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Ultima producer's letter talks classic shard
Classic Ultima Online servers have been talked about so much over the years that nowadays most people usually shrug, roll their eyes, or point you to a private server whenever the topic comes up. Game forums around the web are usually the starting (and stopping) point for such discussions, as creaky old-timers wax on about how great the genre was prior to the MMORPG equivalent of the Endless September. When Ultima Online's current producer writes about classic shards, however, it becomes a bit more interesting than wishful speculation. In a producer's letter dated August 13th, Calvin Crowner indicates that a classic shard is being subjected to serious internal discussions in order to determine the appropriate business model and assess all the risks. He also intimates that a definitive answer will likely be forthcoming prior to the end of the year. Go easy on the celebrations though, as Crowner points out that it's not quite as simple as bringing back old customers. "It [a classic shard] needs to draw, along with the hype, an audience truly interested in understanding that before there were games on rails, there was a game built on skill and the thrill of a game with consequence."
STO's Season One: Update Two soft lands today
Star Trek Online players are in for a treat today as Cryptic's next content patch hits the servers. Titled in such a way that we think they're going to count to 10 eventually, Season One: Update Two (Mark Three, Variant Four, Version Five) comes bundled with a number of new features and quality of life improvements for all to enjoy. The premiere features of this patch are the new Accolade and Squad Support systems. Accolades are your basic MMO achievements with a Star Trek veneer, although if you collect enough of them, you can earn real benefits for your character (such as passive resistances) in addition to titles. All we can say is that if there isn't an accolade for the number of "Picard Maneuvers" you've done, then Cryptic needs to get on that and make it so. Squad Support is a new version of Cryptic's famous Sidekick system from City of Heroes. It paves the way for friends of varying levels to group together for missions and fleet actions by temporarily raising or lowering the rank of the group to match the squad leader's. Season One: Update Two contains several other additions, so head over to STO's site and check them out!
