Gilthas - Good evening and welcome to our 27th Ultima Online Celebrity Chat. The UOCC is a forum wherein we bring to you celebrity guests from the UO community ranging from OSI personnel to famous players from your very own shard. Guests drop by to answer your questions about UO, their experiences in it, and their contribution to the community.
Gilthas - Tonight's question takers are Kaltes, Kehleyr, and Joey. All you need to do is /msg or /query a designated question taker with your question. Please do not ask the other operators, or the guest your questions. They will be ignored.
Gilthas - Our guests tonight are Calandryll, Gromm, Augur, and Vex from the Ongoing Content Team. While we are waiting for questions, let's give our guests a chance to introduce themselves.
Calandryll_OSI - Hail all! Basically, I am the Lead Content Designer for the Ongoing Content team. It's my job to make sure we stay on schedule...
Calandryll_OSI - work with QA to make sure we don't over task them...
Calandryll_OSI - and keep the documention for both the content and the fiction together.
Calandryll_OSI - For the most recent scenario, I coded the two orc wearables and most of the savage's AI
* Gilthas throws the mic at Augur *
Gilthas - *pink* Oops.
* Augur catches it like a ninja. *
Augur - Heylo everyone. My name's Augur, I'm basically a little code and design monkey working along side the rest of the team.
Augur - In the last scenario I coded the new orc creatures, did the Orc Stronghold dungeon, and some..ur, other stuff.
Gromm - Hi, I'm Gromm, I'm one of the ongoing content designers. I help come up with the ideas for the new fiction driven stuff with Augur and Cal. In this first scenario I coded the bolas and the savage kin paint (don't hit me).
Vex - Howdy! I'm Vex. I've been a designer on the UO Live team for most of a year, now. I'll be splitting my time between my regular work on the Live Dev team and helping out with the Event Team for the next few weeks. With more bodies on the scenarios, we all hope to bring you something even better the next time around!

Gilthas - Go ahead Fade.
Fade - When does the team expect the orc "quest" to be over? And will there continue to be new "situations" in the future?
Calandryll_OSI - Well, it's kind of over now, except on Chessie since it was a week behind. Of course, players have to actually defeat the town attacks before they will stop.
Calandryll_OSI - To answer the second part, yes, we plan on doing more...we're already designing and coding the next one

Gilthas - A reminder folks: Our Guests tonight are from the Content Team, they will not be able to answer questions about factions, precasting, etc.
Gilthas - Thanks Fade.
Gilthas - Go ahead Greystar.
Greystar_Euro - Will there be any quests with prizes, like a house ?
Augur - Since the beginning of our work with the scenarios, we've been talking over and looking into exactly how we might go about adding "rewards" to scenarios
Augur - Basically little bonuses that go beyond things like items and gold and such - something specific to the quest.
Augur - In fact, we spent some time even today continuing our discussions on this. We've had some great suggestions from players as well on topics like Titles and other non-item rewards.
Augur - We're definitely looking at ways to add these sorts of bonuses into the scenarios, while still keeping them balanced and making sure that we have ways in the code to insure that everyone that performed the actions to get the reward actually gets them.
Augur - What we're definitely looking at, at the moment, is a way to make any such system a completely generic system, so it can be used for the scenarios as well as other systems in the future.
Vex - I can say with fair certainty that having something big like a single jackpot prize is unlikely. Among other problems we'd have to face is how to judge who the winner should be.

