A (long) Idea

[mrbojangles]

Ok, bear with me for a minute here as I ramble on with an idea I thought might be fun.


Currently UOSA is facing a variety of obstacles and problems that are hurting our economy and player growth rate. New players are finding it difficult to get started, either due to lack or helpful guilds and/or because of the amount of thievery and player killing going on. The economy, while stable, is still very small. People looking for good pvp are also sometimes discouraged by the inability to find it at different times, there is little centralization, with hot-spots being mainly in areas where people are trying hunt. I believe these problems can be amended with what I intend to propose to you all.

I am proposing a union of guilds and players, under one name, working towards a relatively unified goal. I'll explain how this can be done in three parts.

Overview:
To create a solid support network for new and veteran players through the founding of a multi-stone guild, which will assume control over a portion of Britannia, for protection and pvp-inciting purposes. New players will be offered a safe place to gather resources and train, as well as the help of veteran players in the form of guidance and protection. Veteran players will benefit from having an active pvp guild, as well as having protection for their mules and non-pvp characters.

The Details:
The Union would be split into two (possibly three) stones, one for new players and non-pvpers, and the other for pvpers. Each stone would have it's own gm who would be elected via a vote in the forums each month. I know a lot of players (including myself) don't have the time or the energy to run a large guild like this, so it would be best to have turnover in leadership to keep fresh ideas and enthusiasism. The two guild's gms, along with the entire guild, would work together to set new policies, etc. Since there would be two stones (the pvp stone will most likely be order/chaos and war, which no one would sign their mule up for) communication through IRC or Vent would be key in order for the non-pvpers to summon protection when threatened.

The main focus of the union would be to claim control over an area of land. This would be the most difficult and expensive part of the idea. First, an area whith resources, spawn, and preferably access to a town would be the best option. The peninsula that yew lies on would probably be the most ideal, ignoring the lack of housing available in the immediate area, which brings up another point. The union would require numerous pieces of real estate, so that should be considered as well. (one good location for this would be the bloody plains) This part hopefully can be discussed and decided upon in the ensuing discussion.

The union would also need a comprehensive set of guidelines and rules for it's members. Such as no attacking non-combatants in the area of control, yada yada, a lot of this still has to be worked out. Hopefully others will offer insight on this matter as well.

The murdering of noobs would be discouraged by the fact that, if a guild-member is murdered, a gank squad will quickly show up and unfairly dispatch the threat. This will cause opposing pvpers to band together and attack the protection guild itself, not the newbies in the area. Of course though, there is no stopping the occasional newbie from being slaughtered, and if it was stopped, where would be the fun.

What is needed:
VOLUNTEERS!
People willing to work to make this happen is the most important part. Please comment, critique, and volunteer and sort of help you might be able to offer.

Guild houses,
I personally have a couple of pieces of real estate that I could donate to the cause, but in order to truly have control over an area we would have to have a significant population of guildmembers and safe houses in said area.

These ideas need to be refined and tuned to the likes of the player-base. I just typed this up on a bit of a whim and I'm sure that there are plenty of blaring omissions in this idea.

And of course we need members who represent all the play styles present in UO.


Most importantly the point of this is to have fun. I hope this idea attracts both the casual and hardcore players, offering a new depth and consistency to this great shard.

[Hemperor]

I didn't read your whole post, most of it though, it's a pretty cool idea but at the same time I really could only see this as being further incentive for pks and more fun

[Tootles]

I do agree we need something just not sure this would work. I think some people prefer to ruin other peoples game by killing them , stealing etc.. It is pretty hard for a newbie on this shard. Within my first 24 hours I had been PKed and had things stolen from out of my pack. I have actually almost quit once because it just seems like I can get no where. But I am sticking with it.

[BravoFoxtrot]

Your idea is a good and noble one but I think your not looking at the whole picture. Yes being killed can discourage people, a tough enviroment might cause a slow in growth. The thing is, this is how it was back in the day. I think the charm of this shard is the fact its not easy, but the reward of accomplishent feels even greater.
I remember back then that guilds use to form for the sole purpose of killing reds. They would roam around hot spots, looking for reds to kill. What you suggest in many ways reminds me of that.

Now I do agree that the lack of guides, or in depth guides can be frustrating. Many people don't remember or never played T2A style UO. I think if more players could write up better in depth guides it could help people transition better into the game.

[BravoFoxtrot]

I do agree we need something just not sure this would work. I think some people prefer to ruin other peoples game by killing them , stealing etc.. It is pretty hard for a newbie on this shard. Within my first 24 hours I had been PKed and had things stolen from out of my pack. I have actually almost quit once because it just seems like I can get no where. But I am sticking with it.

I feel you, but take heart its not all bad. My friend and I started playing over 2 months ok. Yes we too have been killed a few times by reds, have had things stolen, but we have kept at it. Now we stand at over 400k combined, we both have a GM dexer and are both curently working on crafters and a fisherman. We are hoping to get a vendor house up and running in a few months, maybe try our hands at a bard or Tmaper. The game is hard, but its not impossible. Just play smart, empty your bags at a bank besides Brit or Vesper, when hunting keep an eye on who wanders into your area. I find that most reds that show up, always follow a blue that came thru. I usualy move or leave my location now when I see a blue that comes thru. Also, play with other people. Hunting on your own often times will encourage an attack on you more often then if your with someone.

[Purge]

Good idea, the thing that will keep this server alive is an active community