What New mmorpg is the biggest threat to UO?

[love2winalot]

Hail: With several New games coming out, what one do you think will take the most players away from UO? And, how many will keep waiting for SA expansion to decide if they will stay with UO, or not?

I think, Darkfall will take the most players away, mainly Vet's. It seems like UO when it first came out, only with factions from the very start. With mounts, boats, and CUSTOM HOUSING, it seems to be a natural transition.

If, and it is a big IF.......SA comes out, imhop, it will be to little, to late. All the other games have sites, pics, pre views, ect, and SA has Nothing at all. Even the new Gargoyles only have a artist sketch of them on uo guide.

I thing some will try Warhammer, but not a lot. I do not see to many people trying to play 2 on line games at the same time. Price, and the time needed to invest into one game to be good at it, is a lot.

Your thoughts?

 

[phantus]

Myself, I'm waiting for Stargate Worlds Online. Dunno about what is any more a threat to UO. UO is doing all the damage to itself by not providing major content updates for years at a time.

 

[Kaj]

Over the years no game permanently took a significant amount of players out of the game.
I remember all through 2001 people were going 'Oh hell yes we are moving to DaoC!!'. 2 months after the release, these folks were back.
WoW did a similar thing.

Now of course these games took players from UO, but they never 'destroyed' UO as many predicted. And in my opinion, if WoW, with 10m players, can't do it, no new game can.
Nearly all the new games are similar to WoW (ever seen Conan? Seems like those devs have been playing a little too much WoW!). WoW didn't kill UO, ergo no game can.

I personally used to play all major MMORPGs (had to - I had a column about online gaming in a gaming mag) and really UO is still unique. UO has elements that no other MMORPG will adapt, since they do not appeal to the grande public. And those elements are the reason why many people, like us, play UO. UO is freedom, UO is endless and UO is anti-linear. Many MMORPGs use a linear system as a basis for their game, since this means the game is easier for the masses and thus appealing and very boxed (you know what to do, how to do, when to do). In UO skills are tools to obtain a goal, in many games skills are the goal. In WoW you spend 99% ranking up to level 70. In UO the game starts when you hit your target skill level. Why do you think many vets have many GM/Elder/Leggy skills and still find the game appealing? Because it's not about the skills, but about the things you can do with it. Now I might simplify the extent of e.g. WoWs gaming experience, but in the end, the game is linear to the max. Sure you can PvP and group hunt, but that all comes with your goal skill level and you still need to do quests. And quests usually (very original!) come down to: 'kill xx monsters' or 'talk to person x to obtain your quest to kill xx monsters'. Really 99% of the quests come down to that. It's so very unlike real life.
The only games that I find fascinating are web-based. These appeal more to imagination and are usually cheap - or even free - and are 'playable' from work, from your PDA, from your laptop, from home, wherever.

 

[Emil IsTemp]

Yea what Kaj said..

WoW has 10 mil accounts, not players.. trial accounts included.

Only other MMO ive tried was SWG before that got killed.. kept thinking "well im running around Mos Eisley, and i could be on UO right now doing ___." Didnt stick. Only thing that might kill UO for me, would be an Elder Scrolls MMO.. even then i would need a new puter, and im a broke college student.

 

[Dol'Gorath]

The biggest threat is possible WAR not only because it can draw players way from UO, but also since because EA THEMSELVES run it they could be tempted to pull more resources away from UO to feed it, especially if it's a success.

Truth is, though, nothing will destroy UO. I know UO players hate to admit this fact, but UO can no longer compete in the market. It's a niche game, and serves a small niche group of players. UO will be around as long as the die-hards stay around, the numbers will have to drop dangerously low before EA decided to pull the plug. But before closing the game other measures, like server mergers will likely happen.

 

[Nystul]

All of them.


UO has only gone in the wrong direction instead of grasping the part of the game that no other mmorpg can and will be able to compare to, and expanding upon it.

 

[Mulch]

I doubt any new game will seriously kill UO's playerbase.

The ones that are left are fans and as long as ea puts some semi decent effort into it most will stay.

