Has UO NEVER been the game for me?

[donjn]

I have been a fan of the Ultima universe since Ultima I in 1980. I have played all the games multiple times and love them all. I am well studied in the Ultima lore to almost nerd-like levels.

My first great moment playing online games was in 1997 when UO was launched. I remember chatting with a girl in Australia who was excited that Jurassic Park II: Lost World was opening and she had tickets for that night's show. I drove to my local CompUSA in Burbank, California to upgrade my 33.6 modem to 56k just for this game.

Given all of this I have played Ultima Online off and on again for perhaps around 10 to 12 times over the last 13 years. None of these stints lasted longer than a month. That's right, I have been playing Ultima Online off and on since it's release but never more than a month at a time.

Like my juggling of other MMO's when I come back to UO I get excited. I poor all of my effort into it. I find a good guild, locate an 18 x 18, do countless research on what skills to build for my characters, etc, etc. I then spend the next several days going to all the vendors at Luna to find good deals. Then I spend time designing and decorating my house, and then set out to adventure. I hunt for about a week then extreme boredom kicks in and I quit. Sadly, I leave Britannia behind again, and head back to WoW, Lord of the Rings Online, or whatever, only to leave those again and the cycle continues.

Do you have to have a full out addiction to play these games for more than a month at a time? Does anyone else have a cycle like mine?

I SO BADLY want to call Ultima Online my final home for an MMO but am I running into that evil word, nostalgia? So here I am again, playing Warhammer online the last few weeks, then Age of Conan (this is all during my break from World of Warcraft and LOTRO) and now I am looking towards Ultima Online again..

Maybe I need to plan a rotation here...could use some help..

 

[Konge]

Sounds like the title should be "Are MMOs not the game for me?"

What do you expect us to do? Come up with some reason you shouldn't be bored in UO? MMOs are always what you make of them, UO more so in particular because that's what it was found on, not an orgy of quests.

UO is a game of freedom (though with each patch, it seems the freedom becomes pseudo in regards to skills). You do what you want, you kill what you want. If you're bored because of freedom, that's on you for not finding something to do.

MMOs are games of community. They're about friends and enemies, rivals, allies. If you're hopping MMOs, then you're not investing the time to become a part of the collective. From what it sounds like you're doing, you'd be better off playing single player games.

 

[donjn]

Sounds like the title should be "Are MMOs not the game for me?"

What do you expect us to do? Come up with some reason you shouldn't be bored in UO? MMOs are always what you make of them, UO more so in particular because that's what it was found on, not an orgy of quests.

UO is a game of freedom (though with each patch, it seems the freedom becomes pseudo in regards to skills). You do what you want, you kill what you want. If you're bored because of freedom, that's on you for not finding something to do.

MMOs are games of community. They're about friends and enemies, rivals, allies. If you're hopping MMOs, then you're not investing the time to become a part of the collective. From what it sounds like you're doing, you'd be better off playing single player games.

I have taken many breaks and played games like Fallout 3, etc and enjoyed them very much. But then the online craving starts again. I have had some of my best gaming moments online with others. So the cliche "mmo games are not for you" phrase does not apply here..

 

[Tina Small]

It sounds like you may have some gold stashed from your previous periods of playing UO, or perhaps you purchase it from a broker and use that to get yourself set up again every time you come back.

If this is what you've been doing, I suggest that perhaps the next time you start fresh on a new shard you've never visited before and use a tried-and-true template that you already know to make yourself a pile of gold and equip your character as you go with the stuff you find as loot. Then use the gold you're accumulating to place a house. Keep hunting and working up skills and gradually improve your gear, put walls on the house, buy a few low-end power scrolls, etc. Start a lumberjack/miner character with a couple of pack horses to start accumulating resources to work on crafters. Gradually improve the house and gear and power scrolls and skills as you go. Avoid joining a guild until you've had a chance to observe who's who on the shard and think you've spotted a guild that has a very strong appeal for you. And don't go for a guild that promises to hand you a lot of basic stuff or if you do, perhaps forego taking a lot of it and get it yourself.

Going at it this way, completely from scratch, perhaps you will stay interested for a longer period of time and will feel a little bit more invested in the items you manage to acquire in the game. I may be reading too much into what you've written, but it sounds as if you are not giving yourself enough of a challenge when you play. Next time, try deliberately making things tougher on yourself and see if your enjoyment lasts longer as a result. You may want to consider trying out Siege just for a change of pace.

 

[donjn]

It sounds like you may have some gold stashed from your previous periods of playing UO, or perhaps you purchase it from a broker and use that to get yourself set up again every time you come back.

