I'm staying right where I am! There is no other game like UO.

[cjc2797x]

So World of Warcraft has gone on a huge marketing campaign where they're sending people trail CDs through the mail. I played when it first came out but really wasn't impressed back then, so I decided to tell my friend that I'm loading in the trail disk and checking out what all the hype is all about. I do have a theory about mass marketing a four year old game: it must be loosing memberships fast since I remember EQ doing the same thing right before EQs demise.

My friend got excited (yes, he's an ex-uo player) so he also created a new char and his goal was to help me along. So I load the game, create my character (a unique name...no spaces) and off I went. When I finally got into the server (I had to wait in a que for fifteen minutes) I saw all the glory that is Wow - what in the name of god is everyone talking about? The graphics absolutely suck!!!! Talk about playing a blurry cartoon - the grahics are really dated IMO. I know people pick on KR grahics a lot, but they can't say that WOW is really that much more advanced...no way!

So after about five or six hours of leveling bordom, I told my brother I had enough. I couldn't get into this game knowing that you couldn't do a lot of the things that you could in UO - who cares about honor points anyway? No housing. No looting. No recall. No skills. No weight or stamina, No mid-game character changes. No soul stones. No community. But at least you get to run all day from one spot to another. Wow = No, no, no, no, no and of course, no.

I didn't feel like I owned a part of the game like I did with UO. In Wow, you're pretty much safe but you don't really make a mark on the world. So I finally had to ask my friend - what made you change in the first place and why do you still play Wow? I got the answer from him: It's a simple game and UO was too complex for him. He didn't like owning a house or owning a bunch of stuff - he hated responsibility. He didn't like that you can stuff your pack full of stuff and not know where anything was because it wasn't slotted and eventually get weighted down.

Basically, he was unorganized and there was too much stuff in UO for his tastes. What with fish tanks to maintain, plants to be watered and skills to be turned up or down...no other game does this and it annoys some people. He didn't leave because of cheating, he mostly did PVM and didn't like how he could solo almost everything. He left because of complexity and he firmly believed (three years ago now?) that UO wouldn't last another year - lol.

So my friend can run all over creation in a blurry cartoon landscape with all of its simplicity all he wants...I'm staying right where I am, with my three story 18 x 18 house, all my chests filled with junk, all my friends and enemies, all the scriptors, cheaters, griefers, etc. - It's UO and I'm here to stay.

 

[Setnaffa]

That's basically my take on it as well. My brother loves WoW, but he never really played UO, so he has nothing to compare it to.

 

[Babble]

Have fun, I still look for a better uo though.

 

[Frarc]

My brother played all those other games, EQ, WoW, AC, DAoC , Vanguard and now he is in EQ2.

He use to try to get me in those other games with him. He gave up eventualy. When he asked why not play the other games, the answer is simple, its not UO.

UO is about freedom in about everything. And we take the good and bad with it.

 

[Toguro]

"I do have a theory about mass marketing a four year old game: it must be loosing memberships fast"

WoW has over 9 million subscribers (NOT including trial accounts) and has had famous actors/TV stars do commercials for them on major TV stations and yet I cant find UO for sale at 3 of the walmarts and 2 major shopping malls in my area.
Nice theory though, lol

ask any UO rep what their current subscriptions are and theyll say they cant disclose that info, when in reality it has less than 100k so they dont want to be laughed at.

"In Wow, you're pretty much safe but you don't really make a mark on the world."

You should have rolled on a PVP server, no such things as safe zones there. The NPC guards are KILLABLE and dont 1shot you which makes city raids possible. On New Years eve we raided ironforge at about midnight with over 200 people. Now let me ask you whens the last time you seen a fight in UO involving hundreds of players??

and if you think WoW's graphics are bad you obviously need to buy a new video card. just cause you can play UO :KRap on it dont mean itll handle WoW dude

 

[imported_Skrag]

Actually, I think Blizzard put out a press release within the last month or two saying that they just cracked 10 million players. It's not that they're failing. On the contrary, they own the MMORPG market so totally that nobody else even matters. It's just that they know how to support a product.

 

[the 4th man]

"... he hated responsibility...."/ you're friends how old??