Seems they need a better idea than a buggy KR to get new players though.rolleyes:

 

[K'torr]

I think if Darkfall ever comes out, UO will be shut down within 6 months.
As it is, UO is still unique with its skill system. It's not a level grind like some, and while Items are needed here, they are not as important as on others.

DF is UO on steroids.

 

[Masumatek]

DarkFall. Siege will be gone and probably most of what's left of Fel as well. Possibly a good part of trammel too as there will be many aspects of DarkFall like UO only improved that no doubt non-PvP players will enjoy too.

 

[K'torr]

Mas and I just agreed on something. I think Hell just froze over.

MY GOD, I'VE BEEN ASSIMILATED!!!

 

[Oriana]

Myself, I'm waiting for Stargate Worlds Online. Dunno about what is any more a threat to UO. UO is doing all the damage to itself by not providing major content updates for years at a time.

Well IF and thats a big IF, a MMO could steal me away or at least distract me from UO, Stargate would be it. Pretty cool stuff, if they do it right.

Ori

 

[kelmo]

Mas and I just agreed on something. I think Hell just froze over.

MY GOD, I'VE BEEN ASSIMILATED!!!

Darkfall is a pipe dream. If we hear of a real deal, we will explore it.

 

[Loqucious]

DFO.

There was an announcement on their chat area that they were guaranteeing a release within a year. I will definately give it a try.

 

[Dexdash]

you guys know much about spore? not sure how interacive its going to be with others but ive been tinkering around with it. its def nothing like uo tho.

 

[K'torr]

Spore is billed as a "Single Player Game". Looks kind of fun though.

 

[Dexdash]

i think your right but you actualy get to interact with races designed by other players. they only released half of it tho

 

[K'torr]

What kind of critter did you create?

 

[Fink]

Spore is "massively single player", player-created content is able to be shared with other players via a central bestiary database. Your own game is single player, but you can add content created by others and they can add yours to their game if you wish.

Basically everyone is creating creatures right now (a shade under 1,000,000 as I type this) with the Creature Creator tool. It's just a small sample of one of the five stages of life in the game and was officially release a few days ago. The actual game won't be out for another two months, so by that time there'll be plenty of player-generated content to drop straight into your world.

Here's a sample of what I've made, which is by no means a comprehensive example..
My Spore page.

Some of the creations people have posted are mind-blowing so, if you're at all interested, search the "Sporepedia" for popular stuff.

The creatures are in PNG format, which displays as a thumbnail in a browser but contains all the creature data the game needs to know. The PNG can be downloaded and drag-dropped onto the game interface & loaded up. Other automated tasks include making screenshot postcards and mailing them (directly from the game) and capturing video & uploading to youtube (also direct from the game), plus there's a facebook application which I've yet to explore, and a web widget to display on your other websites/blog.

They've really worked out the social networking side of the game and made it as ridiculously easy as possible to share/post/upload/trade content. It's like viral marketing in a way; UO could take a leaf from their book. Also they seem to be working to have it ported to as many platforms as possible (eg: DS, iPhone, etc).

Back on topic, I think UO's biggest threat is UO itself.

 

[PlayerSkillFTW]

Yep, Darkfall is the only game coming out that can divert most of my attention from UO for any long period of time. I've been playing since 97, have tried other games and always came back to UO, i'll still play UO some, but most of my gaming time will be on Darkfall. Darkfall is heavily influenced by oldschool UO, and has alot of unique features.
Only games that i can think of that can take WoW off it's pedestal is Darkfall or if Bethesda decided to enter the MMO Ring. However, Bethesda has already stated they do not plan on making an Elder Scrolls MMO any time soon. Will be several years before we see another Elder Scrolls too because they are currently working on Fallout 3. Kind of funny, when i first picked up an Elder Scrolls game (Arena), noone knew about Bethesda/Elder Scrolls, even when i bought Daggerfall, Bethesda wasn't really well known. Yet when Morrowind came out, Bethesda got alot of recognition, and when Oblivion came out, they became incredibly famous.

 

[timbeOFbaja]

Nothing announced yet. Darkfall is just Shadowbane done better, i.e. hardcore, and will have no worse impact than SB did.

