Stratics Presents Historic Achievement Award to Ultima Online Team
The Stratics Network presented an award for historic achievement to the Ultima Online production team on Saturday, commemorating fifteen years of innovation, imagination, and support for the Ultima Online community. Although the physical token was given to the current Ultima Online team, the spirit of the award was more broadly given to all of the members of all of the UO teams since the title’s launch. Each of these individuals influenced the magic and charm of Ultima Online, and all are deserving of recognition for the impact that they made upon both the game and the industry.
It has become almost cliché to note that Ultima Online has helped shape the MMORPG genre. Lessons learned throughout UO’s development, from game mechanics and mobs to lore and socioeconomic factors, have doubtless been studied and weighed by many game designers over the past fifteen years. Further, although this is an unscientific guess, it seems probable that some current game designers were also influence during their time as Ultima Online subscribers. In short, UO’s impact on its genre is direct and undeniable.
A facet that is less frequently noted is UO’s impact on MMORPG players. Speaking for myself, Ultima Online was the first MMORPG that I ever played. As a result, whenever I am exposed to a new MMORPG, I subconsciously compare facets of the new title to things that I remember from UO. Armor, skills, lore, economy, scale, community, freedom, and countless other factors are weighed against my impression of what should be—a standard indelibly shaped by my time in Britannia. This subtle influence is not often acknowledged, but is nonetheless pervasive among all members of the Ultima Online community, both past and present. Ultima Online implanted a theoretical framework for understanding, processing, analyzing, and discussing other MMORPG titles. In light of this, it seemed appropriate to present Stratics’ achievement award on behalf of the “Ultima Online community.”
The full inscription of the award may be viewed below. Congratulations, again, to the UO team on this historic achievement. We wish you continued success for another fifteen years and beyond.
Full Inscription:
Base (black with gold lettering): “Historic Achievement Award Presented to the Ultima Online Team on September 29, 2012 by the Stratics Network”
Center (clear crystal with white embossing): “In honor of fifteen years of innovation, imagination, and dedication in support of the Ultima Online community”
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