UO circumvents the need to hunt monsters

[RavenWinterHawk]

As I continue down the path of laughing at UO... minus the fun I am having setting up a vendor mall.


Is it me or has UO completely destroyed the need to explore and adventure? Seriously. Get a new character. Use advance character developement. By up skills. Use pink scrolls. Use Golem. Use casting on self or other.

Trouble with gold... Join a guild. Plenty of people give out gold to help do the above.

Soulstone, rinse and repeat. Now Im not talking trade skills... combat skills.

Maybe taming fits the bill of having to actually tame things but Im not sure.

Now throw in the lack of need to fight monsters for fame, items, or gold... I say lets remove them from the game.

Lets remove crappy loot, crappy low end monsters, crappy medium end monsters, and crappy high end monsters.

This is about monster hunting and purpose, not UO has other things to do. Leather and scales is one need. Thats about it.

Why do we need monsters now-a-days?

Now add in EM events that lag us to death. Storylines that can't appease the masses, huge effort to make changes that are fun that run out, (treasure hunting, fishing, SA)... I say UO has gone and is stubbornly going down the wrong route when it comes to adventuring and exploring.

Sadly, I can't be the horse enough. Please open your eyes...

Prediction.... Ephinany Armour (is that what it is called?)... rare for a week. A gizzillion around... ends up like virtue armour. Another failure by following the same formula. Create, saturate, lose purpose.

 

[Picus at the office]

My mother once told me that if you have nothing nice to say....

 

[Davin Darkblade]

Or the fact that by now everyone has a warrior, mage, tamer, black smith, tinker, carpenter, treasure hunter, samurai, imbue-er(?) and a few extra slots free for anything else that comes up in the near future...

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I want to thank you for this post.

It alone offers proof of something that I've said a lot of late, and that's that there isn't a God-damned thing that UO players can't turn into a negative.

I shall isolate a few examples; to reply to each line of the thread would simply take too long.

Trouble with gold... Join a guild.

Yes....It's such a negative that you can join a guild and have them help you. Except that how many other posts have we read about how negative it is that UO's found ways to get around the need to do things cooperatively? Save that when things are done cooperatively, that's a negative too.

Now add in EM events that lag us to death.

I answer this with another quote of yours, from here:

There is an option.

Give a player their own shard. Then they can have peace.

When I first read that I assumed you meant it sarcastically, to make fun of popps.

Now I see you meant it.

This is about monster hunting and purpose, not UO has other things to do. Leather and scales is one need. Thats about it.

I assume you mean "now" UO has other things to do. I, for one, still hunt monsters for gold, and besides, how are guilds supposed to get all that gold that they give to their members as you describe above, if not from hunting monsters? Trading existing gold among players only gets you so far. Sooner or later you won't have an item to sell that interests other players.

Unless of course you go out and get such an item from, oh, I don't know, hunting monsters.

Not to mention that when the game tries to provide content, some people complain about how UO's lost its sandbox atmosphere. One definition of sandbox, perhaps the most important one, is that the meaning to what the characters do is player-assigned rather than game-assigned. Now, UO's never had a pure sandbox as far as I can tell, as well it shouldn't. Part of the fantasy genre is dealing with external events. Lord of the Rings wasn't just the story of a few hobbits and humans and elves and dwarves wandering around exploring. And even the NPCs of that story had to deal with external events.

But the point is that either way is turned into a negative quite easily by those who want to do so.

The positive people get a lot of **** on these boards for being unrealistic, but sadly the whiny, complaint-driven, emo culture of Stratics doesn't see the obvious: Often, the anti-fanbois are about as unrealistic and disconnected from reality as are the fanbois.

Both of you are two sides of the same coin.

-Galen's player

 

[Smoot]

I dont really have any problems with as it it, a few of course tho.

Forged Pardons - Hardly any reds anymore - pardons should be much more rare, so cost much much more.

Monster loot - All i want is for weapons to have 500 property weight, a rare chance to have maybe 530 property weight would be nice as well.

Of course there is no "need" to hunt monsters, but there never truly was. The first character i had i trained up my swords on a dummy, and then one grizzly bear... I only hunted when it was worth the gold.
Yes, you can just make gold (buying and selling) and buy anything in the game, but although monster loot is basically worthless now, things like hair dyes, arties, rare mounts / armor sets. Stuff like that is why i hunt now. And of course (although its by far much more boring than finding nice loot like it used to be) collecting up those colored blobs to make things out of.

About the current state of the game, theres LOTS more to do than killing monsters.

I thought about a few.

First off, Killing monsters comes in many forms (spawn, peerless, regular, etc)
Id say killing monsters is only a fraction of why most people play.

