UO Second Age

Hi everyone!
Since I haven't found a more appropriate category, I'm going to use this forum here to say Hi to everyone reading this, just like I did up there.
This is my first time trying to play UO. When the game came out I didn't have any internet access, and when I got one quite a bit later, I had forgotten about the game, or just assumed it was no longer played with all the newer MMORPGs being released.
A while ago I learned about Freeshards existing, but I had some pretty mediocre experiences with "Private Servers" of other games, so I wrote them off as not worth it without actually really trying. Shame on me *sigh*
Recently I had a change of mind, so to say, and would like to give it a try now. I searched google for "Ultima Online Freeshard" and found this one here on 3rd place.
As I'm typing this, I'm downloading the UO Client installer and I pretty much hope that I can play the game just using this, because I don't think I could find an original copy of UO anymore.

Playing online games is most fun when you have others to play with, and that's why I'm introducing myself a little bit here, hoping that you people will welcome a complete newbie with open arms.
I'm not someone who cannot "RTFM" and I don't want anyone to hold my hand throughout everything, but some help would be greatly appreciated. Still, I'm reading through the Wiki about things like character creation and commands. Don't want to roleplay an autistic person after all. =)

Oh well, the client download is about to be finished, so I'll try and see if I can get anywhere.
Hope to see you in the game. =)

PS: Moved the thread to the correct forum, ahem.
My problem still exists: To create an account, I just enter the name of the new account into the client and press enter, and it should then let me set the password or something, right? Because I couldn't find any "create Account" button anywhere, but that's what I gathered from the forums.
However when I hit Enter on the first screen after typing in anything, it displays a hand holding an hourglass for a few seconds and then locks up. It says "Not responding" and I have to force the game to close.
Could it be that the port used by razor is not forwarded properly? I always have issues with things like that... =(

Welcome to UOSA!

Type in the username you want, then the password you want, and login. It'll auto create the account for you, then you can register your account with your email upon logging in.

Yes. Welcome to UO Second Age!

You'll find that the community is generally nice and very helpful. A few characters, though. But it makes it all the more interesting.

Hello, Welcome to UOSA!

If you have some questions feel free to send me a private message, and I'll do my best to answer them.

I read that you don't want to roleplay an autistic person If you're interested in joining a roleplaying guild then check out Roleplayers United [RP]. Send a private message if you want to join and we an schedule an in-game meeting.

[RP] website:http://roleplayersunited-uo.webs.com/

I also recommend the Guides forum, there is a wealth of information there.

Hazza! Another first timer!

I have been playing since 5-6 months ago. All I have to say is read up on everything you can but don't believe everything you hear all the time. Experimentation/trial and error are probably some of the best policies. First and foremost always stay on guard, this is the fantasy game version of Mad magazine's Spy vs Spy imo.

Hey, thanks for the replies.
Sounds really fun. I don't mind having some more "interesting" people around usually, like you said it's more fun, even if something bad happens.
Although I myself usually wouldn't do something like that. Looking at the classes list I'd pick a healer mage.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to log in yet. It just keeps freezing on the loading screen whenever I put anything (or nothing) into the account and password boxes and press enter. I tried to forward the port 2593 for razor because maybe that's why, but I can't figure out for the live of me how to properly do that in the router menu. =/
My router isn't listed on portforward.com either. *sigh*

kinpira wrote:Hey, thanks for the replies.
Sounds really fun. I don't mind having some more "interesting" people around usually, like you said it's more fun, even if something bad happens.
Although I myself usually wouldn't do something like that. Looking at the classes list I'd pick a healer mage.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to log in yet. It just keeps freezing on the loading screen whenever I put anything (or nothing) into the account and password boxes and press enter. I tried to forward the port 2593 for razor because maybe that's why, but I can't figure out for the live of me how to properly do that in the router menu. =/
My router isn't listed on portforward.com either. *sigh*

I'm not much of a computer whiz. Maybe Derrick can help you cause I wouldn't know how to fix your problem. Are you using a proxy server or a firewall? Try sending him a private message to see if he can help you out.

You can log into the IRC chat listed on the UOSA main page to get in contact with Derrick there as well.

