It isn't hard to spot the most notable change in UO: Third Dawn. Every scrap of 2D animation has been tossed out the window in favor of fully 3D polygonal character and monster art. This has two distinct benefits, aside from making the game more technically savvy, of course. The first is that it allows for much smoother and more varied animation. The original UO suffered from choppy animation even when the game was not lagging, but the motion-captured movements of the new player models is a major step forward. In the beta, several movements are a bit wacky and unfinished--the bizarre swimming motion that results from casting some spells, for example--but most look remarkably good. The movements of most monsters are also much improved as a result of the 3D changeover.

You can catch the full preview here.

 

You can catch the rest of the shots at the RPG Dot Gallery.

Actually, we aren't gearing up for anything just yet. :) Our External Testing Coordinator recently sent out some confirmation emails to those people who participated in the one-month UO Test Center beta promotion (note that bugs submitted after the promotion are always appreciated, but will not guarantee an ORIGIN beta spot). Several people have posted about these emails, leading some to believe that the application process for beta testers has opened, and that alpha must be starting very soon.

This is currently not the case. Approximately 100 people were accepted through this promotion, and those people were recently sent confirmation emails to let them know that their bugs had been recorded, and that they would be included once testing began. There has been no other application process or sign-up yet. We still have plenty of room, though, and there will be tens of thousands of spots available once the application process opens!

To order an Ultima Online: Third Dawn Beta CD, you must have an active Ultima Online account in good standing. The CD's are available for the price of shipping and handling in US dollars: $4.95 domestic (US & Puerto Rico), and $6.95 international. Once you have completed your order, you may expect delivery in up to 7 days on domestic orders (up to 21 days international). You will need to provide a Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or AMEX card to complete the ordering process.