What is it about UO?

[Sunrise]

UO is like gravity...U can leave it for awhile but it gets stronger and stronger..then it sucks you back in....

Seriously tho..I think with UO there are NO lvls..like every other game out there there are lvls and so forth..wtih UO You can change who you are...being a goodie to being a red...being a thief to being a paladin...

Find me any other game U can do that in???

 

[Kensai Tsunami]

you are right Dusk. lotta nuts and insincerity out there, esp when it comes to folks in a video game environment. i wouldnt recommend to ppl to leave themselves open to something stupid o course. but there are some nice ppl out there. in fact a while back when we had some financial trouble in rl, our in game guild leader sent us the 800 bucks we needed to resolve it. no questions asked. we didnt ask for it. in fact it took me days to decide to even take the help. saved our butts after a bad hurricane.
no illusions here. heh.

 

[UOKaiser]

1)Friends

2)Freedom

3)Housing

4)Not needing 10-20 member party to do anything worth while. You can solo and be the lone hero of the story.

 

[Der Rock]

Stealing from other players. No other game has even bothered to allow this to happen. There were rumors this would be allowed in Darkfall, but I am now learning they have taken this ability out.

I'll still giver a try, but at the same time, if it doesn't hold my attention...I'll be back to UO rather quickly...la

theres a reason WHY no other game allow this stupidness of playstyle.
1 thieve is happy but 10 people quit the game because of such A..h...s
(u know, other companies do a research how to keep people as paying customer,UO dont,or is still learning,lol,learning over a decade now)

 

[Lord Kynd]

Anyone else quit to find greener pastures in a new game but come to find nothing can replace or top your UO memories?

I have tried DoAC, WoW, EQ, Warhammer, Realm, SW, Eve, and countless other lesser known titles, but have yet to find anything that makes me feel the way UO does.

My question, What brings YOU back to UO every time?

never left
but i would imagine it would be the 11 years worth of memory's.
that and i've watched friends play other games like wow and feel nausiated :sick: by the looks of it.

 

[Basara]

While a lot of the old-timers decry the items in the game, it's really most affecting the PvP aspect.

Since I don't do that, what I HAVE noticed is that, if one really wants to flex their creativity, the +Skill items can let you try skill combos that ordinarily wouldn't be possible.

My Treasure Hunter is a melee swordsman, by choice. It's more challenging, more of an adrenaline rush when you see the level 6 spawn pop up, and a lot more fun than standing there and saying "All kill" (I'm just now, in the last 6 weeks, working on the tamer I started 6 years ago, and actually used TWO Advance Character tokens on, for taming and Bard skills). I've got 57 skill points from equipment, which allows me to have Cart & LP on a character full-time with Swords, Parry, Tactics, Healing, Anatomy and Chivalry. In fact, before Tactics got nerfed by the "real skill" requirement for special moves, I had an 800-point template.

I could have made some "leet" uber-warrior, but I chose fun and the road less traveled.

Similarly, I have a Legendary Blacksmith with legendary Mace Fighting, with 86 skill points from items in the other warrior support skills, and 100 mining. Again, I made the choice of Role-playing and fun opportunities, over creating the Uber-warrior. And, the ability to be out mining, get jumped by a red, disarm him, kill him, then go brag in Luna that "so and so just got killed by a legendary SMITH" (I don't mention the 120 points of real macing I have), is an added bonus (Though, I've not had it happen in almost 4 years - I think they're all afraid of me, after hearing I deliberately hunt for paragon Valorite elementals when I go mining in Ilshenar, and I don't mine much in Fel anymore).

Or, my tailor with a similar suit, that harvests his own leather in Destard using a Reptile Slayer Skinning Knife (good for RP, plus works the same as a Butcher's War Cleaver, when equipped).

You see the pattern? The problem with a lot of the "item-based" characters, is that they are always striving to be the best, not the most creative or flexible - and therefore, the problem lies with the players, not the characters.

