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I thought you guys might like these stories :)
GungaDin
Member UncommonPosts: 514
I originally posted this in the General Discussion but I thought you guys might appreciated this more. By the way, i'm getting some great responses. You should head over to Gen Diss. to read what others have wrote. Kind of cool, like a revival 
My first experience with a MMORPG was Ultima Online in 1998 (well before Trammel was implemented, mirror world , no PVP except with consent). I compare every MMORPG to UO in its early days. For those who never got a chance to play before Trammel, i'm gonna tell you about some events/gameplay that you will most likely never get the chance to experience or see implemented in a MMORPG again.
My first week in Ultima Online (Chesapeake server) was rough. On my 4th day online I decided to venture beyond the city limits. See in the City you were protected from PVP attacks by the NPC guards. Once you left the city limits, you were free game. So anyway, I came across a player (Name in RED = Which means he was a murder and has killed innocents or BLUE named online players)standing next to a Dragon, "hmmmm , what the hell is that guy doing?" 3 Seconds later..... "corp por" ! and a Dragon standing over my corpse.
Ok, that was my first PVP encounter ever online. Didn't go too well. I didnt realize what a Murderer was. So, I ran as a ghost to a healer, he rezes me. I run back to my corpse to get my equipment back....... "what the hell?" The guy who killed me looted my corpse. I had no idea lol. Ok now i was pissed. PVP anywhere ! WOW.
I travel back to town with my tail between my legs and find another online player (My first Online Encounter with a NON-NPC character) This guy had been playing for 3 weeks. "Veteran !" I thought. At this point all I can think about is revenge, so I talk this guy into helping me track down my assassin and maybe together we can kill him and I can get my stuff back.
I pick up some new supplies and with the added confidence of my companion we head out in search of my killer. We were ready ! He said he had killed a troll and a few bears ! I was impressed. After wandering around where I had been slayed for 15minutes, my friend says "Ok where is this guy?" 3 seconds later I see a Dragon come down from above and kill my savior in one hit. (Picture the Dragon from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You know, the cartoon one that eats the Knights) At this point i'm so scared to even help him I just run back to within town limits with my heart racing. Hoping he doesnt catch up to me.
Ok "I'm safe" "Phew". I thought to myself, this game is too difficult, I can't compete, I lost all my stuff, who knows how many times thats gonna happen to me. I was just about to quit right there. Obviously i was taken advantage of by a veteran player, a griefer at that. I logged out and thought i'd never log in again.
A few days later I jumped back in. Something drew me back. Maybe because I saw a real challenge here.
I'm at the bank in town and a player (Taizong) approaches me. A moment later over my head I see "Taizong is attacking you !" (In the normal style, in town !) I reacted and attacked him, 3 seconds later, a town guard was standing over my corpse.
I run to a healer , rez, run back.....my corpse was looted. I was scammed ! My first one ever online. Well that was just about it, "screw this game !". So I see Taizong and decide to ask him how he was able to attack me in the town limits and not get killed by the guards. He explains to me he just typed Taizong is attacking you!" into the spatial in the same font and color as it would appear any other time. Hmmm, you know, thats kind of creative and funny. I went from ready totally quit to having a laugh with the guy that scammed me and got me killed.
We talked at great length and in the end he gave me a ton of new equipment (better than what I had ever found) and introduced me to his guild. I met another 10 people within 5 minutes, joined their guild and went on to enjoy UO with them for over a year. They taught me how to survive, how to avoid danger and how to advance my character.
Good thing I stuck it out. PVP almost anywhere, if you die your corpse could be looted ! What was I thinking? Greifing? This can't be fun ! Well guess what, I miss getting my corpse looted, I miss getting scammed, I miss seeing a guy with his name in RED come on to the screen and my heart rate go up, I miss not knowing if a guy with his name in Blue would decide to attack me or befriend me. It was RAW, and barely any rules. All of us learned how to survive and apapt.
Why am I telling this story ? Because I want a game like this again. Maybe with a few more rules , but RAW !
UO had house decay, if someone didnt log in for 10 days their house would collapse and all there possessions would lie there for others to loot. We used to check house signs for signs of wear. Fairly worn, greatly worn, in danger of collapsing !! People would know in danger meant within 24 hrs and tons of characters would show up like it was a party. PVP was going on, friendships made, alliance made for when the house fell etc . When the house collapsed all hell broke out, some people got attacked, others when for rare items, and some just tried to place a house with a deed in that same spot. Early on the map would be full , and no space for housing. Hell it took our guild 3 months just to find a spot lol. But it was our spot !
I had a Grandmaster Smith. People would die, get looted and come back to me for supplies. I was in constant demand and became very popular. Made many friends too. The guys that looted those they murdered would bring me weapons and armor to smelt back into ingots for them to sell to other smiths and of course they would tip me ! lol. Nice circle economy.
