Indie DrDungeon's Ultizurk and MADMAN Thread

[Carlos' Bitch1]

So I can ready my sword, but not my shield and vice versa. Has anyone found a way to ready multiple items?

Seconded. I am having an issue with this as well.

 

[DrDungeon]

I'm re-playing UZ1 myself and agree with all these observations. In this first game, I didn't yet figure out how to move monsters around, so poor fellows like the cyclops are just waiting there for you to go psycho and go murder him ruthlessly. I also get a kick out of how the guy looks. He seems to be flapping his arm up and down as he walks, and even in the simplistic graphics he seems like he's looking upward with a snobby look. He reminds me of Snoopy somehow.

That was the result of my fine art department, of course! Me and Windows PAINT! We also had a huge budget for this - a free copy of QuickBasic, and that notebook cost me nearly 3 dollars! That's worth TWO loaves of bread! So there was plenty of sacrifice in making this game. (????)

I found an underground city with a robot in it who needs radium - apparently he restores the power. Ah, SHAMELESSLY ripped right out of "Martian Dreams" - how original of me!

I don't know what I was thinking with the arm & wear panel with one slot??? I did this in UZ2 as well, but by "Underland" I finally had a half-decent arming panel.

I THINK - but am not sure - that you arm the shield if you want to be defensive and go by the monsters, then the sword or some other weapon when you want to attack.

Truly - an elaborate role-playing system ala NeverWinter Nights, but easier to use! A feature! rrrRRRIIGGGHHTTT.....!!!!! Ha! Ha!

One thing I remember about these games. In the old days, I would always listen to various comments the players were making - mostly back on AOL in the days they had a huge upload/download area, and made certain to improve things in the next game that were commented on in the previous.

The guy in UZ2, for example, definitely looks a bit better plus the monsters move around and there's a little more of a story going on. So the improvements in each game were the direct result of player feedback.

Its funny when I play UZ1 and then go back to my MadMan remake. There the guy stomps along, swinging his arms, bobbing his head, accurately turning in one of eight directions and snapping to attention when he stops. Even MadMan is nothing compared to something like the "Witcher" - but its probably safe to say MadMan - the new one - is as far above UZ1 as Witcher is above MadMan. Of course, it takes like a hundred times more work, but I think the effort is worth it.

Still - there's more going on in UZ1 than I remembered. I like the part where he gets a ship and you can start exploring other areas. Some of the characters in this are pretty funny. A blast from the past, hope you all have fun romping around this antique world. -Rob

P.S. Has anybody noticed that monsters can shoot right through walls? I got killed twice just walking in the SAFE castle by sea serpents outside!
Another FEATURE! rrrrRRRIIGGHT!!!

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I found the teleportation tiles, which were closer than I had thought they would be. The east is guarded by something that zaps me from offscreen (I arrived at night), and the northeast is guarded by a giant that pummels me when I step close. I figured since he wasn't moving, I might be able to get up close and attack. I got up close, got punched repeatedly and then ran away. A demon was blocking the entrance to a building to the northwest, but I ran past him and am now exploring north of the castle. I've killed a skeleton and a rotworm so far, and something red that might have been a goblin or orc. I'm farming for XP right now in order to level up since so many things seem to be able to slaughter me so fast.

And yes, I did notice that creatures can shoot me through walls. Something shot at me from inside the building when I gave the demon the slip. Ouch. Good thing camping restores health.

 

[FrancoTAU]

This thread is so random... and so full of awesome-ness. I grew up on DOS video games and I can't believe you guys actually found a whole series of RPGs that I never heard of. Than you actually tracked down the eccentric developer and got him to participate.

I'm not sure who could help him eventually sell Ultizurk4 but I'd throw the good doctor some cash for it. I love the look of it and I'm curious how the combat is.

 

[Executer]

Hey Infinitron, you should ask DU to arrange a developer tag for Dr Dungeon (unless someone has already done this).

