Why UO will never grow

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

Yup... and the people who 'know" hot to talk to a certain NPC to get "answers" does not have to report it all... he can only share it with certain people, thus highly enhancing the cooperative gameplay and community feelings.

Even that I think is besides the point ! Point is, UO was plastified and offered as a product, while it was alive. Thats why it won't grow.

Have you guys ever forgot to water a plant in the middle of summer ? You'll notice it stops growing, oh it will stay alive... but it will never grow much again.

I have a dream... in which the people come as one. I know you might have heard it many times, but direct support is required. A king is required.

Do you all think the government will exist and shut me up forever ? The government like any "good" think, eventually come to an end. And I'll still be here, as violentless and as jealously lusty of a "normal" brain.

 

[Capt.E]

I don't even know what you just posted. I earnestly tried to understand it. I read it twice. I'm pretty certain you don't even know what it says or means.

 

[Arafel Ilianna]

Hail All and Well Met!

At the risk of being flamed, abused, vilified, or, worst of all ignored, I thought I would add my lengthy but humble thoughts...

First of all, consider the title of this thread, "Why UO will never grow." When I read that, I think to myself... "Does it matter...?"

I seem to be hearing in this thread that the average computer gamer these days is someone who:

- Is only satisfied with increasingly spectacular graphics and special effects;
- Has the attention span of a second grader;
- Can't be separated from his/her cell phone without experiencing debilitating mental trauma;
- Wants everything handed to them, everything explained to them, and, essentially, everything DONE for them;
- Is not interested in, or capable of, concentrating on the simple tasks necessary to thrive in the REAL world, let alone a gaming world...

One post claimed that anyone under 30 would NEVER pursue UO if they first saw a screen shot of the game.

Another proclaimed that, without a glossy box featuring fantastic fantasy artwork sitting on a store shelf somewhere, Ultima Online is simply doomed!

There are all sorts of theories offered as to why UO will or won't grow, why it will or won't last, and what needs to be fixed for it to have even the slightest relevance to the gaming world.

There were many points made, some of which I agreed with, some of which I scoffed at, and some of which ACTUALLY caused me to LOL!

So, allow me to offer my own little bit of white noise to this cacophony of sound (and these thoughts are in no particular relevance):

1.) I have played UO for about 7.5 years. Between the game, itself, my Internet connection, and the interactions I have experienced with other gamers, there have been times when UO has frustrated me beyond tears, made me laugh until my sides hurt, made me concentrate until my head hurt, put me to sleep, woke me up, inspired me, made me stand up and cheer, and even made me do the "I finally got a pink tombstone" dance. I can't think of too many other outlets for entertainment that I can say that about--in fact, not one;

2.) I could fill several pages of Stratics Forum Boards with things I would fix, or that I would, at least, like a reason for--in fact, over the years, I HAVE filled several pages. I would never presume to pretend that UO is perfect. We ALL know that it is NOT perfect. I would submit to you, however, that if you have played this game for more than a year, and still plan to keep playing, you are not only okay with the imperfections--you sort of expect them. Most of us even have a fondness for a few of them--who among us, for example, wasn't relieved to hear that the Purple Llama flaw wouldn't be fixed?!

3.) Not everyone cheats. In fact, in my time playing, I believe that I have largely been able to avoid cheaters. Have I ever been duped or scammed or abused or ripped-off? Sure. Are there major jerks that play UO and prey on any exposed weakness? Absolutely. Are the bad eggs the rule rather than the exception? Certainly NOT.

4.) If you made a list of all of the computer games that are still played after ten years in existence, you would probably have a pretty short list. There have not been too many movies that still draw fans if they are released ten years later... (I can only think of a handful). How many television shows last longer than ten years? Yes--there are certainly examples of long-standing entertainment survivors--I am not suggesting that there aren't. But, the simple truth is, most new games don't last long. They fade away. Some have such brief lifespans that the stores can't even sell the initial production runs. Entertainment outlets are a fickle thing. Look at the music industry for example. Can anyone out there think of a one-hit wonder? Of course! Not everyone has the staying power of AC/DC. Or Tim McGraw. Or Beethoven. The same is true for TV shows, romance novels, professional athletes, and, yes, computer games. I would say, if the game is holding its ground, nobody should have anything to complain about. If you subscribe to the theory that the monthly fees we all pay to play UO, (coupled with purchases of new expansions and fun items from the UO Game Code store), ACTUALLY support this game (which they must, or it would go the way of the VCR rather quickly), then you must realize that UO is doing fine. Growing? Maybe not. Holding its ground now and into the future? You can bet on it. Why?

