Positive and constructive feedback :)

First of all the game is looking awesome !

The graphic performance for my low-end computer has at least improved 1000% since the last 5 releases, the amount of patches and quality of corrections reminds me of the greatness of OSI, reading the patch notes is always a pleasure we can see the degree of professionalism and this is very reassuring for the future of this game.

The POTs are awesome and make the game feel much more alive and bigger... the performance in Rat's nest was very fluid for me, better than other unity games for a similar amount of content.

Constructive feedback for the intro scene :

- Please make the path to the gypsy kind of mysterious, its fun to appear in the dark and have all this unfolding scene before we "get to the point" don't be shy of putting more details and interactivity its the first impression when you join !
- The gypsy should be surrounded with others and in a tent or something more old school please, I've learned to expect much better from your art team ! You should feel attracted to her naturally and her stability and mysteriousness should also affect the lighting and the scene... make lights flare when you approach her... something eerie and magical. Maybe the gypsies are playing music around a fire... it should feel like out of this world, we're floating in space after all.
- The questions should be a tad more complex, it really isn't clear that we're actually choosing your paths, it feels like she's just trying to ask us if we're rude or a gentleman... voting for one virtue never meant voting against another, virtues add and multiply upon each other and clearly a neutral non-virtuous path should be offered or you will be loosing alot of players.
- Path of the thief should also be considered, its considered fun by many and since the oracle is there to protect the weak I think we should consider it asap.
- Give a two layer meta-meaning to the meeting with the gypsy, let her deal you cards that also choose a part of your "future" but in truth are hidden "bonuses" that you can unlock only if you're attentive enough.

Thanks, everyone is entitled to my opinion so please feel free to comment and add more positive constructive comments

 

There's nothing I don't agree with here. The scene is a start for sure and it's really shaping up. But it does need some more creative love and polish. I would like to see more variety in the questioning. More depth. In the interest of tradition Arabella could have asked questions regarding the 8 virtues. Which then could have been tallied at the end under the umbrella of one of the Oracle paths. Just one of the many ways it could be made less static and give old Ultima players that jolt of nostalgia we all so crave that just is not happening with the present set up. If it doesn't jive with the lore though or there are copyright issue, I will zip it about this.

 

I was impressed with Arabella's ability to understand my answers to her questions, considering there was no highlighted text to indicate what she would respond to, and I tried to avoid the words 'truth', 'love', 'courage' or anything similar.

I was never a fan of labelling the responses with a particular virtue - even back in U4 it felt slightly jarring. I can understand doing it for the sake of those who just want to pick a specific path, and not role play the interview, but it makes the experience feel somehow impersonal to me, like I'm not really considering how I would act but just deciding which virtue I feel closest to. Often the virtue can be easily inferred from the scenario, so if one is inclined to pick a specific path, you don't need to be told that you are 'truthfully' delivering all the gold rather than 'lovingly' giving the beggar a coin.

I like the OP's suggestions and am looking forward to see what happens with the scene after the first pass in this release!

 

I would like the gypsy to be a real gypsy and not some lady out of a fashion magazine speaking on behalf of Lord British and the inhabitants of Novia

 

I have ideas on this, but will reserve commenting here until I have actually run through the intro sequence. More to come later, that could offer ways to expound on what Ahu has already set out there.

 

Sweet

@Vaentorian : I was also surprised by the gypsy's abilities to read me too because I never replied once to her questions, when she asked about the beggar I answered with another question because it was unclear :

I said : "Does the beggar looks like he's about to die because if he's not critical then maybe I would come back later and give him some of my own money ?"

She automatically thought I was going for the beggar... which irritated me... and the other questions were exactly the same, when I asked for more precision to make my decision she thought I already answered.

So I was thrown on the path of love, but I was so irritated I wouldn't have shown much love on my arrival to britannia, I felt more like kicking some shades back to the dust and mauling skeletons

 

Sal lythe path of the thief should wait still some episode, but I want to manage one. =)

 

Ok... I've had a few minutes to delete and recreate my character so that I can run through the new character experience, and I love the nostalgic feel of the questions. I also love the concept of the Isle of Storms itself... although, perhaps some... storms? *grins*

I know this is a WIP, but here we go with my additions to Ahu's CC's:

The Isle: I love the atmosphere of the Isle, and as I stated before, the concept involved. However, I think this could do with a little extra opportunities for exploration. Perhaps some "island-hopping", where the isles are more shrouded in storms, with bits and pieces being revealed to you as you progress, like a small in-game cinematic that spectacularly reveals the view of New Britannia. All of this in the process of simply getting to Arabella?

Now, as for the questions, I think we have some room to expound on these a little bit. Rather than simply popping up in front of Arabella, and diving nearly straight in to the questions, perhaps the questions could be delivered more obliquely, in the form of mini-scenes that record your choices by your actions rather than your words? The questions and the way they were delivered were awesome for their time, and the straightforward, tarot-like reading format in which they were posed was both an awesome bit of atmosphere, and a limitation of the time. Not saying that they could not have created mini-adventures that you proceeded through in order to provide your answers back then, but rather it would not have had the visual and atmospheric effect that is possible with the very well scripted 3d scenes of which we are now capable. Perhaps the two can possibly be combined with Arabella's voice guiding us from challenge to challenge in a Guardian-style disembodied voice, prior to completing the final challenge and coming to meet her face to face, where she informs you where your choice has left you in beginning with this new world? Also, during the challenges, the player can be given the ability to learn the skills he or she will be using to complete the challenges, as well as choose from a range of equipment deemed suitable for the path they ultimately choose, giving the player a little more control over the initial build than "Hey, you answered some questions! Isn't this Bow and quiver full of Arrows fantastic? Good luck with that!"

