Bigger Shards = More People 4 UO

[Harb]

Harb, something like this even intrigues someone like me who generally opposes the idea of shard mergers....until I ask myself why go to the common land if you aren't into PvP. And if you are interested in PvP, what do you get out of it when you can't carry anything in your backpack, since we don't have anything in place now that normally and routinely puts things in your bankbox? No gold, no looted items, no artifact rewards, no power scrolls. There would need to be a very compelling and enduring reason to enter this special "common land." Rank, points, what? And if any of these, what would they be useful for and/or how would they be recognized?

Make it dual-facet, and once emplaced and working properly dev should leave it alone. Turn the "Tram side" over to the EMs, let em run with it. They may even recreate player towns from other shards, who knows, just give em the tools and let it go. As for backpacks/ bank access, personally I'd allow both, but so many seem paranoid regarding item flow I tossed it out there for consideration. The "Fel side" becomes a free for all, guild warfare, factions on an enlarged scale, anything really. The OPs point, shared by many with common interests/ beliefs, is they can't fully enjoy as they wish PvP interaction, a valid consideration. Give em a place to do so and let's see. Rank/ bounties are appealing to the playstyle, but no "lewt" stuff (possibly explore "pre-AOS" similarities here), just play as you wish with others enjoying the same! Hope that helps, at least as a starting point.

 

[Laina]

Jeeze...I remember the days of being unable to place a 7x7 house and standing in a line of 4-5 people to kill ONE lich. No thanks - I will pass on that.

Maybe a better solution would be to lean on EA and yourself as a player of the game to bring more people to the game. If shards suddenly started shutting down there would a huge loss of confidence in the game continuing to run.

I moved to a less populated shard for a reason - and I love it there. If you want to move to a bigger shard by all means please do. No one is forcing you to stay on the shard you currently play. EA sells transfer tokens exactly for that purpose.

 

[Heartseeker]

There has been good points by both sides on this topic.

Personally I went to the busiest shard from Baja.

To me Atlantic is a bit like UO used to be.

My ping is worse, because I live on the west coast; but for me it is worth it.

 

[covert]

I'd transfer to Atlantic if it didn't cost me. =\

 

[drinkbeerallday]

A free Character Transfer with Stygian Abyss might help a little.

They can't really do much. I think it would be more expensive for them to shut down one shard than it would be to leave it up. Think about it, if they are going to shut down any shards it is going to be all of them.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

I'd transfer to Atlantic if it didn't cost me. =\

Yeah, part of the problem is that the codes are too expensive. Even if a small percentage of people wanted to transfer, people will want 5-7 codes.

They should have a discounted rate for transferring all characters from one shard to another and don't make it a token. Just an option in account registration or something.

 

[Lost-Soul]

If you want shard consolidation, then the best way to do it would be to start with a certain number of completely new shards (fewer number of course). Allow a temp unlimited number of items in bank box (ie. test center). Give free transfers to everyone. Unlock housing in stages so everyone has a fair share at getting a home (ie. release of malas). It would hurt everyone who owns a house (hurt people with grandfathered housing more). But maybe, just maybe there would be a market for housing again. There was a time when small towers actually sold on the open market. Anyone remember paying to have their house deco'd? Could be a good gold sink if EA increased the cost of housing plots on the new severs. Anyways . . . I'm sure there are alot of things left out but just my 2 cents.

 

[Clog|Mordain]

Can be a good idea. But wont work. Remember about the poor blokes like me down under. Where the hell would we go? i can garentee our population would leave the game.

Also where the hell would everyones houses go?

 

[Grumm]

Thought I would chime in on this topic.

First off, other MMOs are not killing this game. Matter of fact, the only thing that kills MMO's is their own failures. This game is in it's 12th or 13th year. It's the oldest MMO out there. UO is not in competition with any other game out there. It's a niche game, and as such it doesn't have the ability to sap players from the newer MMO's out there.

WOW players wont start playing UO because you merge servers. Their latest expansion sold 2.8 million copies the first couple days it was released. The PvP in that game is vastly different than PvP in UO. Tactics are the same, but that is the only similar thing.

Merging servers will only further reduce the overall population. People that are currently playing are not playing for the flashy graphics or it's indepth vendor browsing features.

