Ultima The Ultima Series Discussion Thread

[Infinitron]

 

[Alex]

...what would they do about the jumping sections? Also, can exult support something like U8's pentagram without using gumps?

 

[Zariusz]

Now we only need Ultima IV and V on Exult, if all exult Ultimas could be connected we technically would have epic time travelling RPG. Its funny that we could have 2 Ultima fan games on this engine yet after decades no one made turn based mod for Ultima VII.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

ALL VERSIONS of Akalabeth-9 with UUW1-2, Escape from Mines of mt drash (including the rogue like one), both Worlds of Ultima. And different platforms have slightly different things going on. Don't forget the novels and Manga. That version of Minax & Exodus are pretty damn weird.

Maybe include "Hey Dude where's my avatar" as well.

Edit--- and maybe a revision to choose to be THE BAD GUY JOINING THE EVIL ACROSS ALL TIME! Though, then some good NPC would have to thwart you. Bah!

 

[Infinitron]

I'm very pleased to announce that Ultima VII Revisited, my Ultima VII replacement engine project, has reached 0.1.0 status! This means that all objects in the game are drawing in some form at the proper positions, and I can start adding gameplay!

 

[Whipping Post]

Its funny that we could have 2 Ultima fan games on this engine yet after decades no one made turn based mod for Ultima VII.

There is one: Slashing Dragon's Turn Based Combat for Exult.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I don't recall if I ever posted this for the FM-Towns. I can't recall who did the basic translation when i blogged this but here we go for 2025 nostalgia-sake.

The intro to the FM-Town Ultima I-III Trilogy

A Message from Lord British


[A short audio greeting from Robert Garriott is included in the FM-TOWNS
Ultima Trilogy I II III Collection, with both English and Japanese on-
screen text translations. The Japanese translation, however, doesn't
exactly match what good ol' LB is saying (which in turn doesn't exactly
match the on-screen English text, but that's not our beat, man).]

Travelers in the land of role-playing games, welcome to the worlds of
Ultima!

I, Lord British, bid fair welcome to ye who hast so graciously answered my
summons.

The journeys ye are about to undertake - Ultima I, II, and III - were
the works that raised the curtain on the wonderful world of computer role-
playing games - and form the foundation of my Ultima saga that doth
continue to this day!

In thy adventures, ye will visit many places and encounter many people.
For thy journey to be a success, ye must vanquish many foes and travel to
the very depths of the earth!

We hope ye dost enjoy my world of Ultima, brought to you by the advanced
technology of FM-TOWNS!

Ultima I Intro

Ultima I

[pic: bard]

The first tale...

Warm sunshine streams down from above, and the breeze is gentle and sweet.
On the wind is carried the sound of a lute...

You look to see a lone old bard seated in the shade of the trees on the
outskirts of town, conversing quietly with several villagers.

You come closer, adding yourself to the circle of townsfolk.

To the sound of his lute, in a soft voice, the bard begins to spin his
tale.

[pic: castle]

This is the first of our tales. It took place in a time now long, long
ago...

In a time when this land was still called Sosaria...still fractured...still
ruled by a number of feudal lords.

Our forefathers loved this land - tilled its earth; made their homes atop
it; and died upon it.

Many lived lives of peace; others, of strife.

Conflict between the rapacious feudal lords was constant, but for the most
part, the days of peace remained unbroken.

But when did it all end...?

When did the hand of evil lash out at our beautiful land of Sosaria, so
abundantly blessed, and rain down upon us calamity after calamity?

[pic: orcs]

As the people were assailed by endless catastrophe, horrible beasts ran
rampant through Sosaria's villages, often leaving little but ruins in
their wake.

These were all caused by the appearance of Mondain - the name we now have
all come to despise.

The monsters he unleashed besieged the castles and burned the villages to
the ground. The people fled their homes in panic, and the feudal lords
cared only about protecting their own keeps.

Only one among them - a deeply wise young king by the name of Lord
British - dreamt of a Sosaria united as a peaceful realm...

