In the lands of Evolution there are many wonderful and strange things happening without your understanding. While you are softly asleep in your bed, adventuring out and about, or just beginning to ponder your day to day; there is magic afoot. It starts off simply so: a revised storyline for a quest, a large red diamond, a blackened water carafe, two painted barrel lids, and an unused clock frame make for the best cup of coffee, and the final touch; the passionate heart of  a strong woman… by: Domino.

Sturger: Hail, and well met, M’lady. How are you doing this evening?
Domino: I am doing well, thank you. Today has been a good day.

Sturger: Indeed, a great day for an interview, with a Lady of such décor. We all know how busy you are creating new—and truly wondrous-- decorations, quests, and fun little events for everyone to do each month. Also, on behalf of the Herald’s readers--and myself-- I wanted to thank you for granting us your valuable time tonight for this interview.
Domino: Your welcome, Sturger, it is my pleasure; not to mention creating stuff for the shard is a lot of fun.

Sturger: Exactly what I was thinking. Say, Domino, how about some questions?  (evil laugh)
Domino: Yes, I am ready for the first question. (nervous laughter)

-------------------------
Sturger: And the first question of the night goes to… D*O*M*I*N*O

Sturger: Domino, I was wondering how long you’ve been playing Ultima Online?
Domino: I have been playing Ultima Online, on and off again, for about 22 year; which is about as old as my youngest son is. Though, when I started playing, in beta 1995-96, he was still in diapers. 

   Sturger: Interesting. (adds Mom to Domino’s resume) 
   
Sturger: Do you recall what brought you to the Evolution shard, way back when?
Domino: I had been playing-- like I said-- on and off again on other custom shards, after leaving the pay to play OSI original version. There came a time when I decided to take a break from the free-shard UO arena. Eventually-- like most Ultima veterans-- I felt the need to play UO again and stumbled onto the Evolution shard. What truly sold me, about EVO, was the custom gold panning system because it was something I had not encountered before on other free-shards. Ultima Online is one of those games where there is always something to do, and here is a shard that has something new to add to that list which I was very familiar with. Once I had downloaded, and then patched in-- to Evolution-- I found that I liked much more than just gold panning. The shards other custom scripts, friendly community atmosphere, and active staff certainly drew me in further than any of the other free shard I had played on before.

Sturger: Nice! Have you enjoyed your role, in the continued development of the Evolution Shard, as one of its possibly greatest Seers?
Domino: I doubt I’ll ever be the greatest, but yes I have enjoyed the role of shard Seer. There is certainly much to learn in Ultima Online—especially for someone who is new to playing UO—and I was getting to the point where I thought I knew most things, including the custom UOE content. When I decided to become a Seer on Evolution I found out that there was even more to learn and of course--enjoy. I loved Ultima Online when I was just a player, but as a Seer, oh wow, it is well beyond enjoyment.

“It is at this point in the interview, that I think to myself—teasingly—that Domino might forget to take a breath (sometimes) when she thinks about how much fun she is having creating some new Deco, or jotting down a bit of storyline for a new quest. Like Kane, she is purely in her element when it comes to the vast adventure that is Ultima Online. I find it hard to imagine the last 501 days without her, and with that thought I am happy that Domino found her way to Evolution. The shard—I think—would sparkle a little less without her. Wouldn’t you all agree…?”


Sturger: Domino, if asked to choose between the following things: creating new decorations, developing a new quest, or running the New Guild; which of these three choices would you choose to do—when not teasing Kane— and why?
Domino: I would have to choose the development of new quests for starters; but don’t derive too much from that winning vote. Each one of the possible choices, which you’ve listed Sturger, are just as important to me as the others. Last month, I was working hard on a lot of decorations due to the holidays; while this month I am working on building a solid base of ‘Merchant Contract’ quests. From month to month--and sometimes day to day-- depending on what I am working on, the things I view as important, as shard Seer, tend to change from what is now completed, to what is next on my list of things to do. 

Sturger: Where, M’lady, did you come up with the name Domino; which I noticed was your character name, and is now—of course—your Seer name?
Domino: (smiles) I barrowed the name from the song Domino-- which I love-- by the artist Jesse J. After I became Seer, for the shard, I refused to give up the name because I just love name (and the song) so much I had to have it, still.

