GrimmOmen: Ack! A different engine??? Well, it would be nice to be sure! You see, the UO client is like, Jenga. All the small pieces play an important roll in keeping the whole thing working. The client is not currently at the stage were we could just pull something out and stick something else in. It's all pretty heavily integrated. Graphics will definately need an overhaul at some point, but personally, I'd like to see gameplay improvements first. I think the targeting reticles are a good first step, and I know of things in the works that are going to be really cool. While graphics might not necessarily get an overhaul anytime soon, bear in mind that it's not because we're overlooking them, but we're trying to take things one step at a time. I've mentioned before that the art department here has been doing a lot of upgrading, so this could technically be considered a preliminary step in this process.

GrimmOmen: Thanks for that. We're doing a LOT more "behind the scenes" kind of stuff than might be readily visible to the community. I think that we've taken some big strides in fixing things that have either been A) Not implemented or B) Implemented poorly. I think that we all hope that we've proven our commitment to the quality of UO and we certainly plan to continue on this course.

Thanks again to the community for your support and feedback.

GrimmOmen: think you mean to say "adding some pixels?" Pixelation is usually considered a thing to avoid. :-)

Actually, Hemi's on target with his comment here, but I'll up the ante a bit more. Not only would an increased art size require all new art, but it would also require not a small ammount of client updates as well. Then of course there's the download! If we doubled the size of the art on the screen, you'd need to re-download all of the art and animation files, only now they're double the size!
The other thing that we have to take into consideration that developers of games like WoW don't is low spec video cards.

So updating graphics is not just simple decision, there are a lot of things that we have to take into consideration before doing so.

GrimmOmen: You're welcome.

We'll definately be at that stage on day, and as far as squeezing ten more years, well, I'd love UO to one day bury WoW as it has done with so many other MMORPGS. But that's proabably just the fanatic in me talking...

GrimmOmen: *Spits coffee*

TAKE my job??? ;-)

While an art degree wouldn't hurt (you get a lot of valuable training there), it's not necessary if you're a bloody good artist. It all really boils down to your portfolio/demo reel. You definately need to show good modeling and texturing skills, knowledge of PhotoShop and a 3D application is a must - though which 3D application is becomming less important. While I highly, HIGHLY reccomend a BFA, it's not really the degree that gets you in the door. It's your portfolio and your contacts.

CatHat: *Jumps in - I'll happily field this question - i get this one a lot from a lot of my students at varoius colleges I teach at from time to time.

These days if your looking to be an artist in Game Devlopment - i'd say going to a good 4 year university with a strong digital arts/animation program is a really good for people looking to get into the field. Visit the campuses you want to learn at - make appointments to talk to department heads and professors - grill em about what your intersted in. See what they say about previous grads. I don't diss - but I also don't recommend the heavily advertised 'game schools' and academy's right off the bat for everyone because most private schools are VERY expensive and not all are as reputable as they might seem. Many focus on sheering wide eyed hopefuls who pay out too much in tuition. These guys come out with 200K in dept some times and thats scarey when getting work can take time and they know no more than the 4 year student with 30K debt. Funny but, I've even known guys who teach the same courses at an expensive school and the same guy teaching the same thing at a low key JR college for 1% the price of the fancy school. What many people learn is really based on how hard you push yourself in the time your actually working with a good instructor.

Reading magazines like "Game Developer" and working with MODs and toolkits in your spare time is good too. Getting your hands on working latest copies of Max, Maya, Softimage or any other major 3d tool set is a must. Happily many tutorial books come with a free version of this software as a 'student' copy. The web is an excellent resource for a lot of "HOW TO" as well. Having a working copy in school and at home is important as you'll have to show you can do the work before you can get hired - so building things in a 'portfolio' over years is really critical.

Check out the jobs posted on game company sites - see the skills they ask about and focus on those. Many game company 'JOBS' sites give hints about how to build portfolios you'll have to show and what they look for. This is good for the person starting out who need to know what they're looking to get into. LOL

Develop skills beyond 3D applications too -Learn to draw like a madman - knowing Flash, some C++, digital video editing - photography - HTML - traditional painting and or Sculpting are important as well. Most of us here are basically digial sculptors and painters who are the top of our class but we have a small array of other skills as well.

Speaking of class - get to know your classmates and professors well - the top 5-10% of the class WILL be around in the field i guaruntee it. I see guys who i went to school with working in games, film and at the universites i teach at all the time. Make friendships with these similar people and network with them later in life. Many jobs you will get later on are quite often based on 'insider' info - people calling you up offering you a gig becasue they know they can depend on you. You might also find that over time you're calling your friends for job slots where you're at.

Be top of your class and work hard - but be humble - 'be willing to take Monkey Work" when you get outta school. When you're young in the field you'll be expected to be able to walk through fire and stop bullets with your hands and they'll pay you little to start with and work you crazy long hours on occasion. You'll find in a few years your duties will really expand if you work hard. Pay and your titles will go up - your portfolio will really take leaps. You grow.

Well thats kinda the short version of it. Got things to do - just thought i'd bang this out while i wait for some slow perforce stuff to update a database.

GrimmOmen: A new client would probably take Tacts group, the Art group and our immediate and extended families to do. ;-)