UO Thief | Read Me
Read Me
What is a stealing?
Let's begin with the act of stealing;
There's stealing and then there's scamming. The difference between the two is that scamming is just stealing on easy
mode. You could say that it takes no skill to steal from an AFK bank sitter and to do so is as easy as it gets. I'd say
that when you scam, you not only have the game on "easy mode" but also hate the other players on "easy mode."
The game mechanics exist to govern the limits of what you can and can't do. These limits (whatever they are, regardless
if you play on a production shard or Siege Perilous) are understood by everyone who ever logs into the game. Through the
intended mechanics you get the cat and mouse game that I love so much. Through this you get two-way interaction,
connectivity, adventure, and theft. Yes, this is true even for AFK bankers who knowingly took the risk of being stolen
from when they stepped away from their computer. Them stepping away is their contribution to the interaction and even
they pose a greater threat than a scam victim. Scamming gets rid of any real interaction and it becomes a one-way act
where you have no way of loosing because you're the only one playing.
Stealing is the act of obtaining items by actually interacting with other players. Scamming is not stealing.
Scamming removes the other player from the equation and you're really just honoring yourself in the process -- regardless
of the items you end up with. Having expensive items doesn't equate to a successful theft and it doesn't make you a
successful thief. It never has and it never will. Without anyone else interacting with you, you might as well be picking
up those same items off the floor. No theft took place.
This is why a lot of scammers transfer to many different shards and usually only play the highly populated ones. Eventually,
the scammers become more well known. Their style of play requires them to avoid two-way interaction at all costs and for "easy
mode" to remain on.
What is the UO Thief?
Some production shard thieves say they've just adapted their play in response to insurance and Trammel. This is fine from the player's
perspective. Playing within the rules, it's their right to play however they want to play.
The main problem is that they have little in common with thieves of the past and even less in common with the profession as a whole. For all their
accomplishments, they can't claim to be better or worse than any thief that came before them. Whatever they accomplish
with this new brand of thievery can't be celebrated when you compare the two styles side-by-side. They say they've "adapted their play style."
I say they've adapated themselves right out of the UO Thief profession.
-Chad Sexington
Copyright © 2009 uothief.com All Rights Reserved