Sturger: Moving on to the next question. I was wondering, Domino; are there times when you miss being the guild leader of NEW?
Domino: Yes, sometimes I do miss being in charge of NEW; but the guild is in great hands with Merlina Addams as its guild leader. The honest truth is I wouldn’t have become staff, if someone as wonderful as Merlina had not taken over for me. Additionally, I am an honorary member of the NEW guild still; but as an Evolution staff member I tend to keep my distance. That is of course, unless I am the only ranking member on during a situation which requires a leadership choice be made to maintain guild stability/cohesion. But yeah, I do miss it, sometimes.
 
“I’d bet anything, that Domino honestly does miss a more dominant role in the NEW guild. I personally couldn’t imagine not doing staff interviews or writing stuff for the UOE Herald. Sometimes as humans, we simply cannot find the words to express ourselves, verbally; when it comes to the things we truly enjoy—or love. If you had asked me—after this interview—what Domino thought about the guild NEW I would’ve had to say that the guild falls into the category of unequivocal love for her. She goes on—from where I left off up above—with a few (positive) choice words and several stories of praise--which I wasn’t going to try and replicate in this article—about the peoples you might run across during your time in the NEW guild. When there are no words, perhaps it is time for all of us to seek out what cannot be explained and thus take the time to go out and experience the unexplainable. Then again, perhaps it is too late for some of us to join the NEW guild, but why does that mean we are forbidden from experiencing it? If you have a spare moment, try to take that time—like so many others already do—and help out a newbie. Remember, there is more to the NEW guild then you might think. The ranking members are much more than the custodians of gear hands outs. These enlighteners of the NEW are the foundation for fun and the pillars of a time worn community of those who’ve just begun, and those who have just returned. Ultima Online: Evolution can be more than a collection of: 1’s and 0’s, outdated, yet much loved, 2d groupings of pixels, or even  an impressive collection of empty soda cans piled up over the course of few weekends. It can also be about sharing wisdom— and many adventures— with new players who have just begun. If you don’t believe me, then perhaps you might ask me about ‘Gorebane’ sometimes. I’d love to tell you a grand story about the day I spent helping out the first Gargoyle—at least the first one to take the journey that I am aware of—turn into a Human.


 
Sturger: In the first section of questions we talked about you in a more personal sense, Domino. To follow that up I thought we might unleash a little bit of madness together.  (grins)

Sturger: The madness, which I refer to, is due to the unimaginable amount of new Deco/house add-ons you provide the shard with each month, Domino. Have you always held an interest in ‘Ultima Online’s house decorating or creative Deco potentials?
Domino: Yes, from the very beginning, I have loved the ability to own a house, in Ultima, and then be able to decorate it. The intricacies of building a custom house, and then decorating it, are even more fun, but I am sure everyone with a house plot understands that much. As for creating Deco, it falls pretty much into the same category as house decorating; I simply love it.
Sturger: I would certainly have to agree with that last comment, Domino.

{Sturger pauses while getting real close to the microphone voice operated speaker}

Sturger: Shhhhh! (Sturger pauses, then whispers confidentially to Domino) Sometimes I spend all day figuring out which wall, or floor tiles, look right with some random house add-on deed, that I may, or may not, have found lying on the ground in front of Britain Bank. Does that make me weird?
Domino: … (just pure laughter)

     Sturger: Right! I thought so, let’s just move on...

Sturger: Some of the forum members—including myself—were wondering from whom, what, or where do you get the inspiration to create the decorations that you’ve created for the shard?
Domino: (pauses for thought) I get my ideas from just about everywhere. I have barrowed a few Deco ideas from free shards where I used to play, before UOE. Sometimes I will use Google to look up pictures, for inspiration, on the internet. Other times I have used player ideas as my muse; or simply created a Deco deed which was actually a player’s creation-- which used items found in game-- stacked a certain way. Finally, because we often chat-- or work together on shard stuff-- I can always ask Kane for an idea. He is good for more than coding you know, but you didn’t hear that from me.
   
    Sturger: Indeed! Wait, what was I supposed to forget?