Lastly, the challenges/questions themselves. As has already been stated, I believe that the original questions worked well for the original single player games, as their focus has ever been on the virtues after U4. However, with the advent of UO, for good or ill, you now have the faction view of chaos to consider. (Yes, I know Chaos is not a UO specific thing, but it came into prominence in the multiplayer realm with UO, as far as I have seen.) So, perhaps there should be some more chaotic or non-Love/Truth/Courage specific options made available for those who would actually choose a non-Britannian path?

Just some thoughts that I believe could add greatly to the initial experience of the game and maybe provide a greater hook and depth to it overall.

 

The current Gypsy is a placeholder the new one will be based on Lord British's wife.

 

@ OP - If you are talking about Arabella, I agree with many of your points. When I first visited the floating Isle of Storms for the first time, I thought it a bit odd that she was the only person there. Where does she get her food from? She would have to continuously go through the rift to get her provisions.

 

Haha yes, and well a gipsy will tell you your future... not ask you some questions and then thats it... pretty please add some random or hidden elements that I will need to fetch later on, add some luck to the equation even if we're 10000 (optimistic number?) on the path of love, not everybody should have the same cards... unless you don't beleive in luck and think tarot readers are infaillible

The goal of pulling random cards is getting some guidance because "your body" knows so it should in theory chose the right cards if quantum science is to be trusted, and since we're the avatar which literally means "descended from the divine" and not some random ascending human who wants to become the avatar, then the rule applies even more. The Avatar "knows" which cards to pick because of his divine intuition, but that dosen't mean he knows how to interpret the cards, this is another venue through which the dev team will be able to add side quests later on when they have time.

I think thats mainly my problem with giving feedback about such things... I know RG and TH really are good storytellers and know what they are doing and most people think that when we discuss about it that it must mean alot of dev time and thus less good *insert pet peeve here*. But as I've been saying all along for a siege perilous instance, or for those random cards Arabella Gariott will hand you : it dosen't need to be implemented right away.

Please add those elements so it lets us wonder when and where it will finally be made clear to us... give us the hope we can have a siege perilous so we can attract more old school UO players...

 

Arabella just needs to ask what type of weapon we would like to use! Then send us on our way!


- Are swift as the wind and quick as a viper? Are bladed weapons your choice?
- Are you Stern and Mighty like the blow of a bludgeon weapon! Are Bludgeons your choice?
-Are quite as the weind moving from tree to tree, finding the perfect shot? Is Archery your choice?
-Are you wise and aged, well versed in writings, scrolls and spells? Is magery your choice?
-Do you like keeping your opponent at bey a fiar distance betwen ye and he? Are Polesarms your choice!

Id like that better cause then i could pick what i wanted to start off with!

 

Sometimes I get the impression that people here didn't even play the Ultima series or know what Richard Garriott intended to do with the questions the gypsy asks... This is sad... really sad...

 

Um... Played every one and am well aware of what was intended with the questions. I'm simply saying that those questions could now be something the new "avatars" live through rather than merely ponder and choose.

And as something that can be experienced, they can also work well as a framework for a tutorial on how the different game mechanics work, if the devs choose to go that route.

 

Lord Darkmoon, please don't hide behind your avatar and say what you mean...

 

I just meant that there is more to those questions than just what gear you get. They are psychological questions, they define who you are. There was a video in which Richard explained this, but I can't find it anymore. In this video he explained what brought him to invent the gypsy questions in the Ultima series.
I think that it is an interesting and even important aspect of the game. It is not your typical character creation as you do not create a character but you play yourself. The game gets to know you by asking you some psychological questions which you should answer the way you yourself would react to those situations.

 

I'm pretty sure "people" are aware of this, to some extent... but the old questions really don't seem to have that much depth anymore. They feel kinda run-of-the-mill if you ask me... its impossible for arabella to "know me" from these simple questions...

 

Maybe you right at that. But I still think that such questions are a much better way to play a character that should be yourself than having regular character creation in which you define the class, skills, attributes and gear yourself.
I also think that it would a huge loss and a huge step away from being a spiritual successor to Ultima if the character creation would not feature answering such questions.

 

We sure agree on that... This isn't DnD or WoW

 

I think Shroud is already a improved version of Ultima Online and its only in Alpha. Mining has been expanded, Wood cuttings expanded.. everything's expanded and more detailed version of old uo. Theirs a actually plot line and a multitude of quest. Improved item logging.. Uo sucked with that. Anti douchbag cheats and more secure trading. Less macroable skills then Uo... actually have to get experience in this game. Granted Shroud doesn't have the polish of Uo when it came out, but that part of being Alpha.
All the bad reviews are really a complement for their already judging the game as if it was being released, they cannot for the life of them remember its Alpha... that's saying a lot. Too good for anyone to say Alpha.