Игорь Бойко

Ultima Online Chronicles, or My Adventures on Pacific in 2000 Year


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standing by the bank, and it's used to put up or take down PvP flag.

      Ultimers celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve. All citizens of the game received a gift ticket. If you combine two tickets in the exchange window, you can choose a gift. For example, snowballs to throw at each other, a jeweled Christmas tree or Blessing Deed. With the latter you can make any item of clothing "blessed," after which it can not be taken from the owner, even in the case of death of the latter

      A characteristic feature of Zulu is the lack of normal fauna. Forests look extinct, and monsters are found only in special locations and dungeons, and their quantity and "quality" does not match the range of the game on the official servers. Beating of all sorts of evil spirits in the cemetery became a local sport, thankfully they respawn at a wild rate. Sometimes, you can see a completely abnormal picture, when the various skeletons, zombies and ghosts under the overall command of the Lich chase through the streets of Britain after some good citizens. Fun!

      But the most annoying feature of Zulu – pumped up troublemakers who have nothing to do and look for fun at the expense of other characters: then start putting up walls that prevent people to move, then just kill right in the city, regardless of negative PvP flags.

      Nevertheless, Zulu has a fairly stable community, as evidenced by the presence of several guilds (including Russian – Ice Friends and Angels of Apocalypse).

Particulars of national Ultima

      At the time of writing the material on the first Russian emulator server UO – The Lost Fort players spent a total of over 64 thousand hours (if we believe the Fort statistics). And I was there, managed to drink a honey-beer, until the "Russian team of fans of this game" announced that since December, the pleasure of playing ersatz-UO without lag will be charged. At the rate of 10 cents a day, for at least a month, i.e. three bucks. Yeah. Looks like "amateurs" decided to become "pros", condoning the fee with server maintenance costs and all that stuff. There is no desire to comment on this point, but about the "Fort" itself I can tell a little bit.

      The world of UO is in constant development. Within a few days a fort of the human-orc guild emerged in a deep forest. Copying the clothes of the orcs, remade language (for example, the warning phrase about the PKs roaming in the forest in their language is Der ur pks ina furest dabu) are all elements of complete role-playing. Already during the first meeting, they demanded from me a Tribute, as it turned out – under the tribute meant the skins of the killed game

      There is more order here than at the Zulu Hotel, but all other problems are present. Animals in the forests and fields are found, but there is no abundance. Birds are not seen at all, and if there are no birds, there are no feathers for self-made arrows and crossbow "bolts". The range of goods in the stores compared with the official servers is not impressive. Locations in which there are decent monsters – one, two and that's it. True, I never got to the local dungeons, except once, when I was "invited" to hunt together. As soon as I got out of the portal, a paralyzing field was immediately cast on it. Fifteen seconds later I was dead, and I was told that I should deliver my deepest apologies on such-and-such ICQ account for the fact that the day before a good girl had died because of me.

      That's when I remembered how the day before, right outside the bank I was attacked by three pumped comrades. Just because I told the girl mage that she looked cool in her outfit. Taking the compliment as a pick up attempt, I was immediately informed that they were going to kill me. When the process went on, I called the guards, who sent the beauty to death with one blow. And I managed to get away on my feet.

      After that there were long conversations on ICQ, and we parted as buddies. One of us realized that a compliment is not a crime, and the other – that you should not go with unfamiliar chars to kill monsters in the unknown places.

      PK'illing on the "Fort" is flourishing, with bounty hunters on duty at all the more or less attractive "hunting grounds".

      Character development here also goes at an accelerated pace due to the small number of the playing fraternity. For example, the intelligence and dexterity begin to grow before your eyes, it is only necessary to pick up a lute.

      In general, those who have not had a chance to try the real UO, will be fully delighted, staying in the dark about what they are deprived.

      UO fashion

Pacific

      VISA Classic worked flawlessly, it took only a couple of minutes to pay for the next month. Another half hour, during which the server rehabilitated my rights, and I was back.

      Immediately I faced the choice of choosing who I should be. If I kept pumping up the Fletcher profession, I'd make a lot of money. If I focus on Archer, I'll get a lot less money, but my life will be richer. Anyway, I still haven't bought a house yet.

      This is the kind of pretty scenery you find in Second Age territories

      There is a lot of money in the woods and dungeons. The problem is getting them to the bank. In the dungeon, you need to be extremely careful that the character is not jammed somewhere in a bottleneck. In the woods, fighting one monster, keep a close eye on whether others are coming to his aid. Especially you need to calculate carefully the strength when fighting with casting opponents. Some orc-mage can foolishly use a couple of the most powerful spells in a row, of which he never run out. And if you're not careful, the screen will soon turn gray.

      When in the backpack lies any decent amount of money, expendable reagents are about to run out, the weight of trophies is close to a critical point – in general, it's time to go back to town.

      Thrifty chars have a couple of recall runes that allow them to use a spell to travel to a predetermined location. Even more thoughtful players have a Recall Scroll, a magic item that works 100 percent of the time.

      The funny thing about our town: there are only six coins in each pile. But the idea of putting money in front of the place where the murdered are brought back to life is priceless:)

      Such a kit – rune+scroll – is called SOS kit because it almost always allows getting out of the most threatening situations. For example, to escape from a sure death at the hands of a player killer.

      However, on one condition, the character must not be hindered: with fists, swords, spells – whatever.

I love PKs – they make us stronger

      The phrase, by the way, was plagiarized. In the original, it was issued by the reddest PK, and it was spelled out on the screen as follows: "I love players – they're…" You know the rest.

      Ultima once again showed me how well it reproduces relationships between people. Just like in real life, there's no all-bad and all-good characters here. And I'm no longer surprised to see a group of blue characters interacting peacefully with a red PK. There can be many reasons for that, for example they can just be "friends at home" in a neighborly way or belong to the same guild. Or maybe there is a process of "debriefing", for example, I witnessed such a conversation after having just been killed PK brought back to life and have quietly continued to clarify relations. Revived PK – a harmless PK, no weapons and reagents, his health is undermined – in this state he is not dangerous even for the one-day newbie. By the way, as it turned out from numerous conversations, most of the murders of novice Ultima citizens are committed by "blue" players.

      Stand here, my children. Did you bring the temporary rings?"

      "Yes, Counselor."

      "Groom, pass the ring to the bride. The bride give it to the groom. Put the rings on."

      "Done, Counselor."

      "I