I have to agree and we were actually talking about this very thing over in the # channel on the IRC Stratics Network about how complicated the game is now-a-days and it seems to keep going in the same direction with all the complexities involved with the game. In addition to this, I too would hate to be a new player starting UO today or for that matter a returning player from Pre-AoS.

Anyhow, I have had friends who have come back to the game now and leave again after their free trial period was up stating that the game sucks in their opinion and I hear it everyday from my own brother who now plays games like EQ2 and EQ1. He used to be very passionate about UO just like me.

Anyways, we have also talked about this alot on the Talk Shows in which we do every Sunday @ 5 PM EST on .com and we've voiced these same arguements. Be sure to check them out in our Downloads section if you'd like to hear past talk shows of ours.

Compared to the days when I started, UO is just to complex for my tastes.

If I compare the easyness of the systems to now..well, it's allmost depressing, hehe

A typical day in say Publish 15 era involved equipping a gm leather suit, 1 instrument and 100 of each reagent
Going to terathan keep with the guild, provoking stuff and having a laugh for hours

A typical day today is...well....confusing to say the least
Slayer instruments, cold/energy/fire resists?, provoke chances? exceptional vs slayer? marties? artifacts? power scrolls? etc etc etc

UO in the old days was so simple compared to now
I don't think adding more stuff and making it more complex, is the way forward.

And as much as I hate to say it, one of the worst parts of Publish 16 and AOS, was the halving of monster hit points and the introduction of targetted peacemaking.
Imo, a single player shouldn't be able to kill something like a dragon in 2-3 arrows. (Just my opinion)

I miss the old days when it was a game I stopped playing because of alot of the changes ive had no desire to play since I quit
I'd be so lost and would have to spend a fortune to be able to do anything