2023-08-04 03:03
#0
Felucca has had no significant addition to generate interest in PvP since Publish 16 over 20 years ago! I do not personally consider Vice Versus Virtue to count as it was at best a lateral move that replaced an established system (factions).
There is no question that champion spawns had a huge impact on PvP and provided many players with some of their best experiences playing the game to date and to a moderate degree are still providing entertainment. But over time as the population of the game fell off they lost the value due to being openly farmed on 'dead' servers and have a hard time drawing widespread interest in them due to being available on all 27 shards.
According to UOGuide the intent of Publish 16 was:
As a brief preface, we’d like to explain the essential goals of the changes listed in this document. The below changes should…
- Establish an area where non-consensual pvp can thrive for a significant number of UO’s players.
- Create a risk versus reward model that encourages non-consensual pvp based around resource control rather than profit from the deceased.
- Provide meaningful and compelling rewards for players that successfully adventure in the specified areas.
In my opinion champion spawns nailed these goals and pvp thrived in these area's for over 10 years. I would also argue that if powerscrolls were only available today on 5 shards that pvp in these area's would still be thriving even today 20 years later. Now to clarify I am not suggesting they change anything with how powerscrolls are currently obtained. But if you take this same intent that Publish 16 aimed to achieve and attempt to recreate it in a new way that would be the ideal route to go.
So limit the shards available to 5 to establish area's where pvp can thrive. Use the same risk versus reward model to encourage pvp based around resource control and provide new meaningful and compelling rewards for players that successfully adventure in the specified areas.
This is what I would do to recreate that experience.
- Use Dragon Turtle, Primeval Lich, Abyssal Infernal and Lord Oaks spawns and add two brand new Champion Spawns. Add a brand new rare chase item that drops in (5,10,15,20,25) value that will increase a characters Hit Points to a maximum of 25 allowing them to reach 175 Hit Points total. Buff the dragon turtle egg so its more desired by tamers. Take some of the new limited duration event items we've had recently like (Artio's Vine Wrap, Yukio Earring, Mushroom Cultivator Apron as examples) and add them as replica drops. And give each boss a unique 'champion skull' that is used to summon an ultimate boss. (lord oaks skull of enlightenment can be used for both bosses) It's a good spawn and fun location not to double dip on.
- Placing all 6 of the new champion skulls will summon a new Ultimate Boss just like the original harrower. The main attraction to this would be a new scroll of power you could keep it simple and go (10,20,30) or (5,10,15,20,25,30) maybe 6 scrolls drop per boss (no protection bonus,no scroll binding) random intensity obviously with 30 being rarest. These scrolls raise a characters skill cap to a maximum of 750.
- There should be a new Powder that drops off the summoned ultimate boss that is one charge and will restore any item to 255/255 durability regardless if its Imbued, Brittle or Antique.
- There should also be low chance to drop rares like new rare hue hair dyes that rival Glacial and Blaze, An armored horse that functions as a paroxymous swamp dragon and some deco again just examples of what I think would be good secondary rewards.
So if you combine this new champion spawn additions, monthly EM pvp event (weekly if you play multiple shards) implement a hard skill cap and limit this content to the 5 designated official PvP shards would be one major PvP publish. The competition will be fierce guilds will need to recruit whether its new players to pvp or reach out and lure back returning players to bolster their ranks.
This game needs engaging content so people will post official server videos on social media, maybe people even stream. We need guilds like HOT to be active and recruiting providing a place for people to learn. Yew Moongate can't be the main draw to play the game lol thats not content its just filler for when there is nothing else to do. If you have limited time to game you want to know when you log on there will be stuff to do especially if you are part of a guild and want to game with friends and having weekly PvP events ensures that and you can co-ordinate with friends to participate.