 

[Diomedes Artega]

I try to be careful about that. Chumming around with people every day (or every week) for years in games tends to create an artificial sensation of familiarity and friendship. I find that the real test... is see what happens if one of you stops playing the game for an extended period of time. It can be a rather rude awakening sometimes to feel like good freinds with someone in-game and find they just don't really have much of an incentive to return e-mails or stay in any form of touch if you take a break, or stop logging in.

Of course none of that may apply to you, since you mentioned knowing a lot of them offline too, which is great. But I just notice a common theme is people saying things like "people in game are my family", etc., and it can be rather harsh to find out that the bond extends not much deeper than the pixels in the game when you no longer share playing an MMO together.

I value playing the game since it is a nice hobby and all to me. I completely agree with you here. I have had people I have known and vice versa who quit or took a break and then that is pretty much it.

So perhaps a little judgmental or aloof, but I take people I meet in UO and other games with a grain of salt. Very few people keep in touch. Only difference seems to be whether they knew one another in a real life situation already.

 

[Kaleb]

I havnt played EA uo in months I dont miss it really Its not the UO i fell in love with. I spend most of my time on WOW or a PRS now days, Always hopeing that EA will someday build a server that got me and many others hooked on UO years ago. Only reason I keep 2 open accounts is I have too much to loose and EA should still get payed even though they didnt dev the server I play.

 

[Dor of Sonoma]

Anyone else quit to find greener pastures in a new game but come to find nothing can replace or top your UO memories?

I have tried DoAC, WoW, EQ, Warhammer, Realm, SW, Eve, and countless other lesser known titles, but have yet to find anything that makes me feel the way UO does.

My question, What brings YOU back to UO every time?

It's the FREEDOM, baby!

The freedom to be and do whatever you desire...or to be and do nothing whatsoever, if you so choose. No levels or classes or enforced social incarcerations - you may be friends with whom you wish, and you are entirely free to make your own enemies too, while you're at it.

The community and shared history and experiences are quite compelling, as well. Shared history is also what makes it so difficult for some of us, when outside agencies make sweeping and unsought changes...but I digress. *coughs*

The isometric view, the incredibly easy and intuitive UI, mouse movement and the ingame speech floating free (not confined to horrid, stifling chat boxes). I had no idea how simply and truly elegant the Ultima Online user interface was, until I tried using some others.

Player interaction with the world is unsurpassed anywhere else....the ability to continuously affect your environment is pretty amazing, really.

Coming back to the people...someone above was decrying the worth of ingame friendships. All that I can say to that is, umm...I feel sorry that you've missed out on one of the richer aspects of the UO community. I have met hundreds (yes, hundreds) of UO players in real life - and out of those only two were stone asses in person. Not a bad percentage, in my book.

I have met some of my favorite people in UO, and remain friends with them still. They rock!

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

theres a reason WHY no other game allow this stupidness of playstyle.
1 thieve is happy but 10 people quit the game because of such A..h...s
(u know, other companies do a research how to keep people as paying customer,UO dont,or is still learning,lol,learning over a decade now)

The game has changed a lot since its inception, that's for sure.

I think OSI made one critical mistake when they designed UO with open PvP and open stealing from players...

...they assumed that players would band together and police themselves.

Some of us did, but most just either joined PKs and thieves, or...they fell victim to them and did nothing but complain after the fact.

In the early days of UO, if OSI had put some sort of consequences to anti-social behavior, rather than just shut it off, it would have been sustainable.

But you had too many people that were not willing to stand up to PKs and thieves, and too many people that could not take it when they were beaten by another player. So that aspect of UO is pretty much gone...with the exception of those that still PvP in Fel...which is entirely different than what PvP was in the old days.

 

[hungry4knowhow]

For me its the fact that every game since Everquest looks and feels EXACTLY the same, change the graphics mob names and quests and its basically the same game. I tried EQ when it first came out and was so used to the UO layout that I only lasted a week.

I have left and come back several times over the years but nothing holds me for more than a week really. I have only once went further than a free trial and that was Garriots other game Tabula Rasa HUGE dissapointment.

