Nostalgia is fun... I enjoy thinking about the moments of the past. There are quite a few memories i will always treasure. I've seen lots of people come and go over the years in UO, which is something that happens frequently in online games with all the choices available today. People are what make the game what it is, and some leave powerful memories behind only to realize later just how special the moments were.
(Like the old saying: You don't know what you've got until it's gone.)
I've been fortunate to meet a few people like that. One of whom i already described in another thread. A charming young lady at a magical time in the game when we were both still fairly new and experiencing things together back in the early part of '98. We had lots of fun creating memories that will always remain. We had big plans to save for a larger house, and have a grand UO wedding someday. But an unexpected end wasn't far in the future. The day she logged on to tell me she was going to have to close her account was simply heartbreaking. Her last day while we were standing at Vesper bank left us both in tears as we were sharing our final farewell's. She gave me a few items to remember her by that i still have to this day which have extraordinary sentimental value to me.
When they made changes to the original music for the game, it didn't take long for me to turn off the music in the gaming options. Not sure how long it's been since i've played with the music on, but it's been years. The other day after downloading the original music again for Vesper & Ocllo, i spent some time wandering around the areas again listening to the music on my media player... And it darn near killed me! lol
Vesper used to be a fun place to bank. There were lots of people around most of the time. Macro's flying through the air, discussions about pk's at certain spawns that just wiped out their hunting party, then vowing revenge.
Mages fizzling away working their skills, then fighting over the next stock of reagents that spawn at the local shops there. One mage opening gates to locations for a fee to make some gold. On and on. All the while hearing the original vesper theme playing away in the background with that excellent violin work 2/3 of the way through that can really stir the emotions. Oh, and before i forget, there were even leaves on the trees back then, and no protruding gravestones around except at the local cemetaries.
Well, after re-visiting Vesper again, the bank was completely empty. Not a soul around. The sound of that horrible new music that somehow replace the original theme made me want to THROW UP! I shut my game music back off and re-fired the media play with the original theme. Ahh yes... The old memories began racing though my mind again, but left me with a heavy heart.
I took a stroll across the north bridge where i purchased my first house in '98 only to see an empty street with the exception of one lone remaining house. I guess the owners either re-located, or left the game. It's not exactly an attractive area to want to live anymore anyway...
*Recalls to Ocllo*
The first time i visited Ocllo in '98 i was blown away by the music as i entered. Mysterious yet peaceful. I had to own a home there someday, and eventually did in '99. It became my new home. The bank, magic shop, smith, and tailor shops were always active. The atmosphere to me was spectacular. I always enjoyed recalling back there after hunts or engaging pk's because it was a peaceful type environment for some sanity again.
But of course it wasn't always peachy. One day while purchasing reagents at the local shop, i got conned into using the magic unlock spell to open someone's magic locked box. He claimed to have no magery skill and needed help. Well, i did and it flagged me gray. He called the guards, and i got wacked!
He looted all my reagents i just purchased, took my armor suit, potions, regular bag of reagents, a rune to a new house i recently built in Yew valley, and yes, the key to that house.
By the time i was able to rez, get to the bank, slap a suit of armor together, grab my spare key and recall to the house, he was already there and gone.
But i didn't really lose too much. The house was new and needed more stocking to be functional anyway. He took anything worthwhile and left it bare. I was still pretty angry for a while afterwards though...lol
Ok, so i recall to Ocllo again the other day, and hear some jungle type music playing in the background. It really isn't all that bad except that it doesn't fit the island the way the original theme did. It just doesn't, imo. Well, i shut my music option back off, and fired up the original on the media player. Started walking around and there wasn't a soul there either. Very quiet. Kinda sad really. Nobody at the bank or any of the shops that used to be so active. There was however a smith bod on the ground near the smith shop, so there must have been at least one person there earlier collecting bods, then leave.
Began wandering around the dead forrest area. Lot's of houses that used to be there are gone, including mine. (Which was declared improperly placed anyway after the house placement changes came later) Very depressing scenario now when thinking back to how vibrant the town used to be in the past...
Well, i'll stop there since this post is getting very long.

I would however like to see the Vesper and Ocllo themes restored to the towns if at all possible. Not just for me, but for any new players to be able to experience the original music which is more meaningful and enjoyable while playing than the later changes.
Thanks for reading and take care.