I play because UO still has the best crafting system out there. Star Wars Galaxies is a close second, but UO still edges them out. Housing is another big reason I, and many others continue to play this old weathered game. Another reason is the open skill based system. You are not locked into a specific trade or combat profession.

There is a new generation playing online games now. They want something more than a top down isometric view. They want flashy eye candy with bells and whistles.

Trying to force an increase in server populations with mergers will only result in a decline of active accounts. Housing may not be a big deal to the OP, but for more people than most realise, housing is a huge reason they continue to play. Their location, affect on that shards community and long time vendors can not be overlooked and brushed aside. To suggest that people just leave what they have acomplihed behind is rather selfish thinking. Not to mention, a big shake up like that is not wise at this time.

If people are dissapointed about the lack of PvP participants, those people need to adress what's wrong with PvP in it's current state. Server mergers wont fix it. If UO has to try to lure players into Fel via better rewards, that doesn't bode well for how PvP is being (and has been) handled on the development side. Merging severs wont fix that.

 

[Viper09]

This isn't, or at least shouldn't be just about PvP/Fel poplation. I don't care to increase population just for PvP. I would just like to see populations increase overall. Yeah the OP is concerned about PvP population, but I know I am focusing on general population both Fel facet and Tram rule-set facets.

So this isn't just about PvP.

 

[Grumm]

So much has to be done to even consider server mergers. To pull it off on a game that is over 10 years old is no small feat. I have had a house and vendors set up in the same spot for 6 years now. If a merger happens, am I guarenteed the same spot for my house? Probably not.

Things like this need to be considered before attempting a merger. Many may think this is a trivial thing, but it is not.

I understand that this game is just a series of pixels, but those pixels have meaning to me. To have them uprooted would probably cause me to close my 5 acounts. I am sure I am not alone in this line of thinking.

I don't think telling people that they have to move to a different server and leave over a decade of memories behind is in the best interest of retaining the current playerbase.

They could offer free transfers to those that wish to move to a more populated server. Anything other than that could be ill thinking on their part.

I understand that some PvM players would like to see a merger as well, but the OP started this thread with what looks like an attempt to boost PvP numbers per shard.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

One thing I'd like to point out:

If I pay for a game subscription, I'd never pay extra in order to have fun in the game! I'd rather quit the game. It's not cause I couldn't afford it, it is a principle.

Meaning: I'd never pay for shard transfer, extra items, extra features, cause I'd consider that a rip-off. (Expansions are a different thing, as they are massive game enhancements and are probably worth paying another $20.)

 

[Vyal]

Ok so I read all your threads but what is wrong with offerin free transfers to allow people to go to shards to populate them more? and allow the people who like to play on empty shards with all their items stay there by them selveS?

 

[Der Rock]

You can see that UO is getting killed by other MMO's. Yet there is no better PvP MMO out there. This game is not a memory hog people can run it like a instant messenger and watch movies, play it at work, at school, on laptop with wi-fi. It's still an amazing game concept.

I think that if you had more shards like ATL with mass's of people playing at any given time PvP would become even better everything would become even better. More people would go out and buy UO when they see 90% of the servers are like ATL people who play on EMU shards would come back on play production shards. People who play games like WoW may consider playing UO becuase they would see more pics videos on sites like Youtube of hundreds of people doing things with each other.

The reason is there are to many shards, the game has died off to much and alot of the shards are left empty while people have all their items gold and such on these shards with none on them so they quit becuase the game is boring to them and they don't want to pay 30 bucks to xfer or make a new player on a bigger shard.

This is going to kill SA, EA why settle for a million when you could easily get 20 million? Combine servers, or allow say 6 months of free transfers before the release of SA so the shards can become larger and people stop quiting the game becuase the shards they play on are empty half the time.

Thats my two cents and it's seriously just a good game plan.

uo´s problem are not the number of shards

 

[Yalp]

Ok so I read all your threads but what is wrong with offerin free transfers to allow people to go to shards to populate them more? and allow the people who like to play on empty shards with all their items stay there by them selveS?

There is already a mechanism to move shards w/o having to pay anything... create characters on the shard of your choice and develop their resources/skills.

