Gimme 5 - April, 2003
Answered by: Oaks, Kerowyn, Vex and Helios
IanStorm - What is the purpose of the gopher holes in Malas?
Oaks - The original theme for Malas was actually "Caddyshack," but it got cut due to licensing issues, and the gopher holes were simply too difficult to remove.
Kerowyn - They have no purpose. ;)
IanStorm - It seems that the monsters that dropped weapons of a certain type have been changed. Are there any plans to make Juka bows spawn again, or Gargoyle Enforcers to spawn axes, Orc Brutes to spawn maces, and Balrons to spawn swords?
Oaks - Randomness is important to the type of magic item system added to UO in Age of Shadows. If monsters drop specific weapon types, or even specific properties, the whole of the system isn't as effective.
IanStorm - Thank you for the customization of housing! Would it be possible to make water tiles animated?
Vex - Unfortunately, when you have large numbers of animated tiles on the screen at once, the UO game client begins to lag. That is why they are used only sparingly in the map, and why it was necessary to add only non-animated versions of water and lava tiles to house customization. Optimization of the UO client is an ongoing effort of our programming team, so it is possible that some time in the future we would be able to not only allow animated tiles in houses, but also in the oceans!
IanStorm - Where can I find lamp post artifacts?
Hanse - You must complete the switch puzzle in level 1 of Dungeon Doom. It spawns inside of the Tomb of Sektu. Only a GM thief or better can even attempt the theft.
Vex - I guess Sektu was afraid of the dark.
IanStorm - Which Dev Team member came up with the firebomb idea? We love it!
Vex - The idea was Oaks', and he and I worked together on the details and implementation. That feature was an "easter egg" -- an undocumented feature of the game intended to be funny, or at least mildly amusing.
Oaks - That was an Oaks/Vex creation. They are hot!