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To old UO Vets: One last push?
vaultbrain
Member Posts: 122
So, I went on the UO Stratics forums and found that, with the developers says they were considering Classic Servers, I have seen a few more than usual threads/polls for classic servers. Now, as good as the points for a classic server have been, most of the posts are by anti-classic server AOS item whores who, for some idiotic reason, dont want classic servers to come about.
Im still skeptical that EA will indeed make a classic server. It isnt like this is the first time its been brought up. But, it would be interesting to see their forums on stratics flooded with more posts for a classic server. And, since Ive found more old UO vets here on these forums, I figured this would be the best place to suggest and idea.
We, the old UO vets, get on the stratics forums and give it one last go, just for the hell of it. Get on there and support the idea for a classic server or two. Theres one poll that seems to be doing well with support for a classic server, T2A to be specific.
Even if it falls apart, it would still be great to annoy those damn carebear AOS item whores with classic server threads.
Who wants to give em some hell?
Comments
I would love to see classic servers, without the lag that we had to deal with in early UO. That would be great!
I go to stratics from time to time to check out what's new with UO. I'll go and post my mind on the subject. Thanks for the heads up.
Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
Same here. Wow how time flies! I remember logging right after release. I had played Ultima Quest of the Avatar but the towns looked totally different. I'd go with a classic T2A server, I think T2A was before item insurance.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
T2A was the first expansion to the game and five expansions from the item insurance / item based UO known as Age of Shadows. I vote for The Second Age as well.
Ultima Online (vanilla)
The Second Age (The Lost Lands were introduced)
Renaissance (Trammel / Felucca created)
Third Dawn (Ilshenar and the '3D' client released)
Lord Blackthorne's Revenge (steam punk enemies)
Age of Shadows (Item Insurance, Malas, Paladin/necromancer)
Samurai Empire (Ninjas / Samurai, Tokuno Island)
Mondain's Legacy (Elves, spellweaving)
Stygian Abyss (Gargoyle race)
Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
To be honest, I'm always surprised EA hasn't jumped on classic servers yet. Without a doubt they would be full within a week of release of current and returning players. It's simply very easy money for them... and we all know how whorish EA can be, so why not on this?
All they need to do is create a facebook page for classic UO, ramp up the hype, launch it a week later and within a month they'd be raking it. How dumb can these guys be? (rhetorical question)
Its not due to a lack of intelligence on the EA staffs part, its more due to an over abundance of arrogance.
See, they know classic servers would be a huge hit. Hell, they know it would restore UO to its former level of respect amongst the MMO community.
However, it would prove that everything since trammel has been a waste of time. It would prove that LBR, AOS and everything that followed was a complete and utter detriment to the game and that they should have left well enough along, applying simple patches and upgrades where needed, instead of their whoreish attempts at getting in on the mainstream EQ clone trend. They should have left UO the niche game it was, instead of making it into the cheap mainstream knock off it is today.
Its not due to a lack of intelligence on the EA staffs part, its more due to an over abundance of arrogance.
See, they know classic servers would be a huge hit. Hell, they know it would restore UO to its former level of respect amongst the MMO community.
However, it would prove that everything since trammel has been a waste of time. It would prove that LBR, AOS and everything that followed was a complete and utter detriment to the game and that they should have left well enough along, applying simple patches and upgrades where needed, instead of their whoreish attempts at getting in on the mainstream EQ clone trend. They should have left UO the niche game it was, instead of making it into the cheap mainstream knock off it is today.
I don't think that's the case actually. If you look over at the stratics forums you'll see that there's a lot of current UO players that love the way the game is, for the most part at least. In fact, there's a strong vocal component of the community that adamantly oppose a classic shard as they fear it will draw populations away from the current server and waste resources of a small dev team that could otherwise be dedicated to their play style, the established play style.
I agree there's a strong level of arrogance at EA, but I wouldn't say that's all there is. EA has acted truly unintelligent over the years (they did it with WAR too). They've had bad planning and management of games that could be bringing in much more revenue if they simply paid more attention to gamers desires rather than what they think gamers want.
Its not due to a lack of intelligence on the EA staffs part, its more due to an over abundance of arrogance.
