Ultima Ultima 5 Redux - isometric graphics remake

[Infinitron]

https://u5redux.wordpress.com/2020/06/19/june-2020-update-engine-update-and-blacksmiths/

June 2020 Update – Engine Update and Blacksmiths

This update has been about 3 months in the works. You would think with Covid and self isolation that I would find myself with more free time, but it so often seems like I have less. Either way, there were two major features that I chipped away at over these three months and have made a big impact to the game.

June 2020 Update Video
Engine Update
Although I have written to graphical components in Unity and Unity is in fact a game engine, I had a tough problem to solve – the world is round. Unity is built primarily for a world that does not repeat. In Unity, when you hit the end of the defined worldspace then it just ends.

My first implementation of the worldspace involved keeping the Avatar at 0,0 in the world, while literally moving the visible portions of the world directly underneath the Avatar. This solved an important problem, but introduced a huge expense to the CPU and created unnecessary lag between input and screen response to that input. In short – it was lazy, and I paid for it in performance.

The new version of the engine is built on a different principle. The Avatar actually moves through the 3D space, while the world stays put. There are some optimizations such as trying to only draw the visible space so I don’ have to load the entire world in memory as I walk around a smaller portion of it. This resulted in some pretty crazy math-fu, but in the end it pretty much doubled the framerate and took a huge burden off the CPU. The input lag is gone and I am finally happy with the play experience.

Original Framerate Sample

New Engine Framerate Sample
A new Dev Vlog will be appearing shortly in which I will walk through the two models, the advantages, disadvantages and some of the optimizations that were implemented to squeeze every last frame out.

Shoppe Keepers and the Blacksmith
There were two main improvements I wanted to make to the blacksmith:

1. Provide more equipment stats to help make buying decisions easier
2. Incorporate the original (often funny) dialogue into a point and click interface

When I set out to implement the many shoppe keeper varieties, I thought it was going to be a snap. Track down the conversation data in the “talk” files, make some buttons and we would be done before you know it. Unfortunately the reality of the shoppe keeper data and code immediately reared its head.

In short – the shoppe keeper conversation data is spread across multiple files, if it’s findable at all. Next thing I know a whole new shoppe keeper dialogue system needs to be created, pulling all that disparate data from it’s many locations.

Although I only got the blacksmith implemented, I was able to create a complete shoppe keeper UI system which makes it much easier to use the same framework to add the additional shoppe keepers.

What’s Next?
Well, for the second time in a row I intend on implementing line of sight ensuring the player only sees what they are meant to see (turn off the x-ray vision!)

Secondly I am going to continue to implement the remaining shoppe keepers who include:

• Barkeep
• Horse seller
• Shipwright
• Healer
• Innkeeper
• Magic Seller
• Guild Master

I am sure I will drop in one or two distractions as well – spending too much time on one feature can stifle motivation and creativity IMHO.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

First time I've seen this in action, and I can't get my head around the point of this. The U5 graphics were excellent and certainly didn't need updating. By all means create a modern engine for it so that it's possible to run it on a PC with minimal hassle but don't change things just for the sake of it. The isometric perspective is as annoying as I expected it to be, but far worse than that it completely destroys the sense of scale on the world map.
Here's a better project that will actually improve a game: port Ultimas 7 & 8 to a modernized version of the U5 engine.

 

[taxalot]

It turns Ultima 5 in a toy.

I hate this.

 

[Ysaye]

First time I've seen this in action, and I can't get my head around the point of this. The U5 graphics were excellent and certainly didn't need updating. By all means create a modern engine for it so that it's possible to run it on a PC with minimal hassle but don't change things just for the sake of it. The isometric perspective is as annoying as I expected it to be, but far worse than that it completely destroys the sense of scale on the world map.
Here's a better project that will actually improve a game: port Ultimas 7 & 8 to a modernized version of the U5 engine.

I suspect at the heart of this was that there was a bit of thing for a while in the Voxel art community to do imitation U5 scenes which was quaint (I know there was someone who did a little implementation of "Iolos Hut" in the RPG in a Box - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1318528262) - It feels like it has since moved from this to a thing of "We have all of these Voxel objects, why don't we remake the game in this form?"