Sturger: Speaking of Kane, I have asked a similar question of him before, and was wondering what has your favorite--by: Domino—Deco/quest to date been?
Domino: I would have to say that my favorite quest was, and still is, the ‘Thieves Quest’; because it was the first quest I worked on, pretty much solo, as staff. My favorite Deco is actually multiple pieces of Deco. The Asian Deco deed series, of house add-ons, is without a doubt my favorite --by: Domino-- Deco to date. If I was still a player, I would have all of them set up in my custom home.

Sturger: Domino, are there any, up & coming, decorations or house add-ons which you can let slip for our readers today?
Domino: Unfortunately the answer there is no. However, I am working on the ‘Woodworker Storage Key’ quest, which should come out soon. Aside from that quest, many ‘Merchant Contract’ quests are also on my list of things to do for the rest of the month, and into February. (I know right! Domino has a list, too; kind of like… hmmm. Don’t tell me… KANE!) 

    Sturger: This is all excellent news, Domino. I’m so glad that I am taking notes right now!

Sturger: For our final Deco question of the evening, I was asked to talk about a special throne. More specifically, is it possible for a ‘Pharaoh’s Throne’ Deco piece to be added to the list of possible finds when a player is out and about exploring long lost Tombs?
Domino: Hmm, I would have to look into this more, but I think it’s a good idea. I imagine a player who found this item would want to sit in it?

    Sturger: (smiles) Yes, sitting down is good after a long fight.
    Domino: Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that. (laughs)

    Sturger: (sheepish grin) Well, what can I say; I have always found sitting in a throne, very empowering, though in a regal sense of speaking.



Sturger: As you might know Domino; if I am not writing for the Herald, playing something on my PS4, or simply spending time with my lovely wife—in the real world… (oh look the sun!)—I am most certainly trying to unravel one of your new quests.
   
Sturger: From the start your quests have been pure genius, and somehow the next quest in line seems to top the one before it. I was wondering where you find the time, and inspiration, to piece together a quest, from start to finish.
Domino: Again, as with the Deco items I’ve created, my inspiration tends to come from everywhere. I love to read. A lot! (giggles) Often times I plan out a quest in advance, while other times I just start writing a storyline, and the rest of the quest seems to falls into place. Sometimes Dante, Kane, or players on Evolution, are my muse. Where do I find the time to create quests? Well, like so many, I have a job in addition to being staff on Evolution. I guess I find the time just like everyone else; here and there.

Sturger: Speaking of pieces, are you aware—Domino—that the simple town escort quest NPC’s are only asking a player to bring them to one of four locations? If that’s not a few pieces short of a whole escort quest, then I’m an adventuring merchant bride—wearing a dress no doubt—trapped in an inn in west Britain until some gallant helps me make my way to COVE, of all places?!? I mean really!  What happened to my so called husband through all of this? On second thought… don’t answer that…
Domino: (laughs) I think you might be insane… Sturger.

    Sturger: Indeed! (smirks)

Sturger: On a more serious note, is it possible to look into the ‘Town Escort Quest’, and perhaps change the settings to allow NPC’s the ability to request travel help—from players— to any/all of the basic towns? Perhaps you might throw in a few of the dangerous dungeon locations, as well?
Domino: Unfortunately, those quests are probably hard coded into the UO client, which means there isn’t much I can do about it. I’ll gladly talk to Kane about that, however. Maybe he can look into things, and make the quests potential branch out better. Thanks for mentioning this, though. Since staff doesn’t hold a player account, on the shard, it is hard knowing what is broken and in need of fixing, at times. We do listen when players request stuff like this, so keep letting us know, and when your name is at the top of our list, we will see what can be done.

Sturger: I recently ran into, what I would call a new player tutorial quest in the city of Minoc. Was that quest something you created, Domino? Also, are there any plans--at this time-- to make more of these tutorial quests?
Domino: No, that sounds like an old OSI quest. To the second part of that question I would again have to say no. I did create the new player dungeon [Bookworm] quest which was intended to show new players a few areas which they might have over looked otherwise. That said; I am not planning—at this time— to create any tutorial quests for newer players to run through. As for right now, the NEW guild is doing a good job of helping out new players. I wouldn’t want to break up that vital early on relationship. It is too important for newer players to have a home where they can be taught the basics of UOE game play.

    Sturger: Very well, I’d like to talk about ‘Merchant Contract’ quests, Domino, before we press on.

