Ultima Online timeline
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[edit] 1996
[edit] May
Ultima Online: Shattered Legacy is shown at the 1996 E3 Expo.
[edit] 1997
[edit] August
Lord British has an unfortunate accident. While giving a speech to a bright-eyed Britannian crowd, the King was engulfed in flames and spent some time in the realm of the dead. His was killed by Dread Lord Quark, who was then banned from the game. Later, with the aid of his companions, he was revived shortly thereafter and finished his speech, much to the delight of those in attendance.
[edit] September
Last day of the original beta test. The beta ended with a bang, as players were treated to an "end of the world" scenario with Shadowlords, demons, and other evil creatures slaughtering every character in sight.
Ultima Online opens its doors to the public.
[edit] 1998
[edit] October
The Second Age. Ultima Online's first expansion introduced an entirely new landmass, vicious new monsters, new dungeons, and a lush tropical jungle filled with surprises.
[edit] December
Ultima Online achieves 100,000 users worldwide.
[edit] 1999
[edit] January
Ultima Online expands into Asia.
[edit] May
Origin Systems announces European launch of Ultima Online.
[edit] 2000
[edit] January
Ultima Online expands into Australia with the Oceania server, UO's 21st shard.
[edit] February
The invasion of Trinsic. A massive army of undead laid siege to the once peaceful city of Trinsic. Due to the overwhelming odds, the dark army managed to conquer the city under the leadership of Juo'nar and the Dark Mistress Minax. All hope seemed to be lost, but noble Britannians from all over rallied together and reclaimed the city from the clutches of evil!
Ultima Online achieves 150,000 subscribers.
Lord British disappears. Rumors fly on the wind about the disappearance of the King. Some claim he was abducted by mongbats, while others insist that it was the work of more malevolent forces.
[edit] May
Renaissance. Ultima Online's second expansion marked the beginning of a new era in Britannia. With the splitting of the lands into the facets of Trammel and Felucca, players could choose their geography based on their play style.
[edit] November
UO World Faire. Players from all over met and mingled in Austin, TX at Ultima Online's first official fanfest.
[edit] 2001
[edit] March
Third Dawn. Ultima Online's third expansion introduced the new land of Ilshenar, new beasts and monsters, and an entirely new way to view the game.
[edit] 2002
[edit] January
Online Worlds FanFest. Ultima Online's second official fanfest was held in Austin, TX. Players were able to meet the Developers behind the game, as well as special guest speaker Todd McFarlane.
[edit] February
Lord Blackthorn's Revenge. Ultima Online's fourth expansion brought players into a world under siege, replete with more than 30 new and exotic characters created by none other than Spawn (comics) creator Todd McFarlane.
[edit] May
A hero emerges. Dawn, Royal Knight of Britannia, leads the fight against Blackthorn and Exodus.
[edit] 2003
[edit] February
Age of Shadows. Ultima Online's fifth expansion was the most aggressive yet, offering players the ability to custom design their homes, the Paladin and Necromancer professions, a new land called Malas, and 13 new combat moves.
[edit] March
Ultima Online reaches 250,000 subscribers.
[edit] June
Lord Blackthorn is defeated! During a speech given by the virtuous Dawn, Blackthorn orders his minions to attack the assembled masses. The battle was fierce, but in the end, the noble citizens of Britannia prevailed, and Lord Blackthorn was slain.
[edit] September
Lord British returns! The Lost King returns to his people and speaks of the future of Britannia.
6th anniversary Ultima Online.
[edit] 2004
[edit] November
Ultima Online: Samurai Empire launched. Samurai Empire is a Japanese-themed expansion, offering two new professions, the Ninja and the Samurai, as well as new Japanese-themed housing tile sets. New lands, the Tokuno Islands, were added, with the cities being styled after ancient Japanese cities.
[edit] 2005
[edit] August
Ultima Online: Mondain's Legacy launched. This is the first time Ultima Online allows for more than one player race, as Elves are added. The quest system received a major upgrade, as did the crafting system. Spellweaving was added to the skills. Many new dungeons were added to existing areas. This expansion was also the first that was only available online (offline versions on CDs could be ordered).
[edit] 2006
[edit] June
Electronic Arts announces that PunkBuster will be integrated into Ultima Online. This marks the first time PunkBuster will be used with an MMORPG to help curb cheating/exploiting.
[edit] August
Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn announced. This is the first major overhaul of the client and artwork systems since Ultima Online: Third Dawn. Unlike Third Dawn, all 9,000+ pieces of existing artwork/graphics in-game will have new versions created for the new client.
[edit] November
Electronic Arts announces that the integration of PunkBuster will be put on an indefinate hold.
[edit] References
Timeline and Milestone sources taken from :
http://www.uo.com/sept2003nl.html#grand