If you want to consolidate servers to compel more pvp.. then maybe a closer look at WHY the majority of players don't pvp now is more appropriate and might even produce better results.

 

[woj1s]

You're talking about messing with people investments in UO here. Part of the reason I don't play other games is because I'm so vested in UO. My friends and I have gathered houses together over the years, creating out own RP villages. If you wipe that out, suddenly we don't have as must vested in UO as we used to. There's less reason to keep the accounts active, more temptation to take a break and go visit other games. I think it would be a colossal mistake to wipe all housing out.

You do realize the "investments" you're talking about are NOT REAL!? They are pixels in a binary database!! I remember the days before UO had ANY houses. It was all open land and once houses could be placed it was SOOO much fun. Everyone running around claiming land. Remember fun??? The reason you PLAY a GAME! If im concerned about investments ill read the wallstreet journal and trade papers.

I came back to UO after 6 years and I started hunting for treasure maps. This lil' dweeb lectured me on how treasure maps were no longer considered "profitable" and how its rough to find high quality items on Thunts. What the heck is THIS?!

I play the game and do treasure hunts because they are FUN and EXCITING. I like searching for the treasure and fighting dragons and liche lords in the spawns...Its like christmas morning opening gifts cause you never know what you might get. Its an adrenaline rush.

Its tools like this that ruin the possibilities that are MMORPG games. So what....you may lose your house. Quit crying. It makes a better community. Many shards are baron that there are tumbleweeds rolling through the middle of towns. You'd rather have all your money and your large castles but who cares?! NOONE is even on the shards to see your progress .

 

[Harb]

You do realize the "investments" you're talking about are NOT REAL!?

To me, there's never been any question regarding "reality" of anything within the game. But I've got to tell you friend, my "time" is very real. And a considerable amount of my time has been spent spent on a given shard in this game.

I remember the days before UO had ANY houses.

I'm not rying to be rude, but no you don't. You may recall the creation of Tram, and the interim period of time before placement was allowed. Housing existed well before the game ever went public.

I came back to UO after 6 years and I started hunting for treasure maps... Its an adrenaline rush.

Outstanding, glad to have you back and pleased to see there's aspects of the game you enjoy!

Its tools like this that ruin the possibilities that are MMORPG games. So what....you may lose your house. Quit crying. It makes a better community. Many shards are baron that there are tumbleweeds rolling through the middle of towns. You'd rather have all your money and your large castles but who cares?! NOONE is even on the shards to see your progress .

You don't get to decide what others hold value in, or what they enjoy. Stating views and preferences is quite distant from "crying." Everyone would like to see more players so long as we never "overcrowd" again. Opinions as to how to attain that are where the differences lie.

 

[Warpig Inc]

If you hate reading go to bottom for one line short version.

How many plp reading over theese boards remember being entertained by dice/pencil/paper/DM. Before the internet the addition of a 3rd and 4th joystick was the greatest advance in gaming. Advance a generation where fast gaming(McDonalds) has replaced imaginative gaming (Home Cooked). EA has made the same mistake with UO that Wizards of the Coast did with another great game MTG.

The game is not on the shelves/advertised, has been a repeted Dooh for those Dee Deedees. They are trying to peddle the latest greatest snake oil to people, happy they have others willing to pay for Yugo parts. To the money grubers UO is a passing fad like a Nissan truck lowered to the ground on 10" rims. They are more worried about how tofit 30" rims under a Caprice now. And I still play UO just like I see lowered Nissans around sometimes. Everything in the entertainment market seems to have an expiration date. Records>8-Tracks>Cassettes>CDs>MP3. Even the music indrustry is running out of good ideals. Even UO will have a return like a cover song or a retro VW/Mustang/Camaro/Challenger.

I think the greatest thing going to happen to PVP is the new EMs. Events with unique rewards for those egos. Just like any great gathering in the game theese be the best way to see whats right and wrong with the game. Not like the cheats and hacks will show up with Mom & DAD hovering about. And that is the greatest failure of UO is the game is not policed. Noone want to go to a knife fight if there are those who think a gun will make it fun. There are many that would PVP more if there wasn't those few sucking the life out of it.

