http://ultimaforever.com/
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/eas-paul-barnett-ultima-forever-reboot-is-not-an-mmo/
An odd strategy - they're making it Free to Play, it's a remake of the ultima Ultima - Ultima IV. But Ultima was my #1 childhood favourite computer game, so I don't care - I'm excited.
Quote from: Barrister on July 12, 2012, 02:19:12 PM
But Ultima was my #1 childhood favourite computer game, so I don't care - I'm excited.
Man, my friends and I sunk a shitload of hours into Ultima IV back in the day. What a great package, too. The map, the ankh...good times.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 12, 2012, 02:21:28 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 12, 2012, 02:19:12 PM
But Ultima was my #1 childhood favourite computer game, so I don't care - I'm excited.
Man, my friends and I sunk a shitload of hours into Ultima IV back in the day. What a great package, too. The map, the ankh...good times.
I... wouldn't know about the package Ultima IV came in. :blush:
I will have you know that I spent an entire month's pay from umpiring baseball games in the summer on Ultima V however. When they gave me the paycheque they even said "don't spend it all before you get home". I laughed because that's exactly what I did. :lol:
You all know there is a legit, legal free version of the original Ultima IV out there for download? It looks like it works well on modern systems, including Mac OS.
http://xu4.sourceforge.net/
EDIT: That said a remade modern Ultima IV would be very cool.
http://ultimaforever.com/
Quotecross-platform action RPG
:x
Quote from: sbr on July 12, 2012, 02:42:03 PM
You all know there is a legit, legal free version of the original Ultima IV out there for download? It looks like it works well on modern systems, including Mac OS.
http://xu4.sourceforge.net/
EDIT: That said a remade modern Ultima IV would be very cool.
It's also available at gog.com for free (with all other parts up to vii for cheap).
Quote from: sbr on July 12, 2012, 02:42:03 PM
You all know there is a legit, legal free version of the original Ultima IV out there for download? It looks like it works well on modern systems, including Mac OS.
http://xu4.sourceforge.net/
EDIT: That said a remade modern Ultima IV would be very cool.
Or you could download the actual game for free from GOG, rather than a remake.
I wonder if I could manage to play Ultima IV in this day and age. Graphics haven't aged well at all. I know it seemed to take a hundred hours or so to win - and for some reason I think I never did win it (after seeing my brother win that was good enough for me). This was all pre-internet of course so you couldn't just look up a walkthrough or hint site.
Yeah I had forgotten about the gog version.
Wait when is this game coming out? I will definitely have to get it. It looks more like a reboot than a remake though :hmm:
I presume this is going to be done in the style of Mass Effect and Skyrim and the other action RPGs. Eh I have learned to accept them.
QuoteThe original game is lauded as very important, and it is, but if you give it to a modern gamer, it's sort of like trying to read Chaucer. You're told it's worthy, but it's sort of incomprehensible."
A very good analogy about so many classic games.
Downloaded the GOG original.
Holy crap - it both takes me back very strongly, and WOW - I can't believe I played these games for so many hours. It makes me feel so very, very old (yet while part of me feels like it was yesterday as well).
I still think that a cross-platform multiplayer action RPG is against everything that original Ultima stood.
Quote from: Syt on July 13, 2012, 03:04:08 AM
I still think that a cross-platform multiplayer action RPG is against everything that original Ultima stood.
The original Ultima was cross-platform - there were C64, Apple II, MS-DOS, and Atari ST versions (plus probably a few more).
There was no such thing as multiplayer in those days.
And the couple of article I've seen have said it isn't action-oriented... :unsure:
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2012, 09:08:24 AM
The original Ultima was cross-platform - there were C64, Apple II, MS-DOS, and Atari ST versions (plus probably a few more).
There was no such thing as multiplayer in those days.
Heh, we would "hot seat" our characters. Have a sleepover at my friend's house, and we'd take turns all night with our characters with his C64. YOUVE HAD 2 HOURS MY TURN
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2012, 12:42:01 AM
It makes me feel so very, very old (yet while part of me feels like it was yesterday as well).
You should. I wasn't born when it came out. :D
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2012, 09:08:24 AM
Quote from: Syt on July 13, 2012, 03:04:08 AM
I still think that a cross-platform multiplayer action RPG is against everything that original Ultima stood.
The original Ultima was cross-platform - there were C64, Apple II, MS-DOS, and Atari ST versions (plus probably a few more).
There was no such thing as multiplayer in those days.
And the couple of article I've seen have said it isn't action-oriented... :unsure:
The official webpage which I quoted above calls it "cross-platform action RPG". Action RPG usually means Diablo-like.
Quote from: Syt on July 13, 2012, 12:07:08 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 13, 2012, 09:08:24 AM
Quote from: Syt on July 13, 2012, 03:04:08 AM
I still think that a cross-platform multiplayer action RPG is against everything that original Ultima stood.