Gilthas - Anything to add Greystar?
Gilthas - Ok, thanks.
Gilthas - Reminder: Please only message the designated question takers (See topic), do not message myself or our Guests, thank you!
Gilthas - Go ahead Barrackas.
Barrackas - In future scenarios, would members of the content team consider perhaps, from time to time, logging in on a random shard when they're not busy and playing out the role of e.g. an orc captain or savage war-lord, leading a big attack on a town etc?
Calandryll_OSI - While I do agree that human controlled monsters are fun, we have two problems with doing it...
Calandryll_OSI - first, we're always busy. :) and second, considering there are only 4 of us, the likelyhood of actually being able to log on with any kind of consistancy is very low
Calandryll_OSI - that said, we're not necessarily against it
Calandryll_OSI - but first and foremost, its our jobs to make sure we meet our design, documentation, and coding deadlines
Augur - I think what we're also trying to do is identify all the little parts of what makes a player controlled creature fun to interact with.
Augur - Sure, there's the direct human to human interaction, where a person can roleplay with you and react better to what you're saying and doing in response to him
Augur - but I think there's also other factors that make it fun, that we can do through code (I hope)
Augur - some are as simple as the pure uniqueness of the creature, how it's an identifiable persona rather than just "an orc captain" or whatever, and sometimes it's just how super powerful it is and how you see tons of people come together to take one major guy down
Augur - So hopefully we can, at the least, take some of the other "fun" factors that come with a major person-controlled plot character and add them in with code as well ^_^
Gilthas - Anything to add Barrackas?
Barrackas - Nope, that's fine thanks :)

Gilthas - Go ahead, Kiara.
Kiara - The char's that went after pets... were those part of the original set up, or was that an added benefit when folks started invading the towns with 4 dragons in tow?
Calandryll_OSI - The idea was designed before the scenario even started, as a part of the savages' AI.
Calandryll_OSI - Of course, part of the reason was to make it dangerous for tamers to bring said four dragons based on previous experience.
Gilthas - You forgot riding the nightmare.
Calandryll_OSI - It also fit the savage's back-ground.
Kiara - Hey I like my nightmare! :P
Calandryll_OSI - Actually, the nightmares being knocked off with bolas and then killed wasn't a design so much as it was an interaction between two systems
Calandryll_OSI - that made it even more dangerous. :)
Kiara - so will they bring in something to get rid of the ethereal mounts?
Calandryll_OSI - right now, the bolas dont work on ethereals because of an unrelated bug that is actually fixed in publish 12
Calandryll_OSI - once that fix is on all the shards, the bolas will work on ethereals again
Kiara - excellent =)
Calandryll_OSI - :)
Kiara - Is it possible to bring in something that makes scenario npcs/monsters invulnerable to bard music? :)
Gilthas - Ooo, sneaky you are.
Gilthas - Hmm. We'll let this one pass.
Calandryll_OSI - actually, some of them already are...such as the orc brute
Augur - That ability already exists, and has existed for some time - I believe it was made for the rotting corpse originally.
Gilthas - Ok, anything to add Kiara?

Gilthas - Go ahead, Hildgar.
Hildgar - Thank you
Hildgar - I would like to know if the Orc Strong Hold will grow in Size as there are more secenrois
Hildgar - sorry about the spelling
Gromm - At this point anything is possible. Any point of interest such as the orc fort in this last scenario is now open season for new things to happen.
Gromm - Now that we have the ability, we really want to do some things in game that take something you take for granted and really shake it up.
Hildgar - I will like to also say that you did a great job in there, it has been fun.
Gromm - So in the future it's quite possible that any major landmark could get a few surprises.
Augur - Plus, there must be some use for all that wacky orc drilling equipment.
Hildgar - hehehe
Hildgar - true
Gilthas - I never knew the Orcs were that techincal.
Gilthas - Anything to add, Hildgar?
Augur - yes...veeerry strange.
Hildgar - nope
Gromm - They went to OTT.

Gilthas - Ok, thanks!
Gilthas - Ok Fade, you're up again.
Gilthas - Fade?
Gilthas - Wooo hoo?
Gromm - I won't go for the obvious pun here. :)

Gilthas - Ok we'll have to get back to him in a bit.
Gilthas - Go ahead, Emped.
Gilthas - People are falling asleep at the keyboard, apparently.
Gilthas - Emped?
Gilthas - Ok, let's try this..
Gilthas - <Emped> Ok.There.I want to know if there any quests exsisting for us Murderers players.cuz we want to enjoy them like everyone eles...
Calandryll_OSI - There aren't any plans to specifically make scenarios for murderers, but the last scenario happened just as much in Tram as it did in Fel (especially the Cove fort), so murderers could certainly participate.
Calandryll_OSI - As far as the parts that involve Trammel or in towns, well, that's sorta the price one pays for murdering innocent people. :)