I'm sure EA would get a huge return on one investment to UO. Feed and house 10 unemployed homeless. Train them to GM and police the game with the best of the 10 put in charge of the 3 person 8 hour shifts. With random shard policing of BS (BS is like same person doing the Elf fletcher quest 6-10 hours everyday OR a vendor selling a val hammer on restock next to a vendor full of smithed items from 7+ val hammers)and banning and posting what the character was doing on their shards thread forum. People can decide on threads of banned accounts what they had been doing is acceptable. At any rate an accounts house decides its primary shard and those shards should be able to block other shards from transfers. Why a flood of free transfer tokens bad ideal. BOD scripters would be back in force if tokens had been cheep again. Just need a cut cost to someone wanting a full character count transfered. Or one of theese fine Unhomeless GMs could be called for full worked set of shard characters to be moved to another shard.

And even the game at its low. I bet you could find those ten GMs in the form of retired soldiers with a roof and food in their belly already that loves UO. Would be willing to put in 8 hour shift for extra beer/smokes/pizza money. One monitors the other nine and none can be on their shard on their shift or on the same shard another is GMing/policing on. I know what some of the nasty things counselors had done way back when. Nothing like word of mouth to have a big effect in UO. Example was last time GMs had an impact in the game was the Bone Deamon quest exploit.

That ideal sucks............there I got a post in no matter how much you think I thought about thinking about it.

 

[Harb]

I bet you could find those ten GMs in the form of retired soldiers with a roof and food in their belly already that loves UO. Would be willing to put in 8 hour shift for extra beer/smokes/pizza money.

So how do you really feel? Reference the guote above, having worn said uniform for 24 years of life I'm not sure how to take it, but at the end of the day, you're correct in your conclusion And UO has been and remains very popular within this community, though "real life" has gotten "in the way" a bit of late.

 

[Warpig Inc]

Funny thing is had friends quit the UO hobby (the $s make it a hobby) to do less agrivating things like golf or fishing. LOL. UO still rules in there is no DUI for a boat or golf cart. Long for the days you fell off your horse when you got to drunk, to dry heave to the amusement of your horse.

 

[The Craftsman]

I read about the first dozen or so replies then realised what a bunch of f&*%ing muppets you all are. UO is dead and youre all out there thinking about your "investment" and all those virtual items that in fact you dont own at all.

They could pull the plug tomorrow then in 1 month time you have sweet FA. Nothing. Nada. You dont own anything, its not yours and it doesnt actually even exist. You all need to get a grip.

 

[woj1s]

To me, there's never been any question regarding "reality" of anything within the game. But I've got to tell you friend, my "time" is very real. And a considerable amount of my time has been spent spent on a given shard in this game.

YOu do realize that the majority of shards are ghost towns? So you invest your "time" in what? In something that doesnt matter cause no one is around to see.

 

[woj1s]

I'm not rying to be rude, but no you don't. You may recall the creation of Tram, and the interim period of time before placement was allowed. Housing existed well before the game ever went public.

Listen here prick, I beta tested the game and I was part of the first initial groups to run around like a gold rush to place a house. Dont you have a champ spawn that you have to attend? YOu wouldnt want to miss out on any "investments"

 

[Grumm]

"YOu do realize that the majority of shards are ghost towns? So you invest your "time" in what? In something that doesnt matter cause no one is around to see."

Are you saying that someone needs to see you do things for it to matter?

People invest time doing things they enjoy regardless if anyone sees them or not. Just because no one saw me get a heartwood runic fletching kit last night doesn't mean the time I invested in getting it was a waste.

People do things because they like what they are doing. If someone needs to say "Look what I did" for something to have meaning may need to seek therapy.

I picked up a coffe cup outside a store today and threw it in the trash. No one saw me do it but yet I felt better for it.

 

[SoulWeaver]

There is no such thing as "proof" that would satisfy everyone/anyone. Anything can be disputed, claimed or edited with Photoshop. I've seen suspicious but nothing that could be called "proof." If it happens on other shards for profit, it happens on Siege. However at the same time, denying it does not mean it doesn't happen. Anyway, that's a topic for a different discussion... not trying to derail this one.

OH yeah, that reminds me of one more incentive that could be offered to entice players... NO RICO! LA! j/k...

