December 2018

Happy New Year! Submitted by DaKaren on December 31, 2018 at 3:10 AM CST

Season's Greetings! Submitted by DaKaren on December 23, 2018 at 11:39 PM CST

The Blind Beggar’s Friend Submitted by UO_Herald on December 21, 2018 at 11:11 PM CST Originally posted December 21, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: We are pleased to release the final installment in the puzzling series of stories on the mysterious origins of Krampus, The Blind Beggar’s Friend. By EM Malachi “Step right up, friend! Look at these! I’ve got all manner of winter and holiday cards, painted by Alberta Giacco herself. Christmas, Yule, and even Walrus Festival! Get your Season’s Greetings here! Some have faux gold foil! It even sounds expensive… I can see you are a customer of discerning taste, going for the strange and unique. You want to know about that card? Why would someone want a card with such beastly and daemonic iconography this time of year? Well, it scares the little ones into behaving. Children love to be scared almost as much as they love presents, and Ole Krampus is the one to do it. Wait, wait, you don’t know the story of Krampus? I thought everybody did. I’ll tell you the story my mother told me while you consider purchasing these dancing ethereal prints: Many years back, there was a pair of beggars, Old Joe and his friend. Both had seen better days, and the Winter months were cold in Vesper. Still, even huddled under a bridge, home was home. Each year, Old Joe would save a coin here or there, and for the holiday, he would buy a bottle of brandy for the pair to share. It would warm them right up, and they’d retell stories from over the years. In time, his friend, being the older of the two, passed on, but Old Joe would still scrimp and save for the holiday brandy. He’d pour out a cup for his departed friend and anyone else who’d drink with the old beggar. He’d raise a toast to the New Year, but also to better times, when he was young and had loaded cargo onto ships bound for all over Britannia. He continued this tradition even after the years had taken his sight. There came a time when this city focused more on progress than the care of its people, and a particularly nasty merchant used his wealth and position to force the poor from Vesper. Most beggars left for kinder places, such as Minoc or Britain, but not Old Joe. The blind beggar had no way to travel, and home was home. That Winter was one of note, the coldest in a hundred years. The streets were empty, save one, for Old Joe was forced from every doorway because of the merchant’s influence. At the same time, a terrible monster wandered out of the Covetous Mountains, drawn forth by greed and malice. It saw the old beggar resting in the street, and I don’t doubt that it meant to maul him. Old Joe wasn’t aware of the danger and spoke, ‘Friend, I can hear you even if I can’t see. Since we both find ourselves out and about, please share a drink with me.’ He poured some brandy and held it out. The beast took the tin cup in its claws and drank. The sweet drink, with a taste that hinted at spring, calmed the beast. It sat next to the beggar and listened as he talked. At the end of the bottle, Old Joe toasted with the monster a final time and laid down. ‘My friend, I think this is my last winter, but I’m glad I didn’t have to spend it alone.’ They found Old Joe the next day, long gone but with a smile on his face. There were two cups and monstrous hoof prints around him, but not a hair had been harmed. As for the cruel merchant, he disappeared that very night, and no trace of him was ever found. Thanks for listening, friend, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy life and the little things, but come these winter months, be kind and be good. Share a coin with a beggar, have a drink with a friend, or send that lovely card to your dear granny. Don’t ever be naughty, or Ole Krampus will find you!” [Discuss This Article]