I agree with you.....WoW is a fad and not much more, I tried it and it's a kiddie game.....for the simple minded even.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

UO is about freedom in about everything. And we take the good and bad with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember when UO was truely about freedom. I miss playing my thief. Running from a mage who was trying to get back his stolen stuff. Casting paralyze, then I'd hide before he could cast it. So he'd cast reveal and I'd bolt the moment I saw the words on screen nowing he'd be paralyzed from casting for a few moments so I could get some headway.

I can't wait until Darkfall comes out =(

And if that isn't what I want then I can't wait until we get a pre-pub 16 server.

 

[cjc2797x]

WoW has over 9 million subscribers (NOT including trial accounts) and has had famous actors/TV stars do commercials for them on major TV stations and yet I cant find UO for sale at 3 of the walmarts and 2 major shopping malls in my area.
Nice theory though, lol
_____________________________________________________________

That's funny...I heard 12 million subscriptions. I wonder if there's some embellishments coming from Blizzard. Don't get me wrong, the number is huge, but why the difference in numbers posted?

Also, my take on stars doing a promos for an MMO, seems like Blizzard is pouring a lot of cash into advertisements. Why now?

 

[Jackson]

You like UO because its EASY for YOU.
Others like WOW because its easy for THEM.

You didnt play WOW long enough to give it a fair chance, things start to get interesting at lvls 30 and up. Lots more choices to make at that stage then when you just start.

I love UO too, but too many changes to the game has ruined it for me.
But I guess everyone has their own opinions on everything.

 

[Guest]

...

WoW has its good points, but like you said, it gets limited.

While I really enjoy the auction house system the game uses to sell goods, I get tired of using the same process to acquire the goods I sell (and early to mid levels, resource gathering is by FAR the biggest money maker in WoW).

In WoW, you can either gather resources (the same resources at the same nodes all the time), or if you have some "seed" cash, you can try to "play the floor" where you buy out everything of a certain commodity below a desired price point and put them immediately back up for a profit.

Whereas in UO, you can do several different activities all geared to one principal idea. For example, for smithing BODs, I can mine the ore for ingots needed to fill BODs, or if I get bored of that, I can PvM for "scrap" magic items that can either be smelted or used to fill non-exceptional BODs. If I get bored of those two options, but still want to work BODs, I can buy up NPC vendor stock to fill junk BODs, if I get bored of that there is fishing or treasure hunting and so on, or maybe I go back to mining, but use a Garg pick instead of normal picks.

Point being, while I'm still gearing towards a single end (working the BOD system), the activities involved are varied enough to keep me engaged, and some of which can be done when NOT specifically thinking about actually filling, turning in, or getting BODs themselves.

That is where I believe UO beats the other MMOGs in terms of depth.

As for graphics, WoW's graphics are good for a 3d game, however the terrain graphics are hideously repetitive. KR did an AMAZING job at making the terrain look a LOT more natural. There are repeating tiles, certainly, but there is no single repeating pattern (except for certain rooftops which were broken and have yet to be fixed) like WoW over-uses.

I also agree on the ownership part. If I were to erase EVERYTHING I had and had done in UO, I probably would not want to continue playing with a new character. If they wiped EVERYTHING in WoW, I could start a brand new character of the same type and retrace every single step, gather, quest, and so on without feeling like I lost anything but the time involved.

Quite frankly, WoW may be more popular, but UO is by FAR the better GAME/WORLD.

 

[Mystic_Of_Cats]

Darkfall.

 

[Guest]

...

Vapourware

 

[Guest]

I'm dissapointed with the way that UO has changed over the years, but I'll stay till the servers shut down. I still think $10 per month is an absolute steal for this much entertainment.

 

[Mystic_Of_Cats]

<blockquote><hr>

...

Vapourware

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm going to laugh my head off when it hits beta this summer with all these people who always say this despite not having a clue about what has been released this year. They have been giving constant updates, screens, and vids. It's about as vaporware as Wrath of the Lich King.

 

[Guest]

...

Until the boxes are on the shelf, it's Vapourware.

Unless it has some mechanism so as to NOT repeat the mistakes re: non-con PvP that UO suffered, it will fail and be rendered a footnote in MMOG history like the other game that was going to 'Play to Crush'.

Point being that several HUGE games were in the same position and never saw the light of day that Darkfall if in.