It's true though. Dupes dont happen on siege. Maybe way back in 97,98,99 before transfers where there was black hole dupes and glitches but.... From then on all dupes had to do with transfering off the shards, using trammel and fellucia etc. etc......

Well siege has no trammel, siege has no character transfer system. So no there arent any dupes like they are on prodo shards. Its by far the best shard, and no one wants to take the time to join us and build their because there either to lazy to deal with rott or to scared to join our community. Which siege probably is the closest helpful server community ever... But regardless believe all you want untill you come try it don't talk.

 

[sablestorm]

I read about the first dozen or so replies then realised what a bunch of f&*%ing muppets you all are. UO is dead and youre all out there thinking about your "investment" and all those virtual items that in fact you dont own at all.

They could pull the plug tomorrow then in 1 month time you have sweet FA. Nothing. Nada. You dont own anything, its not yours and it doesnt actually even exist. You all need to get a grip.

Craftsman, let's put your ideas to the test. If you give me your account and password info, I will delete all your characters and all the items they possess. Since EA can pull the plug at any time, you won't mind, right?

 

[sablestorm]

You do realize the "investments" you're talking about are NOT REAL!? They are pixels in a binary database!! I remember the days before UO had ANY houses. It was all open land and once houses could be placed it was SOOO much fun. Everyone running around claiming land. Remember fun??? The reason you PLAY a GAME! If im concerned about investments ill read the wallstreet journal and trade papers.

I came back to UO after 6 years and I started hunting for treasure maps. This lil' dweeb lectured me on how treasure maps were no longer considered "profitable" and how its rough to find high quality items on Thunts. What the heck is THIS?!

I play the game and do treasure hunts because they are FUN and EXCITING. I like searching for the treasure and fighting dragons and liche lords in the spawns...Its like christmas morning opening gifts cause you never know what you might get. Its an adrenaline rush.

Its tools like this that ruin the possibilities that are MMORPG games. So what....you may lose your house. Quit crying. It makes a better community. Many shards are baron that there are tumbleweeds rolling through the middle of towns. You'd rather have all your money and your large castles but who cares?! NOONE is even on the shards to see your progress .

Yet another post like this. Yes, I know it's pixels and data on a server. I know EA can pull the plug. Guess what? Your investments are much the same. The market crashes, your money goes bye bye. Why care about losing money there? It's just data.

You tell me to quit crying but I want to see if you are a hypocrit or not. Give me your account info and your password. I will delete all your characters and items and once that is done, I hope you won't cry because it is only pixels, right?

 

[ImmortalBenjamin]

How about a moongate that allows characters to travel freely from shard to shard, bound only by the number of characters the player already has on each shard.

 

[The Craftsman]

Craftsman, let's put your ideas to the test. If you give me your account and password info, I will delete all your characters and all the items they possess. Since EA can pull the plug at any time, you won't mind, right?

Im afraid ive beaten you to it. For the last 18 months my 3 accounts have been on a cycle of being reactivated once every 3 months to keep the houses standing. Within the active month I mess around a bit in UO and everytime I do so there is less people around than there was the 3 months before. I should have reactivated at the beginning of Jan to kep the houses standing but I didnt. They are all now gone as is the plethora of items, many of them rare. Its quite liberating but sad at the same time as it marks the end of an era in a game i once loved.

So to answer your question ... no. I wont mind.

 

[Harb]

Listen here prick, I beta tested the game and I was part of the first initial groups to run around like a gold rush to place a house. Dont you have a champ spawn that you have to attend? YOu wouldnt want to miss out on any "investments"

To be fair, I looked through your other posts to see what may be gleamed from them, and this seems your first post that gets out of line, really, "prick?" When you first played you were a teen, now that you're not, the best friendly advice anyone could offer is don't post or play as in such a manner. All a response like this can do is discredit the valid things you may have to say. You're a LS player, and though I've never played there, a sincere welcome back to the game and your shard. I do not recall when LS was inititalized and activated, you may have a public beta player there. But I assure you, with absolute certainty, that there were shards that when enabled for public access, already contained limited player housing. I can also tell you that while you were away from the game, there was one additional shard that transitioned to "public" which also contained player housing. So I personally know of three, beyond that, I simply don't recall what conditions/ restrictions most shards had as they were rolled out. So I erred in wording of my first response to you, and should not have been no "absolute," you may be correct for LS proper. My apologies for that!

