D
dogmeat
Guest
Hey all, Homer on Atlantic here,
Since I started playing UO in 97 I've quit more than 30 times, but I've also come back just as much. Sometimes due to financial situations, sometimes due to romance or lack of interest. In the end, I try other games, do other things but always end up thinking about the "good old days" of UO.
I recently realized that UO has changed and so have I, but the perception of how I thought UO has changed recently made more sense. To sum it up UO has:
Become Civilized
What I mean by this is that I used to be mad that they introduced Fel, got rid of fun stealing mechanics, made so many expansions that it was hard to find folks, etc.. But what I didn't realize was that the world was evolving and changing, much like our real world does. Technology happens, civilizations expand, and there are new hurdles to overcome and learn.
Now I didn't want to be like one of those old war veterans always talking about Nam or WW2, living in my head about those times and not accepting reality for what it actually had become. Instead I've decided to embrace the newness of UO with a different set of eyes, much like I've had to do in the real world.
When UO came out it was rough and tough, barbaric in a way. Tons of lag all the time, people exploiting the client, server and you. Getting PK'd and scammed daily. People breaking into your house and either killing you or exploiting something so you couldn't stop them. People crowded the forests, it was often hard to even find a single orc to kill without 3 others fighting and killing each other for that one precious kill. As I said in the beginning, barbaric.
Over the years, I eventually embraced the barbaric lifestyle of kill or be killed and I joined up a group of gentlemen who were all PK's. They protected me and I even went out and tried to be a bad boy with them. Mind you, at this time I didn't have really great skills and more often than not I would be dead when I was alone without their protection. The experience though was incredible, living with these guys, trapping monsters in our houses, collecting bags of body parts, etc..
That's my one big UO moment, I'm sure all of us have one. Over the years I've played the game, bought the expansions, learned the new skills. I was there when Luna was introduced, even plopped down a house in Luna on launch day up in the NE corner. I don't have that house any more, but I often found that I missed the "old days", something was just different.
These days I look at UO, neon robes, 5 million acres of explorable lands, paragon monsters, elves, gargoyles, crazy ships with cannons, blessed suits, no regs, items with properties and I reflect onto our own society. UO in 97 was like the 1800's. UO in 2011 is like the 1980's. Neon robes, items with attributes, everyone is a millionaire and people seem to play more for fun instead of out of the necessity to survive.
UO has evolved into a civil version of itself. When you really think about it, it's sort of amazing how the game has the room within itself to do this. I look at other games, MMO's and they don't seem to change and grow this way, devs add new systems, change graphics, add expansions with more content, but the sand in the box doesn't seem to change as much as it has with UO. Maybe this is just my perception because I have 14 years of experience observing its various evolutions.
To the point of my post here, I still love UO and every time I come back I always find something new to enjoy about it, this time is different though, maybe it's just because I'm also 14 years older ( started playing when I was 17! ). I don't think I can reject the new UO any longer, because it's still UO, it just has evolved over time, as anything in our Universe must do unless they break the boundries of quantum physics..
Right now I'm trying to get into UWF, I applied with the syndicate LLTS but they remind me too much of a corporation, and I just want some people to hang out with and talk on voice chat, do champ spawns or other adventures.
Thanks for reading my ramble,
Homer ( atlantic ) / Dogmeat ( on napa )
Since I started playing UO in 97 I've quit more than 30 times, but I've also come back just as much. Sometimes due to financial situations, sometimes due to romance or lack of interest. In the end, I try other games, do other things but always end up thinking about the "good old days" of UO.
I recently realized that UO has changed and so have I, but the perception of how I thought UO has changed recently made more sense. To sum it up UO has:
Become Civilized
What I mean by this is that I used to be mad that they introduced Fel, got rid of fun stealing mechanics, made so many expansions that it was hard to find folks, etc.. But what I didn't realize was that the world was evolving and changing, much like our real world does. Technology happens, civilizations expand, and there are new hurdles to overcome and learn.
Now I didn't want to be like one of those old war veterans always talking about Nam or WW2, living in my head about those times and not accepting reality for what it actually had become. Instead I've decided to embrace the newness of UO with a different set of eyes, much like I've had to do in the real world.
When UO came out it was rough and tough, barbaric in a way. Tons of lag all the time, people exploiting the client, server and you. Getting PK'd and scammed daily. People breaking into your house and either killing you or exploiting something so you couldn't stop them. People crowded the forests, it was often hard to even find a single orc to kill without 3 others fighting and killing each other for that one precious kill. As I said in the beginning, barbaric.
Over the years, I eventually embraced the barbaric lifestyle of kill or be killed and I joined up a group of gentlemen who were all PK's. They protected me and I even went out and tried to be a bad boy with them. Mind you, at this time I didn't have really great skills and more often than not I would be dead when I was alone without their protection. The experience though was incredible, living with these guys, trapping monsters in our houses, collecting bags of body parts, etc..
That's my one big UO moment, I'm sure all of us have one. Over the years I've played the game, bought the expansions, learned the new skills. I was there when Luna was introduced, even plopped down a house in Luna on launch day up in the NE corner. I don't have that house any more, but I often found that I missed the "old days", something was just different.
These days I look at UO, neon robes, 5 million acres of explorable lands, paragon monsters, elves, gargoyles, crazy ships with cannons, blessed suits, no regs, items with properties and I reflect onto our own society. UO in 97 was like the 1800's. UO in 2011 is like the 1980's. Neon robes, items with attributes, everyone is a millionaire and people seem to play more for fun instead of out of the necessity to survive.
UO has evolved into a civil version of itself. When you really think about it, it's sort of amazing how the game has the room within itself to do this. I look at other games, MMO's and they don't seem to change and grow this way, devs add new systems, change graphics, add expansions with more content, but the sand in the box doesn't seem to change as much as it has with UO. Maybe this is just my perception because I have 14 years of experience observing its various evolutions.
To the point of my post here, I still love UO and every time I come back I always find something new to enjoy about it, this time is different though, maybe it's just because I'm also 14 years older ( started playing when I was 17! ). I don't think I can reject the new UO any longer, because it's still UO, it just has evolved over time, as anything in our Universe must do unless they break the boundries of quantum physics..
Right now I'm trying to get into UWF, I applied with the syndicate LLTS but they remind me too much of a corporation, and I just want some people to hang out with and talk on voice chat, do champ spawns or other adventures.
Thanks for reading my ramble,
Homer ( atlantic ) / Dogmeat ( on napa )