5.) Because this game IS for the more mature players who can get by with less-than-WoW graphics, and THEY have the jobs and the money to keep on paying to play. They appreciate the quirks and the problems almost as much as the new content, the challenge of a completely non-linear environment, and the joy of figuring things out. Incidentally, a good friend of mine saw UO for the first time at age 22. She is still playing. I helped a twelve-year-old [Young] player for six hours two days ago--and he's still loving every minute of UO. You don't have to be "over 30" to tolerate the less-than-stunning graphics. There is more to THIS game than meets the eye!

6.) For EVERYONE I know that plays this game, it's not about cheating, or griefing anyone, or making RL cash, or anything else sinister. It's about fun, the joy of discovery, the triumph of finally hitting "Legendary (insert skill here)," and the agony of the dirt nap. If you don't understand all of that, then you probably can't understand why UO endures.

7.) This is a simple equation, really. If you don't like it, don't play it. That's all there is to it. For those of us that DO continue to play, we know that there is enough there that makes this game different and special and--let's face it--OURS-- that we will likely be there when they do finally close Sosaria down for good. UO can't compete with the graphics of newer games, and it shouldn't attempt to. Any Dev Team member or designer who is reading this should try to understand that many folks play the 2D Classic Client because it is more stable, exhibits less lag, demonstrates greater accuracy and precision, and, well, frankly because some of the monsters look just plain silly in the Enhanced Client! (See also: hiryu, giant (blue) beetle, puny looking greater dragons, skittering hopper, etc.) Whatever the case, though, please don't log on to the Stratics Boards just to bash the game. If you have constructive criticism to offer--that's one thing--but, really, what is the purpose of creating a thread called "Why UO will never grow," anyway? Are you going to stop playing it? Do you think if you sound disapproving enough that all of your gripes and concerns will immediately be addressed? I mean, really...what's your point?

8.) I help young players all the time and agree that it is a vital part of keeping our game alive. I am the leader of a guild on Lake Superior that is dedicated as part of its written charter to helping those in need--especially the [Young] ones. I would encourage others to do this--it was done for me long ago, and it just seems like the best way to "pay it forward"--not to mention being the right thing to do. It has also earned me a lot of friends, given my guild a solid reputation, and helped a LOT of folks enjoy what others before them have enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) about UO;

9.) I have found that most people who enjoy UO and continue to play it DON'T want everything handed to them on a silver platter. Do I have conclusive statistics to offer you or verifiable proof of this observation? Of course not. But, at least in my experience, self-reliance has been the (refreshing) norm.

The hour is late and I've rambled on as I will often tend to do, but I would just conclude that UO is a great game--flaws and all--and it WILL survive as long as great people continue to play it, great people continue to support it (both paid and unpaid), and great adventure continues to beckon from its many lands!

UO may never grow... but it doesn't matter, it is a force unto itself!

Lady Arafel Ilianna
Guildmistress, Lords and Ladies Guild
Lake Superior Shard

"Look at me--judge me by my size do you? ...And well you should NOT! For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is!"

-Yoda to Luke Skywalker, The Empire Strikes Back

 

[Trebr Drab]

If you have constructive criticism to offer--that's one thing--but, really, what is the purpose of creating a thread called "Why UO will never grow," anyway? Are you going to stop playing it? Do you think if you sound disapproving enough that all of your gripes and concerns will immediately be addressed? I mean, really...what's your point?

Ok, since you are asking this directly of the OP, which is me, I'll clue you in.

First of all, I'm a little tired of being accused of being a senseless complainer. I have a point to make in every complaint, and I consider each one a constructive criticism.