The original Ultima was cross-platform - there were C64, Apple II, MS-DOS, and Atari ST versions (plus probably a few more).
There was no such thing as multiplayer in those days.
And the couple of article I've seen have said it isn't action-oriented... :unsure:
The official webpage which I quoted above calls it "cross-platform action RPG". Action RPG usually means Diablo-like.
From the interview I posted:
QuoteNo, though Barnett says it has "a lot" of players in it. "It's very tribal in the way we're building it," he explained. The game is a small-group affair, with "tactical, positional" combat that is less about hotbar abilities and more about where your characters stand, what kind of equipment they have, and how you use your abilities together.
Barnett compared the game to the hunting areas in older BioWare titles like Baldur's Gate, and he pointed out that the essence of Ultima Forever is focused on improving your virtues through a BioWare storyline and plenty of dungeoneering. "It's very much a classic RPG adventure. It's more in Dragon Age's territory than that of an MMO," he explained.
I mean Dragon Age was still kind of actiony, but I'm not worried about it being a Diablo game.
Indeed. I think this will be worth watching.
I grew up playing Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda. My first RPG game was Ultima 6. It completely blew me away.
The Multiplayer element concerns me. I do not have time to play multi-player games anymore. Can you play it solo? :hmm:
Quote from: Valmy on July 17, 2012, 12:24:51 PM
The Multiplayer element concerns me. I do not have time to play multi-player games anymore. Can you play it solo? :hmm:
It isn't an MMO. They haven't really announced a lot of details though.
When I pause to think, it is perhaps concerning that Garriott is not involved in this remake. :hmm:
Or that Paul Barnett is :ph34r:
Warhammer Online was a trainwreck.
I know it is not an MMO but it might be co-op only. As in each character in the party has a player rather than AI.
Quote from: Barrister on July 17, 2012, 12:27:36 PM
Quote from: Valmy on July 17, 2012, 12:24:51 PM
The Multiplayer element concerns me. I do not have time to play multi-player games anymore. Can you play it solo? :hmm:
It isn't an MMO. They haven't really announced a lot of details though.
When I pause to think, it is perhaps concerning that Garriott is not involved in this remake. :hmm:
Is that a bad thing?
Quote from: Valmy on July 17, 2012, 12:40:15 PM
Or that Paul Barnett is :ph34r:
Warhammer Online was a trainwreck.
I know it is not an MMO but it might be co-op only. As in each character in the party has a player rather than AI.
Good point. :ph34r:
I see this as being co-op the way Farmville is co-op. :ph34r:
Quote from: Solmyr on July 17, 2012, 12:42:20 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 17, 2012, 12:27:36 PM
Quote from: Valmy on July 17, 2012, 12:24:51 PM
The Multiplayer element concerns me. I do not have time to play multi-player games anymore. Can you play it solo? :hmm:
It isn't an MMO. They haven't really announced a lot of details though.
When I pause to think, it is perhaps concerning that Garriott is not involved in this remake. :hmm:
Is that a bad thing?
Well Ultima is his creation. He was involved from Ultima I right up to Ultima Online. It'd be like doing Civilization without Sid Meier (except Garriot was much more involved in Ultima than Sid was with Civ). EA has done essentially nothing with the Ultima brand since Garriot left.
Interesting.
Doing some reading, it appears that in 2011 Garriot was in discussions with EA about 'doing something' with Ultima. Those discussions ultimately came to nothing. Now Garriott is developing his "Ultimate RPG" (with really no details about what it will look like), and now EA has dusted off Ultima after 10 years.
Now mind you Garriott's last project was the enormous flop that was Tabula Rasa, so who knows how either of these projects will turn out.
Maybe should just play Ultima IV again.
Quote from: Barrister on July 17, 2012, 12:27:36 PM
When I pause to think, it is perhaps concerning that Garriott is not involved in this remake. :hmm:
Don't think it's going to matter who's involved; it's been so long, it's going to be an entirely different game.
Well, Lord British is busy making a Quasi-Ultima MMO RPG for (presumably) social/mobile gaming.
http://www.portalarium.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=482
and
http://www.portalarium.com/index.php/ultimate-rpg?id=93
Quote[...]
The Third Grand Era of Games – Social & Mobile gaming
Today, with my new company Portalarium, and with the talents and skills of many who made Ultima an Ultimate RPG, we set forth to forge a "New Britannia," a new world from scratch, internally self-consistent, deep and refined. We have lofty goals as an Ultimate RPG. An Ultimate RPG does not fear going where others fear or have failed.
