Ultima Online
Developer(s)	Origin Systems, Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Designer(s)	Raph Koster and over 20 more
Platform(s)	Windows
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) (formerly Mature)
Media	CD
System requirements	Intel Pentium CPU, 32 MB RAM, DirectX 5, Internet access
Input methods	Keyboard, mouse

Ultima Online (UO) is a popular graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), released on September 25, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today. The game is played online, in a fantasy setting similar to that of the other Ultima games that preceded it. Image File history File linksMetadata Ultima_Online_8th_Age. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Origin Systems, Inc. ... Electronic Arts (EA) (NASDAQ: ERTS) is an American developer, marketer, publisher, and distributor of computer and video games. ... Electronic Arts (EA) (NASDAQ: ERTS) is an American developer, marketer, publisher, and distributor of computer and video games. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Raphael Raph Koster (b. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... Windows redirects here. ... Further information: Game classification Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay interaction. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... Online gaming redirects here. ... A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games into suitability-related groups. ... The ESRBs logo. ... CD redirects here. ... Pentium MMX - top view The Pentium is a fifth-generation x86 architecture microprocessor by Intel which first shipped on March 22, 1993. ... RAM redirects here. ... Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. ... A 104-key PC US English QWERTY keyboard layout The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout A standard Hebrew keyboard showing both Hebrew and QWERTY. A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... Players interacting in Ultima Online, a classic MMORPG. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of online computer role-playing games (CRPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Origin Systems, Inc. ... It has been suggested that Mongbat (Ultima) be merged into this article or section. ...

The success of Ultima Online opened the door for the creation of many new massively multiplayer games. Ultima Online is a fantasy role-playing game set in the Ultima universe. It is online-only and played by thousands of simultaneous users (who pay a monthly fee) on various game servers, also known as shards. It is known for its extensive timing-based player versus player combat system. Over a million paid accounts have been created in the game.^{[citation needed]} To maintain order in the online community, there are Game Masters who resolve player disputes, police the shard for terms of service violations, and correct glitches in the game. Image File history File links Uologo. ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... It has been suggested that Mongbat (Ultima) be merged into this article or section. ... Shard, also called sherd or potsherd, is a term for broken pieces of pottery or glass, often used in archaeology. ... This article is about multiplayer computer role-playing games. ... This article is about the role-playing game term. ... Terms of Service (often abbreviated as ToS) are rules by which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. ...

Several expansions have been released, but its aging game engine and graphics make it outdated compared to competitive, new massively multiplayer games. This changed with the release of Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn in 2007, which features a new game engine. Since Ultima Online's prime in 2003, the overall subscriber base has seen a steady decline. Subscriber numbers peaked at around 250,000 in July of 2003, and to date sit around 135,000 subscribers (approximately 70,000 of whom are Japanese).^[1] As of June 2006, Ultima Online held a 1.1% market share of the massively multiplayer online game subscriptions.^[2] Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Market share, in strategic management and marketing, is the percentage or proportion of the total available market or market segment that is being serviced by a company. ...

Quoting directly from the Electronic Arts press release announcing the Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn expansion, Ultima Online was "the first MMORPG to reach the 100,000 subscriber base, far exceeding that of any game that went before it. Since then, it has added seven expansion packs and dozens of free content updates, making it one of the deepest, largest MMORPGs ever created. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest continuously running MMORPG in history."^{[citation needed]} A news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