Gilthas - Go ahead, Siofra.
Siofra - ug der, sio id beri happi fur da urks dat ju med fur orks tu clomp! Thanks so very much for this, it has helped all Orc Clans everywhere. Any plans to use orcs in the future? :) Noooogggrrraaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Gromm - Yes, indeed, Nograh, yes. :)
Siofra - guda!
Gromm - As far as the orcs go they're probably going to get a little bit of a break, they've had quite an exciting few weeks.
Siofra - dam, dem urks ned lutsa clompin! Neba tuu much!
Gromm - But that doesn't mean that we're done with them, we have way too much fun with the orcs. :)
Gromm - You know I was just thinking this morning "Neba tuu much", it's uncanny.
Siofra - dabu beri much, sio id beri happi tu ged dat
Siofra - sio sen mani pidjuns tu orks!
Gilthas - Gut aneting tu ad?
* Gilthas doesn't speak Orc well *
Siofra - nub, dabu beri much!
Gromm - Ugruk smash.

Gilthas - Nograh!
Gilthas - Go ahead, Sapon.
Sapon - thank you
Sapon - i was wondering if you plan on keeping the current forts conqured by the savages.
Sapon - Also, is there a yet undiscovered savage stronghold?
Augur - Absolutely, at this time. That is to say, if in some future scenario there's a reason to change them, then that's possible, but the whole concept has been to change the world in noticable ways
Augur - and have that change affected by the players' actions as much as possible.
Augur - So for the Cove fort, there were basically two little battle zones, each of which could be pushed back by the players by killing the associated creatures
Augur - if you didn't kill those creatures for a while, it would grow bigger, if you did, it would grow smaller.
Sapon - I see
Sapon - And are there any plans for expanding the savage theme?
Augur - Once one was completely destroyed, that determined which group controlled the fort (and also if they moved to another area, as with the savages)
Gilthas - Ooo, careful, you're a sneaky one too.
Sapon - :P
Augur - Maybe, maybe not - you'll have to find out along with everyone else ^_^
Augur - I'll just say that we really really don't ever want to leave any loose ends.
Sapon - good enough for now, thanks
Gilthas - Anything else to add, Sapon? =)
Sapon - well...
Sapon - hehe, I just havn't figured out the tribal spear, is it unique in any way?
Gilthas - Sheesh!
Gilthas - Real quick, we need to give others a chance. =0
Sapon - That's it for me :P
Calandryll_OSI - the tribal spear is about the same as a spear of force
Sapon - thanks
Gilthas - Got 'em before he could get another one out.
Gilthas - Thanks Sapon. =)

Gilthas - Go ahead, Colin.
Colin_Mor - Thank you Gilthas....thank you all for your time this eve....
Colin_Mor - Gromm and Calandryll? Given the Scenarios are a multitude of threads woven like a strong rope..correct? (weaving and looping..some disappearing then reappearing perhaps...like a braid) at what level or qualifications(other than the obvious genre) does "new" fiction need to possess to be reviewed for potential use?
* Calandryll_OSI turns on his universal translator *
Gilthas - Translation: Can we submit content?
Gilthas - =)
Calandryll_OSI - well, first, new fiction has to make sense (I know, obvious)
Calandryll_OSI - as far as the genre, it's hard to say what UO's genre is...if you look at Ultima Prime for example, we had everything from Dragons, to power-armor, to crossbows that shot three bolts at a time
Calandryll_OSI - so Ultima, as a fictional basis, is a very open genre
Calandryll_OSI - that said, I think we can all agree, that taking things from Ultima Prime and twisting it a bit to fit UO is preferrable
Gromm - A lot of the old Ultima Prime fiction we enjoy toying around with but it's difficult at time to manage. Here we have UO that basically started it's own time line as soon as the stranger shattered the gem
Gromm - At times I almost think of it like X-Men. They started as a comic, then made TV shows and movies and never twice have they told the whole story the same way. We have to take that into consideration when we tell these stories cause we don't want to pull old fiction and just rehash it completely.
Colin_Mor - Followup...how is this brainstorming meeting conducted...roundtable or watercooler�.ball and chain or flail *snickers ? (bring a light to us on the vision that is your genesis of thought) hehe
Calandryll_OSI - nothing so interesting, usually in drab meeting rooms with big white-boards :)
Colin_Mor - gah....I can now feel for you more....those are drab rooms...indeed....my thanks again for surviving them..heheh
Gilthas - Colin_Mor, anything else to add?
* Colin_Mor sits down thankfully and nods....understood. *

