Ultima Online Recent Review, Free Server/Shard Akara Essex

www.akaraessex.com
Alright... You may have read my first post about this game where there was drama... Then my second post where there was fan-boy gushing... Now I'm going to give you a detailed, unbiased review of the free server/free shard, Akara Essex. I understand that everybody has their own likes and tastes, so if you dislike or disagree with anything, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know! =) The first section is more of back-story, skip it if you want to get to the true review. The review will cover both Ultima Online, and then what Akara Essex has done to improve upon it.

Ultima Online has been around for many years. (Before I say anything else, I want to let you know the server I am reviewing is completely free!) If you haven't heard of the game by now, you were probably like me, and only ever looked up "free mmorpgs". Ultima Online is a paid subscription mmo that is still around today, and for good reason. It started off being completely different than any other mmorpg, and it got huge, with a very dedicated fanbase, and regardless of all this, companies still make the same cookie-cutter mmo's. Double click an enemy and wait until it's dead, level up and use a skill point to increase a skill every person in your class has, use that skill to kill monsters until you level up enough to equip the next set of gear that every person in your class is wearing, ect... Ultima Online is a true diamond in the ruff/rough. (However you spell it, correct me in the comments.)

First, I'll start with the only possible downfall depending on your taste... Graphics... Yes, the game is old. The graphics haven't been updated, and won't be, but it doesn't need to be! It has decent animations for everything. I can't imagine the game with any other graphics. It's Diablo-ish, but better. Now, Akara Essex is a free server so it really doesn't have the funds to change them, but they have added custom graphic effects. So they did what all they could do. =P

Second... Getting Stronger... It's basic enough to never get complicated, yet it is deep enough to make every character possibly different. There are 3 stats, Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence which directly effect your HP, Stamina, and Mana. Pretty self-explanatory. If you want to increase them, just do things associated with them. Keep attacking, earn Strength, keep casting, earn Intelligence, ect. As far as skills, there are no skill points. Each skill works with a %, and the more you use it, the higher the % is, and the better it is. So someone with 50% Magery would do less damage than someone with 75% Magery. (75% Magery may be able to cast stronger spells too.) Now Akara Essex takes this further by adding leveling! Leveling gives you general points that you can use to either quickly increase your stats, or quickly increase your skills instead of waiting. Your stat and skill limit also increase the higher level you are. (And there is either no level cap, or at least nobody has reached it... The free server is also 9+ years old if I remember correctly.) On top of character level, each piece of equipment has a level as well, in which it earns different points that you can spend to have it do numerous things.

Third... Drops/Loot... Depending on your luck (an effect that equipment can increase as well) you may find equipment with numerous effects. I believe there are 40+ different effects, from adding skill %'s, adding stats, adding better chances to hit, block, adding regenerative properties, ect.. It's also a note that there is no item slots. You have a certain weight you can hold (more-so with Strength, and there are bags you can put stuff in which magically reduces the weight to 0... but at a risk...) Akara Essex also takes this further with the leveling system mentioned previously. If you found a weapon, leveled it and messed it up somehow, you may find another and start over! Or start a collection for different circumstances! There are plenty of different weapons and armor types, and none are level-stricted. Your leather gear may be much stronger than someone's plate mail. Your dagger may be stronger than someone's lance.

Fourth... Fighting... Ultima Online has a real-time, somewhat twitch-based, fighting style, with a unique spell/skill system.  The fighting/skills/spells go hand in hand with strategies. Is an enemy really strong? Try to physically run far enough away it can't find you. Is it just as fast? Try to hide! Don't have a high enough hiding skill to actually hide? Resort to magic! Maybe cast Invisibility on yourself, maybe cast Paralyze on them, Maybe create a physical wall to stop their advance, maybe teleporting away is faster than running, maybe you can teleport to a safe area completely, or maybe you have a pet you can summon to defend yourself or be a distraction. Do you already see how it is different? Ultima Online already has a regular Spell book for Magery, and then other spell books for Necromancy, Ninjutsu, Chivalry, Bushido, ect. Akara Essex takes this even further by adding "Runes". Custom spells! Have you ever played a free server that actually adds to gameplay?

Fifth... Activities... You can tame almost any animal you can see, and even some monsters can be convinced to follow you. You can make your own arrows, clothing, armor, jewelry, weapons, even potions and band-aids! You can create your own house, create your own furniture... You can even farm if you want. Pretty much any activity you've seen in an mmo, is here, and probably some you haven't seen. Now this isn't quite fair. They didn't leave much for Akara Essex to add or improve upon. We do have gambling. Lottery, Slot games, and maybe more by the time you read this.

