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Ultima Online rated one of the most revolutionary games of all time
bcrankshaw
Member Posts: 547
Forbes has written an interesting article on the most revolutionary games of all time and UO is on it .Others include Pong ,GTA 3 and Wolfenstein
I think the award is well deserved and I still play UO 
Read the whole article on what games Forbes believes have changed the gaming world
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/07/video-games-wii-technology-revolutionaries-09-games_slide_11.html
"after the time of dice came the day of mice "
Comments
Well deserved indeed! To bad more developers don't try to expand on UO's core design instead of pumping out EQ's core design over and over and over (did I mention over) again.
Indeed. I don't know why the UO design was never built on. I find skill-based MMO's far superior to class-based/level treadmills.
It seems Asheron's Call tried to pick up where UO left off, but that's really the last notable appearance of the skill-based MMO. Unless you count EVE, but that's an entirely different genre and different niche market. I'd love to see a modern, successful re-imagining of the skill-based system. One that doesn't try to hybridize it with a leveling/class system either.
Congrats to UO for the honor, it's definitely deserved and kudos to Forbes for the old school MMO recognition.
I don't think it revolutionized much... Everquest did and led the way for the rest of the genre but Ultima Online wasn't a big revolution in online gaming. It was innovative yeah but without Everquest there wouldn't be a WoW and without Ultima Online well I don't think we'd miss much.
Apparently you weren't around when UO was first released, it was practically a dream come true for nerds around the world especially the ones that were currently stuck on MUD's (if you even know what that is). It was the first and pioneer for the whole genre in terms of a successful MMO in which people subscribed to. It showed the industry how something like this is actually profitable despite the high overhead. The reward is well deserved and World of Warcraft isn't the end-all be-all of the industry, albeit its at the top right now, it was no where near as revolutionary aside from the massive amounts of subscribers it raked in (Blizzard doing what it does best basically, making their games sell with top quality and polish on already established conventions).
What a troll. Ultima revolutionized the ideas of an open-world gameplay and a sandbox virtual world. It was the first game to have a solid subscriber base. It came before Everquest and in many people's opinion, Everquest was a great game but paved the way for WoW, which effectively handed the only genre left only to hardcore players over to casuals and ruining the genre. Many people think that without EQ and just UO, the MMO world would be a better place.
In effect, as much as I love Everquest, I think the genre would have been much better if it hadn't influenced the creation of WoW. I would have been content with Meridian 59 and Ultima. However, I doubt you even know what Meridian 59 is.
(Hint: Meridian 59 was the first MMO ever to run in 3D)
Check out the MUD I'm making!
And well deserved I say! ^^
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I wonder why Forbes mentioned picked UO and not the original Ultima Series. I meant the turn based one with Lord British running on Macs. It was the Ultima Seris who drew the interests of the Ultima Dragons (fans).
UO was the actual MMO created. I'm sure there were many fans like myself that didn't know much about the existence of the original series. Plain and simple it was the first popular virtual world made for more than 8 people within a fantasy setting that utilized persistence (most importantly). We should keep single player games to their genre and separate them from the MMO world. Despite having some similarities, the two genres are totally different beasts within the gaming arena.
UO was the actual MMO created. I'm sure there were many fans like myself that didn't know much about the existence of the original series. Plain and simple it was the first popular virtual world made for more than 8 people within a fantasy setting that utilized persistence (most importantly). We should keep single player games to their genre and separate them from the MMO world. Despite having some similarities, the two genres are totally different beasts within the gaming arena.
The Forbes list is not limited to MMO.
And I think most people know Pacman but not Pong...
Yes and how great it has become. The genre would of been much better off without EQ.
UO was the actual MMO created. I'm sure there were many fans like myself that didn't know much about the existence of the original series. Plain and simple it was the first popular virtual world made for more than 8 people within a fantasy setting that utilized persistence (most importantly). We should keep single player games to their genre and separate them from the MMO world. Despite having some similarities, the two genres are totally different beasts within the gaming arena.
