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Ultima Online X Rumored In Development?
According to Ultima Online Stratics, the new issue of GMR Magazine (as found in EB stores) has a column leaking details about "Ultima-X", which is apparently Origin/EA's new MMORPG. A quote from the article goes as follows: "It's going to surprise you. I can't say anything just yet except maybe three quick words: Unreal Warfare engine." The writer of the column has since turned up on online forums indicating that he was told to hold the news, but the magazine had already gone to press. This is a fascinating rumor that initially seems to pass the smell test - stay tuned for more details.
I loved UO. It was the best MMORPG I have ever played (that is, before they implemented the Tram/Fel split. It all went downhill after that).
If a new MMORPG based on the Ultima universe is indeed being developed, it will have one hell of a time living up to, let alone surpassing, the great game that UO used to be. Although my interest in MMOG's has faded since the UO days, I still remember eagerly awaiting UO2 when those first few screenshots were released.
Best of luck to the devs.
How are they dealing with the scaling of MMOG games? I wasn't aware that the UWE engine was particularly good at very large environments, but perhaps they are overhauling it, or have built in some untaped functionality. They are using it for Tribes: Vengance after all, a traditionally 'huge outdoor' environment game series. Looks quite promising..
EA has totally squandered the great Origin Legacy. They had rights to the name Privateer, one of the best space-based trading games in the history of video games and released "Earth and Beyond" which capitalized neither on a great brand name nor the experience of Origin so that the game wouldn't suck.
Richard Gariot, the creator of the origin franchise saw the handwriting on the EA wall long ago and bolted. He's now working on Liniage 2.
As far as I'm concerned EA doesn't have the tallent to produce a true successor to the ultima universe. They let a widely popular MMORPG rot on the vine, they failed to captialize on the incredible brandnames of "Wing Commander", "Privateer", and "Ultima" and have let them all die.
Ultima *IS* Lord British, he's the soul of the game and the talent that makes it worthwhile. So don't hold your breath on this one.