15 year retrospective; biggest game changer?

[Poo]

LRC.

end of story.
biggest game changer that i can think of from over the last 15 years.
from the days of having to lug around regs and reload after every death to now not even seeing a reg in years.

has to be the biggest game changer i think.

anyone have any others?

 

[startle]

LRC.

end of story.
biggest game changer that i can think of from over the last 15 years.
from the days of having to lug around regs and reload after every death to now not even seeing a reg in years.

has to be the biggest game changer i think.

anyone have any others?

That was huge, but not as huge as the Tram/Fel "split"... That HAS to be the biggest....

 

[Poo]

mmmmm, yup, good one.

*gives Startle a point*

 

[MalagAste]

I'm going to have to go with Customizable housing. Before that everything was cookie cutter..... now there is such a variety one can hardly take it all in. From truly amazing and inspiring to completely hideous and total eyesores.... changed the entire face of UO.

 

[Nimuaq]

Trammel is already mentioned so I think I'll go with the item insurance.

 

[Lord Frodo]

The addition of Tram thus enabling UO to be here 15 years
Power Scolls Making being a 7xGM mean nothing
AoS The death of a crafter
Addition of 3 lands thus splitting the player base even more

 

[Zosimus]

Anything after pub 16

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

Well, I ain't been around for the full 15 years. But in my time the biggest game changer I have seen from a positive standpoint has been the EM Program. From the negative standpoint, it was the huge decline of the "community" aspect in game. Thankfully that has been on an upswing for a good while now tho.

Just my .02 tho

 

[Woodsman]

LRC had a huge impact, but it ties into the itemization/AOS, which I think I think had the biggest impact. LRC is just another symptom of the Diablo syndrome - loading up items with all kinds of modifiers so people are checking spreadsheets, etc. where the game because spreadsheet-based instead of skill/experience based.

Item insurance (which also ties into the Diablo syndrome) removed a lot of the risk from the game - the only thing you really risk these days when dying is losing the time you just spent doing something. I'd like to think that it encourages people to PvP and PvE more, but I'm not sure it does. When you remove some of the risk/danger, things that were exciting aren't as exciting.

I honestly don't think the Tram/Fel split is as important, because in a way, the split was already happening - people that didn't want to PvP were leaving UO and going to EverQuest where they didn't have to PvP if they didn't want to. I still think it should have been a toggle instead of separate facets, but ultimately I think it was needed to keep UO going in the long run. Non-consensual PvP MMORPGs are not very popular.

 

[Sauteed Onion]

Elves. bleh.

 

[Lady Storm]

The Intro to 3d.... no matter which one you favor it changed the way players play the game. I'm a pureist with CC.

 

[FrejaSP]

I had been here for 14 years and some months and not all changes had been good for UO.
When I look back:
Stat loss for reds was the worse changes I remember. I lost so many friends who gave op.
The Trammel Split was even worse, it should had been Trammel shards and Felucca Shards. It's not to late to make the old shards Trammel only, merge some of them and make a few Felucca only shards
Item Insurence was never needed, I have played 14+ years without it. The problem was AoS made items to expensive
AoS sure gave us Ages of Shadow, It ruined crafting and PvP too I think
Malas was one big mistake, should be removed or there need to be added some overlands spawn and resource spawn
BoDs may be good for newbie training but you should not have to do it to get powerful tools
Heartwood quests too may be good for newbie training but you should not have to do it to get powerful tools
Remove of most overland spawn is sad, before there was life around the player towns. We need new monster/brigand spawn, good for young chars and with resources useful for crafting.

I do believe the last years changes had been healty for UO and do heal some of the damage
Imbuing is great
Reforge could be great but we need a new way to get the tools, best would be a way, that make players traveling the land instead of alot of macroing in their houses.
Ter Mur Abyss and Dungeons changes are great and will bring crafting back

 

[Meatbread]

Tram was easily the biggest change. No Tram and it wouldn't matter what kinda armor or houses there were because the game would be long dead.

Also, like if you're tired of hearing how dead crafting is while wearing 100m worth of player crafted stuff.

 

[hungry4knowhow]

Trammel
Item Properties
Item Insurance

In that order for me.

 

[Amber Witch]

Not having to chase around NPC thieves and kill them to get your stolen item back.

huge

 

[hen]

The abonimation that was the Tram/Fel split.

AOS and items.