Skill based gaming is my main thing...I dont want to have to pick some race that is limited in what it can do. I dont want to have to level by questing. I dont want to level period. I despise Experience Points. I like to see my skill raise as I use it.

Custom Housing meh, its cool but I could do without it.

Crafting...Im not trying to play some little mini game with a fricken puzzle, or seperate Experience points to make what I want.

Open World this is a big thing, I can go wherever I want, do whatever I want whenever I want.

Also the fact that UO was the first online rpg I played other than The Realm, its like the first time you move out you always remember the parties and goodtimes of that first place. Its all downhill from there, bills, responsibility etc...if that makes any sense.

I will play UO even after EA shuts it down. To me its like D&D was to my parents and Aunt and Uncle.

 

[Littleblue]

Unfortunately, people are not, by large, inherently good. I used to really think differently, but experience has shown me otherwise.

Seems the 'right' choice is not always, or often, the popular choice. Especially if doing the right thing might take a bit more work, thought, or time.

People today would rather be devious, dishonest, and downright evil if that's the easiest way to go. After all, taking what someone else earned is alot easier and faster than doing it yourself, and totally justifiable to most, regardless of the means to an end.

Funny thing is...those of us that have put a bit more thought into actions, attitudes, and their consequences realize early on that doing things the right way not only has a higher chance of favorable results, it's usually much less work and heartache in the end, regardless of how "easy" being bad may appear.

 

[MalagAste]

For me I have to agree with several folk.......

Freedom, the Freedom and the ability to really feel your doing something.... the unique ability you have to create things like Auction house's, Taverns, Temples, and just about anything your mind can come up with ...... You can band together with friends and create a town....

I hate to have to follow a template..... many games are so cookie cutter.... If you are this race then your limited to this sort of character class and if you chose this race then you can only be good at this or that.... and if you are this character class you wear this armor at that level and that armor at this level.... and you have to do this and that quest with 50 other people to get this or that piece and if you don't have this or that piece your armor sucks but it'll take you no less than 400 attempts before you "lot" that piece and actually get it... taking you no less than 3 months to get it..... yeah.... that's SOOO not for me...

In UO heck you don't even have to work skills.... you can use a newb template and still do dozens of things.... you can RP... and not just hanky panky stuff off in some corner with silly movements but you can really rp quite well in UO... if you have a good imagination...

And many are right the friendships I've made in UO are VERY much like family... very nice.... I've really met some wonderful people....... who even after quitting UO still talk just to say Hi.....

In UO there are dozens and dozens of templates you can make and you can change them anytime you like... You can be a tamer one day and a fencer the next with 5 to 7 character slots there are few limits...

And of course for me it's the custom housing.... I love deco and design.....

 

[Cybrdragon]

I think a lot of people, in WOW, get too obsessed with levelling and the next big item drop. That's why there's less of a social feel (everyone busily powergrinding the next level) and also why most people in WOW, even if they originally joined with friends or made a lot of game friends along the way, wind up basically solo'ing the game, and joining raids like mad with people they don't really know or like. It's all about progression and the next piece of gear. And if your friends can't keep your pace, whoosh, out the airlock. I'll see you next time I stop by Ironforge but we're not probably going to actually go play the game together because I gotta get back to Naxx and get my next epic and you're still in noobie blue gear.

Kind of like UO after AoS hit, huh? I still remember losing most of my friends after Age of Shadows. Everyone was either so obsessed with getting "stuff" that they wouldn't group or share anything anymore, or so disgusted with the huge changes that destroyed the game they loved that they quit.

I found a great guild in WoW made up of old friends from UO. We have no trouble with leveling gaps because everyone pitches in to help everyone else whenever it's needed. I guess with any game the experience is largely made up by who you end up hanging out with, or not.

