13-Aug-2001 The two online RPG giants are going head-to-head in the UK for the first time. Chris Anderson has lost any semblance of what could reasonably be described as a life to both of them
Both the games on test here set out to achieve the same thing in different ways. They both attempt to create a living, breathing fantasy world in which the character you've created can progress from a fledgling hero (mage, warrior etc) into an accomplished veteran in a thriving online community. But first things first, let's create a character.
a Careful what you do here, this is your character for a long time.
Character creation
The way your character develops throughout Ultima Online is very much dependent on the skills you choose on this screen. Put a lot of points into magery, for example, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a competent magic user. You'll also need to choose a trade skill at this point so you can make money. Magic users normally choose tailoring so they can make clothes to sell on to tailor shops; fighters have a reputation to uphold and so will often choose a more masculine profession such as lumberjack, because it builds strength. But even if you mess up completely here and choose skills that aren't particularly relevant to your 'path' through Ultima Online, all is not lost. The beauty of this game is that your skills evolve depending on how you play: cast a lot of spells and your magery will go up; fight often with weapons and your melee combat skills will increase. Or you can choose a mixture of both, creating a sort of mage warrior (this is frowned upon by hard-core role-players). Either way, once you've created your character and given him/her a name (you can call your character anything you like, unlike in EQ, but more on that later), you're ready to enter the world and interact with other players, which of course is what it's all about.
Getting started
People in the game are generally very friendly and you'll have no trouble finding other players who are willing to help out 'newbies' who haven't a clue what they're doing (ie you, to begin with). In fact, simply standing by the location you start off in looking dazed and confused (which you probably will be) is often enough to prompt a more experienced player to take you under their wing and give you better clothes and equipment. Nice people, clearly. But some of them will be helping you in the hope that they can persuade you to join their guild and boost their numbers. Accept their assistance anyway, and when they ask if you'd like to join their guild say: 'No thank you, I have several important meetings over the next few months which will take up all my time.' The reason for this is that you'll be better placed to choose the guild that's right for you when you're more experienced and have a better understanding of the game. So basically you've taken advantage of this kind person and then told them to sod off once you've got what you wanted. You're a disgrace.
The next step is both the easiest and the most enjoyable: talk to people. Lots of them. UO encourages player interaction on every level, from simply standing around in the street chatting to hunting in the wilds and meeting other players to team up with, to buying and selling in shops and asking advice on various aspects of the game. Players will give you hints on armour and weapons, and tell you which areas are safe to hunt in (well, some of them will, but others are complete bastards and won't tell you anything). At this point you'll delight in discovering your new environment and how to make the most out of the wealth of information available to you in the form of other people who've been playing the game a long time. And no doubt you'll be itching to get outside the city and get involved in a bit of a fight. Well, sorry, but you can't - you'll be completely, totally and profoundly useless at absolutely everything to begin with. All your skills will be so low that the first rabbit you take on in the wilds will tweak your nose and call you a wuss before kicking your head in. You need to train. In a gym. With dummies. Punch them, stab them, club them to pieces, and slowly but surely your skills will improve: swordmanship, fencing, even hand-to-hand will all go up after you've spent a long time in the training area. Sooner or later, however, you'll be ready. You've got a dodgy set of cheap armour, a budget-price sword, and are ready to brave the terror-filled areas outside the city gates. You are about to enter the most controversial combat set-up ever seen in a virtual reality videogame.
Death or dishonour
Ultima Online is home to many monsters. Some are easy to kill, some are very difficult, and you'll find no shortage of beasties to take on wherever you go. But as much of a headache as these things can be they're nothing, nothing compared to your biggest enemy in the game: other player-controlled characters. There are people who play Ultima Online with the sole intention of killing other people and stealing everything they own. These people are called player killers (PKs), and there is a very large section of the Ultima playing community who hate these people with incredible intensity. Many PKs tend to prey on new characters who don't have the equipment or skill to fight back, or, worse still, they travel in large groups and pick out lone travellers as they make their way from one city to the next.
There are two sides to this argument. Most of UO's law-abiding citizens will argue that it's simply 'not fair' for PKs to kill other players and take all their things. The PKs will in turn argue that they're 'role-playing' evil characters, and this necessitates taking advantage of lesser players. Forget both these arguments, they're irrelevant. Player-versus-player combat (PvP) is so indescribably tense and exciting that you'll soon forget minor details such as who's right and who's wrong. Play a bad guy hunting down innocent human prey, play a good guy searching out PKs and bringing them to justice, but for God's sake play one of them or you'll be missing out on one of the most amazing multiplayer encounters of your life. Forget Doom, Quake, Half-Life and all the real-time strategy games you care to mention, the first time you come up against a real player in Ultima Online your hands will literally be shaking. You will not be able to function. You won't be able to find the shortcut keys on your keyboard. The spells which you've conveniently placed at the top of the screen will suddenly seem miles away, and your eyes will constantly be darting to your health bar to see how much life you have left before you die. This is not a visually rewarding experience, nor is it the most complex combat system in the world, but the fact that you will lose everything you are carrying to the other player if you die (including that ludicrously expensive suit of armour you just bought and stupidly decided to show off in the dungeon from hell) lends an edge to the battle that you will never experience in any other game. In short, it's all or nothing, and for that reason alone most players will run immediately to get away from PvP. But they're fools. Take my advice: get your combat and magic skills maxed up as quickly as you can and take to the dungeons in search of other players to mix it up with. You'll eventually overcome your nervousness and become competent enough at PvP to enjoy it for the exhilarating experience that it is.
Where do we go from here?
Ultima Online is not a linear game, and there's so much to do that you'll never, ever get bored. If combat is your thing, search the land for the best possible weapons you can find for your character. If you're a magic user, find a secluded spot and cast spells till they're coming out of your ears - one of these days you'll eventually reach Master Mage status and be the envy of your friends. Or if you want to make money and buy a house of your own to keep all your stuff in, choose a trade skill and make things to sell to other players. There are people who specialise in all the skills in the game, so if you're not sure how to proceed, talk to them and ask their advice.
A final word of warning: this game took over my life completely for about six months, and although EverQuest is currently my online RPG of choice (that will change, for reasons explained in the EverQuest review), I'll always return to Ultima Online because the player community is so friendly, and there's always something new to try which changes the gameplay experience dramatically. Ultima Online is the first truly amazing multiplayer game I have ever played, and I urge you to check it out forthwith - but don't blame me if you lose your life to it.
// Overview
Verdict
The most rewarding gaming experience you'll ever have
Uppers
Incredibly deep and involving It never ends - ever
Downers
Dated graphically No 3D, if you're bothered about it
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Incredibly deep and involving
