November - January Updates Posted by: RedPotion on 01 Feb 2012 05:55 am
**JOB POSTINGS**
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We are entertaining the concept of bringing on an additional interior worldbuilder - think you might be interested? By the virtues what are you waiting for? Contact us to find out more details!
---------------------------- **JOB POSTINGS**
--==UPDATES THROUGH JANUARY==--
Well everyone, it's been a productive couple of months since our last posting, and I was given the honor to summarize the work thus far. How have you all been? It's just so exciting to be a part of this amazing team. Last week I put myself in the shoes of an Ultima fan who would be browsing our forum and I thought "There is just so much content historically, but lately there hasn't been a significant amount of new posts to read".
Now ostensibly this might seem as if there is no progress going on, but I can assure you that is not the case. We've actually all been quite busy on making this dream a reality, and we will try to take a SHORT pause every once in a while to post some additional things for everyone!
Definitely check the developer diaries and be ready for more screen shots. As always, having the unwavering support of everyone really keeps us going. We'd love to see more comments and thoughts on the game, and we'd love the opportunity to answer any questions that you all might have.
Well, enough talking, let's move on to the updates!
Corv: Working with everyone on the team as well as the backend to ensure the project runs smoothly. Just to be clear, I said Corv is working the backend. *wink*. Alright enough sexual innuendos.
Zini / DireHaggis: I just spoke to DH not long ago! They both continue to be very engaged in keeping the project moving along with Corv.
What is important to note is that they are assisting greatly in the logistical planning and are jumping around from area to area to ensure the game as a whole is where it needs to be. This is, honestly, as critical as any other aspect of a project, and it's really comforting to know they are spending a lot of time reviewing the release process and proper execution of the plan we laid out.
Hyena-of-Doom: Has made progress with Britain's NPC's, and estimates a few more weeks of work before the next major status update. All in all, things are going favorably.
LSD: After a brief pause and prodding on gchat from me, he has with renewed spirits resumed his efforts on the fishing mechanics to the game. He has also completed several NPCs for Buccaneer's Den, and some summaries for Hyena.
Jacar: In the final stages of a semi-secret village which is sure to impress. He will also be taking up Yew and then move on to the remaining areas.
Red Potion: I've made significant progress in Vesper.
-Completed (finally) the town hall of Vesper, which is the largest structure in the town. Screen shots at http://imgur.com/a/iR0nq
-Completed the surrounding houses.
In summary, I'm basically done with Vesper from a building standpoint and anticipate to enter the review and finalization phases by the end of the month (give or take a few weeks, but will keep you all posted)
Spyder: Very flooded with modeling (both 3d, and showing off his amazing body natürlich), however has created many new entries. The fantastic aspect of this is that he is working "smarter, not harder" and made many universal models such as expandable rugs, doors, windows, and fireplaces. Presently, he is adding additional walls to the game, curtains, curtain rods, art, pictures, picture frames, tapestries, and many other interchangeable items that are so critical to giving interior builders the flexibility to adapt common items into the culture that is specific to the town they are assigned.
Karaz: Unfortunately the cow he made was so amazing that Imgur (and our own website) couldn't host it - I think that the http and ftp protocols were not capable of such unique data transmission, so he is researching a way to reduce the greatness of his work (as if that was even possible)!
September and October 2011 Posted by: -Direhaggis- on 09 Nov 2011 07:17 am
###**Job Postings**###
There are no job postings as of this time--to the best of my knowledge.
###**Update**###
Zini: Script tweaking and implementation. Waiting on me to send dialogues for Paws. While I wrote the main quest dialogues for this town, we went through..2? 3? Around 3 dialogue writers for it. Hell with it, if it's not on the FTP I'll gen the NPCs.
Spyder: Has been working on the interior space for the mage tower in New Magincia. Also did some doors and windows.
Redpotion: In September he finished several buildings of Vesper. In October, after recovering from Oktoberfest, he added doors, staircases, and other floor particulars. Currently working on adding clutter, more doors, windows, and ceilings.
Karaz: Created various and sundry models of wondrous wonder, including a very fine looking wine flask among other things. Did I mention he's making a cow? He is making an epic, epic cow. It is a cow model full of win and awesomesauce.
Jacar: Continuing work on a semi-secret village location somewhere north of Britain. This includes NPC writing as well as interiors.
Corv: As usual, behind the scenes stuff.
Direhaggis: I wrote the update. I got married a few days ago but that's no excuse at all. Admittedly I am on stand-by to help implement the next portion of the main plot, the first 1/3 of which has been left well enough alone for a few years now. Honestly, though, part of me wants to somehow lop off a whole section or a few sections so that there's less for the scripters and worldbuilders to worry about. Granted, I made the whole main plot very interwoven, but the longer production goes on the more I'm tempted for the sake of our hardcore fan base. Really I just want to go back in time, tell myself back then, "you know, 30 hours of main plot really is fine", and wind forward to now.