Call me shallow, but the lore in WoW has captured my imagination like no game since UO. UO's lore to me is the patchwork quilt that has no defined direction or purpose. After ten years of playing UO, I guess I finally got bored with the same old item fest and lack of direction or plot. I was always a Warcraft fan, and I'm enjoying the heck out of WoW right now. It's like a breath of fresh air after agonizing over quitting UO for so many years. I still have my two UO accounts, but probably won't log in again unless there's a 3D version of the game in the future.

 

[Duskofdead]

I value playing the game since it is a nice hobby and all to me. I completely agree with you here. I have had people I have known and vice versa who quit or took a break and then that is pretty much it.

So perhaps a little judgmental or aloof, but I take people I meet in UO and other games with a grain of salt. Very few people keep in touch. Only difference seems to be whether they knew one another in a real life situation already.

Well I do not mean to meander into the controversial here, as even bringing this up tends to start heated discussions which is not at all my intention. But I have always regarded my stints in MMO's as, to varying degrees, addicted behaviors. I mean there always reaches a point where it's not really "exciting" to me to get in there and kill that 12,982nd troll yet I'm still compelled to get in there. And of course, that is the POINT of a pay to play game, to addict you. They don't make money if they give you a fun gaming experience which can be fully enjoyed in 3 weeks. The social element helps keep me there... the longterm goals of couse keep me there... but playing the game always sits on that border between I'm staying up a little too late, or putting off things that maybe shouldn't be put off, to keep putting time in the game. And I know that's addictive.

There are always players who insist how casual their gameplay is and how they are in total control, don't feel urges, log off for weeks at a time. But some of that is embarassment and some of it is pride and some of it is contempt for the idea of being addicted to something. Frankly I think all of us who pay to play an MMO are addicts at some level, because unless you smashingly enjoy every moment of your UO time, if things like "but I've made friends there" or "I've worked so hard on my house" or "I've put too many hours into my character to just lose him" at all figure into your reasons for staying (and paying) through periods where maybe you aren't thrilled or jazzed with the game anymore, I'd say there's at least a thread of addiction in there somewhere.

I find sometimes people I think I know really well in-game, once you interact out of game, really aren't very much like you imagined. Other times you simply can't think up something else you have in common once you get over discussing the game. But perhaps most frequent of all is that if the other person quits, or you quit, almost all incentive to keep any type of bond or communication gets severed. And I know I don't like to admit that, and I've spent some hours of my life wasted unhappy or disappointed or wondering why someone I was "friends" with for 3, 4 years just doesn't return e-mail or doesn't set aside any IM time for much chat that isn't game-related anymore. "Sorry hunting" or "sorry in a dungeon" become common answers when you try to communicate with a game friend once you no longer play the same game.

It reminds me a lot.... and it's not really a pleasant thought... of all the stories I've heard of what happens among crowds of other addictions (drugs, gambling etc.) when one person quits. Not that I'm comparing leaving an MMO to quitting meth or something, I'm not. But the psychological reaction is interestingly similar... those who are not quitting, tend to shun, or no longer have time for, the person who does quit. Some of that is just simple facts that your lifestyles change so much and you have something important not in common anymore. But one of the hard things about quitting a drug is that you do pretty much have to accept the probable loss of your entire circle of friends who were in the same habit, that's practically rehab 101. And similarly the ability to maintain a lasting meaningful friendship with anyone from an mmo game seems to underwhelm compared to how often we feel like we really know and like and are friends with these people we spend so much of our time with in a game.

 

[laurlo]

I think UO has the greatest ability for players to tell stories.

 

[Duskofdead]

I think UO has the greatest ability for players to tell stories.

I would say this is true. Whenever I try to tell WOW stories they are almost unerringly game mechanics heavy, acronym heavy stories that only another WOW'er would get. "Okay so I put down my FT and was getting ready for AS and I just respecced BM so I had a tiger and DH up right? So this combat rogue comes up and tries to ss lol..."

No one really gets into the spirit of things in WOW. It's all just about min maxing and mechanics and stats.