Despite the impression of UO players all being l33t pks, I think deep down we all still love touring Lord british's castle, decorating our house, and dying our leathers.

 

[Masumatek]

Describing DarkFall as SB done better is inaccurate. A more accurate description would be UO + SB done better + a ton more. Much of the inspiration for DarkFall is UO. And it is the great UO experience the devs had in UO that they want to recreate in DarkFall.

As far as DarkFall being vaporeware, I am also disappointed that it is not even in open beta yet, but I have a good feeling I'll be satisfied when it is released. The devs seem confident, more so than before, that it will be released late this year. And beta, unlike many games, should not last long. It's definitely not vaporware. To question if the devs are kinda slow (which considering their situation and the game is understandable), is one thing. But I think at this point to suggest it is vaporware is ridiculous.

 

[Kariny]

I don't know about any new game really being a threat to UO.

Instead the only threat I see to UO is EA/Mythic. Who really knows what the parent company has planned? Most of the time I don't think they know what they have planned.
In the end it will all come down to whether or not they feel it's worthwhile keeping on lifesupport. If there's no growth in playerbase, no new content, or worthwhile updating, they will just pull the plug. Use the resources elsewhere in the company.

 

[MalagAste]

I can't think of ANYTHING that would draw me away from UO.... as someone else pointed out UO is not about skills.... It's about content... to me UO begins the second I create a character..... and step into that character.... I can "feel" for my character..... It's immersive..... most games are not..... they look pretty with the graphics and all that.... but it's impossible for me to "get into my character" when I have folk around me talking about their pc and loling..... and other silly stuff.... about leveling this or that.... what level are you? I don't want to have to follow a path..... I want to make the path..... When I log in I am "Malag-aste Hla-ate.... and I am Drow..... My character looks the part.... he acts the part.... and I can really feel the role.... The Knights or RKR live in Newcastle..... a player run town.... where they fight and survive.... there is an Abbey and an Inn.... provided by our own characters.... a Royal Gardens.... a Jail.... Other games can't even compare to that.... These are the things that make UO great.... I don't want to follow a path.... I want to expand my imagination... and lose myself in a make believe realm..... Tame a dragon or slay it.... patrol my town for briggands or those pesky ninja.... Or evil Triad members....

More fun that leveling thats for sure.

 

[Africanus]

There is no threat to UO except from within. If WoW didn't kill it, then there is no other that can. The other games are generally for the eye candy loving carebare grinders.

 

[Lady-Tor]

Im downloading Lord of the rings online as we speak.

 

[GAMBIT35]

There is no threat to UO except from within. If WoW didn't kill it, then there is no other that can. The other games are generally for the eye candy loving carebare grinders.

I love how you 50k nichers act superior to everyone else.

 

[Loquacious Wrath]

There is no threat to UO except from within. If WoW didn't kill it, then there is no other that can. The other games are generally for the eye candy loving carebare grinders.

Well, WoW has over 10 mil subscriptions. I have been playing UO for nearly 3 years. Excellent game! UO has been my first and only MMORPG, until recently. I must admit that I am now currently on day 2 of 10 on a WoW 10-day trial account! Having only UO to compare to, I must offer my opinion, for what its worth.

I spent day 1 getting used to the interface and adjusting a few things like resolution, brightness, macros and other user interface settings. (Btw the KR interface looks very similar to the WoW interface). From the beginning, I was never alone in the WoW version of New Haven. There were always many new and experienced people there, most willing to assist me, and quite friendly too. Though I must admit there are either a lot of AFK people in WoW or they are simply too busy to answer my questions. I never experienced this in UO as much. Now as for the game play...

Fun! It was very easy to get started. I made a human Warlock, which is like a UO Tamer/Mage. Each newbie quest involved killing 10 monsters, which allowed me to get used to fighting, casting spells, and targeting as nothing in the beginning area will turn aggressive and attack you. Also, nothing damages you very much, allowing you to focus on offensive tactics. Basically, the more damage you inflict per second, the less damage you take and the faster the game moves. Quests became slightly more difficult as I had to acquire certain loot from various monsters. But the more difficult, the more copper/silver/gold I could get.

