questions/concerns from new player

[marlev]

Hello there good people!

After a few days on trial account I tested a few things that I thought might be interesting and now it's time to ask about some stuff. Prepare for a wall of text.
But before I start Id like to say that I have played UO long long long time ago for a short period of time so basicly Im familiar with interface and basic stuff so Im not completly new.

Anyway... I have tested those 5 characters:

1. Paladin
So as my first character on trial I made a paladin, basicly a warrior with Chiv, nothing fancy. So after a bit of training in New Haven I went to Despise, overall its a nice toon for starters however extremly extremly boring + having to constantly bandage myself (manualy) didnt really helped in terms of "having fun". Oh and dungeons are dark, found it kinda annoying having to drink nightsight potions but thats just me
So is there a hope to enjoy this kind of toon in future?
Is it more fun later on?
Any chance to make bandaging myself less annoying? (without UOA as its not free right?)


2. Archer
So I used same toon and trained archery to see if Im gonna like it. Less bandaging as I used that healing spell from Chiv so I enjoyed it much more. But my hit chance seems to be very very low, was missing like 90%.
Is that beacouse my DEX is low (around 35)?

3. Mage
Not much to say here. I realised quickly that Im gonna sped more time training Magery than "having fun" so I abandoned this idea. Not having any gold didnt really helped here as reagents costs a bit.

4. Bard/tamer
Always wanted to have one, seems very powerful and fun to play but... training takes time, especialy for someone whos not really that familiar with world, where to tame etc. Which again means Ill spend more time on training than "having fun"/making gold. But maybe Im wrong, maybe its not that boring and maybe there are some opportunities to make gold in same time (maybe selling mounts somewhere, like horses, llamas, I dont know )
I have also concerns about "having fun" aspect of bard/tamer. It seems that it requires lots of micromanaging, peacemaking, disco, bandaging pet, sending pet to kill stuff etc. Anyone could explain how to handle that easly?

5. Crafter
Yes, crafter. Well you might think where is "having fun" aspect in endless mining/lumberjacking and making same things over and over. Well... making gold = having fun as it will allow me to buy house, deco it etc.
But... I found out that training blacksmith on daggers/maces or training tinkering on scissors and selling it to vendor NPC dont really make that much gold. Does it change later on? Are those more advanced items selling for more?
Also what are my chances to actualy exist in current world as a newbie crafter? I mean I need a house in decent spot, my own vendor etc. Can I earn enough while training skills? Can a newbie crafter make something thats actualy usefull for players?

Bonus: Thief
I had one once, it was fun and I might to try it again but is it still lucrative?
Is it limited somehow these days? Ive readed somewhere that I can only steal from players in "PvP areas" like Fel, true or false? What about insurance and how it affects thieves?
Whats PvM or PvP thief? I guess PvM means stealing from mobs, crates etc. and PvP from players?


What Im looking for...
So Im looking for a character that will allow me to have fun, meet some nice people, make decent gold... any ideas? Bear in mind that all those shiny templates Ive seen are a "no go" simply beacouse I dont have gold for scrolls, suits etc so Id prefer something hmm.. cheap.

Client
Classic or Enhanced? I know there is no easy answer but are there any specific benefits for playing on Enhaced client for characters I listed? Enhanced client have kinda better macro system right? So it should make bandaging easier as from what I readed I can pull bandages to action bar and assing an "action" to use them on myself on click (if that makes sense )

Facets
I thinks thats how its called right? Whats the diffrence between lets say Trammel and Felucca? Its basicly same map but one is for carebears and one for PvPers? Also from what I know I could get for example more ore from mining right? Does that also Means more loot/gold from mobs?

Useful software
I know about UOA and Carthographer. Does they also work with Enhanced client? IS there anything simmilar to UOA but for free?

Thanks for reading, Im sure it wasn an easy lecture as my "London" skill (english lol) is still not high enough.

 

[Taylor]

Paladin
You can create a macro to “bandage self.” In the Classic Client, you create macros via the “options” tab on your paper doll – no need to use UOA. (That said, UOA has some other features that make it worth the $10, if you decide to stick with UO).

Archer
A serious archer will have 150 dex and 180 stamina, 120 archery, and hit chance increasing (hci) items. The more dex/stamina you have, the faster you swing. The higher your archery skill, the more likely you are to hit your target. Finally, with 45 hci (i.e., maximum hci) on your suit, you will also hit your target more often.

Magery
Lower reagent cost suits (100 lrc, as they’re called) will allow you to cast spells without reagents. A mage can take a while to get used to – there are some strict suit requirements and you have to macro the appropriate spells – but it can be very fun/fast-paced once you’re up-to-speed.

Bard/Tamer
Again, macros are your friend. For taming, make an “all kill” and an “all follow me” macros. For bard, make a peacemaking and disco macro.

Crafter
I agree – crafting is boring. I don’t do much of it. Not much that a newbie blacksmith can make to sell. You wouldn’t start selling items for real profit until you hit 120 smithy, and obtained an ancient hammer and some runic hammers.

