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March 2, 2001
OSI: FAQs on Miniature Statues from Melantus
Melantus posted the following announcement/FAQ about statues yesterday to the Ultima Online e-mail list from Yahoo Groups:Miniature StatuesIt's also been pointed out that statues are spawning on the Ratmen Mages on the test shards, and Melantus spoke out again on that same e-mail list:
As many of you know and have been discussing on the UO boards, one of the main topics of discussion the past day or so has been miniature statues. Player feedback has been and is very important to us, as we have said before. We are adding additional changes to UO that are part of this overall topic of miniature statues. The miniature statues will be added to pixies, in the methods listed below. A large majority of the statues that were obtained by players already cannot be removed from their containers. They are also heavy, thus even ones that could be removed from a container would be unmoveable by players. Gamemasters will neither remove them from a container for the player, nor will they move them for ones players have on the ground. Please read the information below regarding the addition of statues will be able to obtain.
FAQ
Q: Will the statues from pixies be any different than the ones that spawned in crates?
A: The only difference will be that the statues from pixies weigh less, meaning you will be able to move them around, unlike the statues from the crates. They will need to be locked down as well. Overall, these statues are better than the ones from crates since they can more easily be moved and traded.
Q: Why not make them craftable?
A: Adding a new craftable is actually fairly significant. It requires far more design, coding, and testing than putting new loot on a monster. Given the nature of this issue and the community's reaction, we felt it best to introduce these items into the world as quickly as possible, while at the same time, keeping finding them interesting and fun. Also, while pixies do hit hard, they are not terribly difficult to kill for most veteran characters...although you do need to be careful if a few of them attack you at once. ;)
Q: Why didn't you delete the statues?
A: Deleting the statues is certainly a possible solution and one we considered. However, given the fact that these statues may have been bought by players who did not know they were the result of a bug, we felt it was better to simply make the item available to all players. This way, everyone has a chance to get a statue. Also, these items do not negatively affect game-play or generate service calls.
Q: Does that mean those who have the Third Dawn client will get statues first?
A: Probably. These items will appear on pixie corpses about as often as the other new items like deamon bone armor or glacial staves. However, there are plenty more pixies spawning in Ilshenar than the monsters needed to get those items. It shouldn't take long before there are plenty of statues for sale and trade. Also, it is important to note that you will not need Third Dawn to use or see the statues, the art for the statues exists on the 2d client.
Q: Isn't this inconsistent policy? Why not delete the statues?
A: Actually, in the past we have put items into the game that were originally the result of a bug. Black dye-tubs and blessed runebooks are good examples of this. Sometimes, if an item does not cause any service or gameplay issues, and it is something the community desires, it is far better to give the community an opportunity to obtain the items, rather than take them away from everyone. Each case is different, but we believe this is one of those cases.
Q: What about the other items like standing armor and tarot cards?
A: The vast majority of the items were statues. While we may or may not add new items such as those to the world again, right now, we are concentrating on the statues. At this time, we have no specific plans to add any other new items.
Q: Won't I lose karma if I kill pixies?
A: Yes, you will. However, if reputation is important to you, you can still buy the statues from other players. Again, the statues will appear as loot on pixies and since there are a good number of them spawning, it shouldn't be long before there are plenty to go around.
Q: If I have a statue from a crate that I cannot move, can I call a GM to get it moved?
A: No. GMs will not move or delete these statues. Please do not call a GM regarding these items.
Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online
Statues Now On Ratman Magi
You're going to be seeing some interesting things occur with spawn very soon. I'll be sure to mention this to others, as far as the ratmen mages and where they spawn. We wouldn't want there to be a bottleneck of players trying to kill them if they only spawned in one small area.
Melantus
Online Community Coordinator
Ultima Online
Posted by Keith at March 2, 2001 7:42 PM