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Have you ever tried to get your friends to like UO now that is essentially "F2P" trial... and failed?
The killer is usually the crazy high learning curve, exacerbated by the lack of a meaningful NPE and a unified, helpful quest system. If you aren't there 24/7 to hold their hand and fill in the knowledge gaps (or tell them why they can't use something, that they have a bank, how to ride a horse, etc.) they tend to get frustrated and deem it an unworthy expenditure of their time.
The official Wiki is a bunch of haphazardly linked pages with a nightmarish interface straight out of 1990. The damn thing doesn't even have a persistent search bar FFS!
Moderation on the official forum is heavy-handed and capricious, stifling any meaningful dialogue when dissenting opinions arise (or when a Mod decides to lock it just 'cuz.)
The official Wiki is a bunch of haphazardly linked pages with a nightmarish interface straight out of 1990. The damn thing doesn't even have a persistent search bar FFS!
Moderation on the official forum is heavy-handed and capricious, stifling any meaningful dialogue when dissenting opinions arise (or when a Mod decides to lock it just 'cuz.)
I wouldn't ever ask my friends to play this game. Don't be so cruel, they're FRIENDS... not family.
In all seriousness, this game has next to nothing going for it for new players. The new player experience is absolute dog **** and the devs have less than zero interest in looking into ways of resolving that. Sure you could argue "but I started pre-aos and there was LESS!" which would be wrong. Back then a naked character could still function at the most basic of things and fighting, once resists came into play that was no longer the case. And yet every character still starts naked with no resistances at all. The only time the devs have ever tried to remedy this is with the "Initiation" or whatever suits, which were still base leather armor resistances. Of course you could always give your friends decent starter suits for really no actual cost, but it still doesn't help that much. There is still a dependency on other people to get anything done for a new player, and the only way for them to break away from that is to create a functional chr, which means that they have to dedicate their time to training those skills, UO's character development really isn't ideally suited towards what most people are willing to do anymore, even with scripts to afk train. And this is only the very tiniest tip of the iceberg.
I would suggest looking into other games to play with non-UO friends.
In all seriousness, this game has next to nothing going for it for new players. The new player experience is absolute dog **** and the devs have less than zero interest in looking into ways of resolving that. Sure you could argue "but I started pre-aos and there was LESS!" which would be wrong. Back then a naked character could still function at the most basic of things and fighting, once resists came into play that was no longer the case. And yet every character still starts naked with no resistances at all. The only time the devs have ever tried to remedy this is with the "Initiation" or whatever suits, which were still base leather armor resistances. Of course you could always give your friends decent starter suits for really no actual cost, but it still doesn't help that much. There is still a dependency on other people to get anything done for a new player, and the only way for them to break away from that is to create a functional chr, which means that they have to dedicate their time to training those skills, UO's character development really isn't ideally suited towards what most people are willing to do anymore, even with scripts to afk train. And this is only the very tiniest tip of the iceberg.
I would suggest looking into other games to play with non-UO friends.
Mostly they have watched me play, these mostly are my children and their friends... or my bonus kids... as having other people over is nearly never. But they have watched me play for years... most of them can't get past the graphics... Though these same fools think Minecraft is awesome ... go figure.
Those who I have convinced to "try" UO get extremely frustrated with the account-mismangement-system when they try to sub... or anything like that getting fed up with that and frustrated within the first 10 min of trying. Any of them who used to play and want to return also find the account-mismanagement system way too much of a PITA to even bother coming back... I've had several beg me to help them get through to getting their accounts back... but the insane amount of things they have to know to get it back are usually too much for them. Many no longer have the old CDs from the game... let alone the case with the codes on them... (crazy as it is I know but I still have each and every one of mine)... but yeah. Most of them aren't willing to wait weeks to get a response from Mesanna or the official help people... they get frustrated when they don't get a response right away... and simply give up.
I have played many other games over the years and always refer to how it is or isn't like UO and how much I love UO but yeah when they try it out the extreme learning curve, lack of true support... especially with lost, stolen, missing, broken, items and troubles, or when they get cheated/scammed and GMs do NOTHING, will turn them off in short order...