Thief
You can only steal from other players in areas with the Felucca rule set. You cannot steal insured items. Your real profit as a thief will come from stealing power scrolls (which cannot be insured) from other players at fel-based champion spawns. I don’t know anything about PvM thieving, but PvP thieving is very fun (sort of addicting).

Client
This question may start another client war. Some folks like classic, some folks like enhanced. I like classic, but have used enhanced and think it offers some nice features. Either client can be used to make macros – including the bandage-self macro.

What You’re Looking For
The downside to UO is that there is a steep learning curve. As you continue to learn, you’ll start to discover your play-style, which will help determine what type of character you’ll most enjoy. The awesome thing about UO is the nearly endless template possibilities: you can create amazingly powerful hybrid characters, such as the samurai/necromancer (sampire), the archer/tamer, the necro/tamer, the mage/necro/weaver, the ABC archer (archery, bushido, chivalry), etc.

If you want to make great strides quickly into overcoming the learning curve, my best piece of advice is this: join a good-sized guild that offers assistance to new players. This will greatly shorten the time it takes for you to acclimate to the game. What shard are you on? Perhaps we can recommend a guild to you.

Welcome to UO and good luck!

 

[Schuyler Bain]

Great questions and spot-on answers!

*tips hat towards Syrus of Gahd*

Welcome aboard marlev!

 

[marlev]

Thank you for answers kind sir

Tested both clients a bit and I think Im gonna stick to enhanced for now.
Anyway I raised my DEX, found some +HCI items and my archer started to own pretty well ettins and earth elementals (love those dudes ) in Despise. So Im gonna stick to him for a while and when Ill fill comfortable with gold Ill start bard/tamer.

But.. I have new question, yay!
How can I repair my equipment? My bow droped to 0 durability, it is still shooting but I guess Im loosing something.

Oh... atm Im playing on Europe since Im living in Europe But I didnt decided yet, maybe Atlantic as its well populated or maybe Siege for a challange.

 

[Beer_Cayse]

1. Paladin

An Elf has nightsight ... no pots to drink! My Human Paladin is lucky enough to have the earrings (Nocturne??) so he has permanent nightsight. But they took a lot to get.

Paladin spell Close Wounds is good and gets better as your karma increases. Bandages and this spell save me quite often.

UOA - onetime fee of $15. If you EVER had it before and are on the same account now, it is as simple as getting your seed and getting an unlock key. Any prior reggie carries over.

2. Archer

I think it is your DEX that is affecting this. I haven't used my archer in a long time but it seems to me I run him high STR and DEX with low INT and several Mana+ items to make up for it. The bow from New Haven quest (Heartseeker?) is decent for quite a time, tho.

3. Mage

same here, my friend. I didn't start a mage until I had gathered a lot of regs. The majority of these I got by burning thru a lot of green thorns which garner quite a bit over a short time. You made a good move by dropping this one for now.

4. Bard/tamer

I've never tried one of these but some quite skilled ones I have seen appear to be nicely effective.

5. Crafter

Try BODs. Once your skill is 70+ you can turn some nice change for these as a pure crafter. My smith did BODs for quite some time and he almost rivaled the Paladin on some runs. But it is pretty boring ... I grant that.

Client

rolleyes: I have issues with the EC and play the CC because of that. However, try both of them and use the one that YOU prefer. Each has their good points and the ugly ones.

Facets

Look in the FAQ in here. There is an explanation of the rulesets (Felucca and Trammel) and the facets and some highlights as to why they are special in their own ways.

Essentially though - Felucca is the old and complete game: thievery, PvP, etc. Trammel disallows even training Snooping (a thieves skill) because it is essentially a PvP-oriented one. Guild wars can still be waged however, I believe.

Ilshenar, Malas, Tokuno and parts of the Abyss are Tram ruleset. Other parts of the Abyss are Fel ruleset and you are warned as you cross into it.

Useful software

UOA dos NOT work with the EC, unknown about Cartographer. As a UOAM replacement it may not ... and I understand the map/atlas or whatever in the EC is not too bad.

Welcome back ... what shard are you on if I may ask?

 

[Beer_Cayse]

Get your hands on repair deeds. They are made by player crafters using scrolls. All you need do then is be near the appropriate tools (anvil/forge, spinning wheel) to use the deed.

double-click it and target the item. You may lose a point of total durability in doing this, but the item will be repaired to the max allowed in that number.

Powder of Fortification can be purchased (or as a reward on Smith BODS) and each use adds 10 durability to both sides of that number.

Europa ... well that answers the question in my response! Lots of good folks there.

 

[Taylor]

As Beer_Cayse mentioned, Europa's pretty well populated. Not the size of Atlantic, but plenty of people there - and in the same time zone as you. I'm sure Europa has some guilds for new/returning players.

 

[Schuyler Bain]

As to UO Cartographer... It does work with either client, but the CC requires you to also have at least the free version of UOAssist. There is a setting in UOC that you will need to switch if you switch between the clients.

UOC post here: http://vboards.stratics.com/showthread.php?t=168538
My UOC FAQ here: http://vboards.stratics.com/showpost.php?p=1670284&postcount=663

Good luck!