History

Ultima Online is the product of Richard Garriott's idea for a fantasy game involving several thousand people who can all play in a shared fantasy world. There were a number of prior games that allowed hundreds of people to play at the same time, including The Realm Online, Neverwinter Nights (the AOL version), and Meridian 59. However, Ultima Online was intended to be a significant improvement over the previous games, both graphically and in game mechanics. The initial team was composed of Garriot, Starr Long, Rick Delashmit and, a bit later Raph Koster, who became the lead designer for the project. Koster wrote a number of public "designer letters" and usually went by his nickname of Designer Dragon. Koster drew inspiration from a number of prior online games^[3] such as DartMUD.^[4] Richard Garriott in Lord British attire Richard Allen Garriott (born July 4, 1961; nickname Lord British) is a significant figure in the video game industry. ... The Realm Online, originally known as simply The Realm, was among the first MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for public release (the public Beta was out 5 months before Meridian 59s commercial release). ... This article is about the AOL MMORPG. For the 2002 computer role-playing game, see Neverwinter Nights. ... Meridian 59 is an online computer role-playing game first published by the now defunct 3DO Company and now run by Near Death Studios. ... Raphael Raph Koster (b. ... Dartmud is a well known Multi-User_Dungeon, or online text-based roleplaying game. ...

The project started in 1995 and was shown to the public at E3 in 1996. At the time (in the mid-1990s), Ultima Online was a very expensive project and quite risky for the company. The development cost was much greater than traditional computer games, it relied on people accessing servers with modems, and it attempted to transform the Ultima series into an entirely new genre. Ultima Online was an ambitious game on a number of fronts, such as: Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... E³ logo The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E³, was an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

• Players may buy housing and build houses within the persistent landscape (this is still an uncommon feature in many online games).
• A skill system without the more traditional experience-based levels or classes.
• Many different trades or crafts can be performed by the players to create an in-game economy.
• Players could be freely attacked [by other players] anywhere in the game, even in cities (this has since changed).

Upon release in mid-1997, Ultima Online proved to be very popular, reaching 100,000 paying subscribers within six months of release even despite severe "lag" problems at the time. Subscriptions continued to grow for several years reaching a peak of some 250,000 paid accounts. Origin was able to make a great deal of money from the monthly fees required to play Ultima Online and many other companies took note and began development of their own massively multiplayer games. The most successful games after Ultima Online have been EverQuest (released in March 1999), Asheron's Call (released in November 1999), Dark Age of Camelot (released in October 2001), and World of Warcraft (released in November 2004). The Korean massively multiplayer game Lineage was very much inspired by Ultima Online, as have many other subsequent online games. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Look up origin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... EverQuest, often called EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ... Asherons Call (AC) is a fantasy MMORPG for Microsoft Windows-based PCs, released on November 2, 1999. ... Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG that revolves around the war between three realms at the end of King Arthurs rule: Arthurian-inspired Albion, Norse mythology inspired Midgard and Celtic Hibernia. ... World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the fourth game in the Warcraft series, excluding expansion packs and the cancelled Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. ... Lineage (Korean: 리니지) is a medieval fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in 1998 by the South Korean computer game developer NCsoft. ...

Game mechanics

Main article: Ultima Online game mechanics

Ultima Online continued the tradition of previous Ultima games in many ways, but due to advancing technology and the simple fact that it was Origin's first persistent online game, there were many new game mechanics as well. Partially designed as a social and economic experiment, the game had to account for the widespread player interaction as well as deal with the long history of players feeling as if they were the center of attention, as had been the case in single-player games. New to both the developers and the players, a lot that was planned never happened, and a lot that was unexpected did, and many new game systems were put in place to compensate. Ultima Online continued the tradition of previous Ultima games in many ways, but due to advancing technology and the simple fact that it was Origins first persistent online game, there were many new game mechanics as well. ... It has been suggested that Mongbat (Ultima) be merged into this article or section. ... Persistent may relate to: Look up Persistent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Persistent Systems Pvt. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ...

Issues faced

Main article: Criticism of Ultima Online

In an infamous incident during the beta, Lord British was assassinated.

