we are not ready to leave, we feel a bit forced out.
I would argue that you are feeling more disappointed than anything.
If you feel truly forced out, then you should leave. If it's over the classic shard announcement, you should probably should have left 8-10 years ago when UO:R, Pub 16, or AOS occurred, but that's for another thread.
I think it would have been better if people got a near-instant answer of "no" a year ago, but the problem is that Cal and the devs decided to do some research. Because they don't have the resources people think they do, and because of the EA bureaucracy, it was not something they could just go and research in a few weeks and come back and say no.
These posts and threads have almost always existed. They even existed on the UO.com forums.
People want to lash out at EA, they want to say "I'm quitting EA, what are you going to do about it?" The tone in the OP of this thread was a lot more even-handed than most posts of this nature, but there are several "screw you EA" types of posts scattered throughout the current (and locked) threads. They want other people to talk them out of it.
So don't try and even pretend that's how we feel. We LOVED this game, and it's a big part of us.
My point is that people who post these types of threads or posts
STILL love the game, otherwise they wouldn't be lashing out at EA or looking for sympathy or reasons to stick around.
Take the classic sharders who are angry and lashing out at EA in some of the threads that were locked. They are acting like all of the sudden the game is dead to them or that all of the sudden EA forced them out.
The game should have been dead to them 8 years ago with AOS or Pub 16, or 10 years ago with UO:R.
If they are still here, 8 years later after AOS, then they
STILL love UO. They may not like a lot of things, but they
STILL love UO. You do not stick around playing a game or paying EA after all this time unless you
STILL love UO.
I say this as somebody who has gotten angry and left in the past. I even posted a goodbye thread. The last time, I walked completely away, and thought I was done. I truly thought I was done - didn't bank anything, didn't bother saying anything on Stratics or elsewhere. I told my guildmates to remove me, and I had a message on ICQ saying I was done and don't ask me about UO stuff.
I've been playing UO for 13 years, anyone who can spend so much time on anything will not be able to pack up and leave and not think twice.
You are correct - it usually takes a couple of times. Heck, the last time I did it, I thought I was leaving for good to the point of letting my houses, rares, and a lot of gold go IDOC, and I was roped right back in.
Give us whatever trolling grief tactics you wish, feel free to toss in the stupid "OMGZ, it's only a game!" while you're are it... we've heard that enough too.
My point is that if people are making the effort to publicly lash out at EA and telling EA they are quitting for this or that reason, or to post goodbye threads or to look for sympathy or reasons to stick around, then they
STILL love UO.
It's not simply a game to them - if it was, they would have left.
When you are truly ready to leave, you will walk away. No drawn-out goodbyes, no keeping an eye on the calendar and thinking "I can re-activate my account and keep my house and rares from IDOCing."
A great analogy is the one you mentioned - smoking. I've known plenty of people within UO who talk about quitting, they lash out at EA, or look for sympathy or whatever, and chances are high that they will be back or will keep an account or two still paid up.
Anybody who cares enough about UO to still be posting, even if it's an angry rant directed at EA over the classic shard thing
STILL loves UO, warts and all.
Otherwise they would have just walked away, let everything IDOC, and that's it.
look around look around.
types >currently< here ... 8-10years later ... heh!