I still use regs on my mage characters. I don't really see LRC as needed except maybe if you play a pvp mage. Yeah I am behind the times on building suits and stuff.

 

[Cirno]

I'm going to have to go with Customizable housing. Before that everything was cookie cutter..... now there is such a variety one can hardly take it all in. From truly amazing and inspiring to completely hideous and total eyesores.... changed the entire face of UO.

I'm seconding this.
Pretty much verbatim.
(I know, quoting is literally verbatim, but I mean that it pretty much echoes my thoughts to the letter)

 

[silent]

That was huge, but not as huge as the Tram/Fel "split"... That HAS to be the biggest....

^This is the biggest in the history of UO. LRC only changed the game for a subset of players.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Upside - custom housing. Downside the 'new combat system' that went with it.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Tram was easily the biggest change. No Tram and it wouldn't matter what kinda armor or houses there were because the game would be long dead.

Also, like if you're tired of hearing how dead crafting is while wearing 100m worth of player crafted stuff.

I don't use the like system but:

"GalenKnighthawke likes this."

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

The biggest change, clearly, was allowing Factioners to rez their own Faction Horses with no Vet skill.

-Galen's player

 

[Warpig Inc]

In a few years telling a 3 year vet there once was a UO without general chat. Like other changes if you long for the past, just don't use the changes. Time to go sell my car and truck and see how a horse and buggy does on the I95. And for all that is good bring back the pull tab beer can. Beer tab necklas FTW.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

TRAM. many people, because of the PVP aspect, waited to join until its creation. With the subsequent green light to griefing and rezkilling in what was left, many left. The other changes, while MAJOR, weren't the Biggest, imo.

 

[T-Hunt]

Adding new lands and dungeons , making the older ones obsalite..
But now there trying to revamp them, so that is good in a way..

bad= 1 month open account end 3 months down..alot of money that could have helped UO is not there.

 

[Lorddog]

creapy portraits - I still have nightmares

 

[Picus at the office]

IMO the biggest game changer was the slow decline of dev comment and interaction with the player base. At one time many years ago we had a thriving amount of conversation with the team and a clear sense of the direction. All of us here have stuck through the tram/fel split, stat loss for reds(second worst IMO), old content laid to waste by new stuff which was quickly laid to waste again, LRC/LMC and all the other great points but the worst the true loss of direction.

 

[Old Man of UO]

I agree with everyone that said AOS. And then it was Imbuing and Reforging to continue down that road. This pretty much killed off the need to farm for any sort of loot. Sure, we unravel loot to get imbuing ingredients, but I am referring to actually using weapons and armor off corpses. Does anyone even look at the loot beyond special reagents, artifacts and maybe jewelry?

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I agree with everyone that said AOS. And then it was Imbuing and Reforging to continue down that road. This pretty much killed off the need to farm for any sort of loot. Sure, we unravel loot to get imbuing ingredients, but I am referring to actually using weapons and armor off corpses. Does anyone even look at the loot beyond special reagents, artifacts and maybe jewelry?

Yes.

-Galen's player

 

[Picus at the office]

Insurance and high durability killed off the need to farm or hunt but it was not the addition of mods that did this. Once you end gamed and could keep the items that stopped the hunt.

 

[OvenBird]

Chaga mushroom spawn rate, hands down.
Wait, wrong discussion?
Tram/Fel.

 

[Magdalene]

Trammel.
AoS.
Powerscrolls.
BODs.

But definitely Tram/Fel split and item proporties take the cake and not in the best of ways...

 

[hen]

Trammel.
AoS.
Powerscrolls.
BODs.

But definitely Tram/Fel split and item proporties take the cake and not in the best of ways...

It sure killed our way of life.

 

[funkymonkey]

Removing of Order and Choas, hands down better then factions, not the biggest change but the one that hurt.

 

[Izzy MBC]

I can't help but +1 the Tram/Fel split. I wasn't even around for that long before it happened, but I can imagine myself taking a completely different path over the decade that's passed; a more enjoyable one.

LRC is also a dear shame. I feel so over-powered in-game (despite rolling Solo) thanks to certain Item attributes - and I don't even have the best gear.

 

[Viquire]

The addition of up and down arrows for skill and stat management was veerry big at the time.