Secondly, whether or not I continue to play it doesn't matter to the points. They are points.

Thirdly, "Do you think if you sound disapproving enough that all of your gripes and concerns will immediately be addressed? I mean, really...what's your point?"
This is based on what other gamers said about UO. I showed you that. It happens to be the same feeling that I have about it and have been saying for some time. UO is powergamer heavy by design now. This obviously is because they have attempted to keep existing players more than they have strived to bring in new. It's a natural course for any game, as it ages, if the Designers and Devs aren't careful. A sandbox games has a much better chance to avoid this by it's nature, as many other gamers have been calling for on other boards for the last year with "move sideways instead of up".
So my point is obvious.

And I felt the need to respond despite that obvious point because of the syrupy insult that I would do so thinking that my "disapproving" sound would make a difference and my "gripes and concerns" would be addressed just because of lil' old me.
Syrupy. If it's not maple, don't bring it.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

...

You, too, are looking at UO from a perspective of a veteran player. You seem satisfied with the fact that UO population won't grow noticably.

Considering variations of every shard, the average number of active players on a shard is rather low. To my opinion, too low to get a real MMORPG feeling. And too low to say, "what we have is sufficient". A lot of the game entertainment depends on player interaction. With the current player base, the interaction is VERY limited. Being satisfied with such low player numbers is similar to letting the game die.

Today, already many players play UO like it were a single player game. But the strength of UO doesn't lie in its mini-games and sandbox-systems, but in the opportunity of player interaction. (Unfortunately, some of this opportunity has already been killed by splitting the world into Trammel and Felucca, but that's a different issue.)

I'm convinced that UO NEEDS new players badly, and thus somebody has to come up with ideas of how to attract PC gamers to a game with fantastic and unique content but lousy graphics.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I'm convinced that UO NEEDS new players badly, and thus somebody has to come up with ideas of how to attract PC gamers to a game with fantastic and unique content but lousy graphics.

Exactly. And my point is that new players come into UO and soon see the very, very long road to "respectability". They also are hit with the lack of companions. Existing elite players helping them aren't enough. In fact, it helps to show them just how long their journey is. Now, keep in mind that most of these newer players are not powergamers. All the powergamers have made their decisions by now, and are in a game of their choice. New players are much more likely to be casual, with far less time to play that a powergamer.

So they arrive in Sosaria, have few others like them to play with, and find out the following...
They have to first GM their skills of choice. At later stages, this becomes something that relies on the guaranteed point per day.
Then they have to get powerscrolls. For the best skills these are worth more than they can make in weeks of adventuring, for each one.
"Hundreds of thousands of gold for just one? Are you kidding me?"
And that's even if they can find them for sale.


So they soon find out that placing a vendor and selling things is a way to make money. The best things to sell are either:
1) Hard to get from spawns unless you are scrolled out and have all the finest in gear. These guys are hunting Earth Ele's and Ettins, not the MOBs that drop valuable stuff.
2) You can make stuff! "Wait, you have to do wha?? to get those runic kits? Are you kidding me? I play a few hours a night, not all freakin' day!"

Now, granted there are ways and choices to make good gold and move along quicker. But many of them don't know these ways, and sometimes these are different choices than what they want to make.


And then again, it feels lonely out there. All those houses, where's all the players? The lack of social game play is another issue that I've hammered on. But no one seems to want to hear it. Fine. UO doesn't get many new players that stay. Unless the existing player base that's been pampered to over the years to keep them here will accept these obvious facts, things won't change. And then there's the Devs and powers that be.

 

[Belmarduk]

The irony is that every MMO suffers from this. The longer it's around, the more content there is, the harder it is for beginning players to get involved in those necessary group learning experiences that help you develop an interest in the game early on.

Even WoW suffers from this... Sure, you can get someone to run you through all of the low-end instances and get you to level 80 in under three weeks. And those very same people that sped you along will then complain about the fact that you don't know your way around instancing. Which, of course, you would have learned had you gone through the game the hard way -- which would be extremely hard due to the lower number of low-level, inexperienced characters.

It's just the way things go.