Once a “max damage combo-technique” was established, that was what I stuck with for each subsequent battle. Taking on more than one aggressive monster turned out to be quite deadly for me. Two giant spiders ate me. Once dead, there is no insurance, only a trip to find your corpse, or a durability hit to your gear. rolleyes:

Now I know this will get old eventually, but you can dance in WoW! It actually is kinda funny. I ran to the nearest town, where I see about 10 players, just dancing with each other in the middle of town. And dancing well! I watched for a long while, bemused. Then I started noticing that the people with mounts, were also of high level (level 70). In WoW, a mount must be necessary because the game is HUGE. I thought UO was big, but WoW is much more spacious.

As far as the WoW graphics, they need an update. They are maybe a 7 out of 10 in graphics. Objects that should be round, like a pipe on a stove, are blocky. I am using 1920x1200 wide screen resolution so the graphics are maxed out for me. The ground textures look great, as does the water, but houses and other objects need improvement. I heard there is a 2008 expansion coming that should address the graphics. Plus I read you can get a flying mount in this expansion! That should be fun. Btw, the latest expansion sold several million copies the first day it was out! If UO could just sell several million copies EVER, that would be very nice.

WoW sound effects were very good. I enjoyed the musical scores as well. There was also a mid-summer festive with entertainers and fun seasonal events to play around with. Very entertaining to say the least.

As far as being a grinding game, I can see where that opinion comes from. WoW is much less complex than UO, which has some unfortunate side effects, like monotony. I have yet to experience this, but I am only level 7 so far. Now I haven’t yet decided on opening an account with WoW. UO is still fun to me too, but a little boring lately. Also, WoW has the fresh “wow” factor over UO, just to be fair.

Bottom line is this…

WoW leaves less to the imagination. In either KR or 2D, UO game play and graphics forces me to use my imagination. In WoW, you are immersed in a 3D virtual reality where everything is well animated. This has an appeal all of its own to me. I am starting to see why there are SO MANY people playing WoW. Fun!

 

[Loquacious Wrath]

Im downloading Lord of the rings online as we speak.

Please let me know if you like it better than WoW. I too am in the trial-trying mood. Thank you in advance.

 

[Cogniac]

To all who say that Darkfall will be the death of UO: I have seen the various Darkfall screenshots. Those kind of graphics are going to require quite a lot of hardware to run. Most of the UO population doesn't even have a good enough computer to run UO:KR, much less Darkfall.

(And since I know someone is going to pipe up with the "BUT KR RUNS HORRIBLE ON EVERYTHING. I CAN RUN WoW BUT NOT KR WTF?!" WoW's graphics are designed to be epic in scope but low in polygons so that it will run on as many machines as possible. More machines that can run it = more possible customers. Darkfall's graphics look to be 3-4x as good as WoW's.)

 

[Mankind]

Really what does it all matter? The true diehards are going to continue playing UO along with the other 10 games you guys seem to always have time for. It boggles my mind when some of you chime in with "Yeah I'm playing UO and WOW and LoTR and and and and yada yada.....*has a headache now*

 

[Demonous]

i never care or attempt to play any mmos that come out, but i will be tempted to try darkfall based on what i hear about it

 

[galefan2004]

Hail: With several New games coming out, what one do you think will take the most players away from UO? And, how many will keep waiting for SA expansion to decide if they will stay with UO, or not?

Everything coming out is a WoW clone. Most of use have played WoW, and don't really wish to play it, or a clone of it, again.

I think, Darkfall will take the most players away, mainly Vet's. It seems like UO when it first came out, only with factions from the very start. With mounts, boats, and CUSTOM HOUSING, it seems to be a natural transition.

You are ASSUMING most veteran players are PvPers. Thats a dangerous assumption. Darkfall has a good concept. They haven't been able to capitalize on that concept for 7 years (2001 was the original conceive date). Their pvp or play a crafter concept is a stupid concept, and will most likely hurt the game in the end. There is a reason every game after UO has always opted for a con-only PvP system...that reason is called money from a large player base.

If, and it is a big IF.......SA comes out, imhop, it will be to little, to late. All the other games have sites, pics, pre views, ect, and SA has Nothing at all. Even the new Gargoyles only have a artist sketch of them on uo guide.

