As this discussion caught my eye, I thought it might be worth offering the perspective of a former avid player who left UO several years back and accordingly no longer has the inherent attachments to a particular shard/house/RP community that current long-time players do.
It is interesting to observe the clash of opinions here as to the best course of action for UO's continued existence. I think as someone now looking in from the outside, and with some knowledge of the game's past, it is clearer to perceive how personal investment in the game over a long period of time, and the accumulation of items, can cloud the perspective of gamers when they are forced to countenance ideas which may disrupt or permanently alter the long-standing foundations of the virtual world they inhabit.
When I left UO, I found despite the fact that successive patches had altered the game inexorably into one which felt, at some level, irrevocably different to the world I first stepped into, it was still very difficult to simply shut down the account and walk away. I knew deep down I simply wasn't enjoying the game anymore; partly I was jaded and perhaps burnt out after playing obsessively for years, but also because UO was moving in directions that didn't hold my interest.
In a bid to keep up with the new MMORPGs on the block, the focus had shifted away from the original game mechanics which tended to promote player interaction (both good and bad) and toward the singular aim of accumulating items. Weapons, armour, house decoration became the focus; everything was being tweaked, overhauled and neon-ised. For me, the urge to jump on the new carousel was non-existent, because I knew that ultimately all those shiny new items would lose their appeal when everyone had obtained them and therefore the new focus would be unsustainable.
It wasn't an issue of item balance for me, nor was it the idea that the new focus devalued/nerfed existing items in the game, as I was neither a rares collector, nor a hardline PVPer. What I had valued most in the game was the way it had always facilitated terrific interaction with like-minded players and increasingly I found that game mechanic was eroding. Despite this, I kept my account active for months on end, never really playing but nonetheless unwilling to finally close the door on the house/items/characters I possessed. I did ultimately take that step, and after a short while my attachment to what I had built in-game faded and clarity of thought returned. UO had given me some fantastic memories, but I only fully appreciated after I had left that none of the gaming moments I cherished focussed on my former house/avatar/equipment. Some of my happiest UO memories were of being a newbie struggling in Felucca, and later in Trammel whiling away endless hours in the company of good people with shared interests, indulging in idle chats, casual hunts and creative RP scenarios with strangers and fellow guild members.
Ultimately, for a great many reasons, UO has successively haemorraged players. Some couldn't live with the changes, some simply had their heads turned by the newer mmorpgs. The outcome is the same; whichever way you look at it, as the player base has shrunk and the virtual land mass has remained, the shards have become emptier places to occupy and shadows of their former selves.
Crucially UO remains a fantastic game, whose core original concepts still satisfy a hardcore, dedicated community who will continue to play until the lights are switched out. In effect, the wheat has been separated from the chaff, and only those whose bond with UO is strongest persevere (goldminers aside); only those with its best interests at heart remain.
The difficult question that these UO players have to face is 'Will Ultima Online, in its current incarnation, last indefinitely?'
Perhaps shard merging is not the way forward, perhaps something as simple as renewing advertisement might spark renewed interest and wean away some of the crowd from WoW and its spin-offs. It is not for me to cite a definitive opinion on the impact of shard merges, as I no longer tangibly inhabit the world that would be impacted by such measures. What I will say is every gamer should be asking themselves what it actually is that they really love about UO; what it is that has kept their interest for so long. The pixelated items in-game? Or the fundamental game mechanics that facilitate the type of gaming you continue to enjoy, years later? Change is inevitable in some form or other, to remain attractive as a game and function as a viable cash generator. Personally, I don't think Ultima Online should even try to mimic the crowd; in attempting to topple the entrenched mmorpg king, others are trying to out-WoW WoW, but this route leads only to ruin.
If UO stays true to its original spirit and makes such sacrifices as are necessary to stay financially viable, then the lifeblood that is UO's very special player base will carry it forward, as it always has. Some form of sacrifice will very probably have to be made somewhere along the line, and it certainly won't be to everyone's liking... but the alternative to players vehemently resisting changes to their cocoon of comfort may be a permanent end to it all. Would anyone really be happy watching as their avatars, resplendent in their maxed stat armour and hard-earned, painstakingly decorated and ideally located in-game homes all fade away as the final sign out window beckons?