 

[sablestorm]

Im afraid ive beaten you to it. For the last 18 months my 3 accounts have been on a cycle of being reactivated once every 3 months to keep the houses standing. Within the active month I mess around a bit in UO and everytime I do so there is less people around than there was the 3 months before. I should have reactivated at the beginning of Jan to kep the houses standing but I didnt. They are all now gone as is the plethora of items, many of them rare. Its quite liberating but sad at the same time as it marks the end of an era in a game i once loved.

So to answer your question ... no. I wont mind.

But why did you even bother to keep your accounts active every three months? Because at one time you cared about your houses, yet now you've given them up and don't care anymore so others shouldn't either. Since you no longer care anymore others need to "get a grip." It is funny since you're not even active most of the time so why should you be telling players who have been active since Beta, with no breaks in between, to "get a grip?" The reality is, I play Pacific and Pacific would be one of the shards that remain, but if Pacific was eliminated I know how I would feel so I'm just putting myself in the shoes of those who would have to make sacrifices.

 

[Babble]

Isn't there a saying 'hope dies last'?

I know lots of people who kept accounts open for YEARS without playing anymore.

 

[Moreeg]

Thought I would chime in on this topic.

UO is not in competition with any other game out there. It's a niche game, and as such it doesn't have the ability to sap players from the newer MMO's out there.

That is the single most important and pertinent thing posted in this entire thread.

Anyone who thinks UO can pull players from any other MMO out there needs to take a big step back and take an objective look at the other MMOs and what the typical MMO player is now. They want the gaming perspective that WoW offers (which is why every MMO that comes out uses that same look).

We are niche gamers, playing a niche game. Some of us are gamers that have played since the old days... I played back then, played WoW, Lotro, etc... but the game system of UO brought me back, which would be the other gamer niche. People looking for this in depth of a system. But in either case, we are not the majority!

Most MMO gamers want super fast everything, pixelated crack, the big anime-style weapons, and more of a cartoon feel than UO offers. It doesnt matter if 10 million boxes hit the shelves... we'll never see a major influx of new players.

Like someone else stated, UO is, at the least, a semi-predictable income source for EA. As long as we arent costing them more than we're making them, there will be a UO.

As for shard combining... hell, its been brought up in countless other threads, all the reasons for or against have been listed here, in the old threads, and will be again next time another poster gets the idea that it should be done... so I wont even dignify it with a response.

 

[woj1s]

Yet another post like this. Yes, I know it's pixels and data on a server. I know EA can pull the plug. Guess what? Your investments are much the same. The market crashes, your money goes bye bye. Why care about losing money there? It's just data.

You tell me to quit crying but I want to see if you are a hypocrit or not. Give me your account info and your password. I will delete all your characters and items and once that is done, I hope you won't cry because it is only pixels, right?

You dont even know what your arguing anymore. I would be more than willing to transfer my characters to a different shard that has great community and great pvp. I dont care about my current house or where it was placed. Give me the money that I put into my current house and put it in the bank. Because as of right now the housing market is absolute crap. Consolidating shards would actually INCREASE your so called "investment".

I just came back to UO after being away for 6 years and I had people GIVING me houses. I can walk around and within 5 minutes find a spot to place a house. Combining shards would really help with the housing economy and clear up a lot of waste thats in the market.

 

[sablestorm]

You dont even know what your arguing anymore. I would be more than willing to transfer my characters to a different shard that has great community and great pvp. I dont care about my current house or where it was placed. Give me the money that I put into my current house and put it in the bank. Because as of right now the housing market is absolute crap. Consolidating shards would actually INCREASE your so called "investment".

I just came back to UO after being away for 6 years and I had people GIVING me houses. I can walk around and within 5 minutes find a spot to place a house. Combining shards would really help with the housing economy and clear up a lot of waste thats in the market.

I know what I'm arguing about. My investments are the time and memories I've accumulated in-game and many other players feel the same. This is why unique roleplaying establishments on each shard are cherished. You, however, can't fathom that people care about these things simply because you do not. You demand that people should not care about them simply because you do not. You try to mock my point of view by talking about them as data on a computer. In my efforts to make you understand, I tried to put it in terms you might understand. Delete your characters and start new. They are only bits on a computer. If you can demand that we give up things we like in UO, then you can give up your hard earned skills and items, right? If you truly don't mind making the sacrifice, then start a new character on a more populated shard.