 

[DrDungeon]

The Great Ultizurkian Underland is now available for your fun and joy and enlightenment. Well...maybe not enlightenment. Welcome to a bold new world where nutty people live underground in a dormant volcano! We can only wonder how they know its dormant. Something deep and sinister lurks in the depths of the dungeon. The people are becoming distrustful of each other, secretive, using a system of passwords to communicate. Lord Baldwin, ruler of the place is worried. But is the sinister lurker really bad? Find out in The Great Ultizurkian Underland! After all, Baldwin and his bunch are too wussy to do anything about it. Only YOU can save the day and solve the mystery. Only the bold need apply! Huzzah!!!!

Also check out the updated MADMAN section, with a screenshot showcasing the new GUI and minimap system! Have fun with Underland! -Rob

http://web.me.com/drdungeon/Site/MAIN.html

 

[Infinitron]

Updated OP. So, was this inspired by Ultima Underworld by any chance?

 

[Luzur]

is that the text adventure or RPG?

 

[Infinitron]

is that the text adventure or RPG?

RPG

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Haha, having a blast with U1. Takes me back to the C64 days. Great stuff.

Looking forward to continuing on to the next game afterwards.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

The pacing is pretty good in U1. Everytime I start becoming frustrated, I try something else and am able to move forward. For instance, I tried running away from daemons and cyclops since they looked tough, but then I found out it was better to take them on despite my low level. Kill one, rest to restore health, rinse and repeat... I also figured out the quest to get the ship, mostly because I took notes on each person I met that seemed quest related. I also solved the mage's crystal ball quest and he alluded to keeping both the wooden shield and a metal shield he gave me for additional protection. This almost implies that shields give protection by just being carried. I seem to be doing slightly better with a polearm I picked up rather than my original sword, but I'm not sure if that's just dumb luck or not. I am getting my rear end handed to me by the sea monsters. I have 175 experience points, but I am still only first level. Has anyone managed to level yet?

 

[Crooked Bee]

Leveling up is by using altars iirc.

 

[DrDungeon]

MADMAN is progressing! The object & inventory stuff is done, except for adding watermarks to the arm & wear panel.
The day and night cycle is now up and running! As evening sets in, the screen slowly dims, and right before sunset a reddish glow from the setting sun appears and the lights in the town houses windows light up, and then! The fireflies come out! Winking and blinking around the screen, with the occasional buzz of crickets and the hooting of an owl.
Check out the new screen shot under the MADMAN section:
http://web.me.com/drdungeon/Site/MAIN.html

Also plan to fuss with the lights around the windows, torches, etc., for an area lighting effect. More to come! -Rob

 

[Luzur]

good, GOOD

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Thanks Crooked Bee! With that and a hint from an NPC on some isle, I figured that a table near the king was the talked about altar. I'm still playing Ultizurk 1 and have completed most of the side quests with my level 6 character, such as bringing grain to some of the farm animals and healing a sick kid and finding the sealed location of Sunbane (don't have the right key yet). I'm mostly wandering around trying to find the robot so I can repower him with my acquired radium. I went into the dungeon looking for him a handful of times and explored, but still no luck. I just found out about the map 'M' command, which helps a lot so I may try to retackle the dungeon using it.

Doc Dungeon, were you the author of that?

I also found this 1999 interview that I think people will get a kick out of: http://home.planet.nl/~scho3186/doca.html
Part two is here: http://home.planet.nl/~scho3186/docb.html

Here's a snippet:
"LD: Doc, please describe yourself and your business, to give the readers a bit of information on your shareware gaming background.

Doctor Dungeon: My business is a one-man operation dedicated to making shareware role-playing games. The shop itself is located in the cellar, or dungeon of my house. Two computers are there, one an old 50 mhz, and the other a Hewlett Packard 166, where most of the work is done. Both of these are mounted on a huge glass-top conference table. Desks and tables surround this, with stacks of paper, notebooks, and a zillion marker pens scattered about. Through friends and family, I also have access to several other computers, useful for testing. I call this place the lab. Always interested in writing and electronics, it seemed creating games was ideal, as it tends to merge these two."

