Good morning!

First of all, what kind of spell did OSI put on UO that SO MANY people whom started playing about ten years ago always come and go from Ultima?!

Well, I'm one of those people that can't let UO go.

This love for Ultima started in 2000, when I didn't even had a computer at home and had to go to a Lan House to play. By then I hadn't meet UO and spent all my free time as a child (10 years old) playing Half Life. That was addicting enough for my parents, but little did they know it would get worse!

The old ones from the Lan that i worshipped started to play some weird game with so much running and clashing... I couldn't understand much, but was interested to be one of the cool group. To be one of them all they asked was for me to double click an axe and target a tree.

And i became addicted to that. Yeah.

I spent months getting my lumberjacking skills up and supplying arrows to the group. I was one of them. It was fun and I can't explain how... But many of you must know that feeling!

Then, as my working skills went higher, so did my will to go out of Minoc and explore the world. I grabbed one of my adeptly made bow, few arrows and south i went. Each new sight gave me chills... The moongate (at that time and at that shard you didn't had a menu to choose, you would get thrown into another moongate randomly), the cemitery, the den's passage, the red named folk getting closer and... I got PKed.

It was awful. I started yelling at the PC as my stuff flied across the screen and was in frenzy when the old guys came like lightning to get the PK.

It was the thrill of the PVP and suddenly I understood everything. Since that day I couldn't work without going out to the cemitery to train my fighting skills. Crafting was fun but shooting a slow chasing arrow was hilarious!

But then everything changed. In 2001 I had to move to another district, away from the people I played. I already had a computer home, but had no idea how to install the old server (it was a freeshard). Then I stopped playing. I hated Ultima Online for being so complicated 

The years went by and in about 2003 I met one of those old friends and... He was still playing! Was awesome talking to him, but more awesome that he teach me how to get into another shard (the biggest brazilian shard running). So I did! The first toon? A Miner 

That shard ran as Age of Shadows until 2004 IIRC. I became a treasure hunter and explored everything. Even the wastelands! I loved every tile of that game as any!

And again, I had to move. But this time, I wouldn't stop playing. I knew the game and how to install it properly. I then introduced the games to my new neighbors, but all they saw was a poor graphic... It was sad playing alone, so I started playing Lineage 2 (with the neighbors).

It was the second and the major separation from UO i had. I played Lineage 2 for three years, then moved to SotNW for a year, then to WoW for another year, then the no games 2011 year... But NONE of them compared to the thrill of Ultima!

It was time to come back! And so did I, a few weeks ago... But I'm still missing a community. I know I can't play this by myself. The friend of mine that played (and taught me) called me crazy this weekend when I told I was playing again!

So I came here! I was going through the introducing forums and was amazed of how many people are like me! Old veteran players that stopped for some reason and are back!

I love knowing that I'm not the crazy one (or not the only one  ) and I hope that I'm able to be one of you!

And thats enough for one post...

- Ricardo