 

[Infinitron]

https://u5redux.wordpress.com/2020/11/01/shoppe-keepers-and-vehicles-update-november-2020/

Shoppe Keepers and Vehicles Update! November 2020

The previous update which focused on engine optimization and the introduction of the Blacksmith shoppe keeper was back in June. Life has threw me some curveballs since but I have finally managed to complete all remaining shoppe keepers and introduced the common vehicles including Magic Carpets and Ships.

Shoppe Keepers
These shoppe keepers are comprised of:

• Bar Keepers
• Inn Keepers
• Guild Masters
• Healers
• Apothecaries
• Horse Sellers
• Shipwrights
• Blacksmiths (already implemented)

The shoppe keepers all use a common interface originally seen in the Blacksmith update. There is an emphasis on retaining the original charm from the smack talking shoppe keepers while improving and streamlining the shoppe experience. For example, it is VERY easy to miss the gossip option in Taverns if you are just quickly picking up rations and leaving. In the updated Bar Keeper interface, the gossip option is easily seen and will save many players hours of frustration by giving hints for a small fee.

I also opted to allow you to try to buy items and services if you don’t have the money. Most modern games would simply grey it out – but I just love the smarmy responses (or violent response if you try to stiff the Inn Keeper!).

Vehicles
The classes Ultima V vehicles were added as well. This was a hard requirement since you will visit the Shipwright and Horse Seller and expect to actually receive the thing you bought. The vehicles include:

• Frigates
• Skiffs
• Magic Carpets
• Horses

The Details
This update was very grueling! It seemed that everytime I had to introduce the next shoppe keeper a new challenge would present itself. For example, when implementing the Shipwright and Horse Seller I had to completely overhaul the underlying sprite handling system. I scoured the previous reverse engineering of the save state to understand how to determine if the party had boarded a vehicle. It wasn’t fully documented, but as always the previous researchers provided invaluable hints. The super cool news is that the same sprite systems that are used for riding magic carpets etc is also used to display “odd” sprites such as the bats in the tower in Skara Brae – something that had been on my list for a while.

It was also an opportunity to begin to describe the monsters as they would appear in the overworld.

It has lead to me some interesting bonus feature ideas such as a travelling merchants in the overworld (there are no NPCs in the overworld currently). Just ideas for now, but lots of cool opportunities in the future.

Continuing Challenges
I did what no one is supposed to do, I chose a very large project as my first Unity/Game project. As a result I have been “learning on the job” and creating some pretty crummy early interfaces and code. You will see UI improvements with the shoppe keeper update such as the “player selector”. There continues to be a lot of previous work such as the ‘U’se item UI which is a bit rough around the edges and doesn’t even support mouse input. It’s not really a problem, just notable.

Around The Corner
I have had a few people ask for up to date demos. In the next few days I will release Windows, MacOS and Linux pre-alpha builds for testing and experimenting.

What’s Next?
As mentioned in the video, I will:

• Spit and polish the UI and graphics
• Add line of sight (attempt #3)
• Either “monster stuff” or dungeons

The spit and polish involves updating some old UI elements to be keyboard+mouse capable and just provide a more consistent overall experience. I also believe there is a long way to go on the graphical fidelity and tuning. I have a long list that I maintain of things I could do better that I hope to tackle.

I will AGAIN try to add line of sight – it just never makes it high on my list and I am seriously worried about screwing it up – but it’s long overdue.

Lastly, I am desperately keen to move onto some “very different” from the stuff I’ve been working on so I hope to begin to tackle either some combat elements or dungeons. I will just see what side of the bed I wake up on.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Jaana is a TS? That wizardly beard. My only beef with conversion to isometric is it feels like You're always walking diagonally. ThT trippy magic colors. Shroomy! Looks pretty cool and I hope this and the U4 projects are completed.

First time I've seen this in action, and I can't get my head around the point of this. The U5 graphics were excellent and certainly didn't need updating. By all means create a modern engine for it so that it's possible to run it on a PC with minimal hassle but don't change things just for the sake of it. The isometric perspective is as annoying as I expected it to be, but far worse than that it completely destroys the sense of scale on the world map.
Here's a better project that will actually improve a game: port Ultimas 7 & 8 to a modernized version of the U5 engine.