Ultima Online has seen many major revisions throughout its history. This includes gameplay revisions, staff changes, technical revamps, porting the backend to Unix, and fundamental design changes. With few earlier MMORPGs to take lesson from, the staff behind Ultima Online was breaking new ground and had to solve complex issues that had never been faced in a commercial game on such a wide scale before. The importance of understanding psychology, social interaction, economy, and other issues became increasingly important as complex social behavior evolved. In an infamous incident during the Beta, Lord British was assassinated Ultima Online has seen many major revisions throughout its history. ... Image File history File linksMetadata UO_LB_assasination. ... Image File history File linksMetadata UO_LB_assasination. ... A screenshot of Lord British in his castle from Ultima III. Lord Cantabrigian British is the name of the ruler of Britannia, kingdom of the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his computer game series Ultima. ... Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. ... {redirect|Psychological science|the journal|Psychological Science (journal)}} Not to be confused with Phycology. ... Social interaction is a dynamic, changing sequence of social actions between individuals (or groups) who modify their actions and reactions due to the actions by their interaction partner(s). ... In biology, psychology and sociology social behavior is behavior directed towards, or taking place between, members of the same species. ...

Throughout the pre-release development of the game, a well-balanced, realistic economy and social structure was the goal. While not all of the features planned for incorporation made it into the first release, the developers did manage to give almost all of the control to the players in terms of what they could do to each other and the world as a whole. What ensued caused permanent repercussions still faced in the game today. Social refers to human society or its organization. ...

Expansions, sequels and other releases

Throughout Ultima Online's long history, there have been many releases of the game, both on store shelves and online. Several sequels were in development but canceled, and expansions have been released regularly. For other uses, see Sequel (disambiguation). ... Expansion can have several meanings, including: In physics: Expansion of space In computer hardware: an Expansion card In computer programming: In-line expansion In computer gaming: an expansion pack See also: Wikipedia:Requests for expansion This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise...

Sequels

Two sequels were planned by Electronic Arts, but both were canceled during development so that more focus could be spent on the original game.

• Ultima Online 2 (UO2), later renamed Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (UWO:O) was announced in 1999. It was to add steampunk elements to the fantasy setting, set in a world where the past, present and future of Sosaria were merged together by a mistake made by Lord British while attempting to merge together the shards of the Gem of Immortality. Todd McFarlane was hired to design original monsters and regions for the game, as well as help shape the story. It was cancelled in 2001 before its release, citing the competitive nature of the massively multiplayer online gaming market — Electronic Arts feared the sequel would harm Ultima Online's subscription numbers. Some of the monsters and art made for the game were later used in the Ultima Online expansion Lord Blackthorn's Revenge.
• Ultima X: Odyssey was a new MMORPG to be set in a world named Alucinor, created by the Avatar after the events of Ultima IX: Ascension. It was cancelled in 2004 when Electronic Arts closed Origin. The UXO team was invited to move to the Bay area to finish the game. However, only a small number of people on the UXO team accepted the transfer. In the end, UXO was cancelled because the development team dissolved.

Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (originally titled Ultima Online 2) was to be the first sequel to the popular 1997 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Ultima Online. ... Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (originally titled Ultima Online 2) was to be the first sequel to the popular 1997 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Ultima Online. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... For the comic book and the anthology, see Steampunk (comics) and Steampunk (anthology). ... A screenshot of Lord British in his castle from Ultima III. Lord Cantabrigian British is the name of the ruler of Britannia, kingdom of the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his computer game series Ultima. ... Todd McFarlane (born March 16, 1961 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian comic book artist, writer, toy manufacturer/designer, and media entrepreneur who is best known as the creator of the epic religious fantasy series Spawn. ... This article is about the year. ... Ultima X development has ceased. ... Ultima IX: Ascension (1999) is the ninth and final part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Expansions

Expansions have been released regularly, all of which add new content in the form of landmass, art, quests, items, or game mechanics.

