Ultima The Ultima Series Discussion Thread

[qwertyuiop666]

I don't understand why the Guardian didn't just kill the Avatar at the end of SI or during Pagan

 

[Cael]

So what was Batlin going to do? Kill the Guardian? Usurp his power?

He believed that getting into the Void allowed him to absorb unlimited power. He never did explain how or why.

 

[Ysaye]

I don't understand why the Guardian didn't just kill the Avatar at the end of SI or during Pagan

Probably the easiest explanation is that the Guardian has a fetish for torturing, dominating and enslaving people rather than killing.

Also there is an arguably stronger explanation in Ultima 9 but most people disregard it because it was part of an edited ending that doesn't match up with some of the stuff explained in previous games, and is not RG's intent for the Guardian.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Today I learned that you can press "Y" to "yell Giddyup!" when riding a horse in Ultima IV to make it move two spaces at once. I could've sworn that this wasn't in the manual, but it is.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

You didn't know that? Yeah but at times i prefer the ultima 3 mechanic better. The horse is just plain faster without that double clop in one direction shit u4 does.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Yeah, I just thought the horse was useless the whole time, an artifact of a previous version, like the rope & spikes in the DOS version of U1.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I thought you could klimb up pit traps with rope n hook?

 

[LarryTyphoid]

I thought you could klimb up pit traps with rope n hook?

Yeah, in the Apple II version. In the DOS remake, there are no pit traps, and so it's a useless weapon. That remake is so bad, it's a shame you'd have to go through the rigamarole of Apple II emulation to play the original.

 

[Bruma Hobo]

I thought you could klimb up pit traps with rope n hook?

Yeah, in the Apple II version. In the DOS remake, there are no pit traps, and so it's a useless weapon. That remake is so bad, it's a shame you'd have to go through the rigamarole of Apple II emulation to play the original.

The original version is clearly better designed, but since it was programmed in Basic it runs excrutiangly slow, so pick your poison.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I recall appleII original had continent encounters very similar to Questron series. I needto play this version. I take it thaf the appleiiGS version is not like the original
AppleII version. I also wondered if RG's dnd rando games were exactly like alalabeth? I would have liked to seen a modernized version of this with the fluidity or play like akalabeth. To my knowledge, there isn't even the castle exploration.

I guess this is as close as one can get..... eh

http://slashie.net/dnd1/

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Just started playing Underworld 2. I really like the story premise, the music is great, it looks good, and it's already a lot harder than Underworld 1 - you take a wrong turn in the very first dungeon and you'll get raped by lurkers. The biggest problem, though, is the writing. Even though the story's premise is considerably more interesting than UW1, the dialogue just isn't up to snuff. You'd think that long-time characters like Iolo, Shamino, Dupre, and Nystul would have more to say, but they've only got a few pieces of dialogue; the very first outcast you meet in UW1 has more to say than all of them combined. The dialect is also inconsistent; I've already noticed multiple instances of characters using "you" or "your" rather than "thou" or "thy", and it generally sounds too modern. On the other hand, the Guardian, who spoke in normal, modern English in U7, says "thou" and "thy" in the intro (even though he's speaking to multiple people, so even if it's ye olde english, it should be "you" and "your" - "thou" and "thy" are singular pronouns). There's also a conversation with a thief in the sewers where, in response to being asked your name, the player's one and only dialogue choice is a rather boastful "Actually, I am the Avatar, incarnation of the virtues and eight times savior of Britannia", which I found out of character. It's there to set up a joke with the thief, but it really took me out of things. And I don't know what it means to be the "incarnation" of the virtues. The Avatar's dialogue options in UW1 were perfect, and these are a big step down.

I've heard that UW2 was heavily rushed, and this lackluster dialogue might be one of the consequences. It's a real shame, because the writing was my favorite part of the first game.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

I read that Life Bytes Ultima 9 apology piece that Infinitron posted on page 4 or so. I didn't see anyone mention the very last line of that retardation:

Oh, and just in case I still haven’t sold you on Ultima IX, and you’re still longing for a return to those Elysian days of classic Ultima: Don’t worry. Richard has you covered, with Shroud of the Avatar!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I barely delved into shroud. Rusty has done more there than I.

 

[Ladonna]

Today I learned that you can press "Y" to "yell Giddyup!" when riding a horse in Ultima IV to make it move two spaces at once. I could've sworn that this wasn't in the manual, but it is.

Wow. 30 odd years later and I learn something new about UIV.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I think there might be a version of U4 that the horse does work like U3 but only after you yell giddyup. I don't recall which one; maybe Sega MS.

 

[Bruma Hobo]

People complaining about how frequent random encounter are in Ultima IV don't know about horses or the blink spell. BTW, you can also Yell to raise sails and make winds in Ultima V actually useful.

 

[Cael]

People complaining about how frequent random encounter are in Ultima IV don't know about horses or the blink spell. BTW, you can also Yell to raise sails and make winds in Ultima V actually useful.

On modern machines, that is a one way trip into land :D

 

[smaug]

Since I have the time, I want to play an Ultima game to see what the fuss is about.

I was told to start with Ultima IV and it seems there’s a nice patch that adds in music and upgraded graphics because the DOS version is ugly as sin.

Is there anything I need to know before going in?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Be good.

 

[Bruma Hobo]

Since I have the time, I want to play an Ultima game to see what the fuss is about.

I was told to start with Ultima IV and it seems there’s a nice patch that adds in music and upgraded graphics because the DOS version is ugly as sin.

Is there anything I need to know before going in?

Random encounters scale to your party size and they become tedious really fast, so you don't want to recruit more than 3 characters. But, you will have to recruit them all before the final dungeon, so beware.

Other than that, just read the manual, take notes and avoid spoilers.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

it seems there’s a nice patch that adds in music and upgraded graphics because the DOS version is ugly as sin.

Don't use that shitty graphical patch. It only changes like half of the graphics (NO dungeon changes, for example), so it looks really inconsistent and amateurish. And the graphics that are changed aren't very good. Use this:
https://www.pixsoriginadventures.co.uk/category/ultima-patcher/

This lets you patch in the music while preserving the original visuals. It also comes with different arrangements of the OST to better fit whatever MIDI soundfont you're using. It also does other stuff like capping the framerate so the moon cycles and wind direction don't go crazy.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

If only 3D dungeons got a visual upgrade.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

The brilliant dialogue of Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds:

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Get some Mt. Drash to spice up your life.



Or maybe some Haxima & Nazghul

Spoiler

Or maybe the Dragon Engine

Spoiler

 

[octavius]

The brilliant dialogue of Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds:

Making a churl joke was just too obvious, obviously.