So, uh, Trebr... can I politely suggest playing the game rather than complaining how it's never going to grow? I mean, the game could grow... if enough attention were put into it in certain areas. "Fixing the economy" isn't going to be one of them. Reducing or deciding not to put in new content isn't the other one.

I mean, you do realize that without "bigger and better," the existing playerbase, yourself included, would have died off in 1999 or 2000? The game HAS to improve by adding new stuff to it simply so that existing players who have done it all continue to have something to do. Otherwise, UO would have a shelf-life of the average console game.

I must contradict you here:
If a Mmo is handled right it will continue to prosper.
Eve-Online is the ONLY game that has a certain age (2003..) AND is still growing.
Even WoW has probably seen its peak.

How is this done?:
1. A commited dev-team that obviously really cares for their game.
2. A management which lets the devs etc do their job
3. NOT from EA
4. Has NOTHING to do with EA..
5. Churns out new content twice a year (free expansion!) without overloading anything
6. Balances things carefully without breaking stuff
7. If things go the wrong way they correct as fast as possible.
8. Keeps updating graphics,hardware (most powerful and fast servercluster hardware of ALL MMo currently )and New Player Experience.
9. Lets the playerbase have a certain word aswell (CSM)
10.Pure sandbox
11. Totally playerdriven economy.
12.One game world - eg No shards
11. Game does NOT belong EA or a subcompany of EA...
etc etc
Greetings Belmarduk

 

[Arafel Ilianna]

All (especially Trebr, hawkeye, and Belmarduk):

I get what you're saying, and I'm not saying you're wrong. The point of my post was to illustrate that UO is NOT all bad, that it IS enduring, and that it DOES have many qualities. My biggest point of all was and is please don't bash the game without offering real, viable solutions--and my sincere apologies if I touched any nerves there!

Belmarduk offers a list of what should be done, and I applaud this effort. I would point out that Eve-Online offers a completely different genre (which is not a criticism--it's just to say that it's not an even substitute for UO), it's FAR newer than UO, (and was, thus, naturally able to benefit from greatly newer technology from the get-go), and finally that, it too will reach it's high-water mark someday--that is simply the nature of the beast.

I agree that UO suffers by being a property of EA. This is clearly illustrated in the loss of one great staff of UO-dedicated dev-team members after another. The bugs haven't all been worked out of SA yet--but still the dev-team gets canned and the poor souls left behind are expected to manage not only UO but Warhammer and Age of Camelot, too. UO obviously supports itself, or it would be gone--this is just EA trying to cut costs and corners, and it’s to the detriment of both the game and its players.

It would be interesting to see the worldwide enrollment numbers for all of the MMORPGs that have been released over the lifetime of Ultima Online, with UO's numbers offered as well for comparison. I think that if one were to graphically plot the numbers for every game, you would see distinctive bell curves. The better, more enduring games (UO included) would level out and stay steady at the back end of the curve--the others would still show a decline (or will have dropped to zero if the game went away altogether). This would serve to illustrate the simple fact that it's hard to keep people hooked...

We've all heard the expression, "You can please SOME of the people SOME of the time..." and this certainly applies to online gaming scenarios. We live in a world of instant gratification, where the mainstream is interested only in who's left on the island, which team is still dancing, and who the next idol is. If it’s not faced-paced and glitzy and relevant to THEM, they are not interested. We all have cell phones, Blackberrys, Facebook, Twitter, ICQ (and similar instant messaging services), land lines, snail mail, pagers, and about 100 other ways to keep connected that I am sure I've failed to mention here--and yet we are more disconnected than ever. "Keeping in touch" today means sending endless texts and forwarding the latest jokes in your Email inbox. It's pretty hard for ANY online game to compete with that sort of "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" pressure.

I disagree that UO stumbles and sputters simply because of its graphics. My computer is very new and very powerful and can run any game out there flawlessly, including the enhanced client or WoW. But, I find no reason to learn a new interface, and the flaws and frustrations I find in the enhanced client just don't make it worth leaving the classic client behind for me. But, hey, I get that this is my opinion, and that everyone's got one. Some folks love the enhanced client, and that’s great too—more retention of players that way!

