Shouldnt UO be free now?

Averno

Considering the game is somewhere around 70 years old and the servers are probably just as dated, considering also that the population has plummeted..

Isnt it about time that EA gave up on actually charging people to still play?

I'm not saying its a bad game (actually I am) but its like watching a 70yr old or handicapped kid running in a marathon, you feel great that they've kept going but.. Maybe they should stop trying to compete with the other serious competition.

Or at least they could say.. Well if you have a Warhammer Online account then you can play UO free.

obii

UO must be doing well to charge the same as wow.

 

Little-Nemo

The current monthly subscription fee is $12.99. I get charged tax so it like $14.00 somthing. Though I think its worth $15.00. It's what I would pay to go to the movies twice. I don't think it's a bad game for being something like 10 years old. The new Stygian Abyss client does not look that bad.

Giddian

I never liked the game, and wouldn't play it even if it was free

talismen351

So the game is old...it probibly costs them very little to keep up the servers. Probibly a small dev team workin on the updates n such. So I imagine there is very little costs to keep UO going. Why do they keep charging people a monthly fee? Well isn't it obvious? People will pay! As long as the game is bringing in money, there is nothing to loose. As long as they are making more than what it costs to keep the game going...that is all that matters.

GrayGhost79

The thing is, even though UO is old and the graphics are dated it has some of the best game play of any MMO currently out. Theres more to do, and it's still a lot of fun. I tried AoC, DFO, EQ2, LoTRO, PotBS, Vanguard, and yes even WoW briefly and I keep going back to UO. Graphics do not equal a good game. While many other games certainly do look better, I just find them lacking on substance.

You don't have to agree with me, simply understand where I'm comming from.

1) I do not like linear MMO's. Sandbox is my prefference.

2) I like fantasy MMO's, Scifi and low fantasy are ok but they just aren't my genre.

3) I don't like classes, I'd rather make my own even if it isn't the most optimal class it's important to me personally that I get to make my own so that I enjoy the game the way I want to. Some examples, in UO I have a Tamer Mage, Tamer Bard, Tamer Archer, Paladin, I have a Treasure Hunter (Lock Picking, Cartography for treasure map deciphering, Hide, Stealth, Stealing, Ninjitsu and Minning. Far from a fighting template but I have a few people I go with that do the fighting.), A crafter (Tailor, Smith, Tinker, Armslore, minning, Magery to get around.), and the list goes on for a good while.

4) UO was my first MMO and it spoiled me a bit. The grind is minimal (one could argue pretty non existant today on most things) and you are in fighting form in no time and there is a great deal to do. I haven't played any other MMO that has close to the amount of things to do in game as there is to do in UO.

5) The fluff. While I use to laugh at people paying mils for fluff items and deco after playing DarkFall I realized how bland the world would be without all that fluff. It makes the world feel somewhat alive.

 

 

UO may be 11+ years old now, but that doesn't make it out dated (Graphics aside) because many games now days are struggling hard to even do half of what many UO players are use to in there MMO. Large Scale Combat is being passed around like a new idea in MMO's lately, it's funny because we had that in UO many many MANY years ago lol on dialup no less oO. MO is promising Live Events where GM's may control some chars in game for these events, many seem to think this is new and next gen type stuff. We had this from the beggining in UO. The Lead Dev had a char in game called Lord British and would come in the game and call us all to come to his castle where he made announcements and etc. The staff playing chars and running Live Events is something that is still happening to this day. Player housing is something people oooh and aaah about now days. This is something UO has had for a very very very long time. Not only that, there isn't another MMO out there that has player housing as customizable as UO's even with all the new tech devs are using.

UO is an old MMO, there's no denying that. It's graphics are dated, again no denying that. However it can not be considered an outdated game if Devs now days are struggling to add things to there games that UO has had for a very very long time. If the mechanics and content etc. were outdated then these would not be some of the key selling points of newer MMO's comming out atm. So no UO does not need to be free to play, people are more than willing to pay to play because the game is fun and thats the whole point. New MMO's are generally better looking, but I haven't found one more fun to play hence why I keep going back to UO.

todayisblue

Originally posted by Averno
Or at least they could say.. Well if you have a Warhammer Online account then you can play UO free. 
 
This is a great idea.
 
 
 
 
 

meadmoon

Originally posted by GrayGhost79


The thing is, even though UO is old and the graphics are dated it has some of the best game play of any MMO currently out.

 

Amen to that. I started playing UO in December of 1997 and I have never stopped. My sub is going on 12 years! As far as I'm concerned, no game will ever outshine UO in playability. It's the standard that all others should be judged by. Even with the Trammel fiasco, its still a better game than the rest.

I play on Seige Perilous (since 2000). Now that's an FFA sandbox. As much as I like Darkfall, its a tiptoe through the tulips comapred to Perilous.

It's really a shame that so many gamers today are nothing more than graphics whores. They're really missing out on a great game.

Stellos

Clearly they are still making a decent profit otherwise I'm sure it would be free to play.  This is understandable as it is one of the only skill based sandbox games out there.  There is a huge market for these types of games, but they are much more difficult to regulate and create compared to the themepark style you see today.  UO was an amazing game when it first released.  I had a blast playing it!  However, I do agree that it is pretty dated as of now.  Like I said, there is a good market for skill based sandbox style and untill there is something other than EVE and the wreck that is Darkfall online, UO will continue to make a profit.

obii

They have a return to Britannia program now, so for some time it is free

SgtFrog

Game is doing pretty well, they had a new expansion recently and when i was playing i saw quite a few people running about

kishe

This game has maybe the most hardcore following of any game, most people who play, have done so for atleast half a decade and isnt planning to quit anytime soon.

 

it doesnt take supercomputer to run the servers, therefore it's very cheap for EA to keep the servers running, the dev team changes often though because UO is basically "step stone" for developers working for EA where they get experience and training  before moving to bigger projects.

 

 

Hoobley

I've never tried this for some reason... I think I might just give it a shot.

metalhead980

12.99 for the best fantasy sandbox on the market? sounds good to me.

The game is 12+ years old and still has from 30-75k players.

UO is a viable sandbox/Open ended MMO.

If you enjoy games like EvE, DF, FE or Ryzom you will be blown away at all the shit you could do in UO.

 

ray12k

I think ill try the 14 day trial. I started playing AC again. Which I feel is the best game ever released. Hell even with the dated graphics, i was having fun lol. I play the DT server... but im dl the game now ...I will come back with my opinion...