If this is what you've been doing, I suggest that perhaps the next time you start fresh on a new shard you've never visited before and use a tried-and-true template that you already know to make yourself a pile of gold and equip your character as you go with the stuff you find as loot. Then use the gold you're accumulating to place a house. Keep hunting and working up skills and gradually improve your gear, put walls on the house, buy a few low-end power scrolls, etc. Start a lumberjack/miner character with a couple of pack horses to start accumulating resources to work on crafters. Gradually improve the house and gear and power scrolls and skills as you go. Avoid joining a guild until you've had a chance to observe who's who on the shard and think you've spotted a guild that has a very strong appeal for you. And don't go for a guild that promises to hand you a lot of basic stuff or if you do, perhaps forego taking a lot of it and get it yourself.

Going at it this way, completely from scratch, perhaps you will stay interested for a longer period of time and will feel a little bit more invested in the items you manage to acquire in the game. I may be reading too much into what you've written, but it sounds as if you are not giving yourself enough of a challenge when you play. Next time, try deliberately making things tougher on yourself and see if your enjoyment lasts longer as a result. You may want to consider trying out Siege just for a change of pace.

Very interesting post. You completely nailed me on all of it. Most of my characters are Advanced Characters. (I have no idea what my old original account name is) How great would it be to start fresh on a new shard with absolutely nothing but the gold in my backpack?

 

[Tina Small]

You completely nailed me on all of it. Most of my characters are Advanced Characters. (I have no idea what my old original account name is) How great would it be to start fresh on a new shard with absolutely nothing but the gold in my backpack?

Try it and just forget about new content for a while. It'll still be there when your new characters have worked their way up to being able to handle it. In many ways, the journey to "finish" a character and being able to handle the toughest aspects of the game can be more enjoyable than reaching the destination.

You might even try setting up a simple spreadsheet to keep track of your characters' progress. I think you'll find out that it really doesn't take that long to get them to the same state they'd be in from using an advanced character token. And while you're working them up, it's so liberating to just leave their gear uninsured and swap out pieces as you find better one on monsters. Just insure the ones that you think you'll want to keep for more than a day or two. Insurance should be especially cheap now with the rates being based on the value of the piece and not a flat rate for everything. If you're doing a dexxer of some sort, enjoy the chance to try out different weapons with different mods and see which ones you like the best for various situations. Experiment!

 

[FrejaSP]

To me it look like you are missing the most important part of online games. It's about playing with others, it's about hanging out with others, doing stuff with others, making friends and maybe enemies.

If you try to play it as a singleplayer game you will fail and get bored.

Interact is the keyword here.

You remember chatting with a girl in Australia in 1997 but what with the other times you tryed to play the game, is that the only memory you have from meeting other real people in UO?

You need to open up for others, ask for help from others and help others when you can to become a part of the UO community.

UO is not just a game, it's a virtuel second life where you make friends just like in RL.

If you don't fear get killed ingame, you maybe should try making a char on Siege and start with joining Sieges player runned Young system, the guild Newborn on Siege, NEW. That will help you find friends and Siege Perilous ruleset will help you with the interact part as we depent more of each others.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Stop leaving.
Keep one account.
Play it when you want.

Whats the big deal.

Enjoy new events or changes, then give it rest.

Stop starting over.

 

[Stupid Miner]

I have been a fan of the Ultima universe since Ultima I in 1980. I have played all the games multiple times and love them all. I am well studied in the Ultima lore to almost nerd-like levels.

My first great moment playing online games was in 1997 when UO was launched. I remember chatting with a girl in Australia who was excited that Jurassic Park II: Lost World was opening and she had tickets for that night's show. I drove to my local CompUSA in Burbank, California to upgrade my 33.6 modem to 56k just for this game.

Given all of this I have played Ultima Online off and on again for perhaps around 10 to 12 times over the last 13 years. None of these stints lasted longer than a month. That's right, I have been playing Ultima Online off and on since it's release but never more than a month at a time.

Like my juggling of other MMO's when I come back to UO I get excited. I poor all of my effort into it. I find a good guild, locate an 18 x 18, do countless research on what skills to build for my characters, etc, etc. I then spend the next several days going to all the vendors at Luna to find good deals. Then I spend time designing and decorating my house, and then set out to adventure. I hunt for about a week then extreme boredom kicks in and I quit. Sadly, I leave Britannia behind again, and head back to WoW, Lord of the Rings Online, or whatever, only to leave those again and the cycle continues.

Do you have to have a full out addiction to play these games for more than a month at a time? Does anyone else have a cycle like mine?

I SO BADLY want to call Ultima Online my final home for an MMO but am I running into that evil word, nostalgia? So here I am again, playing Warhammer online the last few weeks, then Age of Conan (this is all during my break from World of Warcraft and LOTRO) and now I am looking towards Ultima Online again..

