Might Be Coming Back

[FingersMcSteal]

Well after a long time I'm finally thinking about making a return to that place you can never leave... Ultima Online.

Just thought I'd ask a few simple questions to bring me up to speed on developments.

Whats new & whats not... think that covers most of it lol, no seriously...
Things like which versions work with which builds / cores and the various tools that work and those that don't ???

Probably going to dig up some old files I used in the past, probably around version 5.0.9.1
It was around that time I stopped playing the pay shards and messing with the free shards too, just the era I'm happy with really nothing else.

Do custom shards still have a place in the free shard arena ???
Things like tools that patch maps and various other files still working ???
Or do people tend towards just running decrypted clients and use the standard game worlds and add custom content ???

Anyway, i'll thank anyone now who's got input to any of those questions... thanks

 

[Ravenwolfe]

Hey Fingers, good to see you back. Customs shards are still active in the freeshard world. Most people are using UOSteam nowadays as a client tool and the developers are working on a UOGateway type connection that will patch custom files on the fly.

I think most people are using a map tool called Centred+ (not sure on spelling) and Pandora's and UOFiddler are still somewhat working.

Mul's are most gone due to the new UOP files, but @Milva can probably chime in better on ways around that. I'm just a scripter.

 

[Hank]

FingersMcSteal it is really good to have you in the ServUO community. You have been a long time member of the RunUO community with positive and impressive results.

If you do not already know Servuo use to be ForkUO which was a fork of Runuo. Insanity and many other Dev's who will make themselves noticeable if you stick around have been working hard to get Serv up to date with SA and has already plans for updating to HS content. Active bug fixes and an even more active and gracious community then prior emu communites (imo)

Custom Shards (Not those era or giveaway shards) are still very much active. I myself am working on re-creating the world and using thousands of custom art. Beyond my play pen there are a few shards out there who have been online for a few years who are doing similar things. Off the top of my head UORoleplay and Teiravon are highly customized. I'm sure there are other amazing custom shard though. So that area is certainly long from dead.

I deal only with MUL files myself. I know that Razor, UOFiddler, WorldForge, UOLandscaper, UOArchitect, Dragon9, MulPatcher, CentrED+, and many others I am forgetting all still work very well IF the user knows what they are doing. Also i have used all the programs I've mentioned while working on my stuff.
I've been keeping an eye on every trace of a custom client and they all appear to be dead at the moment. Ultima Online is in dire need of a new client.

Also Post AOS era is the Golden Age in my opinion... AOS really ruined it.
Client Version 7.0.23.1 was the Last version with MUL files, everything past that uses UOP files. The community has not yet been fully able to decrypt the UOP encryption.

you can never leave... Ultima Online.

my life story.

 

[FingersMcSteal]

I'm busy installing the client at the moment to have a look into the Europa shard now (well later tonight). Going to maybe pay for a month or two and see what it's like in the 'pay to play' world.

Bugga'd if I'm paying for any expansions tho lol.

Been in my old shard and everything 'seems' to work ok, so I have that I could throw online maybe... might need to do some hovering up tho (wipe facet commands all round) and start over.

Most of the older tools are still sitting on hard drives N stuff so if I wanted to get back to those for the 5.0.9.1 era that's not too much of a problem, read a little about the UOP files but after 6.0.0.0 was when map's & towns (old haven) started to get messed up by EA. Still can't forgive EA for that, you don't just have an online game for years and then go screwing up maps like that.

As for patching tools I've not looked at UOSteam so might go take a look now. UOGateway... well no change there really. SelectUO... no comment about 'other' peoples work in there without mention Other than that slowly dipping my feet back into UO stuff.

 

[Hank]

I'll come right out and say that I dislike EA completely. RIP origin. (funny how they stole the name Origin for their client)

All of the tools I mentioned should still work with older UO versions aswell as the old mapsize 768x512

I wouldn't put any eggs in UOGateways or SelectUOs basket. ConnectUO is super dead. Most of the file patching has fallen back onto individual shards offering updated files or their version of a auto patcher. This brings a thought to my mind. You should check out Praxiiz's UltimaLive stuff, it is fairly newer and is really impressive.