New to Ultima Series (Seeking Advice) [Archive]

Illuvatar

11-23-2011, 12:42 PM

Alright so i found this forums and it looks like we have some pretty old gamers here...so on with my question.

I have been looking for a advanced rpg..nothing like dungoens and dragons, but something with good replay value and many different possible ways to play through, i really enjoyed playing dragon warrior 1 for the nes, and i seen a few screenies of ultima 3-4, and was just curios.

Is ultima any fun? well similiar to dw 1, is the learning curve complicated? and were should i start at?

Also i found this game on the internet called EUO online... is this anything like ultima, it looks a lot like it, but it also looks very dead, if anyone is interested in starting new on the game i would be happy to find a gaming buddy.

BlastProcessing402

11-23-2011, 02:22 PM

Hardcoregaming101's been putting up an article about the Ultima series (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ultima/ultima.htm) that does a pretty good job of giving it an overview.

If you don't want something like D&D, I'd definitely skip the first three, four is where they really started to become something different.

Blitzwing256

11-23-2011, 03:46 PM

honestly start with Ultima exodus on the nes, its in my top 5 games of all time. its the first rpg I ever played that just sorta dumps you in the world and lets you explore, doesn't have any stupid storyline about empires and whiny main charecters, you can just explore and play the game completely at your own pace.

Edmond Dantes

11-23-2011, 05:11 PM

Is ultima any fun?

HELL YES!

well similiar to dw 1, is the learning curve complicated? and were should i start at?

Dig up a copy of The Ultima Collection (http://www.amazon.com/Ultima-Collection-Pc/dp/B000028U20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322086077&sr=8-1), download Dosbox, and start with Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness. The first two games play like a proto-Zelda and really aren't that complicated at all. Starting with Ultima III they become more like proper RPGs and start to get gradually more complicated, but if you know how to play Dragon Warrior then none of the Ultima games should be beyond you.

And oh my god Hardcore Gaming 101 actually did an article that's not about an obscure JRPG, and actually said something other than "it's American trash." I'm in shock.

Aussie2B

11-23-2011, 05:49 PM

And oh my god Hardcore Gaming 101 actually did an article that's not about an obscure JRPG, and actually said something other than "it's American trash." I'm in shock.

Where'd you get that idea? o_O There's been so much coverage of Western stuff in the last year or two like PC point-and-click games that I think it's actually been lacking in coverage of Japanese games. And RPGs have never been that big of a percentage of their content. And I've never seen an anti-American stance over there.

I do take other issues with the site myself, though. I rarely check in these days (and if I do, it's probably to look at an old article). It's just not as good as it used to be.

Edmond Dantes

11-23-2011, 05:57 PM

Admittedly I don't visit HG101 as much as I used to. I remember lurking at the forums for one day and seeing some argument or other where they bitched at a guy for thinking that American RPGs were better than Japanese ones, which is where I got my impression from.

Only thing I like about HG101 is their screenshot comparisons. The actual articles come off more like glorified reviews than anything.

Getting back to Ultima: I repeat my earlier suggestion (find the collection and start from the beginning), but its also entirely possible to hunt down the NES version of Ultima: Exodus and start from there. That's the only console port I would actually call an improvement over the PC original.

Illuvatar

11-23-2011, 08:08 PM

Ty for the advice...because i have this phobia were i just can not play a game on a emulator, literally it just DOES NOT feel right at all, i tried once to play secret of mana on emulator and could not, but when i actually got the game it owned me, in a good way.

Alright so i ordered quest of avatar Iv and Exodus III nes ports....don't let me down.. i want a Good nes rpg =) overall, for both games i paid under 20 dollars not to bad i guess =/

Btw i have never played chrono trigger...but played Som wtf is all this hype about? is it worth dishing out 50 dollars almost + shipping (I don't want a linear game were every time someone plays its the same outcome almost) for the snes Version, like i said i just can't bring myself to play emulators.

Yes my english is trash

Edmond Dantes

11-23-2011, 08:47 PM

Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger are among my favorite games of all time, but yes they are linear RPGs.

