I know this is not ultima 7 (maybe my favorite rpg of all time) but is there a story line at all in Ultima Online? Guild Wars and WOW for example have a story line and quests you can follow besides just doing whatever else you want.........I haven't really noticed this in UO so far; only escorting people to other locations and random monster encounters.
Thanks

The overall UO story line ended when they cut seers back in 2000 or 2001. Since then it has been just random events whenever the developers feel like it.

stroy lines are 1 sided like the quests better

Ah you see, That's the clever marketing of UO..

You make the adventure!

Well, That's been there excuse anyway.

Pops,
,GREAT question. I have added it to the common FAQ. WE have quite a few links for you! Ultima to Ultima Online Lore

I have to admit I'm not sure if I can stick with such a static world. I am realizing I enjoy the story aspect of these types of games over crafting and selling items and random encounters that have no underlying meaning. I am wandering aimlessly through my beloved Britannia as if it a soulless shopping mall and miss Lord British more than I expected.

Pops,

I feel your pain, especially over time as I became more familiar with just how deep and unique the Ultima Universe really was (I knew absolutely nothing about the Ultima series when I purchased Ultima Online just after Renaissance went live, and have become familiar with the universe over time through other players and through what I have been able to read online). For years now, in a sense, Ultima Online has been pretty close to abandonware, especially in the storyline department. Some attempts to bring a story back began to occur years ago, but for the most part these were empty and usually unfinished projects. This leaves the world relatively stagnant in comparison to what it easily could be, which is very disapointing.

On the other hand, I have found that Ultima Online can become a really deep and involving experience for players if you think out of the box a little. You are not set on a path - you are not assigned a scripted set of events in which you are bound by the game ruleset to follow if you wish to advance, the same script that everyone else in the game basically follows. You are not given any goals which you are forced to attain. Think of the world of Ultima Online less as a game and more as a virtual world - one in which the Avatar never laid foot on, as these worlds are twisted reflections of the world created by the shattering of the Gem. This can become really fufilling for people, such as roleplayers or people who merely involve themselves within the story of the gameworld. Because the Avatar has not entered these worlds, it is up to the players to prevent the forces of darkness from consuming our world. Therefore, we choose our own goals. Shall I become one of the greatest warriors in the game, or one of the most feared murderers? Shall I become one of the richest craftsmen in the game, or shall I be a humble socialite? Shall I attempt to make myself well-known and loved amongst my my fellow people of Sosaria, such as the well-known and loved Grog who passed away not too long ago, or shall I become a sinister force who becomes somewhat of a dark antagonist against the forces of good - roleplayer and non-roleplayer alike - such as Cymidei Fier of Baja? If you take a peek at Stratics, not long ago the players have made the story progress. On Europa, the Guardsmen Militia made an excursion into Felucca where they attempted to arrest and execute a number of well-known criminals (player-killers); a new mayor was elected for the City of Vesper; and the Baronship of Cove is dealing with the supposedly oppressive reign of the Church of the Avatarians. On Siege Perilous, a group of warriors and paladins known as the Knights of the Silver Serpent fashion themselves Knights of Justice and personally make it their duty to make war upon various evil forces while contesting the True Britannians claim to the throne. On Baja, I am personally familar with various events in the past where various guilds have represented themselves and either good or evil, with various philosophies ranging from the Virtues to various supposed deities, and while the roleplaying has fallen on hard times on that shard (with a few small guilds making a slow comeback - such as the Dark Tower, the Sea Elves known as Luminarians, and so fourth), groups continue to encourage events and whatnot, such as the UG.K who is responsible for scavenger hunts, tournements, and general community building (I just met them recently, and they are one awesome crew, hehe).

*Stares up at what he just wrote* I just rambled, didn't I? Its a bad habit of mine, I intend to write a short response, and end up with some giant lecture. Anyways, that is kind of my shameless plug for roleplaying...

What I am basically getting at is whatever you do, whether or not you become a roleplayer or whatever, you have the ability to make your own story and add to the Sosarian universe, instead of following one linear path. I mean, would you rather be known as the 1,000,000,001 person to have killed the same quest boss over and over again, or would you rather be the famous mage who formed a group who was sucessful in defeating another powerful nemesis guild, or the guy who became faction commander of a certain faction and held sway over Felucca for a year or more (think Archlord - even ten years later, every MMO to date has UO to thank for being the first to come up with some idea or system and implement it into game), or the guy who won that tournement and earned that famous unique shield that no one else has? Or the guy who solved the murder of a famous guild leader (like me); or the guy who had a piece of blackrock (it was really black granite), one of eight players who had to protect these pieces to prevent another guild from being able to cast armageddon (they couldnt really, but it was a fun plot). We are given a world and are given the chance to make ourselves unique and stand out from others, to make our own story and our own fame. In Ultima Online, no two players are alike. How many level sixty clone Paladins or Mages do you see in games like WoW or EverQuest? Millions.

Anyways though, this is not a rebuttal or criticism of how you feel, its just an attempt to show you the possibilities that you have access to, based on my experience.

Also, there have been attempts in the past few years (most of which I was off in other games, unfortunately) to begin developing a storyline around the world of Ultima Online. Unfortunately, they cannot really use Lord British because Richard Garriot owns the character and is the only one who could really bring the right element to the character, and the way that Ultima Online's universe is set up is a bear to work with - you have tons of lore, but you cannot necessarily follow those events or timelines, because there isnt a Lord British or Avatar to effect the span of events. But it seems that lately, especially with the arrival of Darkscribe and others, there has been a genuine interest in creating new quests and events that fit in with the storyline of Ultima. You just have to be there and get involved, because they are not going to hold your hand, tell you where to go, and make the event your special little copy of the same damn adventure. They are making things happen. Players recently sought out the Book of Truth and lit the Candle of Love (I found out when I came back, a little too late to get involved much. Then I found out, just reading old Ultima lore, that this is how the Avatar opened the Abyss, which is what the next expansion is all about. Its bloody cool. You dont see this happening - players working togeather for a common purpose with world-altering consequences in other games).

So stick around and get involved a bit, try to get involved with others and check out some of those events; perhaps track down and find groups that are responsible for their own player-ran events. I promise that there is more depth, story, and fun to be had than that which is on the surface. You just have to dig a little bit.

From what I hear a lot of that is about to change, UOKR was just a face-lift for UO and just EA's way of trying to bring UO to the next step.

After that, I am sure we will be seeing a lot of new revisions to everything. Don't lose hope everyone!

What bout Inu? or blackrock? Or the dragon Blaze? There are always events going on, sometimes sporadically, and there are usually at least 1-2 quests active from event content. Plus, there is the ongoing faction battle...In short, I think UO has plenty of evolving content as well as by far the most in-depth and varied gaming experience using in-game systems. If I want to be a necro/chiv/bushido/stealther, I can. If I want to be a mage/fencer/blacksmith, I can be that too. I can design my own house, I can hunt monsters, I can bake cakes. I've played Wow and SWG, and though they do occasionally grab my attention for a month or two, nothing has stood the test of time that Ultima has, bringing me back over and over for years.

Danny says it all tbh