Other reasons:

Merchant (like you said you liked your new mall) Auctions etc.

Crafting

Role Playing

Fishing

General Guild interaction (social, guild events / functions)

Rares collecting

EM events (but yes the lag is so terrible most the time they arent even fun unless not many show up)

Player Vrs Player (factions, spawns, duels, guild regulated pvp scenarios)

So, to me theres lots of things to do in the game, and i enjoy all of them (except fishing ). I know some dont, and really theres nothing to be done about that.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

I want to thank you for this post.

It alone offers proof of something that I've said a lot of late, and that's that there isn't a God-damned thing that UO players can't turn into a negative.

I shall isolate a few examples; to reply to each line of the thread would simply take too long.



Yes....It's such a negative that you can join a guild and have them help you. Except that how many other posts have we read about how negative it is that UO's found ways to get around the need to do things cooperatively? Save that when things are done cooperatively, that's a negative too.



I answer this with another quote of yours, from here:



When I first read that I assumed you meant it sarcastically, to make fun of popps.

Now I see you meant it.



I assume you mean "now" UO has other things to do. I, for one, still hunt monsters for gold, and besides, how are guilds supposed to get all that gold that they give to their members as you describe above, if not from hunting monsters? Trading existing gold among players only gets you so far. Sooner or later you won't have an item to sell that interests other players.

Unless of course you go out and get such an item from, oh, I don't know, hunting monsters.

Not to mention that when the game tries to provide content, some people complain about how UO's lost its sandbox atmosphere. One definition of sandbox, perhaps the most important one, is that the meaning to what the characters do is player-assigned rather than game-assigned. Now, UO's never had a pure sandbox as far as I can tell, as well it shouldn't. Part of the fantasy genre is dealing with external events. Lord of the Rings wasn't just the story of a few hobbits and humans and elves and dwarves wandering around exploring. And even the NPCs of that story had to deal with external events.

But the point is that either way is turned into a negative quite easily by those who want to do so.

The positive people get a lot of **** on these boards for being unrealistic, but sadly the whiny, complaint-driven, emo culture of Stratics doesn't see the obvious: Often, the anti-fanbois are about as unrealistic and disconnected from reality as are the fanbois.

Both of you are two sides of the same coin.

-Galen's player

Thanks for taking the time to respond. But you miss the point.

Key elements of the game have changed that circumvent the need to hunt and explore... as I listed.

EM events are lag events but they have replaced the need to explore.
We are told where to go.

Joining a guild is a good thing. My point is gold is easily had by those that give that make circumventing easy.

And Galen you can't disagree about how easy 80% of the skills are to master in a very short period of time. That in itself is a drastic change.

It isn't good or bad, I suppose, but the changes allow you to circumvent monsters and the rest to build skills or develop a character. Why are they needed now?

The game has really been dumbed down... And I leave myself open to that.

 

[[JD]]

Damn dude who peed in your cheerios. I'll say it again... we don't have enough communication with the people who run and work on this game, and negative, needy, angry posts like this are the reason why.

And if you think there is no need to explore or fight monsters you are crazy. There seem to be people out there every day doing just that.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Just to clarify. IM not saying there isnt anyting to do.

I am building a vendor mall.

SA and the High Seas. Great. It is just very easy to get what they give with time.

Role play, Guild play, PvP all of it...

Im sure you could role play a reason to hunt orcs.

But that being said... there is little need to monster hunt. The need has been circumvented.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Damn dude who peed in your cheerios. I'll say it again... we don't have enough communication with the people who run and work on this game, and negative, needy, angry posts like this are the reason why.

And if you think there is no need to explore or fight monsters you are crazy. There seem to be people out there every day doing just that.

Give me the reason to fight monsters.

Let me do it for you.

The peerless and champs give items.

Okay now that is out of the way. Give me three reasons.

 

[Smoot]

Like i said in my previous post, Yes there is NO reason to fight monsters now ---If you just buy everything, and well, thats kinda boring.

Three reasons (other than peerless / champ)

1 The virtue dungeons give decent "arty" drops for new players

2 Resources (scales / leather / essence / other imbue ingredients)

3 Consumables which can only be obtained from stealing from monsters, or fighting them with that one weapon (i forget the name)

Ill give a few more.

Because if you Dont kill them, they will kill you! (especially if your on a crafter or miner) Try taking out a gargoyle when you have about 50 magery

Training if you dont want the boredom of a golem

The challenge - Ever try killing a para Cu or ancient Wyrm on a fighter or mage?

Getting the scrolls to train skills faster (alacrity from treasure hunting (gotta kill the monsters that spawn) Low levels of champ spawn that drop minors from paragons, as well as the scrolls of trancendence.