Gilthas - OK folks, we'll be rapping up in about ten minutes, so get your questions in. Please remember to PM only the question takers (see topic), thanks!
Gilthas - Go ahead, Kuju.
Kuju - Are you going to be doing any events that are only in Ilshenar or stories that lead into Ilshenar? I remember reading things about how the land there is less static than the fel/tram lands, and you could blow up towns, etc... if you chose. Do we have that to look forward to?
Calandryll_OSI - yes, future scenarios could take place in Ilshenar...can't say when though, as I don't want to give anything away
Calandryll_OSI - that said, we also will continue to make sure stuff happens in Tram/Fel for those that have uo3d
Calandryll_OSI - but it is possible that major parts of a scenario could take place in Ilshenar
Kuju - :)
Gilthas - Anything else to add, Kuju?
Gilthas - Ok, we need to move on. =)

Gilthas - Go ahead inu.
inu - I loved the immunity items like the kin masks and the savage paint, will there be any more immunity items from other creatures in the future?
Calandryll_OSI - probably not in the near future, we'd rather not rehash items. more fun to add completely new stuff! :)
inu - ok :)

Gilthas - Ok folks, getting down to the last few minutes. We'll be finishing up with a few more questions here..
Gilthas - Thanks inu.
Gilthas - Go ahead, Caius_Palter_GL.
Caius_Palter_GL - Will there be any new MOBs like the savages? I heard a rumor about a flesh elemental
Calandryll_OSI - Of course. Part of the reason for the scenarios is to introduce new monsters, new "races" are always a possibility
Calandryll_OSI - no plans to make new elementals at the moment though

Gilthas - Ok, we'll be doing two more questions.
Gilthas - Go ahead, Zeromus_
Zeromus_ - Is part of the scenarios project to give UO a permenant active fiction to accompany it (say, through the other power indicated in the fiction which went with this scenario) or do you plan to stick to more compact story arcs and self-contained Scenarios?
Calandryll_OSI - Absolutely. The scenarios aren't meant to be a bunch of short stories... many future scenarios will play off the ones before it. Think of the scenarios as
Calandryll_OSI - chapters in a book...a book that you get to play a part in...you're just finished chapter one.

Gilthas - Ok, thanks Zeromus!
Gilthas - Coming up on our last question here folks, one second.
Gilthas - Go ahead, ArctiC[ToD].
ArctiC[ToD] - rock on
ArctiC[ToD] - Was it always intended to introduce ridgebacks exclusively through the scenario?
Augur - We wanted to add a new ridable as part of the scenario, and always as part of the savage side, as it fit their character and the concept we had for them
Augur - The ridgeback was a natural selection, as it was a good, completely different type of creature with a very natural, "old world", sort of primitive look and feel to it
Augur - so yes. :)
Augur - at least once we started looking for a ridable that fit
Gilthas - An addition to that question: How exactly will you explain these ridgebacks? Will there be fiction relating to their history, as well as the Savages' origin in a future scenario?
Gilthas - Hah, I'm sneaky now. =)
Augur - As I said before, I think we're always going to be looking to make sure we don't leave any loose end laying about
Augur - how long it takes to introduce the story behind everything is another matter however
Augur - some mysteries make be long term, some may be answered real quick within scenarios or over the course of a couple.

Gilthas - Ok ArctiC[ToD], thanks!
Gilthas - This concludes tonight's Ultima Online Celebrity Chat. Thanks to all of you for attending tonight, and special thanks to our guest(s) for coming and answering questions, and our question takers for their work.
Gilthas - Please e-mail [email protected] if you have any suggestions regarding future topics or guests. Tonight's log will be posted at http://uohoc.stratics.com shortly. Have a wonderful night everyone!
Gilthas - If your question was not answered, check out the Scenario FAQ located HERE.
Gromm - Tip your waitress!

Gilthas - And don't forget to spay or neuter your pets!
Augur - night folks!
Calandryll_OSI - thanks everyone!

Gilthas - Thanks for coming, folks.