• Ultima Online: The Second Age (October 1, 1998) featured a new area of land called the Lost Lands, along with an in-game chat system and new creatures. Also known as T2A. It was released in two boxed versions with the first having different artwork and a single manual.
• Ultima Online: Renaissance (April 3, 2000) doubled the size of the world, as there were literally two copies of it. The worlds were called Felucca and Trammel, after the two moons in Ultima's Britannia world. The Trammel world did not allow player killing, while the Felucca world did. Felucca also adopted a darker, more foreboding look.
• Ultima Online: Third Dawn (March 7, 2001) included a 3D client to compete with 3D competition like EverQuest. Also, a special Third Dawn only land was created, called Ilshenar. It was accessible only to 3D clients until the release of Lord Blackthorn's Revenge.
• Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge (February 24, 2002) brought "a dark new world based on new characters from Todd McFarlane" to Ultima Online with improved game artificial intelligence, in-game help, and improved character creation.
• Ultima Online: Age of Shadows (February 28, 2003) brought the landmass of Malas with space for new housing, two new character classes (Paladin and Necromancer) and the ability to customize house designs. The item system was completely reworked with this expansion. Armor resistance was split into five types of resistance, and many new properties that affected game play were added to weaponry. As good equipment became vital, this expansion also brought with it item insurance.
• Ultima Online: Samurai Empire (November 2, 2004) brought ancient Japanese mythology and folklore to the game, two new classes (Ninja and Samurai) and a new area to explore, the Tokuno Islands. The new class skills shifted the balance of player vs. player combat away from mage dominance.
• Ultima Online: Mondain's Legacy (August 30, 2005) introduced a new race, elves, and a new skill, spellweaving. Several dungeons were also added.
• Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn (June 27, 2007) introduced a new client with new graphics and interface.
• Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss (TBA, originally planned for 2007) will feature a new playable race of Gargoyles and the largest dungeon in UO to date.

is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Ultima Online: Renaissance is the second expansion to the popular Ultima Online (UO) MMORPG. Released on April 3, 2000, it added content, fixed bugs, and made gameplay changes in response to common player complaints. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... For the fictional moon, see Felucca (Ultima). ... Trammel may refer to any of the following: A type of fishing net. ... Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of combat in MMORPGs, MUDs and other computer role-playing games pitting a players skill against anothers, where the goal is ultimately the death of the opponents player character. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... EverQuest, often called EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Todd McFarlane (born March 16, 1961 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian comic book artist, writer, toy manufacturer/designer, and media entrepreneur who is best known as the creator of the epic religious fantasy series Spawn. ... AI redirects here. ... Ultima Online: Age of Shadows is the fifth expansion for the popular MMORPG Ultima Online. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about a concept in role-playing games. ... For other uses, see Paladin (disambiguation). ... Necromancy is divination by raising the spirits of the dead. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Japanese mythology is a very complex system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ... For other uses, see Samurai (disambiguation). ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For alternate meanings, see Lightning (disambiguation). ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... This article is about gargoyle statues. ...

Other releases

Ultima Online has had several special releases which were not expansions, but came with boxed or in-game extras.

• Ultima Online: Charter Edition (September 30, 1997) was available to pre-order from Origin Systems at the launch of Ultima Online and in small quantities alongside the standard retail box. It included a signed lithograph of the Ultima Online artwork by the Hilderbrandt brothers, a pewter pin badge bearing the Ultima Online logo and the box was signed by Richard Garriott. The Charter Edition also included the cloth map which was also a feature of the standard box.
• Ultima Online: 7th Anniversary (September 25, 2004) was a special release of the game to celebrate Ultima Online's seventh birthday. Like all of the items listed in this section, this release did not bring anything new to the game and is not an expansion, although it did include a more recently patched CD; the Age of Shadows was still the most current version at the time. This release was contained in a small cardboard box containing a triple-CD jewel case, featuring Ultima Online: Age of Shadows, but also included Ultima IX: Ascension install and play discs as a special bonus. A glossy booklet showing the history of Ultima Online expansions was included which contained historic art and an interview from the Ultima Online team and community leaders. Also included in the package a code for an in-game gift, one of which was Ultima Online's famous Hilderbrant print, an extra character slot (a total of six characters was now available) and 7 buddy registration codes.
• Ultima Online: Gold (July 18, 2005) was a special release sold by Wal-Mart and includes the same content as Ultima Online: Samurai Empire. This edition also comes with an Advanced Character token code, and quick-start manual.
• Ultima Online: The Eighth Age (September 25, 2005) was a boxed game CD with an array of in-game tokens. Though not bringing any new features, the release was to celebrate Ultima Online's eighth birthday. The box included an updated game CD (with more recent patches), a glossy booklet feauring an atlas of Sosaria, in-game tokens for an anniversary gift (choice of 8), a character transfer, an advanced character and a 45-day free trial code. Also a time-limited blue soulstone was included.
• Ultima Online: 9th Anniversary Collection (October 31, 2006). Formerly known as "Eve of a New Age." This came with an in-game upgrade code which redeemed 9 "Heritage Tokens", "Crystal" and "Shadow" items which matched new housing tile sets in the game, and attendants, which took the form of NPCs. These could be set to announce a player's presence in a house or to follow the player around on the map. The Heritage tokens could be redeemed for several kinds of items including special armor, weapons, and many house decoration items in various themes (3 fruit trees, a set of rugs, tables, a broken furniture set, a "dark" or evil furniture set and more).

