Growing concern for relationships w. UO

[ravenwaves]

see below:

 

[Anjeel]

I'm starting to worry. For a while it's been kind of a joke for me that Old school UO players often put Ultima up on a pedastal similar to a first love.

They remember all the good times they had, feeling that no game had ever given them before, and if a comment is made that paints UO as anything less than the perfect game, they turn as bitter and jaded as an ex girlfriend. (Just try mentioning WoW or Warhammer in U. Hall) I too am guilty of this behavior.

However, the metaphoric relationship pattern has taken on a whole new disturbing twist lately. Skimming forums is showing me that people are afraid to play the game now! Brittania-the land where you can do anything, as long as it does not include buying rares/artis, penning animals, or mentioning URLS. I am seeing people asking PERMISSION to build stables in their custom houses!!

When I was playing on Pacific there was a very legit super-mall that was THE place to go. Prices may be high, but they were always in stock with anything you needed. The Rare & arti vendors had open door buying policies to keep stocked. I'm glad they closed this great place down a year ago, because this backbone of the community would certainly be ruined now!



It's plain that the game has fallen into a legit pattern of abuse, and that is disturbing and shocking, as it's not really an MMO's role in life to have you pay for the privalige to be afraid to go about your business as usual.

For clarity on this matter, I looked up some reasons why women tend to remain with abusive partners, and it worries me how many appear to apply to subscription holders.

from EAPpartners.org (no banner adds there)

<i>SURVIVAL: Fear about her own and her children’s safety if she leaves. </i>

Many people have family members that play. How will they know not to make a guild website with free hosting unless you are there to remind them?

<i>FEAR: Of being alone, fear that she cannot cope with home and children by herself. </i>

Fear of the empty hours you might have without banksitting, house designing and grinding Swoops.

<i>RELIGION: Pressure to keep the family together. </i>

Religion, pressure to not "sell out" to a more current "lesser game"

<i>FAMILY: Extended family pressure to keep the family together. </i>

Guilds and in game friends talking you into staying and keeping the shard community together.

<i>LOYALTY: If he had cancer, she’d stick by him. </i>

Because of your shared history together.

<i>RESCUE: If she stays, she can “save” him and help him “get better.” </i>

I don't even need to elaborate.

<i>FEAR OF HIS SUICIDE: He says he’ll kill himself if she leaves. </i>

If too many subscriptions drop, the game will die and be gone forever!

<i> DENIAL: “It’s really not so bad.” </i>

Is it really? You're telling me that you would have put up with this 5 years ago? 2 years ago?

<i> LOVE: She loves him, and he is quite often loving and lovable when he’s not being abusive. </i>

UO today isn't the same animal as what it was in 2000, 1998, or XYZ year. And the special events with new rares are great, until they make an impact on the economy, get duped, cost too much money, raise prices on other items, or make another area of the game obsolete.

<i> IDENTITY: Many women feel that they need a man in order to be complete. </i>

If you are no longer the UOer you've been for 10 years, 5 years, 2 years, just what have you been doing all that time? what defines your e-identity?

<i> SHAME, EMBARRASSMENT AND HUMILIATION: She doesn’t want anyone to know. </i>

"It's still the best game on the market!"

<i> LOW SELF-ESTEEM: After years of being criticized by her abuser, she believes that it must be her fault, she must deserve it, she’ll never find anyone better, “a little love is better than no love at all.” </i>

The prevailing attitude I've seen on the forum is that this is a nessesary purging, this is our fault for making artis so valuable that people wanted to dupe them in the first place, our fault for the ebay trade, our fault for farming too much gold and sky-rocketing inflation. Theres no other game out there that will give you so much freedom. The Five of Friday is a lot of work, the devs are busy, just hang on to the next town hall when they might announce something really awesome.

<i> GENDER ROLE: “That’s just the way men are.” </i>

"It's their game, in the end they can do anything they want and I just rent my account from them."



Now, I'm not interested in having this thread locked. This is not intended as an open attack on Mythic, but rather note of behaviors that I find really distubing that I seem to be seeing. No one can deny there is a bit of fear and worry from most anyone as of late, and the whole "stick it out it will get better" and "don't bother leaving because there is nothing else" platitudes have been going on for years.

