"I Remember When..." -- A Look Back

[Wallenstein]

So earlier you may have seen my Haven post about how I miss it, blah blah. Well I thought of a lot of the past stuff in UO that has changed and went around asking people what they remembered most vividly about UO. It got me wondering what other people remembered, and I posted an article over on UOLedger.com about it [read it here].

Article tidbit:

Haven. It’s where you began your Ultima Online adventure and it’s where you go to take a nostalgic look back on everything you’ve accomplished throughout your time in Britannia. A city of magic, heart and passion. A city of the brave, the courageous, the determined. A city, gone.

Long gone are the days of visiting our beloved Haven or traveling through Trinsic and interacting with the multitude of players camping at the sandstone bank. Also gone are the flocks of players selling swamp dragons, forest ostards and horses in West Britain Bank. However, the days of hoarding Fan Dancers in Japanese dojos in search of “marties”, or prized minor Tokuno artifacts, are among us.

Feel free to post your thoughts here on Stratics.. I'm just wondering what others think of as memorable times in UO. For Great Lakes players, how about the days of Lady Lava selling swamp dragons for 8k at the Britain Bank or the distribution of the original 'Member of the Royal Britannian Guard' sashes?

Share 'em!

 

[Ender]

PvP was kinda balanced and not full of cheaters.

 

[Omnius]

PvP was kinda balanced and not full of cheaters.

not even close to balanced. PvP has been all down hill since t2a.

 

[SevenFaith]

But people could deal with it. Now its not balanced AND full of cheaters.

 

[HaHa]

not even close to balanced. PvP has been all down hill since t2a.

I dunno, id say pub16 is where it hit the fan, PvP during the T2A era was still a challenge.

 

[Viper09]

I remember when most of the "tough" monsters were actually tough to kill.
I also remember when t-maps were actually worth the effort.

I remember when GM armor was good enough and you didn't have to blow tons of millions just for one piece of armor.

I remember when UO was rather simple in what you needed to get to go into combat, now GM armor and weapons are pointless since they suck for resists and damage.

 

[Farsight]

PvP was kinda balanced and not full of cheaters.

This kind of post cracks me up.

PvP was never balanced, from day 1. Cheaters were always around from at least month 6 (I missed the first five months).

 

[Ender]

Cheating was DEFINITELY not as rampant back then. And I said kinda balanced. Which it was, more than today anyway.

 

[sayler04]

I remember, most fondly, trying to train up my very first char in Shame, back when the anti-virtue dungeons were pretty much all there was. I died alot, to both monsters and Pks, and there were always plenty of people around that would stop and heal you as you fought, or rez you, or help you get your stuff back. Eventually, rather than dying all the time, I was the one running around helping out. I think that's when the game felt the most real.

 

[Snakeman]

I remember, most fondly, trying to train up my very first char in Shame, back when the anti-virtue dungeons were pretty much all there was. I died alot, to both monsters and Pks, and there were always plenty of people around that would stop and heal you as you fought, or rez you, or help you get your stuff back. Eventually, rather than dying all the time, I was the one running around helping out. I think that's when the game felt the most real.

So true, Shame was fun. Being it training a fighting skill yourself or walking around gaining healing by healing others as they trained. many friends made in them days by doing that.

 

[T'Challa]

I remember Xavori and Magical Bubba, and Dread Lord Chris, and Silk's Tavern, and Lord British's visit to said tavern.

I remember talking whilst hidden, and hiding my own Dread in his tent after having landlocked it behind my GM's tower. Had to have a rune to get in. Period. Safely stocking a vendor from within = priceless

I remember Daemon-Prince, and the Smurfs (and Smurfette!) The City of Dragons and Dread Lord Pikkle.

I remember watching Lord British (and Glamdring, I swear he pointed out a few) instakill people who had used FUSE and running around in black dye tub gear.

Bone Wall. 'Nuff said.

Oh, I remember quite a bit. Too much perhaps.

any old LS'ers remember WaF? OMG that crazy sob...

The Lady Maliki II, and Xorn Faddington. Maligor the Red, and Warhand...argh, okay I gotta stop.

 

[wee papa smurf]

I remember the 200 dex archers

 

[Lady Aalia]

hmmm i cant speak for the pre patch 16 aera much since i started with third Dawn, but when i started, more then 50% of the people i met told me about this nifty program that trains and does all these neat things for you and no it wasnt UO assist...

So ALOT of people where using it...

Cheating ad scamming was out there big time, there wasnt a day where i stood at Brit bank where someone got scamed out of something , house , ethy , gold, potted plants.