Maybe I need to plan a rotation here...could use some help..

It's because you have too much time to spend on UO. I tend to do the same thing.

 

[sablestorm]

I have been a fan of the Ultima universe since Ultima I in 1980. I have played all the games multiple times and love them all. I am well studied in the Ultima lore to almost nerd-like levels.

My first great moment playing online games was in 1997 when UO was launched. I remember chatting with a girl in Australia who was excited that Jurassic Park II: Lost World was opening and she had tickets for that night's show. I drove to my local CompUSA in Burbank, California to upgrade my 33.6 modem to 56k just for this game.

Given all of this I have played Ultima Online off and on again for perhaps around 10 to 12 times over the last 13 years. None of these stints lasted longer than a month. That's right, I have been playing Ultima Online off and on since it's release but never more than a month at a time.

Like my juggling of other MMO's when I come back to UO I get excited. I poor all of my effort into it. I find a good guild, locate an 18 x 18, do countless research on what skills to build for my characters, etc, etc. I then spend the next several days going to all the vendors at Luna to find good deals. Then I spend time designing and decorating my house, and then set out to adventure. I hunt for about a week then extreme boredom kicks in and I quit. Sadly, I leave Britannia behind again, and head back to WoW, Lord of the Rings Online, or whatever, only to leave those again and the cycle continues.

Do you have to have a full out addiction to play these games for more than a month at a time? Does anyone else have a cycle like mine?

I SO BADLY want to call Ultima Online my final home for an MMO but am I running into that evil word, nostalgia? So here I am again, playing Warhammer online the last few weeks, then Age of Conan (this is all during my break from World of Warcraft and LOTRO) and now I am looking towards Ultima Online again..

Maybe I need to plan a rotation here...could use some help..

Being a self-described Ultima lore nerd, it sounds like you would be a roleplayer in-game. Is this true or do you just seek PvM hunting guilds? Also, what shard do you play?

 

[hawkeye_pike]

It sounds like you burn through the content with 100 times the speed. What you do in a month, it takes me 3 years. But then again, I am quite sure you skipped over 99% of the game's content and just made it to the hot spots. Just like an American tourist who makes a trip through Europe in 5 days and thinks he's seen it all.

 

[Guido_LS]

I have been a fan of the Ultima universe since Ultima I in 1980. I have played all the games multiple times and love them all. I am well studied in the Ultima lore to almost nerd-like levels.

My first great moment playing online games was in 1997 when UO was launched. I remember chatting with a girl in Australia who was excited that Jurassic Park II: Lost World was opening and she had tickets for that night's show. I drove to my local CompUSA in Burbank, California to upgrade my 33.6 modem to 56k just for this game.

Given all of this I have played Ultima Online off and on again for perhaps around 10 to 12 times over the last 13 years. None of these stints lasted longer than a month. That's right, I have been playing Ultima Online off and on since it's release but never more than a month at a time.

Like my juggling of other MMO's when I come back to UO I get excited. I poor all of my effort into it. I find a good guild, locate an 18 x 18, do countless research on what skills to build for my characters, etc, etc. I then spend the next several days going to all the vendors at Luna to find good deals. Then I spend time designing and decorating my house, and then set out to adventure. I hunt for about a week then extreme boredom kicks in and I quit. Sadly, I leave Britannia behind again, and head back to WoW, Lord of the Rings Online, or whatever, only to leave those again and the cycle continues.

Do you have to have a full out addiction to play these games for more than a month at a time? Does anyone else have a cycle like mine?

I SO BADLY want to call Ultima Online my final home for an MMO but am I running into that evil word, nostalgia? So here I am again, playing Warhammer online the last few weeks, then Age of Conan (this is all during my break from World of Warcraft and LOTRO) and now I am looking towards Ultima Online again..

Maybe I need to plan a rotation here...could use some help..

Your first step in this process is to realize that UO has as much resemblance to the Ultima series as Fallout 3 had to 1 through 2.5 - just because they share part of the same name, and small parts (very small parts) of the same lore, does not make them a contiguous thing or theme - there is NO natural progression, especially as UO sits now.

Your second step, and just as importantly, is to remember and recognize that this is an MMO - Massively MULTI-PLAYER Online game. While there is much that a person CAN do all by their lonesome, there's even more that can be done with others - and PvP is just a part of that.

UO's biggest fault, even more so than WoW, is that it is just one, GIGANTIC EASY button. Skills are exceptionally easy to max out. Gold is a joke. Items are a little more difficult, if only because there is so much gold in the world, but if you can roll your own, so to speak, you have a leg up.