You don't like UO then leave. Don't sit around waiting for the next big reason to stay with the game. If you need an expansion to make you happy it won't be long until you need another expansion to make you happy. The majority of the UO players have tried other games and are playing UO because it has more to offer then WoW clones.

I thing some will try Warhammer, but not a lot. I do not see to many people trying to play 2 on line games at the same time. Price, and the time needed to invest into one game to be good at it, is a lot.

I will definately try Warhammer. A lot of people play two online games at one time. You do suffer in one of the games, but when games offer totally different things it is not a stretch to play two different games.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Malador]

Nt .

 

[kelmo]

EA/Mythic is it's own worst enemy.

 

[PlayerSkillFTW]

@ Cogniac

Darkfall is being designed in such a way to look absolutely stunning but be easy on the computer. This here is taken directly from the June 20th, 2008 Update.

"There's a focus on optimizing our massive battles capability; we want them to run as smoothly as possible with as many players as possible. We’ve been simulating massive battles and sieges with more than two hundred characters and getting a good 30-60 fps on average machines so far. Under normal loads we typically get over 150 fps and there are still several optimizations to be made so we expect these figures to improve quite a bit."

 

[Masumatek]

It shouldn't just be PvPers who are interested in DarkFall. It's supposed to be huge on crafting. The PvM system, if it is what they claim, should be to the liking of PvMers. There is no end to the opportunities for explorers. I would think roleplayers would enjoy it much more than they do UO. It shares and improves on many aspects of UO, some of which were already mentioned. Another is it's skill-based instead of level based, and I'm sure PvPers aren't the only ones who don't like level games. You get the point. PvPers might find it most attractive but there is no reason to think we won't get a horde of non-PvPers playing DarkFall. There's plenty of non-PvPers who aren't carebears. So long as non-PvPers can take a little risk and death (and risk shouldn't be a complaint anyway as the game is not item-based), I see no reason they would choose UO over DarkFall unless they're in love with Ultima lore.

Then again I'm probably forgetting just how many people somehow enjoy an item grind neon danger-free might as well be a single-player MMO, which includes many of the players here...but we'll see.

 

[Loquacious Wrath]

Ok everyone. Open your eyes to our #1 competitor's screenshots. I'm just running around enjoying the sweet scenes I find. Thought I'd share. Wow, I actually like being a newb ATM.

 

[Masumatek]

Graphics matter not to me. Content is far more important. Too many games focus far too much on graphics and far too many players eat it up like cake. No thanks.

Also, something I've said before and will say again. UO must strive to be unique to survive. It will not survive if it tries to compete with modern games by becoming more like them. And graphics are the last thing our devs should be worrying about.

 

[Sarphus]

UO has been around long enough at this point that I don't think new MMO are the real threat. The biggest threat to UO is UO. For many MMO players, UO is a habitual joy that they will not sacrifice for something new and shiny.

I stopped looking at new mmo's years ago... friends of mine are always trying to pull me into new mmo games and I never even check the games out cause I just don't care.

 

[AesSedai]

Graphics matter not to me. Content is far more important.

-Aye, content is king imo.

The order I would prefer for my MMO of choice would be:

Foundation (~solid; definitely including a focus on cheating), Content, Visuals.

Bring the FCV & the WoMB will react.
Whence you do it they will arrive.

(Word of Mouth Band - that was one thing I loved about Aaron C; I didn't want to like him at first but I am glad he was aware of the importance of the WoMB & tried his best to make things happen, as far as I know)

(Kelmo's sentiment is ringing loudly too ~ I tend to agree, no offense to the nitty-gritty UO devs that make due with what they have)

 

[K'torr]

To all who say that Darkfall will be the death of UO: I have seen the various Darkfall screenshots. Those kind of graphics are going to require quite a lot of hardware to run. Most of the UO population doesn't even have a good enough computer to run UO:KR, much less Darkfall.