[pic: Barbarian]

A hero was summoned by the king's own hand, and a hero answered his plea.
The chosen one now set out on the king's quest - to vanquish the great
evil of Mondain!

[The end is a repeat of the beginning, as you probably guessed.]

Ultima II Intro

Ultima II

[pic: spacetime wizards]

Our next tale begins decades after the hero of the first tale vanquished
the wizard Mondain...

...when there blossomed a time of languid peace so idyllic the preceding
Age of Darkness seemed but a dream.

The people forgot the terror and hardship of the past, and the kingdom
continued to flourish anew.

During those decades of peace, a means of traveling through time was
discovered and made great contributions to the kingdom's cultural and
technological development.

On occasion, there were rumors of the dark magician Mondain's resurrection
- of an apprentice he had who held fearsome power...but each time some
brave soul would venture to the ruins of Mondain's keep and report that
there was nothing to be found but rubble.

[pic: Minax]

But the demonic apprentice rose to power before the people knew it, and
once again monsters swept over the land.

By the time the people opened their eyes, it was already too late; the land
resounded with the cries of wild beasts - their nightmare was reborn
anew!

In the depths of their despair, a figure appeared before the people...the
image of a witch bedecked with jewels.

SHE was the heir to Mondain's dark power, and her sinister might surpassed
even that of her master. Her name was Minax.

[pic: skull]

The witch's dark power rent time and space itself apart.

The people were beset by terror the likes of which they'd never known, and
the spectre of evil crept over the hearts of even the pure and righteous.

Even without the witch's provocation, the people fell to fighting amongst
themselves - eventually taking arms against each other.

Humanity marched ceaselessly down the path to its own destruction, until
finally, in the year 2111, a great catastrophe laid waste to the Earth
itself - now reborn as a planet held in the thrall of evil.

The witch's victory was absolute, and the people's only hope rested in time
travel...

To traverse space, go back in time, put an end to Minax, the source of all
this evil - and thereby erase this timeline leading to our extinction!

[pic: Lord British's camp]

And so, to undertake this perilous journey through time and space and bring
down Minax, a hero was once again called forth.

Standing before the Time Door, the gateway between the ages, the hero was
overwhelmed by the waves of gratitude that flowed forth from Lord British
and the survivors.

Lord British addressed the hero:

"Never forget that the hopes of all within this time - as well as those
of countless others! - go with thee!"

Ultima III Intro

Ultima III


[pic: village]

The third tale begins with the defeat of Minax and the eradication of her
world of darkness.

Her evil completely purged, the hordes of orcs that had been terrorizing
the countryside vanished to parts unknown. The kingdom once again enjoyed
a time of comfortable peace.

One day, one of the adventurers who continued to stand guard against evil
brought back from the ruins of Minax's keep a stone slab engraved with odd
writing.

From what the wise priests and druids of Yew could decipher, the slab
seemed to have been used in a spell of awakening - cast by the dread
Mondain and Minax.

But who or what had been awakened - whether it was human, inanimate, or
demon - was a riddle not even the most learned of priests could solve.

[pic: death from the skies]

Time passed again; the decades flew by.

The kingdom had lived in uninterrupted peace - a peace that was gradually
broken by a series of inauspicious events.

It began with the sudden appearance of a comet that glowed red in the night
skies beside the light of the twin moons of Trammel and Felucca.

The star of ill omen broke apart in orbit, showering the earth below with
debris.

The fragments gouged the earth, and from its depths erupted an unearthly
cry. Earthquakes came to plague Sosaria, and travelers were once more
threatened by swarms of orcs.

The people fled their towns, seeking the shelter of caves and castle walls.

Even travel on the high seas was imperiled by the appearance of dangerous
sea creatures and pirates. Evil had spread across the land once more!

[pic change: Isle of Fire]

Amidst the terrible quakes and cries of the earth arose an ominous island
surrounded by a sea of lava.

