Truths about this Era - The Way it Was
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 11:35 pm
Could you cast a spell with a weapon EQUIPPED in T2A?
No. Parry Mages weren't popular in this era for this simple reason. Unequipping both a weapon and shield to cast took too much time. Hence the Hally mage is born.
Could you cast a spell with a weapon equipped in Dreadlord days, I.E. before T2A?
Yes....you could also just around with a bow/heavy xbox and fire shots WHILE moving/running. You could also OUTRUN someones melee swing, hence the birth of the 'insta hit' to avoid DODGING the animation of someones hally. I remember dodging peoples melee animation all the time vividly pre T2A. You could also cast in Full Plate since the skill Meditation did not exist. Remember full plate mages? Everyone used Archery, bone or full plate in this era. If you had 85 magery you were a God. They saw lack of balance and made it so you had to make a CHOICE; you either have great armor and slow mana regen, or no armor and mana regen. Naked mages with a robe are the NEW NORM in the T2A era as people realize wearing any armor, even leather is not worth the offset of mana regen speed.
Is Pure Mage New Speak?
Yes, Every Mage (at least the best) in T2A Had this basic Template: Swords, Tactics, Wrestling, Magery, Magic Resist, Meditation, Evaluating Intellgience. They would get off your reflect, precast exp, get a hally hit, unequip wep, confirm target, ebolt, confirm target, and if not dead do a poison or keep on them with a weapon. Explode Ebolt Hally IS the staple of this era. Not defensive templates with 'pure magery' as that template was not the norm or even effective.
Is a Heal Mage foreign to T2A?
A Mage in the sense of no fighting weapons is NOT the norm or even effective during this time. The idea is a mage with 25 dex with PreCast enabled turns a slow Hally into a 40 point wrecking machine. How would you finish off an opponent? Most fights always come down to getting "the kill shot". It was only after T2A that stun mages and these abominations started creeping around. Explode Ebolt Hally is as cliche as this time era for a reason.
If you have troubles remembering (hell, we all do by now) just look to what was the most common template played. As players, we and others adjusted to have the greatest advantage during the time era. In PreT2A it was scary bone armor wearing heavy xbow wielding mages running after you while shooting after a Dexxer in Full Plate using Parry. T2A was a paradigm shift where skill based PvP, or Magery became the new norm. People packed away their armor and bows for the new powerhouse template. The PreCasting Insta hit death dealing Explode Ebolt Hally Mage. A dexer played well could still exist in this new paradigm shift but they needed to be equipped well for the new world. They also needed to embrace Magery. Surviving mana dumps relying on interrupting hits/bandage timer was not going to win consistently. So every template in this era used Magery. Whether for offense or defense it was in every great players template. Parry would survive the shift but the Full Plate took a back seat to "Dexer suits" where the helm was plate, neck was a plate/leather gorget and the rest was Chainmail to limit dex loss (a Dexer's life depends on his speed).
Did only Hally Mages and Chainmail Parry Dexers with Magery thrive?
Of course not. You people are resourceful! Stealth brought a new dynamic to the game. Stealing could be used strategically. Full Plate had its pros and cons and simply looked badass. Magic weapons did make a difference in some fights but not much (they are risking it and it should). These were all 'fun templates' as they were good for non-conventional things but when it came to 1 vs 1 combat you either were Explode Ebolt Hallying, or you were applying a bandage, babysitting your healthbar and chasing after the guy trying to Explode Ebolt Hally you.
Post T2A was the era of the true griefers as stun mages/disarm thieves were annoying as hell. I don't know much about the Post T2A era, but I have played UO since 98...but don't take my word for it. Use simple logic and understand why templates were popular in what eras. I haven't had a chance to play this shard that much but what I hear and tested with the spells this IS the closest to "the way it was". My best friend was the statloss Pk Syntax on Atlantic if anyone remembers. I also played Chesapeake for a bit with my brother Falar and friend Beast. Anyone remember Papa Woody, Escobar and Barry Manilow on Atlantic...remember fighting them. Fought this guy Cloud a lot on Chesapeake.
No. Parry Mages weren't popular in this era for this simple reason. Unequipping both a weapon and shield to cast took too much time. Hence the Hally mage is born.
Could you cast a spell with a weapon equipped in Dreadlord days, I.E. before T2A?
Yes....you could also just around with a bow/heavy xbox and fire shots WHILE moving/running. You could also OUTRUN someones melee swing, hence the birth of the 'insta hit' to avoid DODGING the animation of someones hally. I remember dodging peoples melee animation all the time vividly pre T2A. You could also cast in Full Plate since the skill Meditation did not exist. Remember full plate mages? Everyone used Archery, bone or full plate in this era. If you had 85 magery you were a God. They saw lack of balance and made it so you had to make a CHOICE; you either have great armor and slow mana regen, or no armor and mana regen. Naked mages with a robe are the NEW NORM in the T2A era as people realize wearing any armor, even leather is not worth the offset of mana regen speed.
Is Pure Mage New Speak?
Yes, Every Mage (at least the best) in T2A Had this basic Template: Swords, Tactics, Wrestling, Magery, Magic Resist, Meditation, Evaluating Intellgience. They would get off your reflect, precast exp, get a hally hit, unequip wep, confirm target, ebolt, confirm target, and if not dead do a poison or keep on them with a weapon. Explode Ebolt Hally IS the staple of this era. Not defensive templates with 'pure magery' as that template was not the norm or even effective.
Is a Heal Mage foreign to T2A?
A Mage in the sense of no fighting weapons is NOT the norm or even effective during this time. The idea is a mage with 25 dex with PreCast enabled turns a slow Hally into a 40 point wrecking machine. How would you finish off an opponent? Most fights always come down to getting "the kill shot". It was only after T2A that stun mages and these abominations started creeping around. Explode Ebolt Hally is as cliche as this time era for a reason.
If you have troubles remembering (hell, we all do by now) just look to what was the most common template played. As players, we and others adjusted to have the greatest advantage during the time era. In PreT2A it was scary bone armor wearing heavy xbow wielding mages running after you while shooting after a Dexxer in Full Plate using Parry. T2A was a paradigm shift where skill based PvP, or Magery became the new norm. People packed away their armor and bows for the new powerhouse template. The PreCasting Insta hit death dealing Explode Ebolt Hally Mage. A dexer played well could still exist in this new paradigm shift but they needed to be equipped well for the new world. They also needed to embrace Magery. Surviving mana dumps relying on interrupting hits/bandage timer was not going to win consistently. So every template in this era used Magery. Whether for offense or defense it was in every great players template. Parry would survive the shift but the Full Plate took a back seat to "Dexer suits" where the helm was plate, neck was a plate/leather gorget and the rest was Chainmail to limit dex loss (a Dexer's life depends on his speed).
Did only Hally Mages and Chainmail Parry Dexers with Magery thrive?
Of course not. You people are resourceful! Stealth brought a new dynamic to the game. Stealing could be used strategically. Full Plate had its pros and cons and simply looked badass. Magic weapons did make a difference in some fights but not much (they are risking it and it should). These were all 'fun templates' as they were good for non-conventional things but when it came to 1 vs 1 combat you either were Explode Ebolt Hallying, or you were applying a bandage, babysitting your healthbar and chasing after the guy trying to Explode Ebolt Hally you.
Post T2A was the era of the true griefers as stun mages/disarm thieves were annoying as hell. I don't know much about the Post T2A era, but I have played UO since 98...but don't take my word for it. Use simple logic and understand why templates were popular in what eras. I haven't had a chance to play this shard that much but what I hear and tested with the spells this IS the closest to "the way it was". My best friend was the statloss Pk Syntax on Atlantic if anyone remembers. I also played Chesapeake for a bit with my brother Falar and friend Beast. Anyone remember Papa Woody, Escobar and Barry Manilow on Atlantic...remember fighting them. Fought this guy Cloud a lot on Chesapeake.
