Turn Can't into CAN! What Endless Journey CAN do :)
EJ is not perfect, but it has more to offer than I think many people are seeing. Newcomers who come to this forum would be seeing a lot of complaints. I really want EJ to work, so these are some of the things I am telling people I meet who are disappointed by the restrictions:
Housing. A lot of successful MMOs do not have any type of housing at all. How many people in UO just slap down a Borg Cube and fill it with items they never use? UO has great dungeons, with monsters and bosses that are fun to fight in their own right. There are a LOT of people who enjoy ''raids'', to get better gear, so they can do harder bosses. UO's skill system is also pretty unique, and fun to explore. For an EJ player, their focus would be on the game itself and their own character, rather than items, beyond whatever gear is better than what they have equipped now.
Storage. Every character has room in their pack for up to 125 separate items, plus what they are wearing. This is really quite a lot compared to many games, specially those with a F2P ruleset. Insuring everything would get expensive, but it's not like they are saving up gold to buy mining carts and house deco. There are also alts. Weight is not usually an issue until you get into resources and supplies. And they DO have access to the New Magincia stalls once they buy the upgrade. They need a friend to break a com deed for them, but if they do not craft (or commission a crafter) often then it is useful storage. They can also sell/buy resources this way without needing a vendor.
PvP does not need much gear. Not really. Work to get a good suit, insure it, keep it repaired. Most basic supplies are available thru player vendors or NPCs. A player who enjoys PvP for its own sake can still raid champion spawns (possibly obtaining power scrolls that way, if they time it right), and participate in VvV - among other PvP things.
Thief. They can steal any dungeon artifact that a player can, rob monsters, and pick player pockets.
RP. How much storage does a role player really need to enjoy their fun? Especially if they are a casual player who logs in at the end of a work day just to do a bit of fantasy play in a subscriber's tavern. For them, they might work to build that perfect outfit to go with their character's story.
Crafters. I admit, crafters do have to work pretty hard. Unless they have some very helpful friends, their play style will consist of 1) Farm/Buy as much un-deeded resources that they and up to 5 packies can carry. 2) Craft for skill gains or product until they run out. 3) Repeat. 4) Empty packies of whatever odds and ends they might have at the end of the day, and log out. When they collect their one un-bribable BoD for the day, they must be selective about which ones they keep - sell or trade the rest. Or just fill them for the bank points. I consider crafter to be the most challenging EJ play style - but it CAN be done.
Merchant. They would sell their wares in chat channels, forums, and through word of mouth. They also have the NM stalls for resource and pet selling.
Still with me? Well, let's get more specific!
First, a summary of the CAN'TS:
They cannot have a house, or be friended to one - they can only enter a public house. If it is locked down in a house and needs to be clicked to use, the answer is generally NO, with a few exceptions detailed in the CANS. I think the basic idea might be to encourage a player to get a house of their own to use these conveniences - and, mostly, they ARE just conveniences. There was a time when most of these things did not exist, and UO was still fun.
Bank storage is zero and EJ cannot mount a beetle that is carrying something. This prevents hoarders from abusing an endless supply of EJ to do what hoarders do. Justice virtue is out. Power Scroll and EM drops are out. Holiday rewards are out, or we would all drown in them. Colored ore, lumber, sand, granite - that has to do with scripters. They cannot make their own guild. They cannot use Bulk Order Deed Books or Commodity Deeds - over all, crafters have it rough. They cannot use bags of sending - this is clearly to deter script farming. They cannot accumulate veteran account age, or claim any rewards they might have available from previous years paid.
Now for the CANS:
First and foremost: a dormant vet account that has become EJ absolutely CAN make a fresh EJ account so they can empty their beetle and allow the vet character to play. An EJ account CAN play UO and earn enough in-game gold to buy a game time code in-game from a R E P U T A B L E player. With this, they can activate their old account to clear out its bank(s) and properly prepare it for EJ. They can play the new EJ while that account waits for EJ status. As always, UO is not responsible for trades done in-game, so be sure to get good references! It takes more time and effort, but that is the definition of F2P - you get what you pay for. (And before anyone gets snarky, investing time into UO is, in fact, a payment. It boosts the local shard's economy, gives PvPers more to fight, RPers more to play with, guilds more PvMers to farm with, etc. This makes subscribers want to continue subscribing.)
