Ultima The Ultima Underworld I & II Thread

[Gord]

Funny, I always liked the mood of the sewers beneath the castle.
The general theme of some forgotten past history and loss fit well with most of the rest of the game.

 

[Sceptic]

The general theme of some forgotten past history and loss fit well with most of the rest of the game.

I thought that theme was done EXTREMELY well in the Tombs later on. There's a lot of lore about the history of the various people, and then you meet and chat with their ghosts, and the conversations with the three companions send chill down my spine in how they can be so utterly self-centered and so unwaveringly loyal at the same time.

I think UW2 is in many ways an improvement, but it's also got a lot more problems and is more uneven than UW1. It's funny that UW1 was made a series of unconnected levels that were then shoehorned together while UW2 was made as a single piece from the start (and made to fit with Ultima lore obviously), yet UW1 structure is much tighter and the game is much less linear. UW2 linearity can lead to problems at time, like being unable to open the portal to the next world and having NO CLUE why, since the the reason the portal is locked usually has nothing to do with the portals themselves, and the worst possible bug (before patch), the servants' strike. And the most infuriating part, that you cannot do anything about the traitor even if you're damn well certain whodunnit.

Anyway the game's great, and quite long (longer than UW1) with some great moments in some of the worlds. Ice Caverns are fantastic, as is Scintillus (the Vault in particular), the Tombs, and of course the Void. There are a LOT of alternative ways to do some things - the goblin tower is the most obvious, but there are also several ways of dealing with Killorn Keep (not all are good though - keep saves handy).

 

[Unkillable Cat]

UU2 is harder than UU1. More enemies at a time, and there's locked doors everywhere, and so far I haven't found a single key.

There's more than one way to open a door. That said, there is only one door in the sewers that you cannot open except by using the key, and it'll be given to you later on. The only other key-related business in the sewers is somewhere that I previously mentioned, and it opens the armoury up in the castle.

Another often overlooked part of the sewers is where you act like a salmon.

One last tip... when getting close to the endgame, don't forget to visit the goblins in the sewers... provided you didn't butcher them.

 

[octavius]

Another often overlooked part of the sewers is where you act like a salmon.

Water Walk + jumping up a waterfall?
I was planning on doing this once I reach lvl 5.

EDIT: I freed Milenus from the Prison Tower and he closed the portcullis on me. What a nice little goblin...Fortunately I had a pole with which to reach the switch. Who said poles are useless?

Also, I have problems finding Lord British in this game. He rarely is in the throne room. The few times I've seen him he's been in the Great Hall or garden. But where does he usually hang about? He's not in the mentioned places, nor the library when I search for him.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

He often hangs out in his room, which you reach through the "stairs" on the left of the throne room.

 

[octavius]

He often hangs out in his room, which you reach through the "stairs" on the left of the throne room.

Bugger me with a fish fork, I never noticed that room! The downside of a map already filled out, I guess.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Yeah, you'll run into pre-filled segments of the automap again later on, you'll find a map of the Ice Caves, complete with notes from explorers, and again in the Tomb where you have to gather the map together.

And then you're gonna run into a place where the automap doesn't work at all. Have fun.

 

[Sceptic]

And then you're gonna run into a place where the automap doesn't work at all. Have fun.

Neither does the compass rose

 

[octavius]

Yeah, you'll run into pre-filled segments of the automap again later on, you'll find a map of the Ice Caves, complete with notes from explorers, and again in the Tomb where you have to gather the map together.

Just starting exploring the Ice Caves. I remember those explorers, Lost City and the ice skating. But I don't remember that Yetis and other monsters could drown.

And then you're gonna run into a place where the automap doesn't work at all. Have fun.

I guess you mean the Etherial Void? I seem to recall there was a rather trippy area, a bit like cyberspace in System Shock.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

If we want to change this thread into a general UW1/UW2/Arx Fatalis thread, I'll drop my current Gold Box games and join in starting with UW1. We are doing something similar with the Might and Magic series on the 'Best Might and Magic' thread.

Then maybe after I can convince some folks to do the same with the Gold Box games.

 

[Snikt]

I don't suppose you can easily fake Roland Mt-32 by using the right Soundfont with BassMidi?

Not that it is too important, I've changed the config files so that it correctly plays on SoundBlaster, but better music might be welcome.

Still wanted to finish U7 before replaying UU2, though.
However, while I greatly enjoyed the Underworld games, the normal Ultima parts never managed to grab me as much. They are ok, I think, but something about the style prevented me from really enjoying them.

There's a fan-made patch called PixPatcher I believe it's called, and it forces Roland MT-32 audio onto the GOG versions of Ultima Underworld 1-2, but you need to have the MT-32 roms. It has fixes for all the Ultima games too
Edit: http://www.pixsoriginadventures.co.uk/category/ultima-patcher/

 

[octavius]

If we want to change this thread into a general UW1/UW2/Arx Fatalis thread, I'll drop my current Gold Box games and join in starting with UW1. We are doing something similar with the Might and Magic series on the 'Best Might and Magic' thread.

Then maybe after I can convince some folks to do the same with the Gold Box games.

There is already a Gold Box thread, but sadly there is little activity.

Also, I already started an Ultima Underworld 1 thread last year. Jaesun, feel free to merge the two thread into one.

 

[Jaesun]

Done.

 

[octavius]

That was fast.

 

[Fowyr]

Goddamn, now I remember Etherial Void and its Nefarious Maliciously Evil Primitive Shape of Hate.