Sadly what I've learned from playing other games is most "younger" gamers do NOT have the patience for UO...they want instant gratification and are used to playing games that lead you around by the nose ring from point a to point b and tell you everything you need to do... they tend to NOT get the concept of "sandbox" or anything else... They find the economy in UO a massive turn-off... Many younger players just float from game to game... they don't stay with any one game more than a couple of weeks... or months at the most... which for UO is just not enough time to invest so they don't get the idea at all... and IMO in the last few years the gameplay has gone downhill... there isn't as much for guilds or groups to do... as a group. Unless you are inviting a really close friend you are going to handhold for the next several months and you aren't going to do anything that you want to do (because they aren't going to be having any fun at any current events dying every .2 seconds... ) then you too are going to get frustrated while they slowly learn to level and get gear... and unless you are going to go supplying them with everything they need *which at the same time is not really going to endear them to the game*... they are going to find the curve really high to get to actually do any meaningful play... again frustrating most .... Again many younger players have no imagination what-so-ever and can't think of things to do if they aren't or can't be doing the "top" tier stuff...
Those who I have convinced to "try" UO get extremely frustrated with the account-mismangement-system when they try to sub... or anything like that getting fed up with that and frustrated within the first 10 min of trying. Any of them who used to play and want to return also find the account-mismanagement system way too much of a PITA to even bother coming back... I've had several beg me to help them get through to getting their accounts back... but the insane amount of things they have to know to get it back are usually too much for them. Many no longer have the old CDs from the game... let alone the case with the codes on them... (crazy as it is I know but I still have each and every one of mine)... but yeah. Most of them aren't willing to wait weeks to get a response from Mesanna or the official help people... they get frustrated when they don't get a response right away... and simply give up.
I have played many other games over the years and always refer to how it is or isn't like UO and how much I love UO but yeah when they try it out the extreme learning curve, lack of true support... especially with lost, stolen, missing, broken, items and troubles, or when they get cheated/scammed and GMs do NOTHING, will turn them off in short order...
Sadly what I've learned from playing other games is most "younger" gamers do NOT have the patience for UO...they want instant gratification and are used to playing games that lead you around by the nose ring from point a to point b and tell you everything you need to do... they tend to NOT get the concept of "sandbox" or anything else... They find the economy in UO a massive turn-off... Many younger players just float from game to game... they don't stay with any one game more than a couple of weeks... or months at the most... which for UO is just not enough time to invest so they don't get the idea at all... and IMO in the last few years the gameplay has gone downhill... there isn't as much for guilds or groups to do... as a group. Unless you are inviting a really close friend you are going to handhold for the next several months and you aren't going to do anything that you want to do (because they aren't going to be having any fun at any current events dying every .2 seconds... ) then you too are going to get frustrated while they slowly learn to level and get gear... and unless you are going to go supplying them with everything they need *which at the same time is not really going to endear them to the game*... they are going to find the curve really high to get to actually do any meaningful play... again frustrating most .... Again many younger players have no imagination what-so-ever and can't think of things to do if they aren't or can't be doing the "top" tier stuff...
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BS should have had a new version of the starter quests when they launched EJ, but they didn't bother because they knew EJ would be a total failure. Most of the people who played on EJ accounts were returners, actual new players mostly didn't stick around very long. Too many restrictions, too many inconsistencies in dealing with NPCs and everything overly complicated. Anyone who has helped new players and even some returners knows that it's a huge headache to explain things to them and takes so long. Modern MMOs usually have a decent player tutorial which walks people through the first hour or so, they are not dependent on other players for help. Nobody wants to start in a game and be told they have to go look stuff up on the internet and read pages of explanations, they just want to play! Anyone who is used to playing modern games expects more help from the game itself, in UO there is almost none and a lot of the information that is there is very outdated..
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I tried to get my sister to come back a few years ago, she got as far as playing for an hour or so and then told me the screen jerking gave her a headache and wouldn't play any more. At that point she was using the CC, I should have told her to download the EC but it just didn't occur to me at the time, it's a shame as UO was the first MMO she had played and that was at a time when we already had quite a few MMOs around.
What friends? Did not know there where any outside of UO friends. I must not be like you becasue I don't have friends outside of UO.
I know that sounds depressing but after High school I never had a friend. I had co worker but never saw them as friends they where the ones to step on during the climb to get a head in life.
Then let's bring the Devil into the room. Covid stop any type of get together. Have not seen anyone out side of the computer since March last year. Besides the people working at stores. And wife and kids
Yeah outside of UO and a few other games I don't have many friends outside... that would require me actually socializing... which is a NO... and I don't do much of that since the kids have fled the nest... I see my kids and my kids's kids... and I see their friends who still come over hang out and say hi...
I have coworkers ... which I DO NOT hang out with ... they know this. Most of them aren't gamers either... most of them are more concerned about crap like buying candles and purses and other such tripe I don't care about. Used to be stupid baskets. My Dr knows more about UO than they do... he asks me about how my "city" is doing all the time... I told him I gave it up... I'm not the Governor anymore. He seemed sad... but yeah. Don't really have anyone I tried getting my sister to play once... she got in-game for about 10 min... and quit.