 

[Sweety]

I got introduced to UO when i was about 8 years old by my brothers. Now its 9 years later and still playing it. Ya I've quit once or twice but always end up coming back. Nothing beats UO.
For me my favorite part has to be designing new houses and the player run events that happen every so often.

O ya played WOW once... i honestly don't see what all the hype is about

 

[ElvishArcher]

Community is a large part for most people. Role Playing potential is extreme here in UO vs. other MMORPG's. That ties into the Housing systems and ability to customize the decoration/layout/etc of said home. Casinos, Story nights, Auctions, Taverns, Player Run events and the ability to really use ones imagination to make it special and how you want it to be done, Not being forced into quests in order to "Level Up", The crafting system here is great compared to other MMORPG's out there... sure ours needs a little attention and love to make it a little more desirable to nonscripters but it still outranks all the other crafting on other games I have experienced. This list goes on and on for me, but those are some of the main reasons I keep coming back to UO!

That and sadly yes UO is "Video-Crack"! And I like many others start the 12-step program every so often and fail to recover lol.

 

[Duskofdead]

I got introduced to UO when i was about 8 years old by my brothers. Now its 9 years later and still playing it. Ya I've quit once or twice but always end up coming back. Nothing beats UO.
For me my favorite part has to be designing new houses and the player run events that happen every so often.

O ya played WOW once... i honestly don't see what all the hype is about

Hardcore WOW'ers tend to be self-convinced that the numbers speak for themselves. I've long maintained the opinion it's simply mass marketing and watered down action-oriented design for casual gamers-- not "superior design" or "ultimate MMO design" or whatever else the fans tout it as. It's like saying McDonald's sold the most hamburgers so their recipe is clearly the best, or Dominoes sold the most pizzas so it's clearly the tastiest pizza. It's a false ipso facto.

I think with Blizzard's brand name, you could re-release Hello Kitty Island Adventure as TROPICAL ISLANDQUEST HELLO KITCRAFT and it would sell 100 million copies. Even if it was a piece of junk.

 

[Diomedes Artega]

I think UO has the greatest ability for players to tell stories.

Have to say pretty good comment. Other games have so much terminology it over-complicates the story...much like Duskofdead mentioned.

I have valued how with UO I can tell a story to a friend or family member and they can pretty much understand everything I'm commenting on. You don't have to pause every other sentence to explain some term they aren't familiar with.

 

[covert]

I find myself chasing that first high all the time. They all fail me.

This game and Everquest 1 have spoiled me - and that isn't nostalgia speaking.

 

[Fink]

I can't explain it.. just about every aspect of the game has undergone renovation or revolution, but it still holds the original allure it always has. UO is like grandpa's axe; it's had two new heads and 5 new handles, but it's still grandpa's axe.

 

[Hemisphere]

UO is like grandpa's axe; it's had two new heads and 5 new handles, but it's still grandpa's axe.

True

I'm liking the drug comparisons too chasing that first high.. very true!

You can never find that first high again, which is why a lot of people try all sorts of MMOs and find themselves continuously disappointed, the trouble with UO is that it's like a batch of coke that's been through about 8 dealers before it reaches you, and it's been cut with all manner of **** along the way, to the point where it barely gives you the buzz you're looking for, but you keep buying it, cos you know there's still a tiny amount genuine product left, and besides, all the other dealers are selling meth

 

[RoseBlue]

Freedom !
And UO is, or used to be, so 'realistic' : I mean everything in game was useful -even eating etc etc

(some ppl are very nice but you need icq or the such to really get in touch )

 

[gunneroforgin]

Anyone else quit to find greener pastures in a new game but come to find nothing can replace or top your UO memories?

I have tried DoAC, WoW, EQ, Warhammer, Realm, SW, Eve, and countless other lesser known titles, but have yet to find anything that makes me feel the way UO does.

My question, What brings YOU back to UO every time?

I never left Uo for another game. I KNOW where my heart is.

