Hi
I know this is a dumb one but what do the blue numbers at the bottom of my skills windows mean ..Also I picked up an old Renaissance manual for nothing but I'm sure its outdated..

Yup, outdated alright. That was pre-Age of Shadows. All items changed since then. Most skills are the same though.

Not really sure about the blue number at the bottom of the skills window. The skills window is a scroll, and the numbers are black.

The blue numbers in the game screen indicate when you have gained .1 or more in a skill.

The manual will help some if you are lost. It does an ok job of explaining the skills by giving you an overview of each. I am just guessing though as I do not own that manual. I have the manual/hintbooks for the second age, Lord Blackthorn's Revenge, Age of Shadows and The Unoffical Ultima Online Strategies & Secrets: The Essentail Survival Guide for the Lands of Britannia by The Burning Heart Guild. But if its by prima, it should be similar to anything that I have. Just disregard any forumlas/calculations these will be wrong.

But as far as some back ground on uo, and basics of the game and monsters, its good to have as a hard copy reference. Because many of the sites are even out of date.

Those blue numbers (like the attatched pic) are the sum total of your skills. The little button that says "Show Real" next to it denotes whether its a "modded" total (with skill enhancing items) or "true skill."