They can join a guild. They can enjoy any global event type of thing, like Treasures of Tokuno or Invasions, with all the same rewards. They can do trade runs, any quest in the game, visit any land. They can enter any dungeon, and kill any boss, and reap the rewards from such. (Provided their account, just like a subscriber, has the correct upgrades.) They are free to help their friends or guild complete or defend (or raid) a champion spawn - and many groups already roll on the scroll and artifact drops afterwards.
They can train any skill or combination of skills, and they can use power and stat scrolls to create a full-fledged character. They can craft anything. They can tame, train, command, and trade any pet. They can wear any gear, of any quality. They can play any race they wish. (They just need the same qualifications for these things as any subscriber does.) They can use any chat channel, including General (they can also be put on ignore.)
Most things I have tested so far DO work in their backpack. Trinsic Rose, Dye Tubs, Seed Box, Luck Statue, Jack's Bag of Tricks and other holiday clickies, etc. They can have an alt character store them when not in use if insurance or space is an issue. They can redeem existing holiday tokens and tickets that a subscriber has earned.
They can use house vaults - my guild has the equivalent of a ''guild bank'' that other MMOs have, and an EJ would be able to donate to or use this along with the rest of the guild. They can use Vet reward crafting stations, Ale Table (teehehehee), and runebooks locked down in a house. They can use crystal/corrupted crystal portals by text command, and they can receive items from stewards by text command. They can use vet/store teleport tiles. They can shop from player vendors, and use vendor search to find those vendors. They can use and OWN a New Magincia stall, with the proper account upgrade.
They can be a gardener! Plants will grow in backpacks, and seedboxes can store seeds if they really get a collection going. For a very casual player, the gardening sub-system and plant dyes can be entertaining in its own right. (They can also raise and hatch chicken-lizard and dragon turtle eggs in their pack, if they want to play with that sub-system.)
A friend who is subscribed can use one of their 7 characters to put down a ship for an EJ player. Once granted proper access to the ship and account upgrade to High Seas, an EJ character can then use that ship to enjoy the oceans of Sosaria, with all the attendant quests, SOS, piracy, and shiny things.
This is a very long post, but that is because Endless Journey CAN do a lot of things, despite the restrictions. So, please - help get the word out. The better EJ works for UO, the more we will ALL enjoy this wonderful MMO.
Housing. A lot of successful MMOs do not have any type of housing at all. How many people in UO just slap down a Borg Cube and fill it with items they never use? UO has great dungeons, with monsters and bosses that are fun to fight in their own right. There are a LOT of people who enjoy ''raids'', to get better gear, so they can do harder bosses. UO's skill system is also pretty unique, and fun to explore. For an EJ player, their focus would be on the game itself and their own character, rather than items, beyond whatever gear is better than what they have equipped now.
Storage. Every character has room in their pack for up to 125 separate items, plus what they are wearing. This is really quite a lot compared to many games, specially those with a F2P ruleset. Insuring everything would get expensive, but it's not like they are saving up gold to buy mining carts and house deco. There are also alts. Weight is not usually an issue until you get into resources and supplies. And they DO have access to the New Magincia stalls once they buy the upgrade. They need a friend to break a com deed for them, but if they do not craft (or commission a crafter) often then it is useful storage. They can also sell/buy resources this way without needing a vendor.
PvP does not need much gear. Not really. Work to get a good suit, insure it, keep it repaired. Most basic supplies are available thru player vendors or NPCs. A player who enjoys PvP for its own sake can still raid champion spawns (possibly obtaining power scrolls that way, if they time it right), and participate in VvV - among other PvP things.
Thief. They can steal any dungeon artifact that a player can, rob monsters, and pick player pockets.
RP. How much storage does a role player really need to enjoy their fun? Especially if they are a casual player who logs in at the end of a work day just to do a bit of fantasy play in a subscriber's tavern. For them, they might work to build that perfect outfit to go with their character's story.