I can't help but think Ultima 9 had something close... oh nvm no even close

http://reconstruction.voyd.net/index.php?event=project&typeKeyword=remakes

Produced By: Moa Dragon (Lead)
Web Site: eriadain.multimania.com
Status: Inactive

Downloads:
� Alter-U9 RM95 (4.3 MB)
� Alter-U9 RM2K (5.9 MB)

Alter-U9 (now known as Eriadain) was an effort to remake Ultima IX: Ascension with the "original plot" released by former U9 developer Bob White. Eriadain's developers have founded this project based upon the fact that many Ultima fans felt the story in the released version of U9 was considerably wanting (for lack of a better word) and was but a shadow of both the intended vision and the fans' expectations for U9.

Two demo versions of the early Alter-U9 were released using the RPG Maker (RM95 and RM2K) gaming engines. However, Moa then changed engines from RPGMaker to NeverWinter Nights so as to induce a more Ultima-esque and lest Final Fantasy-ish feel. The project was also then renamed to Eriadain.

eh, that site barely had an update in 2012 and before that 2007. I swear i need an older PC to even try some of these projects again.

I think after U3 I just took line of sight for granted (maybe u4 with u5 day/night cycles just adding awe factor). Looking foreward to completion and all bugs ironed out. As a first project I congratulate ya.

 

[Darkzone]

OUCH! As the creator this does hurt a little bit. Honestly, I don't take offense, I knew that some people would see it as silly - but I have otherwise got a lot of really nice encouragement. I proudly keep my 3 1/2 inch floppies of U5 on my desk for inspiration.

Do whatever you do, but do it good and be proud of it, if it is good.
I have one technical question, since i don't have the time to look into it: Do you generate the models from the original game data or can you substitute it with whatever models that you like?

 

[Contagium]

I am excited for the completion of this. I miss Ultima. I miss good RPG's, really. It feels like ages since I've played something outstanding.

 

[Narushima]

I am excited for the completion of this. I miss Ultima. I miss good RPG's, really. It feels like ages since I've played something outstanding.

Well you can always replay Ultima V. Despite what the developper said on the first page of this thread, he's not "making a game", he's just fucking with the graphics. The game isn't new.

 

[Well This Is]

Lol - I have been asked by more than a few to get rid of Jaana's beard.. I just might do it

 

[Well This Is]

OUCH! As the creator this does hurt a little bit. Honestly, I don't take offense, I knew that some people would see it as silly - but I have otherwise got a lot of really nice encouragement. I proudly keep my 3 1/2 inch floppies of U5 on my desk for inspiration.

Do whatever you do, but do it good and be proud of it, if it is good.
I have one technical question, since i don't have the time to look into it: Do you generate the models from the original game data or can you substitute it with whatever models that you like?

Re your tech question... I use MagicaVoxel and drag in the original tile (png), then I expand it to 16x16 and create it by hand. I've done it hundreds of times and have a few hundred more. Then a few hundred more when it comes time to polish them.

Initially I just used the sprites but they wouldn't take on the 3 dimensions which meant the lighting and shadows wouldn't work.

 

[Well This Is]

I am excited for the completion of this. I miss Ultima. I miss good RPG's, really. It feels like ages since I've played something outstanding.

Well you can always replay Ultima V. Despite what the developper said on the first page of this thread, he's not "making a game", he's just fucking with the graphics. The game isn't new.

If I ever said I'm "making a game", then you're right - I'm "re-making a game". I use the core mechanics of the game as a starting point and look for quality of life improvements as I go. But I will concede it is not the same as creating a brand new game - I do hope to do that one day though.

 

[Junmarko]

https://u5redux.wordpress.com/2020/11/01/shoppe-keepers-and-vehicles-update-november-2020/

This looks too good to be true. Very cool.

 

[The Jester]

I want this.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Lol - I have been asked by more than a few to get rid of Jaana's beard.. I just might do it

That right there is a huge QOL change.

 

[Darkzone]

I have one technical question, since i don't have the time to look into it: Do you generate the models from the original game data or can you substitute it with whatever models that you like?

Re your tech question... I use MagicaVoxel and drag in the original tile (png), then I expand it to 16x16 and create it by hand. I've done it hundreds of times and have a few hundred more. Then a few hundred more when it comes time to polish them.
Initially I just used the sprites but they wouldn't take on the 3 dimensions which meant the lighting and shadows wouldn't work.