There was so much going on, I could write tons of stories.
New MMORPGs are missing these raw elements. And you know why? Because we all complained, its too tough, I was scammed, I was griefed ! Guess what , deal with it. The more restrictions placed upon the game mechanics, the less interesting these online games will become. I want some developer to have the balls to put out a MMORPG like UO was before Trammel was implemented. Then you will have my wallet.
Comments
I almost wish you didn't write this story. Do you know how bad I miss the old days of Ultima Online? Wow...now I know why I keep coming back to UO.
Ultima Online used to be so amazing. The Griefing, the SCAMS were SOOOO much fun if you knew what to do and how to do it.
I remember the first time I encountered a murder and was killed.
I was walking through the forest a bit above Minoc (Napa Valley) and went inside this house where someone was. I didn't know any better. He then went over by the door, said "I wish to place a trash barrel here" and blocked the door. Killed me and looted all my stuff. For some reason a Counsilor came, I don't remember why. I didn't know what he was...I was cussing up a storm at the guy when I got ressed and this counsilor was telling me to settle down. Wow, how that was so much fun when I look back at it. Britannia was new to me, everything was new and amazing.
I remember my first battle with someone with order (I was in Chaos) and my heart raced so fast as we sat there and traded swings with our swords.
I do agree with you that people will never get a MMORPG or even the feeling that we got when we first joined Ultima Online awhile ago. Everything now with mmorpg have been dumbed down. I have played some amazing games in my day, some amazing graphics, and just addicting. BUT NOTHING, no game, will ever come close to the experience I had with my years with Origins Ultima Online (notice I said Origin and not EA). Long Live Ultima Online
Thanks for that wonderful story.
Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds
Arn't we all?
Man... The serious rush and high I got from that game in its prime (pre-Trammel... Maybe a little after Trammel, because it could still be avoided) has not been matched by any other game. I played that game for over 2-years, and no other MMO has kept me on for more than a few months.
That game was glorious... Long live the memories.
I would pay lighten my wallet alot for a game like this...
I want it back so badly..
Ive got two choices, run, or stay and fight...And I dont see no doors...
Hey i am DarkBlight from uo, chesa sever played when you did my pk was afrollo guild J-D
i loved killing you wish i still could =/
It was so damn fun...
When I first started I didn't have a clue. And I wandered out of town and started trying the doors on all the houses I found, and HO HO I found one unlocked, and back then I think nothing could be locked down, just locked, and nothing decayed inside a house even if not locked down. I'm not sure I remember that right.
But boy was that house fulla stuff. I had no idea what any of it was. I started stealing everything I could.
But then, on one of many many trips back to town with all my stolen loot, I got lost somehow, and ran into a red character.
At first he said "oh noobie sorry I killed you" but then he saw my loot! heheehee Made him happy.
I was on one of the Korean shards the first week it opened in the US after it had been open a month in Korea. ALL the houses were unlocked and everything open to the taking. No one was on because it was 2am in Korea. I took so many reagents it was hilareous, anything that stacked I took. I went around with pack horses and cleaned up. It was a noobie char of course, with just his training dagger. Well one time I get caught by a much higher level character with his month of training, and he starts talking in Korean. And I just say "Me American! All MINE!" and he got very upset (lots of !!! and stuff). So I thought I wonder what he will do if I attack him, so I did. All he did the entire time, and it took forever for my dagger to kill him, was yell YOU BAD MAN over and over. Finally he died. He never even tried to defend himself.
The next day I go back on and EVERY HOUSE is locked, all over the shard. Those folks sure stick together, I'll tell you. And they hunted me down and killed me. I was laughing so hard the entire time I kept falling out of my chair.
My friends and I got many dozens of collapsed houses and sold them all on Ebay. My partner even got a Castle one time. Then they stopped letting the houses collapse. I spoke personally about it with both the head of Origins and the head of UO, and nothing I could say would change their minds. After that it was all ruined for me. I never went back once houses quit collapsing.
I too keep looking for something better, and Eve-online is close although it has some pretty bad problems if you are someone like me who likes to sell on Ebay, ie: all your accounts instantly and permanently banned without any warning (as I've posted on the Eve forums and I take full responsibilty for what I did). But they have many things like the old UO including Corporation Theft. I was responsible for some really huge ones. My last corp theft was about 10 BILLION of cash and loot, and it was my 3rd large one. So you can flame me for selling on Ebay but don't because that's not the issue of this thread. Eve online is as close to the old Ultima as I've found is all I'm saying. It's not like UO though, you call them and they don't speak English and stuff, at least that's what I ran into. And UO if you got banned, as I did a few times, you had a right to appeal and talk to them, and they'd listen, and sometimes you'd get your account back maybe minus all the ill gotten gains.
IF someone knows a good game, let me know, as I can't find it.