I also take domestic abuse very seriously as the daughter of a domestic violence survivor and I am very sensitive to any questionable patterns that come up, and I could not ignore this any more.

Normal players are afraid to play the game. And that is inexcusable.

I've been enjoying myself playing those "lesser games" to one extent or another for years and finding community and enjoyment isn't as impossible as many people make it out to be.

 

[Amber Moon]

Very interesting and perhaps a little frightening observations but I would note that a lot that exists far more here on the forums then within the game itself.

Which is not to say that it is not relevant. The forums for a game are generally the canary in the coal mine.

It is really but to Mythic now to see if they can blow a little fresh air into the mine.

 

[galefan2004]

"It's still the best game on the market!"

Yes because although WoW has passed 10 million subscribers they all play it because it sucks.

The prevailing attitude I've seen on the forum is that this is a nessesary purging, this is our fault for making artis so valuable that people wanted to dupe them in the first place, our fault for the ebay trade, our fault for farming too much gold and sky-rocketing inflation. Theres no other game out there that will give you so much freedom. The Five of Friday is a lot of work, the devs are busy, just hang on to the next town hall when they might announce something really awesome.

Funny because what I see is that it is EAs fault because if they didn't have stupid systems like runics (3-4 valorites a year ffs) which dominated the high end market of gear then there wouldn't be a need for dupes. Players should all have equal opportunity to access the high end gear and that shouldn't be by farming (or buying) multiple millions of gold.

"It's their game, in the end they can do anything they want and I just rent my account from them."

Unfortunately that is just a fact. You really should pay attention to the agreements you agree to before playing the game before you play the game.

No one can deny there is a bit of fear and worry from most anyone as of late, and the whole "stick it out it will get better" and "don't bother leaving because there is nothing else" platitudes have been going on for years.

Only thing is, with the ammount of players that UO has hemoraged since 2002, there is definately better out there now, and UO players are flocking to those games. This would work more with WoW, because it is very arguable if there is anything better than WoW out atm (that resembles WoW to any extent which UO does not), and players of WoW still would like to leave but find themselves without a viable alternative.

Normal players are afraid to play the game. And that is inexcusable.

I don't know how many are actually afraid to play the game as compared to those that are currently borred to death with the game and want to use that as an excuse.

I've been enjoying myself playing those "lesser games" to one extent or another for years and finding community and enjoyment isn't as impossible as many people make it out to be.

Probably has something to do with them having around as many players per shard as UO has total currently. Sure you find jerks but you do in UO too. The difference there is that you can ignore those jerks and if they find other ways to harrass you they actually get perma banned for doing so.

 

[ravenwaves]

Unfortunately that is just a fact. You really should pay attention to the agreements you agree to before playing the game before you play the game.

I'm aware it's a term of use for ay MMO, but even if I were still playing UO, my alternative is to terminate the contract (Done) and I encourage other people that might be bothered to do the same as they have alternatives.

 

[galefan2004]

I'm aware it's a term of use for ay MMO, but even if I were still playing UO, my alternative is to terminate the contract (Done) and I encourage other people that might be bothered to do the same as they have alternatives.

I'm not willing to give up the stuff I currently have in game which is why I keep my account open. In the last few weeks I have played about 30 minutes (total) and I play WoW much more than UO now.

 

[ravenwaves]

I wrote this up and my husband posted it, some things to think about for sure, sorry italic script didn't work, I didn't know they took html out..... and deleted sigs...

 

[Sir Stain]

Well written. Food for thought! In all actuality this game seems to be on it's way out, with the lack of interest by the owner. I love this game. I am the only one out of 22 that once played from this small town. I do play several other online games but I like this one because it was the first for me to begin playing online against others. It is just what we get use to. Sometimes simple is best! So to compare it with an old flame is not so out of context.

 

[It Lives]

Interesting,

But EA certainly isn't getting drunk and beating me.

Similarities to abuse sure.

Reading the boards is a poor way to make any kind of Judgment on any game.

