Lord British is BACK! And so is the Avatar!

son_of_montfort · March 10, 2013, 02:07:59 PM

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

Longdan · March 10, 2013, 02:12:44 PM

I do not want to remember his last effort but will probably get on for this one.

TheCommandTent · 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?

Tpek · March 10, 2013, 03:33:42 PM

Interesting find, thanks!

Greybriar · March 10, 2013, 04:11:47 PM

I would gladly welcome a new Ultima.

Gusington · 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?

Staggerwing · March 10, 2013, 04:23:28 PM

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.

Greybriar · March 10, 2013, 04:32:26 PM

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 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 for $5.99.

Nefaro · March 10, 2013, 05:46:44 PM

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.

Gusington · 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.

sandman2575 · March 10, 2013, 08:02:31 PM

Free is nice, and also pretty hard to beat Ultima VII at $6 at GOG:

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.

Boggit · March 10, 2013, 09:10:31 PM

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.

Shelldrake · March 10, 2013, 09:38:07 PM

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

Gusington · March 10, 2013, 09:40:24 PM

Didn't Lord British write his own music for the games too?

son_of_montfort · 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.