The Council of HONOR meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Members in attendance were Emperor Logan, Senator of Arcane Earwen, Senator of Genesis Lora DeBlood, Senator of Trades Rusty, Senator of War Akroma, and Head of State Kaatya. A quorum was declared and the meeting proceeded.
DECURION
Resolved: The Empire shall have two Decurions; one will oversee the warriors and one will oversee the mages and herans.
Senator Akroma remarked that she brought this Resolution forward at the request of Legion members because she felt they needed to be heard by the Council.
Emperor Logan reminisced on his tenure as Decurion and reminded us of the amount of time and effort required by the position. He recommended that assistance be given by the Cohorts which would give the recruits more time with others in the guild. This would also give the Decurion more time to work on other issues.
Senator Lora suggested that the names of the recruits also be given to the various Senators for additional assistance.
There being no further discussion, a vote was taken. The resolution failed with a unanimous vote.
VALOR KNIGHTS
Resolved: A Treaty of Alliance shall be drawn up between the Valor Knights and the Purple Guardians of HONOR, and a ceremony of signature will be held at the Chamber of Virtues.
This resolution received unanimous approval by the Council.
AWARDS/MEDALS
Resolved: Awards/Medals programs should be reinstated to give further incentive to everyone in the guild, to create goals to aspire to other than rank, which will keep everyone doing their best.
Emperor Logan stated that these programs had never been "uninstated", but with the focus of leadership being on the rebuilding of the guild, awards and medals had received lower priority. Some awards/medals have recently been given out to members, if warranted. They can be seen on our Roster.
There being no further discussion, a vote was taken. The resolution passed with one dissenting vote from Kaatya.
COMPLAINTS TO EMPEROR
Resolved: The Emperor will hold court one night during the week as well as every Sunday evening for the purpose of hearing complaints.
Emperor Logan stated that he was not in favor of this resolution because he felt the Emperor should be the "last resort" when a settlement cannot be reached through other means. Guardians should continue to address their concerns through the established chain of command; Centurion, Imperator, Senator of War, Head of State.
There being no further discussion, a vote was taken. The resolution failed with a unanimous vote.
MAGISTRATES' UNIFORM
Resolved (as amended): Magistrates' ceremonial uniforms should be altered to indicate their status on the Council as members but not voters, and therefore could carry the energy staff.
Senator Akroma advised the Council that although Kodoz could not attend the meeting, he did want the members to see his concept for Magistrate uniform. Senator Akroma then donned dragon scale armor which had a slight purple hue, a purple apron, and carried an energy black staff.
Emperor Logan questioned the absence of a kilt and made a motion to include a black kilt and send the resolution back to Kodoz for his consideration.
Senator Lora recommended that we vote now but that the resolution not be adopted until Kodoz had agreed to the amendment.
Head of State Kaatya asked if such armor would be appropriate for mages to wear, her concern being the two vacant Magistrate positions.
Emperor Logan stated that more time was needed to see if leather could be dyed the same color as the "uncolored" dragon scale armor.
By a show of hands, it was decided to table this resolution until the Council's next meeting.
UNIFORMS (continued from prior meeting)
Resolved: The ceremonial attire of the Head of State shall be black armor, black kilt, purple apron, crimson sash, a white cloak, a white hat, and an energy black staff.
Head of State Kaatya donned this uniform, stating that the white cloak and hat were intended to coordinate with the Senator's white robes without seeming to be a Senator.
This resolution received unanimous approval from the Council.
Emperor Logan asked if any Senators had sent in requests to alter the representative color of their House. None had been received, so this matter is still pending.
Time to pack up your Holiday Trees! Mar 16 2004 3:32PM CST (GMT -06:00) If you are still displaying your holiday tree in your house, please take note: The yuletide season is long over, and it’s time to pack up your holiday trees. Any trees still placed in houses will be automatically turned back into deeds with the release of Publish 23, the “Character Transfer publish.” These deeds will be stuck to the floor where your original holiday tree once stood, and only the characters that placed them will be able to pick them up. These deeds will not take up any storage lockdowns. Although they will not decay as quickly as normal, these deeds will decay within 7 days unless you store them someplace safe! Please make sure to store your deeds in your backpack or bank box, or secure them in your house, within that time. Players will also not be able to place holiday trees (until next holiday season). Players are encouraged to deed their holiday trees as soon as possible and to store the deed in a secure location.
Moving Day has Arrived…Character Transfer Now Available! Mar 16 2004 3:46PM CST (GMT -06:00) Moving Day has Arrived…Character Transfer Now Available! Character Transfer is now available on four shards!
