Rampant Games - Reminiscing Ultima

[Dhruin]

As the title says, Jay Barnson has been reminiscing the Ultima series, trying to express why it was so good:

DGM put the question to me. What made Ultima VII - still my favorite RPG - so awesome for me. My answer sucked. I listed some of the features that really struck me then --- and still do now. But the features alone didn't make the magic that I'd love to recapture. Much of it is probably just in my head (and in my equipped +2 Rose-Tinted Glasses of Nostalgia), but the question really made me think.

More information.

 

[dteowner]

You haven't punted on Wiz8, have you Rampant?

 

[RampantCoyote]

Nope, it's just been slower. Less progress, longer combats...

 

[dteowner]

Rapax Rift, Rapax Castle, or Southeastern Wilderness?

 

[RampantCoyote]

Bayjin, Bayjin Shallows, Sea Caves, Gigas Underwater Caves. Long, slow, brutal battles where my most damaging spell categories are nearly useless (energy, water, and mental). I'm regularly fighting 16-25 monsters at a time. I *think* I am totally done with those now, as I've completed the missions, picked up some neat gadgeteering items, and the Destinae Dominus.

 

[Corwin]

Then you still have the REALLY tough battles to look forward to!!

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

*cough* To me, this doesn't sound encouraging. *cough*

 

[kalniel]

What? I thought everyone lived for challenging games these days

 

[dteowner]

So what do we think the most challenging battle in Wiz8 would be (being careful not to totally spoil it for Rampant)? Nessie? SE Wilderness? 2 story room in the Rapax Castle? Rapax Prince redux?

My vote goes to the SE Wild.

 

[JemyM]

And that's the seventh game in the series. I wonder who could honestly sit down and play Ultima I today.

 

[JDR13]

So what do we think the most challenging battle in Wiz8 would be (being careful not to totally spoil it for Rampant)? Nessie? SE Wilderness? 2 story room in the Rapax Castle? Rapax Prince redux?

My vote goes to the SE Wild.

Spoiler: One tough SOB

The creature called 'Soul Eater' on Ascension Peak, I thought it was the hardest fight in the game. At least against any single monster. (Assuming you fight it by itself)

 

[dteowner]

Really? On that map, I had more trouble with

Spoiler

the 2 cloud demon bosses (I don't remember what their real name is, but they used the djinn sprite) that I think were outside the chaos moliri temple.

 

[RampantCoyote]

I'm actually in the SE Wilderness area now. Fighting groups of monsters five levels higher than myself. It's not so much difficult (so far) as LONG.

I have three casters capable of setting and returning to portals now. I have one set to the current area, and one set back to Arnika. I've gotten to the point where I just teleport back to Arnika to camp, and then teleport back to resume progress. It's bizarre, but it works.

As to Ultima VII - I did a follow-up today - but mostly of interest to developer-types The Exult toolset and some design document excerpts for Serpent Isle.

 

[dteowner]

You'll know when you hit the best part of the SE Wild.

That's the way I set up the portals, too. One in my room in Arnika, one in the current zone, and then (depending on how many casters I've got) the Trang teleporter and select merchants.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Maybe that's meant to be ?

I mean this sounds almost like indedded by the designers, that one erects these teleporting stuff there.

When I played the game, I was at the point when I erected my first teleporting areas, too.

I don't remember much more than this, though.

By the way, I didn't understand at that time what a "Private" was, my English wasn't good enough, then. I was puzzled ... ["Dances with Rhinos ..."]