Merry Yule! Submitted by DaKaren on December 21, 2018 at 11:05 PM CST

The Farmer’s Goat Submitted by UO_Herald on December 15, 2018 at 12:08 AM CST Originally posted December 14, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: We are pleased to release the next installment in the puzzling series of stories on the mysterious origins of Krampus, The Farmer’s Goat. By EM Malachi The winter winds slammed shut the heavy wooden door, and Dr. Cat looked up from the glass he was cleaning. A bewildered young man in a straw hat had entered the Cat’s Lair Tavern, and the bartender knew he wasn’t one of the regulars. Dr. Cat smiled and set the glass on the bar in front of an empty stool. The young man’s shoulders relaxed, and he sat down. He dropped a worn bag that clinked on the bar and asked for ale. After he’d poured the drink, Dr. Cat picked up the stranger’s coin purse from the bar, “Let’s see. By look and weight, you’ve got twenty-seven gold pieces, ten nails, and a fine apple.” “That’s amazing!” “One of my many skills. However, I’d suggest you take better care with your things. Some people may take more interest than they ought.” “What do you mean?” asked the young man. “I love this city. It has good music, food from across the Kingdom, and more people than anywhere else. Some of those people are the soul of Compassion, but others… less so. I’ll give you an example. Mind if I borrow those nails for a demonstration?” When the young man didn’t protest, Dr. Cat took out the nails and set the ten out in a row. “The game is Nim. We take turns picking up one, two, or three nails. Whoever picks up the last nail wins the round. You can go first.” “Seems easy enough.” The young man removed three from the row. Dr. Cat took a single nail. “Easy isn’t always enough.” The stranger took another two nails, and Dr. Cat took two as well. Taking the last pair, the young man seemed happy. “I won!” Dr. Cat nodded and set up another tenfold row. “Let’s play a couple of games with me going first.” They played a few more games with Dr. Cat winning and his opponent growing more frustrated. At last, the young man put down the nails in his hand and conceded. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” Dr. Cat smiled and refilled his patron’s ale. He dropped the nails back into the bag. “You didn’t do anything wrong. The game’s not fair. Games like this exist to pull people in and separate them from what’s theirs. Let me tell you a story: A few years ago, a farmer from Skara Brae came to town with a full cart pulled by his pet goat. It had been a wonderful harvest, and he planned to use the extra money to help his cousin buy a farmstead. It didn’t take long for him to sell all that was in his cart, so he decided to take a walk and see what Britain had to offer. The farmer and his goat eventually came upon a man playing this very game against whoever would try their luck. The gambler already had a pile of winnings: a few coins, a bag of onions, and a giant parsnip. The farmer tried his luck, and the gambler let him go first. The farmer won that first game and the next few. He was so happy he fed the parsnip to the goat. The gambler asked for a chance to win back his losses, unwrapping a glittering pile of coins. Since it was greater than the value of everything else, the gambler asked if the farmer would also wager the goat. Seeing a chance to get that farmstead for his kin, the farmer agreed. I guess the goat knew the huckster was dishonest, since it tried to eat the stones they were playing with! The farmer graciously let the gambler go first, and you can guess how that turned out! The farmer, being a good sport, gave the goat a pat behind the ears and handed the rope over. He walked back to his cart and left town. No sooner had the farmer left than the goat got stubborn, refusing to move. Threats and carrots wouldn’t change its mind. The gambler tried to drag the goat across town to the butcher’s shop, but that ornery beast was having none of it. It kicked the huckster as hard as it could and ran off. With the gambler at its hooves, it crawled into the sewers under Britain, and the gambler sure didn’t want to follow. I don’t know what happened to the goat in those murky tunnels, but it’s still alive. Maybe it was possessed by a daemon or changed by some potion mix from the Sorcerer’s Delight. Some say it crawls up out of the sewers at night for all manner of mischief: chasing down cheaters, kicking in the doors of dishonest merchants, trampling the flower beds of mean landlords, or stealing stale bread that no baker should dare to sell.” Finished with his story, Dr. Cat handed the coin bag back to the young man. “Anything else I can help you with?” The young man considered for a moment. “I’m looking for work. I have a bit of experience as a carpenter.” “I know Arty down on the docks is hiring, if you are interested in building ships. The Cavalry Guild also needs a new fence. Whichever you choose, tell them Dr. Cat sent you.” The young man pulled a coin from his pouch and tried to pay for the drink, but Dr. Cat refused. “Get yourself all set up, and come payday, swing by and have a meal here. We make a mean meat pie.” Later when he was pouring the wash water down a drain into the sewer, Dr. Cat spoke through the grate, “I helped that young man, so I hope you won’t be giving me any trouble tonight on my walk home, Krampus.” In the murky darkness under Britain, something moved. [Discuss This Article]

Baja Meet & Greet Monday Submitted by UO_Herald on December 7, 2018 at 8:06 PM CST Originally posted December 7, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: Greetings, Please join us for our final Meet & Greet of 2018! Join us on Baja on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 9pm ET at King Blackthorn’s Castle. See you in Britannia, UO Team [Discuss This Article]

