[Community] Share Memories for Stratics' 15th!

[Taylor]

Stratics has been a source of gaming news, guides, community, calculators, and similar tools for nearly fifteen years. When I discovered UO Stratics over 13 years ago, it was downright magical. Do you have fond memories of your time here as a reader or forum user? Please share your memories below!

As a thank-you for your memories, we will use a random number generator to select two respondents to this thread to win free 1-year Stratics Pro subscriptions! See the benefits of Stratics Pro here. Winners will be announced Monday, 22 October.

Thanks for being a part of our community!

 

[CrazyJoe]

Ima going to go the juicy route, because hell was here for several years before my abrupt departure.

0.) Staring the Thief Steal of the Week/Month thread in the Thief forum, that is still visible today. Hall of Fame and the Wall of Shame - Theft of the Week / Month | Stratics: A Career Path in Gaming
HA! My name is still on there.

1.) The time I had to ban Ashem Empire Dev member from their own forums because he got drunk and told players that were upset on their forums to stick a gun in their mouth and pull the trigger.

2.) Setting permissions to staff was not very customized, and we all had access to "Purge Member Database". Psychobunny accidently pressed the button. So. many. purged. usernames. Poor Teresk had so much work to do after that. (R.I.P. old friend).

3.) A poster was hosting his own signatures, and an image leech decided to just use one of that guys signatures. The image leech loved to post everywhere, and on many other forums. The image owner got a warning from his host he was going over his bandwith, discovered the image leech after seeing which files were the most accessed. He asked him to stop - image leech said nope. So image owner swapped the image with a very grotesque picture that starts with 'goats' late at night when the leech was offline. Leech was promptly permabanned on many other forums...including Stratics. Before anyone asked, this wasn't me in this case, and made quite a 'well who the heck do we ban now' situation.

4.) After being a forum administrator for a year or so, Den actually posted on UOHall. I never saw his name come up before so I bluntly asked him in public who he was. ICQ lite up like a Christmas Tree with other staff members who were happy SOMEONE asked as they had no clue as well. Poor Den, the introvert.

5.) Having the alter egos of CrazyJoe the moral forum admin, yet Crazy Joe the thief-in-game. People had a very tough time trying to understand the difference between an evil-alter-ego that could also be in the high-moral-ground position. I never once scammed in game, which was my greatest accomplishment since I was always in the company of questionable characters in-game. Even some fellow-staff members had problems believing that (It really got questioned when my character got duped by accident in game and I was locked out of my account for a day for server reset). I know a Dev Member had to inform someone higher up at Stratics that no, I was not duping, I just had a weird bug. It was April 1st, and I am guilty of exploiting the date with my practical joke nature. #16

6.) Player harassment claims were always a touchy subject, because UO being the first game, we got to see the first real in-game drama that spilled into real life. I got pulled into some weird issue with users claiming a woman scammed them out of their gold/items, and she needed to get banned on the forums. I can't check in-game stuff, so I can't prove it, so I couldn't just ban her. Then I started getting some feelings there was more to the story. To make a long story short, she was sex-camming for in-game items and PMing people all over Stratics to get her business around. My wife really enjoyed hearing this story at the time, because it was so absurd.


Save the best for last.

Setting up Gamers Charity with Brekkee and Sannio the days following the great Tsunami, and seeing players all over the map come together and help me ebay virtual items that totaled a donation to Red Cross right over $10,000. That's donations - there was several hundred dollars above that going towards ebay fees and whatnot. My tax agent had a fun time wrapping his head having addition income of $11,000 or so, but a $10,000 donation. I did end up getting screwed in the end a little, but it was worth it. I recently told my kids about this and they didn't believe me, so it blew their minds to google "Crazy Joe Charity" and see their dad's face pop up on various gaming websites ^^ I still have the MSNBC video laying around somewhere of it. I really wanted to expand on this afterwards, but eBay banned all virtual goods which really stopped it all

 

[Ludes]

I remember someone telling me about Stratics ingame.. I went to the site and was awestruck at the amount of UO knowledge.. I don't even think I played much the next week after that. Just spent my time absorbing everything about the game I could find on Stratics.
I didn't talk on the boards for a couple years, just lurked and read everything.

But my absolute best memory of Stratics is the days of the ABM. Almost every day I'd log in and join the breakfast crowd.. ordering strange things to eat and drink.. talking about the game.. and gossiping.
That's when I really started to feel a sense of community here.. Even when real-life kept me from playing I'd often lurk Stratics UHall and wish I was retired already.

 

[AirmidCecht]

Save the best for last.

