Returning after 8+ years. Questions?

[XoriRuscuv]

My wife and I used to play UO, but having played for 8+ years. I no longer remember much about the game (except for how much fun I had ) and I no longer have access to my old account, so I will be starting from scratch... so I have a few questions.

1. I'm west coast. What shard(s) should I aim for if I hope to have a decent sized house at some point? Or is housing like it used to be, ie. lucky if you can get a tiny house at all?

2. Something that really put me out was the 8x8ing and how people used to script 8x8 their characters. Is 8x8ing still "the thing to do" when raising a character, or did they get rid of that mechanic?

3. I'm reading about the new interface, enhanced client, chats, etc... the game hasn't been "WoW-ified" has it? Is it the still sort of free form sandbox there used to be?

4. Is there a still solid balance between soloability, multiplayer content, and crafting?

5. I used to have several characters including a well build mage/bard and archer/paladin. OF course I know little of the mechanics changes that have happened over the years - how has barding changed? Have they made it a bit less overpowered? (I remember soloing some pretty ridiculous stuff I really enjoyed the archer/chivalry character, was a lot of fun but I can't hardly remember why lol Does this sort of build still "work"?

6. How's the community and economy doing? Still alive and well and worth getting back into it?

7. Do folks still depend strictly on crafting mules? Or have they done something to where you can craft on a "main" character?

8. I'm sure I'll have other questions, but i've asked too many already. Thanks for your time, and I'm excited to be coming back for a try

 

[Reinzeld]

Welcome back. I'm an old player that's played very infrequently over the past several years. I can answer some questions a bit, but others will be able to offer better information.

1) All I can say is that Lake Superior has housing spots available. I had a moderately sized house that I placed without much difficulty in Malas, but I upgraded to Felucca because I found an 18x18 spot there (several, actually). I should note, though, that the area where I placed my 18x18 was once barren, but houses have sprung up all around me in the last few months.

2) No more 8x8, it's out. Raising skill is easier now, except for some target-based things (taming is still a nightmare, of course).

3) I can't speak about WoW, because...well...it sucks.

4) Crafting has made a bit of a comeback, because of imbuing. Unfortunately, powder of fortification and insurance have combined to hurt crafting quite a bit. Not sure about playing solo versus multiplayer, I've not reached the top level content.

5) I think bards have taken a pretty big hit overall. They've added some new things, but I think most new content is pretty resistant to barding.

6) Community isn't what it used to be...there just aren't as many players. Economy...appears to be completely broken, to me.

7) It's got to the point now that a mule can't really handle your crafting, unless you have access to soulstones to move skills around. Otherwise, you need two crafters, tbh.

8) Again--welcome back!

 

[Gilmour]

3. I'm reading about the new interface, enhanced client, chats, etc... the game hasn't been "WoW-ified" has it? Is it the still sort of free form sandbox there used to be?

UO is still very much a sandbox, and more features has been added to emphasise this, although features has also been added to a more group based play. which started with Age of shadows in 2002 and later mondan's legacy in 2004. which both introduced different types of group "boss" encouters.

The current 3d client has some features you would find in a new MMORPG, and interface, chats etc. although the features is restricted to the client. and the classic client also still availible if you prefer (as you know it).

 

[Caldwin_DDP]

If you are determined you can place a mid-sized home even on Atlantic. There are new bard mastery skills to read up on, some of which have party effects. And wonderous new artifacts. I suggest you take a whirl around TC1, with the handy-dandy stratics guide to test center at the ready of course.

 

[wee papa smurf]

Welcome back, the best thing you can do is just jump into the game, once you've chosen a server, and see what happens, im sure you wont be disapointed

 

[olduofan]

Pacific shard is your best bet for west cost