Ultima Online Newsletter (December 2018) Submitted by UO_Herald on December 7, 2018 at 7:28 PM CST Update December 2018 View in browser The UO Team is happy to announce we will be sending out a newsletter periodically so you can stay up to date on the latest in Britannia! Please encourage your friends to sign up on our web site.  Producer Notes Greetings everyone, From our Ultima Online family to yours we wish you a very Happy Holidays! Publish 103 is out the door and Britannians everywhere are battling Krampus and supplying the Artisan Festival elves with plenty of bulk order deeds!  If you haven't checked out what's included in Publish 103, check out the publish notes for full details! We have some great new items in the Ultima Store this month, including new Hair & Beard tokens and the Mythical Polymorph Totem.  We are also running our "December to Dismember Sale" on select items in the Utlima Store - so take advantage today to get some great items to customize your character! For the past few weeks we have been working on planning our 2019 road map which lays out our plans for new Veteran Rewards, quality of life adjustments to popular systems, various bug fixes, and plenty of event arcs to keep the world feeling fresh and alive.  We are targeting March for our first release of 2019.  As we finalize the 2019 release schedule we will be sharing our road map to give you all a better idea of what lies ahead for Ultima Online.  I would also like to address the issue posted on the UO Forums regarding the non-communication from the UO Swag Store.  I spoke with the company and explained the issue described in the post.  They agreed with me that this is not acceptable and would correct this for any future orders.  The UO Swag Store is a third party retailer and as with all new partnerships there are always issues to work out, please be patient and email if there is ever a problem so we can see that it is addressed. We will be continuing the castle/keep contests throughout 2019 starting with a castle only for our next contest since our last one was keeps.  Stay tuned to UO.com for the next contest start dates. Finally, the following are actions taken on accounts that were banned or suspended: 2 - Disruptive Behavior 25 - Macroing  1 - Solicitation 5 - Duping bans     See you on the High Seas,  Bonnie "Mesanna" Armstrong Producer Holiday Content Out Now! Will you be valiant and challenge the trade routes while Krampus terrorizes the Britannian countryside?  Great wealth comes to those who do! If combat isn't your style, the Artisan Festival celebrates crafting in each of Britannia's governed cities and artisans are already busy working together to build their trees!   Last but certainly not least, this year's Holiday Gifts are available to all veteran account characters at least 30 days old logging in until Friday, January 4, 2019 11:59:00 PM GMT-05:00.  This your chance to get some great collectibles, rares, and holiday themed items such as the wreath, holiday sign, recipe book and more! These are limited time events so take advantage now to get your hands on some great new rewards!   Question & Answer 1.  How does luck influence my character?  Can I get a notification when luck has impacted my actions? There is no universal way in which luck influences the actions of your character, so backtracking all the instances where luck plays a role and adding a message to effectively show how luck has worked is a large task outside the scope of our development goals for 2019 .  However, we are working with our wiki editor to get as comprehensive a page on luck as we can in the wiki and hope to have it ready for publish soon! 2.  What are some of the Quality of Life improvements we can look forward to in 2019? We are still actively developing our roadmap for 2019, and evaluating the scope of each new feature based on our overall goals.  Some of the Quality of Life improvements on the table include,  Fixes and balancing for various BOD issues A new vendor that uses house storage and charges a commission instead of a time based fee New security settings in house security for Guild & Alliance 3.  Can we please get a fix for the disparity between books in the EC/CC This is a delicate issue that will require us to make sure we preserve the history contained within existing books while creating a streamlined book UI for the future.  Look for this update in a future publish. 4.  Can we revert resource randomization so that I know exactly where to find the resources I'm looking for instead of it being completely random? We are in the process of looking at solutions to these concerns that satisfy the expectations of the community and the goals of the team in terms of balance and maximizing the user experience.  We look forward to discussing this issue with the community over the coming weeks. 5.  Can we get a fix for the journals in the CC so that text is easier to read? Yes, we will be adding an option to make all text in the journal black to enhance accessibility. 6.  What are some of the vet rewards that we can look forward to in the next publish? We've got some great vet rewards coming in the next publish including a Water Wheel, Tinker's Bench, and Repair Bench - look for these on TC1 in the New Year! Customer Service 1. If you have an account that was terminated by CS over a year ago and would like to have it back please contact support here and give them the details and identify the account as yours, depending on the termination we will remove the restriction from your account so you may open it again. 