So it falls back to step 2 - get out, meet people, do things - community hunts, rp stuff, if that's your cup o' joe, set up a vendor shop, get ganked at Yew Gate, whatever floats your boat.

Power gaming makes things very boring - there's just so much that you can do alone, and that gets boring and old. And, in your case, pretty quickly Slow down, smell the flowers, pet the mongbats, and have fun.

 

[MalagAste]

I must agree with the others..... I think the key to your "failure" is that you take the "Staples" route and you keep using that "easy" button....

Put the button down....

Take a few moments... start a new character with nothing... take no quick measures.... maybe try to find the RP outlet on your shard.... travel to other shards and check out the RP communities....

Try putting more into the game.... you may get more out. Perhaps your goals are wrong... if you are looking for interest and fun try finding better challenges... sometimes it's not the most uber powerful suit... with the most uber skills..... often it's the challenge of what you can do with less.

Try taking on a shadow wyrm with a couple of friends in GM armor with GM weapons....

Go to the bank and try your hand at begging.... or role- playing or both!. it can be fun.

Find folk who have an incredible desire to play and a great love for the game... and follow them... perhaps they have some ideas for you... or maybe just looking at the game though their eyes will help.

 

[Konge]

It sounds like you burn through the content with 100 times the speed. What you do in a month, it takes me 3 years. But then again, I am quite sure you skipped over 99% of the game's content and just made it to the hot spots. Just like an American tourist who makes a trip through Europe in 5 days and thinks he's seen it all.

You made a snide remark towards Americans! I will now troll stalk you sir! VIVA LA AMERICANA!

But in all seriousness... if you're bored in UO... you're *probably* too lazy to find something else to do... Don't wanna farm for gold? Hmmm there's that template you wanted to try... Don't wanna do that? Could make a rune library... Not in a good spot? Hmmm... explore and see what you've missed... if you've done everything... enter the RP bit, make your own story, give yourself a character, a background and try to stick to it even when no one's there to goad with the glares, and the snide remarks and insults to intellect.(no this isn't want RPing ammounts to, but on my shard... )

 

[Bullseye_of_Atl]

It's not UO that's the issue, it's the player. Back off the computer games, or console games........real life hobbies and intrests are needed. You said it yourself, you can't play for more than a month.......you molded yourself into who you are, and only you can break that mold.

It's like the neurotransmitters in the body. They can become addicted to emotions by recieving a certain chemical released from the brain. Ever see a person that's ALWAYS happy-go-lucky?? They're addicted to that emotion, same as a depressive.

Maybe you're expectations are getting beyond your grasp.....such as V'GER from Star Trek I.......the computerized emotion coming through the persons body kept asking, "is there nothing more?"

Take a break from all games.....paint, create,......anything.

UO is endless. Too many skills, too many templates, and how many quests?? As others have stated......start fresh and obtain everything on your own, meaning, don't buy gold for help. You appreciate it more when it's well earned.

Good luck.

 

[OxAO]

if you play any game until your burned out on it then what do you expect?

switch up a bit no a big deal.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

All I see is another valuable player that is getting nauseated from the zombie state of UO.

I myself have no "game"...

I get in... barely anyone talks to me, all items are completely out of price for me to ever think about doing PvP...

some people help but every guild I join tends to dissolve.

I'm not blaming anyone here... but the efforts to make this game a real "ultima" has completely failed, at least for me.

Oh and I have seeked, and roamed, trying to find at least ONE mystery. One thing to solve... SOME lore to get into.

Nothing...

You can see that in Richard Gariotts smirks... and thats why he plans to make a real "lord brittish" game again.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

Oh and I have seeked, and roamed, trying to find at least ONE mystery. One thing to solve... SOME lore to get into.

Nothing...

I think that you may have had bad luck with your choice of friends, and maybe a little more self initiative would get things going for you. I noticed that if you wait until the adventure is presented to you by somebody else, you can wait forever.
Also, since most people mostly play for items nowadays, the sense of community has faded a bit. Recall to a hotspot. Farm monsters/items until you get the reward. Recall out. That's a typical gaming session of an UO player.

However, I agree a little with your remark above. While UO is full of interesting places, unfortunately they have no content whatsoever. So there's Hedge Maze. Nice to look at, but that's it. The Hidden Valley near Trinsic. The Yew Prison. The Yew Crypts. The Lycaeum. Grimswind Fountain. Coliseum. Forgotten Pyramid. Zen Maze. Ferret Racetrack... I could name dozens of other landmarks that have no function at all.

I wish, instead of adding more and more content, the existing content would receive some improvement and some depth.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

someone finally agrees with me !!!

I KNEW IT WAS WORTH IT TO WORK ALL NIGHT !