Ultima Ultima IV Remastered now available for the C64

[neilsouth]

Another big hitter in the retro scene for C64 owners is today's release of Ultima IV Remastered for the C64. Originally released way back in the late 80's for the Apple II and ported over to the C64, is arguably one of the best RPG's ever released for the Commodore

http://www.indieretronews.com/2015/03/ultima-iv-remastered-now-available-for.html

 

[octavius]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

 

[Luzur]

According to the developer Ultima IV remastered has updated in game graphics, new intro graphics, a new loader, many bugs fixed and patches from the DOS version. The largest job was fixing the dialogue, simply because there is so much of it. The early releases were littered with typos and downright bugs where some paths of the dialogue were inaccessible. Fortunately it got progressively better with each port and the last DOS version provided a good starting point. Interestingly the 68k ports were independently fixed and differ both in style and how the bugs have been fixed.

Fixes alot of things.

 

[neilsouth]

According to the developer Ultima IV remastered has updated in game graphics, new intro graphics, a new loader, many bugs fixed and patches from the DOS version. The largest job was fixing the dialogue, simply because there is so much of it. The early releases were littered with typos and downright bugs where some paths of the dialogue were inaccessible. Fortunately it got progressively better with each port and the last DOS version provided a good starting point. Interestingly the 68k ports were independently fixed and differ both in style and how the bugs have been fixed.

Fixes alot of things.

Yep, pretty impressive for one guy

 

[Ladonna]

Hmm, anyone know if you can still port the save to Ultima V? If so, I might make this my new version to play (provided he didn't mess with the music).

 

[Ladonna]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

What is sad about it?

 

[mondblut]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

What is sad about it?

The sheer futility of it.

 

[Old Hans]

finally I can play it

 

[lecrop]

Great news

 

[:Flash:]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

What is sad about it?

The sheer futility of it.

What's the futility? A guy who enjoys his hobby spends time on it, unless 95% of the people who spend their free time in front of the TV.
He has had some fun and achieved something that he's proud of, that's all that matters

 

[mondblut]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

What is sad about it?

The sheer futility of it.

What's the futility? A guy who enjoys his hobby spends time on it, unless 95% of the people who spend their free time in front of the TV.
He has had some fun and achieved something that he's proud of, that's all that matters

While a hobby does not oblige anybody to anything, coding for a platform that is obsolete for a quarter of a century is just a waste of time and skill better spent on something of more relevance.

Next in having fun, a man grows a bountiful harvest for the purpose of torching it and smearing himself in ashes, much hobby, very achievement.

 

[Daemongar]

While a hobby does not oblige anybody to anything, coding for a platform that is obsolete for a quarter of a century is just a waste of time and skill better spent on something of more relevance.

Next in having fun, a man grows a bountiful harvest for the purpose of torching it and smearing himself in ashes, much hobby, very achievement.

Well, according to the article the last time he worked on this was 2006, so he seems to have just been finishing what he started. I honestly think this is the cats ass, as the C64 version of Ultima IV is widely regarded in circles of renown as the best version of Ultima IV ever. I'm sure if Leonardo DeNiro was around today, the first thing he'd want to do is take care of all the problems with the Mona Lisa.

He isn't creating something pointless, but something all people can enjoy. I'd put him on the level with those monks who make art out of sand then just let it go, to be blown away by the wind. People enjoy the timeless quality of his effort, and he shows the transitory nature of all things. He strove 30 years to give us all something we could appreciate, who are we to quibble about the platform it was delivered on? Personally, I salute this guy and all the people like him... living to make their dreams come true!

 

[Xorazm]

30 years ago that would have been impressive. Now it's rather sad.

What is sad about it?

The sheer futility of it.

What's the futility? A guy who enjoys his hobby spends time on it, unless 95% of the people who spend their free time in front of the TV.
He has had some fun and achieved something that he's proud of, that's all that matters

While a hobby does not oblige anybody to anything, coding for a platform that is obsolete for a quarter of a century is just a waste of time and skill better spent on something of more relevance.

