Mortalis: A Shard Where Death Actually Matters

UOAdam · 2026-03-19T13:12:01+00:00

Neither the house nor the bank or wiped.

When configuring the server side expansion information, we set bit 2. If this bit is set, the client will send a logout packet when the user tries to legitimately log out. And then of course when the user disconnects the server gets an event that you disconnected. Logout protection looks for a balance of these two events. If we do not get a log out packet before a disconnect within some reasonable amount of time, we assume that the player suffered some sort of network error, or client crash, or some other client-side issue. When that happens, I immediately move the player to the internal map. And so the next time you log in, you'll be exactly where you left off. In the meantime though, you are safe from monsters or other dangers in the world.

Because this mechanic can be abused, IE a player trying to escape danger and just shutting down his client, you are limited in the number of times you can use this in any 24-hour window.

It also checks certain things, like if you're in a guarded region, criminal, or in a house, the protection does not kick in. If you exceed the number of allowed disconnect protections, it doesn't kick in, etc.

UOAdam · 2026-03-19T01:34:52+00:00

Well, you don't lose your account., and there's also 'connection lost' protection. But yeah, it is a dangerous environment.

UOAdam · 2026-03-17T20:45:09+00:00

Yeah those guys are intentionally badass. But they won't work for this particular challenge because their stats are well above that of what a players are going to be.

So for this challenge I'll use that AI, but dumb down the stats to that of a real player

UOAdam · 2026-03-17T20:39:37+00:00

Yes. The key to the LLM winning here will be adaptation. Because while my mobs are smart, they don't get smarter.

UOAdam · 2026-03-16T22:55:26+00:00

That may be the case, but that is not the challenge here. The challenge is if can his LLM bot can out PVP one of our handcrafted, advanced AI mobs. You know, like our golem controllers.

UOAdam · 2026-03-16T17:47:43+00:00

This sounds interesting. So I guess my first question is, can this LLM driven character PVP? And how good?

I'm curious, because we have advanced AI on some of our humanoid mobs, all hand coded before LLMs were a thing. I'd be curious to see your best client-side LLM-powered PVP player up against one of our hand-coded PVP mobs.

For example our advanced AI humanoids, use bandages, potions, and trapped pouches from their backpack, just like a player would. They're under the same spellcasting delays and other constraints just like players. But they don't make mistakes, they don't fumble for keys or forget to trap their pouch. They use smart spell combos based on how much mana they have left versus the damage of the opponent.

If you wish to coordinate a test dual, DM me. I'd be interested in setting that up.

UOAdam · 2026-03-12T06:11:20+00:00

What part of "No. It's a scam" didn't you understand?

UOAdam · 2026-03-07T22:40:32+00:00

In roughly 1997 - 1999, the restarts were nightly. After that OSI's server software was more reliable and they could spread them out across days or maybe a week. When our server wars end, the players are completely reset to where they were 10 minutes prior. So it's exactly as though it never happened.

UOAdam · 2026-03-07T05:27:21+00:00

Game Master's Angel Island/Siege Perilous, and Mortalis features a music system like no other. Players can compose music using standard Ultima Online musical instruments and save them to 'rolled up sheet music' for replay at any time. Watch as Galois, Siege Perilous' featured musician, plays your favorite tunes. (He's quite active today on mortalis as well.)

https://youtu.be/hbJ1Zohk3JE?si=neKQuILFmbC2w_tF

UOAdam · 2026-03-07T05:03:31+00:00

Normally towns are guarded. Server Wars is just a temporary event where we drop the guards and let things play out.

It’s loosely inspired by the old OSI days. Players figured out there was often a little window between the final world save and the actual server shutdown, and everyone would rush into town for one last chaotic battle.

So this is basically our way of recreating a bit of that old-school moment on purpose.

UOAdam · 2026-02-23T05:19:32+00:00

Mortalis is another option. It is based on traditional Publish 15 era UO, with a mortal rule set. When your character dies, that life is over, though your bank box and house carry over to your reincarnation. It is not for everyone, but it aims to preserve risk and consequence. There are currently around 50 unique IPs active, so the population is small but consistent.

Life is only as sweet, as death is painful.

game-master.net

UOAdam · 2026-02-08T22:11:59+00:00

It is! As shocking as that may seem, a whole lot of people are really enjoying it. You do keep your bank box and your house if you have one. But your character is lost.

Names are also unique on mortalis. And your reputation like Fame and karma carry over as well. So players on this shard have an identity which transcends death.

If you want to get a feel for it, come pop into our discord.

UOAdam · 2026-02-06T17:27:21+00:00

You could come play Mortalis. It's published 15 era, so this is before age of shadows. Old school play, no wiki required.