Ultima Exodus on the NES is good, but I didn't really like the NES port of Quest of the Avatar, except for the music.

Sunnyvale

11-23-2011, 09:45 PM

Btw i have never played chrono trigger...but played Som wtf is all this hype about? is it worth dishing out 50 dollars almost + shipping (I don't want a linear game were every time someone plays its the same outcome almost) for the snes Version, like i said i just can't bring myself to play emulators.

Never tried it myself (I button mash anymore, RPG's are 15 years dead to me), but my brother said that the PS1 Chrono Trigger/ FF 4 Chronicles has an accurate port of Chrono Trigger. A lot less than $50, and no emulators required...

Edmond Dantes

11-23-2011, 10:10 PM

PS1 Chrono Trigger is accurate, except for the new FMVs and the load times.

If you play it in a PS2 with the disc speed set to "fast" then it's not bad.

Blitzwing256

11-24-2011, 12:16 AM

You won't go wrong with the nes ports of avatar and exodus. Avatar's virtue system can be a little daunting at first, but its still a great game.

for exodus i'd recomend your first party consisting of the follwoing:

human or dwarf (if you want to rely more on fighting than magic) ranger
dwarf fighter
bobbit cleric
fuzzy wizzard

its a good starter party with decent magic and good fighting mix

Illuvatar

11-24-2011, 01:42 AM

Ty for the tips, i will start out with exodus and not even touch quest of avatar, until i complete exodus.

Just got to love gaming in front of the tv with your nes :)

Griking

11-24-2011, 02:14 AM

My recommendation would be to start with Ultima IV for your PC. To play Ultima on a console with a gamepad would be blasphemy in my mind. I'm pretty sure that you can download the full version for free at Good Old Games (www.GoG.com (http://www.GoG.com)) and probably many other places as I believe it was released as freeware. Next I would install xu4 (http://xu4.sourceforge.net). xu4 is a remake of the original Ultima IV. Its the exact same game and requires the original to be installed but it slightly updates the video and sound effects. It really makes a great game even better IMO.

j_factor

11-24-2011, 03:12 AM

Exodus is pretty good on NES, but don't play anything else on NES. The best versions of Ultima IV are the Amiga and Atari ST versions (which are pretty identical). Failing those, the SMS version is a much better port than NES. Not sure about any remake.

Ultima V is best played on Atari ST, but not Amiga. The second-best version is the Commodore 64/128 version, in C128 mode (on a C64 there's no music). Do not play the NES version under any circumstances.

Ultima VI is best on PC, although the Amiga version isn't far off. The SNES version is actually decent as well.

After playing Ultima VI, I recommend taking a little detour and playing the two Worlds of Ultima games (PC only). They barely qualify as Ultima games, but they're very good, and this is the appropriate interval to play them, because they use the Ultima VI engine.

Ultima VII is amazing, try to get the full version with both games and both expansions. Don't even think about trying the SNES version.

After that, the two Ultima Underworld games are fantastic, albeit different. They're first-person RPGs along the lines of Dungeon Master. I don't recommend the Runes of Virtue games.

Illuvatar

11-24-2011, 11:22 AM

jwmollman

11-24-2011, 01:46 PM

I actually played EUO for a while, and yes it is pretty dead. On average (when I played), there were between 5 and 15 people online at a time. The game is actually pretty fun and now that I remember it, I miss those days of playing on my own throughout the dungeons. The player count was pretty low, but I would meet people here and there and go on quests with them.

I knew EUO was based on the classic Ultima series, but I never tried those games. One day I gave Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny a try on an old DOS computer I built and it was actually a pretty good game. I grew up in the 90s on console games so I didn't know much about DOS games in my childhood. After trying Ultima V, I can say that it's a pretty good game, and pretty similar to EUO (if you liked it). I would recommend it.

I was at a used game store a while back and bought Ultima: Exodus for NES for a few dollars. I'm not a big fan of that one. I don't know, I just didn't get into it like I did Ultima V and EUO.

BlastProcessing402

11-24-2011, 03:01 PM

Griking

11-24-2011, 03:35 PM

Okay so i got Iv for Pc, i started a game, it seems i could get into it, but were are the controls? i can not seem to find them, and there are no guides online that i could find for a list of commands...