is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Origin Systems, Inc. ... Richard Garriott in Lord British attire Richard Allen Garriott (born July 4, 1961; nickname Lord British) is a significant figure in the video game industry. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ultima is a series of fantasy computer role-playing games from Origin Systems, Inc. ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sosaria is the fictional world in which the majority of the Ultima series of computer games are set. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Shard emulation

Main article: Ultima Online shard emulation

Fans of Ultima Online have reverse-engineered the game to produce server emulators of the original Electronic Arts servers. With the modern emulation server software available today, it is possible to customize most aspects of the game and support large numbers of concurrent players on a single server. These "freeshards" are not supported by EA but have been popular among users who prefer a different rule set, or who can not afford the monthly subscription fee. Technically-inclined fans of Ultima Online have reverse-engineered the game to produce server emulators of the original game servers. ... Reverse engineering (RE) is the process of taking something (a device, an electrical component, a software program, etc. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Parallel programming (also concurrent programming), is a computer programming technique that provides for the execution of operations concurrently, either within a single computer, or across a number of systems. ...

Clients

Electronic Arts provides the standard client with which players are allowed to connect to the Ultima Online servers, though some third-party clients have been made.

Original client

The original Ultima Online client is completely 2D and, while it was state of the art when released, it is intended to be used on low-end machines that cannot support the more taxing 3D client. It also presents a different artistic flavor which some people find more attractive than the 3D client. Many of the graphics used are high-resolution versions of graphics used in Ultima VIII. Ultima VIII: Pagan (1994) is the eighth part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ...

Ultima Online: Third Dawn client

The 3D client was originally released as a part of the Ultima Online: Third Dawn expansion, but has received poor reviews from both veteran and new players alike due to a large number of performance issues (especially memory leaks early on) and what many see as sub-par graphics. An update to the 3D client was made on January 30, 2006 when characters and creatures from the game were scaled down to smaller sizes. is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As of early May/Late April 2007, the Third Dawn client was done away with by EA, in order to make room for the Kingdom Reborn client (see below). Official UO servers will no longer work with the TD client.

Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn client

This October 2007 needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

Screenshot from Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn.

Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn was announced in August 2006 was released June 27, 2007. The new client, according to the Ultima Online team at Electronic Arts, is being created for the purpose of modernizing the game's look, making it easy to add new content without backsliding through outdated and outmoded art, while maintaining the niche market as an MMORPG that can be run on lower-end computers. Unfortunately, many players noted that it was released before it was really ready, as it was extremely slow on most computers and many things were still left to do, as even some of the client art was unfinished at its release (among other things). Many players also voiced their dissatisfaction with the 'updated' art, stating it was still extremely dated in terms of its craftsmanship and overall look. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 1001 KB) Summary Screenshot from Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn expansion. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 1001 KB) Summary Screenshot from Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn expansion. ... August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... High end refers to the best and generally most expensive of a class of goods or services. ...