"LD: What language did you select for programming your games? Was it because of prior familiarity with the language, performance reasons, or did other factors come into play?

Doctor Dungeon: At first, quite a number of years ago when DOS was king, I used VBDOS Pro, but the result in those days was never as technically elegant as a project done in assembly or C. With the advent of windows 32 bit platforms and top end packages like VB5, it became possible to do the sort of things that were previously the realm of C++. Since a role-playing game is unlikely to need the ultra speeds of say, a flight sim or other speed-hungry project, VB5 and 6 with Win95 or 98 becomes a viable platform to create a quality product. I am certain Ultizurk IV: Lord of the Cyclops, will prove that."

"LD: Modern commercial RPGs have (fairly recently) started to focus on graphical quality that is extremely hard to match at home. What can shareware games offer that commercial games overlook? As a shareware author, what is the most limiting factor you must grapple with?

Doctor Dungeon: Shareware offers a depth of playability which, with a few recent exceptions, fell short in many commercial products that emphasized the "eye candy" aspect. The idea was to appeal to a larger audience. However, watching the progress of these, it became clear that the best approach was to cater to a niche audience what they most want. This is likely why, for example, the Exile games became so popular. They are not eye-candy, but are very rich in detail and role-playing, which is what the players of such games really want. The biggest limiting factor in shareware is twofold: One is graphics. Since the industry has become so specialized, its almost impossible to make competitive graphics, and we are also limited in that we must make files distributed via the internet, etc., of a reasonable size. The other factor is the sheer complexity of a role-playing game. After 18 months of work on UZ4, the code alone is ten times larger UZ3, Underland and MadMan combined. It requires a little madness, thus the title of my last DOS game. "

"LD: Lack of fan mail and/or registrations discourages many shareware authors. Do you ever think of throwing in the towel, or is there always "just one more game" that needs to be completed?

Doctor Dungeon: Many authors threw in the towel. In fact, I almost did after MadMan, because, as a DOS program which everyone was running in windows, it experience an odd memory problem that I couldn't solve. I was pretty down and out for about a year or so, until Jeff Vogel of the Exile games talked me into going windows, and I took the plunge. Around the same time, after much research, I found that many more people play and LIKE the games, yet never get around to registering somehow."

Seems like Jeff Vogel is pretty helpful when it comes to his fellow indie developers.

 

[DrDungeon]

Hi Deuce! Congratulations on getting so far in Ultizurk 1. Yes, I authored that one, I think around 1991 or so. I believe the robot is in the dungeon found going just north of the castle. He's near the east of the dungeon.

That was my first graphic game and I had to draw everything by hand - using a little draw program I made and windows paint.
Since the graphics were uber-simplistic, I tried my best to make the characters and quests a little more interesting, hoping that would get the players attention.

In UZ2 it was much larger, and a little more mystery and story going on. By the time I got to "Underland" I was getting more and more into the idea of making the story more interesting, and each game continued to get more complex than the previous. I was always trying my best to get it better and better, with each game essentially a new engine, then a total re-vamp for Ultizurk III, and especially Wraith.

I was also trying to be tricky, thinking it would help! I noticed that even in the commercial world, the games that really became classics were the ones that steered away from the "kill the evil wizard" formula (like PlaneScape) - so I purposely tried to add an element of mystery, or something different than the usual, often with an odd twist to the plot at the end of the game.

In UZ2, you're basically in a contest with the "Shadow Master" - a rival adventurer, and both of you are unaware an alien race is observing, ready to destroy the planet if you both fail!

In Underland, the whole place is being contacted by some unknown entity which they assume is evil, so you must discover the truth. So I was emphasizing the story, hoping to draw in their attention.

