Hell (and Heaven) is other people...
                  an Ultima Online odyssey
                       by Dave Booth.

@~Continued from issue 67

Part three - It isn't all about making money... is it?

Becoming a gold-piece millionaire is one objective that can be
achieved in UO. It isn't incredibly difficult, but there are a
number of obstacles to overcome. If you elect to be a merchant,
there are hours of mind-numbingly dull repetitive work ahead of
you, making things. Should you wish to make money through hunting
animals or monsters, you'll need to build your combat skills.

The game (it's a game?) has become easier in that respect, as
recent patches have increased the rate at which your skills
improve at low levels. It is now much easier to become a competent
potion-maker, blacksmith, bowyer, mage, or warrior.  So money
isn't a great object.

The mastery of a craft was once a badge of dedication. Becoming a
GrandMaster Blacksmith (by reaching maximum skill) was once a
cause for congratulation. It took hours of true dedication and
resources. Even more expensive in time and gold was the GM Mage.
In UO now however, it is possible to 'GM' with much less work. A
cause for complaint by a lot of the old school GMs. Not least
because goods marked 'Crafted by...' are much more abundant and
cheaper to buy.

As for the dedicated monster-bashers, the opening of the new, pk-
free lands has opened up the dungeons. Now you can take your
Warrior to the depths of Deceit, and battle the mighty Drake
without having to look over your shoulder for that opportunist
who'd kill you while you're low on health. Then pick its carcass
for vast sums of gold.

With money easier to make, buying a house has become not the realm
of the few who worked (or pk'd) long and hard. The 40000 gold
pieces can be earned much more easily now.

There's only so much land available on which to place a house.  On
the old lands (the 'pk-on' zones) that land was taken up ages ago.
However, the new lands are free of houses; and in addition, the
placement of a new house now renders all of your others obsolete.
You must sell them or they will just rot and collapse. So now, if
a player has just bought their first house deed, they should be
able to place a house in the new lands with ease. Or with even
more ease in the old lands, as people migrate to the 'pk-off'
zones. It certainly looks like that is what will happen.

Money is easy to come by, player-killing is not a threat if you
choose to live in the new lands, and the house of your dreams can
be a reality. What to do now?

Some time ago, an academic paper (the title, and its author,
escape me I'm afraid) expounded the theory of different types of
player of on-line games. There is the Explorer, who would walk the
length and breadth of the land to experience everything there was.
There's the Achiever, the man who wanted to be first to own a
Castle in the New Lands (I bet there's a few of those!). The
Predator, of course, is the player killer. Then there is the
Social player.

Socialising? Oh of course, this is a multiplayer online game! How
can you not socialise? More to the point, what does UO offer as
game mechanics to enable people to socialise?

Well, the towns are popular enough places. Not a surprise, as they
are the only way to access your bank box. It's common to see
dozens of players standing around the bank, trading items,
arguing, plotting, or just chatting. It seems to be even more
prevalent now that money is easier to come by.

Within town there are other places to meet and greet. Maybe the
shops, where merchants stitch hides into leather leggings or
hammer out greaves on the anvil. Or the town halls, which on many
shards now are host to player-run town councils.


Outside of town, people have for a long time used their house as
more than a storage box. Player villages have cropped up
everywhere, complete with that absolute necessity, the local pub.
Social events take place, ranging from role-played duels through
to players getting married online. Even the occasional
player-killer assault can be turned into a town event, as the
noble people of the town defend themselves against the incoming
marauders.

The creation of the pk-free zones will be a fascinating time for
the social player. Safety in numbers is no longer the watchword of
the day. It is possible to play a wandering bard, a visitor from a
foreign land, a woodland ranger, just about any roleplayed
character, in complete safety. If you discount the monsters that
stalk around, that is.

Socialising is encouraged through the Guild system. Any player
house can host a Guild Stone. This is used as a meeting post at
which new Guild members are signed up and the leader elected.
Guilds can be constructed for any purpose, and some of the more
popular are those that take on new players to train up for battle
against monsters; co-operatives of merchants; role-playing orcs
and elves; guilds of thieves and bandits; player- killer groups;
anti- player-killer groups; and warring tribes.

The last group are a common scene in UO. Guilds can declare war on
each other, so presenting the ability for consensual player-
versus-player combat. A player can attack (or be attacked by) a
player in a warred guild, anywhere, anytime. Even at the bank,
while you're sorting out your gold! Mind your back.

Imminently the old lands will be host to Factions, a super-guild-
war scenario, involving huge bands of players fighting for control
of the very towns. That should satisfy the appetite for battle of
the most ardent player-combat oriented warrior.

For a long time I had a character in a Guild of
anti-player-killers.  Our daily bread consisted of meeting up,
sparring to improve our skills, and heading for the most hazardous
parts of the land specifically to clash with and kill those who
would prey on the weak. It could be exhilarating, exasperating,
and exhausting.  Being in a Guild with a purpose, was the most
memorable experience of my UO time.

It's past now; the murderer class has been cut back first by the
implementation of '40 hours stat loss' (i.e. if you die in the
first 40 hours since your 5th kill, you lose a lot of your
abilities), and latterly by the opening of the new, pk-free lands.

I'm not sorry about either. Having that mission in the game
though, is what I will miss.

I've joined up with a different Guild, one with much more emphasis
on role-playing. I'm brushing up my skills in that area.  Becoming
an orc is on my list of things to do...

As the first truly massively-multiplayer, online, role-playing
game, UO had a huge amount of potential. For the first time people
from around the globe were logging on and creating a virtual world
in which they could see the effects of their immediate actions.
The player-versus-player aspect came to dominate above all other
forms of interaction, and that drove many to criticise the game
designers bitterly, and others to leave.  Now with the new,
non-player-killing lands, other players are leaving as their play
style is compromised by the gameworld.

UO has changed for sure, and many players are changing with it.  A
lot of people have joined and left over the two years-plus that it
has been around. Similar games, such as Everquest and Ascheron's
Call, have been launched.

The genre is well and truly established. As the first game of the
type, UO is a brave attempt. It has had its failings, but also
times of greatness. As an experience it is unique.

And that's all because of the people who log on and play it.

@~If you play an online game, and would like to tell us about your
@~experiences, I would be thrilled to print them! ... Sue
                              - o -