2002-07-29: Sannio on "classes" in UO:AoS
Sannio on "classes" in UO:AoS
This was posted to the uo.com message boards in response to some player statements regarding “classes” in UO.
I'm presuming the references to "class" that you are talking about is from the recent interview GameSpy did with Rick "Stellerex" Hall. He can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Stellerex meant "class" in the "Dungeons & Dragons" sense of the word.
Many UO players talk about their mixing & optimizing techniques to create their "templates," and enjoy discussing their favorite template variations for UO's various "professions." These references are a little too "insider" for a non-UO enthusiast, so sometimes you might see or hear some of us use the phrase "class" used as a synonym for "template" and/or "profession" to help discuss an idea with the minimal amount of excess explanation; non-UO players may not understand when we talk about templates or professions, but they can quickly get a handle on things if we talk about classes.
Obviously UO never started with pre-defined professions or "classes," but just as obviously we all accept a number of template-definitions for several categories of "conversation-defined" professions within UO.
For example, if someone mentions a Tamer we can be pretty sure it's someone who frequently uses their Animal Taming, Animal Lore, and Veterinary skills, and if someone mentions a Treasure Hunter it's a good bet that this character some ability in Cartography, Mining, and Lockpicking.
The recognition of such collections of skills into professional templates is strong enough that we, players and developers alike, can anticipate certain groups of skills (and Stats) will end up complimenting each other as of UO: Age of Shadows--which is being developed with both "Necromancer" and Paladin" professions in mind. In true UO-fashion, you'll still be able to mix & match complementary skills, and decide which "Necromancer" or "Paladin" templates are best for you.
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Sannio
Online Content Coordinator, UO
Origin Systems
