Mesanna... We Really Deserve An Explanation. We're Not The "Enemy".

Captain_Lucky

Uriah_Heep said:

It isn't the cube that's offensive to me, its that tileset lol

Yeah I hear ya. I fought like crazy 20 years ago when they introduced the named colored statues as a gift, lol. Don't even get me started on neon colors. I really liked a traditional time period look. Although I guess back in the pyramid days they did love painting statues with bright colors. Anyway, in any system like UO there will be people that do things we don't agree with. I'm ok with that. But like in society we don't throw everyone in prison because we all have the potential to be a murderer. 99% of the people will do wonderful and amazing things. We shouldn't punish the entire player base for the actions of a few. And honestly I'm not totally turned off by the custom build there. Someone is living their dream and if they're happy I'm happy.

Uriah_Heep

Yeah it doesn't bother me, since it's not next door!  LOL

jaytin

It's the cube made of that tile-set *shudders*

The_Higgs_1

every design that they chose cept for the tokuno one is basically a borg cube.  I don't understand that logic.   Also these places will still cause lots more lag then the originals.  I still think it was a huge waste of time to even do.  It would've been easier to just let a few things be customizable on the original castle and keep, which is all that people wanted anyway.

Sliss

Petra_Fyde said:

sometimes you see something that makes you think

Yeah, I think it's ugly too. But whoever built it liked it. I don't have to live in that. If there is customization, I can live in the one I find the most pleasing. It's the beauty of sandbox. So why prohibit something based on what you find offensive when someone else clearly does not?

Andrasta

I would pay the 300 million for a Customizable castle.

Bilbo

Here is hoping that next contest a Castle and a Keep is made just like their Classic ones look only with the inside walls removed, stairs/teleport tiles on the south wall and a 2/3 floor added the top floor (now the 4th) can stay the same wins

jaytin

That was my hope for this contest, but those designs didn't get the votes and they are apparently not what the Dev team were looking for. It's very frustrating when it would take much less time to do than to build a new design from scratch.

MissE

You can't build it like the existing castle as you don't have the correct tiles to use, no half wall grey stones etc. You have tall walls and the tiny wall that's it.  None of the accessory bits like pillars etc.   They need to update the tiles that are available in the grey granite to be able to do that.  You could make it in the sandstone as that seems to have much better tile options but that would be very 'hmm orangey' which is what put me off.

jaytin

Might have been a good idea to give complete stone sets along with the design tool.

MissE

jaytin said:

Might have been a good idea to give complete stone sets along with the design tool.

It is one thing that has always bugged me when designing, you can get x piece in this color but not in that color, or y bit as a square arch on one but not another etc.  I would love for them to just get every possible tile/roof/accessory bit and make every bit the same across all material types.  Never understood why I can get a sandstone block pillar but not a granite one, or a sandstone half wall but not a granite one.  And on those small pieces, some come with a nth-sth, east-west running piece and corner structure,  yet other material types just 'miss' the corner structure so you end up with holes on the corners etc. 

If they did one thing for housing, getting someone to streamline it and just 'fix' it so all pieces are available in all tile sets it would be great.  It would then mean just re-hue-ing the whole set when they wanted to introduce a 'new' building tile with nothing missed out.

Lady_Storm

Well Florence did put all on the east coast on notice.. and to be honest where she lives and works was not far from rivers or the Atlantic Ocean. Were all 3 states were put on notice to beat feet to higher ground just in case... 

Now I will mention running UO is nearly a thankless job... one minute crowds are happy with all you do and seconds later your the vile creature that has done things you do not wish for...

If you need clarification of how EA deals with players go look up the original messages on the boards if they still are there. I have been in UO so long and have seen how they(LP's) deal with us... its not that nice.  

Mesanna has been better then most of them.  The lady does have our best interest at heart. She has let us talk her into tons of stuff the original EA Staff after the takeover would never of given us.   I for one am glad she has busted her fanny for UO.

BUT... I do mean BUT.  she has limits even she cant cross.  It may be 2018 but this game matrix/bit mapping is 1996/7 made. Its a old code that doe not like to be touched... sounds like a few people I know..hehe

Sliss

Lady_Storm said:

If you need clarification of how EA deals with players go look up the original messages on the boards if they still are there. I have been in UO so long and have seen how they(LP's) deal with us... its not that nice.  

Mesanna has been better then most of them.  The lady does have our best interest at heart. She has let us talk her into tons of stuff the original EA Staff after the takeover would never of given us.   I for one am glad she has busted her fanny for UO.

BUT... I do mean BUT.  she has limits even she cant cross.  It may be 2018 but this game matrix/bit mapping is 1996/7 made. Its a old code that doe not like to be touched... sounds like a few people I know..hehe

Being better than EA, a company voted the worst in America, twice, is a pretty low bar if you ask me. I would not advertise that. And being "talked into tons of stuff" is called listening to your customers. It's part of her job, and pretty much determines how long that job is going to exist. Again, nothing to be especially proud about. 
And now in your quest to come up with excuses for her, you seem to imply that she'd love to give us customisable castles, but can't. Because limits. All the while she plainly stated that the reason is that she does not want to see Borg cubes, i.e. this is her personal preference.
And when someone's personal preference stands in the way of giving customers hundreds of hours of game play, maybe, just maybe, it would be beneficial for the state of the game to stop gushing about someone occasionally doing their job, and voice our displeasure when that does not happen?

