i don't know about ultima online, eve online it depends, 0.0 is mostly kill on sight if you don't belong to alliance with one exception been a while since i played so i can't remember the alliance name but i know they were mostly ammarrian, but basically 0.0 is alliance warfare, low sec is all about the gankers this is where most of the pirate corps reside. high sec is mostly pve oriented but has corp warfare which alot if pvp corps wardec indy corps. then of course you have the high sec pirates. there are a few bounty hunter or mercenary corps but are few of them.
I loved eve online and just to prove i'm not a pvp wuss i was a low sec pirate at times would be -10 in security rating, other times i'd be in high sec if my sec status was high enough and can flip. My feelings about pvp comes from being on both sides of the fence. I understand both sides which is why i think eve did it right with their pvp. it was possible to gank in high sec but as long as you weren't stupid you were safe. the same cannot be said with xyson in the starting areas. Solo players will even have a harder time than tribes. I pretty much agree tribal areas should not be safe but homesteads should be.