Spoiler

I always accidentally tripped wrong cube when jumped from the top.

 

[Jaesun]

I would actually be curious on both of your guys thoughts going through UU and UU2 and Arx.

 

[octavius]

Hmm...I wonder if there is any level scaling in this game? At the part where "someone else"/Mighty Mouse met three Yetis in his LP, I only met two. My Avatar was only lvl 6, while his was 9 or 10.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

You know, I've wondered about that as well. IIRC, almost all monster placings and amounts in UUW1 and UUW2 are fixed, with the only exception being if you rest and are interrupted by monsters, which is the only time where new monsters are randomly spawned, I believe. Those spawns could be scaled according to your level.

There's also the question of what monsters are spawned around the gem at the bottom of the sewers. Some of the spawns there are situational, but not all.

 

[octavius]

Just completed the alien world. It was more fun this time than the first time I played.
I think I got frustrated by the relative complexity of piecing it all together, combined with not easily being able to make screenshots to look up all the dialogue, as well as the froggies that respawned every time you left and returned. So the alien world was one of the worlds, along with the Pits of Carnage, I didn't complete the first time.

The whole puzzle in the alien world, having to reprogram the gobbledegook machine, felt very familar. I can't place it, but I'm pretty sure I've played a similar puzzle in another game...

 

[Deuce Traveler]

So I played an hour of Ultima Underworld. I fiddled with it a bit last year, so I just restored the game I was playing back then where I had explored only the first few rooms. First off, the game handles fine when it comes to turning and moving back and forth, but fighting seems awkward, as the three different strikes all have a charging gauge and the actual swings move across the screen a tad slow. However, monster attacks are also slowed so it balances out and gives you a moment to actually think before you attack. Also, jumping is difficult for me to time properly, but hopefully I won't need it much.

The atmosphere is great, where the dungeon is appropriately dark and encourages you to use light sources. The remains of past people that litter the floor is also a nice touch, as well as a love letter that I found on one of the condemned. I died a lot, mostly because of slow acting poison. I also found some leeches down a river, and I think I remember my friend playing this game and using them. They remove poison, but cause damage if I remember right, so even if you find a bunch of leeches you want to avoid even minor poison. I like this dynamic.

I found some runes, but I haven't taken the time to learn how to use them yet. Weapons and armor decay in quality during use, which is also a neat effect. I found a friendly human, but not the village of whence he comes. I did find some lone, not so friendly goblins, but after killing them I tried talking to a goblin behind a portcullis and he actually invited me in to meet his king. Before this I also stumbled into a stressed rat that didn't attack me, so I refrained from slaying it. I appreciate the idea that I don't have to kill everything I meet down here. It makes me feel like I am playing the Avatar again, and not just some genocidal maniac who slays anything that doesn't look like him. I'm getting into this and it brings back warm memories. Somehow it feels like Ultima despite being from a completely different playing perspective.

 

[octavius]

Yeah, UU1 felt like a real dungeon simulation to me.
The UU games are also the only CRPGs I know that are really real time, in that one minute playing equals one minute passing in the game. I think time only speeds up when sleeping.

I didn't notice this problem in UU1, but in UU2 Slashing seems to be much more effective than Bashing when using axes and maces, despite the manual saying bashing is more effective. It's possible bashing delivers more damage, but it certainly is easier to hit when slashing.

 

[someone else]

Also, jumping is difficult for me to time properly, but hopefully I won't need it much..

Slow walk and the game won't let you fall off the ledge, then press shift-J to jump. Should get you pass most of the jumping areas in UW1&2.

Use the mouse to slowly walk, while doing that the game won't let you fall off the edge.

 

[Sceptic]

combined with not easily being able to make screenshots to look up all the dialogue

o_O Take notes by hand on what seems important. What, it's hard all of a sudden?

Talorus (I think that was the name) isn't the best world but it was fun and it was cool to have something so radically different from the previous worlds. The Pits are probably my least favourite, but then the game picks up dramatically after them and the last 3 worlds are all great stuff. And of course you're going to be doing quite a bit of backtracking.

Also, jumping is difficult for me to time properly, but hopefully I won't need it much.

Shift+J to jump. This makes you jump forward without needing to be on the move when you jump. I sometimes use right-click to jump but most of the time I just shift+J.

I found some runes, but I haven't taken the time to learn how to use them yet. Weapons and armor decay in quality during use, which is also a neat effect. I found a friendly human, but not the village of whence he comes. I did find some lone, not so friendly goblins, but after killing them I tried talking to a goblin behind a portcullis and he actually invited me in to meet his king. Before this I also stumbled into a stressed rat that didn't attack me, so I refrained from slaying it.

I could answer all your queries, but I won't. The first time playing UW1 is special, like a first PST. Enjoy the sense of exploring and discovering everything by yourself. How I wish I could get that back.

 

[EruDaan]

What I also like in UU2 is that there are some spells that are not written in the games handbook which you either can get by guessing the correct rune combination or by trading /talking with NPC. These unmentioned "secret" spells are: Froststorm, Mend (repair item), Medium Protectionl, Death, Summon Demon and Enchant Item l( or is it?).

UU2 by the way, like the earlier M&M series, is full of exploits and broken mechanics.

 

[octavius]

UU2 by the way, like the earlier M&M series, is full of exploits and broken mechanics.

Really? I recall the ability to cast spells in another world and then release it back in Britannia exploit.
And the respawning of enemies means you can grind for more XP.
Can't think of anything else at the moment.