My brother played back in Beta I believe... he told me that UO sucks and he has no idea why I would play such a horrible game... but then he plays WoW which I have to question his sanity on that ... so guess we'll leave it at that. I won't play that steaming pile of doo and he won't play UO... so there we have it. My other sister doesn't game... never has.
So there you have it... and like I said I have tried to get friends from other games to play UO ... but most of them can't get over the old graphics... they shuttle from game to game more than a bee flitting from flower to flower... so yeah I don't bother.
I have coworkers ... which I DO NOT hang out with ... they know this. Most of them aren't gamers either... most of them are more concerned about crap like buying candles and purses and other such tripe I don't care about. Used to be stupid baskets. My Dr knows more about UO than they do... he asks me about how my "city" is doing all the time... I told him I gave it up... I'm not the Governor anymore. He seemed sad... but yeah. Don't really have anyone I tried getting my sister to play once... she got in-game for about 10 min... and quit.
My brother played back in Beta I believe... he told me that UO sucks and he has no idea why I would play such a horrible game... but then he plays WoW which I have to question his sanity on that ... so guess we'll leave it at that. I won't play that steaming pile of doo and he won't play UO... so there we have it. My other sister doesn't game... never has.
So there you have it... and like I said I have tried to get friends from other games to play UO ... but most of them can't get over the old graphics... they shuttle from game to game more than a bee flitting from flower to flower... so yeah I don't bother.
BS even went the other way. The EC had a new player tutorial explaining movement, basic equipment, the bank box and basic combat. Just the team decided to remove it for whatever reason.
In general I found making new friends easier than trying to make friends follow me along to other games. I also had friends ask me to join them in various games but it just rarely works out. I don't think it's specific to UO. It's like asking your coworkers to check out that yoga class your wife just set up.
many years ago i tried to get my younger cousins to play uo by tempting them with "you can have a pet dragon!"
after about an hour, they were sick of taming bears and plaintively asking me "when do i get the dragon? when do i get the dragon?!" and i had to tell them that they had, like, one hundred hours of grinding left before they even had a chance
after about an hour, they were sick of taming bears and plaintively asking me "when do i get the dragon? when do i get the dragon?!" and i had to tell them that they had, like, one hundred hours of grinding left before they even had a chance
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My son is playing a different game every couple of months, there are so many free-to-play games now and some of them are actually pretty good, none of them seem to do 'free' the way UO has it, so restricted that you might as well not bother. Most 'free' games have a tiered system so you can opt to pay more and grind less, this system works quite well and people will choose whichever level suits them and their play-style best. Seems crazy that UO has a sub. but you still have insane grind! BS of course went the all-or-nothing route, they preserved the status quo for veterans but made the 'free trial' all but useless. In fact the old two week free trial was probably better for people who wanted to have a look.
I enjoy playing UO without real life family and friends I'm going to keep it that way. This is my time to get away from the real world to have me time.
Plus not going to advertise for a game that doesn't advertise for themselves it's not my job I don't get paid. Another not my job I don't get paid for is GMs sit there get paid for others doing their job like chasing down unattended macroing and what other illegal things others do. GMs work from 9 to 5 est giving them time to patrol the areas they know are unattended macroed at.
Plus not going to advertise for a game that doesn't advertise for themselves it's not my job I don't get paid. Another not my job I don't get paid for is GMs sit there get paid for others doing their job like chasing down unattended macroing and what other illegal things others do. GMs work from 9 to 5 est giving them time to patrol the areas they know are unattended macroed at.
Not sure about friends, but sometimes I make my victims play UO for a few hours every day farming gold for me. They usually scream and cry and beg for the sweet release of death then as punishment I switch them to the EC to really get them going. What happens next is too hot for this part of the forums, but use your imagination, then imagine something much worse.
We know that's a lie becasue you have no need of gold or items. There is only one item I know you want in game and I own a copy of it.
I feed it to a goat while they watch. And I can probably get a copy of that book from a few people I know, but with my accounts closed, I really don't see the need. The item I want is the crimson dragon helm and it was lost when Shinobi's house on Atlantic fell, not even sure anyone has it, but if they do, it needs to be in the hands of THIEF [^_^] and I imagine someone would pay quite well to be sure it is.