2. All Sovereigns purchased from Origin have to be entered on the Account Management page.  You can not enter these in game. Please know that you can not unlink the account and link it to another account with Sovereigns on your accounts. 3. Anyone that is trying to reopen an account please make sure you send all the information to support@ultimaonline.com so we can have a record of this.  In the original request to support if you do not know your secret word please ask for a hint.  Give them all the information to identify the account as yours so there will not be a lot of delays. 4.  If you are having issues with your Origin purchase follow this link to resolve the issue.. 5.  If you have any in game questions or issues submit an in game help request for a GameMaster to contact you. 6.  For any feedback to content put in game please send it to UO@broadsword.com. 7.  Regarding Origin orders, codes, and third party resellers.   Recently some of the player base may have noticed that an Origin store purchase they have made did not arrive or complete as expected. A confirmation or code email has not been received and you are wondering what may have occurred with your order. The Origin store enacts reviews on all transactions to safeguard against fraudulent purchases, and these reviews may take up to 72 hours. Unfortunately our Billing department is not able to expedite or circumvent this process, however players who have questions or concerns regarding a store purchase can contact Origin support for assistance using the below link:   http://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/new/   When prompted for a product, choose Origin. Next choose your platform, and select ‘Orders’ as the topic. You can further specify your issue in the subsequent fields before speaking with an agent.   We would also like to reiterate that the Origin store is the only guaranteed provider of codes for Ultima Online. The validity of a code purchased from a third-party seller (be it a friend, in-game acquaintance, or recommended site) cannot be guaranteed. Furthermore, any codes we find to have be fraudulently obtained will be disabled and an account that applies any of these codes will have that code removed from said account. This can result in the loss of gametime, character slots, expansion access, Sovereigns (and the items purchased with them), in-game items and more. Please be advised that we cannot assist with any issues stemming from codes purchased via non-Origin means; you will be required to contact the vendor from which you purchased the code for further assistance. PASSWORD ISSUES   To reset your password you must first understand which type of account you are resetting the password for. EA Accounts, Mythic Master Accounts, and Mythic Product Accounts all have separate individual passwords. All of which you can reset at your leisure at our Account Center at https://accounts.eamythic.com/. Unfortunately, Broadsword Support cannot assist with potential EA Account issues or passwords, please follow the steps below.   To reset your EA Account password:      * Please visit https://signin.ea.com/p/web/resetPassword      * At the EA.com page enter the email used to log into your EA Account to change its password.      * If you have not received your password or have received an error while trying to reset the password and you have disabled all spam filters, please contact EA Support here, https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/new/#?product=origin&platform=pc CREDIT/DEBIT CARD UPDATE   To update your credit card information, please follow these steps: Login to the Account Center (https://accounts.eamythic.com) with your EA Account email and its password Select the 'Subscriptions' tab Locate the account you would like to update the card for Select the 'Subscribe' button Select the billing cycle you would like to use and continue When you get to the page asking which payment method you would like to use, instead of choosing to add a card, select the 'Manage Accounts' option in the top right corner of the page. This should load a new page that will contain your previous credit card information. Find the card you wish to update and select the 'X' button You can now re-enter your credit card with the updated information by using the 'Add a card' button. ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT AT THE ACCOUNT CENTER (https://accounts.eamythic.com/)   How to create an account or log into my account? http://uo.com/Account-Login-Guide   How to manage my accounts after I’ve logged into the Account Center with my EA Account credentials? http://uo.com/account-management/   Additional support links and videos: http://uo.com/faq/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7ABl5wdyU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5qQwJ6rgI8   Advertise | Corporate Info | EA Privacy & Cookie Policy | EA User Agreement | Legal Notices  © 2018 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription prefer [Discuss This Article]