Setting up Gamers Charity with Brekkee and Sannio the days following the great Tsunami, and seeing players all over the map come together and help me ebay virtual items that totaled a donation to Red Cross right over $10,000. That's donations - there was several hundred dollars above that going towards ebay fees and whatnot. My tax agent had a fun time wrapping his head having addition income of $11,000 or so, but a $10,000 donation. I did end up getting screwed in the end a little, but it was worth it. I recently told my kids about this and they didn't believe me, so it blew their minds to google "Crazy Joe Charity" and see their dad's face pop up on various gaming websites ^^ I still have the MSNBC video laying around somewhere of it. I really wanted to expand on this afterwards, but eBay banned all virtual goods which really stopped it all

Lots of fun things to quote from you CJ but the above is how I got to know you on a more personal level and felt the impact we can have around the world as a community of gamers. It was nothing short of awesome!

The way to do that was the only viable option at the time and even though I agree with ebay now I'm glad we were able to help you achieve what we did for a great cause

 

[Alexander of ATL.]

I remember first starting the game. Barely anyone would help me, and those that did help me were the most kind and polite people. One day, i was asking around for help and this one particular person, can't remember the name, always helped me. He answered ALL of my questions as I gave him questions. He told me he was gonna have to quit Ultima Online for a short period of time, maybe 4 months? Can't really remember how long he quit. He told me he understands that I have questions on how to and such and that no one else would help me. He told me to go to this website he knew, which was stratics. On his last day in the game, I told him how thankful i was and that I appreciated EVERY bit of help he gave me.

A few days went by, everything going perfect in-game. Then i came to a problem. I couldn't understand how to raise my crafting skill on my crafter anymore. I didn't know what to make to gain, or anything. I decided to give Stratics a try and all I could say was "WOW!"....
Stratics answered ALL of my question that I had.

From then on, I LOVED Stratics and am forever glad it has been up to serve as a guide-point to New players and heck, even some old players.

 

[Larisa]

I remember someone telling me about Stratics ingame.. I went to the site and was awestruck at the amount of UO knowledge.. I don't even think I played much the next week after that. Just spent my time absorbing everything about the game I could find on Stratics.
I didn't talk on the boards for a couple years, just lurked and read everything.

But my absolute best memory of Stratics is the days of the ABM. Almost every day I'd log in and join the breakfast crowd.. ordering strange things to eat and drink.. talking about the game.. and gossiping.
That's when I really started to feel a sense of community here.. Even when real-life kept me from playing I'd often lurk Stratics UHall and wish I was retired already.

THIS! I MISS THE ABM! That is one of the many MANY things I love about Stratics...you don't see that anywhere else.

I rolled out the ABM a few times myself...*sighs* great memories to be had here...past, present and future...I love this place!

 

[Taylor]

We just received a special note from MadMartyr and the Ultima Mapper team! See the image attached.

Thanks, Ultima Mapper folks!

 

[Rhiannon]

I don't remember for sure when I first joined Stratics. I do believe it was under the name of Brianna Knight but I couldn't find that name when I searched for it earlier. I know my user name had "Brianna" in it but I can't find content with that name. I'm pretty sure it was around 1998. I was AMAZED at the game information I found here, and posted many posts daily. I still come here first to research anything I need to know something about. And when they had to wipe out accounts a few years back and the user name "Rhiannon" became available, I jumped on it like white on rice, since I had "legally" changed my one and only original character from Brianna Knight to Rhiannon in 1999.

As UO struggled with this new technology of a graphical MMO, the Atlantic server went down many times EVERY DAY. And evey time it happened, the boards would go absolutely bonkers with complaints. Lots of the complainers were young kids (as evident by their grammer and bad spelling, which is not the same as a person who has English as a second language). Lots of them were people who were just angry that something they paid for was broken a lot.

I understood their complaints but their raging got on my nerves so much. I'm a peacekeeper in RL so every time the server went down, I'd come on here and try to calm the nerves. I stood up for the devs every time and patiently explained that the UO developers were pioneers of something new, leading edge, and life changing in the gaming world and there was NO WAY there weren't going to be bumps in the road. Hey, I was a weekend warrior too and I was extremely unhappy when I couldn't play when I wanted to, or would login only to find I had lost half a day's (or more) work with constant server reverts. But I couldn't blame the developers. They were creating a world for me to play in. They were creating a world I loved then and now. They were creating a world where I met RL FRIENDS. So I urged patience and would create threads about other subjects or respond to other posts to talk about other things while we all waited eagerly for the servers to come back.

And when they did, the posting on UO Stratics would come to a screeching hault. Until the next time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STRATICS!​

 

[Ludes]

THIS! I MISS THE ABM! That is one of the many MANY things I love about Stratics...you don't see that anywhere else.

I rolled out the ABM a few times myself...*sighs* great memories to be had here...past, present and future...I love this place!

Remember back when it first started? So many people were coming up with different breakfast foods and drinks that someone invented the ABM.. I'm curious if any remembers who actually invented the ABM.

When I jumped back into Stratics a few years ago I tried dusting it off and rolling it out.. but Alas... the ABM crowd is gone... except for Larisa.

On another note... How's this for a memory?