If UO was split away from EA and was served by a stable, dedicated staff, THAT would be a step in the right direction.

If it were easier to obtain certain items in the game (like power and stat scrolls) that would help.

If the game was gently but firmly nudged away from a game of RL economics (i.e., power gamers looking to make real cash), and more toward a game where people could just play and enjoy themselves, that would help, too.

The people who stay in UO enjoy the multi-layered complexity of it. They enjoy the non-linear environment that allows them to do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it. Newcomers are completely amazed that they can craft or earn just about everything imaginable in the game. They are stunned by the available number of skills, and the ability to suddenly forgo unwanted skills in midstream and take a character in a whole new direction. They are awed by being able to place and design houses, and tame and ride pets.

It would be great if more veteran players would help newcomers. I recognize that newcomers are often put off by the complexity of the game. But, I still stand by the opinion that people who are willing to accept the challenge and to "work" at figuring things out, employ a bit of trial and error, and just jump into the game will continue to bring new faces to the game. Not everyone out there fits my previous description of the mainstream--there are still some people who enjoy being challenged and using their brains. There are still gamers who don't want everything handed to them upon arrival, and who don't whine when they haven't made their first million after a week of play. THESE are the players we need--and the players that we continue to get.

Hawkeye feels that we need more players. The cities and houses feel empty, and the player interaction is sadly limited. And I agree! I am NOT satisfied with our current enrollment numbers--my previous post was merely suggesting that I don't see UO going anywhere--our enrollment numbers are holding steady. But yes--who WOULDN'T want to have zillions of new players come to play every day--and then stick around for the long haul? But, as we always will tend to do in such a circular argument, we come back to the same starting point--WHY do games (UO included) experience the drop-off in interest that they do? What can be done to keep them vibrant and full of new (and old) faces?

Here are my suggestions:
1.) Install a Dev/Design Team that has the skill and talent necessary to create visually appealing, intellectually stimulating, challenging, and enjoyable game content. Once they are in place, KEEP them there, and insure that they have the tools and resources that they need to do their jobs. Let them focus on UO only. Period. Replace staff vacancies quickly with new talent;

2.) Include a live 24/7 support staff that actually... um... SUPPORTS! People that can and WILL answer questions are far better at minimizing frustration than being referred to an online database that has no relevant information related to that current problem you're having! Who here hasn't waited hours (literally) for a GM to respond to a help page and offer a hand in the game--only to be referred to the database without ever being allowed to even ask a question? The "HELP" button in those instances just...doesn't help at all! If the solution is to round up veteran players and ask them to volunteer their time to help answer the questions and cries for help that come in, then so be it. The volunteer team could screen out the easy stuff, and turn over the real challenges to paid staff--but the key here would be that people who ask for help actually get it. It's an old concept called CUSTOMER SERVICE! We pay to play—thus, customer service should be a given!

3.) If you need to raise the price to offer a better package, do so. Now, hang on--don't go burning me in effigy (or in reality!) just yet! Hear me out! What I am saying is that I bet MOST players would be willing to fork over one extra buck a month IF a truly better game was the result. This MUST BE a two-way street to work--we'll pay the extra dollar, but we want to see fixes made, help and support that works, and other tangible results. If you're just raising the price to then pay real improvements lip service, don't bother--that will just drive players away in droves!

4.) Make critical items to character advancement more easily obtainable. I agree with Trebr that hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of gold pieces for a power or stat scroll is outrageous--and that is from my so-called "veteran perspective," to boot! There can still be plenty of challenge left in the game, and plenty of OTHER juicy rewards for defeating champion spawns!

5.) Offer incentives for veteran players to help and support newer ones. This was once a proposed objective of the Virtue system--and that is just one way to rekindle an idea whose time is LONG overdue!