See, they know classic servers would be a huge hit. Hell, they know it would restore UO to its former level of respect amongst the MMO community.
However, it would prove that everything since trammel has been a waste of time. It would prove that LBR, AOS and everything that followed was a complete and utter detriment to the game and that they should have left well enough along, applying simple patches and upgrades where needed, instead of their whoreish attempts at getting in on the mainstream EQ clone trend. They should have left UO the niche game it was, instead of making it into the cheap mainstream knock off it is today.
I don't think that's the case actually. If you look over at the stratics forums you'll see that there's a lot of current UO players that love the way the game is, for the most part at least. In fact, there's a strong vocal component of the community that adamantly oppose a classic shard as they fear it will draw populations away from the current server and waste resources of a small dev team that could otherwise be dedicated to their play style, the established play style.
I agree there's a strong level of arrogance at EA, but I wouldn't say that's all there is. EA has acted truly unintelligent over the years (they did it with WAR too). They've had bad planning and management of games that could be bringing in much more revenue if they simply paid more attention to gamers desires rather than what they think gamers want.
Stratics forums used to be a great place to go for Ultima related stuff, back when Ultima was Ultima. Now it's just full of people that most likely just decided to put up with EA's stubborn attitude towards games, or new players to UO that did not know what UO used to be.
To be fair, I can understand their worry. If someone tried to come into my game and dedicate resources to turning it around instead of just moving forward with the fan base I would throw a fit myself. Then again, we've already been there and done that now haven't we?
There are hundreds of classic Pre-Res / T2A servers out in the web that are ran by people that are just the average Joe. I'm serious when I say hundreds. I've played quite a few in my days, but none of them really get it right. They either mix and match a lot of stuff or they just make it really easy to level up that it just takes the fun out of the game. EA can and should make a classic server. If an average person can do it, I'm sure a development company could. However, it will not come to surprise if they just decide to can the idea at all, they've canned quite a few titles that were near release in the past.
Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
3 years ago, I would have said yes... Now, I doubt I could go back to paying EA to play their game that they allowed to be smashed into the ground. even if a shard opened that was T2A based, the same bugs and dupes would exist that allow players to cheat and they would stand idle as they have for years. I'd rather play a game where the devs actually cared about it.
Ultima Online
Mystic of The Fallen Lords (Pacific 98-01)
Mystic of Catskills (03 - 08)
Well one area of contention for EA is that they would have to iron out all of the bugs, dupes, etc. before they could launch such a server -- they wouldn't launch it otherwise. However, plenty of free servers have been able to take care of all this, so it shouldn't be too hard.
I have made some really good posts in past years on Stratics as to why we need a classic UO shard. My posts were flammed into oblivion by people who never had the chance to play classic UO, people who do not like that style of gaming and some people who had it hard in those days. I admit that classic UO was a harsh game but that was only for the people who had no friends or ran without a good guild. I played from 97 to 02 and still run with the same friends/guild that I did from way back when on other games.
There was a time a few years back where a UO player at a town hall meeting asked for a classic Shard and was told it was on the table. The developers words of it was on that table spread to many MMO websites. Latter on the UO developer said that they are not going to make a classic UO shard due to people fighting over what time era of UO they like UO.
EA Games would be bat crap insane if they didn't release a classic UO shard. There are a massive amount of classic UO fans and on top of that EA Games is missing out on some monthly fees. I think people would rather pay to play rather than run on these player run shards where they do favors for friends, give the advantage playing favorites to people even when they are in the wrong. As a classic UO player, hands down I would pay to play rather than all these free shards.
EA Games would have to make the classic shard untouched. If EA Games made the classic shard carebear in some way, I think that UO would forever be dead.
lets give EA somthing to look at join http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=317849071900 it is a group i made on FaceBook. i am trying to get people to join so we can keep getting updates and information from each other and when we get a good amount of people post it to EA and have them look at it.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Brieen - UO,DAOC,WOW,SB,EQ,EQII,EVE,LOTR,D&D,Rift,FFXI and some others I dont care to list......
