Survey About How Much Time You Have to Play UO

[Tina Small]

I haven't had a lot of time to play UO lately and wondered if other people are in the same boat. I'm also curious about which computer or device you use most often to visit Stratics, because some people often say we should visit Stratics less and play UO more. However, for some of us, this isn't always viable, as we may have far more small windows of opportunity for visiting Stratics than we do for starting up UO and actually playing.

So, with that being said, I've posted three sets of poll choices for you to indicate how much time, on average, you've had to play UO over the last 3 months, whether or not you expect to play more often after New Year's, and which computer/device you use most often to visit Stratics.

Thanks in advance for participating and I hope people will consider responding. Also, if you feel like it, you might want to post a reply indicating which features or aspects of UO you might want to be able to access from a mobile device, as that is something that I think Mesanna is contemplating. (I know I'd love to see us be able to access character and guild search again and think it would be something I'd look at on a mobile device while doing something like waiting for a doctor's appointment or for grandkids to finish up a practice session of some sort.)

 

[Spiritless]

I have an open account, but I've not really played much at all in the last few months or so. I last logged in perhaps 2-3 weeks ago for a brief period. A lot of my characters are quite old and need their gear and templates adjusting. The biggest problem I have right now is that these things now take such a very heavy time investment to even begin to start fixing. I'd have to raise imbuing on one of my characters, gather materials, start crating base pieces, etc. That's before I've even started actually trying to understand the complexities of the system itself. I also need to train a weapon skill on my melee character and finish off discordance on my taming character. I've sorta been playing casually on my melee char hitting EEs, harpies and stuff; gains aren't so bad. Discord, however, is taking a ridiculous amount of time from 100+.

I don't have as much time to invest in UO anymore, or gaming in general for that matter. I think many people here are in the same boat too. As we've grown up, gaming has taken a lower priority over things like our partners, children and work commitments. UO, however, has become increasinly more complex and, for want of a better word, "grindy." It probably requires more time investment these days then it has in the past to start taking on the latest content.

I actually want to play UO more. I want to fix my characters and I want to casually get involved in PvP and the latest PvM content. Unfortunately to do so properly, it just takes a soul crushing amount of time to begin to get prepared to do so due to an archaic skill gain system and ridiculously complicated armor systems. There's also pretty limited motivation to do so, at least from a PvM perspective. Looting gold stopped being a motivating factor a long time ago and any armor and weapon pieces these mobs drop are probably going to be inferior to crafted ones anyway, so what's the point exactly?

These days, I find myself spending my free 'gaming' time either playing a pick-up-and-play console game or something like WoW or GW2. At least in these games I get a sense that every time I log on I am making some sort of progress with my character. That just doesn't happen in UO when I invest a couple of hours into it and I only have +0.3% gain of discordance to show for it.

I do believe that people who invest large amounts of time into games should have more to show for it compared to those who don't or can't. I completely get that and accept that. I don't want everything to be changed so the guy who plays for 30 minutes a week is totally on par with the guy who puts in 8 hours a day. MMOs in general don't work like that and for good reason. I just feel the balance is way too skewed at present and it can be very easy to be demorilized with the exceptionally limited progress you're able to make in a few hours. I just want to have a sense of accomplishing something meaningful in terms of progress whenever I login and put time into something. I don't feel like that right now. Macroing discord or hitting a golem could be a very easy route to max out these skills, but the days when I had the desire to power level like this in the background have long since passed. These days I want to actually play the game for entertainment and to get some enjoyment out of what I put in ahead of everything else and, unfortunately, UO really does not offer this when developing characters right now from my perspective.

I apologize if this is a little on the negative side. I know there are lots of people who get an awful lot of entertainment from UO still and would perhaps disagree with my assessment entirely. I'm certainly not trying to speak for everyone, merely giving an account of my personal experience since I re-opened my account around a year or so ago and how I personally feel at present.

 

[Krinkle]

If I could digitize myself, I would move myself into UO forever and spend an unlimited amount of time there. Of course, my time is somewhat limited due to work and getting old.

 

[Endrik]

In my humble opinion this is one of the main problems the dev's don't seem to understand about the majority of the customer base; many of us have played for 10-15 years, and as is natural, our lives have changed dramatically over that time. 10 years ago played way more than I should have, but I had the time to do it. These days I work a full-time career level job, I am working on my second graduate degree, and I have a wife and son (yes, I was somehow able to land an awesome wife despite all the time I spent playing UO in my earlier days ).