We’ve started the test roll-out of Character Transfer on four shards: Atlantic, Lake Superior, Napa Valley, and Pacific. At the successful conclusion of the testing period (in about two weeks), the program will expand to all shards worldwide, excluding Siege Perilous and Mugen.
Visit http://www.uogamecodes.com/ to learn how you can move one or more characters from one of the initial test shards listed above to another of the chosen shards for only $19.99.
Sponsor: Cervantes II & Cavaliers Guild (CVL) Location: Cove Trading Post & Auction Hall (Cove) Start Date: Mar 19 2004 6:00pm PST End Date: Mar 19 2004 10:00pm PST Recurrance: Bi-Weekly
We'll start opening gates around an hour before the auction starts at various banks across the land mainly Britain bank. If you wish to have some of your items auctioned off bring them with you I charge 10% of whatever it sells for. So please come join us for our grand opeing auction.
Sponsor: The Lost Society of Mistas - Amenthena Location: Trammel Vesper - Gates will be provided Start Date: Mar 17 2004 7:00pm CST End Date: Mar 17 2004 11:30pm CST Recurrance: 1 Time Only
Looking to enjoy the fun of St. Paddy's Day.
Open house with fun and enjoyment for everyone. Recruitment to find our lost bretheren, Contest, prizes and lotteries, with a dungeon event to follow. All are welcome. Come and join the Mistans for a fun filled evening.
A personal and deep thank you to Calandryll and the ghost of Ignatz (left over a year ago)....your support and hard work combined to allow me a great opportunity to entertain the masses in years past. Through our events and candid conversations in the "room without a view" gone by... many a mystery and monster have sprung up to challenge the realms at large....past, present and future.
It was due to both of you and your support of the past programs that allows me to write this note and walk the world at large. If I had not been conducting that event for the Catskills population that late fateful night years ago.....I would have never known I had a Graves disorder attack and would have died in my sleep.
For many this game engine is a diversion and it IS entertainment to enjoy....for each of us it also takes on a flavor, passion or journey. Mine is a permanent link in my life and the driving force for me to maintain the goals Twilight (Ignatz) professionally explained was our goal as conductors of any ingame event.
For the Devs and the support teams.......this is thier professional job.
I have taken this approach into the other games that T.H.E website supports.....and am proud how many others have continued this objective of supporting the "good of the many" and expanding the FUN of online gaming into MORE than just hack/slash/go/get activities. Creating the network of friends and family that has occured is one of the greatest percs of enjoying an online activity.
It ALL started with Ultima Online.......for myself and for many in the industry and gamers abroad.
YOU members of the current Dev Team and UO Support team.........along with ALL those before you....have done a superb job to maintain the system and engine. Nearly if not actually re-writing the whole game programming to keep up with the ever demanding client base needs.
Those that leave will undoubtably take that prowess to improve other game engines.......in that everyone wins. Those that stay will continue the work, history and reputation of Ultima Online as one of the eternal game engines that shape the Online Industry........in that everyone wins.
While some may look at the downside to this occurance......there is a greater good that is more important for US the population of Ultima Online to do. It is OUR time to support the Dev Team and the UO Support team during this dramatic change in thier lives and/or homes. They have been there for all of us....now is our time to give them the thanks and applause for thier work.
Closures and relocations are buggers......I am currently doing the same thing with my staff in Ithaca NY....keeping thier spirits up and their eyes wide to the opportunities for them all........but especially keeping thier success of past glory....front and center of thier minds so that it counters the naturaly process of sadness that comes with such a transition.
With that all in mind.......
Tuesday at approximately 2pm Austin Time March 9th 2004. Sunsword or a member of the Dev Team needs to report to the front desk..... well.....Sunsword you may need a couple of the team to help you.
The FOOD of the GODS awaits you all!!! CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS m'lords and ladies....... celebrate your success my brethren.
In concert with this I will be in the realm of Catskills at Olympus Castle with FOOD of the GODS to hand out to any hungry souls that would like to stop by and chat about anything on thier minds.... or within thier minds eye.
May HONOR Guide and Bind thee.... Strength and HONOR!
Electronic Arts to close Austin studio Reuters, 02.25.04, 6:55 PM ET
LOS ANGELES, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. (nasdaq: ERTS - news - people) will close down its Austin, Texas studio, home to the "Ultima Online" franchise, by the end of April, the company said on Wednesday.
EA, the world's largest game publisher, has been consolidating its development operations around major "hubs" like its Redwood City, California headquarters, its studio in Vancouver and a new facility being established in Los Angeles.
A spokeswoman said development would continue on "Ultima Online" and "Ultima X: Odyssey" at the headquarters studio.
Many of the 100 or so employees in Austin were being offered the chance to move to California, while those who do not move will receive severance packages.
