I haven't played in
UO since around the time of AoS, though I do constantly find myself wandering back to peek in on the goings-on of Europa RP. It's a great shame to see it fall on hard times.
1) What are you missing in
UO and could it be improved by us players?
What I miss about
UO is that it was simple. It felt in many ways like a blank canvas, there for us to add to. As most of us seem to agree, the game's worth declined following AoS, in the face of competition. It's been steadily worsening ever since, from the look of things. The only redeeming element is it's player base. As such the only thing that can improve it is you and your fellow roleplayers.
It's always been my opinion that gaps need to be bridged OOC for things to really work. When IC conflict turns into RL hostility, you need to get on top of it
instantly. I always grimace when I see guilds knocking each other in an OOC context. As roleplayers you should be a single community. No, that doesn't mean you all need to abide by certain rules, follow a uniform theme, hold hands, or have an extra tag by your names. But it does mean you need to respect one another; even if your characters are at each other's throats on a daily basis. Get that out of the way and things can only improve.
2) Do you think we don’t do enough story lines for interactive roleplaying and character development?
There seem to be a few in progress at the moment, and there's always potential for others. In many respects it's just a question of branching out in terms of who you roleplay with. That's why I've always liked the idea of an "events" guild, wherein people are urged to keep a character slot free, so that they can log in and roleplay with people, groups, and guilds that they wouldn't usually do for a couple of days a month.
3. Any suggestions what could or should be done overall to improve roleplay and get more people having fun at it?
I agree whole-heartedly with Kaelith. OOC cohesion, and something solid to build on can only benefit the community. Europa has many aspects that are unique to it; politics, constant conflict, and some truly great player-made lore. If that could only become more tight-knit and permanent, you'd have something brilliant on your hands.
4. For those that left, do you consider returning and what would ea have to do?
Part of me has wanted to return to
UO ever since I left. Sadly EA just don't seem able to get it right. They make mistake after mistake, and only succeed in making a good game bad, and a bad game worse. I do have some sympathy for the developement team, but they frankly haven't got a chance in hell of putting this game to rights. That said, I do still feel a draw to this game. It's just a question of whether or not I acctually want to fork out the cash for it, when there are so many other great games with potential for roleplay out there.
I'll give a nod to the Free Shard idea, to boot. Some of the best RP I've been involved with took place on player-run shards (TS:SE, and Shattered Alliance, for example). There's a freedom there that is sorely lacking in EA's shards - quite simply because it puts the players in charge. The only down side is that new players are hard to come by - something that seems integral to the survival of RP in
UO.