Ultima What makes an "Ultima" game to you?

[Ysaye]

A much more interesting, pertinent version of a question of the one already up about Baldur's Gate. What would make you accept a new game out as an "Ultima"?

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

If it carried the name "Ultima" and was made by Larian Studios.

 

[Ontopoly]

The name and only the name. Nothing else. And if a new game with the name Ultima came out in current year it would be the best Ultima

 

[deuxhero]

Richard Garriott or is UU2.

 

[DalekFlay]

I've barely played Ultima games, so an outsiders perspective... the thing I most know the series for is the Avatar's pure moral code.

 

[Grauken]

A much more interesting, pertinent version of a question of the one already up about Baldur's Gate. What would make you accept a new game out as an "Ultima"?

If it replaced Ultima 9 and was a good resolution to the Guardian saga

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

"Top down view with incorrectly angled walls"

Dungeons in Ultima have 1st-person view in the style of Wizardry:

 

[Ranarama]

A top down view like U5, before they fucked it up.

 

[Jason Liang]

rtwp combat

 

[RatTower]

Interactivity and world simulation.

That's mostly 5-7 though (UO does a pretty good job at it as well - The only thing missing are day cycles for NPCs. Other than that it's probably the one with the most interactive environment)
Ultima 9 is a mixed bag when it comes to interactivity and world simulation. Some stuff works fine, other stuff doesn't. The game has other problems (lots of them).

My main gripe with Ultima 8 was the lack of a proper open world, so that probably is also a thing that makes an Ultima game to me.

 

[Ysaye]

If it carried the name "Ultima" and was made by Larian Studios.

In some ways, I think Larian are better suited (relatively) to creating an Ultima than a Baldur's Gate.

 

[Ysaye]

The name and only the name. Nothing else. And if a new game with the name Ultima came out in current year it would be the best Ultima

So Ultima Forever 2 by EA would qualify for you?

 

[Grauken]

If it carried the name "Ultima" and was made by Larian Studios.

In some ways, I think Larian are better suited (relatively) to creating an Ultima than a Baldur's Gate.

Given the "quality" of their writing I rather they defile Baldur's Gate than Ultima

 

[Terenty]

Underworld Ascension is the best Ultima so far

 

[V_K]

My favorite things about Ultima are:
- interactivity and simulation;
- emergent gameplay;
- continuity between lore and gameplay (e.g. magic system);
- open-endedness and lack of hand-holding.


My least favorite things about Ultima are
- self-inserts;
- naive "moral philosophy";
- repetitive geography (most of the games being set on the same continent, with the same cities and dungeons);
- too few numbers.

Now if someone made a game that would have the former but not the latter, I'd be very happy...

If it carried the name "Ultima" and was made by Larian Studios.

In some ways, I think Larian are better suited (relatively) to creating an Ultima than a Baldur's Gate.

The original DivDiv was supposed to be their Ultima with a hint of Fallout. No, thanks, next.

 

[octavius]

Name
Job
Bye

 

[taxalot]

A game World that feels both enormous and yet handcrafted. This is what U7 did differently than most open worlds. Every character in the game had their place in the world and interacted with each others accordingly.

 

[luj1]

Vomit inducing perspective

 

[SausageInYourFace]

In an Ultima game, I can talk to Andyman Messiah and he will give me hints for the previous game.

 

[Archwizard Hank]

Ultima is incomplete without the mountains of required documentation

 

[Ysaye]

My favorite things about Ultima are:

If it carried the name "Ultima" and was made by Larian Studios.

In some ways, I think Larian are better suited (relatively) to creating an Ultima than a Baldur's Gate.

The original DivDiv was supposed to be their Ultima with a hint of Fallout. No, thanks, next.

Just to clarify, I didn't say Larian would make a good Ultima, just their Ultima would be better than their Baldur's Gate....

 

[samuraigaiden]

Keyword-based dialogue.

 

[Darth Canoli]

The original DivDiv was supposed to be their Ultima with a hint of Fallout. No, thanks, next.

Didn't know that but it worked for me, ultima was my least favorite franchise from the stone age, along with Bard Tales and Divinity was really good, in spite of its diablo gameplay.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

One thing people don't talk about a lot is that Ultima & DivinityOS are actually pretty tonally similar. Particularly Ultima 7 has a generally serious story but also a lot of really whacky moments. You can talk to a speaking horse one moment but then come across a druid sacrificing a baby on an altar in the woods. Same in Divinity where you have some whacky shit one moment and then find a huge pile of dead bodies and a river of blood somehwere the next. Personally, I love these contrasts and tonal shifts as they keep things fresh and interesting but I guess it breaks the immersion of storyfags or something.

Another thing Divinity is really similar to Ultima is the environmental interaction and the way it allows you to just play around in the gameworld. I think its pretty evident Larian took some inspiration from U7 in that department, its Svens favorite RPG afterall.

 

[V_K]

The original DivDiv was supposed to be their Ultima with a hint of Fallout. No, thanks, next.

Didn't know that but it worked for me, ultima was almost my least favorite franchise from the stone age, along with Bard Tales, Divinity was really good, in spite of its diablo gameplay.

Not in a literal sense (in a literal sense it reuses the engine and assets from their attempt at making a Diablo-like TDE game), but in terms of most oft-cited source of inspiration. Though it turned out Larian understood Ultima as "whimsical writing and moving stuff around" which misses the point by about half a universe.

Just to clarify, I didn't say Larian would make a good Ultima, just their Ultima would be better than their Baldur's Gate....

I don't know about that. Larian's problem is that they don't understand how to design RPG mechanics beyond the Diablo-style loot and leveling treadmills. Having to work with DnD rules may rectify that. Ultima, on the other hand, has always been very mechanics-light, so Larian's Ultima would be just another Divinity game with Ultima TM slapped on it. And Divinity games don't make good Ultimas because Ultima is all about worldbuilding, both through narrative and level design, and Larian never got it right either.