 

[YuriGaDaisukiDa]

What is it about uo?

for me, it is this

TAMING!
taming is my favorite part about uo, no other MMO does it right. wow has a hunter, but that isnt a tamer.... i heard SWA had a beastmaster but it got nerfed so bad it was worthless

being able to tame every animal and a veriety of monsters, and have more than one pet, and big pets.....

i admit my class is overpowered, and i would love to see them nerf me, so people would stop complaining about my class, as long as we can still tame all the cool stuff (wish they would balance dragons without making them stupid, a greater dragon with weak firebreath is dumb, find another way to nerf us)

SKILLS
uo's skill system is unmatched, even some games that have skill based systems, like star wars, are not even close, uo has it perfect!

ITEMS
uo is the only game i know of where all end game characters dont look the same, im going to compare to wow again, because that is the only other MMO i know well.
in wow, all level million paladins who are worth their weight look the same, because they have the best gear, which is a paladin set. but in UO you can get about 5-10 different pieces or more for each body part that are just as powerfull as any other item, and then the colors and cloths...

lets just say, if you want to be a pirate, go find a pirate hat, and you dont have to wory about sucking in pvp

HOUSING
nough said

WORLD
i love the real world concept of the UO world, where there are no "areas" built for characters of a certain level, that are pointless to go to if your are high level, or are too high level... you get the idea

 

[YuriGaDaisukiDa]

Well I do not mean to meander into the controversial here, as even bringing this up tends to start heated discussions which is not at all my intention. But I have always regarded my stints in MMO's as, to varying degrees, addicted behaviors. I mean there always reaches a point where it's not really "exciting" to me to get in there and kill that 12,982nd troll yet I'm still compelled to get in there. And of course, that is the POINT of a pay to play game, to addict you. They don't make money if they give you a fun gaming experience which can be fully enjoyed in 3 weeks. The social element helps keep me there... the longterm goals of couse keep me there... but playing the game always sits on that border between I'm staying up a little too late, or putting off things that maybe shouldn't be put off, to keep putting time in the game. And I know that's addictive.

There are always players who insist how casual their gameplay is and how they are in total control, don't feel urges, log off for weeks at a time. But some of that is embarassment and some of it is pride and some of it is contempt for the idea of being addicted to something. Frankly I think all of us who pay to play an MMO are addicts at some level, because unless you smashingly enjoy every moment of your UO time, if things like "but I've made friends there" or "I've worked so hard on my house" or "I've put too many hours into my character to just lose him" at all figure into your reasons for staying (and paying) through periods where maybe you aren't thrilled or jazzed with the game anymore, I'd say there's at least a thread of addiction in there somewhere.

I find sometimes people I think I know really well in-game, once you interact out of game, really aren't very much like you imagined. Other times you simply can't think up something else you have in common once you get over discussing the game. But perhaps most frequent of all is that if the other person quits, or you quit, almost all incentive to keep any type of bond or communication gets severed. And I know I don't like to admit that, and I've spent some hours of my life wasted unhappy or disappointed or wondering why someone I was "friends" with for 3, 4 years just doesn't return e-mail or doesn't set aside any IM time for much chat that isn't game-related anymore. "Sorry hunting" or "sorry in a dungeon" become common answers when you try to communicate with a game friend once you no longer play the same game.

It reminds me a lot.... and it's not really a pleasant thought... of all the stories I've heard of what happens among crowds of other addictions (drugs, gambling etc.) when one person quits. Not that I'm comparing leaving an MMO to quitting meth or something, I'm not. But the psychological reaction is interestingly similar... those who are not quitting, tend to shun, or no longer have time for, the person who does quit. Some of that is just simple facts that your lifestyles change so much and you have something important not in common anymore. But one of the hard things about quitting a drug is that you do pretty much have to accept the probable loss of your entire circle of friends who were in the same habit, that's practically rehab 101. And similarly the ability to maintain a lasting meaningful friendship with anyone from an mmo game seems to underwhelm compared to how often we feel like we really know and like and are friends with these people we spend so much of our time with in a game.

