2001-01-25: If I'd Known Then...

If I'd Known Then...

Jan 25 2001 3:37PM

“If I’d known then what I know now...”

Now there’s a phrase that gets plenty of use. If I’d known in high school what I know now, I’d have gotten away with a lot more. If I’d known in college what I know now, I’d have Tyrant’s job. And to be quite honest, if I’d known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have been beaten senseless by a rabbit the first time I played Ultima Online.

But that’s the thing about UO. Once you’ve been around the block a few times, you know all the tricks. You know better than to take on a rabbit with your ‘practice’ sword. You know that the minute you head off to the Lost Lands, your armor will break and you’ll have to trudge all the way back if you haven’t brought a spare. You know never to try to run past the Britain bank in a hurry. You know how, when, and where to best raise your skills and stats.

Unfortunately, most new players in Britannia don’t know these things unless they’ve got a veteran player sitting next to them. And seating a veteran player next to every new UO player just isn’t in my budget. (Not to mention it might be a bit disconcerting to open the front door and see “Veteran Bob” appearing to help you play UO.) So the question is, what can we do about it? What can we do to help new players get through those first few days in Britannia without hurting, maiming, or embarrassing themselves?

One of the projects I’m working on right now will focus on all those things that we should have known when we first set foot in Britannia, but didn’t. And that’s where I need your help. If you’re interested, drop me an email and tell me the one, single thing you wish you’d known the first time you played UO. Be honest. Be brutal if you want. I won’t hold it against you.

After all, I’m the one who was whomped by a rabbit.

Leilo

UO Web Project Supervisor