Dealing with hundreds of mil in gold may have become the norm, I believe a large portion of the " normal" player base has throw hands up and have accepted this craziness and ran with it.

The Fear Now is the loss of a " high end play style" Elitism and favoritism.(I forgot loss of piggyback profit).

(cant beat them join them attitude) this attitude needs fixing with (shape up or ship out).

Sorry for your RL experience.

 

[RenaLynne]

Yes...very well thought out and scary how much the two have in common. I would hope that the only people still playing really still find things they enjoy about the game, but I do know more than a few people that qualify in your post. (I have to admit, I might fall under one or two).

 

[Anjeel]

Interesting,

But EA certainly isn't getting drunk and beating me.

Similarities to abuse sure.

Reading the boards is a poor way to make any kind of Judgment on any game.

Dealing with hundreds of mil in gold may have become the norm, I believe a large portion of the " normal" player base has throw hands up and have accepted this craziness and ran with it.

The Fear Now is the loss of a " high end play style" Elitism and favoritism.(I forgot loss of piggyback profit).

(cant beat them join them attitude) this attitude needs fixing with (shape up or ship out).

Sorry for your RL experience.

I personally think EA has been drunk since AoS.

 

[It Lives]

I personally think EA has been drunk since AoS.

ha ha :]

 

[ravenwaves]

Interesting,

Reading the boards is a poor way to make any kind of Judgment on any game.

Dealing with hundreds of mil in gold may have become the norm, I believe a large portion of the " normal" player base has throw hands up and have accepted this craziness and ran with it.

The Fear Now is the loss of a " high end play style" Elitism and favoritism.(I forgot loss of piggyback profit).

(cant beat them join them attitude) this attitude needs fixing with (shape up or ship out).

Sorry for your RL experience.

I really hope it's not so bad for most people, but at this point, hitting up boards is about as far deep as I'm willing to go. Forums tend to be the barometer of the loudest people in the game though, so I think it's fairly valid impression I'm getting.

Most of the people I knew and hung out with tended to be high rollers since I had an auction house for a good while. I knew maybe one or two people out of 20 that ever broke the letter of the law, and if any of them still play (everytime I catch up with them in ICQ they do not) they would be some of these at risk to be in posession of duped artis, so I feel for people like them. It just seems like theres no way these days to know something is legit unless you watch it drop in Doom (Or wherever you get artis these days), and even then I would almost be questioning if I accidentally duped it if I happened to be wearing the same arty.

 

[Restroom Cowboy]

Reading the boards is a poor way to make any kind of Judgment on any game.

I am in agreement but there is alot of irony in your statement...

of all people to make this statement it just had to be you.

 

[Maddin]

UO is the only thing KEEPING me from beating my wife.

 

[THP]

Wow really does suck after 4-5 months!!! and im pretty sure the 9.9 million 'old subscribers' /'people who have tried and long since left' ...would agree too....

Can we get it into everyones thick head there aint 10million peeps playing wow today!!!!... jeezus wake bloody up!!! yes !! yes!! 10 million maybe have tried it at sometime including me!!! [end]

 

[galefan2004]

Wow really does suck after 4-5 months!!! and im pretty sure the 9.9 million 'old subscribers' /'people who have tried and long since left' ...would agree too....

I've played it for four years. Sucks after 4-5 months? Is that because you couldn't hack it in end game? Show me proof of your allegation that 9.9 million players left because Blizzard says they currently have more than 9 million active subscribers so if you weren't talking out your <censored> then the actual sales figure for the game would be over 17 million. I doubt thats the case. Its more likely you are wrong, but whatever.

Can we get it into everyones thick head there aint 10million peeps playing wow today!!!!... jeezus wake bloody up!!! yes !! yes!! 10 million maybe have tried it at sometime including me!!! [end]

Hmmm. Blizzard says that there are 10 million ACTIVE players. That means there are probably 10 million active players. You say there are not. I think I'll believe Blizzard. You have to remember that Blizzard markets (almost exclusively) to China and now to Latin America. They never claimed it was 10 million active in the US. Its probably more like 800-900 thousand in the United states but that is 700-800 more than UO has.