Ebay was a huge platform for scammers, and another site that adverticed with hacks and cheats was heavily adveraised too.

the duping of the castle deeds that made people billioners...happend way before AOS

back then gold was worth 20$ per million and considering people financed a house in RL with it there is no way that it was better then now when you can baerly sell a lill for 1$

the big gold Dupe....pre AOS

corrupt Seers/Comanions...pre AOS

so no i dont think its all that peachy as some like to make it sound

I acctually think UO has gone a long way since then, but i really do hope they can fix the rest of the scripters , unattended macroers, speed hackers and dupers soon!


i think the main thing is that back when you started UO is was fun and sparcly and new and you had no clue if someone cheated or duped.
Same thing that allways brings people back

 

[CroMag1980]

Selling ingots. Earth eles in shame, weighed down with jewels and gold and waiting to jump a gate that was nearly always to WBB. Then lagging like crazy due to the crowds. Listening to vets giving advice to others.

Taking a silver weapon to the lich spawn forest on the Britain-Yew road "OMG I might become a Lord one day!!1"

Taking my Warhammer to Efreet spawn - "once I get a complete Daemon Bone suit I can buy a house".

Going to Bucs Den with my lumberjack for pvp almost everyone on foot before bonded pets. Reds often naked(?!). Then the server down message would pop up and it was a free for all blues on blues.

Loved the champ spawn system and Doom though when they first arrived.

 

[HillBilly]

I use to ride my Llama uphill both ways in Trinsic snow doing wheelies

Its fun to reminience.

 

[Whinemaker]

...when people would actually come to me in front of the Hammer and Anvil in Britain, and ask me to repair their armours and weapons.

WTF happened to the community again?

 

[HillBilly]

...when people would actually come to me in front of the Hammer and Anvil in Britain, and ask me to repair their armours and weapons.

WTF happened to the community again?

Ahh yes.

I know what ya mean.

*wipes tear from eye*

Everyone is too absorbed in their own personal agendas.
Ive been hanging in Tokuno since ML...only time I see people is ToT events....they have no time to talk and enjoy the game...they must kill, kill, kill...apparently. SUcks.

 

[CroMag1980]

...when people would actually come to me in front of the Hammer and Anvil in Britain, and ask me to repair their armours and weapons.

WTF happened to the community again?

Aye weekend mornings where a crowd of players would shuttle between Despise-Bank-Smithy. Hunt, bank,repair.

When the uber gear came out you could not just hand it over to anyone for repairs, guys like Miney McSmith would just swipe it which was quite cheeky

 

[HillBilly]

Aye weekend mornings where a crowd of players would shuttle between Despise-Bank-Smithy. Hunt, bank,repair.

When the uber gear came out you could not just hand it over to anyone for repairs, guys like Miney McSmith would just swipe it which was quite cheeky

Repair/enhance in trade window option is what is needed these days.
I truely wish we had that ability

 

[StifledArgument]

I remember when:

-When I had a house almost in the Minoc mine (by the tree outside)
-When I had to guard my house key with my life
-Using training dummies till my eyes bled to try to be able to go outside
-Starting in main cities (Trinsic was always my starting city)
-People on their fire steeds at the Brit bank
-People would line up to have their armor and weapons repaired
-GM armor was the best thing you could have and it was so expensive
-When you died, you lost more than just your items and you would lose skill points.
-Running out of a city was pretty much certain death due to griefing buttwads.
-Even attacking a pig could kill you.
-When the servers were down all the time, and I lost my nest egg on my pack horse.

 

[Black Sun]

Ah, the good old days.

I remember when the moongates cycled, and I'd pray I didn't miss my gate and end up Magincia by accident.

I remember back before they limited the number of followers, and someone would gate in from Delucia with dozens of sheep/cows/bulls/goats in tow, and cause WBB to lag so bad you wanted to cry.

I remember back when that 1k they gave you to start was a decent amount of gold.

I remember when smiths would hang out at the various shops and craft and repair armor for players coming back from adventuring.

I remember hunting in the Brit graveyard and there being other people around fighting the spawn.

I remember when the best places to own vendor houses were on the road between Skara and Brit, and along the west side of Vesper.



Ok, that's enough. I'm making myself depressed.

 

[Black Sun]

back then gold was worth 20$ per million and considering people financed a house in RL with it there is no way that it was better then now when you can baerly sell a lill for 1$

I remember when people would sell it on ebay for $40-$45 per mil.

Geez, I feel old now.

 

[sayler04]

o ya, I lived in constant excited fear of the brit-yew road lich spawn, and always heading to vesper suburbs to go shopping. I think the last thing I did in what might be considered 'the old days" was the controller spawn when arcane gemswere introduced. Then I moved to a place with VERY limited internet. I came back years later,and the old days had passed....

its a different game now, but I still like it

 

[Sweety]

i dont remember much from when i first started playing ( i was 8) but i do remember watching my brother kill liches down below yew and laughing when he died, he died alot

 

[Stupid Miner]

i dont remember much from when i first started playing ( i was 8) but i do remember watching my brother kill liches down below yew and laughing when he died, he died alot

Haha I did this with my brother too, man did he get mad when he died .
Hehe, good times...

 

[Harb]

I remember when we all sorta "knew" the GMs and enjoyed the "howdies."

 

[wee papa smurf]

I remember being in shame fighting elder gazers with my 2 golems, and feeling so proud i managed to get 200k gold in about 3 weeks lol

 

[Whinemaker]

Aye weekend mornings where a crowd of players would shuttle between Despise-Bank-Smithy. Hunt, bank,repair.