6.) Do whatever it takes (and this is HUGE) to get rid of illegal scripting and all other forms of cheating both in PvP and in other in-game situations;

7.) Make the Dev and Support team responsive and communicative. I am browsing vendors in Luna and see something shiny and unusual. I am reluctant to buy it, for it may be illegal, and will either be nurfed or removed down the road. Worse yet, I could be punished for owning it. The trouble is, I have NO IDEA if it's truly a bad thing--or just very rare--and I have no EASY way of finding out, either! It should be easy to learn what practices are forbidden (e.g., "Is it illegal to buy gold?"), what actions are considered to be exploits (e.g., Really? I can MAKE WHITE cloth?), and if an item is legal. UO has long maintained that it can't tell us what the bugs and exploits are because then we will all attempt to duplicate them. This is just plain silly. People are more apt to inadvertently do something wrong if there is no way to know for certain what is acceptable and what is not. Enforce the rules (I loved the ruined burning houses that appeared for the cheaters many months ago) and you won't have a problem with cheaters. We have lamented that people don't stay in UO. Want to know a big reason for that? UO, like any other social interaction, is a form of relationship. And the number one requirement for a healthy relationship is COMMUNICATION. EA and the peeps behind UO need to become MUCH better at open, honest communication. It's not always ugly hairy stuff, either. For example, it would have been nice to have two sentences placed on the Herald that "the Five on Friday feature was being suspended due to staffing shortages," or some such. Hello! Is that so hard??

8.) Continue adding great new content, including new things for established skill sets (e.g., craters) to do, tasks that are specifically aimed at certain neglected skills, tricks, traps, puzzles and challenges. Add more quests, including ones that have multiple outcomes. Add new player races, pets, and monsters. Note that none of this requires an updated client or graphics card, either!

9.) Continue to fully support both the 2D Classic Client and the new Enhanced (SA) Client. Fix things that are fixable. Communicate when things are beyond fixing (there are just some things that 2D can't be made to do). Make those improvements and fixes that have been hinted at or promised (like making ALL similar items stackable, balancing the PvP system, clearing out the cheaters, and so forth). Post regular updates that detail what is being worked on and what the timetable is for completion;

10.) Play to your strengths. How many games do you know of where you can place and design a house?? Improve those tile sets--add more choices, flesh out the roof sets and the wall sets so that more building combinations and configurations are possible, add functionality to various tiles (how about a working drawbridge?), and so on. Crafting in UO is like no other game. How about adding more things for players to make? (Hello bardings for horses and greater dragons? Horse caparisons? More furniture/weapon/armor options?) Find out what the players LOVE about UO and capitalize on them--whatever those things are. SA is a great expansion that came with a lot of thought and detail, and did a good job to playing to UOs strengths--even in some of the ways suggested here (like more house tiles). Keep it up--and remember that we don't need to wait four years for every new thing to come along. For example, the charcoal colored tile set that Umbra is constructed from could be made available to players by the end of next week! No new artwork needed! How easy is THAT? Talk about your low-hanging fruit!

11.) Have a VIABLE place for people to offer suggestions, get questions answered, and give feedback. This goes hand-in-hand with number 7), above. We want to know that our questions and comments are heard. We want responses and information--even if the answer is "hey, good thought, but we just can't do it because...," or "nice idea, we'll keep it in mind," or "it's on our list, but it's gonna' be awhile."

12.) Finally, (and we ALL need to keep this in mind), keep the game as open and flexible as possible. Some people who play are students, some are teens on summer vacation, some are power gamers who rise and sleep with the server maintenance schedule, some are professionals who get in ten minutes a day between meetings, and most are real people with real lives and families and obligations and jobs. If the only way to get a cool something is to be a power gamer (or to pay a power gamer dearly for the cool something), then it might be time for a correction to be made. If the only thieves who can ever steal a saddle are the ones standing in Doom at the right spot the moment the server comes up, that's an issue. (Possible solution: make the time AND location of the rare spawn random!) If only the kid sitting at his computer all day and night can be the ultimate PvPer, then balance and change MUST occur. People will just simply not play if they feel that they are getting an unfair shake, being cheated, or being excluded.

Keep the fun coming, and thanks, all, for the great discussion!

Lady Arafel Ilianna
Guildmistress, Lords and Ladies Guild
Lake Superior Shard

 

[Black Majick]

I started a few characters this year from scratch giving them no money, But they did have an 18x18 on Zento (Okay okay, So not every noobie has that). Anyway, I trained a mule and an alchemist, grew plants and with SA sold Staining Dyes and plenty of other resources at the Zento plot. I also made a mage and did champion spawns with a guild.

