Ultima The Ultima Underworld I & II Thread

[Unkillable Cat]

Play Ultima Underworld.
Play Ultima 7.
Play Ultima Underworld 2.
Play Ultima 7 Part 2.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

...as well as a number of foreshadowings for SI and Pagan.

Refresh my memory here... what Pagan foreshadowings could be found in UW2?

I remember the

Spoiler

crystal ball in Anudunos,

but nothing else. Something in the Etherial Void, perhaps?

 

[Sceptic]

Refresh my memory here... what Pagan foreshadowings could be found in UW2?

Spoiler

A very minor thing, but the goblin who gives you the serpent statue tells you that the man he got it from said "Pagan" just before he died. But I always thought the whole setup with all these worlds invaded and oppressed by the Guardian was in some ways a sign of things to come, so when you see Pagan faring just as poorly under his rule you get a feeling you've seen this before.

 

[Eyeball]

The UU games are both excellent. UU1 had better music and a more straightforward story - go down into dungeon, save princess, slay evil boss type of thing. UU2 had you travel around different planes of reality, some of them being very fantastical and looking like something from a Dali painting and it is therefore more varied than UU1 due to its more diverse environments.

I like UU1 better, personally - it has a better sense of being alone in a huge hostile dungeon complex and some of the dimensions found in UU2 are frankly a bit silly, so UU1 wins for me due to its more consistent atmosphere.

Also, if you haven't already, play Arx Fatalis. It is badass.

 

[Satan]

Arx Fatalis has good atmosphere, but Satan finds it pretty boring.

 

[Eyeball]

Get thee behind me, Satan.

 

[Renegen]

Arx Fatalis is great. I find that for someone who first played UU in like 2005, the game takes a while to get into but it's very addictive. Still, you could just try Arx Fatalis, it's the same thing but modern. System Shock 1 also uses the same engine as UU (I think) and it's a better game.

 

[bhlaab]

The controls and collision detection are fairly awkward un UW1 and when I try to play UW2 in dosbox I just spin around in a circle endlessly.

 

[Virtual Vice]

Both are worth a playthrough in order.

Ultima underworld 2 is very similar to 1 only longer and more vast, the gameplay is a little better, a bit more expanded and better implemented taking advantage of the possibilities of the new engine. The alternate dimensions have interesting twists and settings, and from what I recall there are even a few choices to be made.

Ultima underworld 1 is a tighter, more focused experience, and searching for all the items you need across the several levels is a fun aspect, very well implemented for the time.


If you ask me I think overall Ultima Underworld 2 is superior to Arx Fatalis. Arx fatalis is too short in comparison, has very little in terms of content, and it loses alot of the survivalist/explorer appeal of both UU's, mainly the second, even through UU 1 is also a bit short. Actually from what I recall both UU's are actually more open and diversified in terms of the paths you may take than Arx Fatalis, especially 2 of course.

There is very llittle enjoyment to be had in terms of exploration in Arx, and the rune drawing aspect, while it is interesting in principle, becomes a tedious and ankward process in practice. UU2 has more combat, and although it can get repetitive I didn't feel tedious when played it a long time ago.

 

[ArcturusXIV]

Confession: I have a quick feeling UU is going to be my favorite game series, and I still have yet to find the courage to start either game. How immense are they? Am I going to get a skinny manual and then spend 6 months in a cave finding my way out? I used to love games like that. Nowadays, they make my toes curl... I have too little time to sleep-and-food deprive myself in the name of something that makes my neck hair stand on end...

Also, do the monsters get much more creative than goblins and so forth..?

God, I loved Dracoid Ruins in Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, I hope it's something like that! Atmosphere....... *howl*

 

[SCO]

Nah - the caves look huge, but they can't compare with the abomination that is a daggerfall dungeon. Good secret door/puzzle/secret spread though.

