By: Czarzane - UO Designer

Chicago, Illinois (BNN) -- The Chicago event had a great turnout with almost 100 UO players excited to see us and ready to grill us with tough questions, and maybe squeeze in some miniature golf.

The venue was the coolest indoor miniature golf course that I had ever seen. Okay, so I haven’t been in an indoor miniature golf course lit by black-lights before... but hey. The Monster Golf crew was fun and easy to work with while we were getting ready for the Town Hall Meeting, and seemed genuinely excited to have us there. If you’re ever in the northern suburbs of Chicago, check out Monster Golf!

Mr. Tact was in rare form (well, not really so rare, he’s usually a pretty fun guy to hang out with) as he presented a number of ideas to the crowd. Most of them seemed popular and a little controversial at the same time. Even his idea of fixing the random number generator, which would break 8X8, was well received. Some were concerned about having a better system in place to help players raise skills that are difficult to raise, even with 8x8.

His ideas for PvP went over well, especially his champ spawn idea to curb griefing. That one was VERY popular. The basic idea was to change the AI of champ spawn creatures so when champ spawn raids get jumped by PvP gankers, the creatures attack the newcomers. This removes the "hammer and anvil" situation for the original raiders.

Binky, with his bald head painted like a pumpkin, was a big hit. Don’t tell him I said this, but I thought he looked more like a demented serial killer from a horror movie than an actual pumpkin. There were a number of people who came dressed in costume. All were well done and creative, even the man in the neon dye hued jacket. At least it wasn’t glacial!

All in all, the players were excited to get the chance to meet members of the UO dev team. We were even given a gift in appreciation for adding elves to the game, which is now on display in a prominent location in the office. All three of us had a great time in Chicago, and really enjoyed meeting everyone who attended the Town Hall Meeting. That famous Mid-Western hospitality was in full effect.

Here are some pictures from the Chicago Town Hall Meeting: