

Sometimes, they can highlight the lack of forethought that went into designing certain features-like when NeoGAF user Nairume discovered a way to command an army of malicious deer. Not all of Ultima Online's best stories have to come at the expense of some poor sap, however. "I know it was mean, but, man, I don't think I have ever laughed for so hard or so long as I was laughing we sailed off…" The deer hunter He got off one Corp Por at us as we sailed into the high seas," Geosurface wrote.

He had just enough time to realize what was going on, and that his belongings were being sailed away with on his boat. "We quickly raised the gangplank and set sail. Just as Geosurface and company were loading the last bit of treasures onto their new boat, the owner used a spell to teleport home. We wanted the place to be absolutely empty except for a book in the middle of the floor with some insult in it."īut the heist wouldn't be a clean getaway. Anything we couldn't fit (mostly ore stacks and such) we hauled into the woods and put behind bushes. We got ahold of the owner's large boat key, and we loaded as much of his stuff onto the deck or into the hold of the boat. He let us into the house, and we looted it clean. "We used the type of trees, we used the little bit of coastline he could see, and a couple of hours later, we figured out where he was. We all spread out and tried to determine where he was." Without the convenience of a world map to determine his location, Geosurface and friends had to do some good ol' fashioned detective work. We had him describe the coastline, and I think we got a hold of a screenshot from him. So did Geosurface's friend do the right thing and quietly let himself out the front door? Of course not. Now, this was clearly a case of Ultima Online's developers not thinking through all of the consequences of what could happen when you built a house somewhere in the world. I know it was mean, but, man, I don't think I have ever laughed for so hard or so long as I was laughing we sailed off…

That way when some good-doer would stroll by and yell guards, my buddy would be killed, but all of the loot would be in the safety of my backpack, legally. So, if my buddy was stealing from you and setting your items on the ground, I could pick them up from the ground without breaking any sort of law. Once it's out of your possession it's basically public property. "Stealing in Ultima was sort of like taking your garbage to the street. As NeoGAF user SpacLock wrote, he and a sticky-fingered friend found out one silly loophole to do that in broad daylight. The strong would prey upon the weak and the clever were constantly devising new ways to part unsuspecting players from their hard-earned items. Nowadays, griefing is viewed as a thing only the most sadistic players would ever engage in, but in Ultima it was a way of life.

Instead, it was all about those little moments that would happen week to week that made the world of Britannia come alive. They might not be the most sprawling tales, but the strength of Ultima Online was never how 'epic' it could be. To celebrate its birthday and the legacy that would shape an entire genre of MMOs, here are just a few of my favorites. But of all the amazing stories spawned from online games, few are as memorable and hilarious as the ones that come from Ultima Online. Today, few people would probably ever want to spend their time playing in such a ruthless game, and later expansions would try and curb players' appetite for tears by discouraging slaughter.