The Forbes list is not limited to MMO.
And I think most people know Pacman but not Pong...
I never said it was limited to MMO. I was just pointing out that it wasn't necessarily the previous Ultima Online games that have drew as many people to the Ultima Online game as opposed to the fact that it was the first of its kind to be marketed and known amongst gamers. I was drawing from personal experience as an example of someone unfamiliar with the Ultima IP that did become a fan of Ultima Online hence the Ultima series didn't necessarily lead to drawing people (or perhaps the majority) into UO and that there are people like me who were playing Diablo and MUD's who were hoping for something more like UO. Even though Ultima Online took from the Ultima Series in terms of setting, it not necessarily mean those games were revolutionary for its time or within its genre. Again, these are two different genres if you're wondering why not its "predecessors" when the other is being rewarded. Heck, I think I tried playing an Ultima game once and it couldn't hold my interest longer than 10 minutes.
Yes and how great it has become. The genre would of been much better off without EQ.
Yes bash EQ which was an amazing MMO before SOE startet ruining it in 2002.
EQ didn't lead to WOW, SOE did, or SOE's idea of an MMO post-2002 and reflected in EQ did.
Without Ultima online Eq would have never made it through development.
EQ was considered a inside joke by Sony and until UO came along Eq was dubbed "Neverquest" at soe studios.
They used UO as something they could show off to make the execs understand what eq was trying to be.
Basically proving a game like that could be done.
So before you trash UO realize without UO Eq would not have been made at all.
Playing: Eve,Ryzom,AO
Waiting on: ER,GW2,TOR,MO
Retired:UO,EQ,AC,SWG,DAoC,L2,WoW,GW
Worthless: Lotro,EQ2,WAR,AoC, Aion
Yeah, I'd have to say that UO is well deserving of recognition as amongst the most revolutionary games of all time. It may not have been the first MMO, but it was certainly responsible for opening doors for future developers such as SOE and Blizzard.
Personally, I've have given the accolade to WoW just to enrage a battallion of forum trolls, but a small part of me would feel ashamed about it. Just a little.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
WTB Good Sandbox Game PST
I loved UO and played it for quite a long time.
WTB Good Sandbox Game PST
I loved UO and played it for quite a long time.
We have a ton of really nice sandbox type games on the market with a couple on the way.
I've dabbled in games like Eve, Ryzom and recently FE and all have been fun.
Playing: Eve,Ryzom,AO
Waiting on: ER,GW2,TOR,MO
Retired:UO,EQ,AC,SWG,DAoC,L2,WoW,GW
Worthless: Lotro,EQ2,WAR,AoC, Aion
UO was the actual MMO created. I'm sure there were many fans like myself that didn't know much about the existence of the original series. Plain and simple it was the first popular virtual world made for more than 8 people within a fantasy setting that utilized persistence (most importantly). We should keep single player games to their genre and separate them from the MMO world. Despite having some similarities, the two genres are totally different beasts within the gaming arena.
I was one of the ones who played UO because of the Ultima series. I remember running around the world explaining the lore to people when they came across some item that had significance in the Ultima series but might have been confusing to a regular UO player. I became a counselor in UO because of that. I really enjoyed the world that was created around the legendary events of the avatar. The story moved further and further away from the legend into becoming what it is today, but it sure had a nice set of origins to begin with.
My blog:
http://www.littlesarbonn.com
Indeed. I don't know why the UO design was never built on. I find skill-based MMO's far superior to class-based/level treadmills.
It seems Asheron's Call tried to pick up where UO left off, but that's really the last notable appearance of the skill-based MMO. Unless you count EVE, but that's an entirely different genre and different niche market. I'd love to see a modern, successful re-imagining of the skill-based system. One that doesn't try to hybridize it with a leveling/class system either.
Congrats to UO for the honor, it's definitely deserved and kudos to Forbes for the old school MMO recognition.
Dude... FFXIV.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."