Like i said, of course you can just buy everything in the game, but there are still many good reasons to hunt.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Like i said in my previous post, Yes there is NO reason to fight monsters now ---If you just buy everything, and well, thats kinda boring.

Three reasons (other than peerless / champ)

1 The virtue dungeons give decent "arty" drops for new players

2 Resources (scales / leather / essence / other imbue ingredients)

3 Consumables which can only be obtained from stealing from monsters, or fighting them with that one weapon (i forget the name)

Ill give a few more.

Because if you Dont kill them, they will kill you! (especially if your on a crafter or miner) Try taking out a gargoyle when you have about 50 magery

Training if you dont want the boredom of a golem

The challenge - Ever try killing a para Cu or ancient Wyrm on a fighter or mage?

Getting the scrolls to train skills faster (alacrity from treasure hunting (gotta kill the monsters that spawn) Low levels of champ spawn that drop minors from paragons, as well as the scrolls of trancendence.

Like i said, of course you can just buy everything in the game, but there are still many good reasons to hunt.

2 and resources true
3 imbuing. It was outstanding. You had to go into the SA to get every imbuing ingredient and then they added crafting them or finding them in other ways. The imposed yet another way to circumvent monster bashing.

I agree getting scrolls is one way. The sheer volume of the items on the market (this is atlantic) circumvents have to do it own your own.

I can also make up my own reasons.

The one you said that is most interesting... is because they will kill you. Id like to see that be more of the game.

Imagine if we had dragons and orcs randomly raiding all the cities. Without warning. Without heads-up. Without safety zones. It would be reason to fight.

When you use the word circumvent it doesnt mean there isnt reason... it means you can easily get around it... (not directed to this poster)

I would like to have a reason to fight. UO has removed the need by creating to many alternatives.

Maybe I should spin this in a postive direction for those of you that dont like negative stuff.

What are some ways UO could expand the need to fight monsters that create a gain that can't be found elsewhere in game. A purpose that only can be achieved in a pitched battle with monsters. Not champs... All monsters, in all dungeons.

 

[Picus at the office]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. But you miss the point.

Key elements of the game have changed that circumvent the need to hunt and explore... as I listed.

EM events are lag events but they have replaced the need to explore.
We are told where to go.

Joining a guild is a good thing. My point is gold is easily had by those that give that make circumventing easy.

And Galen you can't disagree about how easy 80% of the skills are to master in a very short period of time. That in itself is a drastic change.

It isn't good or bad, I suppose, but the changes allow you to circumvent monsters and the rest to build skills or develop a character. Why are they needed now?

The game has really been dumbed down... And I leave myself open to that.

80% of the skills are easy to gain if you A) powergame them and B) follow the direction of players who spent years figuring out the best way to master the skills.

My guild doesn't give gold to newbs, if such a player was real.

EM events are structured to provide content for those that wish to join, no one says you have to.

Get off your chair and breath the fresh air if UO is such a chore.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

80% of the skills are easy to gain if you A) powergame them and B) follow the direction of players who spent years figuring out the best way to master the skills.

My guild doesn't give gold to newbs, if such a player was real.

EM events are structured to provide content for those that wish to join, no one says you have to.

Get off your chair and breath the fresh air if UO is such a chore.

Are you supporting my post or not?
Who said its a chore. Monster killing has been circumvented. You don't agree?

 

[Basara]

Let's see the assumptions being made here...

1. Most of my guildmates are constantly without gold.

2. I've been playing 8 years, and there are still areas I've never been to - and I'm constantly having issues with guildmates not knowing where certain places are, that most people are assumed to know. Some of them didn't even know where Nightmare spawn, even though 6 years ago, i was fighting Nightmares on their doorstep (and they owned the house then, too), outside Umbra, and their answer to "look in elemental canyon for the ki rin passage" was "where the heck is that?"

3. The only character I ever golem trained, was my lumberjack in the week before ML, so I could get access to the new woods by release day. I never practiced "Catch & release" taming (in fact, I would take the tames and fight with them till they died, before taming a new batch), and my bard's skill gains are all from use in the field. Granted, both the tamer and bard skills originally came from Advanced Character tokens, but the tokens themselves came as gifts from buying an expansion that came with them (was it 8th age or Gold?)

4. Just because PvPers don't see a need for monsters, doesn't mean the rest of us don't fight them with 70-90% of our game time. I personally don't see the need for non-con PvP.

 

[Smoot]

Raven i liked what you said about tougher monsters sometimes spawning in cities, "they got thru the gates," and would like to see tougher monsters spawn in at least some housing areas. I can think of only one area kinda like that right now, but its dangerous just because there a swarms and swarms of scorpions around all the houses. A player could choose between a "safe" area, and a dangerous one. Like i said the hardest thing i have to kill is probably gargoyles, and thats on non fighters.