Crafters. I admit, crafters do have to work pretty hard. Unless they have some very helpful friends, their play style will consist of 1) Farm/Buy as much un-deeded resources that they and up to 5 packies can carry. 2) Craft for skill gains or product until they run out. 3) Repeat. 4) Empty packies of whatever odds and ends they might have at the end of the day, and log out. When they collect their one un-bribable BoD for the day, they must be selective about which ones they keep - sell or trade the rest. Or just fill them for the bank points. I consider crafter to be the most challenging EJ play style - but it CAN be done.
Merchant. They would sell their wares in chat channels, forums, and through word of mouth. They also have the NM stalls for resource and pet selling.
Still with me? Well, let's get more specific!
First, a summary of the CAN'TS:
They cannot have a house, or be friended to one - they can only enter a public house. If it is locked down in a house and needs to be clicked to use, the answer is generally NO, with a few exceptions detailed in the CANS. I think the basic idea might be to encourage a player to get a house of their own to use these conveniences - and, mostly, they ARE just conveniences. There was a time when most of these things did not exist, and UO was still fun.
Bank storage is zero and EJ cannot mount a beetle that is carrying something. This prevents hoarders from abusing an endless supply of EJ to do what hoarders do. Justice virtue is out. Power Scroll and EM drops are out. Holiday rewards are out, or we would all drown in them. Colored ore, lumber, sand, granite - that has to do with scripters. They cannot make their own guild. They cannot use Bulk Order Deed Books or Commodity Deeds - over all, crafters have it rough. They cannot use bags of sending - this is clearly to deter script farming. They cannot accumulate veteran account age, or claim any rewards they might have available from previous years paid.
Now for the CANS:
First and foremost: a dormant vet account that has become EJ absolutely CAN make a fresh EJ account so they can empty their beetle and allow the vet character to play. An EJ account CAN play UO and earn enough in-game gold to buy a game time code in-game from a R E P U T A B L E player. With this, they can activate their old account to clear out its bank(s) and properly prepare it for EJ. They can play the new EJ while that account waits for EJ status. As always, UO is not responsible for trades done in-game, so be sure to get good references! It takes more time and effort, but that is the definition of F2P - you get what you pay for. (And before anyone gets snarky, investing time into UO is, in fact, a payment. It boosts the local shard's economy, gives PvPers more to fight, RPers more to play with, guilds more PvMers to farm with, etc. This makes subscribers want to continue subscribing.)
They can join a guild. They can enjoy any global event type of thing, like Treasures of Tokuno or Invasions, with all the same rewards. They can do trade runs, any quest in the game, visit any land. They can enter any dungeon, and kill any boss, and reap the rewards from such. (Provided their account, just like a subscriber, has the correct upgrades.) They are free to help their friends or guild complete or defend (or raid) a champion spawn - and many groups already roll on the scroll and artifact drops afterwards.
They can train any skill or combination of skills, and they can use power and stat scrolls to create a full-fledged character. They can craft anything. They can tame, train, command, and trade any pet. They can wear any gear, of any quality. They can play any race they wish. (They just need the same qualifications for these things as any subscriber does.) They can use any chat channel, including General (they can also be put on ignore.)
Most things I have tested so far DO work in their backpack. Trinsic Rose, Dye Tubs, Seed Box, Luck Statue, Jack's Bag of Tricks and other holiday clickies, etc. They can have an alt character store them when not in use if insurance or space is an issue. They can redeem existing holiday tokens and tickets that a subscriber has earned.
They can use house vaults - my guild has the equivalent of a ''guild bank'' that other MMOs have, and an EJ would be able to donate to or use this along with the rest of the guild. They can use Vet reward crafting stations, Ale Table (teehehehee), and runebooks locked down in a house. They can use crystal/corrupted crystal portals by text command, and they can receive items from stewards by text command. They can use vet/store teleport tiles. They can shop from player vendors, and use vendor search to find those vendors. They can use and OWN a New Magincia stall, with the proper account upgrade.
They can be a gardener! Plants will grow in backpacks, and seedboxes can store seeds if they really get a collection going. For a very casual player, the gardening sub-system and plant dyes can be entertaining in its own right. (They can also raise and hatch chicken-lizard and dragon turtle eggs in their pack, if they want to play with that sub-system.)
A friend who is subscribed can use one of their 7 characters to put down a ship for an EJ player. Once granted proper access to the ship and account upgrade to High Seas, an EJ character can then use that ship to enjoy the oceans of Sosaria, with all the attendant quests, SOS, piracy, and shiny things.
