Elwro
Arcane
Tags: Ultima VII: The Black Gate
<p>There are two very interesting pieces about the <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mightandmagic/mightandmagic.htm">Might and Magic series</a> and about <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ultima/ultima.htm">Ultima</a> (well, this one has only the first half published) at <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net">Hardcoregaming101</a>. There is quite a lot of info provided and lots of great comparison screenshots protraying the games on various platforms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bit about Ultima I:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Much later in 1994, AppleIIGS programmer Bill (today Rebecca) Heineman, who had previously served as lead developer of Interplay's The Bard's Tale III and programmed the Apple IIGS port of Eric Chahi's Out of This World, reassembled the Out of This World team to create a new definitive version of Ultima I with completely redrawn, high-resolution graphics and modern sound. This version was released by Vitesse Inc., and is the most technically superior version of the game. However, it is now extremely rare due to the distributor going out of business shortly after release. Very little information about this version of the game is available. It seems to have been available as a paid download from the company Shareware Solutions II for a while in recent years, but the store is currently unavailable due to the death of the proprietor, so the status of the AppleIIGS version is in limbo. <strong>As of writing, Paris-based programmers Brutal Deluxe Software are working on making this superior version of the game available again.</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>
<p>I found it surprising that the M&M V <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mightandmagic/mightandmagic3.htm">graphics</a> really did age well in comparison to the later games... oh, and about that game:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Once the player gets into the meat of the game, it becomes clear that while the mechanics are the same, there are some subtle differences in its composition. In particular, the game is much more puzzle-heavy and the story takes a place in the spotlight. Several dungeons require the player to solve puzzles to get through them, including a dungeon literally modeled after a crossword puzzle. Essentially, the game is designed for people who played Might and Magic IV, and are already accustomed to the mechanics of the game, so the designers can now play with the formula. An example of this is in the first major dungeon, where the player can unwittingly release an enemy known as "Barkman", which is far more difficult than Xeen was in the previous game. To a starting player he would be an impossible threat. To someone importing normally-leveld characters from the former game he would still be very tough, and only to someone who power-leveled (or min-maxed) Clouds, he would be a more reasonable challenge.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>
<p>This is one of the things that prevents me from playing some older titles I missed. Yes, I know it's "hardcore gaming", but I don't want to be punished without a reason...</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://gamebanshee.com/news/105520-a-history-of-ultima.html">Game Banshee</a></p>
<p>There are two very interesting pieces about the <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mightandmagic/mightandmagic.htm">Might and Magic series</a> and about <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ultima/ultima.htm">Ultima</a> (well, this one has only the first half published) at <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net">Hardcoregaming101</a>. There is quite a lot of info provided and lots of great comparison screenshots protraying the games on various platforms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bit about Ultima I:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Much later in 1994, AppleIIGS programmer Bill (today Rebecca) Heineman, who had previously served as lead developer of Interplay's The Bard's Tale III and programmed the Apple IIGS port of Eric Chahi's Out of This World, reassembled the Out of This World team to create a new definitive version of Ultima I with completely redrawn, high-resolution graphics and modern sound. This version was released by Vitesse Inc., and is the most technically superior version of the game. However, it is now extremely rare due to the distributor going out of business shortly after release. Very little information about this version of the game is available. It seems to have been available as a paid download from the company Shareware Solutions II for a while in recent years, but the store is currently unavailable due to the death of the proprietor, so the status of the AppleIIGS version is in limbo. <strong>As of writing, Paris-based programmers Brutal Deluxe Software are working on making this superior version of the game available again.</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>
<p>I found it surprising that the M&M V <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mightandmagic/mightandmagic3.htm">graphics</a> really did age well in comparison to the later games... oh, and about that game:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Once the player gets into the meat of the game, it becomes clear that while the mechanics are the same, there are some subtle differences in its composition. In particular, the game is much more puzzle-heavy and the story takes a place in the spotlight. Several dungeons require the player to solve puzzles to get through them, including a dungeon literally modeled after a crossword puzzle. Essentially, the game is designed for people who played Might and Magic IV, and are already accustomed to the mechanics of the game, so the designers can now play with the formula. An example of this is in the first major dungeon, where the player can unwittingly release an enemy known as "Barkman", which is far more difficult than Xeen was in the previous game. To a starting player he would be an impossible threat. To someone importing normally-leveld characters from the former game he would still be very tough, and only to someone who power-leveled (or min-maxed) Clouds, he would be a more reasonable challenge.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>
<p>This is one of the things that prevents me from playing some older titles I missed. Yes, I know it's "hardcore gaming", but I don't want to be punished without a reason...</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://gamebanshee.com/news/105520-a-history-of-ultima.html">Game Banshee</a></p>
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