Could anyone briefly summarise how the UO style of MMO differs to EQ and its derivatives?
Imagine being a part of a world where you could lose absolutely everything you were carrying on you if another player decided he didn't like your face and just felt like murdering you where you stood..."Corp Por, Kal Vas Flam, Corp Por" and you're dead
(those were spells from UO btw
). Now also imagine growing up in that kind of world. The absolute fear of leaving the guard zone for the first time. Getting yourself hopelessly lost in an endless forest, trying to find your way back to the city that you left only a few moments earlier. Encountering other players going about their business, mining near the mountains, or chopping down trees. Sailing away on a ship, treasure hunting, or visiting the lost lands to tame bulls to get your skill higher. Stumbling across a dungeon for the first time, only to realise it is the one they call "Destard" and it is full of Drakes and Dragons that only want one thing: their next meal. Trying to find your corpse with no map information, and only your mind trying to recall where you were when you actually died. Having a moongate opened in town to a "shop" which actually teleports you to the poison room or Balron room in Hythloth. If you died in either one of these, you might as well forget about everything you had on your body, as it used to be nearly impossible to retrieve everything (you had to drag each item across into your bag from your corpse, so not easy when you were carrying a lot of stuff like reagents, potions, pouches etc.). Standing at Brit bank whilst trying to move something valuable into the bank, only to notice too late "You notice so-and-so trying to peek into your belongings" and then you find that valuable item is no longer there. Damn thieves! Your first ever visit to the crossroads! (UO veterans will know what this means
)
Then imagine surviving all of that, because you realise that there is so much more to this world than you can get elsewhere. Become whatever you want. You can so easily flip all of the above around as an experienced player and do it yourself. Scam houses from other players by trading in a special, non-exploited way that is totally in-line with the game rules. Hunt those player killers alone, or with friends. Crawl the dungeons as a large group, taking down those that prey on the newer characters visiting these dungeons. Steal from the rich and give to the poor, i.e yourself! Purchase the house of your dreams, at the location of your dreams, and set up your own shop selling items that you've made. PvP naked, with only your weapon to minimise your losses if you were to die. Choose from up to 7 grand master skills out of over 30, and create the character customised to your own playstyle ( I had a Lumberjack Warrior, as it provided a bonus to my axe attacks when I PvPed. I could also chop down trees for wood to sell if I felt the need
). Taming your first dragon, and then setting it upon another player. Sit back and watch the carnage! Sit around in your Guild house with your fellow Guild members, retelling stories of countless experiences in such a diverse, open world. Hunt dragons, visit the Balron in Hythloth that you suffered at the hand of many times before, and teach him a lesson he'll never forget.
Honestly, the list is so endless. I could write so much about how this game was the absolute best MMO experience someone could possibly have.
There are plenty of free shards out there, but none have the same amount of players that the official shards had when UO was in its prime. Such a shame when developers can't be bothered to listen to their valued playerbase, and they make changes that very few actually want. They end up killing the game, and people like me are forced to find other, sub-par experiences. I wish UO was still as good as it once was. I'd sure as hell still be playing it today if it was.
