Shard Population & Ping

[Naisikras]

First off, are there any rough statistics for like a top 3 on shard population. I logged onto baja a while back and there was no one, LITERALLY NO ONE. So I jumped over to pacific and began rebuilding my account there (I had quit and pretty much every thing I had was outdated). While I was building up my account I did see signs of an actual community, but one thing I noticed was Atlantic had Sooo many more options for armor choices, vendors, etc... a few websites atlantic trade was, well, bustling with activity. I logged on ATL the middle of the night and there was PvP action going on which is always a good sign

I live in CA and my ping is roughly 55ish to my shards over here, atlantic put me at a steady 115. A big part of my enjoyment comes from being around people, whether it be getting ganked or bank sitting. Would you say it's worth it to move with the ping increase? Does anyone know if I would notice any lag??

I made a character, bought a horse and started running places. I didn't notice anything. Thoughts? Opinions?

Also, If I will be participating in pvp with a higher ping, does either mage, archer, or melee dexer offer a better cushion for higher ping players? Or is it pretty much the same all the way around??

 

[Lady Storm]

First off, are there any rough statistics for like a top 3 on shard population. I logged onto baja a while back and there was no one, LITERALLY NO ONE. So I jumped over to pacific and began rebuilding my account there (I had quit and pretty much every thing I had was outdated). While I was building up my account I did see signs of an actual community, but one thing I noticed was Atlantic had Sooo many more options for armor choices, vendors, etc... a few websites atlantic trade was, well, bustling with activity. I logged on ATL the middle of the night and there was PvP action going on which is always a good sign

I live in CA and my ping is roughly 55ish to my shards over here, atlantic put me at a steady 115. A big part of my enjoyment comes from being around people, whether it be getting ganked or bank sitting. Would you say it's worth it to move with the ping increase? Does anyone know if I would notice any lag??

I made a character, bought a horse and started running places. I didn't notice anything. Thoughts? Opinions?

Also, If I will be participating in pvp with a higher ping, does either mage, archer, or melee dexer offer a better cushion for higher ping players? Or is it pretty much the same all the way around??

You almost answered your own question.

Shard populations vary from hour to hour and day to day.
Depending on the shard and its general location ie: east coast / west coast the players are there. You must have gone on at a time when many were ether on their other shards or were off line(most likely due to time of day/night).
Although a few years back....
Atlantic had a guild that worked overtime to send books and hosts to all shards and pushed its PVP to any and all who would listen. Many went to check it out, but kept their homes on their main shards.
Soon after the transfering to Atlantic got heavy as many went home to a far more easer shard to farm the gold. Returning to Atlantic to join the bulging population after the purging of their home shard. This went on and still does to some degree. But I have seen signs that even Atlantic is faltering... as players have had their fill and return to their home shards or other shards that fancy them.
Yes pac has a nice population, as does chessy, Atlantic is self explaining. The rest are getting by and do have players and guilds. To some they would see UO as half empty, but others are seeing it half full. ITs up to you kiddo.