Ok. Then you could use also higher voxel resolution models, if you wanted to. I like nearly everything you are doing and it can make Ultima V more accessible to younger (minecraft) audience. So please go on and make Ultima IV, VI also. But one point of criticism i allow myself and you will understand why i asked the previous question. You have 3-4 models that you exchange (looping through) against each other as animation for the figures, but that looks like ADHS / spastic movement in current year. Can you make additional 'in between' models especially for the player figure, since it is nearly all the time on the screen?

 

[Farewell into the night]

What the hell is this? It looks like a lot of work, but man... isometric is ruining this for me. It would be better in flat 2D.

 

[Well This Is]

I have one technical question, since i don't have the time to look into it: Do you generate the models from the original game data or can you substitute it with whatever models that you like?

Re your tech question... I use MagicaVoxel and drag in the original tile (png), then I expand it to 16x16 and create it by hand. I've done it hundreds of times and have a few hundred more. Then a few hundred more when it comes time to polish them.
Initially I just used the sprites but they wouldn't take on the 3 dimensions which meant the lighting and shadows wouldn't work.

Ok. Then you could use also higher voxel resolution models, if you wanted to. I like nearly everything you are doing and it can make Ultima V more accessible to younger (minecraft) audience. So please go on and make Ultima IV, VI also. But one point of criticism i allow myself and you will understand why i asked the previous question. You have 3-4 models that you exchange (looping through) against each other as animation for the figures, but that looks like ADHS / spastic movement in current year. Can you make additional 'in between' models especially for the player figure, since it is nearly all the time on the screen?

100%, those animations are not tweaked nor are voxels themselves. I have intentionally focused on core mechanics of the game in place of tweaking much of the visual detail so far. To put in perspective there are 512 sprites to convert and manipulate - many times you have to do multiple versions. If you watch carefully in the OG U5, the animations are very deliberate and not cycling like mine.

I actually do have some examples of higher resolution voxels where I simply couldn't get the 16x16x16 to work (such as a bridge), so it's a capability. If you are familiar with Skald: Against the Black Priory, then you may notice how fidelity keeps improving over time, I hope to do the same.

I appreciate the constructive feedback, it serves to reinforce my feeling that the visuals still have a long way to go.

 

[Well This Is]

What the hell is this? It looks like a lot of work, but man... isometric is ruining this for me. It would be better in flat 2D.

I knew/know I will lose some people on the Iso view - it's not for everyone, and even some days I have my doubts, but it's likely to stay the primary view. BIG HOWEVER though, this is a 2D game in a 3D world, it's just a camera, and I can move it around. I have considered a throwback mode to the old 2D models. There is even a hybrid angle I have found that offers a "top down like" mode, while still providing some depth to the world. Future releases will have different modes for people to play with, maybe even a free camera mode... who knows!?

It's important to me to bring new things to the original game, because if I just remade the game then... why would I even bother (don't answer that!)

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Simply because it is different is a draw for me to try it. There was an isometric ultima 3 project years back using an odd engine (I can't recall it atm.. I'll eventually remember). I'll definitely try this. I mean you're talking to someone who played Spell of Destruction (wizardry), Landstalker series, Fairlight series, and a lot of other games that weren't turn-based. I'm sure some of us have played final fantasy tactics as well. U5 might not originally been done in this style, but why the heck not try it? I think a ultima 5 in the ultima 6 or 7 engine would be nifty too.

 

[Farewell into the night]

I knew/know....

That's awesome! I'm not 100% lost on the iso view. My first reaction was negative, but I want to experience it by myself. Who knows, maybe I will like it in action?
Thanks for the reply and good luck

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Old exult project circa 2012

And i'm still pissed at EA for getting rid of this
https://www.giantbomb.com/ultima-forever-quest-for-the-avatar/3030-38966/

but, i digress. We are talking about this U5 project and it looks great.

cheers.

 

[ghostdog]

Looks cool, keep it up!

 

[Junmarko]

And i'm still pissed at EA for getting rid of this
https://www.giantbomb.com/ultima-forever-quest-for-the-avatar/3030-38966/

...seriously?

 

[Narushima]

And i'm still pissed at EA for getting rid of this
https://www.giantbomb.com/ultima-forever-quest-for-the-avatar/3030-38966/

That looks and reads like the worst thing imaginable.