So, to begin this thread, I will say this: I haven't logged into my UO account for probably 3 week now. I have not seriously played for maybe 2 months. This has been the case for several of my UO friends who have played the game for 10+ years.
We're bored with the game.
Sure, new things have been released. But with every patch, with every new addition, there are more bugs on top of the age old bugs that haven't been fixed for years and the systems that need fixing haven't been (i.e. housing system). Scripting is still an issue although we've been promised thing that will combat that. On top of that, most players have become incredibly greedy. The Devs just don't seem to listen or care, and while we shell out plenty of money for a game that is behind and buggy and full of cheaters, we can't even get adequate customer service, on the phone or in game.
The community isn't a community anymore. I think we have lost some of our very best.
I recently picked up the game League of Legends and it's a lot of fun. Bug fixes come a lot sooner. The Devs actually post a lot on the boards and actually PLAY the game (I've had Devs in my very own game doing testing on characters for bugs). It's amazing to me that some players, after the game is only a year old, want to quit because a new map or a few big features haven't yet been released. It's made me realize I have had a lot of patience with a company I've given a lot of money to in order to fix a dying game. Guess what? Fixes aren't really coming. LOL is F2P and they have much better Devs and customer support, in my opinion.
I think that if UO wants to make any sort of come back, it needs to do the following:
-- Decrease Monthly subscription charges to maybe $8.99 or make the game free to play with a system set around it for charged accounts. Example: Free to play accounts only have a certain about of skill, no houses, only 3 pet slots, etc.
-- Decrease the amount of servers unless there is really a need for so many. Right now, there is not.
-- Maybe condense what you have made. As it is, there is a lot of unused land mass (for example, I love Tokuno and Ilshenar, but really... who goes to them? I very rarely run into anyone there)
-- Take a look at your customer service department, phone based and in game support. GMs need to stop sending canned message and appear in game again instead of everything just being text based. Customer service reps on the phone should be able to go in game and help you if need be.
-- A new client with 2011 graphics is absolutely necessary. Having 2 clients, in my opinion, is a waste in resources. Make one and force everyone to use it.
-- And for the love of god, LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY. Get them involved!! Set up a system to help new players as there used to be. As the game stands, it is NOT new player friendly. Talk to them and explain why some decisions have been made as such and listen to some of the players and use some of their recommendations. For example, factions really need to be changed and some players have really great ideas for those changes.
If those things were changed, I think I might get really involved in UO again. But as it is, I think I might be closing my accounts soon as many others here have done.
We're bored with the game.
Sure, new things have been released. But with every patch, with every new addition, there are more bugs on top of the age old bugs that haven't been fixed for years and the systems that need fixing haven't been (i.e. housing system). Scripting is still an issue although we've been promised thing that will combat that. On top of that, most players have become incredibly greedy. The Devs just don't seem to listen or care, and while we shell out plenty of money for a game that is behind and buggy and full of cheaters, we can't even get adequate customer service, on the phone or in game.
The community isn't a community anymore. I think we have lost some of our very best.
I recently picked up the game League of Legends and it's a lot of fun. Bug fixes come a lot sooner. The Devs actually post a lot on the boards and actually PLAY the game (I've had Devs in my very own game doing testing on characters for bugs). It's amazing to me that some players, after the game is only a year old, want to quit because a new map or a few big features haven't yet been released. It's made me realize I have had a lot of patience with a company I've given a lot of money to in order to fix a dying game. Guess what? Fixes aren't really coming. LOL is F2P and they have much better Devs and customer support, in my opinion.
I think that if UO wants to make any sort of come back, it needs to do the following:
-- Decrease Monthly subscription charges to maybe $8.99 or make the game free to play with a system set around it for charged accounts. Example: Free to play accounts only have a certain about of skill, no houses, only 3 pet slots, etc.
-- Decrease the amount of servers unless there is really a need for so many. Right now, there is not.
-- Maybe condense what you have made. As it is, there is a lot of unused land mass (for example, I love Tokuno and Ilshenar, but really... who goes to them? I very rarely run into anyone there)
-- Take a look at your customer service department, phone based and in game support. GMs need to stop sending canned message and appear in game again instead of everything just being text based. Customer service reps on the phone should be able to go in game and help you if need be.
-- A new client with 2011 graphics is absolutely necessary. Having 2 clients, in my opinion, is a waste in resources. Make one and force everyone to use it.
-- And for the love of god, LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY. Get them involved!! Set up a system to help new players as there used to be. As the game stands, it is NOT new player friendly. Talk to them and explain why some decisions have been made as such and listen to some of the players and use some of their recommendations. For example, factions really need to be changed and some players have really great ideas for those changes.
If those things were changed, I think I might get really involved in UO again. But as it is, I think I might be closing my accounts soon as many others here have done.