How is your life now versus what you thought it would be when you first started playing UO?
What did you dream of? And how did it turn out?
A qua lemmúr wíste, an zen anku vol verde wís.
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Comments
When I started things it was mainly exploring new templates / content / etc. I started as a mage then made a warrior because reagents became costly (especially when losing them)...from there I thought I'd need a blacksmith/tailor to craft/repair things so I built a few crafter/mule toons. I think the "dream" of most new people to UO is to own a house somewhere and that was no different for me. I would stack away gold until I eventually got my first 8x8 then grew from there as I became better and acquired more gold. My dream was to be able to play end game type content (and be good at it lol).
Today my game play is much different, but I still have fun. I have most skills/templates available to me through training/soulstones and have explored just about all existing content. I now can do most end game content (and have) and have a large keep by the water on the most populated shard which is what I wanted. One change that I did not see happening from 25+ years ago was now I no longer PvP at all (that's primarily what I did back then). There are times I miss it, but then I see the non-stop trash talk between PvPers in GenChat and the desire to PvP again fades lol.
Generally speaking, I like how things turned out for me with my time in UO and aside from the skills/gold that I've acquired while playing, I often am hit with some nostalgia when I am running around Britain or an OG dungeon that catapults me back to my early days in UO of either being chased by a red or working a skill.
Long story short, I couldn't have dreamed how things have turned out for me in UO but I do like the way things have turned out.
Never be afraid to challenge the status quo
Never be afraid to challenge the status quo
When I first dove into Ultima Online back in the day, the game was basically brand spanking new, and I knew from the jump it was gonna totally flip my world upside down. It felt like stepping into the future.
Back then, logging in was all about kicking back with my real-life friends and family in this incredibly immersive sandbox world. We'd snoop on other players just for laughs, mess around with them in silly ways, or lure some poor unsuspecting soul out from the safety of the bank into the wilderness so my crew could swoop in and snag all their loot. I had zero idea I'd still be logging in 26 years down the line. I thought this was the blueprint for the future of gaming. In my head, every MMORPG was gonna build on UO's foundation and take it to insane new levels: imagine worlds where you could level up skills through everyday jobs and hobbies, like becoming a master chef by running a virtual tavern, or honing your detective skills as a town sheriff chasing down thieves. You'd have economies driven by player-run farms, where folks could specialize in crafting rare artifacts, trading exotic goods from far-off explorations, or even building entire cities from scratch. But nope, UO was light-years ahead of its time (and honestly, still is), so the industry basically slammed on the brakes and pivoted hard toward those polished, theme-park-style games with scripted quests, hand-holding narratives, and zero real stakes.
These days, I've mellowed out a ton. I don't pull scams anymore, I mostly steer clear of PvP (even though I seriously miss that heart-pounding risk-versus-reward rush where one wrong move could cost you everything), and tricking people with poisoned food is ancient history. Instead, I spend my time wandering the vast lands, checking out the creative player-built houses that dot the landscape, and delving into those forgotten dungeons that still hold echoes of past adventures. To really tap into that old-school nostalgia, I'll seek out ancient relics scattered across the map—like those old weathered player run villages—and just park myself there for a while, letting the memories flood back. Or I'll hike to spots where old, abandoned player houses still stand, remnants of guilds and communities that thrived decades ago; sitting there quietly, taking it all in, it's like time-traveling back to when the world felt alive with possibility. It's a quieter way to play, but it keeps that spark alive, reminding me of simpler times when we didn't just log in to grind levels. But we actually lived in Britannia, forging real bonds in a shared digital home.
It sure didn't turn out anything like I pictured, no doubt about it and that bums me out a bit. The MMORPG market swerved into this streamlined, story-driven lane that's all about quick dopamine hits, min-maxing, streaming and monetization, while real life cranked the "always online" dial to eleven (it's tiring and I'm disconnecting a lot from all of it). The whole gaming industry's in a weird place that feels more corporate than creative. Gaming used to be built by the passionate gamers, now it's college grads that never step foot in any game you and I played. But that's exactly why I keep circling back to this 28-year-old classic. We've got stories and inside jokes from the trenches that no shiny new title could ever replicate, and in a world that's moved on, it's our little slice of timeless magic.
Now, please keep chasing old UO's magic. It's truly what sets this game apart from everything else.
I thought I would make a tinker and go into the shop and take the spot of the NPC and sell my goods to players.
Well it is not like that. So I had 1 toon; Pawain of Minoc. He added swords, magery and everything he could.
I stuck it out until my shadow armor suit was stolen. Quit for a while, when I returned, Trammel was made and the game was much better.
So I made more toons and have spent many hours in Sosaria.