OGRank - UO questions answered

I have noticed some lag lately while I've been playing. Is anything being done to address this?
Ando: Yes, the Dev team is working to find a resolution to this issue as soon as possible. Currently we know that this issue only appears to be affecting certain parts of the world and is more noticeable on some shards than it is on others.

Sometimes I feel like nobody actually looks at my question when I page a GM. Are you guys robots?
Lead GM Hugo: Are we robots? That's an age old question for us in In-Game Support. The short answer is no, but what a great idea!

You see, each UO petition is reviewed (in real time) by a live person and addressed on an individual basis. Our GM's responses are actively reviewed and measured as to ensure the highest accuracy and quality possible. Wow, just think about it! If we employed robots who didn't care about properly identifying your issue, nor what information they gave you in return; we could save a ton of money!

Unfortunately, accuracy and quality are two determining factors we're just not willing to sacrifice. We understand that when you have exhausted all your efforts and reach out to us for help, you need it as soon as possible. So, that's our mission. We aim to get the most accurate information in your hands as quickly as "humanly" possible. Believe it or not, we often come across the same question multiple times. We'll typically take the necessary time to write about it in detail at http://www.support.ea.com. If that's the case, we're more than happy to assist your retrieval of that information. Don't forget, we're here to help you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred sixty-five days a year.

Are you going to be doing town hall events again soon? If so, what cities?
Darkscribe: Yes, we are hoping to get on the road again in late summer or fall. We'll have plenty to talk about right around then. As for what cities, those are TBD. I'd love to get back to Austin for a visit (I miss the barbecue quite a bit), and going back to DC might be fun. That was perhaps the most memorable town hall meeting from last year, where we met the infamous Drunk Guy. We are very open to suggestions.

When are we going to hear more about the anti-scripting initiative you've been hinting at?
MrTact: Soon. Very soon.

Any plans to change or get rid of insurance or maybe even bring something in where everyone has their items blessed?
Darkscribe: No. With all the planning we are doing for so many different things, changing the insurance system is pretty far down the list. If you don’t like insurance, please play on Siege or Mugen. There are plenty of folks there waiting to take your stuff.

Do you have any ideas on how we can get more players to play in Felucca?
Darkscribe: Yes. First off, we have to make PvP and combat more balanced and more fun. "One template rules all" or "one set of high-level items rules all" isn’t fun. Also, "one hit, one kill, battle over before you know what happened" isn’t a good experience. So, we want to first fix the core mechanics of PvP. After that, then we’ll deal with the "why PvP?" question.

Any plans to add content or spruce up existing content in the original lands (Britannia itself)?
Darkscribe: Yes. I will continue to drop hints until someone has to sweep them up. Follow the clues within the in-game story arc involving Inu. Soon, there will be puzzles to solve that will lead players to an amazing revelation. If players don’t reveal the secret, then they’ll hear about it from a press release a couple weeks later, but I’m betting on the players to find it first.

I like some of the changes for PvP in pub 40, but you left in one of the most glaring problems: hit procs like hit lower defense, mana leech, etc. Any plans to address those anytime soon?
MrTact: Yes, we want to look into those, we just ran out of time. My current thought is to scale the amount of the effect based on the speed of the weapon, so a consistent amount of the effect is applied regardless of how fast your weapon is.

Got any changes planned in Pub41 for Bushido?
MrTact: Most of the stuff that was originally scheduled for pub 41 has been pushed back to a later date. So, no.

My eyes! Are you looking into this sudden influx of garishly colored clothing?
Darkscribe: Ah yes, the dreaded duping bug that creates eye searing hues on some items. We will be fixing that as soon as we're able.

It's really hard to sneak around these days. Do you have any plans to take a look at stealth vs. passive detect?
Wilki: Definitely. The stealth/hiding/detection system needs to be readjusted so that it's possible to sneak around other players and monsters without such a high chance of detection. We'll also look at detect hidden, and the reveal spell as well. We've seen some good ideas from the community, so please feel free to comment more on the forums.

Occasionally I have noticed that my client has been crashing since Pub40 was released. Is this something that will have to wait until Pub41 to get fixed?
Ando: The QA team has reproduced two separate crashes. The first one involves the targeting system and the Dev team is currently working on a fix for this. The second appears to involve Elven containers, and the QA team is in the process of providing the Dev team with all the information they need to locate the root cause of this issue. The Dev team would like to release a fix for these issues as early as next week if possible.

Are there any possible plans for the 9th anniversary?
Darkscribe: Yes! There will be a new boxed product that we will be announcing shortly that will go on sale in September, just in time for the anniversary. There are a couple remaining details to work out before we can give all the details. This new product will contain not one, but two new housing tile sets, both of which are quite different from anything currently in the game. And no, this anniversary box isn’t the secret that will be revealed when you solve the puzzles surrounding Inu. The spring flowers are still very much in bloom