I believe you are 100% right

but i also believe that adiction is in human nature and it is stupid to fight it.

what seperates adicts (and we are all adicted to something) are these
how you handle the addiction
how it affects your life
is it healthy or not (kinda the same as above)

for example, its ok to be addicted to a game, its perfectly normal and helps relieve stress, but letting the addiction make you fail at school, is another story

also being addicted to meth, is detremental to your health

dont try to fight addiction, try to embrace it, and handle it constructively

some other addictions that if you look closely, will have the same phychological traits your described are

addicted to work (workoholic)
addicted to a hoby (not a video game)
caffine >.> (dont confuse addiction and dependancy, dependancy is often a result of addcition)

it is a subject i have always been fascinated with

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

I think UO has the greatest ability for players to tell stories.

Yep!

http://vboards.stratics.com/showthread.php?t=115141

 

[Jhym]

Never left.

Tried a few others, but I really despise npc dummy questing, which is 90% of other fantasy rpg type games. Which is why I hated when they did it in UO, and long for the day when they remove every "quest chain" dummy and make them living, breathing AI creatures that make you actually work for your shinies.

I do, however, really hope we can eventually get a 3D client with true 3D artwork that we can wander around in, build our houses, and take massive pictures of. The beauty of Tabula Rasa and some of the other games really makes me sad when I have to go back to isometric 2D.

 

[Duskofdead]

I believe you are 100% right

but i also believe that adiction is in human nature and it is stupid to fight it.

what seperates adicts (and we are all adicted to something) are these
how you handle the addiction
how it affects your life
is it healthy or not (kinda the same as above)

for example, its ok to be addicted to a game, its perfectly normal and helps relieve stress, but letting the addiction make you fail at school, is another story

also being addicted to meth, is detremental to your health

dont try to fight addiction, try to embrace it, and handle it constructively

some other addictions that if you look closely, will have the same phychological traits your described are

addicted to work (workoholic)
addicted to a hoby (not a video game)
caffine >.> (dont confuse addiction and dependancy, dependancy is often a result of addcition)

it is a subject i have always been fascinated with

I absolutely agree with you, human life is full of struggle with overdoing this and underdoing that, and various types of addiction. I wonder if it would even be possible for someone to not be addicted to something or other.

You might be surprised, though, how many people rather volatilely oppose the idea of being addicted to anything, and will "correct" you on the matter if you suggest game addiction is even possible. I think part of that is, at least in our culture, the connotations of weakness, victimhood or patheticness associated with addiction. And some people are just prideful and wouldn't admit a weakness if it was perched on their nose.

The textbook psychological definition of an addiction is, any behavior in which you feel compelled to continue, despite repeated consequences. It doesn't have to be neurochemical or direct health consequences. Gambling addictions can ruin your life, lose you your house and marriage. Gaming addictions can flunk you out of school and cost you your relationships and friends. Yet there are people who will insist neither thing can possibly exist, since a direct exchange of chemicals aren't involved (and hell I suspect the people who argue this would turn their nose up even if the discussion were about chemical addiction) and instead insist it's just a matter of personal weakness and responsibility. That assertion is correct, but it is an incomplete characterization of addiction. If it were simply a matter of weak vs. strong than you'd have strong people with no addictions and weak people addicted to everything they ever tried which was pleasurable at first. And of course life isn't that simple.

This is all monstrously off-topic. It is interesting, though. I think naysayers aside MMO addiction (and I consider UO the lightweight here... I've seen people literally wreck their lives in WOW and the games more expressly designed to keep you chugging away, addicted, trying to accomplish so many long-term, statistically difficult goals all at once) is still a pioneer field that we're going to hear a lot more about as time goes on.

 

[Bluebottle]

Anyone else quit to find greener pastures in a new game but come to find nothing can replace or top your UO memories?

I have tried DoAC, WoW, EQ, Warhammer, Realm, SW, Eve, and countless other lesser known titles, but have yet to find anything that makes me feel the way UO does.

My question, What brings YOU back to UO every time?

