Ultima Online: Samurai Empire OFFICIALLY Announced

[psz]

Ultima Online: Samurai Empire
Selling price: $29.99

Short Description

Samurai Empire marks a new era in the legendary online RPG with the addition of two deadly professions to master, the Samurai and the Ninja, and an exotic Japanese-themed land to explore and build on.

Features


Become a fearsome Samurai, dedicating yourself to the ar of Bushido, with powerful new skills to learn, an deadly weapons to master.
Join the elite clan of Ninja, submitting to the discipline of Ninjitsu, as you learn stealth, deception and the art of assassination.
A vast array of new Japanese-inspired weapons, armor, clothing, house tiles, magic and monsters

EA ANNOUNCES ULTIMA ONLINE: SAMURAI EMPIRE
New expansion to the legendary online game will feature

Japanese-inspired lands, creatures and professions

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 15, 2004 -- Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company, today announced that the next expansion pack for Ultima OnlineÔ (UO) will be called Ultima Online: Samurai Empire. The highly-anticipated expansion pack marks a new era in the celebrated massively multiplayer online game by setting the adventure in an exotic Japanese-inspired land, and by featuring two deadly new professions for players to master - the Samurai and the Ninja. Ultima Online: Samurai Empire will be distributed by EA under the EA GAMES™ brand and is scheduled to ship November 2004.

“Ultima Online players, who have strong emotional ties to the franchise and who have hundreds—if not thousands—of hours invested in the game have been clear about what they want from an Ultima Online expansion pack,� said Anthony Castoro, producer of Ultima Online at EA. “In addition to delivering what the fans have asked for, namely new professions, lands and skills, Ultima Online: Samurai Empire combines the European high fantasy of Ultima Online with the exotic Japanese culture of the Samurai and the Ninja.�

Traveling around a mysterious Asian environment filled with exotic beasts, expansive dungeons and scenic housing areas, players can strive to become a fierce Samurai, dedicated to the art of Bushido and focused on learning new physical combat abilities. These skills include Lightening Strike, a ferocious and fast single attack with a 50 percent hit bonus; Whirlwind, where a Samurai’s powers increase as the number of enemies he’s fighting multiply; and Honorable Execution, which is an attempt to eliminate an enemy with a single attack.

Players also have the choice of joining the elite ranks of the Ninja, where they will concentrate on magical combat and stealth. The Ninja player will master many deadly arts that include Smoke Bomb, which they use to make themselves disappear. By using Animal Form, Ninjas can turn into seemingly harmless creatures like wolves and serpents, allowing them to move freely among their enemies. With the Mirror Image skill, Ninjas can confuse their enemies by creating up to four mirror images of themselves.

In addition to becoming either a Samurai or Ninja, players will have new house customization themes and decorations to use as they build new homes or modify existing homes. For instance, players can start by constructing a simple dojo and then build it into a massive Japanese-themed castle. The adventurous will be rewarded with a vast array of new Japanese-inspired items such as weapons, armor, clothing and house tiles.

Launched in 1997, Ultima Online was a pioneer in the world of online gaming and defined the category of massively multiplayer Internet-based entertainment and is still recognized as the most immersive of any online world. Ultima Online is offered in six languages and is played in more than 100 countries located in every time zone. The game stands as the longest-running online subscription-based game in history. More information on Ultima Online can be found at www.uo.com.

UO.STRATICS.COM has screenshots, descriptions, and maps.

[Kyrama]

Thats interesting they're making a new expansion pack but you would think they could find something more interesting to make it on.

Some of the things in the EP sound good but the whole ninja thing doesn't appeal to me.

[darkstorm]

This is exciting news. They will FINALLY add new 2d tiles and equipment. They didn't really do that for years (oh please the crappy weapons they added to the 2d client in aos were just an excuse).

So lets see how this turns out.

[Waverian]

That name makes me want to vomit.

"Hrm.. What can we do for our next expansion. We've got dragons and mythological beasts.. Paladins and Necromancers.. THAT'S IT! WE'RE MISSING NINJAS!"

What a random thought. They're clearly out of relevant ideas, and this is a pitiful attempt to hide it.

*EDIT: I just had to laugh hysterically when I saw this:



Is it just me, or do those look like they're images pasted onto the screen? Heh.

And now that I look at some of the ideas and such, they've got some really cool concepts. Mirror images, new actually inventive creatures... but they've gone about it totally wrong with this theme, in my opinion.

[Cmonkey123]

Originally Posted by Waverian

*EDIT: I just had to laugh hysterically when I saw this:



Is it just me, or do those look like they're images pasted onto the screen? Heh.

Um, they are...

That doesn't even look like UO.

I really think this expansion sounds like a step in the right direction. Sure the title sounds silly, but it shows they are putting more attention into their updates and expansions.

[Waverian]

Well that makes sense then. :P

[DontdroptheSOAD]

I think that conference was just a ploy i think they new what they wer gonna make in the beginning and just paid those people for publicity.

[Cmonkey123]

Originally Posted by DontdroptheSOAD

I think that conference was just a ploy i think they new what they wer gonna make in the beginning and just paid those people for publicity.

They were going to make in the beginning. Those people were paid so OSI could get ideas on how to improve the game in the next expansion; they had already planned it...