I am sure you read this

http://forum.uosecondage.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=496#p

You can also post your dilemma in the Server and Client Support forum.

I'm sure there are some people in there that can help you out.

http://forum.uosecondage.com/viewforum.php?f=32

I tried waiting a bit longer after it says "Not responding" and after a while it just says "Could not connect to ultima online".
I did the things described in those guides, like installing razor and setting the port and address.
In another thread where someone had a problem, someone else suggested to ping uosecondage.com to see if anything comes back. I did that, but it's just "general failure" and no reply.

I strongly suspect it's the port forwarding stuff, as I always have problem with that.
I don't think I have a proxy or a firewall, although I'm not sure about the router, it might have some kind of firewall. (The settings say nothing of that sort though)

I just can't find the right menu in the router to set up a port forwarding. There is a "static NAT setting" menu, which might have something to do with it, but in that menu it won't let me specify a port. It's just about WAN IP addresses and things like that.

There's also a UPnP NAT setting menu, but it won't let me set anything, it just displays the ports that are being used.
The only place where I can enter any ports is in the "packet filter" menu, where I select UDP or TCP, and IP address (I used *) and ports. But I don't want to filter the packets even further, I want to forward them, right?

I've been looking through the router menu for like 30 minutes or more, but I'm at a complete loss about how to enable this port 2593.

Next I'll try the server and client support forum, thanks for the hint.

kinpira wrote: Next I'll try the server and client support forum, thanks for the hint.

How did that work out for you? Are you able to log-in now? I checked up in that forum and it seems the problem has been fixed.

Unlimited Bladeworks wrote:

kinpira wrote: Next I'll try the server and client support forum, thanks for the hint.

How did that work out for you? Are you able to log-in now? I checked up in that forum and it seems the problem has been fixed.

Yes, I can log in now and I've been looking around in the game for a bit. It's been kind of interesting so far. I'll describe a bit of what happened to me in the 1-2 hours I've been playing, probably nothing exciting so skip the next paragraph if you aren't interested:

First I created a character using the mage template, and walked around the city for a bit. I was trying to find other players, but I was never really sure whether the other people there were NPCs or players.
Then I saw someone opening a portal or something, it was a blue, oval shape. I ran over there and went into the portal. On the other side I was in some kind of basement with some tables and whatnot, not really quite sure. I clicked on something and suddenly I was dead for some reason. Maybe it was a trap or something like that. The other player was there when I was a ghost but ran away on a mount. I tried to get out of the basement as a ghost, but when I went up the stairs, the way was blocked by some objects. After unsuccessfully trying to get out of there for a while I looked around the help windows and found a way to get out if you're stuck. I used that and got transported outside the building. From there I walked through the woods as a ghost, all the way to the north.
At some point I came across a wandering healer NPC who offered to resurrect me. Of course I accepted, and being alive again I started walking back. Sometimes some monsters would attack me, but I just ran away. When I reached the building in which I had died earlier, no one was there and I couldn't really get into it again, so I left and went further south until I hit a road. The road had to lead somewhere I thought, so I started following it.
Well, it went on and on and on... at some point I reached some kind of fortress with 2 NPCs and a shooting range in the back. There was a crossbow lieing there, but I couldn't pick it up. =(
I went further along the road, sometimes fleeing from enemies like giant mice who would make kissing sounds when they came near me. Sometimes there were houses and sometimes they had people inside, but usually the door was locked. At some point I reached a mountain with some paths inside, and then some kind of portal. I tried to use it but it told me I was unworthy. It was also kind of funny how I was constantly running away from monsters (the one time I tried to fight back it didn't seem to hurt the monster) while being unable to cast any spell even though I chose the mage class. I felt like Rincewind from the Discworld novels.
Eventually area I was in got kind of boring, so I created a new character in the town, this time staying away from any portals.

