Excelsior

I played UO straight from launch up thru ML, and then off and on until Time of Legends, so I'm not a stranger to UO.

I have spent a lot of time on a few different free shards over the years too, but never found one that seemed to capture the PVM/RP vibes that peaked on UO around LBR/Age of Shadows. Some are way out in left field over complicating the game IMHO, which is neat if you want 900 custom things to deal with, but that's not what I'm looking for I guess. The custom stuff here seems pretty reigned in.

Some shards claim to be "like it was before they ruined it" but really just highlight the worst of the game from that era and are plagued with washed out PVP degenerates and triple-box accounts, so the server looks like it has 600 players but there's 200 probably. It's just a grind to the top of nothing while you get hassled trying to do basic crap like decorate a house or chop a tree. People walking around with 3 dragons on 3 accounts, with scripts so it's like a bunch of PK turrets while they wander around. What is the point lol.

Others are some weird hodgepodge of catering to those same kind of triple box PVP spazzes while trying to encourage roleplaying/PVM, but fall flat due to Fel-Rules and the rampant idiots running around PKing more or less unchecked with way too many tools/scripts at their disposal.

So basically all I was wondering is, what's this server like? I honestly never played here, but had looked at it a few different times over the years. I got the UO itch again because it never really goes away, and went looking for a shard to try that wasn't one of the above messes.

At first glance, it looks less spastic, but tbh, the Balron Farming thread I read a bit ago has me worried I guess.

All of the shards that let you triple-box and drag scripted dragons around are basically worthless. This shard doesn't seem like that since it has AFK checks, no dual accounts, and no "3 players somehow own 80 castles" crap.

Are people generally just AFK-ish (or completely AFKing but managing to not get caught) farming/grinding gold and collecting items? Or are there enough normal interactions/guilds/stuff that offers the opportunity to RP and goof around?

It can be fun for a new player. There are a lot of things to learn,quests to do and champs always going somewhere.
The balron thread is some top tier players having a heated disagreement. . Boredom maybe.
New content has been slow in the past few years due to a lack of staff, but we remain hopeful.
Don’t be in a mad rush to get End-Game gear and you’ll be fine. Nowhere is perfect by any means, but the server is very stable and almost always someone to help if you need it. Players are from all over the world, so that’s interesting when you talk. You will run across an afker now and then, but I think the hammer is about to drop on them. I hope so, anyway.
Welcome, and I hope you enjoy being here.

i played from launch up untill the release of the samurai empire
and now i've been here for about 2 months

i too had thrown in on a few different free shards with varying results
it's a bit weird to get used to at first on this server cos its still fairly different from the UO you love and remember
you can max out all of your skills, no 700 skill point cap
theres no pvp at all, even in felluca (the only times players can attack other players is if they are in the same guild, or in the designated pvp area which is pretty difficult to walk into by accident)

they do allow scripting and macroing here, but any resource gathering scripts and macros you have to be at the computer
raising skills is fine

we recently had a harrower event and about 50 people attended,

most people here are very friendly and helping, especially to new players
havent really seen any roleplaying to speak of except for maybe that one guy (raegen) who was determined to start and play a character from scratch only on the felluca side

there are alot of people that are afk that might just be something you have to get used to, but the server is also fairly active all day round

there is also a bit of a pay-to-win aspect here
certain items that are very powerful to have and can only be acquired with the donation currency (the donation currency can be exchanged for gold though, but it takes ALOT of gold)

and yeah unfortunately there is a bit of the 3 players owning 80 castles stuff going on here, with the donation currency you can merge houses together and multiple houses (normally the limit is 2 houses per account)

all in all though it's a pretty dam good server
there are alot of different things to do and theres some custom quests and custom areas

but just remember its very itemised so alot people work towards perfecting their gear
having the epic loot means everything

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 18, 2023 4:26 pm

So basically all I was wondering is, what's this server like?

Straight PvM/PvE. PvP disallowed almost everywhere and enforced mostly by the game mechanics themselves. Griefers are rare and largely impotent. They either quickly shape up or move on.

Scripting is broadly allowed except while AFK.

If that sounds like a foundation for fun, you'll probably enjoy it here.

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 18, 2023 4:26 pm

All of the shards that let you triple-box and drag scripted dragons around are basically worthless. This shard doesn't seem like that since it has AFK checks, no dual accounts, and no "3 players somehow own 80 castles" crap.

There is definitely "3 players own 80 castles crap." There are also instanced housing areas and clones of the malas map to make sure there's enough open space for you to own 80 castles if that's your thing. You have to earn it. Houses get very expensive after the first two. But far more than 3 players have built large compounds. You'll be able to have a castle of your own within a couple weeks of playing if you decide that's the most important thing to you.

Regards,
Wil

.

Interesting. I used to be in RP guilds, and ended up preferring pvm due to the overabundance of griefers that were poorly handled even on OSI, but have found most servers now are tons of afk/automated stuff with people barely playing for real. That triple box automation is pretty much the dumbest thing to me.