Sturger: It is my opinion—at least as of today— that there are potentially up to 70+ quests, mostly Elven in nature, which just don’t seem to mesh well with the custom feel of the shard. I would like to know how staff plans to use ‘Merchant Contract’ quests to improve upon areas like Heartland, the Britain Library quests, or even some of the older quests-- which were great for OSI but can be found lackluster-- here on UOE?
Domino: The long term goal is to put Merchant Contract quest everywhere. In the future you might find a (MC) quest giver in any of the original cities or dungeons, on either Trammel or Felucca side. Some of them might have a theme, while others may be around for a short time—due to the holidays or another reason all together. If the sky is the limit, then the plan is to go beyond even that limitation. Just remember, however, that ‘Merchant Contract’ quests will come out in small batches. Evolution staff feels this is the best way for to keep bugs, and other issues, at a minimum. In the end it is easier for us to fix 5 (MC) quests, rather than having to fix 500 (MC) quests with similar issues or bug problems.

    Sturger: Thank you Domino, as usual, that was very well said. Have I mentioned I like your style?  (looks as innocent as possible)

Sturger: A friend from the forums wanted to know if it was possible to create a new wand look—for roleplaying purposes. If so, they wondered if a functioning wand could appear to look like a single, undamaged, undead gargoyle horn. Perhaps, one slightly bigger/wider then what the undead gargoyle horns look like now?
Domino: Sure, I don’t mind looking into this as a possibility; but right now I am unsure if it can be done. In the meantime, give me a little time to check into this. Who knows, maybe wands will be on the list of new items/Deco to come out soon.

Sturger: The aptly named, Dewey, wants to know if the time it takes—for quest related-- MoB’s/items to respawn will be decreased, due to the growth of the shard?
Domino: As a whole, the growth of the shard may not affect the spawn times at all. If the opposite is true, please note that staff is constantly monitoring many situations, including old and new quests, in order to make sure a reasonable/balanced spawn rate is being accomplished. Believe it or not, I often check the spawn timers when a player mentions that there is a lack, of respawn, in quest related areas. Just as respawn times are important to some, an economical balance is important to staff, when it comes to the Evolution shard. Sure, quest items are account bound, and therefore they don’t have a monetary value; but the items granted as a reward, by quest NPC’s, still have value, and are often times tradeable. Time and effort are truly the only cost here. If you’re playing UOE, than you have the time; just don’t give up on the effort part. Eventually, you will find a quest MoB to slay, and continue on with your current quest towards its completion.

Sturger: Right on Domino, couldn’t have said it better. Recently, I’ve noticed we’ve had a few good/bad posts on the forums concerning newer player’s first impressions. In that regard, I was wondering what is being done to improve the quality of life for newer players, coming to the Evolution shard to play.
Domino: First, of all, the guild NEW is a very active guild; which was created to help out new players for their first 45 days on Evolution. There are also several handfuls of newer players, plus ranking guild members, online every day to answer most game related questions. This, in game feature, is something you might not find on other free shards. To be honest, while I played on other free shards they did have something like a NEW guild—so to speak—; but let’s just say the attendance of those in charge was rather lacking. Secondly, Evolution staff does run a—NEW guild only— player event regularly. Though the challenge setting--on say a champion spawn event--might be toned down a little, there is still a challenge for the newer players who are just starting out. In the end we hope they are left with a positive rush of excitement and many long lasting memories of the fun they had (or are still having) while playing here on the UOE free-shard. Additionally, from time to time, staff helps out newly joined members of NEW, with equipment; which is intended to aid the newer players along in their journey towards veteran statues. In the end—though it might be hard to understand why at times— not everyone can be happy with what they are doing every day, with who they are on the inside—or outside-- or where they are heading—in life—or along the well-traveled road which winds its way through the realms of Evolution. But staff and I do try to help newer players out as often as we can. If other players have any fresh ideas on how to improve upon what is currently done for newer players, fell free to let a staff member know. NEW ideas are always welcome. (smirks)

Sturger: Yay! My favorite section, of the Q & A interview, has arrived: Editor’s Choice any one?

