The 2d client resembles really early RPG games such as the Fantasy Star series, so it's old-fashioned in a good way. The 2d client lags less than the 3d client, also. Additionally, the devs have basically ignored the 3d client for the last year, so there are some properties on 2d (such as the buff bars) that aren't on the 3d client.

One thing you can try, once you get a UO Account opened
Log onto "test centre"
On that shard, you can set your skills to the maximum and your stats to
That'll give you the opportunity to test out different templates
You also get tons of stuff to play with in your bankbox, like artifacts, resources and ethereals to ride.
(I Believe you have to type [givearties and [giveresources in game to make them appear in your box.....someone correct me on this if i'm wrong)

Hmm. I don't like doing stuff like that. Id rather just pick a class type and play it - the fun is in seeing all the new spells and abilities you get as time progresses.

To form an analogy: I don't usually watch a film twice. Meaning I'd rather not test a completed character only to have to level it all up from scratch, knowing exactly what to expect.

Hope you understand what I am trying to say, but thanks for the advise!

Regards

Naw that makes sense!

Welcome to UO

Right. So...

I don't think that the question about healing classes was answered very accurately above. WoW, DAOC and I'm sure many of the other MMORPG's on the market present a class and level based system of play. You roll a toon, you pick a class and then you level or if you are uber and 1337, power level your little heart out. From there you have a very set framework of things you can do with your skill points. In DAOC the way to be a healer is to choose specifically the Druid (Hib), Cleric (Alb) or Healer (Mid) classes. These classes have almost 0 real offensive ability and are more about buffing and healing the people in your party. When I read the question posed by Riiyachan my immediate answer was no, you cannot be a healer in the modern sense of the term.

So, here's the major difference...

UO is skill based. You may pick up the healing and anatomy skills and cross heal your party members to your heart wildest content. Likewise, you may pick up magery and do the same or for that matter chivalry but you will never be the weak, defenseless, hang back from a fight and offer support sort of character you find in DAOC or WoW. That is unless you are just foolish about where you put your remaining skill points. The idea of UO is to pick a set of complimentary skills the allow you to heal yourself, damage your enemies, cure poisons, curses and the like... You see my point, I'm sure... There's very little in the UO world that you cannot hunt solo with a good skill template and a solid suit of armor. Three things come to mind, Peerless bosses, Champion Spawns and the Doom Gauntlet.

There are no real buffs as you might think of them in DAOC (at least) that are static and remain on the recipient until the buffer dies or logs out. You will never see the row of buff bots hanging around outside encounters or in the PvP zone safe areas.

The idea behind the newer games is that if you limit the number of real skills a class has and put the power to heal only in the hands of a select few classes you gain two valuable things. 1) The classes are much easier to balance making PvP a much simpler thing to cope with on the part of the dev team. 2) You force group play from your audience. Both of these points are very correct but that does not make UO's way of approaching skills any better or worse than it's peers. It simple makes it different. The real point of attraction with UO for me is that it is so vast in it's offerings as a game world that you were quite correct in think that you've been tossed into a sandbox.

*thinks this might be turning into a novel*

As to the 2D client... It has actually changed very little since the game launch in 1997 or so I hear. Do not get turned off by it. It is rather like a good antique in terms of usefulness and what I think is a familiar beauty. Yes, KR will be most awesome when we finally get our grubby little paws on it but I for one will always have an affectionate fondness for 2D.

Glad to see you here and much luck with the game!

Valyssia

Welcome to UO and UOForums Riiyachan.

If you do start on LA I know joining UOF 's guild will probably give you one of the best starts a new player could have.The member's here who formed the guild are an awesome bunch and will make sure you get the best out of your experience.

Dont ignore the rest of us though

If you make a character on Europa for example,as Decardo said,its a whole 'other' experience,with a different section of UOForums using that shard.

Either way ,what ever server you opt for,there are members here to link up with and get help/advice.

Good luck ,and keep us updated on your experiences and how they change over the next few weeks/months as the new client comes in.

I remember I was just finding my feet in UO when they brought in AOS [Age of Shadows] and I STILL havent got used to the changes

Good luck !!!!!

*thinks dirty thoughts...*

...Maddux needs to stop getting me thinking like that so early...

I guess it's better that way since 3D is gone in a few.

Hehe. Thanks for the run down Valyssia! I think I understand what you mean. From looking at the skils Healing and Anatomy, too, it seems you banadage - not heal in the sense of casting a spell.

Quick question. Where is the Lake Austin server located? I can guess that the Europa server is in europe, but I am from the United Kingdom.

Ill be on UO later tonight. I have to finish a bit of work at Uni before I'll allow myself to play!

Regards.

Welcome to UO Forums and hopefully soon to UO !

LA server is in California. So it may be a little tough to play there. As many have stated there is a strong Europa presence here. So I have no doubt which ever server you pick. You will have friends there already

Vepl

Don't know much about the Europa shard, but from everything I read, it seems it is different from the U.S. based shards. Probably mostly just the people.

Either way you can always take what you want out of UO and enjoy it, and as been stated there will always be someone somewhere to help out.

Welcome to UO and the forums.