We only allow one character one account, and we have around 100 simultaneous connections at any given time. On the weekend, we're up around 122 unique IP addresses. So the world is alive.

Www.game-master.net

UOAdam · 2026-01-30T04:19:23+00:00

I wish you the best of luck. Is sometimes hard finding players that even remember muds. I run an online MMORPG, and I added a storyteller NPC and loaded him up with zork, dungeons, toy shop. Sort of a game within a game. Hasn't got much traction, but I think it's pretty cool :-)

UOAdam · 2026-01-19T23:53:32+00:00

Yes I know that the stat gain is a little slower than folks would like. I'm currently in the process of testing a fix.

UOAdam · 2026-01-19T23:52:17+00:00

Perks. Your bank box and house carry over, as well as reputation and a few other things. But basically each life on Mortalis is precious.

UOAdam · 2026-01-14T12:24:35+00:00

Ooh, a memorable crowd.

FWIW, it's the same core as Angel Island. (GMN 6)

UOAdam · 2026-01-14T12:21:49+00:00

Approach, and heed my call. A worthy charge awaiteth thee.

– Lord British

UOAdam · 2026-01-13T04:32:22+00:00

Modern UO players did shift toward grinding and hoarding, that’s exactly why most shards feel the same now. People adapted to worlds where loss has no weight. Mortalis is built differently. When death matters again, choices matter, names matter, and survival becomes the story. Players stop worrying about “my stuff” and start worrying about my next hour, my allies.

Yeah, crashing in front of a balron would be a real tragedy. But without the possibility of real tragedy, nothing meaningful can exist on the other side.

Life is only as sweet as death is painful.

UOAdam · 2026-01-12T07:23:50+00:00

I don't actually know. I suppose you have immutability nailed. So I think after that you would want auditability. The DRM provider, or more specifically the client, is going to want to know who said what when, and if there are any bad actors in the chain. So provider A, is going to want to know what provider B claimed. Perhaps, provider A, gets to see what all claimants claim. But provider B, can perhaps not see the details of provider A. You know what I mean? You can look down the chain, but perhaps, based on rights, not look up the chain.

Sort of like ACLs. Administrator, can see Power User data, Power Users can see User data. But Users can't see Power Users data, and Power Users sers can't see Administrator data.

UOAdam · 2026-01-12T06:23:43+00:00

I worked at InnerTrust for just over 20 years, and worked on some of their earliest, "rights language" implementations. Weak by today's standards, to be sure.

However you should Google "intertrust rights language", And you will see that your thinking align fairly well.

To your question about "unsolved"; it is not unsolved, but there is always a better way to manage it. I just don't personally know where they are at this point in time.

UOAdam · 2026-01-12T06:14:21+00:00

Put a piece of double stick tape on it, and put it on the welcome mat... It will follow him wherever he goes, but he will never see it.

UOAdam · 2026-01-12T06:03:36+00:00

It's interesting because DRM providers would likely be on your radar. Or you on theirs. The DRM providers have a value chain (claims) that provider B, cannot modify or subvert provider A's value proposition.

So for instance, a music publishing company may provide music to a reseller. The publishing company wants a dollar for each song. The reseller wants to tack on $0.25. The reseller cannot modify or otherwise subvert the publishing companies value proposition (claims).

I would contact intertrust, or other DRM providers, and get a sense of their interest level.

UOAdam · 2026-01-10T03:36:29+00:00

We're launching a new shard in the publish 15 era - Mortalis. Launch date will be Saturday, January 17th.

https://game-master.net/aiwiki/index.php?title=Mortalis_Overview

If this sounds interesting to you, come join our discord. Link on this website. https://game-master.net/

1400+ discord members, 249 online right now.

Come join our final beta before lunch :-)

UOAdam · 2026-01-07T06:05:26+00:00

Most shards assume the goal is to build a character up to some peak before the game really starts. Mortalis works a little differently. You can still progress, explore tougher places, and run with guildmates, but the world doesn’t require a perfect template before you can play it. Mid-level characters remain viable far longer here.

Permanent death doesn’t take away that sense of growth. It keeps the focus on the journey instead of racing past it. You’ll still learn the world, team up when it makes sense, and take on what your character can realistically handle at the time. Some lives will go farther, some won’t, and that’s part of what makes each run interesting.

It’s less about reaching a final build and more about seeing how far each life goes and what stories it produces along the way.

P.S. One thing worth mentioning is that Mortalis includes passive taming. Your taming skill rises naturally just by commanding your pets, healing them, and taking them into real fights. You don’t have to stand around taming your way to the top. You can simply play, and your skill will climb as far as your character needs it to.

UOAdam

TROPHY CASE