Sturger: For today’s first Editor’s choice question; I’ve been meaning to ask you about some colorful city banners I’ve noticed throughout Trammel. Why, M’lady, have each of the static cities, in Trammel, recently gained a cool looking banner and a town specific militia hall?
Domino: My original idea, here, was to give each city its own beautifully colored banner. I followed this up by adding—what I would call— a song for each of the cities entrances. This song will play out as people enter/leave the city. On the other hand; I also added the militia halls; in the hopes of using them for ‘Merchant Contract’ quest content purposes. Right now, though, I am not sure the Militia halls will be used in a way that I had first intended to use them. It is possible that I might remove them at a later date, or I instead try and use them for something else, in the near future.

Sturger: Neat! For our final question tonight, I wondered if you were aware of the Enchanted Shovel quest, Domino? I recently spoke to Dante about the quest, after I had finished a walkthrough for the Wiki about it, and he mentioned to me that it needed to be revised a little by someone like you, Domino. (winks)

Sturger: Furthermore, Dante mentioned to me that the quests completion reward didn’t fit in with the balanced economy that he and staff are aiming for, on the shard. I was wondering if it was possible for you to take a look into ‘The Enchanted Shovel’ quest, Domino, and perhaps change the final reward to reflect the shards current sense of economical balance?
Domino: Yes, I am aware of the ‘Enchanted Shovel’ quest. I am, also, pretty sure I even completed that quest during my player days on the shard. Once I have the time to touch base with Dante and Kane about the matter, I will make sure to get the changes in as soon as possible should any be necessary. For now I have written down the quest on my list of things to do. I again, thanks for, the heads up on situations like this, Sturger. 
Sturger: Anytime M’lady. That was the last question I had for you tonight. I want to thank you, and staff, -- once again— for the opportunity to play on the best custom free shard ever made. What you guys do on Evolution, is truly amazing.

Sturger:  This section has come to represent what the interviewee had to say after the interview, questions they possibly had for the Interviewer, or random moments of thought which were inspired indirectly by questions I asked during the Q & A session.

~~Game Related…

~Domino: I like it when players speak up about quests, or other game related ideas. This type of information is welcome, especially if it is constructive…

~Domino: Quests given out by Merchant Contract NPC’s may have a turn-in timer. This timer may only allow a Merchant Contract quest to be turned in once a day, or once every week.

~Domino: [Tool tip] the quest items everyone is looking for are out there. Keep in mind that there are only X amount of these, randomly placed, quest items out in the wild. If these items are not found by players, more of them are not meant to spawn, until they are found. Furthermore, this also means that these quest items are not moving around, or relocating, to alternate spawn locations.

~Domino: The ‘Merchant Contract’ quest system has a turn-in counter in place, which is per NPC contract giver. In simpler terms, should a player complete 5, 10, or 20 Merchant Contract’s-- for say the Tailors in West Britain-- another tier of contracts may unlock for that player to further their progression into related quests in the surrounding area. The challenge/fun factor or potential for reward also might go up. When I say per NPC contract giver, I mean that each Merchant Contract quest giver is keeping tally of all the Contracts you have accepted and then turned-in for them…

~~Random Fun…

~Domino:  When UO first came out I loved playing so much… I might have had to get a job, back in the OSI days, to keep playing.  (it was pay to play back then: about 10$ a month)

~Domino:  I’m looking forward to… the up and coming Carnival days, February 28th! 

“It may be true that the pen is mightier than the sword; but in this day and age, with all the modern technologies available to us. It has become even harder to tell—sometimes—what is truly behind the words uttered in gaming chat rooms or any of a thousand 255 character texts which are sent out each minute of every day. The opposite is true about our friend Domino, especially if you take the time to listen and get to know her better. If Kane is our Wisdom and unforgiving truth, and Dante our Compassion and always ready friend, than Domino is our Spirituality mixed with never ending laughter. Doing this interview with Domino has taught me there is awe inspiring warmth to her that is never faked. It’s a part of her which she keeps tucked just under the surface for the right moment to share with any and all of us. Yeah, the pen is most certainly mightier than the sword but let us not forget the people who grasp the pen firmly. Often times forgotten, it is the inner most spirit, of that person, which rights the words, inspires the story, paints a picture, or brightens up the room. Domino may have started off as a wonderful song by the artist Jessie J. but I’d like to think that for the community, which is Evolution, she is our world renowned symphony, the laughter found in all harmony, and large part of the spirit of UOE which brings us here to play.”


Cheers to you Domino,

                      …thanks for always being you.