New Store Item: Mystical Polymorph Totem Submitted by UO_Herald on December 7, 2018 at 2:01 AM CST Originally posted December 6, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: Have you ever wanted to enjoy afternoon tea while dressed like an orc? Do you absolutely need to role play a talking dragon for your guild’s holiday pageant while still maintaining your combat readiness – well now you can! Combine costumes with this totem to free up your precious equipment slots to stay combat ready and look great while doing it! Get yours in the Ultima Store today! [Discuss This Article]

December to Dismember Ultima Store Sale! Submitted by UO_Herald on December 4, 2018 at 6:17 PM CST Originally posted December 4, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: We are pleased to announce select items in the Ultima Store are on sale for the month of December! Visit the Ultima Store today to take advantage of this limited time event! Enjoy great savings on some of your favorite items such as Hairstyle Change Tokens, Natural Hair Dyes, Pigments of Tokuno and much, much more! [Discuss This Article]

The Winter Satyr Submitted by UO_Herald on December 3, 2018 at 6:14 PM CST By EM Malachi The face on the cottage wall was a snarling beast. The mask had the curling horns of a ram and the teeth of a feral wolf. Its fur was mangy, but pale like snow. The small child hid behind the druid when she saw it. Jaana patted Karelia on the head. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a mask.” She took it down from the wall to help the little girl see it better. Fear turning to fascination. Karelia patted the fur and poked at the teeth. “What’s it a mask of?” “People call him the Winter Satyr or Krampus, but not even the druids know what he calls himself. He comes from the deepest forest, a place where no hunter or druid goes.” “Have you ever seen the Krampus?” “When I was a little older than you, lumberjacks from Britain came to cut trees for their city. They went deep into the old-growth, hoping to find timber that was rare and valuable. Only one of them managed to make it back, and his story was troubling. The lumberjacks had ignored our warnings, wastefully slaughtering more animals than they could eat and cutting down young trees to rot. They had even burned down an ancient Birch grove that was in their way. They had angered the forest and the forest’s protector. A storm had come in the night, and with it, the screams. A horned beast that stood tall on two legs rampaged through the camp. Those who tried to fight him were torn apart. The lone survivor had buried himself in the snow to hide. In the morning, finding no one else alive, he had fled back to Yew. All of Yew stood watch that night with torches and bows. We caught glimpses of Krampus in the darkness, his winter fur still matted with dried blood. Warning arrows kept him from attacking the settlement, but no hunter could wander alone the rest of that winter.” Karelia thought for a moment before asking, “Is the Krampus still out there? “I don’t know. It was many years ago. The old woods hold many dangers, and there will always be conflict when human encroach on places so wild. But do not worry. Yew will always be safe. Now, let’s talk about happier things. I have a Yule present for you.” Jaana handed the little girl a brightly wrapped package, which was promptly torn open. The child clapped in glee at the pixie mask carved from silverleaf. Jaana helped her put it on, and Karelia danced around the cottage, singing: “Wassaile the trees, that they may bear You many a Plum and many a Pear. For more or less fruit they will bring, As you do give them Wassailing.” Jaana smiled. “A perfect Wassaile princess! Shall we head over to the orchard?” As Karelia put on her cloak, Jaana put the Satyr mask back on the wall, next to a bow and quiver. “Krampus, I hope you stay away from Yew this winter.” [Discuss This Article]

Publish 103 World Wide Submitted by UO_Herald on December 3, 2018 at 6:11 PM CST Originally posted December 3, 2018 by UO Dev Team on the UO Herald: Greetings, We are pleased to announce that as of each shard’s normal maintenance beginning December 4, 2018 Publish 103 will be deployed world wide. A few of the highlights in Publish 103 include – Holiday Gifts – choice from new collectibles, a recipe book, and more! The Artisan Festival returns – new Vice & Virtue themed rewards! Krampus!  Will you brave the trade routes with Krampus running about!  New weapons, equipment, pets, and more await those who do! Classic Client updates – new macro functionality! New Keeps from the Keep Design Contest! And much more! You can read all about the latest changes in the Publish 103 patch notes. We are also pleased to release the first installment of one of the many stories surrounding the origin of Krampus –The Winter Satyr. See you in Britannia & Happy Holidays, UO Team [Discuss This Article]