8 months later I have plenty of gold (Talking 25 million +).

Point of this story? A noobie can make money, Ignore my Zento plot, Make a mage instead, buy a cheap Imbued LRC suit with hunting gold, Join a guild and you'll soon make money.

You must be a very good powergamer.

LOL...Or you can just spend 4 hours a week hunting dragons in fel for hides....2k a pop or so with just gold and gems..plus the 40+ hides at 100gp each (can sell on most shards in luna for that) and you got 6k a dragon average. Where I hunt, I can get 3k+ per hour plus gold and gems...so...3k hides even going with 40 per drag...average of 150k gold and gems and hour plus 300k in hides...450k in an hour...not bad considered can farm it with a vamp form archer..ABC Archer...sampire...tamer...chiv dexer...I mean...there are more effective templates, but an okay suit of armor and a dragon slayer or a dragon..easy money..

Now...4 days a week at 450k...that around 2m a week average...how weeks are in 8 months..lets say 32...32 weeks at 2m each week...64m...

In conclusion.....you dont have to be a power gamer to make millions..you have to be able to put a bit of time to doing something alot of folks find fun..monster bashing.... just 4 hours a week willmake you a millionaire..I would hate to see what the power gamers could do....2 hours a night...7 days a week..OMG!! Thats 224m in 8 months!

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

You guys remember this ?

By now you will have probably heard of the large demonstration that took place on Atlantic by Lake Superior players upset with the repeated breakdown of their shard. And you have probably also heard of OSI's 'solution' (i.e. to ban everyone there). Well normally I try to deal with issues in a humorous way but this one just stuck in my craw so here's my take on the whole mess.

Now I don't want to get off on a rant here.... Wait! Yes I do. Frankly there is one thing that disturbs me greatly about that recent protest by the Lake Superior players. And it is NOT the fact that they gathered on Atlantic and protested - it is the other people who came on the boards like a bunch of old women who just found out their Bingo night was cancelled, and dis'd the LS players for their action. If the protestors could have made their point on LS, I am sure they would have, but the trouble was LS was down - repeatedly down. So they took the next course of action available to them. They picked another shard (I believe that even under the notorious TOS [terms of service] we are still are allowed to create characters on any shard) and protested there. Some of you who were so quick to speak out against that minor inconvenience (i.e. Lag … like that is something new) to the Atlantic Players, should really give your heads a hard shake. For Pete's sake, we are supposed to be a community here! These are your fellow players! If Pacific was dying more often than ImaNewbie at a PK convention in Felucca, like LS has been lately, I would be considering exactly the same action. The right to assembly and peaceful protest is not one to be dismissed lightly, especially with the lame defense that OSI is a corporation and, as such, can do whatever the hell they like. OSI's knee-jerk, "Get out the Batons and Pepper Spray!" reaction to ban everyone who was standing there was Draconian, excessive and frankly stupid. All the "My UO's" in the world ain't gonna mean diddley if players feel they have no voice in this supposedly ever-expanding multiverse. If there was a few people there acting up and not behaving responsibly, then answer me this. When have you ever been to any event of any size in UO when there were not people there for the sole purpose of being dorks and ruining whatever was being attempted? Was that reason to ban every person there? Hell, Lord British himself couldn't even hold a gathering without being ganked by someone looking to be noticed, (Raine?) way back in the early days of the game. My point here is that instead of jumping on the 'let's all kiss up to OSI bandwagon', try and understand the frustration and helpless feeling of the LS players when day after day, hour after hour, the game they have worked hard to build characters in, and are paying good money for, is acting just about as reliable as a ten year old Yugo. And don't give me that crap about they could move to another shard. It takes months, in many cases years to build up the characters, friendships, and all the rest that goes with playing in a game like UO for any length of time. Going on Test Center and creating a 7X gm just don't do it. So next time, people - Have a little goddamn compassion for your fellow players. Because, next time it could be your shard that's in the dumpster. The North American players should feel especially saddened by this. In both Canada and the United States we have a fine tradition of Freedom of Speech and Assembly that needs to be protected at all costs. To say this does not apply to UO because it is a Corporation and for some reason therefore immune, is ludicrous. UO bills itself in its advertising as a community of players and, as such, must be prepared to listen to the assembled voice of those players (in-game and out), and take their lumps when events reach a breaking point as they have in the case of Lake Superior.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.... (apologies to Dennis Miller)

later…Tryon

One more thing, here is a little quote for you:

The only way to make sure people you agree
with can speak is to support the rights of
people you don't agree with.