Therefore, until Best Buy (used non-specifically) has it sitting on the shelves, it's Vapourware.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

So World of Warcraft has gone on a huge marketing campaign where they're sending people trail CDs through the mail. I played when it first came out but really wasn't impressed back then, so I decided to tell my friend that I'm loading in the trail disk and checking out what all the hype is all about. I do have a theory about mass marketing a four year old game: it must be loosing memberships fast since I remember EQ doing the same thing right before EQs demise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea, you can do that when you have 10 Million folks playin $15/month.

<blockquote><hr>


My friend got excited (yes, he's an ex-uo player) so he also created a new char and his goal was to help me along. So I load the game, create my character (a unique name...no spaces) and off I went. When I finally got into the server (I had to wait in a que for fifteen minutes) I saw all the glory that is Wow - what in the name of god is everyone talking about? The graphics absolutely suck!!!! Talk about playing a blurry cartoon - the grahics are really dated IMO. I know people pick on KR grahics a lot, but they can't say that WOW is really that much more advanced...no way!

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe they are meant to be cartoony. Don't get me wrong, I don't care for 'm either, but it's a different style of art than 'realistic'. I haven't seen the blurry issue though.

<blockquote><hr>


So after about five or six hours of leveling bordom, I told my brother I had enough. I couldn't get into this game knowing that you couldn't do a lot of the things that you could in UO - who cares about honor points anyway? No housing. No looting. No recall. No skills. No weight or stamina, No mid-game character changes. No soul stones. No community. But at least you get to run all day from one spot to another. Wow = No, no, no, no, no and of course, no.

[/ QUOTE ]

The leveling treadmill is indeed a bad aspect, I can't fathom how so many people actually enjoy such a thing. I prefer a bit of realism in my games personally. However I will say your 'No' tirade is a bit unfair, you can equally name as many 'no' items that ARE in wow, that aren't in UO. Guild Banks, many playable races, tons of quests, flying mounts, auctions, stable upgrades... oh yea and a lot more people. All of those things UO doesn't have that Wow does.

Every game has it's positive and negative aspects, different strokes for different folks.

Hhonestly I think a lot of the screwing with items/systems and never finishing anything they plan content or story wise has really had a negative effect on people wanting to stick with it. Hard to blame them sometimes really.

Making a mark on the world is something that simply won't happen in UO Either, it's been stated many many times that the system isn't flexible enough to handle players being able to affect the world. All shards must stay in sync to ease the burden of maintaining them or something like that. At least that's what they've always said, then again they also said they'd never have huge patches....

~Rai

 

[Guest]

Truth is ..... I love UO and it's community.... especially the GL RP community.... I like the freedom of UO and the flexibility.... the total ability to create what you want in game..... from an auction house to a theater to a jail..... whatever your mind imagines...... I really don't want to waste my time with other games.... that do not allow for the creativity that UO does.... THis is exactly why I don't play KR too ......... I'm LAZY...... I don't want to learn a new game.. I like my game.... UO 2d..... It's not graphics that draws me.... its creativity.... my own mark on the land..... That's what I love

 

[Larisa]

I've been contimplating on this thread for awhile now.

I have not had as much diversified game play experiance and you guys have...I have never played DAoC, or....any of those other ones. I did try WoW for about 2 weeks and it just didn't appeal to me.

UO is the only game that I have played for this amount of time and never got tired or bored with it...up until about 2 months ago.

I know, it's shocking..Larisa plays another game!! *laughs*

UO, to me, is amazing. There is so much to do. All of it has been said many times before. Housing, IDOCS, PvM, PvP, peerless, smithing,tailoring...gardening...designing houses.....running auctions and player run towns and events, fishing T-Maps.....the list goes on and on and I love it! Taming....herding....just wow!

Some people critcize the graphical quality of UO, but to me that's what makes UO Unique, it doesn't look like *every other game* and that's AWESOME!

This other game that I play has the same look as *all those other games*, but it's very different. It's still based on leveling...grinding out those levels, quests every other level or so to get experiance and items that you need....but the PvP is absolutely AMAZING! It's sooooo different. I think that's the only thing I DON'T like about UO is the PvP aspect, maybe it's because of all the cheating..maybe it's because im not really good at it *laughs* but the PvP system in UO leaves alot to be desired in me anyway.

Now....forgive me for posting these but I had to show you that...this *every other game* look...it's just not UO.

Here's my charactor in this other game.