 

[Aibal]

I understand where you are coming from but why be so selfish? Wouldn't you rather see more players playing this game then keeping your stupid house?

I always LOVE this type of comment. Until it's YOUR castle on Legends you lose and for 50 million in the "new" Atlantic you get a 7X7. Then we'll see who's pancakes in UOHall about the consolidation. LMAO.

 

[woj1s]

I know what I'm arguing about. My investments are the time and memories I've accumulated in-game and many other players feel the same. This is why unique roleplaying establishments on each shard are cherished. You, however, can't fathom that people care about these things simply because you do not. You demand that people should not care about them simply because you do not. You try to mock my point of view by talking about them as data on a computer. In my efforts to make you understand, I tried to put it in terms you might understand. Delete your characters and start new. They are only bits on a computer. If you can demand that we give up things we like in UO, then you can give up your hard earned skills and items, right? If you truly don't mind making the sacrifice, then start a new character on a more populated shard.

Ah actually... Thats my point exactly idiot. I have no problem AT ALL with transferring my characters to a different more populated shard. THATS MY WHOLE POINT!!! I want more populated shards! Thats what makes the game fun!!! I could give a crap about the lame house that I have placed in an awesome location. I would sacrifice that for the sake of great gameplay.

Im sure you have an awesome lil' house over there and its in a fantastic location. But who really cares.

 

[woj1s]

I always LOVE this type of comment. Until it's YOUR castle on Legends you lose and for 50 million in the "new" Atlantic you get a 7X7. Then we'll see who's pancakes in UOHall about the consolidation. LMAO.

In my opinion yes, I would give up my large mansion for a smaller house thats worth money. It seems that kids these days have no idea of what its like to work for something. I had to save every single gold coin i could fine to save up for a small 7x7 wood house and when I finally had enough it was SO exciting to finally earn it. Now i started playing and I had 4 people in one day ask "hey welcome back...do you need a house? I know of 3 guys giving them away". wow..... how fun.

 

[sablestorm]

Ah actually... Thats my point exactly idiot. I have no problem AT ALL with transferring my characters to a different more populated shard. THATS MY WHOLE POINT!!! I want more populated shards! Thats what makes the game fun!!! I could give a crap about the lame house that I have placed in an awesome location. I would sacrifice that for the sake of great gameplay.

Im sure you have an awesome lil' house over there and its in a fantastic location. But who really cares.

No, you're missing the point. There are those of us who care about our homes and player run cities. Just because you don't care, that doesn't make our cares invalid. It's immature to think that because we disagree about this point, I'm an idiot.

My point is, you care for your characters, for the skills you trained, for the items you gained, right? So what if EA decided to wipe those clean and forced you to start over on another shard? Suddenly its not so cool because this is something you care about.

I doubt you'll ever understand this, however.

 

[Laina]

Im sure you have an awesome lil' house over there and its in a fantastic location. But who really cares.

I care. I love my "awesome lil' house" and its remote location. I happen to like the less populated shards and the close knit community found on some of the smaller shards.

And I understand where your coming from that you want more populated shards to pvp. I just don't get why it seems like a good idea to force others to give up their playstyle for yours.

I still believe the better solution is to find a way to bring more players to pvp (and to the game) rather than to cram the rest of us all together.

 

[Canucklehead73]

Hey the thought is good, trying to draw more players to the game, but there has to be a better game plan than closing servers... I mean think about what the OP is saying, get everyone together, let non-players see what UO is like with alot of people logged in, and they will join UO!

I mean who are we kidding here?

If a game is not good enough to draw subscriptions, faking a crowd of interest is as about as feeble as it gets as a marketing plan, you have to compete to win subscriptions and that is as simple as it gets.

Pretending a LOT of players enjoy a game by cramming them on less servers... wow...

I think many posters on stratics have much better ideas than this one.

Year 2000+ graphics, better bug fix's, dealing with cheating, real customer support, better content, handy tools, better PvP, different servers types, in-game voice chat, actual GM's and many many possible ideas...