At a players' convention in Atlanta, EA announced that the recommended specs for the UO:KR client are a 1 GHz CPU, a GeForce 3 series video card (low end enough to be considered obsolete by the manufacturer as stated on its Internet site), 2GB of hard drive space, and 512MB of RAM. It stated that it had "some success" running UO:KR at 256MB RAM, but that 512 was recommended. This was changed as of August 13th, where according to the UO.com site the recommended specs are: Windows XP or Windows Vista, CPU: Intel Pentium III 1000 MHz or AMD Athlon 1000 MHz, RAM: 512 MB or more, Video: 64 MB 3D graphics card with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as NVIDIA GeForce 3 class card or above, hard drive: 6.0 GB available space.

EA has referred to the UO:KR client as "2.5d," meaning that it was written in 3d and then effectively backslid into 2d to make it, in theory, easier for lower-end computers to run -- and, presumably, to maintain the "feel" of the game. Many players of the game disagree with this, however, stating that the system requires far more work and optimization to run adequately on lower and middle end systems.

The client is available as a free download for current players of the game.

Statements made by EA originally suggested, or appeared to suggest, that the KR client would replace the long-standing UO client. However, at the first of several EA-sponsored players' conventions referred to as "UO Town Meetings," in Atlanta, EA representatives suggested that the two clients would exist side-by-side until about 80% of the players had switched over to the new client.

Easter eggs

Ultima Online has included some well known Easter eggs throughout the years. The first easter egg. ...

• Lord British's throne is the top half of the Ultima Online logo.
• On rare occasions, casting the spell energy vortex will summon a purple llama instead of the purple cloud-like creature the spell is meant to summon. The purple llama is labeled in-game as "an energy vortex" and has the same powers as the creature the spell is named for.
• A monster called a slime existed in-game which is a small slithering blob. Some years ago on rare occasions, it was possible to encounter a slime that was renamed a "jwilson," which was purportedly named after magazine editor Johnny Wilson, who had given Ultima Online a bad review and thus earned a derisive place in the game by the developers.
• Cows may be tipped by clicking on them numerous times.
• Occasionally, an aggressive "mad cow" will be spawned in place of a docile cow.
• Walker the legendary Ranger trainer, an NPC trainer in New Haven, looks suspiciously like Chuck Norris, with references to Walker Texas Ranger in his dialog boxes.

A screenshot of Lord British in his castle from Ultima III. Lord Cantabrigian British is the name of the ruler of Britannia, kingdom of the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his computer game series Ultima. ... Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. ...

See also

• Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (Ultima Online 2) First canceled sequel.
• Ultima X: Odyssey Second canceled sequel.
• Ultima Online timeline
• Worlds of Ultima Online

Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (originally titled Ultima Online 2) was to be the first sequel to the popular 1997 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Ultima Online. ... Ultima X development has ceased. ... Early artwork for Lord British in the Pre-Alpha. ... // Trammel is the major Facet of Ultima Online, and the first land to be introduced. ...

References

UOForums.com - Interview with Punkbuster's Founder, Tony Ray.

UOForums.com - Interview with Jeremy Dalberg, Community Coordinator for Ultima Online.

UOForums.com - Interview with Tim "Draconi" Cotten, Designer for Ultima Online.

UOForums.com - Interview with Dave "Cathat" Brown, Character and Environmental artist.

UOForums.com - 2nd Interview with Dave "Cathat" Brown, Character and Environmental artist.

UOForums.com - Interview with John "Wilki" Wilkinson, Designer for Ultima Online.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• UO.com - The official Electronic Arts Ultima Online site.
• UO Stratics - Fan site with forums.
• UOGuide - Fan created wiki with thousands of pages of Ultima Online informations
• UOForums - Forum based fansite for Ultima Online.
• UOCZ - Czech & Slovak community site