So I walked around there for some time, followed the other players and looked what they were doing. I started talking to one of them and asking some things, like why one of the people standing there kept saying "guards" all the time. The friendly other players explained some things to me, like how to cast spells and things like that.
One even gave me a horse and offered to help me with some of the basics. (Asking only for my clothes in exchange. I reluctantly gave up my "Wizzard" hat, but got another one in return. =)
It seems you have to train certain skills via macros to have a character that can do anything. So right now I have 2 characters, one training "anatomy" and the other one training "evaluation intelligence".
Although I really don't see the reason for this ... if training the skill is a matter of setting up a macro and letting the game run in the background for a while, why can't the skills start maxed out? Anyone can train them to max without any effort it seems, so I'd rather like to save the time it takes to have the game run in the background. But ok, it gives me some time to read up on the game. =)
At character creation, I set some stats like Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence and picked 3 skills.
I've also been reading the Wiki a bit, and it seems there are a lot more skills I can, or rather have to, train via a macro before the characters are ready.
It also says I can raise, for example, my int by training the "Spirit Speak" skill. Magery seems to be related to int, so does that mean I first need to max out (or at least raise) my int by using the spirit speak macro?
If so, what is the point of chosing the stats at character creation, when any character can raise them the way they want via a macro? Should I have set int to 10 at creation to just raise it via a macro and instead have set str and dex higher? Maybe those stats aren't as easily trained with a macro, I haven't checked that yet.

I realize there was no razor when the game first came out, so players had to do chores like raising anatomy by themselves. No wonder razor was created, who wants to do that manually? So maybe back then, setting the starting stats and skills had some meaning, because people wouldn't want to waste a lot of time raising them. (Also, dial up connections where you paid for every minute were more common back then, so time was even more precious)
Maybe I got it all wrong though.

Anyways, it would be great to have some people I could join when my characters are done with training. RP sounds good, but it depends on the type. I can't really speak "ye olde english", having enough trouble with normal english as it is. =P Still, I'm going to take a look at the RP guild there and see how it turns out.

PS: Just one more thing. When I was exploring, a lot of the time one of the bars would run out very quickly and I couldn't move then. It would say "you are too fatigued to move" or something like that. Sometimes that would happen even when I hardly moved at all. Why is that? Will it get better if I train a certain skill? Maybe that character had a low str or something...

kinpira wrote:First I created a character using the mage template, and walked around the city for a bit. I was trying to find other players, but I was never really sure whether the other people there were NPCs or players.
Then I saw someone opening a portal or something, it was a blue, oval shape. I ran over there and went into the portal. On the other side I was in some kind of basement with some tables and whatnot, not really quite sure. I clicked on something and suddenly I was dead for some reason. Maybe it was a trap or something like that. The other player was there when I was a ghost but ran away on a mount. I tried to get out of the basement as a ghost, but when I went up the stairs, the way was blocked by some objects. After unsuccessfully trying to get out of there for a while I looked around the help windows and found a way to get out if you're stuck. I used that and got transported outside the building. From there I walked through the woods as a ghost, all the way to the north.
At some point I came across a wandering healer NPC who offered to resurrect me. Of course I accepted, and being alive again I started walking back. Sometimes some monsters would attack me, but I just ran away. When I reached the building in which I had died earlier, no one was there and I couldn't really get into it again, so I left and went further south until I hit a road. The road had to lead somewhere I thought, so I started following it.
Well, it went on and on and on... at some point I reached some kind of fortress with 2 NPCs and a shooting range in the back. There was a crossbow lieing there, but I couldn't pick it up. =(
I went further along the road, sometimes fleeing from enemies like giant mice who would make kissing sounds when they came near me. Sometimes there were houses and sometimes they had people inside, but usually the door was locked. At some point I reached a mountain with some paths inside, and then some kind of portal. I tried to use it but it told me I was unworthy. It was also kind of funny how I was constantly running away from monsters (the one time I tried to fight back it didn't seem to hurt the monster) while being unable to cast any spell even though I chose the mage class. I felt like Rincewind from the Discworld novels.
Eventually area I was in got kind of boring, so I created a new character in the town, this time staying away from any portals.

So I walked around there for some time, followed the other players and looked what they were doing. I started talking to one of them and asking some things, like why one of the people standing there kept saying "guards" all the time. The friendly other players explained some things to me, like how to cast spells and things like that.
One even gave me a horse and offered to help me with some of the basics. (Asking only for my clothes in exchange. I reluctantly gave up my "Wizzard" hat, but got another one in return. =)
It seems you have to train certain skills via macros to have a character that can do anything. So right now I have 2 characters, one training "anatomy" and the other one training "evaluation intelligence".

