Louve
Visitor
Hello Everyone,
this will be a bit long and sentimental post. All those who has a patience to go through it, I thank thee heartily in advance.
Quite recently, I have returned to UO after a decade of break. Back then, I used to play on a different shard, a full Role Playing one. RP was mandatory there, meaning you had to really play your character. There was no room for real life talk or use of emoticons (or silence, for the matter; even if one was playing a mute, he or she would communicate with gestures). All conversations and character's behavior was solely rooted in the world he or she lived in. There was no room for reference to the outside UO reality. And it was amazing. The game acquired uncountable added value. Yes, pixels are great, but one can do only so much with gathering pixels and watching numbers grow in the skills/stats. You can do that in any game, really, it doesn't even have to be online. But living your character in a fantasy world, really living it... oh, that is another story. The strongest side of any MMORPG (in my opinion) is the possibility of immersion in the created world. People you meet, relations you make, all while truly living in this fantastic world, that is the essence of a true role play. I remember spending my funniest and most engaging hours on e.g. sitting in a tavern, drinking wine, or relaxing on a bench outside a bank and simply talking to others. I remember characters played so well, that you could almost see them (e.g. a clumsy scribe, with his fingers always stained with ink, constantly adjusting his glasses, a half demon with a "Darth Vader" heavy breathing syndrome, or a semi-sane druid completely in love with nature). And trust me, the game was never boring. And sure, we did go for treasure hunting or monster killing, and there were players and even the whole guilds battles. But that was not all there was! Most of all, there was a STORY. Story behind everything one was doing. It was more than just a game, it was a different reality one could go into and live it. No matter if you were a paladin, a murderer, a blacksmith or a fisherman. You played your character to the full extend. And I miss that.
Now I play on Drachenfels (as I am from Europe, this is one of the only two shards with the best ping for me). There are not many players here, but I do meet few of them from time to time. On most occasions, nobody even bothers to talk. And even if it happens so, they don't try to play their characters but go straight for the real life conversation. It is such a pity. I refuse to believe I am the only one who is looking in this amazing game with the extraordinary developed, intricate economic system, for something more than just a couple of pixels. UO has got an infinite potential to become something more than just running, killing, gathering, crafting and selling, but only if players are willing to make an effort to do so. And yet I have failed to meet any with such an attitude. I want to believe there are more players with a similar yearning who perhaps just gave up.
Wow, that was a long post. If you have managed to go through it all and are still here, please, accept my humble words of gratitude and appreciation. Is there perhaps anyone with similar thoughts? Would you like to try to make a change in such direction?
this will be a bit long and sentimental post. All those who has a patience to go through it, I thank thee heartily in advance.
Quite recently, I have returned to UO after a decade of break. Back then, I used to play on a different shard, a full Role Playing one. RP was mandatory there, meaning you had to really play your character. There was no room for real life talk or use of emoticons (or silence, for the matter; even if one was playing a mute, he or she would communicate with gestures). All conversations and character's behavior was solely rooted in the world he or she lived in. There was no room for reference to the outside UO reality. And it was amazing. The game acquired uncountable added value. Yes, pixels are great, but one can do only so much with gathering pixels and watching numbers grow in the skills/stats. You can do that in any game, really, it doesn't even have to be online. But living your character in a fantasy world, really living it... oh, that is another story. The strongest side of any MMORPG (in my opinion) is the possibility of immersion in the created world. People you meet, relations you make, all while truly living in this fantastic world, that is the essence of a true role play. I remember spending my funniest and most engaging hours on e.g. sitting in a tavern, drinking wine, or relaxing on a bench outside a bank and simply talking to others. I remember characters played so well, that you could almost see them (e.g. a clumsy scribe, with his fingers always stained with ink, constantly adjusting his glasses, a half demon with a "Darth Vader" heavy breathing syndrome, or a semi-sane druid completely in love with nature). And trust me, the game was never boring. And sure, we did go for treasure hunting or monster killing, and there were players and even the whole guilds battles. But that was not all there was! Most of all, there was a STORY. Story behind everything one was doing. It was more than just a game, it was a different reality one could go into and live it. No matter if you were a paladin, a murderer, a blacksmith or a fisherman. You played your character to the full extend. And I miss that.
Now I play on Drachenfels (as I am from Europe, this is one of the only two shards with the best ping for me). There are not many players here, but I do meet few of them from time to time. On most occasions, nobody even bothers to talk. And even if it happens so, they don't try to play their characters but go straight for the real life conversation. It is such a pity. I refuse to believe I am the only one who is looking in this amazing game with the extraordinary developed, intricate economic system, for something more than just a couple of pixels. UO has got an infinite potential to become something more than just running, killing, gathering, crafting and selling, but only if players are willing to make an effort to do so. And yet I have failed to meet any with such an attitude. I want to believe there are more players with a similar yearning who perhaps just gave up.
Wow, that was a long post. If you have managed to go through it all and are still here, please, accept my humble words of gratitude and appreciation.
Is there perhaps anyone with similar thoughts? Would you like to try to make a change in such direction?