Here's a funny story about Underland. At least I got a little attention with that one! The lady wrote that she was playing it at work and her BOSS caught her!!!

But instead of firing her, the BOSS started playing! And she said they got the whole office playing!! She bought it.

Another funny one was when a former army colonel called me! (I used to put my phone number in the games so people could test my legitimacy - this helped quite a bit.) He was chiding about my misspelling of the word "sheild", because he was in the army. But he sent in his registration.

What became apparent was this: If a player took enough time to see what the games were about - the story - they usually liked them, and indeed would buy it. But too many played it for 5 minutes, thinking it doesn't look like Ultima 8 or Baldur's Gate and therefore must be crap.

But the most devastating letter I ever got was this one, which made me realize there might be a lot more people than I thought who liked the games. but just didn't want to pay the 10 or 15 bucks I usually charged:

"Do you have anything as good as MadMan, but for FREE?"

You know, its funny - I'm always broke, but even I have 15......well......actually.....!! Dr. D.

 

[DrDungeon]

Sorry the repost - the server didn't respond right away. Maybe that second one can be deleted?

 

[Infinitron]

Sorry the repost - the server didn't respond right away. Maybe that second one can be deleted?

You can delete it yourself. It's right next to "Edit".

 

[Infinitron]

But the most devastating letter I ever got was this one, which made me realize there might be a lot more people than I thought who liked the games. but just didn't want to pay the 10 or 15 bucks I usually charged:

"Do you have anything as good as MadMan, but for FREE?"

You know, its funny - I'm always broke, but even I have 15......well......actually.....!! Dr. D.

You'll find that's less of a problem nowadays. It's easier to get people to click the "Purchase" button on Steam or GOG than it is to make them send you money in an envelope.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Sorry, Doc. My original first part of my question got cut off. I had asked whether or not you were the author of the hints that Blackadder previously posted: http://artofhacking.com/sniper/u/live/aoh_ultizu1.htm

I know you were the creator of this series. Well, I beat the game and wanted to add some comments. Bad stuff out of the way first. On further examination I decided that my main character did not look like a skeleton afterall, but instead a skinny duck because of a beak-looking set of pixels. Donald Duck perhaps. Second, although I did love the game, there was one moment in your writing that caused me to pause and ask wtf?

[Pic of only black woman in game speaking in ebonics is not showing up. "I cooks fer th' king, but jes now ah mo' concerned with mah chile here..."]

Now you did a great job actually recognizing that black people might exist in your world. I'm not sure if Richard Garriott ever even had them in the Ultima series. I remember Britannia was full of crackers for the most part, oh and some gypsies I wasn't supposed to approach in Ultima 6. But as for the above... wow...

Now the good stuff. The puzzles were clever, and I did like how exploration and backtracking eventually led me to solve most of them. Some required thinking, and used the environment, one personal favorite example being the use of windmills making them more important than mere scenery. Also, you might have stolen that underground robot city idea, but it was very well done. I thought the underground dungeon was quite boring, but seeing it change and open up when power was restored was really something special, especially since it seemed so bland before. This was my favorite part of the main quest and you should really be commended for the feeling of success and wonder you were able to instill on the player despite the limitations of graphics and animation. Bravo, sir.

I'm moving on to Ultizurk II and am hoping to enjoy the same sense of timing and wonder you showed here in number 1. You definitely have a talent at this and I am glad you are back to do some more. You might want to consider packaging your work and seeing if GOG will pick it up for a few bucks as an Indie package.

Oh, and thank you for supporting android rights by making them look like this honey below. Hottest girl in the game.

[Queen Robot pic here is not showing up. Trust me, she was smoking]

She will be mine one day... oh yes... a little electric jazz, some hot oil and she will be mine.

*Editing this since my pictures didn't upload.*

 

[Infinitron]

Second, although I did love the game, there was one moment in your writing that caused me to pause and ask wtf?

