What is the purpose of going back to something that failed?
And this, in a nutshell, sums up the whole sad argument about a "classic" shard.
Because it was that model of gameplay that failed. And why?
I NEVER understood why these people were so spineless and afraid that they would not take up arms against those that were oppressing them, yet I dutifully protected them...and it cost me. It cost me friends, it cost me in game treasures, and it ultimately got me targeted for being hacked.
So maybe in a world where the internet allows people to be complete jerks no matter how hard you try and do what you think is the right thing,
then perhaps MMOs need a seriously strong set of "trammels" upon human behaviour so they don't get away with all that they'd like to make you suffer?
You argue your side well Morgana, but you seem to have an incredible lack of understanding of basic human nature... even when you experience it directly, as above. Nor any understanding of how you will appear in other people's eyes when you state what you think, or try and guess what their motivations are that you yourself admit you don't understand; Spineless? Really? You think you can use that word about
a game people play as a hobby?
Let me tell you what's a hard thing to face; I volunteer with the elderly. Went to see one of them in hospital Friday, whilst the lady in the bed next to her wept as she didn't have any visitors at all. I tried to involve her in our conversation, but she was apparently also very, very deaf. In the last two weeks, I've been the last person to see two of them alive for, after setting them up digital boxs, they died in the night before they could use it (one in their sleep, one of a broken neck from falling down stairs). Before that, I worked helplines for children of alcoholics; or at least did the paperwork because most of the children were being sexually abused by a male in the family so they didn't want to talk to more men on the phone...
So I come home, switch on Ultima Online to try and relax. Forget the rest of the day and do something creative in a little fantasy world where Good actually can be clearly defined and isn't a false charade or a gordian knot to try and untangle. And some of the other players are the lonely themselves, maybe not elderly but equally disconnected and who want to find community in Britannia; some will be those abused children, some will be just people trying to get away from school, or work, or a million countless stresses in life and have fun in what ever way they define fun as being for a few hours at night...
And then some ******* comes along and tries to ruin it as best they can. Maybe even tries to hack their account, for when just stalking them, killing them, and tea bagging their corpse in game doesn't quench the rage in their hearts. And do you really, really not see how calling people "spineless" for not wanting to spend their free time giving the sociopaths and obsessive the attention they thrive on in a game is just going to be completely insulting to them in real life? Why would I, after an incredibly hard day, want to come home and be told I was weak by someone who claimed to be a friend, just so I can continue to make myself a victim for idiots that will never, ever stop? Perhaps the reason you lost friends is
because you don't understand what matters and what does not... and a game Morgana certainly does
not. I love the Ultima series as much as anyone... but I'll save my
strength for the things that really, truly it should be spent on.
I hope you get your "classic" shard though, even though not one of you can agree with the other on what it should be; No True Scotsman and all of that. I really hope you do, because just like gay marriage, your happiness isn't detrimental to mine at all, and in an ideal world we'd all find our true loves. But equally like gay marriage, people aren't going to take one up just because the offer is there either... and we aren't going to be on your "classic" shard either, because we know what we like, and it just wasn't that, sorry.
And you know... when I took my first break from UO, the game that was going to kill it by bring back that "classic" "risk vs reward" was going to be Shadowbane. We didn't go there either, and nor did enough PvPers for that matter. Or to any of the player run, illegal Ultima Online emulation shards. Which were also ruined by human nature (dev cheating, favouritism, hacking etc) and that No True Scotsman problem again. Wasn't Warhammer Online going to be the salvation of the Dark Age Of Camelot players who missed all the realm versus realm fighting that carebear WoW didn't have? Yet even with such a strong IP, it struggles... And I believe heard mentions of "Darkfall" being this years "classic" now and uniting all the lost tribes..?
But the only game I know of that has made that "classic" chaos work over any respectable period of time in an MMO setting (but doing so via accepting an incredibly small but devoted fanbase) is probably EvE Online. Of course, if your account got hacked there, everyone would be cheering the person who did it on the boards. Because when you design for that Old West atmosphere, that's the nature of the beast that you unleash. So maybe that's not the game for you either?