When the uber gear came out you could not just hand it over to anyone for repairs, guys like Miney McSmith would just swipe it which was quite cheeky

It's Shame-Bank-Smithy for most of my crowd lol. Miss those days. I made my own special "dex" suit too, think it's closed helm/studded gorget/chain tunic/plate arms/studded (ring?) gloves/chain leggings something like that. Less protection from the standard "heavy archer" suit but less dex penalty.
Always loved those "any GM smiths here?" people (learn to click on people's paperdoll already damn it)... sometimes I would log out and log back in with my other char dressed like a smith, tell them "I'm GM" and pretend to run off with their stuff just to teach them a lesson lol.

And yup... the item based system killed the game eh?

Onto hunting... I remember the bloody bone knight wall!
Most of the people there were morons but they always gave me a good laugh.
Miss those "who the $#%@ is using silver!?" "(name) is." "(name) you n00b!" "me? n00b? Wanna go to Fel?" "Yeah my main is (name) see you (place)" yet nobody budged conversations.

Now all I see is people hitting golem outside of Luna while afk.

 

[ACB1961]

I remember when I paged a gm about getting the last .1 for gm mage after weeks, and he told me you might never get it. Skill gain used to be rough.

I remember when you'd lose gm on things by doing other things. The only way to be a 7 gm was pretty much to not use the char any more.

 

[Magdalene]

When somebody's "I remember when..." is Haven, there must be a lot they don't remember or didn't see...

I remember when we were 3 friends sharing a small wood and plaster house NW of Minoc in the one and only Britannia. We shared the house, the resources, victories, deaths and every 0.1 skill gain...

 

[CatLord]

I remember when I got my Leurocian Mempo of Fortune like it was yesterday...

Those were the days!

 

[Barl DeAbreago]

I remember starting in the city of your choosing and venturing into the world of Sosaria and experiencing it for yourself.

I remember everyone when they looked legitimately cool INSTEAD OF GLOWING.

I remember weapons like halberds actually being effective.

I too remember getting everything you needed from the blacksmith shop of Britain, where a real player could always be found.

I remember running across Sosaria on a 28.8! oh the slow motion adventures..

I remember characters like my archer mage and my fencer hybrid, before the time of spell channeling and mage weapons.

I remember one facet. I don't have the answer to a lack of housing, but man do I miss everyone being together. Pvpers, pks, rpers, pvm'ers..didn't matter. Made the game exciting.

 

[Velandra]

I remember the dread of a vacation in the pit of my stomach, who would open my door and refresh my house for me? (ty Sable, btw - or that cruise never would have happened)

I remember killing liches with my AWESOME silver vanquishing katana and farming item ID wands and staffs.

Then publish 16 came and suddenly magic items were already identified.. there went my main source of income.

 

[Harb]

I remember when I got my Leurocian Mempo of Fortune like it was yesterday...

Those were the days!

Thanks!

 

[Hok'Nath]

-I remember when I got my full get of GM Gold Plate. My warrior never looked better.
-Killing a drake with a 7x Gm Warrior... made me feel good.
-Using "Newb" Instruments in Destard with my very crappy bard... yet rocking the place.
-8x8 training....not that this is a good memory
-Using reagents
-Fighting rotting corpses at the humility shrine at the start of third dawn.
-Bank sitting at West Brit

I'm sure I will come up with a few more.

 

[Maximilliean]

buck naked runs from one city to the next, just in case you got PK'd along the way.

chopping up corpses and taking their heads.

bounties on pks

and my personal favorite, destroying armor with mace fighting.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

I remember when:

- You didn't have a bank box, you just handed gold to the banker, and told him or her how much you wanted to withdraw.

- Coming out of Brit Moongate on the cycle, to find that I could not move for over 45 minutes due to server-wide lag.

- The day they put in lock down and housing security. Everyone's stuff was just disappearing in their houses for no reason. A whole day shard revert was need to fix it.

- Seeing GMs actually ban cheaters.

- PvP without speedhacking and scripting.

- When PvP had a social impact on the world of UO beyond trash talk.

But with the good and bad memories of UO, the memories I cherish most don't revolve around particular game mechanics...but rather the friends, and even the enemies, that I have made over the years in UO. Its all about the people behind the characters.

 

[Velandra]

But with the good and bad memories of UO, the memories I cherish most don't revolve around particular game mechanics...but rather the friends, and even the enemies, that I have made over the years in UO. Its all about the people behind the characters.

I couldn't agree more..

 

[Gellor]

I remember having the trinsic bridge collapse on me(tiles dropped when I walked across and trapped me on it) and having a GM actually show up, joke with me, AND fix the bridge. I used to have pictures of it(happened around 2000).

I remember having to guard my house key and losing LOTS of items when I had orcs spawn in my house and have a party. Talk about one VERY TICKED off player:loser: I can laugh about it now but back then, that was two months of work I lost