![]() ![]() If you still have an unfortunate addiction to UO, and a machine with enough memory and a decent 3D card to run it, you’ll probably want this update. The new continent also will be entirely devoid of housing as well, which should make it one giant playground. It’s now possible to run around the countryside and not run into a wall every six steps. Some of the more recent housing updates seem to be working well, too. Unfortunately, backpack items are still very small and randomly scattered (though they have made the backpack area slightly larger), so you still have to waste a lot of time looking for little things. This is very valuable when looting a monster and random clicking on what looks to be a corpse part doesn’t get you anywhere. Available most easily if you have a wheel mouse, you can now get pretty darn up close and personal with your character and his/her immediate surroundings. The 3D graphics haven’t exactly helped this, as there’s just more to look at - with one exception: the zoom-in feature. Namely, that many items are so incredibly small and the landscape so incredibly detailed now, that you will nearly go blind looking for small things on the ground. My biggest complaint about the game, now that some of the major disabilities have been fixed, is something that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. I do like the new graphics, though it seems like they’re really wasted being so small. I’m also still happy with the change of giving new players "young" status, which makes them immune from monster attacks and sends them to a healer on death, with all possessions still on them. Moongates now give you a choice of where to go, including going to the new continent. In addition to the zoom-in feature, which is my favorite update, there’s also a few cool new little things. Did they really mess up that much after it shipped? Originality / Cool Features It was also a little bizarre to see the game take 10 minutes to patch (on a DSL line) on install, when the box was just barely off the shelf. It’s time they got out of the dark ages on that one. ![]() I’m more than a little perturbed that there’s still no support for Win2k. It’s overall a kinder, gentler UO, and this change alone makes the game almost worth playing now. There’s still a contingent of K3wLd00ds but I think they’ve mostly moved on to other games by now. I can’t remember that ever happening before. Someone actually cast a healing spell on my newbie swordswinger while she was poking at a timber wolf early on. I think the PK changes from the last update have actually created a somewhat more polite brand of player as well. It’s also accessible only with the 3D client. Like the Lost Lands addition a couple of updates ago, this is new territory with new monsters. The other major change is the addition of an entirely new continent - Ilshenar. Still, it’s a nice face lift to an otherwise outdated graphic. ![]() To see any real effects of the 3D, it’s necessary to zoom in for more detail (a neat new added feature). The playfield and angles are exactly the same as before, as is perspective. Those familiar with the 2D version won’t really see much change in the look and feel of the game. To be compatible with the 2D version that’s still out there, this update only puts a 3D skin on characters and monsters, and upgrades some textures. Don’t expect the kind of 3D experience you’ve seen in other games however this feels far more like Diablo 2’s graphics. Many changes to the game simply come through downloaded patches, but Third Dawn is an almost entirely new client, with a new set of 3D graphics. This is the latest in a series of updates to the original Ultima Online. ![]()
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