Ultima Worlds Online: Origin Interview

The guy with a "weird job" at Origin, actually the Tech Lead but with many different responsibilities, answered a few questions with UltimaHaven about that sequel MMORPG thing they're doing called Origin... UO2 is another name it goes by unofficially. Here's two prime cuts of select USDA approved questions (it's meat that meets agriculture standards here in the US)... ah nevermind:

Q: Will unarmed combat techniques be powerful enough to compete with armed warriors of an equal skill level?

A: Yes and no. For PK purposes, it's a good idea to not let unarmed warriors totally kick butt. Why? Because they are risking a lot less than the armored folks, since there is no chance of losing any loot. So, they can deal out damage, but not take it that well, whereas someone with armor can do both (all that expensive armor plating has to be good for something, after all). Bottom line is that they are very viable, but not as the main 'tank' of a party... if someone is there to absorb damage for them, however, they're quite impressive.

Q: What is your favorite visual effect(s) in Origin?

A: Hmmm, let's see...just last week, I saw some gorgeous dragon wings with specular highlights, cool shiny weapons (using a form of environment mapping, for you tech heads), flaming arrows, and a lot more. I can't really answer this since it changes each week though - there's that much cool stuff.