Richard "Lord British" Garriott, early PC RPG pioneer and creator of the Ultima series started up a Kickstarter for a new online RPG called Shroud of the Avatar. In just a few days it made it to over half of its staggering $1 million goal and I imagine it will find success. Now this isn't an "Ultima" game, as EA still holds the rights to the name Ultima, but it is as close as it can be.
If he pulls it off, it looks like it will be a spiritual successor to Ultima Online, which was - IMHO - a brutal game with amazing flexibility for its time (few other MMORPGs has allow players to create stuff or build the world in such a manner). Classless system, freedom of choice, focus on cooperation and discovery - all of this sounds like a breath of fresh air for the genre!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/portalarium/shroud-of-the-avatar-forsaken-virtues-0
I do not want to remember his last effort but will probably get on for this one.
Sounds interesting, if not very ambitious. I never played Ultima so I don't have a starting to for an opinion so I doubt I'll back the project. However, it is definitely something to keep an eye on. I didn't notice on the KS page is there an projected completion date?
Interesting find, thanks!
I would gladly welcome a new Ultima.
I never played Ultima either but had friends who loved it. Is there any Ultima single player game that I can run in Windows 7?
Quote from: TheCommandTent on March 10, 2013, 03:29:54 PM
Sounds interesting, if not very ambitious. I never played Ultima so I don't have a starting to for an opinion so I doubt I'll back the project. However, it is definitely something to keep an eye on. I didn't notice on the KS page is there an projected completion date?
I thought I saw something about late 2013 but can't recall if that was the final game or some kind of alpha or beta.
Quote from: Gusington on March 10, 2013, 04:18:07 PM
I never played Ultima either but had friends who loved it. Is there any Ultima single player game that I can run in Windows 7?
You can get
Ultima IV (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/ultima_4) free from GOG.com. I haven't tried it yet, but I'd be willing to bet that it will run okay on Windows 7. Its graphics are very dated, but it might give you a feel for the series.
The
Ultima fans I used to know all felt that
Ultima VII was the best game in the
Ultima series. GOG.com is offering
Ultima VII: The Complete Edition (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/ultima_7_complete) for $5.99.
Cool!
I played Ultima Online on & off for quite awhile. Despite being less brutal after the inclusion of the non-pvp world it was still kinda fun despite losing some of it's appeal. UO was surprisingly sandbox-y for being the first big hit graphical MMO. There have been lots of complaints about the "theme park" style MMOs which became the norm after WoW hit it big and everyone started emulating them regarding gameplay.
I wasn't all that good at UO but that's partly because I was too much of a softy, unlike a couple personal friends who were basically murderous highwaymen back in '98. ;D
The old single-player Ultimas were great, but I don't think they stood the test of time terribly well.
Free?! Can't really argue with that. I remember when the first Ultima games were released when I was a kid and some of the other kids raving about them. I missed the boat on them unfortunately.
Free is nice, and also pretty hard to beat Ultima VII at $6 at GOG:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/ultima_7_complete (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/ultima_7_complete)
...I had no idea Lord British looked so much like "Cabin Boy" Chris Elliott.
Regardless, this newest Ultima venture looks awesome...
EDIT -- sorry Greybriar -- I guess I should read these threads more carefully before posting... But I stand by my Chris Elliott comparison.
I remember playing Ultima 4 back in the day on a C128. What a blast at the time. Not sure about it now as the genre has moved on so much. But, hey, Richard Garriot started a cult following and so long as he's not resting on his laurels good do something really great.
Quote from: Gusington on March 10, 2013, 05:54:19 PM
Free?! Can't really argue with that. I remember when the first Ultima games were released when I was a kid and some of the other kids raving about them. I missed the boat on them unfortunately.
I spent months playing Ultima IV and never finished! Anyway, be sure to pick up the graphics and music upgrade patches at Ultima: The Reconstruction.
http://reconstruction.voyd.net/index.php?event=project&typeKeyword=upgrades (http://reconstruction.voyd.net/index.php?event=project&typeKeyword=upgrades)
Didn't Lord British write his own music for the games too?
Quote from: Gusington on March 10, 2013, 09:40:24 PM
Didn't Lord British write his own music for the games too?
Yes, a lot of it. He was famous for the song "Stones" in the game.
If I were you, I would start with Ultima 6 and go from there. The older ones are very hard to play and can be fairly frustrating (but they are pretty good representations of RPGs in the 1980s). Ultima 6 has a real story and a lot more intuitive UI. Then move to the most excellent parts of the series - Ultima 7 and 7: Part II.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on March 11, 2013, 12:08:52 AM
Quote from: Gusington on March 10, 2013, 09:40:24 PM
Didn't Lord British write his own music for the games too?
