This week in RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks back at the RP scene in one of the very first MMOs: Ultima Online

Everything that exists, both in fiction and in reality, has links to what has come before so nothing is truly original. The adage "there is nothing new under the sun" holds true. In order to achieve something that is measurable, I will investigate originality in the sense of what is commonly called new IP.

How much of an MMO is button smashing and how much involves actual skill? This installment is an investigation of how armor choices and shield employment can yield more combat decisions.

I like stats as much as the next person (probably more), but when warfare is boiled down to raw probabilities, battlefield skill disappears. The building of the best stat base becomes much more important than any sort of tactical competency. Instead of seeking a skill based work-around, games come up with new statistical probabilities.

Beta sign ups for Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss have started at the official site. Pop through to the other side to find out where and how to sign up!

In this installment, Jonathan Steinhauer looks at the last MMO class archetypes, the Healer, and why this role at least is solidly developed.

The box are for Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss has been revealed and you can get a gander at it in all its glory by clicking below! What are you waiting for?

The announcement is official for the release of the next expansion to the grandaddy of MMORPGs, Ultima Online. Stygian Abyss is scheduled for a summer release this year! Check out the details by clicking 'read more'.

The archetypal concept of the tank assumes that PvE opponents have the mental capacity of cattle. Instead of a monster intelligently attacking what would make his enemy most vulnerable (the Healer) or what is the greatest actual threat (the DPS), it attacks the one opponent that isthe smallest real threat and the hardest to kill: the Rodeo Clown... er Tank.