I don't know, like you said players Can just buy everything you want to have, or obtain from quest or something.

In the end i guess as i would like to see more solid reasons for fighting off / hunting UO monsters, but (i'm probably a minority) hunting isnt the reason i play UO, theres so much else to do.

Good topic Raven

 

[Mongbat137]

RWH needs to just quit UO.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

I cant quit. I am having fun building a vendor commerce center. Come join the 60 vendors.


On a side note... UO did circumvent the need to hunt monsters.

 

[Dicimiie]

While I don't agree with how it was said exactly, I do have to agree with what was said. There is no reason to hunt monsters. Apart from those monsters that give special loot, what would be the reason to go out and hunt... say... mongbats. Even new players probably find mongbats a joke. So what's the point?

 

[[JD]]

There's no need for a veteran player to hunt a mongbat, they are meant for newbs. Newbs that don't exist any more because UO is not getting NEW subscribers because they don't advertise or have a product which competes with others out (but that's a different issue, and one I wish they would rectify)

There is tons of reason to hunt monsters, fun, challenge, special items, gems for imbuing, special ingredients for imbuin, elemental weapons, items to unravel for gains or ingredients, and yes even gold. Maybe you spend your RL money on gold but that's your problem for cheating yourself out of an experience.

 

[Smoot]

There's no need for a veteran player to hunt a mongbat, they are meant for newbs. Newbs that don't exist any more because UO is not getting NEW subscribers because they don't advertise or have a product which competes with others out (but that's a different issue, and one I wish they would rectify)

There is tons of reason to hunt monsters, fun, challenge, special items, gems for imbuing, special ingredients for imbuin, elemental weapons, items to unravel for gains or ingredients, and yes even gold. Maybe you spend your RL money on gold but that's your problem for cheating yourself out of an experience.

I kinda think there are new players still. At least i see a decent amount with Young status that have know idea what to do. Yeah they could be very low level scammers (is a mil and an lrc suit really worth the trouble?)

I think alot of them are the kids whos parents played, but were born after the game came out.

 

[Kiminality]

You say it like it's a bad thing.
Killing monsters is one of many means to some of many ends.

Besides, by selling items to players, you're circumventing their need to hunt monsters to get those items

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

You say it like it's a bad thing.
Killing monsters is one of many means to some of many ends.

Besides, by selling items to players, you're circumventing their need to hunt monsters to get those items

Yeah thats right. I am circumventing by using what UO has created. Sort of like waiting. All the new items from fishing. Inexpensive. Treasure chests inexpensive.

Now I do still dip the seas and dig earth and get some nice items occassionally.

And I do other things.

The statement of circumvention is just to point it out. Even brain new players have no reason to hunt mongbats or low end monsters. To see the realms yes. For purpose no.

Anyway... I am done with this thread. I was for thought vs. telling me to quit (hehe).

 

[Goldberg-Chessy]

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

I have been afk approx one year and can't believe what I am reading lol.

Raven used to be one of the most fervent UO cheerleaders in existence.

To see him/her reduced to this bitter, whining rant is quite enjoyable I must admit.

Don't like what you see lately? Feeling the game personally owes you something?
Maybe it's time to just quiet down & get out?

*shakes head*

 

[[JD]]

I wish we could see more (young) players. Haven't seen a single one on Sonoma in months. I see people making newbs but they are named things like ROXXORZ JOO, obviously someone's future pvp'er or mule...

 

[LordDrago]

Actually, isn't the essence of UO one that is you have never needed to hunt monsters?

I remember when I 1st started, I went the majority of a year playing almost exclusively, my smith/tailor. At the time he had no magery, and was quite content working away in Minoc, running to the cave (sometimes with a packy) mining, smelting, etc. I found that quite enjoyable as i enjoy working my various templates up "naturally", as they go about there "lives". However, to each their own.

I have yet to clean my UO plate as it were. I have never completed the library I would like to have, with all the runebook possibilities. Or the museum I have envisioned. So much to do, so little time.

 

[Gunga_Din]

You can do what i'm planning. Just use GM weapons and armor with not modifiers and dropping all skills to GM. Then i'm gonna just hit legacy dungeons and see how well I do.

I don't need tangles, crimsons or anything. Just my GM Sword and Armor. Might even wear all platemail !!

DCI , HCI, who cares? I'm just gonna be doing old monsters anyway. I'm pretty much making a Classic Character since we don't have a classic shard.

The EM events? Pointless, the stories suck and most of the time its a few uber mobs that everyone tries to get looting rights on. How about just having an orc invasion and have drops on random low level orcs?

UO is going down the...... Well u know what i mean.