The problem here is that while much of the customer base has grown up and no longer has time to spend 5 hours a day playing UO, much of the new content (like the current invasion) is still designed under that outdated model. These days I want to log in when I can find a spare half hour to an hour, and have some fun. I don't have the time of energy to dedicate 3-5 hours a night every day for 3 months like I did 10 years ago. Ironically, I do have more disposable income at this point in my life to support 2-3 accounts, I just dont have much of a reason to do so given the continued grinds that are built into the game. We need more content that can offer an enjoyable and fulling game experience to those of us who are willing to keep 3+ account active even though we may not be able to get on and play very often.

 

[Orgional Farimir]

In my humble opinion this is one of the main problems the dev's don't seem to understand about the majority of the customer base; many of us have played for 10-15 years, and as is natural, our lives have changed dramatically over that time. 10 years ago played way more than I should have, but I had the time to do it. These days I work a full-time career level job, I am working on my second graduate degree, and I have a wife and son (yes, I was somehow able to land an awesome wife despite all the time I spent playing UO in my earlier days ).

The problem here is that while much of the customer base has grown up and no longer has time to spend 5 hours a day playing UO, much of the new content (like the current invasion) is still designed under that outdated model. These days I want to log in when I can find a spare half hour to an hour, and have some fun. I don't have the time of energy to dedicate 3-5 hours a night every day for 3 months like I did 10 years ago. Ironically, I do have more disposable income at this point in my life to support 2-3 accounts, I just dont have much of a reason to do so given the continued grinds that are built into the game. We need more content that can offer an enjoyable and fulling game experience to those of us who are willing to keep 3+ account active even though we may not be able to get on and play very often.

This!!!!!! Sounds like you are talking about me.

 

[THP]

heheh a bit of bluffing or ashamed to tell the truth here methinks!!!!...

i only play odd hour here and there .....but every time i log in there are certain people on the 2-3 shards i actally play .time on ...that are ingame everytime all the time!!!!...doubt its coincidece..LOL... they seem to be online quite litteraly 24/7 -365...dont see many people clicking that option yet!!! muahhhaaaaaa

 

[BeaIank]

I am mostly playing during weekends nowadays and I am not sure this will change the following year.
I really don't have time to play more than 15 to 30 minutes on week days, so I barely log on UO during those days because there isn't much that can be done in that short time span.

 

[Uvtha]

I haven't had a lot of time to play UO lately and wondered if other people are in the same boat. I'm also curious about which computer or device you use most often to visit Stratics, because some people often say we should visit Stratics less and play UO more. However, for some of us, this isn't always viable, as we may have far more small windows of opportunity for visiting Stratics than we do for starting up UO and actually playing.

So, with that being said, I've posted three sets of poll choices for you to indicate how much time, on average, you've had to play UO over the last 3 months, whether or not you expect to play more often after New Year's, and which computer/device you use most often to visit Stratics.

Thanks in advance for participating and I hope people will consider responding. Also, if you feel like it, you might want to post a reply indicating which features or aspects of UO you might want to be able to access from a mobile device, as that is something that I think Mesanna is contemplating. (I know I'd love to see us be able to access character and guild search again and think it would be something I'd look at on a mobile device while doing something like waiting for a doctor's appointment or for grandkids to finish up a practice session of some sort.)

I closed my 2 accounts yesterday.

I only play regularly for a week or two at a go every 3 months when I reup my subs to keep my houses. I also usually reopen my account for halloween if theres anything halloweeny worth doing, since its my favorite holiday, and UO halloween has sort of become a part of the seasonal tradition for me.

Honestly ever since they stopped making expansions I lost most of my desire to play regularly. I've been playing this game since 2 months after it launched so if I don't get substantial content additions I just can't drum up any enthusiasm to get on.

The new style of content additions (little events that require big grinds that add little of substance) can keep me interested for a few days or maybe a week... but beyond that I just feel a bit too much like a hamster clicking a food tab.

I imagine I'll stick around till UO dies in the same fashion. For no other reason than nostalgia its nice to get on and run around 4-5 times a year.

P.s. To those 3 people who play UO 15 hours a day every day... you crazy... but you sure get your moneys worth!

 

[Petra Fyde]

In my humble opinion this is one of the main problems the dev's don't seem to understand about the majority of the customer base; many of us have played for 10-15 years, and as is natural, our lives have changed dramatically over that time. 10 years ago played way more than I should have, but I had the time to do it. These days I work a full-time career level job, I am working on my second graduate degree, and I have a wife and son (yes, I was somehow able to land an awesome wife despite all the time I spent playing UO in my earlier days ).

The problem here is that while much of the customer base has grown up and no longer has time to spend 5 hours a day playing UO, much of the new content (like the current invasion) is still designed under that outdated model. These days I want to log in when I can find a spare half hour to an hour, and have some fun. I don't have the time of energy to dedicate 3-5 hours a night every day for 3 months like I did 10 years ago. Ironically, I do have more disposable income at this point in my life to support 2-3 accounts, I just dont have much of a reason to do so given the continued grinds that are built into the game. We need more content that can offer an enjoyable and fulling game experience to those of us who are willing to keep 3+ account active even though we may not be able to get on and play very often.

