Ultima Online: Renaissance
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Released on May 4, 2000, Ultima Online: Renaissance (UO:R) was the second expansion for UO. It had an estimated retail price of $19.95 US. However, current subscribers were not required to purchase a CD as the updated features were automatically downloaded to existing accounts.
Changes
- Rule-Set Change/Landmass Mirror -- The most evident change was the splitting of the gamespace area in two. One area allowed non-consensual Player vs. Player (PvP) combat, while the other area did not. A mirror image of each other, the PvP facet was named Felucca and the other, Trammel. The change effectively doubled the gamespace, which allowed for additional player housing, player-run Cities & Towns, and easier access to crafting resources.
- Skills Design Feature -- Perhaps the most popular introduction was the new skill management system, which allowed for more control over a character’s development. Prior to UO:R, not only could you not lock a skill, your skills could be altered simply by standing too close to another character who happened to be training. You could learn by watching, literally! UO:R introduced the Skill lock and the Stat lock.
- Young Player Assistance -- Upon logging-in to the world, new players were given the opportunity to go through the new in-game tutorial. They were immediately taken to the safe town of Haven where they could both practice in a live game environment and benefit from one-on-one training, which was supplied by more than 2000 companion volunteers.
- Party Up, Got To Party Up -- A new party system made it easier to adventure with a group of friends by facilitating group communication, combat, and profit and reward sharing.
- Special Moves -- Special moves introduced. Every Two-Handed Weapon of the three fighting skills was given a special ability that had a 20% chance of executing on each blow. These special moves only worked in Player vs. Player combat.
- Macing delivered a Crushing Blow.
- Fencing weapons delivered a Paralyzing Blow.
- Swordsmanship delivered a Concussion Blow.
Near Changes
Scheduled to be included with UO:R, Factions did not make the release, but was added a couple months later.
Fictional Explanations
The rule set change and facet mirroring had an official fictional narrative. The "new" world was Trammel and the "old" world that remained was now called Felucca. Confusingly, Trammel and Felucca are also the names of Sosaria's twin moons.
Politically, Trammel was under the jurisdiction first of Lord British and then the Ruling Council. Felucca was the subject of a never-ending civil war that was introduced a few months after UO:R's release (i.e., Factions).
According to statements made by UO Development members, most players never venture into Felucca. In other words, Fellies constitute a very small percentage of the total player base.
For more comparisons, history, and fiction, please see the individual articles on each facet.
Contemporaneous Statistics
The following statistics were current at the release of Ultima Online: Renaissance,
- The more than 185,000 registered users.
- Registered players in 125 countries located in each of the world's time zones.
- Six Language Translations: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Anglicized English.
- 21 servers located on four continents.
- UO players log-in an average of 20 hours every week.
- More than half of UO players log-in every day.
