Sherry and Siege

**Tabbitha** · 15th October 2006, 07:08 AM

Posted to UO Siege Perilous on 10/15/06 @ 08:33 AM

Draconi UO Designer

So first, I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond. I know people have been seeing other posts made today and wondered why Siege wasn't getting a response to their own concerns.

I think I'll begin with an explanation of our intent in releasing Sherry the Mouse into the game, and then move onto what it means for Siege. Personally, I'm proud of Sherry - she's got the best NPC AI currently available in UO, is a vibrant, interesting character, and has a rich history from the Ultima lore. If there's any place we'd have wanted her to be most welcomed, it'd be with the dedicated veterans on Siege. She's Ultima, and we know you love Ultima.

You see, Sherry herself is the focus of this event, not the "rat invasion" which is the vehicle to introduce her. Of course, we understood that the Siege Castle British was in Felucca, and therefore a faction stronghold. This is a tough situation, because it makes absolutely no sense to introduce Sherry anywhere else; her home is Castle British. Even if the True Britannians have claimed it as their stronghold, and it, at the time, was being occupied by the Minax faction. It's still the place where Sherry wakes, sleeps, eats, and talks to visitors.

Yet Siege wasn't ignored here - we simply worked within the constraints of the system already in place. Those who hold the Castle in factions will have access to Sherry on Siege. I don't see that changing in the forseeable future, and I hope everyone here can understand *why* it's important that Sherry be there, rather than down in a corner in the sewers. We say we want Siege to have her, but it comes with a price.

On the other hand, the "invasion" is different, and here's what happens. A horde of rats (consisting of rats, sewer rats, and giant rats) overrun Castle British. The players can fight them as long as they'd like, but in the end it's Sherry who manages to scare them off, allowing the players to finish off the remainder. Clainin then proceeds to talk to Sherry for a moment, and then whisk her away for a bit. After that point, she becomes available to anyone on the Castle grounds as an interactive NPC. On some shards, this introduction event took all of five minutes, on other shards we forcibly extended it so EMs could have more control for their audience.

Thus, the real complaint, and please correct me if I'm wrong, hasn't been about Sherry yet, but that the people who aren't in factions missed out on the introduction event itself: the rats invading. Many seem angry about missing the chance to get the rare coins, for instance. Yet many more feel indignation against what they feel is a slight against them as Siege players, where none was truly intended. I can understand that though: Siege is special and bears special consideration.

In this case, what it meant was accepting that Sherry would have to be in a place dominated by factions. It does not, though, necessarily mean that this was the only chance you'd get to do something like the rat invasion, or the only time you'd ever see those old coins.

I can't tell you right this second what we'll do on Siege, but I did want to assure you that you're not being ignored, and this will be addressed.

15th October 2006, 07:08 AM	#1
Tabbitha Administrator Join Date: Mar 2006 Shard: Europa/Snowbourn Posts: 5,544 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 88 Thanked 76 Times in 34 Posts	Sherry and Siege Posted to UO Siege Perilous on 10/15/06 @ 08:33 AM Draconi UO Designer So first, I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond. I know people have been seeing other posts made today and wondered why Siege wasn't getting a response to their own concerns. I think I'll begin with an explanation of our intent in releasing Sherry the Mouse into the game, and then move onto what it means for Siege. Personally, I'm proud of Sherry - she's got the best NPC AI currently available in UO, is a vibrant, interesting character, and has a rich history from the Ultima lore. If there's any place we'd have wanted her to be most welcomed, it'd be with the dedicated veterans on Siege. She's Ultima, and we know you love Ultima. You see, Sherry herself is the focus of this event, not the "rat invasion" which is the vehicle to introduce her. Of course, we understood that the Siege Castle British was in Felucca, and therefore a faction stronghold. This is a tough situation, because it makes absolutely no sense to introduce Sherry anywhere else; her home is Castle British. Even if the True Britannians have claimed it as their stronghold, and it, at the time, was being occupied by the Minax faction. It's still the place where Sherry wakes, sleeps, eats, and talks to visitors. Yet Siege wasn't ignored here - we simply worked within the constraints of the system already in place. Those who hold the Castle in factions will have access to Sherry on Siege. I don't see that changing in the forseeable future, and I hope everyone here can understand why it's important that Sherry be there, rather than down in a corner in the sewers. We say we want Siege to have her, but it comes with a price. On the other hand, the "invasion" is different, and here's what happens. A horde of rats (consisting of rats, sewer rats, and giant rats) overrun Castle British. The players can fight them as long as they'd like, but in the end it's Sherry who manages to scare them off, allowing the players to finish off the remainder. Clainin then proceeds to talk to Sherry for a moment, and then whisk her away for a bit. After that point, she becomes available to anyone on the Castle grounds as an interactive NPC. On some shards, this introduction event took all of five minutes, on other shards we forcibly extended it so EMs could have more control for their audience. Thus, the real complaint, and please correct me if I'm wrong, hasn't been about Sherry yet, but that the people who aren't in factions missed out on the introduction event itself: the rats invading. Many seem angry about missing the chance to get the rare coins, for instance. Yet many more feel indignation against what they feel is a slight against them as Siege players, where none was truly intended. I can understand that though: Siege is special and bears special consideration. In this case, what it meant was accepting that Sherry would have to be in a place dominated by factions. It does not, though, necessarily mean that this was the only chance you'd get to do something like the rat invasion, or the only time you'd ever see those old coins. I can't tell you right this second what we'll do on Siege, but I did want to assure you that you're not being ignored, and this will be addressed. __________________

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