Captain_Lucky

Mesanna has been very good to me on several occasions. She's gone above and beyond for me a coup[le times with in game problems even coming to my castle to work out an issue. I'm not one to forget things like that. But we can still be civil about things we disagree with and hope she decides to come up with a way to make this a fair situation. I'd say it's safe to say most players don't find the current castle situation acceptable and really the just thing to do is to hammer out a solution. But if she doesn't hear out pleas then something will certainly not be attempted. How else would she know if we don't speak up in unison?

Lady_Storm

Sliss my point was had we still been under EA control none of this would have come about.  Mesanna has been very good to the players of the game, many are not appreciative of this. They are of the crowd who say what have you done for me lately type.. I have heard her many times at the meet n greets say she would love to do more but time and game constraints do hinder most requests. This does not stop the hard heads from screaming their point.  Even though she has said she will add it to the list of things to consider adding.  That's so far better then the EA guys would have ever done.

Yes I agree the castle and keep project is not perfect...I'd love sandstone,  and I do agree the house tool for building is not perfect and needs more things added to fill out big gaps in the parts.

I have been frustrated many times building when you can find a part in one style but not others that even come close to the color/style mats I need.   The tool was never finished in its offerings per type...  sort of like the angles of things too.  chair can turn one way from the offering  but you really need the other facings... being told it was a time constraint gets old.   I'd much rather have a mini publish / patch to add more... it would be worth the disruption

Bilbo

@Lady_Storm when did we come out from under the control of EA?  Did I miss something, did EA sell UO to someone.  EA still owns and controls UO just because they turned over management to a company that it employees used to work directly for them and still do indirectly because the money still comes from EA.

Sliss

Lady_Storm said:

Sliss my point was had we still been under EA control none of this would have come about.  Mesanna has been very good to the players of the game, many are not appreciative of this. They are of the crowd who say what have you done for me lately type.. 

I believe Captain_Lucky above summarized my position perfectly. I am appreciative of what Mesanna has done for the game. I know it has been quite a lot of good things. However, she is not infallible, and I don't think her achievements mean she should not be criticized when there is a problem.

BardrisCaller1

If we're complaining about aesthetics and how a crystal borg cube would look terrible next to your gray stone walls, why is no one complaining about all white marble houses being placed next to brick or log cabins? It's been around forever in this game lol. It would just be bigger. Right now, my house by Luna is Sandstone sitting next to a large marble which is right behind a tower which is all sitting on grass that's floating in outer space. Aesthetics have never been a thing.

Lady_Storm

I love the marble, sandstone, and other stone types. stonework we have  and would adore them in the house works.  After looking at the chosen buildings on the wiki so I could see the floor plans I must say they are inventive.  Some things I would remove or move for more useful areas.. but all in all they are nice.   BUT.. that big blue ice monster is one thing I will not condone.  Its made to catch the eye and make you sick. Can you imagine being the next door neighbor? where it covers up a good portion of your home... Yes I have seen one... yuk!!

btw...

Everyone needs to learn to know how far you may step into another's space.  Criticism is good for a bit but always remember that there is person in that space.

Some people take criticism to heart.

drcossack

Lady_Storm said:

Mesanna has been better then most of them.  The lady does have our best interest at heart. She has let us talk her into tons of stuff the original EA Staff after the takeover would never of given us.   I for one am glad she has busted her fanny for UO.

...so she has to be talked into improving the game or giving the playerbase things they might want, all so they can enjoy their gameplay?  Giving suggestions/feedback (feedback that is, especially where publishes are concerned, is often ignored) is one thing, but when her personal art taste (Which I agree with in regards to the Borg Cube look, but that's neither here nor there) takes precedence over what the players might want, I think there's a bit of an issue - if players want to design something the Lead Producer doesn't like, he (or she) should keep quiet about it and let them do it.

Lady_Storm said:

I love the marble, sandstone, and other stone types. stonework we have  and would adore them in the house works.  After looking at the chosen buildings on the wiki so I could see the floor plans I must say they are inventive.  Some things I would remove or move for more useful areas.. but all in all they are nice.   BUT.. that big blue ice monster is one thing I will not condone.  Its made to catch the eye and make you sick. Can you imagine being the next door neighbor? where it covers up a good portion of your home... Yes I have seen one... yuk!!

btw...

Everyone needs to learn to know how far you may step into another's space.  Criticism is good for a bit but always remember that there is person in that space.

Some people take criticism to heart.

I know you're Mesanna's #1 fan, and all of us are aware how tough the devs job is.  Taking criticism to heart?  Yes, some people do...but Mesanna clearly isn't one of them.  Even so, if someone wants to design a big ice blue eyesore, why not let them?  100 people might not like the design of something, but the person that designed it clearly does.

Captain_Lucky

I guess we DON'T deserve an explanation! Peasants....

Uriah_Heep

You get back to the grind, and quit stirring up trouble

Captain_Lucky

Want my dang castle! Grrrrrrrrr

Sliss

Captain_Lucky said:

I guess we DON'T deserve an explanation! Peasants....

You get one explanation, you might decide to ask something else and ain't nobody got time for that!