The Austin office is the home of Origin Systems, the pioneering PC game developer that EA acquired in 1992. Rumors had spread in recent days across Internet fan sites devoted to Origin games like "Ultima" and "Wing Commander" that the Austin studio was to be shut down.
EA recently said it would close the home of another studio prominent in the industry's history, "Sims" developer Maxis. Those jobs, like many of the Origin jobs from Austin, are to be moved to Redwood City.
Austin has become a hotbed of game development over the years, and the local gaming community said it would support those Origin employees left behind.
"The subject of EA's plans came up at the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) local chapter meeting yesterday evening and the mood was very upbeat with attendees being very supportive," Christopher Sherman, executive director of the Austin Game Initiative, said in a statement Wednesday. "With so much talent expected to be available several local studio heads have indicated they are now evaluating accelerating their hiring plans," he said.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2004--Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS - News), the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, today announced the development of the next expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online game, Ultima Online (UO). Expanding the world and advancing the franchise, the new title will give consumers considerable player vs. player capabilities, two additional professions and a vast new land to explore. The UO expansion pack is scheduled for release in Fall 2004. The game name has not been announced. "We are constantly improving Ultima Online by paying attention to our players' wishes," said Anthony Castoro, Producer of UO Live. "Feedback from our large international player base helped us determine priorities for this expansion, including new world content and a unified player vs. player system."
Exploring a mysterious Asian environment, players can strive to master two new professions; one focusing on physical combat abilities, and the other on magical combat and stealth. In addition, players will have new house customization themes and decorations to use in designing and building homes from scratch or modifying their existing homes.
UO continues to be a leader in the online gaming space with 225,000 subscribers. The game is available in six languages and is played in over 100 countries located in every time zone.
In addition to development on UO, the team continues to develop Ultima X: Odyssey (UXO), a brand new next-generation massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG). The game, scheduled to ship later this year, promises to take online adventuring to a whole new level.
Posted on Stratics Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 3:31 PM EST by Joshua Rowan (GeneralNews)
More news on the Relocation front. First, UO Stratics has received reports that something will be happening at 10:00AM Central Time, Wednesday, February 25, at the Origin Systems offices. There are no specifics to share yet on what exactly will happen at this time, but all indications point to something very important for all staff at Origin Systems. When Stratics knows more, we will make sure to let you all know.
In a related report in a Gamespot Article, the gaming website has posted their own report about the Relocation. After talking with AustinXL and several other sources, they report the following:
According to AustinXL, tomorrow Electronic Arts will shutter its internal studio Origin Systems, developers of Ultima Online. The Austin, Texas, business newsletter stated that "employees will be offered an opportunity to relocate to California or accept a severance package." Sources tell GameSpot the move would affect at least 100 Origin staffers. AustinXL, a creation of Christopher Sherman (who is also the executive director of the Austin-based Game Initiative), cited sources within Origin. Sherman told GameSpot today that such a closure "would not spell the demise of the Austin game development community by any stretch." Previous layoffs at Origin "have spawned a bunch of spin-offs and start-ups," Sherman said.
...
An Electronic Arts' spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the AustinXL story. "Thanks for bringing this to us," the spokesperson said. "EA is constantly evaluating best-practices and structures for our worldwide studio operations. At this time, we have no changes to announce."
The article was posted by Gamespot at 11:42 AM this morning, indicating that the sources AustinXL is using are also pointing to Wednesday as the day everything will officially go down. For complete details, make sure to check out Gamespot's Entire Article.
Borg Notes... All my friends at OSI.......best ye hook up the Lamas and load up the chests on the wagon train.....get those boots a walkin. First ones at the new locale will get the better rooms with a view. Else ya gonna be trying to hide your red swingline stapler whilst the old EA guard walks past ye space. (jokey from movie Office Space) hmmm Maybe I should have titled this post.........OSI MISERY Continues...instead of MYSTERY.....
Given this note........ Account Support will be limited on Wednesday, February 25, from 9:00am – 11:00am CST (15:00 – 17:00 UTC/GMT). This will affect our North American, European, and Australian regions. During this time, if you have questions concerning your Ultima Online game account, please visit eamembers.custhelp.com instead. Thank you very much for your patience.
One would then believe this morning's meeting is Human Resource led and is covering all the details of the severance package and move matters......
"Enjoy and thanks for coming to the meeting. Have a great day on the phone and with customer support. Go Team!!!" ; the HR person says with zeal.
When I had that meeting in January at my location.......I found a few cells in my brain ask...."Where is my claxon!!!" Keep the chin up OSI........your wake still moves the online universe......never forget that!!! Project California........Conquest Campaign at hand........at least get a good room NOT near the Bathrooms!!!