Me and a few of my guildmates and my Guild leader

Here's a picture of me leveling up

Now if you notice...it's got the same 3D grapical quality as most of the other MMO's out there, it's got full camera rotation, the works...and while I LOVE this game, it will NEVER replace UO. I downsized from 3 castles..Yes THREE castles, to one.....and I"m thinking of getting rid of that one too for an 18x18 cus I LOVE to customize....UO is unlike ANY other game out there and I love it

 

[Guest]

I like UO because its easy and you practically have everything handed to you. The depth of the game is not much more, aside from decorating houses, you still farm mobs for money and items.

UO soon as you cap out all your characters there is not much to do. kinda like lvl 70 in wow.

I'm still in UO only because I am addicted to my pixel crack.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

UO :KRap

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Guest]

I bet EA wished they had even half of the marketing resources that bliz has.

How many people whine that no new players play UO?
When was the last printed or televised UO ad?

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

UO soon as you cap out all your characters there is not much to do. kinda like lvl 70 in wow.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure there is.

You can work to attain a castle.

You can try to build the perfect PvP suit (Im doing this one all the time)

You can become a merchant and make lots o monies buying and selling

you can spend your day crafting and mining stuff trying to get that weapon that will make you lots o monies

You can scout around trying to collect a ton of rly hot rares and make a museum.

You can set up shop or make a rune library (or both)

You can spend your time trying to find better &amp; better pets

Or you can PvP ^^

And as far as PvP goes a character is never "done" (I'd like to see a suit that can no longer be made better). There is only the point when you stop working on them.

 

[wolffin]

I played a large portion of other mmropgs out there. Started with DAoC when it first came and unfortunately never came to UO till about 7 months ago. I wish I woud have bought it the first time i picked up the box in walmart 10 years ago. Of all the games I have played over the years UO's community is the best(most mature).

The other thing that stands out to me is that it isnt as hard to get a toon playable(notice i said playable not maxed out ;p) and go out and have fun with it. VS having to grind a certain level before you can join in on the fun stuff.

Anyways heres to 10 more years of UO

 

[Guest]

www.roma-victor.com beats UO on all the points you brought up and more. Roma Victor makes UO look as simple as UO makes WoW look. Plus there's no scripters or uber junk. All the weapons and armor are historically authentic including the ways in which you craft them.

It even takes place in the real Britannia.

And, there's no monthly fee.

The only advantages that UO has is more players and lower system requirements.

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

<blockquote><hr>

www.roma-victor.com beats UO on all the points you brought up and more. Roma Victor makes UO look as simple as UO makes WoW look. Plus there's no scripters or uber junk. All the weapons and armor are historically authentic including the ways in which you craft them.

It even takes place in the real Britannia.

And, there's no monthly fee.

The only advantages that UO has is more players and lower system requirements.

[/ QUOTE ]

But I probably couldn't use this name

 

[imported_Splup]

<blockquote><hr>


You can try to build the perfect PvP suit (Im doing this one all the time)

And as far as PvP goes a character is never "done" (I'd like to see a suit that can no longer be made better). There is only the point when you stop working on them.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are so right. Or trying to make perfect PvP template? "If I use this bracelet with these skillpoints I could put few extra points to skill x. Aaah, but with this ring I could take some extra intelligence..." IT NEVER ENDS!

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

You are so right. Or trying to make perfect PvP template? "If I use this bracelet with these skillpoints I could put few extra points to skill x. Aaah, but with this ring I could take some extra intelligence..." IT NEVER ENDS!

[/ QUOTE ]

Never.

Hence why I havent quit.

I hit 70 on WoW, and I didn't feel like joining a huge guild to be able to get any further, so I quit.

I got bored on EQ, and CoV, and GuildWars and any other games that are sitting on my shelf.

Except EVE. That game just pissed me off.

I was hoping for some serious air/space combat and got target lock and auto fire. I was PISSED.

I tried eXteel (free NCSoft big robot game) but it doesn't allow the degree of control I prefer, its fun but I hate alot about how things are done in it.

I tried RFOnline (Sunsword works on this currently I think) and as expected, I hated it. Its all linear grind. Nothing is amazing. With this one you get what you pay for (its free).

I tried Fury and it was fun but it wasn't the most intense fighting I've partaken in, nor did I feel like paying for it after the beta.

UO is damn lucky to have me as a customer ^^ If I'd played EQ first I'd never have played one of these again. Then again I'd have alot more free time.

Erm... kinda went off on a tangent there...