There were reports of those who claimed to have seen a castle beyond the
rising steam, but no one believed them.

But wise Lord British, who felt evil emanations coming from the island,
ordered an investigation.

But the team never returned from their destination. There was but one
survivor...

Gravely wounded, the researcher kept muttering to himself in his delirium:
"From the depths of Hell...He comes for vengeance! He awakens...we cannot
allow it! Hurry... He must be stopped... Hurry...to the Isle of Fire!!"

[pic change: Call for All the Heroes of the People]

Once more, Lord British decided to call forth a hero to combat the crisis
the kingdom faced.

But the task with which the heroes were charged was difficult indeed.
Monsters roamed the earth fearlessly, while innumerable dungeons lay
waiting to swallow them whole.

Even worse, they had no knowledge of the nature of their foe.

They had only one clue...

A clue left on the deck of a sailing ship whose passengers had disappeared,
as if spirited away by demons...a single word, written in blood..."EXODUS."

Ultima IV

Ultima IV


[pic: ankh]

Britannia has weathered three ages of darkness -
at the hands of Mondain, who vied to rule the world through the power of
his magic jewel;
of Minax, his pupil, who manipulated the very fabric of space and time in
an attempt to bring about the apocalypse;
and of the dreadful Exodus, asleep deep within the bowels of the earth,
whom their curse threatened to awaken.
Four valiant warriors were summoned and set out on a quest to vanquish
Exodus.
At last, they have finally sealed Exodus away.

[pic: victory at sunset]

Exodus's castle crumbled, marking the long-awaited end of the age of
darkness.
Like a howl from hell, what might have been Exodus's death cry ripped
through the land.
But there was no longer any need to fear. The age of darkness was no more.

[pic: Castle Britannia]

Under Lord British's just rule, Britannia entered a golden age.
The towns thrived, and smiles graced the faces of the populace.
The people no longer lived in fear of the threat of monsters. Hardship and
terror had become things of the past.

[pic: Lord British & advisors]
The philosophers of the Lycaeum, however, issued words of warning.
Were these crises not precipitated by some nameless unknown lurking within
the hearts of the people?
As long as it remained unconfronted, this peace would one day be broken.

[pic: moongate]

And so, through of the moongates powered by the twin moons of Trammel and
Felucca, the king sent forth a message.
Yes - to summon one worthy enough to undertake this quest of the Avatar.

[pic: ankh]

This message was sent out into the celestial void above Britannia, across
the dimensions.
The moongate will shed its pale light before the one who senses its
message -
and whosoever receives it must venture forth on its journey.
But this is not a privilege conferred by mere chance. This is as fate
ordains - this is destiny.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ultima V

Ultima V

[pic: Codex symbol]

Britannia greeted the coming of the Avatar with an age of peace and
prosperity it had never before known.
The shadow had now cleared from the faces of the people.
A Great Council was convened, and the very foundations of Britannia's
government were reformed.
The dungeons were sealed, and their fiendish monsters disappeared from
sight.
Several villages sprang up around Castle Britannia to join Britain; the
ports were kept ship shape, outfitted with lighthouses, and traffic on the
high seas resumed safely.
Finally, in an attempt to spread its words of wisdom throughout the
populace, the Codex was installed within a shrine.

[pic: Great Council]

The mages of the Great Council assembled and levitated the Codex up from
the depths of the Abyss, and the tome was placed in sacred keeping within a
shrine.
In the process, though, something transpired underground...

[pic: underworld]

A great underworld was discovered beneath Britannia.
Clearly, the ascent of the Codex had created a vast underground network of
caverns -
with which the foul legions of monsters once again made their presence
known.

[pic: Lord British and entourage]

The Great Council decided to send forth an expedition -
led by Lord British himself.
The expedition descended into the dungeons, headed for the underworld.

[pic: empty Council chamber, ominous shadow]

However, the expedition disappeared.
Even Lord British himself failed to return.
Without their king, his castle and kingdom plunged into despair.
And so, the government fell into disarray.