Conversely when I started playing my 2 sons were in their late teens and living at home, my life was busy and I had little leisure time. Now my sons are in the position you are, and I am retired, with more time on my hands and therefore more time to play UO.
You say you want an enjoyable and fullfilling game experience, but how would you define that? What kind of activity would you add that you would not consider to be a 'grind'?

I believe one of the reasons the invasion artifacts were added as a permanent drop was so that everyone could get them at their own pace. That's what I did. I did an hour or so of the invasion when I felt like it, and when I didn't I went and did something else. I didn't 'grind' it, but then I didn't feel any compulsion to get hundreds of items and have no intention of selling any I do get. They will be ones that will enhance my own characters' suits.

 

[Merus]

Drop oriented content inevitably is grind based... Do X until you get Y... Then never do it again until you need another Y.

Whereas content that is random and challenging can rely on fun as an incentive to participate.

What we get in UO is far too much of the former and not enough of the latter.

 

[Wenchkin]

I'm mostly a visitor to UO these days. It's rare I can justify any amount of gaming time, so I did a bit of invasion hunting and now I'm on a break doing RL work. I have a stash of other games I can dip into between UO visits when I just have a few minutes to relax, but yeah I kinda wish they'd give us a week's subscription option for visiting. It would be fun to work hard one month and grab a week in UO as my reward lol!

Wenchy

 

[Tina Small]

Thank you to the people who have voted and replied so far.

I have to echo a lot of the comments that Spiritless, Endrik, and Uvtha have made. Time is so short these days, it seems. One of the things outside of UO that has kept me extra-busy lately is RL "crafting." I discovered the Ravelry site earlier this year and found new inspiration for using up my RL stash of yarns and threads. I've especially fallen in love with the amigurumi patterns by a certain Argentinian designer. They're so charming, but they have many, many pieces to make and a bit of embroidery to do as well. With the holidays coming up, I've got a hard deadline for getting all my knitting and crocheting projects done. But I know it will be worth it.

With all that to do, on top of how much time we spend these days helping out my daughter with babysitting her three boys, I find little time to play UO. Maybe a half hour in the mornings here or there or late in the evening. I've tried to keep current with what's going on by reading Stratics almost every day and then poking around a bit on TC when we get a new publish. However, when it comes to actually participating in the newer content that requires grouping with other people, I feel like I run into a wall because I'm not on when my guildmates are and I am really hesitant to just barge in on other people that I don't know. I feel so out of touch with who's who on the several shards where I do have capable characters.

I've thought about asking in general chat about grouping with people, but too many times on various shards I've seen people either ignored or castigated when they do that. And I wonder also if doing so is the equivalent of asking the troublemakers to just come along and try to spoil things because they have nothing better to do. I could just jump in and try to participate. But I really have no desire to fumble things and end up aggravating someone who already knows what they are doing to the point that they start doing stuff like pulling spawn on me on purpose or kill-stealing or bad-mouthing me in general chat, etc. When you don't really know what you're doing and what the informal rules are these days for group situations, given how there have been changes in how things drop, it's often just easier to avoid those types of situations and go do something else.

Also, with this new dungeon designed so that getting in and out is so time-consuming, I hesitate to even go there to try the non-town pod part of it on a solo basis. Just like dungeons in Fel, Fel T2A, or Wrong dungeon in Trammel, I think twice about going to places where you can't recall or gate out if I suspect I may have to log off in a hurry.

I don't fault the devs for putting out the content that they do. UO is, after all, an MMO and it makes sense that they would develop new content that requires grouping with other players. And as this survey is showing, there are apparently many people who still have lots of time to devote to playing UO. I do wish, though, that there was some innovative way for them to occasionally add new content that is more viable for players like me who don't have a ton of time to play. I feel myself slipping further and further out of touch with things in UO as my gear stays stuck in a bygone era because I haven't made the time (and/or the gold) to keep it updated.

I know some will suggest joining a shard-wide alliance so it's easier to find others to group with. However, when you're not the leader of the guild you're already in and have no desire to leave that guild, it's not always your decision to make. And many of us do, rightly I believe, have concerns about allying with other people that we don't know well because of game mechanics surrounding stealing from and killing alliance mates. Also, without the ability to display alliance membership, do an online character or guild search, and with so many people these days using the title gump to show titles other than their guild titles and affiliation, it could be very difficult to identify who is even on regularly if you are in an alliance.