It can take a very long time to fully understand the UO world, there is much to learn. There is no rule that you have to understand old english. For a first character do you want to be a warrior or mage? (Warrior is a lot cheaper!)

kinpira wrote:Although I really don't see the reason for this ... if training the skill is a matter of setting up a macro and letting the game run in the background for a while, why can't the skills start maxed out? Anyone can train them to max without any effort it seems, so I'd rather like to save the time it takes to have the game run in the background. But ok, it gives me some time to read up on the game. =)
At character creation, I set some stats like Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence and picked 3 skills.

You want to macro up stats so you don't die so easily and so you can be mobile without losing stamina or else you need to ride a horse. Depending on whether you want to build a warrior or mage depends if you want high dex or high int when you create a char. Dex for warrior, int for mage.

If you choose warrior, chances are you want magic resist and healing for starting skills.

kinpira wrote:I've also been reading the Wiki a bit, and it seems there are a lot more skills I can, or rather have to, train via a macro before the characters are ready.
It also says I can raise, for example, my int by training the "Spirit Speak" skill. Magery seems to be related to int, so does that mean I first need to max out (or at least raise) my int by using the spirit speak macro?

For a mage you can macro spirit speak until you reach 100 int. You can grandmaster 7 skills or 700 skill points total.

kinpira wrote:If so, what is the point of chosing the stats at character creation, when any character can raise them the way they want via a macro? Should I have set int to 10 at creation to just raise it via a macro and instead have set str and dex higher? Maybe those stats aren't as easily trained with a macro, I haven't checked that yet.

Depending on if you're a warrior or mage that will influence your decision. But you have the general idea down..

kinpira wrote:I realize there was no razor when the game first came out, so players had to do chores like raising anatomy by themselves. No wonder razor was created, who wants to do that manually? So maybe back then, setting the starting stats and skills had some meaning, because people wouldn't want to waste a lot of time raising them. (Also, dial up connections where you paid for every minute were more common back then, so time was even more precious)
Maybe I got it all wrong though.

Anyways, it would be great to have some people I could join when my characters are done with training. RP sounds good, but it depends on the type. I can't really speak "ye olde english", having enough trouble with normal english as it is. =P Still, I'm going to take a look at the RP guild there and see how it turns out.

No need to type old english to join and I can most definitely help you train. Send me a private message, and we can schedule a meeting time.

kinpira wrote:PS: Just one more thing. When I was exploring, a lot of the time one of the bars would run out very quickly and I couldn't move then. It would say "you are too fatigued to move" or something like that. Sometimes that would happen even when I hardly moved at all. Why is that? Will it get better if I train a certain skill? Maybe that character had a low str or something...

That means you had low stamina because your dexterity was very low. If you plan on being a mage you will have only 25 dex so you will need a horse to avoid running out of stamina.

It would be great if I could just come along with some people doing whatever they usually do.
What do they actually do all day in UO? Go hunt for treasures in a dungeon?

In battles I would very much like to play a healer/mage. But I don't know if that's a good idea. Maybe warriors in this game are self sufficient enough that dedicated support characters aren't needed.
I also heard that magic is expensive and then there's the 25 dex thing, which seems kind of annoying.
Are there actually any benefits to not playing a fighter or fighter/mage type character?
I guess 100 str are needed to have high hitpoints... is there no substitute for that by using magic, so that a mage can have more dex instead?
What about distribution... if, for example, I take 95 str instead of 100 it will only be 5% less. If I added these 5 points to dexterity it would be a 20% increase to dexterity and therefore maybe stamina? But the suggested builds are always like 100/100/25 or something like that.

Today I let the game run in the background all the time, but I'm still only at about 50 in the skill I'm training. It will probably take a few more days until the characters are ready. I'll send you a message then.
I'm not too fond of leaving the computer on while I'm away and on top of that, someone will come by and kill my characters, so I have to check every now and then and possibly revive them.