Likewise, I tried a number of MMOs, the closest I got to the original UO experience was pre-NGE SWG but as you say it's not quite UO! Then again UO is not quite the UO we used to love anymore

 

[vixen4u]

There's just something so free about UO.

Maybe it's the ability to place any item on the ground.
maybe it's housing.
maybe it's the interaction between players.

It's definitely something.

And to the previous poster (before Farsight): WoW is ridiculously boring and you don't actually get anywhere. wow for the lose.

WOW has more player interaction then UO does hands down. In UO you can run a vendor house fill them up and never talk to anyone if you choose too. I left UO for WOW 2 yrs ago after playing UO for 9 - 10 yrs the only thing I ever missed was my friends and they left UO long ago. I pop on the boards from time to time but only because I am also looking at the WOW forums. I have not been bored with WOW like others have said we would. We have great friends and there is loads of player interaction over there. You make of it what you will. If I want to try something new I create a different character or I try a different talent tree it never gets boring.

I fell for that WOW crap that you are trying to sell right now and it is all BS if you went over there with a closed mind and no willingness to learn something new other than UO then you will fail at WOW. If you do not try to make friends or even have a friend to play with you will fail at WOW.

WOW is different then UO that is why we play it maybe WOW was boring to you but that was because you did not know what you where doing in the game. For years I had read the boards on UO heard that WOW was first person only and so many other things that were all BS it is nothing like that. UO is for those who do not want to advance to real graphics and a better gaming engine period. UO is old and it is just a matter of time before they will shut it down.

 

[vixen4u]

You are not just speaking subjectively, there is a personableness in UO that doesn't exist in other games. Part of that is precisely BECAUSE there is not constantly something urgent, big or epic to do in UO. There's downtime for people to trade, talk, meet, get to know each other, in town or in someone's house in between fights. Other games give you a lot to do--maybe too much. Some even penalize you if you do not constantly keep busy. I ultimately got fed up with the fact that in World of Warcraft you were constantly making decisions on who to abandon--- you have friends who play more than you, or play more intensively powergrinding, and level faster. And in 3 days of that they are grinding on stuff that you can't handle fighting. And then you have friends who can't make it on as much, who are 10 levels behind you, who you wind up babysitting and hurting their experience by partying with, because you're higher.

I despised that... still do. Unless you just so happen to have friends who all play exactly the same amount, WOW's design puts wedges between you or even prohibits you from playing together. During the levelling stage even minor differences in playtime will result in big level gaps over a couple of weeks. And at the endgame stage how much you play (and how intensively) will determine what raid guild wants you, what dungeons you can manage to go to, and what quality of gear you have access to. This in turn winds up segregating you into doing different things because you don't have the gear for Onyxia (just pulling a name out of a hat) and your good friend gets bored and has way better gear than anything that drops in the dungeons you can handle.

I think a lot of people, in WOW, get too obsessed with levelling and the next big item drop. That's why there's less of a social feel (everyone busily powergrinding the next level) and also why most people in WOW, even if they originally joined with friends or made a lot of game friends along the way, wind up basically solo'ing the game, and joining raids like mad with people they don't really know or like. It's all about progression and the next piece of gear. And if your friends can't keep your pace, whoosh, out the airlock. I'll see you next time I stop by Ironforge but we're not probably going to actually go play the game together because I gotta get back to Naxx and get my next epic and you're still in noobie blue gear.

This is WOW your talking about right? I don't know why your gaming was so bad but I have a great time. I don't run any pugs, I only run with my guild period. I don't have end game gear I play casually and we always talk casually. I don't have values in game as it appears you do. Our guild is actually all from UO we all help each other out we do not leave anyone behind simply because they have blue gear we help them if then need it. Seems you play a very sad game of WOW maybe your should stay in UO. We all got bored with UO it was just boring period we dont know why just got tired of all the crap that was going on at the time. We joined WOW and have all played ever since together we are friends and a tight family. Maybe you should get better friends and try not being so self absorbed and you might enjoy the game better.