 

[marlev]

Hello good people!

Thanks again for answers. Time for last (I believe) set of qestions. Im sorry if Im asking about something that was answered somewhere in FAQ or whatever but Im kinda confused.... you know... new game, to much info etc.

So... Im still on trial and I was thinking about activating it. Now I found some codes on www.uogamecodes.com and I was wondering if I could use that Ultima Online Age of Shadows Buddy Registration Code to activate my trial account?
- will I keep my free days from trial?
- what about Samurai Empire and Mondain's Legacy expansion? from what I remember all expansions (except SA) were free right? So I should get them too?
- will I be able to use Enhanced client without Stygian Abyss?
- if I decide to stick to UO for longer then I can just update it to Stygian Abyss right?


Regards

 

[Schuyler Bain]

Hello good people!

Thanks again for answers. Time for last (I believe) set of qestions. Im sorry if Im asking about something that was answered somewhere in FAQ or whatever but Im kinda confused.... you know... new game, to much info etc.

So... Im still on trial and I was thinking about activating it. Now I found some codes on www.uogamecodes.com and I was wondering if I could use that Ultima Online Age of Shadows Buddy Registration Code to activate my trial account?
- will I keep my free days from trial?
- what about Samurai Empire and Mondain's Legacy expansion? from what I remember all expansions (except SA) were free right? So I should get them too?
- will I be able to use Enhanced client without Stygian Abyss?
- if I decide to stick to UO for longer then I can just update it to Stygian Abyss right?


Regards

I will do my best to answer these and I am sure others will chime in with additions/corrections.

Q. So... Im still on trial and I was thinking about activating it. Now I found some codes on www.uogamecodes.com and I was wondering if I could use that Ultima Online Age of Shadows Buddy Registration Code to activate my trial account?

A. I am not sure about those codes or if they can be used in the manner you suggest. I "believe" that you can simply go to your account management page and subscribe for at least 1 month and your trial account will be converted with all the skills and items you have earned so far. Also this will give you all the past expansions up to just before SA.

- will I keep my free days from trial?
A. Yes, if you "upgrade" your trial account to a paid account you will lose nothing.

- what about Samurai Empire and Mondain's Legacy expansion? from what I remember all expansions (except SA) were free right? So I should get them too?
A. Well those expansions were not free when they were released (like SA). The only thing you should be missing should only be the content SA provides.

- will I be able to use Enhanced client without Stygian Abyss?
A. You may use either client without upgrading to the SA.

- if I decide to stick to UO for longer then I can just update it to Stygian Abyss right?
A. Yep, there is a code for upgrading existing accounts in the UO store you mentioned in your post.

Hope that helps!

 

[marlev]

Hello there! It is me again

So today I decided to activate my account. I logged in, choosed 1month subscription, entered all required info, confirmed and... nothing happened. My account still seems to be a trial account.

Help

 

[Taylor]

Yes, that's an odd feature of trial accounts. You have to wait for the trial period to end before your account stops being a "trial." It's almost as if EA doesn't want to take your money.

 

[marlev]

Awww i really hoped to build my first tiny house somewhere, oh well... it will have to wait

 

[marlev]

Hello there! It is me again

Quick question to players from Europe about monthly fee. FAQ says that fees are in $ even for players not living in US. However when Im choosing payment method prices are in Euro. Ofc Id prefer to pay in $ as its cheaper So whos lying?

 

[Basara]

The FAQ is old, and the changes are the result of EU VAT greed making to where you have to pay a "local" source.

OF course, if you can get a means to pay in US$ through a debit or credit card, that has a US billing address, you could probably pay for it in US$.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

Hello there! It is me again

Quick question to players from Europe about monthly fee. FAQ says that fees are in $ even for players not living in US. However when Im choosing payment method prices are in Euro. Ofc Id prefer to pay in $ as its cheaper So whos lying?

If you have your credit card billed, you will pay a fixed amount of money (Euro). However, if you buy gametime codes with your credit card, you pay them in US$. If the exchange rate is convenient, you can save some money by buying gametime codes instead of having your credit card billed directly.

It took me 10 years to figure that out.

 

[marlev]

If you have your credit card billed, you will pay a fixed amount of money (Euro). However, if you buy gametime codes with your credit card, you pay them in US$. If the exchange rate is convenient, you can save some money by buying gametime codes instead of having your credit card billed directly.

It took me 10 years to figure that out.

10years... good job mate! rolleyes:


Got new question:
Dont you think that respawn timers are waaaaay to fast?

Maybe thats just me but I tried Yomotsu Mines with 2 bake kitsune and I didnt managed to push further then first spawn (earth ele and dull copper ele). After 5 minutes I had a pile of dead bodys, at least half wasnt even looted beacouse I didnt had time, they were constantly respawning.
Later I tried Cyclope Pyramid in Ilish. Outside it wasnt that bad but inside... same story, constant respawns, no time to loot.

 

[Beer_Cayse]

I've noticed that as well. Just in Shame training up my newer swordsman, the earthies were spawning almost as fast as I dropped them.