Character progression is really unforgiving though (dictated mostly by equipment, none of which raises statistics, and raising those is very limited) : do yourself a favor and either cheat yourself a lot of strength for carrying capacity or play a warrior (though rune busting is funner, and much better in Arx).

It's more structured and story like. Fun games (Arx Fatalis too, though slightly declined in areas, massively inclined in the rune gestures - IMO).

 

[bhlaab]

Confession: I have a quick feeling UU is going to be my favorite game series, and I still have yet to find the courage to start either game. How immense are they? Am I going to get a skinny manual and then spend 6 months in a cave finding my way out? I used to love games like that. Nowadays, they make my toes curl... I have too little time to sleep-and-food deprive myself in the name of something that makes my neck hair stand on end...

Also, do the monsters get much more creative than goblins and so forth..?

God, I loved Dracoid Ruins in Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, I hope it's something like that! Atmosphere....... *howl*

You've got a shodan avatar. Played system shock 1? That's about how big it is.

 

[hanssolo]

controls make UU1 a frustrating experience, UU2 is much better in this regard. But you're playing in dosbox so you can remap to your heart's content. Both are fantastic, play both.

 

[someone else]

I <3 Uw2 so much I made a drawing of the cover.

 

[Saxon1974]

While I like ultimo underworld alot....my main criticism is that its too dang easy. Food is easy to come by and the combat is very easy.

Im playing a bard and got to the gazer on level 2 thinking he would be hard and nope he was easy as well..

 

[Ammar]

Depending on equipment and skill focus the lower levels do get more difficult. The first five levels are rather easy in terms of combat, though.

 

[Eyeball]

Depending on equipment and skill focus the lower levels do get more difficult. The first five levels are rather easy in terms of combat, though.

UU2 throws a couple of nasty surprises at you early on - there's a Headless roaming around 2 rooms from the start dungeon entrance, lots of poisonous giant spiders who can end you easily if you don't have any leeches/antidotes and an animated evil tree which is next to impervious to damage guarding some cool loot halfway down to the portal gem.

I like this bit about the UU games - roam everywhere you want, but don't come crying if you get completely buttraped by the things you find there.

 

[Boddler]

Get thee behind me, Satan.

Satan is a power bottom. Not gonna work.

 

[bhlaab]

I think the encumberance threshold is way too low considering the amount of stuff you pretty much have to carry around at all times

 

[Sceptic]

I like this bit about the UU games - roam everywhere you want, but don't come crying if you get completely buttraped by the things you find there.

Yep

Even UU1 had some bits like this. You can get into the Mountainfolk's treasure room quite early - good luck surviving if you actually decide to take anything.

 

[SCO]

Ah those golems.

 

[Elwro]

Guys, I have a small problem.

After fooling around with a Paladin I restarted and took the first char that popped up, a bard with 18 Strength. I persevered to character level 6 but the low encumbrance is a goddamn nuisance. So, seeing as there doesn't seem to be a way of raising stats in this game, I used a character editor(from http://bootstrike.com/Uw1/solutions.php ) to pump up Strength to 20, a modest change, I believe. But... my encumbrance stayed the same. What should I do? I'm not gonna restart again.

 

[Elwro]

Guys, I have a small problem.

After fooling around with a Paladin I restarted and took the first char that popped up, a bard with 18 Strength. I persevered to character level 6 but the low encumbrance is a goddamn nuisance. So, seeing as there doesn't seem to be a way of raising stats in this game, I used a character editor(from http://bootstrike.com/Uw1/solutions.php ) to pump up Strength to 20, a modest change, I believe. But... my encumbrance stayed the same. What should I do? I'm not gonna restart again.

edit: OK CARRY ON, after a minute it bumped up.

 

[someone else]

Tip: leather armour gives 2 damage reduction, chain 4, plate 6. The amount is so small you can should wear leather to save weight. Magical armour makes a big difference.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Am I the only who thinks Ultima Underworld's introduction looks like a prelude to a heavy metal music video from Norway?