Sixth... Adventure... I'm tired of auto-running, I'm tired of going through 1-3 maps to get to the next town for higher level people, do quests, just to try to get to the next town. This game is huge! It took me four days just to find where a specific type of wolf was that I wanted to tame, only to find out there were requirements to get there. I also found a secret dungeon by pure accident... The entrance was hidden inside a normal crate that you wouldn't have looked twice at... Also, it is possible you may make a house in a place nobody will ever find. However, it isn't that secluded. You can actually "mark" your spots, and take people there! You can run and explore by yourself for hours, and simply "recall" back to the main town to see your friends. Besides just normal spawns (and the occasional strong versions of monsters known as Paragons), they also have Champs. They are basically survival matches, which a wicked boss at the end. Akara Essex has added custom champs! More monsters, more bosses, more loot!

Seventh... Connectivity... Many free servers are sketchy. They make you go through hoops to connect, not sure if the server will last, or even who is behind the rules and settings. Akara Essex has a one-click installer, a patcher just like any other mmo, as well as no registration! At the login page, just type in what you want your username and password to be, and it will either create an account with that credentials, or if one already exists, you'll be logged into that account. Also, the owner is not only friendly but is happy to speak with anybody. They are constantly adding things and taking in feedback from players... Yes, they listen to the players!

Seriously, Ultima Online is an mmo that everyone should try. If you are like me, and would rather try a game before playing without any "free trial", I seriously recommend Akara Essex. Easy install, easy patch, more customized than the main game itself, and there is just so much to this game.. www.akaraessex.com    ... You're welcome. =)

Akara Essex, the most unique MMO, is back!

I know I haven't wrote in a long while, and the last post about this topic wasn't too much of a happy one, however this trumps everything...

AKARA ESSEX IS BACK!!!
http://www.akaraessex.com

Yes, one of the best, free, MMO's out there... Or perhaps THE best.. Yes, it is a Private Server version of Ultima Online, but it far surpasses the original, and all other free MMO's out there to date. And I'll be happy to give my reasons why, and see if I can't just convince you to just give it a try. (I mean, come on, how many other MMOs have you given a try to anyways?)

1. Adventure, Exploration, Discovering....
     I've played all free MMO's... I've done dungeon runs, daily quests, guild quests, etc. You find a group of people, make friends, work together to achieve a goal, and feel accomplished afterwards, right? Well, that's the thing. All the other players in that game? They're going to do the same thing you just did. It's one big chain of follow-the-leader. What do you even do when you've reached a level cap? Nothing to do but help the weaker players follow-the-leader. MMO's have even gone so lazy as to include Auto-Run, and even lets you know what quests are available, where to accept them, and possibly even what the reward will be. What happened to the sense of Adventure? Exploration? Discovering? Playing a new MMO catches my attention only for the reason of FINDING new places, SEEING new monsters and equipment, and LEARNING what my character can do... Once I see what there is to see, I lose all interest.
     Now this is where Ultima Online in general wins by a landslide. The land is huge. So huge in fact, you have "Runes", which are basically portable save-spots for locations that you can teleport back to whenever you want. Found a good place to tame your favorite animals? Found a rare boss? Found an awesome place to gather supplies? Save them all! In fact, you may have a favorite spot that nobody knows about! How many MMOs can say that? You can run in the same direction for hours, and when you hit the edge of land, grab a boat and keep going. Don't even get me started on the different realms, such as Tram and Fel being basically the same landmass, but parallel universes... At least that's the easiest way to describe it.
     Now Akara Essex takes this one step further than just Ultima Online. You have random spawns of custom bosses, custom champs (think of it as a Survival Game with a wicked boss at the end), custom animals to tame, etc... Did I say "Custom"? That takes me to point number....

2.Customs and sheer Depth of... EVERYTHING!!!
     Ok, Ultima Online is already one of the deepest games out there, and it is hard to think of where to start. I'm sure you've played MMOs where you have pets? Ha! Ultima Online could easily be a Pokemon Fan's dream mmo. Pretty much any animal, and even some monsters, can be tamed. We're talking anywhere from rabbits, birds, cats, dogs, rats, slimes, horses, to drakes, dragons, alligators, unicorns, spiders, snakes, the list goes on. Not to mention any one of those animals might have a variation. (Horse, War Horse, Nightmare, Unicorn, Fire Steed, etc.). When I say variation, I don't mean the same exact thing with a different color. Nightmare's for example, can use Magic. Character Depth is also no laughing matter. Instead of skill points, a more rewarding skill % is what you have to work with. Like using Magic? The more you use it, the better it gets! Same goes for Stats. No stat points, the more you work, the higher they get! Attack more, earn Strength! cast more, earn Intelligence! Character Customization is what really keeps me addicted though. Over 15 slots of equipment, each one changing the look of your character EVERY TIME. Each piece of equipment can have over 40 effects, as well as any combination of effects, and different strengths of those effects. Don't get me started on weapons though. They can have so many effects, your little screen may not show them all, and I'm talking effects that make a difference. Imagine a weak, but fast, dagger? Now what if every-time you hit an enemy, you had a 50% chance of a fireball also hitting the enemy? What if you took it further and had 50% chance of a fireball, 50% chance of a lighting strike, AND 50% chance of stealing health? Diablo 3 would weep at the sight of some of these weapons and armors. You may be wondering, "But if we had 17 pieces of gear, each with 50 effects, and they were all really strong, wouldn't I be invincible?" but you'd be wrong. The depth also goes into monsters. Custom bosses will give even the highest level players a run for their money... Oh wait, did I say "Levels"?.. Yup, point number...