(And since I know someone is going to pipe up with the "BUT KR RUNS HORRIBLE ON EVERYTHING. I CAN RUN WoW BUT NOT KR WTF?!" WoW's graphics are designed to be epic in scope but low in polygons so that it will run on as many machines as possible. More machines that can run it = more possible customers. Darkfall's graphics look to be 3-4x as good as WoW's.)

This is true, but, some who play UO DO have systems that will be able to run DF. And if DF turns out to be as good as all its hype, I'm sure others will be willing to make the investment to upgrade their system. I know I would, should I need to.

The point is, even if UO only looses some to DF, will that lower the subscription numbers to the point where the pencil pushers at EA/Mythic decide its no longer worth keeping UO open for those die hards.

I think THAT is the reason UO has no marketing presence, poor customer support, ever decreasing Development resources and the like. With some of these new games coming out ,they are taking a "wait and see" attitude. Would you invest capitol in a game that might not be around in a years time?

 

[CapLoD]

i said it in a previous thread.

http://vboards.stratics.com/showthread.php?t=532

Darkfall.

If it fails I am done with MMO's for a long time but I don't think it will.

Been waiting for this game for 4 years now in the hope it will be the sandbox pk game we've been dreaming of.

SB came close but was too buggy. Release was too soon.

Darkfall Dev's are taking their time to get everything right before beta. They don't have a publisher cramming deadlines down their throats like aoc's did.

This is the game I am going to upgrade my system for. The last one was SB and while it was definitely fun, it is time for something new.

 

[Mulch]

There are actually more non wow clones coming out these next years and it seems that some developers wish to create worlds again instead of theme parks.

Also seems there are more skillbased titles developed and released soon for example

Earthrise
http://www.play-earthrise.com/

Fallen Earth
http://www.fallenearth.com/

Mortal Online
http://www.mortalonline.com/


And for the really desperate and cute ones among us there is always the best game to play! No pvp though I think rolleyes:
http://www.hellokittyonline.com/us/

 

[Nine Dark Moons]

Now of course these games took players from UO, but they never 'destroyed' UO as many predicted. And in my opinion, if WoW, with 10m players, can't do it, no new game can.

YES!

 

[kennykilleduo]

WAR is EA MYthics biggest challenge for UO , not for subscribers though , it's more on the delaying of any UO expansions , why you may ask?

The marketing of WAR and release sometime this fall will overshadow any product release or chances of getting players to buy an expansion , therefore delaying our expansion further. Unless it comes out in July or August.

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

LOL, Darkfall has been at the same stage for over 5 years. It's vaporware at this point...la

 

[Doomsday Dragon]

Anything new is a threat really because it is going to have something fresh to offer people where UO has grown old and stale over the last few years with no expansion to support interest people are leaving.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

My thoughts, simply, are that threads like these have been present since UO was born, and the game continues on.

100k subscribers and "wildly profitable" according to this interview with James Lee of Mythic:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/warhammer-time

So come on guys....Isn't 10+ years of anticipated death enough to prove that, Heaven forbid!, we're actually doing just fine?

-Galen's player

 

[Lord Drakelord]

Hail: With several New games coming out, what one do you think will take the most players away from UO? And, how many will keep waiting for SA expansion to decide if they will stay with UO, or not?

I think, Darkfall will take the most players away, mainly Vet's. It seems like UO when it first came out, only with factions from the very start. With mounts, boats, and CUSTOM HOUSING, it seems to be a natural transition.

If, and it is a big IF.......SA comes out, imhop, it will be to little, to late. All the other games have sites, pics, pre views, ect, and SA has Nothing at all. Even the new Gargoyles only have a artist sketch of them on uo guide.

I thing some will try Warhammer, but not a lot. I do not see to many people trying to play 2 on line games at the same time. Price, and the time needed to invest into one game to be good at it, is a lot.

Your thoughts?

Well this is one vet that will remain with UO as long as they keep 2d client going. The day they close that is the day we walk away from EA, closing all our accounts.

 

[Llewen]

WoW looked beautiful. I played it for about three months, but it got old doing the same quests over and over again, and not being able to really game with anyone that wasn't your level, and it lacks so much of what makes UO special, and Loquacious, please learn how to post your gigantic screen shots with thumbnails, not all of us have three metre wide monitors...