First of all I am quite serious about the above question and yes I am aware that I will need to try the game. That set aside I guess what I mean by the question is this...is there enough of a population to keep the game alive?

I have been playing WOW for while but am tired of it and wish to move to something else. The only problem is that my graphics card is not going to handle AOC or Warhammer. So I am wondering if UO is a game to consider.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

THanks!

With an upcoming expansion announced then I would say yes. If you live on the East Coast give Atlantic a try!

Well, I do think it is worth. At least a try. And you could open a trail account. Which wont cost you anything.
I don't know much about how many people you need to keep a game running. Or how many people are still gaming UO. But on the server Europa there is still a living community of players.
As most of these new games have beautifull eye-candy UO builds much more on complexity, freedom and immersion, imho. Just take a look at the list of new things coming in with the next pub(lish). Gardening... where else can you do this? Well, than rl. New house decos.
And for the future there is a new add-on lurking out.
I remember when EQ1 (back then just EQ) came out a many people said this is the death of UO. Well, a lot of mmorpgs entered the stage of the gaming world. Alot of them left. But UO is still there and doing a great job.
Give it a try . And see why some people stick to it like there is no other.

Yes. It's drastically different than WoW, that's certain. There is no end game, there is no leveling, and no set template. You can be any set of skills you want to be, up to a max of 700 (720 when your account is old enough). You don't have to gain in certain skills to be a crafter. You don't have to craft anything at all if you want. There is housing. The differences are too numerous to list.

Depending on which shard you go on, the population differs. I'll invite you to visit Pacific if you are in the US, but we have people in my guild from Europe and Australia too. It depends on what times you can play.

To me...... I would never play WoW...... Why it doesn't offer half of what UO offers..... Yes there is a decline in people playing ..... but I think you find that anywhere you go... and currently for me things are a bit on the slow side.. but I defiantly still log in still have fun..... and still LOVE UO. I play on GL just incase your wondering. I won't say any one shard is better or worse than anyother..... though if your new I would avoid playing on Siege or Mugen at least for awhile.... So at any rate.... Worst that can happen is you try UO and don't like it.... certainly isn't for everyone..... Any questions feel free to ask them here and I'm sure many of us will answer.

Knightlock, I would say yes. Just from the fact that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. The game has kept me satisified for nearly 11 years now.

If you want to take your brand new character to the hardest dungeon out there, you can, you will not last long but you can go there without restrictions.

Lets be blunt, the graphics suck (compared to todays newer games)- you if you are into graphics, UO is not for you.

Also you going to need to find a shard with the most people on it. Atlantic is a good bet. I would also suggest my home shard of Lake Superior, there is a great group of players that hold weekly events for players of all types and abilities. Though finding a shard depends on where you live and the time zone you are in.

I say give it a shot. If you can find a 9th anniversary edition box this will give you access to all current expansions. If not you going to have to download it, which can be a hassle. EA is terrible with their downloads, many people have problems.

Also understand that EA is going to require a credit card, even for your free trial, They charge you 1 dollar, just to make sure your CC is good and it will be credited back, if you decide to cancel before your trial ends. If you do not cancel (or forget too) they start charging you the monthly fee.

One more thing about EA - they do not replace any items from your account should you get scammed in game or if your account gets hacked. So if you decide to play do not ever give out your password. As far as customer service goes, forget it, it has to been the worst in the enitre gaming industry. If you enjoy talking to a call center in India, with people who have no idea what UO is. Go ahead and call them.

Now I am not trying to scare you off. Far from it, UO is a great game, it is just the other out of game bs that gives players quite a few headaches. So welcome aboard, just be a little cautious.

glad you found this forum. Any other questions? Many friendly and knowledgable players of UO here, willing and ready to answer them.

Having played for almost 11 years myself, recently our guild has been growing here on Chesapeake with many returning vets who have slumbered for years and years. The community is going strong and as others have said with an expansion coming now would be a good time to get your feet wet. Any shard you choose will definately have people willing to help and answer any questions you may have to get you on your way. In the world of UO you can be anything you want to be from a simple begger, a smelly orc or a victorious warrior.

I offer you an open invitation to come visit us and have a tour of our Statehood and what Chesapeake has to offer.

You may find the results of this poll helpful in answering your question

Vast majority of the folks here would apparently say yes!

Any UO addict will tell you that UO is worth playing. Some facts and objective opinions:

• The population of UO is stagnating. There have hardly been any new players in 2008. We know, as we watch New Haven closely.
• However, veteran players keep returning to UO. Many of them come back because the other MMORPGs (especially WoW) didn't meet their expectations.
• UO has a lot of content and depth, and a certain complexity, so it doesn't get boring.
• UO is a community game. Although you can play very well by yourself (and unfortunately many choose to do so), the most fun you will have when joining a community (a guild).
• Think about joining a role playing community. There are guilds out there who are quite tolerant about role playing newcomers (it isn't that serious as it sounds). These guilds focus more on events and fun, than on items and monster-bashing.

i would say give it a try