Few believed I would find success during the years I took to craft Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar and its deeply introspective plot. Fewer yet believed in "MUltima" when we began that design journey, and it opened the doors to the MMO space. Many traditional gamers are concerned about the growth of the new social and mobile gaming and its impact on games with meaning and depth. They are doubtful that this era will provide them the Ultimate RPG experience they crave. But this new era has unearthed some powerful new tools that add to the value of an Ultimate RPG.
[...]
So when traditional gamers look at all the "Ville" clones out there in the world, take heart! See not what is popular now, but rather what is happening in this new era that also would benefit them! A great game, like a great movie, need not be inaccessible to the masses. Great story and depth need not come at the cost of up front effort, pain and cost. Free to play does not mean the game has to be riddled with advertising and calls to spam your friends. But, for those unwilling or unable to pay fairly for what they now play, asking them to work for the developer and find us players is not unfair. Great games can and will be made in this new era, to the benefit of all, traditional and new players. We intend to be a leading maker of such games.
[...]
But that seems to be what Ultima Forever is aiming at as well. It's free to play, released for PC and iPad...
... and you don't see me throwing a parade for it, either.
Huh but Ultima was a hard core RPG it seems a particularly poor choice to try to create the next Angry Birds with.
What is Lord British' obsession with MMOs? What a waste of talent.
Quote from: Valmy on July 17, 2012, 03:26:03 PM
What is Lord British' obsession with MMOs? What a waste of talent.
Well, apparently, he did invent the entire term MMORPG, as well as write the first real MMO in Ultima Online.
Say what you will about the guy, but he wants to be a bit of a visionary. I mean sure he could crank out a nice single-player RPG in the same vein as Ultima, but there are several of those out there already.
Hard to tell what he has in mind (or what EA has in mind), so we'll have to wait and see...
Since social and mobile games are bad, there's no chance of anything good ever being made in this 'Third Era'.
Quote from: Neil on July 17, 2012, 07:06:44 PM
Since social and mobile games are bad, there's no chance of anything good ever being made in this 'Third Era'.
You might have a point.
The Traveller ipad game went into the dumpster.
Quote from: Ed Anger on July 17, 2012, 07:13:19 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 17, 2012, 07:06:44 PM
Since social and mobile games are bad, there's no chance of anything good ever being made in this 'Third Era'.
You might have a point.
The Traveller ipad game went into the dumpster.
I am the biggest Traveller fan you will ever meet, and I knew it would never go anywhere.
So, downloaded iOS Ultima over the weekend.
Have been unable to play for more than 2-3 minutes before losing signal with the servers. :thumbsdown:
Also, the fact it is an online game means I can not play it on my iPod on the commuter train. Back to Ticket to Ride I guess.
Quote from: Barrister on August 21, 2013, 03:35:18 PM
Also, the fact it is an online game means I can not play it on my iPod on the commuter train. Back to Ticket to Ride I guess.
Say what?
Quote from: Neil on August 22, 2013, 02:42:59 PM
Quote from: Barrister on August 21, 2013, 03:35:18 PM
Also, the fact it is an online game means I can not play it on my iPod on the commuter train. Back to Ticket to Ride I guess.
Say what?
???
iPod <> iPhone. WiFi only.
Ticket to Ride - the little board game iOS conversion I've been killing time with on the LRT the last several weeks. I just moved over to TTR: Europe.
Ah. I guess I wasn't keeping my i-devices straight.
Couldn't you just play it on your phone?
Quote from: Neil on August 22, 2013, 09:11:04 PM
Ah. I guess I wasn't keeping my i-devices straight.
Couldn't you just play it on your phone?
Since I have a circa 2010 work-issued Blackberry, no I could not.
Played a little bit more into the game. All the references to the various virtues (this is a take-off on Ultima IV, remember) make me squee like Lettow.
I received a quest from Lady British. :bleeding: Ah well, even if they had the rights to the name I don't think it would be right to have a Lord British with Garriott.
I really, really wanted to play this on something bigger than a 4" screen though. But I'd have to wrestle the iPad away from the toddler.
I am shocked that you don't have an Apple phone. Not just because it's you, but because most professionals are always lobbying their bosses for gay iPhones.
You know, it's shocking how many people I know give tablets to their children 3 and under. Wouldn't it get all slobbery?
Quote from: Neil on August 24, 2013, 04:23:10 PM
I am shocked that you don't have an Apple phone. Not just because it's you, but because most professionals are always lobbying their bosses for gay iPhones.
You know, it's shocking how many people I know give tablets to their children 3 and under. Wouldn't it get all slobbery?
Remember - I'm a public servant. We have rules for that sort of thing. When I started everyone was given Blackberrys. Mine is on a 3 year term contract.
Since then the government shifted suppliers. Now, you can get a BB or a iPhone. But existing contracts are to be honoured.
So next spring... :shifty:
And we have wipes for the iPad. :mellow: