Ultima Online

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 2 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #3,272 in Entertainment, #87,588 overall

A New World

When Origin launched Ultima Online on September 25, 1997 it marked a change in the video game industry. UO, as it's affectionately called, was the first of it's kind. Sure, other games had gone before that offered players the ability to play online. But UO was the first massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) that required you to play it online. No one player 'home' version available. No saving it in case you get ate by a dragon. And while UO no longer holds the market share (and hasn't for some time) I still feel that MMORPG players everywhere should give honor where it's due. Thank you OSI and Richard Garriott for creating a revolution. And thanks to EA for screwing it up causing another revolution... player run shards. :)

10 Years of Ultima Online 

10 years of UO boxes © Electronic Arts

Player Run Shards 

Fans of the early days of UO developed software to emulate the servers at OSI. This enabled people to create their own worlds with the primary limiting factor being the graphics in the UO client. This has allowed hundreds of people to build UO worlds the way they want which provides fans plenty of choices on where to play.

Each player run shard has it's own set up and rules. So while you may only have 700 skill points to play with on one shard, you may have 7000 on another. Some shards are built with a focus on role playing while others focus on player vs player (pvp) combat. Still others try to balance it all.

In the end, reguardless of your play style, there's bound to be a player run shard out there for you somewhere. It won't be as flashy as the real Ultima Online and there won't be as many people on it. But, if you're like me, you consider those qualities to be features.

Great Stuff Ultima Online Stuff 

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Ultima Photos 

Raph Koster and old UO headline, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Raph Koster and old...

Elaborate game-guild schwag, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Elaborate game-guild...

Elaborate game-guild schwag, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Elaborate game-guild...

Elaborate game-guild schwag, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Elaborate game-guild...

Raph Koster and original Ultima Online artOriginal Ultima map, Raph Koster's office, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Raph Koster and orig...

Original Ultima map, Raph Koster's office, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Original Ultima map,...

Casa UO by ...Isha

Casa UO

Raph Koster and Ultima Online rune, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Raph Koster and Ulti...

Happy Fun Balls, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Happy Fun Balls, Son...

Raph Koster and Ultima Online lawsuit headline, Sony Online Entertainment, San Diego by gruntzooki

Raph Koster and Ulti...

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UO videos 

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Ultima Online: Ban the Mother ...

Runtime: 4:45 | 5782 views | Comments

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Ultima Online Kingdom Reborn

Runtime: 1:51 | 206274 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Ultima Online Intro

Runtime: 2:52 | 30624 views | Comments

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by jweiss

Jeremy Weiss is a husband, father, son, thinker, blogger, geek, consultant, internet marketing dude, martial artist, philanthropist, genius and more!

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