Then what was it "suppose to be about"? Getting PKd after what should have been a fun time killing monsters, finding the evening completely wasted? Bank thieves snagging an item to run as far as they could, so that after the guard-whacking, a partner could get the looted item? I never minded a fair fight, but even before stat loss became an excuse, most any PK wouldn't attack without superior numbers and/or with victims already low on health from fighting monsters. Most people simply didn't want such "risk" or "thrill," or any fight at all, because it comes down to lost time. Of course people want what is easier, but after all, even a single flowing electron seeks least resistance. Why should people derive any enjoyment from something that's more difficult than it needs to be? Thus in the same way many people eschewed dungeons during peak hours, people prefer safer places to live, work and shop, rather than any "risk" or "thrill" of dealing with dangerous areas. Yet the converse of "too easy" becomes boring, perhaps more. Ever see the Twilight Zone episode "A Nice Place to Visit"?
If that's all the "excitement" people want, then what's it to you? Who are you to declare that people aren't having enough fun? If people are only going through the motions of gameplay, that's their business, and it's what the playerbase has wanted since 1997. Go read some of the rec.games.computer.ultima online threads to gauge what the majority of the playerbase wanted. Shall I repost some old Stratics and Crossroads of Britannia posts I saved?
For most people, the original state was not with mere risk. It was in fact "with no chance." Most people then, now and always do not want to gear up a miner with AR33 and fighting skills, and yet still get mowed down by half a dozen PKs. They didn't want to explore the woods only to find the screen suddenly go gray on the way to Skara Brae. Depending on how long you've played, you may not know that UO wasn't always 100% subscription. Most people did not want to buy the game (I think I paid $60), log in for the first time, get slain at the crossroads, place a house to have it stolen, then realize they wasted money.
You talk about "band together," but MMORPG does not mean multiplayer is a requirement before someone can dare to mine or chop outside a town, let alone place a house or venture into a dungeon. People should not have to sit around waiting for a big enough group so they can have fun, notwithstanding PKs could escape as quickly as anyone else (and without being one of a few people already at 1/3 from fighting a blood elemental). Remember that Garriot's original vision lacked town guards and would have relied 100% on player justice. It was obvious with any need for a second's thought that it wouldn't work. It couldn't work even on Siege and Mugen. Then the mythological Great Lord/Dread Lord wars proved what "player justice" is all about, because Great Lords typically fought off out Dreads not to save the day, but to return on their own reds to PK the weaker blues.