No skill cap is a welcome addition to me honestly because juggling skills on soulstones got old fast and theres too many neat things to try, so its easier on one character at this point.

I mostly just need like... a house. Just one, to goof off. I had my time on uo where I was on it like 14 hrs a day with multiple accounts on OSI, and will do my damnedest to not do that again.

Multiple house compounds sound kind of cool. Maybe better than other shards where a few people have 9 accounts each, one house per character per account... and basically own dagger isle.

What im getting at really is I dont want the illusion of a crowded server via that and triple boxing lol. Id prefer empty space over one dude owning every castle on the map from britain to trinsic for no real reason.

Another side question, is lockpicking bugged here like osi where its only ggs after 95.5??

and are tamer bards still the only real strategy?

I hate taming and pets. I get too jumbled up trying to deal with them.

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:54 am

Another side question, is lockpicking bugged here like osi where its only ggs after 95.5??

I think I understang what you are asking. I presume you are asking if having more than 99.5 lockpicking is meaningless, since you always succeed?

I definitely fail even with 120 lockpicking. Additionally there was a dificulty scale that was added. The locks have an ore rank (iron -> ice). Lockpick material can actually improve chances. For example, I use electrum lockpicks, but I still fail on ice locks a few times.

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:54 am

and are tamer bards still the only real strategy?

I hate taming and pets. I get too jumbled up trying to deal with them.

Not the only real strategy. It is a crutch strategy, typically employed up to maybe mid game. After that pets are really only used to tank 1 shot mobs.

I am not sure what you would call it, but a magic swordsman/archer is probably the dominant player build. Atleast past mid tier. Because of no skill limitations, you just use whatever you can to boost your dps. Healing, Anatomy, Tactics, Meditation, Magery, Chivalry, Necromancy, Discordance, Bushido, and Swordmanship are just a few of the skills I use in every encounter.

There are also viable pure mage builds as Pyrralyxia has demonstrated. Though I would argue that is a much more dificult to pull off well.

There is pet breeding here, so 1100 hp mule/nobles are available for pretty cheap. A lot of new players employ this strategy to make getting gold from more difficult mobs easier. Their mobility, durability, and dps are too lacking to be considered past mid tier combat prowess though. I alone can tank a pack of nobles. With just a bandage application hotkey.

You'll hear about them quite a bit if you play here, but relayers are how you get to end game tier combat. Being able to add attributes to weapons (leveling) and move attributes between layers (relayering) allows you to cap/maximize all your characters stats. Which of course makes you pretty hard to kill and hit like a semi.

MagicUser wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 9:00 am

I think I understang what you are asking. I presume you are asking if having more than 99.5 lockpicking is meaningless, since you always succeed?

No, I mean on OSI, once you hit 95.5 lockpicking, it was bugged so it would never gain no matter how much you sat there grinding away, so you were only able to gain .1 per day after that because of the guaranteed gain system the game had where it would just give you .1 a day for using something regardless.

So it took 45 days to get to 100, lol. It was kind of awful.


If taming isn't what rules the server, that's good to hear. Some other shards, that more or less is the only viable option, so you just see the majority of non PVPers running around with dragons. I did notice, the server wasn't drowning in on screen dragons, so that gave me hope!

there is a dominant playstyle here
and its discord/archer,or,melee

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:54 am

I mostly just need like... a house. Just one, to goof off. I had my time on uo where I was on it like 14 hrs a day with multiple accounts on OSI, and will do my damnedest to not do that again.

Then you're in luck. There are some really good spots for smaller houses available. Practically on top of the moongate locations. The really good locations for castles are taken, of course, but there are lots of generic locations left.

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:54 am

Another side question, is lockpicking bugged here like osi where its only ggs after 95.5??

Not bugged. You can train it to 120. Chests get progressively harder to pick. Top end chests require 120 lockpicking plus special lockpicking gear.

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:54 am

and are tamer bards still the only real strategy?

Recent discussion about that actually. Taming is the chief early game strategy. It's relatively easy to master -- you can get to 120 taming without actually taming anything. But, with player-bred pets having 1000 str and 1000 hp and new players able to control 5 at once, it's a fairly long time before your character is as powerful in battle as your pets. You don't -have- to play this way of course, and a number of folks celebrate other play styes. It'll just take you longer to advance if you don't.

By mid-game, relayers (gear) and instaheal cause dexxer (both melee and archer) to take over as the primary mode of play, and it remains that way through the remainder of the game. You reach areas where pets just get torn apart.

Im more into melee than UO pokemon battles so i may just ignore taming. I guess my main real concern is what sort of like RP and interacting goes on.

Is it mostly just everyone playing alone with scripts, amassing stuff for a house they lock everyone out of?

I like what I see so far, but have been on a bunch of shards that seem cool til they arent and I find myself playing with myself.

