I have been thinking about this idea for a long time and after speaking to a friend, I have decided to go ahead with my plan to go old school. Warning, this is a long post, so if you are not interested in the idea of starting a new, powered down character and role-playing a little, then carry on and keep farming gold
The Idea
This idea comes from my desire to play UO as I did when I first started back in 1998. I love this server and how much customized content there is, but the fantasy book reading side of me wants more than just being uber powerful and farming gold. When you can instantly heal damage and have no fear of dying, you lose a sense of adventure; no risk and all reward. And so, the idea of starting a new character and role playing a certain archetype - like you did in the original UO - appealed to me as the perfect compromise.
The Concept
As a great man once said, simplicity is the key to brilliance, and with that in mind, the concept for this old school rework is thus:
1) Choose an archetype; be it mage, warrior, ranger, healer, tamer, bard, miner, blacksmith etc. And try to keep your character's skills and actions to that role - hence the 'role play'.
2) Only use gear that is naturally provided by the game. So in effect, no relayers, leveled weapons or shard quest gear. This will provide a hard limit on our character's power level and will force us to do what UO did so well in the first place - play together.
3) Seeing as people can choose to be a crafter, crafted gear is OK.
4) Lastly, no insurance, powerscrolls (skills only went to GM back then) or elixirs, scripts or convenience aids are to be used. Keep it as old school as you can! We want to emphasize the risk vs reward nature of UO.
This list is not set in stone and merely serves as a guide line to how we can limit our characters from becoming too powerful. By being weak/weaker and specialising in a certain role, we have to rely on other people to survive.
Why Should I?
This might sound like rubbish to some people but hopefully others are intrigued by this idea. It's not for everyone but if you are a little bored of bank sitting and want to try to find that sense of adventure again, then this might be the start you need.
The whole idea of going old school revolves around group play. My most cherished memories of UO (and other online games) are the ones of me being undergeared but fighting a super powerful monster with a group of friends. We would die and rethink our approach, and after what seemed like endless attempts, we would triumph and the sense of achievement was worth more than the loot. I want that again on this shard and I hope there are others who feel the same.
The Vision
Drawing upon my experience as an end-game raider in World of Warcraft (WoW), I envision a group of people forming to clear out a dungeon or go on a self appointed quest, for example, end the orc menace by attacking the orc fort or destroy the nest of undead creatures that plague the town.
After almost a decade of playing WoW, the reason I believe it was so successful, was because of it's clearly defined party and raid roles. People had a specific job, and that purpose allowed them to excel in that role and therefore be an integral part in helping the party achieve victory.
Using the WoW template, a basic party would need;
A tank - a warrior in plate or a pet who can soak up damage.
A healer - either magical or bandaids ( a wandering healer type).
Damage dealers - melee, ranged, magical or tamer.
This way the party is able to support each other by overcoming each other's shortcomings. Also we need not restrict ourselves to the cookie cutter party template - why not have two tamers and their pet tank, while two mages cast fireball and support heal. The combinations are only limited to our imagination.
Ultimately, I see a player run town where people have certain roles to fulfil; a blacksmith will repair weapons for a small fee, a bowyer has to fulfill a commission for 500 arrows, or a ranger, scouting an enemy location in preparation for a raid. Imagine a mining expedition into a monster infested area where an armed escort is required!
The town centre could also have bulletins where people can put up quest or commission requests. Anyone who has read Fairy Tale manga will be familiar with the idea of a quest board.
Additionally, the lack of instant healing, will bring into play under utilized skills like alchemy, where you might need to drink a cure potion to counter poisons or a quick heal potion in those emergency situations. This is just an example of how things could play out and again, it is only limited by our imagination.
If this idea takes off, we could take it one step even further and have everyone under the one guild. This will allow for guild wide communication, but more importantly, it will allow PvP! I am sure there will be some players who want to take their role playing further and become bandits who prey on others or even start an opposing faction to attack the town! Imagine a call to arms to push back the invaders.
Conclusion
To me, this concept presents the ultimate community driven freedom of Ultima Online. If you have managed to read the entirety of this post and are still interested in starting a new character, then please get in touch with Drizzt in-game.
Remember, you are starting a new character. You will still have your main character and continue to farm gold in readiness for the new facets, but in the mean while, if you want to start over again and have some fun running away from dragons, then join me in being a noob again!
Regards,
Drizzt
