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How the hell do you... do anything in UO?
Wizardling6
Member Posts: 94
After having played several newer MMORPGs I thought I'd try UO cause I usually like old games and I thought it would be fun to play the first really popular MMORPG.
But the chat (or 'Conferences') is broken - my text appears jumbled over the top of previous text.
There's virtually no one else around.
Windows (like the backpack) are too easily moved or closed.
I can't figure out how to cast spells.
There's no help either in game or in the UO guide to tell me how.
Basically I'm lost and wondering how on earth this game is playable.
Advice is much appreciated.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Comments
When you first start UO it has a tutorial. Did you do it it? or bother to READ it? at the UO website it has extensive help .. look here http://www.uoherald.com/newplayer/newplayer02.php
Please learn to read
What tutorial?
http://www.uoherald.com/guide/start16.php has no info about 'conferences' which just seem plain broken with the text being displayed on top of itself.
EA's help has no information I can see on how to switch clients.
and what tutorial was that again?
I've done nothing BUT read in the past day and I still don't know how to play this game.
Still, the question arrises - why am I trying to play a game where chat is obviously broken...
How old is this game, again? And it's still not easy for people to comprehend?
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
It wsa created in an era when MMORPG developers expected the players to have a higher than average level of intelligence.
Sadly, those days appear to be quickly fading into history.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'd settle right now for being told when I'll ever be offered this tutorial I keep hearing about http://www.uoherald.com/guide/start5.php
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Ok, I just created a fresh character. Still no tutorial offered to me. Conference is still a jumble of text on top of other text with no one replying.
If I'm not 'intelligent' enough for UO, then just how smart do you need to be? Please - enlighten me.
I'm not trolling - I'd actually like to give UO a fair try. But it seems broken.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Can you explain what 'conferences' are or where you got that word?
Are you on an official server? What is the name of the server you are on?
If you want, shoot me a PM and we can meet up ingame and I can walk you through most of the basics.
- RPG Quiz - can you get all 25 right?
- FPS Quiz - how well do you know your shooters?
Conferences are what UO seems to call group chat - there are a bunch of channels like global, and ones obviously restricted to people in certain areas.
Yes - I'm playing on a legit shard - Oceania.
What shard on you on? And thank you for replying. You don't happen to also know how to switch intefaces, do you?
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
I haven't played in a month or two so maybe this is something new, or....
Are you referring to the conference system from about 8 years ago? Can you link me to where you are reading about conferences?
As for server, I normally play Catskills and Pacific. I'll gladly roll on Oceania though in order to help you out.
- RPG Quiz - can you get all 25 right?
- FPS Quiz - how well do you know your shooters?
I'm seeing it in game. UO.com doesn't seem to mention it.
Sceenshot
It's just group chat by another name, only it's obviously broken.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Ok - big thanks to LynxJSA
(is that grinning emoticon scary or what?). He was very friendly and showed me some of UO's basics. I'm still pretty clueless (I have to stop trying to apply what I learnt in other RPGs - UO is clearly quite different), but LynxJSA has filled me in on what I need to start playing and learning the rest. Cheers dude! 
I'm not sure I will go past my free trial for UO (I bought the 9th Anniv. collection so I've a 30 day trial), but much of the frustration is gone and I can now at least give UO a fair shake.
I do think it's a shame I found UO initially so difficult (I still don't even know how to switch clients and parts of UO like group chat are plainly broken - and not just for me) as it obviously could still be a lot of fun. I get the feeling from looking around online that plenty of others are in the same boat.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Welcome to OU! I'm currently not playing myself, because all my real life friends are WoW players and wouldn't think about playing a game with UO's graphics, but still, I feel UO is the best game I played since I played SWG.
The chatbox you are opening in that screenshot...I don't think anyone actually uses it. Least in all the years I have been in n out of UO I have never seen a convo in that chatbox...donno why it is actually there.
As for how to cast spells...open up your spellbook. This game is a bit different than most other games. Not everything is just given to you on a platter. Double click everything...things will open up n then u can use em.
I can only recommend to get into a guild - although I played the whole ultima series, I was clueless in UO at first. I used the Stratics boards to get contact. After that, it was a "piece of cake", since the community is very helpful to newbies. And as with most MMOs, there are certain places, depending on which server, where tons of people simply "hang-out". Most often for UO it is the bank in the capitol.
Gosh I miss those days.....
I'm a pretty new player myself, and I can clear all of this up for you right now - the fact that no one else here has is beyond me.
Firstly, the chat window you have listed in the screenshot isn't used anymore. I learned that the hard way. Chatting is done almost exclusively through your guild or alliance (if you're in one), and I guess maybe in groups - I haven't actually tried that yet. Otherwise, you have to be close to the player you're trying to chat with. Yeah, it's a little annoying at first, but it's a lot more realistic when you think about it. Text appears above your head and also in your journal window if you missed something that someone said. Guild and alliance chat appear at the bottom left of the screen, however, so it's not all bad.
As for the tutorial, there's a very simple reason as to why you're unable to use it; you're using the 2D client. The KR client (not to be confused with the old "3D" client that you see an option for when installing UO - the old "3D" client is no longer supported) is the newest client and it's the only way to use the tutorial. I'm not sure why that is exactly, since most people tend to use the original 2D. Anyway, you can find the KR client easily enough over here - http://www.uoherald.com/kingdomreborn/trial/. I'd suggest going with that first to get a feel for the game. It's a lot more user friendly to new players, albeit it's pretty buggy for some people. I used it at first, but then quickly switch to the 2D client when I had a feel for the game.
As for not seeing anyone around, I'd advise that you start over on Atlantic, unless you're a European player. Atlantic has the highest pop and it's usually pretty busy. Also, join the community over here at uoforums.com - there's a ton of friendly people here who are more than willing to help new players.
Spell casting is actually really simple once you understand it. You either click them in your spellbook, drag the spell icons from your spell book to where you can click them on the desktop, or you can make a macro for casting them with the macro system (You don't really need to mess with this unless you're using the 2D client though). KR has a hotkey bar that you can drag all your spells and moves to.
When you first start out with casting, naturally, you're only able to cast low levels spells until your skill gets higher. Within the spell book you can find a description of the spell and what the minimum skill requirement is to be able to cast it. You can go here to get an idea of which to use first to get your skill up the quickest - http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?&p_page=1&p_cv=&p_pv=2.769&p_prods=7%2C769&p_cats=0&p_hidden_prods=&prod_lvl1=7&prod_lvl2=769&prod_lvl3=0&cat_lvl1=0. Just select UO in the list, and type "magery", "Chivalry", etc, etc, depending on which spell line you're planning on using. There's a guide for each one of them that will tell you which spells to cast, depending on your skill level. Also, keep in mind that most spells require a regeant of some sort. Mages uses different herbs which can be bought from alchemy merchants or found on the ground, paladins use tithe points that can be gained by donating money to an ankh, and necromancers also have their own needed herbs in order to cast. Bushido and Ninjitsu, from what I know, do not require any regeants. Anyway, that's pretty much the thick of spellcasting. Once you figure out which spells to use at which level, it's cake.
This game no doubt has one of the hardest learning curves, but once you get past it, you'll be happy you stuck with it. Personally, after playing UO for a few months, I can't even imagine playing any of the simpler mmo's out there. After getting used to so much freedom, it's hard to find anything that compares. And just as others have said, find a guild. That's the best advice you can get in UO. Once you have someone to show you around and help you out with the basics, you'll be comfortable with the game in no time.
Good luck, and if you have any other questions, let me know and I'll try to help
.