It really is no one's fault that the situation is what it is. It's just sad, though, to feel yourself losing touch with something you once held so dear. You know deep down inside that at some point, for your own health and well-being, you will finally have to admit that you will never be able to give this venture the time it deserves to make it truly enjoyable again and that it's time to cut your ties for good and move on.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback from everyone so far and if you haven't voted yet, please consider doing so. I think the results are pretty interesting so far.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Tina, the new dungeon isn't that big. I did a full tour of it, but you can also just pop in, spend an hour and run out. The distance from the entrance to the maze room where the dragons spawn is not far at all.

Part of this week I've spent re-doing decor to find a spot for my lighthouse and creating a bathroom in anticipation of the Christmas gifts.

When the invasion was on I wandered around and if I could took on a captain I could handle alone, sometimes I'd start one alone and someone would come and join in, sometimes I saw a bunch of green names on screen and knew there were alliance folk there so I could join in with them.

The arties are done like Tokuno drops, you accumulate points as you're fighting, you don't really have to worry about kill stealing, everyone gets a drop eventually.

 

[yars]

i log in to mostly check out vendors,talk to friends, do a little bit of pvm. when new content comes out i usually powergame through it, then find myself bored and revert back to the first part of my post. i dont craft much since i got all my suits exactly how i want them. taming is boring with no new content, all my pets are trained and i dont see anything out in the wild besides a blaze cu worth going for. i have every item i would need aside from deco, which i dont like and am quick to get rid of. EM events bore me, npc quests bore me. i get bored extremely quickly. i enjoy the game to zone out nowadays. im actually surprised so few people use stratics on there phone, tapatalk is a great program and i use it for alot of board reading.

 

[Obsidian]

I play about 2 hours a night 5 x nights a week. However, I am on these forums far more often via my iPhone.

 

[wanderer1origin]

Conversely when I started playing my 2 sons were in their late teens and living at home, my life was busy and I had little leisure time. Now my sons are in the position you are, and I am retired, with more time on my hands and therefore more time to play UO.
You say you want an enjoyable and fullfilling game experience, but how would you define that? What kind of activity would you add that you would not consider to be a 'grind'?

I believe one of the reasons the invasion artifacts were added as a permanent drop was so that everyone could get them at their own pace. That's what I did. I did an hour or so of the invasion when I felt like it, and when I didn't I went and did something else. I didn't 'grind' it, but then I didn't feel any compulsion to get hundreds of items and have no intention of selling any I do get. They will be ones that will enhance my own characters' suits.

this, son who i could pay off for chores with uo gold, bugs me why i still log into game and play !!!!!!!!

we aged, but developers still think we like actively like twitch to our game, lets face it 80 percent of uo players are the same players from 10 or more years ago, our outlook is different

 

[Aran]

Time I have? I could sit and play UO 8-9 hours a day if I wanted to, except when I'm at a job site where I don't have computer access.

Time I spend in UO with that in mind? I think I logged in... two weeks ago now?

 

[old gypsy]

I don't play obsessively, as was the case when I first started back in '98. Now that I'm retired and my time is my own, I do log in almost every day... however, usually with no driving need to "accomplish" anything. The primary reason I'm still here is the roleplay aspect of the game, which I enjoy on a low-key, relaxed level. If the guild I'm in ever dissolves, I will probably fade away with it.

 

[Aran]

Promise?

 

[Acid Rain]

I'm starting my second career in the medical field. Working 12 or 24hr shifts on an ambulance I had TONS of time to play UO (1 day on 2 days off or sometimes 1 on 1 off). Did that for many yrs. Now that I'm back in school, I was lucky to play 5 times in the last 4 months. I managed to get to 3 invasions for at most 2hrs at a time. I haven't even seen the new dungeon.

Lately, I find myself on Stratics more then I actually play UO. I can pull up a webpage between class or on break ALOT easier then I can log into the game. If I had time I'd still play 20-40hrs a week and when I'm not so pressed for time I will return in full force

I think what they're doing is just fine, I GREATLY appreciate the permanent invasion items. I don't see it as a grind, I see it as 'playing the game'. But then again, Ive never run a script in my life cause I enjoy playing the game unlike so many Ive heard in game or in ventrilo complaining about "grinds". Just yesterday, "This treasure hunting is HORRIBLE, if I didn't have my loot script I wouldn't even bother." I enjoy poking around looking for whats hidden just under that bone chest piece or ringmail tunic. Its a game folks, try to enjoy it for what it is.

 

[Victim of Siege]

Not nearly enough, i truly love playing this game with the people I call friends. the game quit being fun for me long ago, I only play anymore to interact with the community, unfortunately I do not have the time to do even that lately. *Shakes his fist and grumbles about being an adult*

 

[old gypsy]

Promise?

Nows, Aran, yoos shud noes berry wells dat goblins don't mak promises... weeuns onlys mak trubble.

~ Icky Rotblossom ~