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Few Questions from a Newb
nate1980
Member UncommonPosts: 2,074
Hi,
I'm a long time MMO player, starting with DAoC in 2002. I'm sick to death of the same boring gameplay that was made famous by WoW, although done before by EQ and DAoC. I'm not adverse to trying old games, as long as I'm confident they're not going to shut down. So I'm wanting to try the UO trial, but I have a few questions first.
1. I heard Atlantic is the most populated server. Is this true? If so, is it a FFA PvP server, because I want to avoid FFA PvP.
2. Given EA's past and the recent layoffs, are you worried UO will be closing down soon?
3. What's the death penalty if you die on a PvE server to PvE mobs? What about if you die on a PvE server to another player. assuming you can still toggle on PvP?
Thanks for answering my questions. I recently got into Runescape, but the death penalty was too harsh for my casual tastes. You dropped everything you had in your pack, and only had 3 minutes to get it back before losing it forever. I lost several hours of work, because the respawn point was leagues away from where I died. I loved the skill system, and all the things to do though. I just don't like the tedious death-penalty.
Comments
1, Yup Atlantic is the most populated. All of Ulitma Online is a FFA PvP in felucia. Just stay in trammel and you don't have to deal with it if you perfer.
2. No not at all. I think UO is still there biggest money generator MMO wise at least.
3. There is no death penalty per say.If you die to a mob they may loot some stuff off your body. If you don't come back to your body it will decay and you'll lose everything. If a player kills you in Felucia it's full loot. You can't be attacked by another play in trammel unless your a warring guild.
There are no PVE servers in Ulitma Online just so you know. I'm gonna send ya this link so you can look up more info. If I didn't we'd be here all day
Player guide: www.uoherald.com/guide/index.php
that should have most of the information your looking for.
Thanks a lot, I'll follow that link and do some research.
I actually like PvP, so I don't mind that. I just didn't want to get owned as a new player before I even get used to the game, by 10 year vets who've had a decade to master their craft.
If I begin the game learning skills that help me make money, to afford building a house, and to emass wealth for later, will I be able to change those skills to combat skills later? In other words, can I unlearn skills to learn new ones?
IIRC you can set skills to "de-level" and they will decrease as other skills increase.
I don't know the exact mechanics of this; perhaps it only works when you are skillcapped (800points i think) so someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
"If all you can say is... "It's awful, it's not innovative, it's ugly, it's blah.." Then you're an unimaginative and unpolished excuse for human life" -eburn
Skill cap is 700 for a new account but other then that your correct. I'll tell ya what you guys send me a PM if you start on Atlantic and I'll meet ya at Haven bank and give ya some spending cash to start ya off. Hell I'll even freind ya to my house and give ya your own box for storage. I'll also get ya in my guild if you want. It has some decent people that will be able to give you a hand at getting started.
The main draw of UO from an outsiders perspective, is that the game is skill-based and allows many other things aside from combat. Here's what I imagine doing, maybe you can tell me if it's unrealistic:
1. I'll focus on making money by learning and practicing trades, so I can build a house, get a mount, and emass some wealth. This will give me time to learn the game, and get to know the community before setting out on my adventuring career.
2. Once I start adventuring, I want to drop my trade-skills, and learn magic, bushido, and skills that enhance or support those. Maybe even learn to tame and take care of pets, to have a companion who can help me fight. I want to explore and complete all the PvE stuff with this idea.
3. Hopefully by the time I fully explore Britannia and kill all the worst PvE baddies, I will be rich enough and know enough about the game to PvP well.
4. I'll change my build to learn PvP oriented skills that I probably won't know for my adventuring build, such as hide, sneak, and so on, which will make my magic and melee skills more useful in a PvP environment.
I could be completely way off base, and I know it's likely I'll change a lot as I learn the game. But as a new player, this is what I envision as my future with UO. I don't know the details, but it seems like it makes sense to do the above. It allows the following:
1. Get to know the community, emass wealth, and get the essentials that make Britannia more of a world for me to live in.
2. Explore and adventure with a build that I find the most fun.
3. Alter my build to accomodate skills that I would find fun for PvP, but not for PvE, such as Hide and Stealth.
1.I heard Atlantic is the most populated server. Is this true? If so, is it a FFA PvP server, because I want to avoid FFA PvP.