I've always wanted to create my own items because I do some seriously crazy stuff with templates and suits when I have the items needed for what I'm doing.

I miss my SWing/Parry/Perma-Wanding/Vampform Necro mage =(

That character was a beast before they totally nuked him (or his template rather) granted I knew it was insanely overpowered.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>



I hit 70 on WoW, and I didn't feel like joining a huge guild to be able to get any further, so I quit.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is not really the case any more.

A lot of the game is now based around 5man instances. You mean to tell me that you could not of gotten 4 other people either from your ICQ list or random people you met in game to help you?

This is were UO spoils us, because there is simply no need to ever group with anyone. I rather like the co-op based feel of WoW's instances.

I used to run weekly guild dungeon hunts, but when you get 6 or 7 vets together, there simply are no challenges. You can only explore the world so many times, and clear all the dungeons so many times with no difficulty, before you burn out.

I often wish EA would make some group based content. I know I will get chewed out for saying that, because it seems that anything introduced to the game that requires even a little "skill" ends up in endless whining.

 

[Guest]

I'd done the 5 mans.

I'm talking about the better stuffs.

I didn't want to join the 40 man raids, spend "weeks" waiting on their "waiting" list to go to the instance with the only group that could competantly hammer it out, and then only have a slim chance at getting what I want. It was just way to much PvM for me, and finding a good arena group WITHOUT having that stuff was just to much of a hassle.

In UO if I want to do doom I go there and if nobody is there I log.

If I want a barbed runic, I do BODs or check my vendor to see if I have 2.5m

If I want to do mel, I get two+ friends and do it. It doesn't take 40 people.

I'm not saying I don't LIKE doing things with that many people. Hell I hope this coming faction battle is HUGE. I'm saying I don't want to NEED 40 people to go get something. It's ********.

When the next expansion for WoW comes out though I'm sure I'll pick it and a 90 day GTC up. Finish everything in the alotted time, then come back to UO wishing I hadn't wasted my time... again.

 

[imported_Skrag]

Nobody has done a 40-man raid in WoW in over a year. They're all 10 to 25 now.

 

[Guest]

Regardless.

Im not interested in spending my days trying to get a single item after days of planning a run trying to get the 25 people needed logged on and then spending however long running the instance hoping someone doesn't [censored] up and wipe it only for a slim chance at what I need will drop, and then only a slim chance someone else wont get it in the roll.

That's why I buy the majority of my good equipment in UO.

 

[Guest]

I think Peerless was supposed to be the answer to group hunts.. and when it started we had full groups of 10 or more going.... but anymore folk have worked hard to figure out how to Solo things like Travisty and Dreadhorn.... I think Dreadhorn needs a few partners or somthing.... to get rid of that..... I think Travisty needs to telestorm a bit more and spawn more ninja..... maybe those nasty mage ninja with the heavy poison.... And Lady M she could toss up a few more of those Satyrs durring the battle... Maybe she needs to learn to teleport.... that would keep folk on their toes. NO one should SOLO a peerless. Ever.... And I don't care if I do get flamed..... the Peerless were designed to be GROUP battle... if you want solo play stay with paragons..... but the Peerless should be done as a group. As it was meant to be.... maybe it's time they gave the peerless a buff.... Changed up the designs to make them more difficult.... (however fixing the one in Umbra to make the keys not quite so impossible to get might make it more fun).... And then upping the boss some and giving it friends... could up the speed on paroxy.... ops rambling....think you get my point though.

Beyond that I love UO ... I'd like to see more "community" type rewards... Not like the library and things... I mean bonus's to guilds who work together on things.... alliances.... things that "groups" can work on to earn points... like rewards a community can get such as a stablemaster..... A banker..... things that would help Communities as a whole... Maybe some special deco items statues, benches, and such... And the points are counted for both alliance and guild...... not just individual... And only the alliance leader can claim the points or the guildleader...... but I think that would be neat... ack rammbling more now. must go....

 

[Guest]

I don't do travesty ^^

I wasn't playing when ML came out (due to PvP being so horribley broken as I explained in another thread earlier) but when I came back WoD was still in full swing. So I was playing catch up on all the things and never really figured out the peerless bosses &amp; dungeons (aside from lady Mel), of course I had no real desire to either.

I don't mind doing things with people. I just don't like doing things with people who are slow learners or just have no clue wth they're doing. And it seems I run into those types EVERYWHERE.