Revisited for first time since 2003, but did not re-enlist.

[Rudyom]

Hi everyone,

I thought I might share some of my thoughts after visiting as part of the Re-Enlisters Campaign. It was interesting to visit now seeing as UO has just received a Hall of Fame Award.

I initially participated in both the Alpha & Beta Tests. I played continually between 1997 - 2003. I haven't actively played since 2003.

The first major change I encountered is the Stygian Abyss Enhanced Client. I will say at the outset, overall I found the new client incredibly impressive.

I had always preferred the classic client. I never adopted the Third Dawn Client. I found the enhanced client to be relatively error free. I consider it a significant improvement over the original classic client and it takes a lot for me to say that.

The only criticism I have is that the graphical overhaul feels somewhat half incomplete. The new graphics are generally quite good (aside from the paperdolls, which I still dislike). The graphics which feel incomplete are things like stone walls and doors.

I am a bit of a traditionalist and prefer to play in the original game work. However, I did visit for the first time the new elf area introduced as part of Mondains Legacy.

Unfortunately the elf area is an example of the graphics at their worst. The artwork there is horrendous and not really excusable. It's concerning that most of it is actually some of the more recent artwork. That area actually looks worse than the legacy graphics.

A further problem I had with the graphics was the neon colours all over the place. It has ruined the immersive nature of the game as a serious/adult fantasy world. At times player characters look like they belong in a kindergarten or childrens cartoon.

I struggled with the new armor and weapons specifications. As an outsider it is an incredibly complicated system. Too complicated in my opinion. I still did not get my head around it. I do prefer the old classifications for magical weapons.

I explored the new quest system a little bit. Honestly, it seems really out of place for UO. Yes, I have played World of Warcraft. To me questing systems sit there, with games such as that. UO to me was always about adventure, freedom and trade. It's not about killing 20 Imps.

UO should embrace the fact that it was different to other games. It should not try to mimic others but stand in its own right.

This leads to the next thing. I played on Oceania. It's a server with a low population. I found that players seem to rely very little upon one another these days. There seems to be very little in the way of trade. I remember people used to spend their time acting as merchants, selling weapons, armor, reagents and pets. The banks used to be hive of activity and a centre of player interaction. This seems to be gone and it is a real loss.

At the conclusion of my visit I do find myself longing for the old world. The world where players interacted and although there was a lot to learn it was not overly complex.

- Rudyom

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Good summary. I still play.

UO went down the wrong road with dye tubs and silly colors and cant quite muster up the %@&&@ to remove them. Crazy colors are a status and cost a bit of gold.

The complexity of the armour is silly. That had it right. But they added more to give loot a bump. Maybe youd find something good. Runic hammers were to help but became a wash.

Imbuing is great but it killed AOS additions. Which I am fine with. But you end up with complexity of BS.

They are complicating systems and dumbing down the game at the same time.

Whats missing.... random exploration and consequence.

The spent all this time on treasure chests which was great. But that fad has passed.

100's of the new items sit around with no use. They are to afraid to make thing rare. For WE all cry its to hard.

 

[Hildebrand]

The elf city Heartwood does look horrid. Seems like it was a rush job considering it was added later.
The quests you speak of, I'm guessing it's the "New Player" quests in New Haven. I rather enjoy those since it gives you a bit of guidance, quick skill gain, and some newbie blessed items (can't lose them). After those brief quests, you're basically on your own. Well, you're pretty much always on your own anyway. Unless you hook up with someone to help you, the game will seem overwhelming.
At least these forums are here to help.

 

[unified]

It is crucial that this game evolves. Call it what you may, but it can never be the same game that it was in 1997 and survive. The game has to attract new players, and please existing players, at the same time. In order to do this, it has to evolve. While some will not agree to, nor appreciate, the end results, a goal was met.

Veteran players who have played the game since the beginning are few, and lots of players have played since then and left then come back. They've come back because something during one of the game's many evolutions impressed them enough to come back. It could also be because their friends came back and convinced them to play again.

There are many things that have changed in the game that I felt was good, and some that I felt was bad. For instance, there is no longer powerhour so it takes forever and a day for some of us to gain skill points. Others might argue that that is a good thing, but it is not realisticly a good thing for people who work and/or go to school and want to actually do something in the game depending on the particular skills.

The neon dyes, etc. came as a result of people who had done everything and collected everything wanting more. They are the same people who had every weapon you could imagine and piles of gold spread over multiple houses that they were allowed to keep when the limit of one house came into affect.

You are correct that the Enhanced Client is a significant impovement. As for the graphics, people will argue all day long about what looks good. Some will never prefer anything over the hunched shoulders of the characters in the 2D client, while I prefer anything other than that. The reality is that we may not even live long enough to see significant improvements in that area because no one will be willing to pay for it.

There has been no significant increase in subscription rates in quite a long time. I can imagine that it is extremely difficult to introduce a lot of new content and fix bugs with a budget that is consistent, and every other expansion only gains new funds while losing funds at the same time as new accounts are opened and old accounts close.

I am continuously saddened by the low population of my shard, GL, as it makes it nearly impossible to do things like hunt in dungeons since you can go into a dungeon and be the only player there. No way I can handle all the spawn by myself.

There is so much still to do in the game. I have gone to growing plants. While I may never encounter a dragon in RL, the plantgrowing is teaching me how to grow plants in RL.