 

[tuuvaak]

i agree with removal of statloss. I loved statloss pking and it really sucked when they removed it (for everyone)

UO was actually still very much an open world with full looting etc. after the tram/fel split. even as a jerk PKer i didn't mind tram/fel at all. there were still plenty of people in felucca back then. age of shadows though - ouch. never fully recovered from that one.

 

[Magdalene]

It sure killed our way of life.

Yes it did, Henny, yes it did.

 

[Serine]

LRC.

end of story.
biggest game changer that i can think of from over the last 15 years.
from the days of having to lug around regs and reload after every death to now not even seeing a reg in years.

has to be the biggest game changer i think.

anyone have any others?

Making the game item based ala AOS

Pre that it was all about the player skill not what armor etc you hadde equiped .....

 

[Ludes]

Trammel is already mentioned so I think I'll go with the item insurance.

I also say insurance..
The most fun I ever had in the game was when I was afraid to die.

The item based AoS changes Serine mentions runs a close second.

 

[Eddie123]

Power hour and 8x8 skill gaining

 

[Poo]

haha, this thread is bringing back stuff i have forgotten so long ago.
NPC thief's stealing from your pack then darting away, *sigh*
8x8
powerhour

good memories.

 

[T-Hunt]

Do you think UO would have lasted past 2002 with no Tram?
But yes Power scrolls did make GM feal like you wasted time after they came in..

 

[Woodsman]

I also say insurance..
The most fun I ever had in the game was when I was afraid to die.

The item based AoS changes Serine mentions runs a close second.

Yeah the excitement was very intense when you could actually lose things.

Without AOS you wouldn't need insurance, so I go back to AOS being the biggest game changer. People can debate Tram/Fel, but the split was already physically happening - people that didn't want to PvP were going to other games.

But AOS affected every single person and every single playstyle, because it changed the entire combat and crafting system from top to bottom.

 

[Meatbread]

The abonimation that was the Tram/Fel split.

It was either leave for Tram or leave for EverQuest. Felucca was always doomed.

 

[hen]

It was either leave for Tram or leave for EverQuest. Felucca was always doomed.

The quick-fix "mirror world" was disasterous. It's easy to look back at it with 12 years of hindisght, but the insatiable desire for more housing drove the creation of Fel/Tram far more than any player naughtiness did. But the mirror-world killed communities of all kinds on every shard.

edited becuase i'm drunk.

 

[OvenBird]

powerhour
8x8

I remember thinking GM was such a lofty goal, then someone turned me onto PH and 8x8 on a boat... blew my mind!

 

[Sevin0oo0]

While Trammel was already mentioned, maybe it just needs repeating. Not meant to be a slam on the 'devs of old' who everyone seem to love, who fulfilling the request of players, created this.
Could the current 'devs of new' have found a better solution back then? Unknown, will it go back, NO, it can't.
It's now one of their challenges tho, and perhaps the next Biggest game change is just around the corner, uniting players, and I don't mean on a 100K hit point mob.
People say the lands divided the people - that's housing - it's deeper issues that divided us, imo.
Maybe the Awakening is where They woke up, said oh crap, put it in gear and figured out stuff for this game?

 

[Zosimus]

I am really liking these posts.

Power hour I so loved.

I missed when GM actually showed up and did something.

Exploration was taken away from the game. I used to go all over the place to just fight in the woods monsters roaming so I could avoid the PK attack until my skills were high enough. Exploration years later was more hunting scripters while mining or lumberjacking.

Order vs Chaos. Enough said on that. Best damn thing UO had instead of a broken artifact infested factions of today.

Trading and simple shopping in the game. Being a crafter meant something back in the day. I so loved just roaming the lands to find vendors and buy GM made armor and weps at good prices. I used to sell death robes dyed black on my vendors lol. Poison katanas was my fetish in the game and always ran down 3 houses from mine and bought them off this guys vendor.

Luna killed UO also.

Running from a mongbat was for real


Finally.......

Video killed the radio star

 

[Picus of Napa]

The randomness of poison back in the day. I can remember the very first time I got poisoned by a player. Front of covetous where we all fought, took what seemed like ages to die, bandages didn't work and no one carried cures as nothing poisoned there....still makes me laugh to this day. I also fondly recall when the asian shards opened and my guild made newb archers there. 30+ douches camping the front of covetous with no skill but we cleaned house.

 

[Malachite El'Ren]

Definitely the item properties, and the continuing property complexity... I can't keep up with it all!