I figure we should get some good discussion going about this shard. There's no doubt that it will be the next "big" UO freeshard when it launches. Let's face it, UOForever is a trash server that will die the moment any sort of competition is launched. The horrible ruleset and how disagreeable it is to our play style means that this shard won't last for much longer. It's a struggle even now trying to get people on for a raid.
I've been Alpha testing the several different features upcoming for IPY. So far, the ideas are great and the coding that has been implemented has been wonderful.
They have a fully working, automated arena system. Details found here:
http://inporylem.com/ipy-3-arenas/
PvE End Game Armor Sets:
http://inporylem.com/lets-talk-about-sets-baby/
And Portals:
http://inporylem.com/portals/
Beta is getting ready to open up some time in October and they are planning for launch sometime in the winter. Now is the time to put in your input on what features you'd like to see or what sort of improvements you'd like to make. In my personal belief, the aged game that we are addicted to can be considered a success if you play a shard for a year and have a lot of fun and retain good memories of your time there.