As we reported yesterday, the Web site for Stygian Abyss has been updated with new information in preparation for the expansion's summer launch. Well, the Ultima Online team has just announced that the new game client has entered open beta so you can try out the improvements to the interface and user experience before the expansion goes live.

Remember, this open beta is for the new client, not for Stygian Abyss. You can use the new client on any shard, so you'll actually be able to use it while playing the live game to see what you think of all the updates, such as the ability to adjust your in-game play window to any size. You can read more about the new client after the jump.

Also, the trial account page has been updated, so check it out if you'd like to try out Ultima Online for free for 14 days. The game's turning 12 years old in September, so now may be a good time to revisit the world or try it out for the first time.

With the release of UO’s 8th expansion pack around the corner we thought we’d give the community just a glimmer of the technology that’s been under development.

We’d like the community to take a look at our latest efforts to improve on the interface and user experience. Please understand that you do not need to use this client for the new expansion; however, we do think you’ll enjoy a lot of the features and improvements we’ve made. This client will maintain the “beta” tag as we continue to gather information and improve it based on community feedback.

We hope you’ll take a look, and more importantly, use it as a lens for future adventures as we open up the Stygian Abyss coming this Summer!

Please note: This is an open beta of the new client, but not the expansion content. This client will work on any shard, not just Test Center, so you can test it in a real environment.

Players can download the client here.

New Client Tips and Tricks

• The new client is free to download and use (you will still have to pay for the expansion content once it is released)
• The new client Installer download is only 18 megabytes.  The first time you patch, it will download the bulk of the game (approximately 2.0 gb) 
• The new client patcher will automatically resume the next time you launch it if it is interrupted.
• The first time the client is run, all of the settings will default to “legacy”.  If you wish to use the Kingdom Reborn style targeting, chat (enter to type), and containers, you need to change this in the options under the “Legacy” tab.
• The new client will try to adjust your graphics settings to match your computer but it may not always get it perfect.  Here is an explanation of some of the important options you might not be aware of:
  • (Graphics) Max Framerate – Increasing this number will reduce overall performance, but the movement will feel smoother on powerful graphics cards.
  • (Graphics) Show Shadows – Turning off shadows can give a significant increase in performance on older systems.
  • (Graphics) Enable Vsync – Turning this on may reduce overall performance but will correct screen “tearing” when running in the game.
  • (Graphics) Particle Filter – Particle effects tend to slow down older and lower end graphics cards.  This option allows you to specify what particle effects you see.
  • (Input)  – Unlike the classic (2d) client many of the common commands can be bound directly to a key without creating a macro. 
  • (Options) Enable UI Scale – Some players feel that the UI is too large.  If you wish make the UI smaller, you can enable this option and adjust the scale with the slider.
• Unlike the classic client (2d), you can adjust your in-game play window to any size by grabbing the arrow in the bottom right corner and dragging.
• In windowed mode, you can also adjust the size of the client window like legacy.  NOTE: Decreasing the size of the client window will increase performance.
• To lock the chat window, right click on the orange button in the bottom left of the chat window and select “Lock Window”.  This will cause it to appear more like the classic (2d) system window.
• By default, the journal window is attached to the main chat window.  With the chat window unlocked, you can drag this tab off to make it a separate window.
• The macro editor can be accessed via the Main Menu.  To add items to a macro, drag them from other places in the UI (such as the spell book, skill window, backpack etc).  Many of the actions for macros can be found in the Actions Window.
• Macros from the macro list can either be assigned to a hotkey or dragged to a hotbar slot.
• Actions can be directly placed on the hotbar from the Actions Window without having to make a macro.
• The icons for character stats in the “Character Sheet” window can be dragged to your hotbar for easy monitoring.  The icon next to your tithing points in the Chivalry book can also be placed on your hotbar.
• Any stackable item such as gold or reagents can be placed on your hotbar.  The number on the hotbar will indicate how many total of this item you have on you.
• You can monitor the progress of your skills by clicking on the "Show Tracker" button in the Skills Window.
• There is no limit to the number of hotbars you may have.  Spawn a new hotbar by right-clicking on an existing one and selecting “New Hotbar”
• You can also resize a hotbar by grabbing the arrow in the bottom right corner and dragging.  If you stretch it to be taller than it is long, it will turn into a vertical hotbar.
• The mouse wheel can be bound to different targeting actions in the Input Tab of the Settings Window.
• The Bug Report tool is a valuable asset to the development team and the best way to submit feedback about the new client.  It can be accessed from the Main Menu.

Troubleshooting

There is a known issue on certain systems where the mouse will not correctly line up with UI elements.  You can fix this by turning off the window frame (in the graphics tab of the options menu) or playing in fullscreen mode.