Yes, a lot of it. He was famous for the song "Stones" in the game.
If I were you, I would start with Ultima 6 and go from there. The older ones are very hard to play and can be fairly frustrating (but they are pretty good representations of RPGs in the 1980s). Ultima 6 has a real story and a lot more intuitive UI. Then move to the most excellent parts of the series - Ultima 7 and 7: Part II.
This certainly brings back memories! :)
Btw, he didn't compose all the music.
Some of it is some classic British pieces :P
Didn't every post Ultima project he did fail badly, does he still have what it takes to make a successful game with today standards? I wouldn't mind seeing updated/remakes of Ultima 6-8 but, anything new is going to be a wait and see.
When did 'Lord British' relinquish the Ultima name to the publisher? What was the last Ultima game he did and which ones were made without him?
Quote from: Staggerwing on March 11, 2013, 09:12:20 PM
When did 'Lord British' relinquish the Ultima name to the publisher? What was the last Ultima game he did and which ones were made without him?
When EA acquired Origin Systems in 1992 (the company founded by Richard Garriott and his brother) they gained the rights to the Ultima franchise. Origin was made defunct in 2004 and folded into EA proper. Garriott left EA in 2000, but had to leave behind his IP, largely due to Ultima Online and Ultima IX, which was still somewhat active at the time. However, the characters created by Garriott pre-existed the agreement with EA, Lord British is a moniker denoting himself (and was a D&D name he used), and his actual friends used the names Iolo (David Watson) and Dupre (Greg Dykes).
It was a weird split of assets but that is the nuts and bolts of it. The weird thing is EA is using the franchise name to create some F2P online action RPG that is a huge abomination to the original series.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on March 11, 2013, 11:09:19 PM
It was a weird split of assets but that is the nuts and bolts of it. The weird thing is EA is using the franchise name to create some F2P online action RPG that is a huge abomination to the original series.
Speaking of IP abominations, I see that
Wizardry Online ARPG free-to-play was released. That thing is about as far as can be from the old Wizardry series. A Fugly Bloated Pus-Spewing Abomination!!!!!
I remember Ultima Online verywell. I clearly remember getting killed by a rabbit and thinking WTF is this shit? A weasle maybe but a f'ing rabbit?
Needless to say I continued playing it for months, it was great.
Quote from: Windigo on March 14, 2013, 02:02:21 PM
I remember Ultima Online verywell. I clearly remember getting killed by a rabbit and thinking WTF is this shit? A weasle maybe but a f'ing rabbit?
Needless to say I continued playing it for months, it was great.
I usually just got killed by anyone and everyone as soon as I walked out the city gates.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on March 14, 2013, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Windigo on March 14, 2013, 02:02:21 PM
I remember Ultima Online verywell. I clearly remember getting killed by a rabbit and thinking WTF is this shit? A weasle maybe but a f'ing rabbit?
Needless to say I continued playing it for months, it was great.
I usually just got killed by anyone and everyone as soon as I walked out the city gates.
It was a nice social experiment regarding what would happen if robbing/killing/eating people had little consequence. The only thing to fear was losing your stuff (which took lots of time/money to get, if it was good) so there was still value involved in the equation. It was like a post-apocalyptic Road Warrior setting, except the fantasy part. Small bands of roving pickpockets,murderers & highwaymen abound.. a few trying to make an honest living.. or just trying to
live. Serial killers and cannibals. Oh what wonders! ;D
Quote from: Nefaro on March 14, 2013, 11:04:12 PM
Quote from: son_of_montfort on March 14, 2013, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Windigo on March 14, 2013, 02:02:21 PM
I remember Ultima Online verywell. I clearly remember getting killed by a rabbit and thinking WTF is this shit? A weasle maybe but a f'ing rabbit?
Needless to say I continued playing it for months, it was great.
I usually just got killed by anyone and everyone as soon as I walked out the city gates.
It was a nice social experiment regarding what would happen if robbing/killing/eating people had little consequence. The only thing to fear was losing your stuff (which took lots of time/money to get, if it was good) so there was still value involved in the equation. It was like a post-apocalyptic Road Warrior setting, except the fantasy part. Small bands of roving pickpockets,murderers & highwaymen abound.. a few trying to make an honest living.. or just trying to live. Serial killers and cannibals. Oh what wonders! ;D
Good old school hardcore MMORPGs...
Where the penalty for death is severe and the PvP is completely open.
Also, I remember the telepathic murderous bunnies as well. Except I did manage to kill them. :P