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Ultima Online Heads for 7th Birthday With Anniversary Edition

Posted by simoniker on from the seven-year-itch dept.

Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting an EA press release noting a special 7th Anniversary Edition of Ultima Online has been announced, featuring the game plus the "five [previously released] expansion packs... one of seven rare and powerful anniversary [in-game] gifts... and a collector's edition of the Ultima Online Fan Guide", as well as a "full version of the classic Ultima IX: Ascension." The official UO site has a picture of the box, and over at UO Stratics, they have clarification from UO's lead programmer, part of the California-transplanted Ultima Online team, that "the primary motivation to release the Anniversary Edition is to get UO back on store shelves until the [late 2004-due] expansion is complete. At the same time we were looking for ways to give players some value [also including 'an extra character slot'] that would complement the package."

3 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Re:7th anniversary? by GearType2 · · Score: 2, Informative

    UO has celebrated every year their anniversary[bad grammer I know, i'm getting ready for work]. Although never like this, they always do something.

  2. Re:Classic? by Wtcher · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...were so buggy? The only major bug in UVII: Black Gate at first release was the key bug, where you would lose a key whenever you went to sleep - but they quickly fixed that with a patch (I admit it was the first time I ever had to patch a game, though). I don't remember encountering any game-breaking bugs in UVIII either, aside from that game simply not being finished. In Serpent Isle, there was a room that you couldn't leave after entering - of course, that room was an easter egg anyway, so it did not at all affect the gameplay.

    I'm not saying none were buggy, but I think you exaggerate overly much. ;)

    --
    ----- Wtcher Dragon, UDIC
  3. Re:Ultima IX: Ascension by Wetterschneider · · Score: 3, Informative

    Thanks. You picked up on the one aspect of U:A that really turned out the way we hoped - the hand-sculpted continent. It's true - every single polygon on the entire landmass was tweaked into place in an attempt to make a smallish map feel like a huge one to the player and present, at the same time, all kinds of picturesque vistas. I'm truly saddened that the gameplay was clunky, erratic and buggy - that it was rushed out the door in a less-than-polished state. But the art team came through - and we did what we set out to do - that is, make a game that people might want to boot up just to wander around for a bit, taking a little virtual vacation in Britannia.