[Pic of only black woman in game speaking in ebonics is not showing up. "I cooks fer th' king, but jes now ah mo' concerned with mah chile here..."]

Now you did a great job actually recognizing that black people might exist in your world. I'm not sure if Richard Garriott ever even had them in the Ultima series. I remember Britannia was full of crackers for the most part, oh and some gypsies I wasn't supposed to approach in Ultima 6. But as for the above... wow...

For the record:
http://codex.ultimaaiera.com/wiki/Category:Ultima_VII_Portraits

 

[FrancoTAU]

Dr.D, I'm definitely going to buy the next Ultizurk when it comes out and maybe Mad Man too. You just need to work a little harder at the marketing side. We have a bunch of old school Ultima fans here and no one ever heard of your games till now. I'm sure you could get some coverage at RPG Watch, Rampant Coyote, and here at the least.

 

[DrDungeon]

Heh! Just a couple days ago as I was playing UZ1 I ran into that black lady and reacted the same way! I don't know what I was thinking but I guess I was trying too hard to make her sound "down south". What I should have done there was re-read Mark Twain's intro to "Huckleberry Finn" where he described several dialects that were in use down south at that time. Sorry if it seemed offensive, wasn't meant to be. In fact, In UZ3 I think that was her son, Sammy, who now (then?) became an armorer and is a fine, smart lad. Many people liked Sammy and wanted me to include him in future games.

In fact, in UZ3 he was supposed to become a party member, but I couldn't figure out how to get three PC's on the screen, plus the story with Losi might have been a little tricky.

Sorry about when you get to UZ2 there are a zillion dungeons! The reason is UZ1 took about three months to make, but my friend Gary solved it pretty quick so I was kind of mad. So I wanted to make UZ2 much longer and lots of dungeons to confuse him. Oh well! We gotta learn as we go. At least the PC isn't has duck-like or skeleton-like in appearance. I get such a kick myself out of that UZ1 guy!

Please try to get that robot queen pic up. I forgot what she looks like. Was that Hapshetut? Or is she in UZ3?

Also - that little walkthrough for some of these games was made by a fellow named Shamus, who was very helpful. Haven't heard from him in awhile. Dr. D.

 

[DrDungeon]

Done it! At last! Finally figured out an area lighting routine! Check out the new pic, torchlight, on the site in the madman section. This is something like it will look when he has a torch lit at night. It calculates rays in 360 degrees across 1024 tiles! Had to type them in by hand. Took three days to do this.

With a little re-working, I should be able to redden the areas to make it look a little like real torch light.

Also in the madman section you can hear a sample of Jay's music playing. Creepy and erie, setting the mood for MADMAN! I think it needs QuickTime, though, cause it only plays on my mac. Dr. D.

http://web.me.com/drdungeon/Site/MAIN.html

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Second, although I did love the game, there was one moment in your writing that caused me to pause and ask wtf?

[Pic of only black woman in game speaking in ebonics is not showing up. "I cooks fer th' king, but jes now ah mo' concerned with mah chile here..."]

Now you did a great job actually recognizing that black people might exist in your world. I'm not sure if Richard Garriott ever even had them in the Ultima series. I remember Britannia was full of crackers for the most part, oh and some gypsies I wasn't supposed to approach in Ultima 6. But as for the above... wow...

For the record:
http://codex.ultimaaiera.com/wiki/Category:Ultima_VII_Portraits

I stand properly chastised and corrected, sir.

Here is the picture of the android lady at the end of Ultizurk I, for the benefit of Dr. Dungeon and his fine game.

Pure hottie.

Dr. Dungeon, I really do like how UZ2 opens up. At first I was wondering why I was surrounded by hostiles with nary a weapon to protect myself. It all made sense when I was rescued, and it sets the beginning up to reveal a besieged land. Great set-up.