Next in having fun, a man grows a bountiful harvest for the purpose of torching it and smearing himself in ashes, much hobby, very achievement.

In terms of how to use one's free time, coding for an obsolete platform is still a thousand times more productive and a thousand times less sad than bitching on an internet forum.

Is it weird, and almost futile? Sure. But less so than all of us.

 

[octavius]

Anyone can

on an internet forum, but what this C64 guy did is not something anyone can do. It's just sad that he didn't use his talent for something more productive, than porting an old game to a long obsolete machine.
But if he enjoyed the process of course it was not wasted, anymore than playing a computer game is.

 

[Ladonna]

Playing obsolete computer games at that eh octavius?

Face it. You bitched about this and then added in that weak disclaimer at the end. You have spent many, many hours playing 'obsolete' CRPG's from the same time period of the reign of the C64. Pretty sad...

Sad too that people are still making new games for that 'obsolete' machine...sad...just sad...

 

[octavius]

Playing obsolete computer games at that eh octavius?

Face it. You bitched about this and then added in that weak disclaimer at the end. You have spent many, many hours playing 'obsolete' CRPG's from the same time period of the reign of the C64. Pretty sad...

Sad too that people are still making new games for that 'obsolete' machine...sad...just sad...

The difference is that I'm not a creative person. If I were I would create something original, not fix up someone else's work for a machine only 27 people in the world still uses.

 

[Ladonna]

27? reaching again octavius. The c64 scene is very much active, and on top of that, many more use emulation. When you consider that, subjectively, this is one of the best versions of a great game, that can be continued in the next in the series with u5 (also one of the best versions of u5 when using c128 emulation or real thing), it isn't really a waste. You say he is a creative person, yet he didn't really create anything here, just improve and fix it. Who is to say he is creative? Because he can code?

Whatever the case may be, I cannot see why this is an issue at all when anybody with half a brain cell can play this game, anytime. Just download the files and winvice/insert emulator of choice, and you are playing. And c64 emulation is one of the easiest to learn. I could perhaps see your point better if you needed the actual, real hardware to play, but you don't.

 

[groke]

long obsolete machine.

enjoy that >20ms MIDI latency, PC pleb.

 

[Gragt]

All art is quite useless.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I think I played Ultima IV more than any game ever so now I have the choice to try this or play Pillars of Eternity. Retro as an affectation or as a mantra?

See what I did there?

 

[treborSux]

27? reaching again octavius. The c64 scene is very much active, and on top of that, many more use emulation. When you consider that, subjectively, this is one of the best versions of a great game, that can be continued in the next in the series with u5 (also one of the best versions of u5 when using c128 emulation or real thing), it isn't really a waste. You say he is a creative person, yet he didn't really create anything here, just improve and fix it. Who is to say he is creative? Because he can code?

Whatever the case may be, I cannot see why this is an issue at all when anybody with half a brain cell can play this game, anytime. Just download the files and winvice/insert emulator of choice, and you are playing. And c64 emulation is one of the easiest to learn. I could perhaps see your point better if you needed the actual, real hardware to play, but you don't.

I don't even like Ultima games, I get sad just playing them. But this dude fixed the shit up and made it look a little nicer. Nothing sad or wasteful about that. People here love this game. Suddenly what? This game is old, archaic and shitty not like the rest of the shit we play? What's a better idea, recoding it in 3D with Unity?

 

[mondblut]

What's a better idea, recoding it in 3D with Unity?

Uhh...yes?

I eagerly anticipate the day somebody ups the ante and makes/ports a game for a computer which never existed.

 

[neilsouth]

I didn't get into Ultima until the DOS era, Serpent Isle I think it was, then Ultima Underworld

 

[Ramireza]

Deinstalling Pillars of Eternity now...

 

[taxalot]

ITT People on a computer gaming forum criticizing how a programmer decides to spend his time.