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18 Years On, Ultima Online Is Still Going
An anonymous reader writes: Ultima Online was released in September, 1997. It was the game that popularized graphical MMOs, and somehow, it's still running. Rock, Paper, Shotgun took a dive into the game to see how much it's changed, and who still plays it. As the community has shrunk, it's become increasingly tight-knit, and giving up the game now means giving up a social circle for many players. Even though newer MMOs have eclipsed the game's functionality, UO has a dedication to the full adventuring experience that later games haven't replicated. From the article: "While initially I couldn't understand the appeal of Ultima, when I decided to shake off the limitations of an early level character and simply explore for myself, I found a game world with a lot to offer. Player created civilizations, unique monsters, and the sheer mystery of the world combine to keep this ancient MMO compelling. For all the ways in which the genre has improved, Ultima Online remains one of just a few MMOs that let you live an alternative life. That feeling of ownership ... combined with the diversity on offer, keeps players coming back day after day."
A good shard (UO-speak for a custom server) would have great GMs regularly creating events for their players. I've played through a week-long monster invasion on Minoc, a war between Trinsic and Yew, a murder mystery involving 100+ players, and more custom "dungeon" areas than I can count. The last dungeon I remember was a play on Alice in Wonderland.
I haven't played UO in about 10 years, but custom shards gave hands down the best MMO experience I've ever seen even compared to current games.