All better than trying to fool people into playing a game by forcing players together.

Just my opinions of course

 

[Bluebottle]

I think a merger of shards could be an awesome thing pending it was done right, as for those saying they wouldn't be willing to lose something for a better community you are simply selfish, I would gladly drop my spare house to allow for someone to move into the area and make teh community better.

For those that say they don't want to lose their keep or castle I say quit your whining, I gave up 2 keeps to move to a more populated shard so that I could enjoy a better community and not be a hermit.

... not me whining about a Keep or Castle! Except some of us have got used to grandfathered little houses on more than one shard. We decided to keep it that way and NOT to place a single Keep or Castle when there was an opportunity. For example: many of us like playing and developing characters on Siege and regular shards and not have to mess around with transfer tokens Take the grandfathered Status away now - then I guess we are gone along with all the remaining small houses

 

[Bluebottle]

I care. I love my "awesome lil' house" and its remote location. I happen to like the less populated shards and the close knit community found on some of the smaller shards.

And I understand where your coming from that you want more populated shards to pvp. I just don't get why it seems like a good idea to force others to give up their playstyle for yours.

I still believe the better solution is to find a way to bring more players to pvp (and to the game) rather than to cram the rest of us all together.

Well said - it does seem like some of the community are simply looking for a target richer environment - and I really don't like being a target nor do I paint them on other folk that don't want to be targets either!

 

[AesSedai]

- I must say (ed grimley?) that I found the premise humorous as well (canuck...73).

To those that want more people so as to be surrounded by more players: what are you waiting for already? Perhaps sacrifice a little lag, go on and transfer your characters / or even start some new ones, and all will be well with your desires. Most in this thread have already solved their problem, aside from the desire to see EA hand it to them for free, despite how the OP's rash alteration would affect other currently content players...

For all players, including those that are currently content: I look forward to the day that the Devs. entice more and more players to be able to enjoy our game and appreciate all that it is; the game has the power; I believe the Devs. do too; my only fear is my ever fear, in that the people above the Devs might make some rash decisions, rather than appreciate the potential they/we possess within UO...

From what I've seen: 'most every MMO that became pessimistic enough to shrink its footprint has sealed their own coffin, before the battle was ever truly over...

 

[Storm]

As stated by Draconi there will be no shard mergers as the shards are way to populated

 

[Beleg Megil]

^^This.

About the only thing that will repopulate the shards (if they actually need it, which they don't) is SA coming out in a box on store shelves with a good ad campaign.

Either way, the majority of people that pay for UO are apparantly satisfied with it, as they continue to pay for it. And also the majority of players do not post here.

 

[Omnius]

These "merge shards" threads keep popping up for good reason...Most are ghost towns. I play Pacific which is often regarded as the highest populated West coast shard. With the exception of the common hangouts (Luna) it is dead. Please don't suggest I move to an East coast shard as I live in California and my ping there stinx!

As I stated before: I'M TIRED OF BEING THE GUY IN "I AM LEGEND"!

Shard mergers need to happen (at least on the West coast).

Get over your happy little pixel house, you'll find a new one.

Pacific hasn't been the highest population west coast shard in ages. Its population fled to napa, sonoma and atlantic.

 

[Omnius]

Pacific is the perfect example of an I am Legend shard. Once the most populated shard in UO it is now barren. Once a bastion of pvp, now a haven for scrubs. The pvm scene? Worse. the bank scenes empty. There is nobody to buy or sell from. I had 15 empty vendors in luna, charged nothing each week and nobody cared.

 

[Ravahan]

You won't "gain" anything from consolidating shards.

You loose shards' individual history
You open a can of worms re: housing
You increase lag and crash issues
You increase event and mob farming problems
You loose players
You concentrate cheaters, hackers, dupers
You loose a sense of community

You can already accomplish your own private consolidation..
transfer to the shard of your choice.

That^

What we need to revive UO is a client that EA isn't ashamed to market. Why do you think you don't see at least web banners for this game? While the gameplay is awesome, no one is going to be wowed by the current graphics. For some reason, people equate graphics with quality.

 

[gunneroforgin]

I understand where you are coming from but why be so selfish? Wouldn't you rather see more players playing this game then keeping your stupid house?


no!