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Will Ultima Online finally have someone to pass the torch to?
Like many, I have very fond memories of Ultima Online. Very few games have ever come close to what made that game great. It offered true freedom to the players. Some of the core mechanics that made it special for me was the full loot pvp, player owned housing placable mostly anywhere on the game world, gathering of resources And crafting items which also identified you as its creator, the feeling you were in a world that mattered and changed because of its player base. It was a world where you were always on your toes because you never knew what to expect.
I've very recently came across 2 games which show promise. "Shroud of the Avatar" and "Albion Online". Unfortunately they are both in alpha and one must pay to get involved. I can only afford one in both time and money. If you have been involved in either or both alphas I would appreciate your vote and comments.
If there is another game that fills this void please comment.
thanks 
Comments
- Albert Einstein
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
It depends on what you're looking for, OP.
Albion Online is going to cater more towards your PVP and guild warfare game styles... territory control, etc. If you get killed, you can be looted dry. There is in-game lore, but AFAIK, no story questline that takes you through the game. You just jump in and play (which is very much like UO). The game doesn't seem to be aiming towards a solo playstyle at all, either. Success seems very interdependent on your guildmates.
Shroud has a bit more of a social feel to it and will probably cater to the RPers more than AO. SOTA is supposed to feature a storyline that can be played through that they say will harken back to the old Ultima games. It'll also have the option to be played offline as a single-player game. If being social and decorating your house is more important than PVP or territory control, then Shroud is probably the game for you. Note that there *is* PVP in Shroud, but I'm not sure what the goal is and there does not seem to be full looting... I imagine it'll end up being very secondary, unlike AO.
My info may be a bit out of date, but I have played both games so far. My own preference at this point is towards AO, simply because I found it to be easier to get into and more fast-paced fun. SOTA is not as far along in development, so it's hard to predict what it'll be like in the end...
Hope that helps.
Thank you very much for the breakdown. It does help quite a bit. Both games have apparently been greenlit on steam but after watching some videos last night on Albion Online it does look very polished and I've always love the isometric view take on games. It seems to have all the mechanics in looking for. On the flip side SOTA is made by the guys who created Ultima Online and this time it will be done without any large company holding back their creative control. For now I think Albion Online is my winner until I see more of what Lord British has planned for his game.
They sold to EA..do not think EA held a gun to their heads to make them do that. Once you sell out..well, you then lose control right?:P Kind of what selling out means.
Take a payday, and then bitch about it , priceless...
Neither.
You can't pass the torch to a another game based on a warped memory of UO.
People still see that game through rose-colored glasses. The death of that game was the moment Trammel was introduced and that was three years after release. IIRC, it wasn't even a full three years. Most of us muddled through until we couldn't stand it any longer.
I played for five years from release and it was great game, but not the do-all, be-all of MMOs as the nostalgia freaks would have you believe.
Originally posted by laokoko
"if you want to be a game designer, you should sell your house and fund your game. Since if you won't even fund your own game, no one will".
I have bought into the founders pack of Albion Online but it too is still a few months from another testing phase.
Waiting to see more of SOTA.
I have uncovered another prospective game called "Project Gorgon". It has potential but again still in early alphas.
Seems like all the games I am eager to play that have what I'm looking for are in their infancy of development.