[DontdroptheSOAD]

ninja looks crappy and you think they could at least use another pose :/

[psz]

To those people who seem to want to think UO shouldn't have Asian stuff:

Ultima 1 had an Asian section, and Ultima 5 Magincia was Asian.

This is nothing NEW to the Ultima universe (Just like Technology wasn't). It's just FINALLY being re-added.

[Waverian]

That's not really the point. I'm not disputing the fact that they were there, but in my opinion ( key point... ), I don't think it belongs in this particular atmosphere.

Maybe it's just my preference for the rp that UO currently supports making me think this way, I dunno'. It's just a personal preference. *Shrugs*

[cward]

Originally Posted by Waverian

That's not really the point. I'm not disputing the fact that they were there, but in my opinion ( key point... ), I don't think it belongs in this particular atmosphere.

Maybe it's just my preference for the rp that UO currently supports making me think this way, I dunno'. It's just a personal preference. *Shrugs*

Adding a new map will make it fir into the atmosphere. Its still around the same timeline. Thats like saying Japan doesn't fit into our atmosphere. Its a different culture, but that doesn't mean it doesn't fit in.

[TheOutkastDev]

Some people complain wwaaaayyy too much.

Its ironic, some of you bash UO at every chance you get, yet here you are, a member of a community dedicated to emulating it.

Seriously, write your own MMORPG that spans 6+ years, then you can talk shit.

[cward]

Originally Posted by TheOutkastDev

Some people complain wwaaaayyy too much.

Its ironic, some of you bash UO at every chance you get, yet here you are, a member of a community dedicated to emulating it.

Seriously, write your own MMORPG that spans 6+ years, then you can talk shit.

Exactly!

[DontdroptheSOAD]

I only take issue to the graphics :/
I really think they could have done a better job.

With millions and millions of dollars they can afford to hire tod mcfarlen again.

[Waverian]

Overreact much?

I made it overly clear I was presenting my opinion. I wasn't "bashing uo," nor was anyone else here.

[sidsid]

todd mcfarlan commited hari kari after they asked him about working on jap themed creatures.

[DontdroptheSOAD]

Yeah but he has good ideas maybe they should listen to him ^_^.

[Halciet]

That's a matter of opinion. I hated his ideas/creations, and I think the majority of them look out of place (save maybe a few critters like the Moloch). I'm glad they didn't hire him to do the art again; robo-Blackthorn aggrivated the hell out of me.

As for the SE graphics, I think the actual models look fairly nice; I mean, they're detailed and well designed in general, but in that pic posted in this thread, they were just cut/paste over the background with no drop-shadowing. In the other images on stratics, they actually blend in fairly well to the environment.

I dunno, it's not so bad over all. Sure, a lot of it will probably suck, but what do I care? I play in the emulator community, all that matters to me is that they give us some fresh graphics/system ideas to work with and incorporate into our own servers. The only thing I hate is that they'll probably create a seperate map for the new lands; why couldn't they just expand the ocean size and each time they create a new area and add it as an island? It's not like they couldn't do it; Asheron's Call did.

But that Samurai "Whirlwind" thing...don't they already have an attack named whirlwind in the Book of Arms?

-Hal

[mr_wuss]

Originally Posted by TheOutkastDev

Some people complain wwaaaayyy too much.

Its ironic, some of you bash UO at every chance you get, yet here you are, a member of a community dedicated to emulating it.

Seriously, write your own MMORPG that spans 6+ years, then you can talk shit.

pwnd

[Cmonkey123]

Originally Posted by Waverian

Overreact much?

I made it overly clear I was presenting my opinion. I wasn't "bashing uo," nor was anyone else here.

Actually you were...

[AllBrain]

This got me thinking, who here thinks that the RunUO community, given the specifications and graphics for the expansion pack, could produce it faster and less buggy than Origin if they were both to start at the same time?

Bear in mind that this is the same Origin that have only just got around to adding the boxes for gorget, necklace etc. in the 2d client when the 3d client has had them for two years and think that they might finally have luck working.

I personally think some of the features of this expansion are good. I especially like some of the guild features they mention like win conditions on wars and ranks etc.

*still thinks they should never have stopped development of Ultima Online 2 though*

/grump

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by DontdroptheSOAD

I only take issue to the graphics :/
I really think they could have done a better job.

With millions and millions of dollars they can afford to hire tod mcfarlen again.

Ok call EA 1-800-Fund-NOW

Tell them you want to spent the 12 million dollars to hire new programmers, and spent the 18 months on the client to make it better, which includes redoing all the art, sound, and client code.

Otherwise stop complain about the graphics.

[mr_wuss]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Ok call EA 1-800-Fund-NOW

Tell them you want to spent the 12 million dollars to hire new programmers, and spent the 18 months on the client to make it better, which includes redoing all the art, sound, and client code.

Otherwise stop complain about the graphics.

pwnd again, on a roll here.

UO will never look like farscape. UO isnt about looks.

[DontdroptheSOAD]

Originally Posted by mr_wuss

pwnd again, on a roll here.

UO will never look like farscape. UO isnt about looks.

not quite.

Phantom are you arguing the fact that they have excess of millions?
cause if you are than you are wrong. They have more than a million players. 12.95 X 1,000,000 = 12,950,000 dollars a month. Not to mention all the advanced features ie: Player, Trading.. os on so forth.