This is a very long post, but that is because Endless Journey CAN do a lot of things, despite the restrictions. So, please - help get the word out. The better EJ works for UO, the more we will ALL enjoy this wonderful MMO.
Comments
Very good post, many thanks!
Only one observation: you are missing the "fine" point that people that obsessively underline that "whitout storage EJ is a failure", mainly want a "full benefit" freeride (obviously lamenting at the same time that the game is doomed anyway, for this/this/that reasons).
But that's all been said thousand times.. if only those in charge could READ..
No, I don't want a full benefit freeride for myself..
I just want new players that stick to the game and have fun..
People like you only want to see the bad. But this scare mongering is destroying it.. and unfortunately the Devs fall for it and in the end ruin the whole idea of FTP..
Frustrating..
About a full-feature freeride: OK I take you on your word that this is nor YOUR motivation. But, IBYP, the impression that I strongly got is that this is the motivation of A LOT of griefers around...
I.
EJ needs a weight/item count limited bank box. People also whine too much. But a bank box in an mmorpg is like salt in a restaurant. It's not a unique selling point.
Those effort would have been better spent making it worthwhile for anyone in the first place. But the only focus was on restrict this, restrict that, no boats, no IDOCS, no bank, bla bla bla.
Go find someone willing to go through all that for a 20 year old video game.
Those veteran players are nice to see in game again, and I hope many stay. But most of them had reached that stage before they left. I am much more focused on NEW players. YES, Ultima does get them lol.
A new player is a hoarder by nature, but limited space teaches them to learn what is important to keep and what is not. This post is about giving people they meet in game suggestions on how to get the most out of EJ. UO is a fun game to PLAY, and building a character is fun too. I think many people on forums have forgotten that. Maybe those things are not enough to keep a player for 20 years, but a steady stream of folks who play for a year or two is what keeps the vast majority of MMOs alive.
You arguments are too much sensate: I'm thinking to ask the forum Mods to ban you for "abuse of the use of common sense" in posting...
There as some pages in the wiki on the official forum that are intended for returning and new players. Maybe something about how to use the portals could be added to the "Movement and Travel" page? (https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/beginning-the-adventure/movement-and-travel/)
Well, I think EJ accounts should have the right to place only a non-customizable small house, maybe with no vendors allowed though. A small house is not enough to be satisfied but is far enough to start the game in good conditions with their two characters and make them want to stay and subscribe to get more. Plus it's not like there's nowhere to place (except on Atlantic of course). What bad could it do to give them this right ? that they would not subscribe ?? On the contrary, it is the best way to make them want to subscribe after some time, in my opinion... (anyway, it worked like that for me when i started).
You will say : yes, but they are not paying for EJ accounts !! But is there any veteran player keeping their account opened and payed for just that nowadays, at this state of the game ????
Complicated.
and no no I do not want this for me, all my accounts have full hoses and I have never scripted
The players are the ones who labbelled the game free to play it is not a free to play model just an extended trial with more available than the 2week throw away account from before. Perhaps UO should move to a true free to play with a much more robust cash shop and benefits for subbed accounts. I know on my free Guild Wars 2 account I spend a lot more than $12.99 a month, usually around $50+ Others bought the game and never visit the cash shop and that's fine. They make money regardless.
UO should research how others are doing it. Or stop letting EJ be peddled as free to play because it's much more restrictive. GW2 survives entirely on "box sales" and the cash shop.
Some of you are really caught in a bubble where you can only see abuse and cheating in every player??
I agree though that UO should have done research how other games do F2P. The banking fiasco was for example totally avoidable if they only did some basic research.
But then I also don't buy into their "EJ is not F2P" logic. I can play those EJ characters for free and forever, what's not Free-To-Play with this? It's only some lingo from Mesanna to comfort her friends. Some fall for it, some don't
For reasons beyond me, EJ cannot redeem the in-game portion of an account upgrade code. However, a trusted subscriber CAN do this for them and hand them the items.
An EJ player can be promoted to guild leader.
-shakes head-
Arthur: "Be quiet!"
Dennis: "You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!”
Monty Python & the Holy Grail