~ Eleanor Holmes Norton ~

 

[georgemarvin2001]

1. No new box in what, 3 years?
2. The UO Herald playguide isn't very good. You can't find most of the info you need. UO needs to just junk the whole thing and write a whole new, up-to-date playguide that doesn't have some info in it that was outdated 10 years ago. Maybe make a wiki-style playguide that gives us players an in-game incentive to contribute.
3. The armor and weapons system is so confusing that looting even gives us veterans a headache trying to figure out out whether any of the 50 pieces of loot on a mid-level monster is worth looting. Mostly, we just take the gold and don't bother getting out the calculator.
4. It's hard to make a matching suit of anything; we all have to use an ugly mishmash of leather, studded, plate and wood to make one suit with decent specs. Then we have to throw a robe on top of that. Pre-AOS, most mages just wore tailor-made clothes. Some people would change clothes every day. People would show off their suits of invulnerability or valorite suits by Old Hippy or Hephaestus at the Brit bank.
5. The new EC needs to be changed so it doesn't hurt our eyes if we play an hour or so. "Makes my eyes bleed" shouldn't be one of the common user complaints about the new graphics.
6. Most of us are playing on at least a dual core processor with 2 gb of ram. There may be a half-dozen people still playing on ancient computers, but most of us could handle a lot better graphics than the old client provides. But the EC just isn't very appealing to the majority of us. An energy vortex has a bright white light blinking in our eyes. The grass looks strange. Things aren't smooth like the old client. There is an offset when we die; we may have to run over the water to the side of the bridge to get to town and rez when we did at the sliths. The numbers for health, stamina and mana are so little when you drag them into a hotbar, that I have to lean forward to look at them, in the middle of combat. NOT good for PvP. And there isn't any way that I could see to make an easily readable status bar with them in it. It's put them in the hotbar or nothing. The contrast may be too high; when I play for a while, then take a nap, my eyes stick closed. I have found that I log into the EC after I die, if I am in Abyss and don't know exactly where my corpse is, then once I rez, I have to log out and change back to the classic client, then play with the cc until I die again, or kill something with a ton of loot, then log into the new client to see what to loot, then back into the old client.

That's not to say that the EC doesn't have some good features. The new atlas map is GREAT. I like the graphics that let me find my corpse easily. Some of the updated monsters look good. The zoom feature is fantastic. Compartmentalized looting is great, IF we could keep our classic packs and still use it. I have to switch back and forth, or all my stuff will be packed at the very top of my pack when I log back into the CC. Once I got the hang of the hotbars, I was able to scatter spells all over my screen just like I can with the old client. Took a few days and asking people till I found somebody who had figured it out and told me how, but now it only takes a minute or two to do the same thing that I can do instantly in the old client by just dragging and dropping them. Unfortunately, there's no way to lock them, so I have to repeat the process if I accidentally delete them.

In short, UO needs:
1. A new box on shelves
2. A new, comprehensive play guide.
3. Make the EC better.
4. Simplify the armor and weapons system, get rid of the stats on robes, and make artifacts and crafted armor suits that MATCH. When they did the "alter" thing for gargoyles, it was a great idea. Just make it so that players can take artifacts in to an NPC,and for a price, they can make that rune beetle carapace either leather, plate, wood, etc.; they would soon have matching suits that aren't garishly ugly. Imbuing is going to help in that regard; I'm starting to see some dragon armor, invasion suits, etc. being imbued. Unfortunately, the bank in Luna is too small for the old open bazaars that we used to have at Brit West.