Lol

theres a few scripters around but not many, i may only see one or two a day and im online a fair bit,

i havent seen any roleplay to speak of but there is still alot of interaction that goes on

the most amount of interaction you will find is with other people doing champ spawns, or trading of items or just having chat in global

there is alot of houses out there set to private, but theres also alot of houses set to public for personal vendors and admiration of decoration

theres a few highly active guilds on the shard and nearly always someone to talk to at any hour of the day so if you do find yourself playing alone, its really by your own design

Hydlide wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:15 am

I guess my main real concern is what sort of like RP and interacting goes on.

Is it mostly just everyone playing alone with scripts, amassing stuff for a house they lock everyone out of?

The short answer is, currently, events are primarily dependent on people to put on. There are some, but they are certainly not every day. There may be months between player run events. I hear that some of the more active guilds have a lot more guild events. I could be wrong, but I believe RBG is one of those guilds.

For the most part, I would say there is a lot of solo grinding.

I have been apart of super active guilds, but they always fade. When you've been around as long as I have (which isn't even as long as some other people), you get used to being the last active member of the guild.

The longer more convoluted answer is, it looks like +Colibri is making an effort to have more events. Between 2013 and 2017ish there were a ton of server made events. The battle of Hogwarts was among the most memorable. Unfortunately around 2017, all of the admins besides +Colibri moved on. As the one man legend that he is, +Colibri took on managing the shard all by himself. To do this though, he had to make the code base more stable. Put it in a position where help could even be considered. Despite a few pretty awesome pet projects for the shard, I believe he was able to get a lot of that stability wrapped up. Which as a coder I very much admire. Bug chasing is a nightmare as it is, but having to debug stuff while trying to churn out new potentially buggy content would be unhealthy and unsustainable. It should be something you enjoy getting to, not logging in to see what other 50 things went wrong. I believe that his more active involvement in the shard in the past few months combined with some of the events that he has put on indicate that more minor events are on the horizon. Who's to say though. "Impossible to see, the future is." - Yoda.

In case anyone is curious, since it came up in a recent discussion, my account age is deceiving. I originally started playing on excelsior back in 2011 as MagicUser. I took a 2 year break between 2016 and 2017. I came back as Paroxysmus January 8th 2017.

Hey welcome to the shard. I'm just half way thru reading the "Balron Farming Solution" thread and thought I'd switch to something more casual.

I've read "triple-box" in your post, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that. To pump up things, make them triple?

Well overall I think we're among the 5 most-active shards. We got a lot of friendly and active players. When I do AFK checks, i usually see 15-30 players actively fighting, while there are many more just running around shopping, crafting, decorating or chatting. There were I think 50 or 60 people attending the recent quad-harrower event (player organized). So yeah, of the 120-180 players online, I'd say about half of them are actually playing, while the other half are bank-sitting or AFK at home. But there's a lot of people that come online for just half an hour, or a few hours a week, so there are probably hundreds of players that make up quite a nice sized ecosystem.

We're aiming for long-term stability, both technical (good uptime, a rare sight that you can't connect, also pretty much no world reverts). As well as economical, societal... no big hydraulic shocks that would blow things up.

Glad to see that others have already posted how they see things, I'm going to take some time to re-read this in more detail
I guess taming/pets used to be end-game, but then leveled weapons combined with relayers have pushed that into newbie-intermedate range.
Yes there are a few players with dozens of houses, not castles, but usually 18x18 customizable ones. You got to know, with stability-first approach, things have accumulated over the past 17 years But somehow, we seem to have kind of a balance where it's still playable. With any economy, the rich get richer... we have auctions to sink the gold, but then there are players who don't attend them and just keep farming. So, there have been calls out to "just wipe those empty houses" but that's not how we do things.

Something that got my attention in your first post, about playing UO the way it was back then. I recently saw a video on youtube, from someone explaining why we will never be able to re-live those times, because the technology has progressed, we have since played newer (and better) games. I remember those videogames that were on a floppy disk, and as you finished a level you had to wait thru about 15 seconds of the floppy-disk noises before the new level would load, but it was all so exciting, and why we probably feel so nostalgic when hearing a floppy disk. Now if a website doesn't load in 2 seconds we're already off to another thing. And you probably couldn't fill a shard with players that will manually raise their skills and grind on the basics.... why skill gain has to be sped up, things made more interactive..
Found the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsvy7CLmLzM

Oh another thing that caught my eye in your post, is that the Balron Farming thread scared you. I'd like us to be open and discuss things, there are shards where if you point out any flaws you'd get warned, then banned. Such shards rise to about a 25-player peak, then go down to about only 3 players playing, 2 of them being friends of the admins/owners. So it's kind of a 12-step process, at least we're admitting we have a problem

Well just a few words from the perspective of an admin. Or maybe a "game developer" although I don't know if I can call myself that. More of an IT guy or a museum curator.

I hope you'll give us a try and that you'll like it.

+Colibri wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:31 pm

Well just a few words from the perspective of an admin. Or maybe a "game developer" although I don't know if I can call myself that. More of an IT guy or a museum curator.

does that make kimane, the night guard? cos i feel a night at the museum vibe coming along

oh and tripple boxing is where you run 3 clients concurrently and all your movements and spells are played out all 3 clients at the same time