Not sure about the server population on Atlantic as I had been playing on chessy. All servers have a full loot PvP world and a non-pvp world (felucia is pvp, tram is pve). You must go through certain gates to take you to the pvp area so you should have nothing to worry about as long as you stay out of fel.
2. Given EA's past and the recent layoffs, are you worried UO will be closing down soon?
UO has one of the most loyal fan base I have ever seen. Also take into account that the game is over 10 years old and the servers probably cost just about nothing to keep up. They just released the largest expansion to date called stygian abyss so they are still working on it with devs it seems.
3. What's the death penalty if you die on a PvE server to PvE mobs? What about if you die on a PvE server to another player. assuming you can still toggle on PvP?
You die and turn to a ghost. You then either have to find a priest to rez you or another player (if I die by myself I usually use the stuck feature, port back to brit and rez there, then use my runebook to go back to my hunting spot. With the insurance you can put on your items there really is no real penalty for getting killed. Some items are also blessed which means they will not drop either.
As for the skill part of your question, its much easier (and smarter) to just make a new character for tradeskills and such. Most people call these mules as they do nothing but carry items and make things. You can de-lvl your skills and there is a cap limit (i think it is 700 or 750). This raises with every year to where you can have a cap of 800 points. Mastery lvl is 100, Legendary is 120 (you have to purchase power scrolls to raise the cap on your skills or get it as a drop). Some skills level much faster than others due to the amount you use them. If you decide to go as a tamer..... well, taming is one of the hardest and most time consuming skill to level, but its damn fun running around with a dragon or other various mythical creatures.
Your best bet as a new player coming to UO is to go to uo.stratics.com and sign up on the forums. Then go to the server forum you are going to join and post that you are a new player. You will get a ton of offers of people wanting to help you out with information and sometimes in game items to help you get into things quicker. Joining a guild is also probably the smartest thing you can do as it will make the game much much more fun for you and give you a well of knowledge to pull from.
Another suggestion is to download the 2d client as well as the advanced client. Most people play the 2d client because of nostalgia reasons and in my opinion it is a better looking, easier to use client. Also, Most people use ICQ to communicate so you may want to sign up for that.
as a response to your last post, you may want to go right into adventuring. It is very time consuming (and also money consuming) to get to 120 blacksmith/tailoring to be able to make things that people will buy.
If you go straight to adventuring you can raise your skills enough (and if you are in a guild) you can do doom runs and also peerless runs. These will drop artifacts and power scrolls sometimes and they sell for a decent amount of money.
thanks for the suggestions
I don't understand the 2d versus new client thing. So if I play on the new client, I won't see or be able to talk with people playing on the 2d client?
No, it makes no difference. Some people just prefer the old 2D graphics, and some prefer the updated 3D client. It has no effect on who you play with.
"If all you can say is... "It's awful, it's not innovative, it's ugly, it's blah.." Then you're an unimaginative and unpolished excuse for human life" -eburn
I was thinking more along the lines of learning skills that'll allow me to build my own house, grow or kill things to make my own food, and create items that I'll want when I begin adventuring. You know, a little nest egg or something. So not necessarily monetary wealth, but material wealth through things I make and store.
You don't necessary build your own house. You buy a house placement tool and choose the type of house you want to place. You just have to have enough money in the bank. I would also suggest starting with adventuring. This game is a little bit different than others you have probably played. Like getting a mount cost like 550gp which you can literally get as a new play in less than 30 minutes. Heck, someone will probably just give you 1 if you ask someone at the bank. Crafting is fun but I would recommend making a Mule character (crafter) on the side if you want to go that route. Money is easy to come by in UO but that also makes stuff on player vendors expensive. You have to think people have been playing for 12 years and some of them have literally bilions of gold on there account. Also, I'd go with the 2D client I think the 3D likes horrible but I guess that could just be my taste.
no no no. Talking is just much easier with people who are not in your guild/alliance through ICQ since if i remember there are no whispers/pm's
as for the 2d/new client, its all a graphics thing. 2d is the old school client, advanced is the new clients/graphics. download both and see which you prefer. i favor the 2d one as do most people though. it just seems easier to use.
Yes there is no whipser in game but they added a guild chat a few years ago. All you have to do is type then you can guild chat. But yes ICQ is still used. Also most guilds use Teamspeak or Ventrillo now.