And yet, it's still rampant on production shards. Goes to show the lack of enthusiasm EA has for UO.
Ultima Online
Mystic of The Fallen Lords (Pacific 98-01)
Mystic of Catskills (03 - 08)
It has been a very long time since I played UO. I think I played on Alantic server when released, can't remember though.
I'd most likely go back to that. This time I wouldn't be the guy getting ganked all the time while killing deer outside Moonglow Cemetery. I've learned to PvP quite well since those days. >;P
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
Gonna be tough to get people on a classic pay server with so many really awesome Free shards.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Oh yea. Stratics, the good'ol days, along with pre-tram uo. That was a long time ago, and one of those periods one can reminisce about. I'd jump onto a classic server.
The funny thing is that some of the people running UO Stratics and some of the forum mods on UO Stratics are from the old days of UO. I remember PKing a few of them many times on the old Pacific shard. For the most part, I think that they are all sellouts who were very happy EA Games turned UO into a item based, gear based sanctuary for carebears. If they cared about the game like most of us classic UO fans, they would have quit when AoS reared it's ugly head. Shame on them.
As I was reading the UO Startics website lastnight in the classic shard post, people want a classic UO shard but with many restrictions. They want classic UO to be sugar coated... WTF? Like having a classic shard is going to FK up their pansy shards. I bet if EA Games did a classic shard, it would be carebear sugar coated to hell as they listen to the carebears. If people can't handle classic UO... then dont fking play.
Maybe if people get back on the forums and show some serious support for classic servers, this might be the time they listen.
At the very least, it'll annoy all of item whores who helped ruin the game to see the forums flooded with threads supporting a classic server.
Spread the word, let the old vets know. This may be our last chance.
In retrospect, I don't think I would want pre-publish 16 stuff now. The ruleset and all of that was great for when it came out - it was like the wild west in a fantasy setting.
I just have my doubts that they'd even be able to pull it off. Even the emulated shards aren't perfect after years of tweaking. With the lack of enthusiasm from EA/Mythic I don't think I'd even want them to try.
It's a rose tinted glasses situation that a lot of people won't admit to. Sure, the item based changes were the most unfortunate changes of all, but the core of UO has improved in many other areas that it would almost be a step backwards if you were to only revert the item oriented changes. And to be honest, the item stat changes weren't so bad - they did allow for more interesting templates, but it was insurance that was the real kicker in all of it because you could amass such ridiculous gear and never worry about losing it.
It isn't worth the time and manpower so people can feel nostalgic for a week. Instead, they should be moving forward, not backwards. EA has sat on this title for way too long. It's getting time that they actually do something with it or get rid of it so someone else can salvage the carcass.
Forward would be raising levelcaps to 140 and stats too and introducing new items ?
The UO system was not really designed to be itembased and there is only so much new land/races you can add before it gets redundant.
It's not a matter of nostalgia, it's a matter of gameplay. In the case of UO gameplay, going forward means taking many steps back, since the steps forward so far have been worse than where they started.
"Moving forward," is a the typical bullshit excuse for the disaster that is EA UO. You're not "moving forward" if the game is getting worse.
If for some sick crazy reason EA Games did give us a true classic shard, count on me playing forever. I was devistated when EA Games destroyed UO. I could write 20 novels on why classic UO was great and all the fantastic things that I got to do back then. I know that there are people like you who can't stand classic UO, that does not mean that you have to play classic UO if they did give us a classic shard. Not giving us a classic shard is a very bad business move.
@Smartwhois
Bravo, well said indeed!
My feeling on "classic" servers is usually pretty negative, mainly for the A) split community, and
It's never as good the second time around.
However, having said that, I'm thinking this could be the perfect time for this! It may just be me, but I feel kinda an overall sense of tiredness or disappointment from the MMO community that so many newer titles have failed to deliver. Personally I've been trying to get off WoW for awhile now, but I'm decently established there and other games, even LOTR, seem cool, but do I want to spend time from level 1 just playing the same general type of game I've played in WoW? No... Give me the excitement of an approaching PK, give me the strategy of comabt in UO... to go back to my first love and first experience ever in MMO's, now that could be something, now I'm getting excited again!