This game is vastly complicated and would need a fair sized encyclopedia for anyone attempting to start. Even then you would take 2 hours trying to figure out it's the moon gate which allows a player off this newbie island....all the things old players take for granted as intuitive knowledge isn't there for the rest.
Welcome to the 1% club people......
Winning?
Welcome to the 1% club people......
Winning?
Captn Norrington
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I feel like getting someone to play UO is more for enemies than friends. There are only two outcomes.
1. Anger at how impossibly broken the game is for a new person and feelings of inadequacy compared to vets, which never goes away even if they stay for years.
2. Hardcore addiction that will strangle their life indefinitely. Seriously, think about how many hours you’ve spent in UO. It’s got to be a minimum of 20,000 hours for me. Which is absolute insanity, that’s a whole career worth of time.
1. Anger at how impossibly broken the game is for a new person and feelings of inadequacy compared to vets, which never goes away even if they stay for years.
2. Hardcore addiction that will strangle their life indefinitely. Seriously, think about how many hours you’ve spent in UO. It’s got to be a minimum of 20,000 hours for me. Which is absolute insanity, that’s a whole career worth of time.
Merlin
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Tough for UO to compete against other more modern MMOs or console gaming. When I played ESO heavily for a couple years, I was able to introduce a few friends and get them to stay without much effort other than a basic introduction to the game and quest system. Same with some X-Box games in other categories. UO is alot more difficult because of the time requirement and learning curve.
I only once was able to get a friend from real life to play UO and that was in the very beginning. I subbed in April of 2000 and my best friend subbed in May; I got the T2A box from Electronics Boutique and he got the Ren box. He played for a couple of years but we actually didn't play together as Atlantic was full and he and his dad moved to Legends on the day it opened. Other than that... getting someone interested for more than a month has never happened again. I would sum the reasons up as "too high of a learning curve" and "too much of a time investment", as others have mentioned. I've played UO with breaks for practically all of my adult life and I still struggle with certain aspects of the game; I couldn't imagine being a newbie.
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Quite a few of the more avid players I have known were actually retired/elderly which says it all, they have plenty of time for all that grinding and overly complicated systems. Most kids nowadays just flit from game to game, no point in staying if you find something new that's fun. No investment means it's easy to move on, many UO players have 15-20 years of stored memories (junk!) 
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sometime before EJ I tried to get my ex's son to play.
He didn't like the view from overhead.
He prefers games to be from the eyes of the character.
He didn't like the grind to build characters.
way too slow for him.
but he did see me play a few days later and was amazed by it.
(this was before the taming update. so he saw me with my lesser hiryu attacking a vorpal bunny)
He didn't like the view from overhead.
He prefers games to be from the eyes of the character.
He didn't like the grind to build characters.
way too slow for him.
but he did see me play a few days later and was amazed by it.
(this was before the taming update. so he saw me with my lesser hiryu attacking a vorpal bunny)
The reason I have three accounts is attempts to get my children to play...
it's beautiful, like an interactive frazetta painting
but not as wild as the Flirtin' With Disaster brute! That's still my favorite. For you youngsters ... look up Molly Hatchet
Potential "new players" are all folks who have some sort of memories of Ultima or Ultima Online from way, way back when. Or people who consier gaming some fun cultural excavation and are not afraid to take deep dives to 90's.
Beyond that, for some random 20 or 30-something gamer, notion of coming to UO without any background, nostalgy or memories of it..yeah just no.
Classic client has endured time pretty well actually, it looks like some AAA top quality SNES game from mid 90s. Super Mario or Zelda or such. Undeniably, enhanced client is better at some quite advanced stuff that brand new players don't have to worry about in a long while. Largest issues with cc, from new players pov, are with compatibility to modern Windows and so on. My graphics card does some unsettling stuff every time I boot UO.
Enhanced client on the other hand looks like a 15 year old free shareware game, is completely dysfunctional and notion of anyone new actually operating that nightmare and learning ropes of UO at once is utterly obscene.
Beyond that, for some random 20 or 30-something gamer, notion of coming to UO without any background, nostalgy or memories of it..yeah just no.
Classic client has endured time pretty well actually, it looks like some AAA top quality SNES game from mid 90s. Super Mario or Zelda or such. Undeniably, enhanced client is better at some quite advanced stuff that brand new players don't have to worry about in a long while. Largest issues with cc, from new players pov, are with compatibility to modern Windows and so on. My graphics card does some unsettling stuff every time I boot UO.
Enhanced client on the other hand looks like a 15 year old free shareware game, is completely dysfunctional and notion of anyone new actually operating that nightmare and learning ropes of UO at once is utterly obscene.
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