[pic: Codex symbol]

Britannia's government has changed.
Without Lord British, the spirit of the Virtues has become twisted, a
mockery forced upon the people.
And Shamino, Lord British's good friend and former traveling companion of
the Avatar, senses a great power spreading over Britannia.
And so, heedless of the danger to himself,
he seeks to call the Avatar forth once more...
Will his message finally reach the Avatar?
And so, perhaps, yet another fateful journey lies ahead...

ULTIMA VI



Old thread on FM-Towns Ultima

Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima I part 1
Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima I part 2

Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima II part 1
Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima II part 2

Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima III part 1
Pix Plays FM-Towns Ultima III part 2

I have the endings from 1-3 translated somewhere...

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Looking at the ending of Ultima II and using a casual few online translators we get this:

Rough Translation of Ultima 2 ending

Finally, Minax fell.

With the death cry of the terrible witch, her deeds vanished without a trace from all planets and all ages.

As you look back on your long journey, you are suddenly hit with a nauseous feeling similar to the one you felt when you entered the time door. Has space-time begun to distort as if to correct itself? As you faint, you find yourself facing a new crisis.

The hero was lying unconscious, and was approached by Lord British. The young king Lord British, stood beside the unconscious hero, as if to comfort him. When the hero woke up after accomplishing his great feat, he found that the people of Britannia had gathered to express their praise and gratitude. He had returned to his own/original time!

***When the hero woke up, after accomplishing the great feat, the people of Britannia praised and thanked him.* possible also***

Intoxicated with the sweet wine of victory, you and your people rejoice of the return of peace to your beautiful kingdom.

But at the back of your mind, a question was brewing: "What was Minax planning to do in the castle? You realized you were overthinking it, so you decided to focus on enjoying your first rest in a long while.

-Continuing on to a new adventure~

If my damn computer was working and I had stable net I'd fix these pics & dialogue better. Meh! You get the gist. I rewatched some ending videos and took extra screenshots that came out slightly better than pix's but not by much.

 

[Alex]

KeighnMcDeath

There FM-Towns videos and the translations are really cool. Thanks for sharing those.

But...

Maybe it would be better if you put endings like the one above in spoiler tags?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Thanks. I forget not everyone has played these.

It is a damn shame Akalabeth didn't get the same treatment. There is one old project I found (mentioned several times in the ultima threads by me) that I found but never got it to work correctly. Maybe I need to fire up an old dos machine (which i don't have) or buy a dos laptop if it exists.

I enjoy it when people fix old programs to work on modern os.

Having played a good portion of these games (though I admit not all in their entirety and certainly not all platforms), I could see a totally redone ULTIMA A-End (including every aspect of the variants and odd ones like Escape from mt drash, Runes of Ultima 1-2, worlds, ultima underworld etc but done in a format with a few different options.

1. From playing it as the stranger (avatar to be)
2. As a villain aiding the dark side
3. More or less as a neutral soldier who isn't really involved in the endings

2&3 steps on toes of ip originality and that'd be a bitch to figure out even if ultima isn't all that complicated (though lore has spawned manga and novels and many short stories and pet projects)

Redoing the entire series in one tactical combat engine would be interesting. I suppose that means ditching first person combat. One might say ditch first person all together but that requires some mapping creativity. Graphical overhaul and what style of combat? Something fallout-like (no tbwp just tactical). Would you do something akin to how bardstale handled spells/songs? Maybe spells from the ages could be researched. Items and inventory more in line with later games but not so cluttered or confusing. NPCs remember you and either get to hate you more or like you more based on conversation and action. Improved conversation. Crafting, searchable areas, items & interacting with the furniture? But balance would be the hardest if the same guy or team from A-end game. Can't have you stomp ass by the time you hit ultima 1 or 2 (and honestly if you turn into a lizardman I think your path is likely set as Mondain's minion imho. Eh... interesting idea to fantasize about but unlikely to actually work.