them, then?

[Stormwaltz]

So, have they found a way to stop the volunteer workforce from suing them, then?

Bush-packed Supreme Court?

[jth]

How is this for a "blast from the past"?

http://www.uo.com/article/Return-Counselors

Heh, memories of being a counselor myself...hmm, 14 years ago (a few months before the introduction of Trammel) 

My time was after you then... I was a couple of days away from my "one year counselor anniversary" when they suddenly ended the program in May 2001. I "worked" on EU shards.

[Tmon]

I think what got them in trouble was treating volunteers like employees, scheduled shifts, required hours of work, compensating people with sub time, having them do the exact same work as paid employees, that kind of thing. 

[WayAbvPar]

So, have they found a way to stop the volunteer workforce from suing them, then?

Bush-packed Supreme Court?

 


Water in my nose 

[Cheddar]

EA gets to shed properties that likely aren't making them any money, DAoC and UO get a studio that might be able to put resources into further development that EA would not have signed off on. Broadsword is probably a skeleton crew level shop in comparison.

If you aren't a customer of either game, yes it's a *meh* and drive on.

Naw, full staff of 14 gamers.  Future looks bright!

http://www.broadsword.com/about.html

[squirrel]

Meh drive on. There's a DAoC EMU classic shard that the goons are playing on that I hear is good, but the EA servers? Why would you do that? MJ has his Excalibur TOTALLY NOT CAMELOT project coming soon, and as much as I hate to say it I will probably check that out.

Which leaves Dungeon Keeper iOS as Mythic's only remaining game.

 

Just saw this. THIS HERE. THIS IS MAGIC. <<HOW MANY GEMS DO WE NEED TO GO HOME?>>

[HaemishM]

Did Mythic ever get their thumb out of their asses and release that spiffy Ultima Online 3D engine?

[Azaroth]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_Online:_Kingdom_Reborn

This?

[HaemishM]

Yep, that was the one. I must have stopped paying attention after the fourth or fifth Paul Barnett video.

[Nebu]

I actually played DAoC again through EA with a free two week account.  The battlegrounds were surprisingly fun, leveling was very fast, and the quality of play was pretty high.  The game is very fun if you want a quick pvp fix as the battlegrounds are all occupied and active.  You never have to PvE after the level 1-10 tutorial and all gear can be bought with bounty tokens you get doing pvp quests. 

Yes, the game still has its original problems: Poor class balance, long duration CC, etc.  Still, I had a lot of fun for the free two weeks.  Not sure I'd pay to subscribe without a regular 8-man group playing though.  Level 50 pvp is brutal.

[Azaroth]

Yep, that was the one. I must have stopped paying attention after the fourth or fifth Paul Barnett video.

Honestly, even I barely noticed.

The way to go was always high res.

[KallDrexx]

Apparently they are now trying to garner more interest by placing DAOC on Greenlight

Also, an amusing quote on reddit comments:

Okay folks, DAoC has... quite a history, and there's a reason it shouldn't be on Greenlight. Let me explain.
First, I'm a DAoC vet of 8 years, and I think it's probably one of the best MMORPGs ever made. Why don't I want it on Steam?
When EA bought Mythic, things changed. There were 3 founders of Mythic who have big names. Currently, only one is left. Rob Denton. That one person has been put in charge of a new division, Broadsword, currently in charge of DAoC. It's him, and Paul Barnett. You remember them. Paul was the British guy that hyped the shit out of WAR and is notorious for being obsessed with wringing as much money out of something as he can.
Remember the latest Dungeon Keeper mobile disaster? That was Paul and Rob.
According to several people who worked for EA Mythic (including the famous EA Louse) Rob Denton was responsible for a toxic work environment at Mythic and spent most of his time doing top level maneuvering, forcing people out of their jobs, climbing higher on the corporate ladder. When the shit hit the fan with WAR, he pinned all the blame on Mark Jacobs. Here's a snippet from EA Louse (who according to Jacobs, only touched on the tip of the iceberg).
"Rob was never there during the development of Warhammer. We always joked about when his next weekly holiday was coming. (Answer? Next week!) Mark [Jacobs, former Mythic general manager] was not available, was way too head down trying to design his own contributions or whatever. Rob always handled things. We were told NOT to speak with Mark in person, never, or else we would be explaining to Rob. Rob was responsible for the entire project, then blamed Mark when things went wrong."
Mark Jacobs left Mythic when the company merged with BioWare last year, something that shocked employees at the time. EA Louse claims that he never willingly left, but was instead fired.
"It is a culture of fear, especially since Mark Jacobs was fired. Oh, he left voluntarily you say? No, he was fired, and everything placed on his shoulders by those closest to him so they could divide his salary and annual bonus. I bet Rob is enjoying that sweet new Maserati he bought after leaving the knife in his partner of 15 years." EA Louse
When the DAoC IP went up for bid, he blocked the news from Mark Jacobs (founder of Mythic and creator of DAoC, more or less), and threatened employees if they were seen talking to Mark. Mark practically begged for a chance to buy his creation back when he DID find out. (someone sneaked the news to him in a coffee shop and then quickly left because there were still EA eyes on Jacobs).
Mythic is dead and gone. It's a shame, because I love Dark Age of Camelot, and Broadsword actually seems to be trying to revive it, unlike the people in charge of it for the last 6 years. But giving money to them is basically giving money to the worst sort of people from EA.
To get that DAOC feel I have no choice but to either play Elderscrolls Online (which was made by Matt Firor, one of the 3 Mythic founders) or wait for Camelot Unchained (new MMO from Jacobs).
Please, do not let EA get away with this kind of shit. Don't give money to a morally bankrupt person.

[Modern Angel]

Barnett's obnoxious ass did that Dungeon Keeper shovelware? So typical.

[Paelos]

I never disliked Jacobs, even when he was shilling here if I remember correctly. Just misguided.

[Goreschach]

I never disliked Jacobs, even when he was shilling here if I remember correctly. Just misguided.

I don't think anyone here hated Mark. We hated Barnett, but Mark was just out of his league.

[Falconeer]

DAoC AND Ultima Online on Steam Greenlight.

[Lantyssa]

How can decade-old games end up on Greenlight?  It seems... sketchy.

[luckton]

If they went F2P, sure, I'd vote for 'em.  But you want me to pay a monthly sub for a game that three-four generations out of date and have done little if anything to make themselves current?  Nah, son..it's time to Old Yeller this shit.

[HaemishM]

I voted down both of them. Talk about perverting the whole idea of Greenlight.

[Paelos]

I voted down both of them. Talk about perverting the whole idea of Greenlight.

Yeah it's supposed to be about new shit, I thought. Aren't there rules? Can you report a game for violating the spirit of the thing?