3. Leveling!!!
     But wait, I said there were no skill point or stat points, so why would there be leveling? This goes right back to the fact Akara Essex has Customs everywhere that make it far better than the original Ultima Online. In fact, I will state a pure fact. This game has the BEST LEVELING SYSTEM EVER. In fact, Ragnarok (one of the most popular MMO's with the highest player base... or at least it was at one point) is making a Ragnarok 2 with a similar leveling system! First, your character levels. This gives you general 'points' to use on what you want. If you want to gain Strength to hold more weight and get more HP, but you're a casting type and don't feel like physically attacking monsters, just use some of your points to increase the stat itself! Same goes for some skills that you just don't have the patience for. Oh, and did I mention there isn't a level cap? Or if there is, nobody has reached it. There are only rumors of how high the level cap is! Pets have levels too. Though they won't have any stat points, there is no need. They simply get stronger in everything the more they grow. Now, here is where it really gets interesting. You know the 15+ item slots I mentioned earlier? What if I told you that almost all the item slots you wear, level as well? What if I took it a step further and say that when an item levels, you get points that you can spend? THEN what if I told you that what you spend those points on is ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! Do you want to have more damage increase? Cast faster? Regenerate Health, Magic, or Stamina faster? Have more hit points? It's up to you! Did you screw up your body armor? Throw it down, grab or buy another piece, and start over! I seriously doubt you will find anybody with a similar character! That's right, IMAGINE AN MMO WITH ACTUAL INDIVIDUALITY! That brings me to the last point...

4. Individuality... It's rather important.
     Whether you want to dress to be the coolest person around, or want to fight for hours on end to be the strongest player with a sword, or if you want to find the perfect combination of pets to do your bidding. I'm tired of it, and I'm sure you are as well, of looking like everyone else! I'm tired of leveling to 30, to equip my next set of gear, that all other level 30 players of my class have! Here, you not only look different, but you also fight different. You are not tied to one class, and therefor one set tree of skills. If you started being a mage, and wanted to work on fighting? You can work to lower your skills in Magery, and raise your skills in Fencing. Or if you are a high-enough level, your skill cap increases too so you may be able to master both. Now, even with all the effects of equipment, there is still much more here than auto-attack. First, each weapon type has 2 special attacks. (Oh... and there are weapons.. Maces, Swords, Axes, Nun-chucks, Bows, Crossbows, Scythes, Lances, Hammers, Pickaxes, Pitchforks, War Forks, Daggers, Dual-Wielding Japanese Style swords of multiple types, the list goes on). You also have PLENTY of spells. You hold books, which you can set shortcuts for specific spells that you use most. Books include the normal Spell-book that has spells of all shapes and sizes, but there are also books on Necromancy, Chivalry, Bushido, Ninjutsu, etc. You can even say, "I pray to the gods" and a menu will appear for another list of spells that are affected by your Spirit Speak skill. So even if you have the same books as others, chances are, you'll have your own combo's and way of fighting than the person next to you. You can always depend on this game to allow you the opportunity of growing your own character to what YOU always wanted to be... That brings me to my final point...

5. Dependability...
     Lots of people are hesitant on private servers, and I don't blame you. Some stranger you don't know, is running the game on their system. Anything could happen to them, their equipment, and if anything goes wrong and you can't contact them about it, you literally don't know if it may even come back. Akara Essex has been around for 8 years. Through all the hardships of private servers for Ultima Online, Akara Essex pulls through. True, it may go down from time to time, but usually to test improvements or new items. I've never seen such dedicated staff before, on ANY MMO. Now that you know it is staying, the other fear is connecting. You think you may have to jump through hoops to connect. That couldn't be further from the truth. The website itself takes you step by step (there are 4 total, and not even sure if all 4 are required), as well as Akara Essex even has its own Launcher which will update before launching the game itself, just like any other top MMO! Registration is even easier... It's non-existent! When you get to the login screen, type in the credentials you want. It will either create a new account with that information, or if it matches an account, you'll just log in normally. No annoying E-mail checking!

So there you have it. That isn't even the entire list of what Akara Essex, let alone Ultima Online in general, has over almost every MMO these days. If you've read this far, then chances are I said something you liked. This isn't just a gushing out of my love for Ultima Online or Akara Essex. This is just an attempt, from one fellow MMORPG lover to another, to help you out. On all those MMORPG lists you've been staring at like a hawk, week after week on end hoping to see something new, you've never seen this one. A diamond in the rough... An overlooked gem... Or in my own words... The best MMORPG that I have ever played, and the only MMORPG that I cannot stop coming back to.