I remember when T2A came out and we were exploring it as fast as people on Stratics could update it.. I remember several times jumping on Stratics to see how others were doing as we explored new areas. Sometimes we were ahead of the posters... I'll never forget finding the Ophidians!

I posted some of the first screenshots of them!

 

[Samaira]

I'm a spring chicken around these parts compared to some folks. When I opened my first account in 2006 I'd already seen Stratics over my hubby's shoulder. I would later spend several hours getting lost in the articles and links and guides... I swear, it's almost as bad as tvtropes or IMDB!

My most vivid, nostalgic memory of Stratics was racing home from university to speed-read through the Inu Spoiler thread, refreshing UHall every five seconds to see what else people had figured out. Witnessing the various shard communities pool their resources and talents to solves the riddles thrown at us by the Dev team was really something else - there are so many dedicated, driven players here who bless us all by sharing their knowledge.

Happy birthday, Stratics, here's to many more

 

[DarkLichlore]

I remember the first time I ever came to Stratics... I had just started playing UO about a week earlier, and found it on a search for UO websites. The Hunter's Guide and Forums helped me out greatly back then, and gave me even more assistance when I returned to Britannia last year. Thank you, Stratics, for making my Ultima Online experience even more enjoyable, and whole lot less frustrating!

 

[Sakkarah]

I can't quite remember what year I first came to Stratics either, but I was heavily into treasure hunting at the time and someone told me about the maps on Stratics. When I came to check it out, I was blown away by the wealth of information I discovered on the site. It opened a whole new world for me.

When I stumbled on the journals of the Cursed Explorers of Khaldun on Stratics, I utterly fell in love with that dungeon and that's what finally gave me the courage to go hunt there. I got my butt handed to me more times than I can count by PKs, but it was the RP PKs encountered there that piqued my curiosity about RP towns in UO.

Then it was Homes and Castles. To this day, I am blown away by some of the amazing designs people would come up with combining the most improbable items. I went nuts redesigning and redecorating my houses after that.

I loved coming on the forums during scenarios and EM events where people were putting their heads together trying to solve the puzzles, riddles and speculating on fiction, culprits and how the events would unfold. The crazy speculations about holiday/anniversary gifts and veteran rewards were also a riot.

As a player, Stratics played a significant part in the success of the events I used to run. I remember spending a ridiculous amount of time spamming at WBB to get a few people to participate. The moment I started advertising them on Stratics, it not only got big crowds attending but it also gave me the visibility that eventually led to me becoming a part of the Dev Team.

As a Dev, I can never thank enough all the staff and volunteers, past, present and future, that have devoted so much time and effort supporting our gaming community. I was a Stratics Moderator for a while and I know all too well that it's not always a walk in the park dealing with some of the most passionately vocal fans (especially when they are disgruntled)! You have helped us keep some sense of sanity through UO HoCs, weathered the storms with us because of unpopular new content or patches (including my humble contributions - pet dyes anyone? ), and you have provided the communication channel between the Devs and the community.

Just like UO, you have beaten the odds and withstood the test of time. I wish you a very happy 15th Anniversary and may there be many more to come.

 

[Manticore]

Part of who I am in UO comes from the interactions I've had and still having with Stratics. The Rare Item Lists (archive and current) that Stratics has allowed me to post and update have reached a combined total of 100,000+ hits and climbing. Happy 15th Anniversary Stratics.

Manticore

 

[Taylor]

Thank you all for sharing these memories with us! The RNG has selected Samaira and Rhiannon as the winners of the 1-year Stratics Pro upgrades (details here). (P.S. I didn't include current staff in the RNG, as they already receive these benefits).

We volunteer for Stratics because it gives us satisfaction to create useful content and to talk about the games that we love. Looking toward the future, I hope that we can continue to hone our information portfolio to better suit the needs of players and developers, alike, and that we can grow increasingly closer to the community that we serve. Thanks, guys!

 

[Rhiannon]

That is very cool! Thank you Syrus and the entire Stratics staff for all that they do for us: the fans that loves these games, and especially UO.

 

[GasaiYuno]

We volunteer for Stratics because it gives us satisfaction to create useful content and to talk about the games that we love. Looking toward the future, I hope that we can continue to hone our information portfolio to better suit the needs of players and developers, alike, and that we can grow increasingly closer to the community that we serve. Thanks, guys!

True that. Volunteer work is best work. Anyway, I honestly cannot say I heard of UO besides this year. I knew Ultimia existed due to GoG.com. (they sell like..the bundle for 10-20 bucks)..

I first heard of Stratics in general when lurking on an administrator/webmaster forum, though. I saw that they had a Halo portal open at the time for a managing editor, and applied. I then later got it even without showing past writing samples. I posted newer writing samples as an editor for about a few days before becoming an official managing editor on the site.

 

[Samaira]

My goodness, obviously I don't post enough, cos I've just seen the little "P" by my name! Thank you Syrus and the Stratics staff, and the RNG