"I live at home with my parents. It's just temporary...'til they die." --Gamers, the movie
April-August 2011 Posted by: -Direhaggis- on 28 Aug 2011 03:15 am
###**Job Postings**###
There are no job postings as of this time.
###**Update**###
Zini: Finished up Destard and other beginning game stuff, which lays the foundation and so needed a great deal of time. Also: Model integration, working on skill implementation and relevant in game tutorials and working on the OpenMW project. OpenMW is, well, an open source version of MW that promises to offer much more flexibility for the modding community via scripting and other features. One of the biggest problems we (read: Zini) have consistently come across is coming up with genius level innovations to get around the constraints of sloppy MW programming. That has been the biggest bottleneck with respect to progress.
Spyder: Finished a series of armor models for Zini back in May. Has since been working on interiors for Moonglow, which involves entirely custom buildings. Has worked on a variety of miscellaneous models as the needs of worldbuilders and dialogue writers come up. I've said it before, but we wouldn't have a U9R without Spyder. I wish I could contribute half as much as he has. Seriously, man, amazing.
Direhaggis: I edited some dialogues down to simplify some storylines...but honestly, for the most part, I've been spending a lot of time with my finacee, her friends, and LARPing. I know it's frightening but addictive. Fortunately I am backing away from that now. My intention is to help facilitate implementation of the main plot. There's a lot to go, but in theory with the internal and external worldbuilding it won't be bad. There will need to be some...tweaks so that the worldbuilding teams don't have to create entirely new things. I am cutting back my vision as much as possible to make development easier.
RedPotion: Has been the point person behind creating the interior elements of Vesper buildings. Vesper is a relatively small settlement in game (~10 permanent NPCs, with several who are more migratory workers or otherwise not located in the town proper).
Lord Alamar: Has finished weapons. Period. Also spent a good long while on armor, which is a feat in itself considering the vast array of new pieces and possible combinations with the smithing feature.
LSD Scripting. LOTS of scripting.
KaiserJohannes: Has been working on internal worldbuilding for Yew.
Hyena of Doom: Continuing on internal cell worldbuilding. He has nearly, if not already finished, Britain. Britain contains by my last reckoning about 70 unique PCs and literally hundreds of unique buildings. It was a major gamble to take on a city the size of Britain, but we nearly have.
I am likely skipping some important stuff, which I'll happily let team members update me on. There are additional people that are contributing but have yet to get back to me.
Back from obscurity Posted by: -Direhaggis- on 27 Jul 2011 06:55 am
I hate writing grants and doing the jobs of three people. I haven't had any time for the project and I feel bad.
My latest update is that the laptop I've been using for ~4 years finally went zoink on me. I have a Phoenix BIOS and start-up gave me a long beep followed by two short beeps. That means, I think, that my motherboard is toast.
I have no idea if I can replace the motherboard.
The good news is that my hard-drives are on there and are fine. I should presumably be able to get the data off them onto an external for ~100 bucks.
The better news is that I'm pretty sure my existing external has an up-to-date copy of all of the edits I've made in the last 5 months. God I hope so. If not, it's going to take some time to get all of my U9R files back.
Yes I know we are not a general Ultima news site, for that you go to Ultima Aiera (hi WTF Dragon!) and I also know that those news are not exaclty new but it's important enough for me to put it here:
Lord British interview about his past and his new company:
it's over 40 minutes long but I guarantee you it's worth watching.
He basically announces a new Ultima with a new concept based on his Ultima Online experiences and casual social gaming.
YES he used those two words us "hardcore" or "old" gamers hate, casual and social
But before you think, like I did at first, that this is just some nonsense he does on the side and will have no real value, dig deep and pull out the old confidence you all had in this man a few years ago and listen to him.
I mean, think back when he wanted to make Ultima Online. I was one of those who HATED him for that. I wanted my story driven single player Ultima IX, X, XI and beyond and he comes along with some multiplayer nonsense?
But we all know that he created something amazing, something unique and something that made the MMO market like it is today possible in the first place (calm down Everquest fans, I know that your little game existed too ).
Why shouldn't he be able to do the same thing now?
Anyway, what I am trying to say is, if he pulls off what he is talking about, giving players "roles" they can play, combine all the Farmvilles and Cafe Worlds out there to a New Britannia, then isnt' that exactly what Ultima always was? A world where you can do what you think you should be able to do within this world you see on your screen?
The incredible depth of interaction with the world and the mini games (if you want to call it that) are one aspect of Ultima that made me a fan of the series in the first place (the other big one being the story and the characters of course). So this might even be the next logical step.
What do you think? Can he do it?
I can't tell you why but I am convinced he can and I personally can not wait for his new game.
Ultima
community site with board & infos
).