The original game shipped with a reference card which showed which keys did what. If it didn't come in text form with the game you can probably find it via Google

Tokimemofan

11-26-2011, 03:10 PM

PS1 Chrono Trigger is accurate, except for the new FMVs and the load times.

If you play it in a PS2 with the disc speed set to "fast" then it's not bad.
Yes, the only game that I quit playing due to load times, get any other version if you actually want to play.

BlastProcessing402

11-26-2011, 07:45 PM

Yes, the only game that I quit playing due to load times, get any other version if you actually want to play.

I think something was wrong at the disc factory when they made CT. I've found CDR backups load faster than the original disc I made the backup from.

kainemaxwell

11-28-2011, 02:10 AM

last time i played an Ultima game it was Exodus as a kid. Didn't get it. May give Exodus and Avatar another look soon. How are the Runes of Virtue games?

NerdXCrewWill

11-28-2011, 04:33 AM

I think something was wrong at the disc factory when they made CT. I've found CDR backups load faster than the original disc I made the backup from.

My copy was so bad! It started fine, but after about two hours of playing, everything degenerated. Eventually it got to the point where it took 1.5-2 minutes to load up each battle. Sadly, I had to shelve it.

Edmond Dantes

11-28-2011, 06:25 PM

How are the Runes of Virtue games?

I didn't think they were so bad, but they are a bit of a departure from the rest of the series.

I always got burned out on the first one because my copy has a dead save battery, so I have to start from the beginning each time I play.

kainemaxwell

11-28-2011, 08:57 PM

Gave the RoV games a shot, not bad so far. Gonna get into them at a later time. Started a game in Quest of the Avatar, as a Bard. Now to figure out what the heck to do.

Rickstilwell1

11-28-2011, 11:12 PM

I didn't think they were so bad, but they are a bit of a departure from the rest of the series.

I always got burned out on the first one because my copy has a dead save battery, so I have to start from the beginning each time I play.

Change the battery. It costs like $8 for the tool and battery.

Edmond Dantes

11-29-2011, 12:36 AM

My problem is I'm afraid I'll break something.

dgdgagdae

11-29-2011, 09:14 AM

Ultima VII is amazing, try to get the full version with both games and both expansions. Don't even think about trying the SNES version.

And it was just released today by GOG - the complete version, parts 1 and 2 with both expansions for only $6.

j_factor

11-29-2011, 01:53 PM

Thanks for that info, that's a great deal.

kainemaxwell

11-30-2011, 05:13 PM

And it was just released today by GOG - the complete version, parts 1 and 2 with both expansions for only $6.

Here's the link:
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/ultima_7_complete

Been enjoying Ultima 4 for the NES. Got the key and a bunch of the runes and a few stones, and the stupid balloon. Have one companion so far (started as a Bard, have the Paladin). should I get any others?

Edmond Dantes

11-30-2011, 10:36 PM

Yes, you should get all the companions you can. The game allows you to recruit everyone, save for the one guy who is the same class as you (since you're a bard, you won't be able to recruit Iolo, but you can get everyone else).

Blitzwing256

11-30-2011, 11:29 PM

actually recruiting others is more of a hinderance, the more in your party the tougher the enemies you fight are, I always strive to have the paladin charecter, since it can fight and use magic, makes the game much easier, i'd stick with your bard and dupre, if you're more of a magic user, you might want to swap in mariah, but you won't have as much offensive power as with dupre

Edmond Dantes

11-30-2011, 11:34 PM

I dunno if its different in the NES version, but while I do recall some level scaling in the PC version, ultimately a lot of things are more convenient if you have as many characters as you can get.

kainemaxwell

12-01-2011, 12:45 AM

Have my bard hero, paladain and druid now. Getting Shimino last for my party, i think. Also accidently found Cove and got the Gate spell already. ^^

Edmond Dantes

12-01-2011, 03:46 AM

Being able to find crap early is one of the joys of nonlinear RPGs ^__^ God, now I want to install and play the PC version.

On second thought, dude above me might be right about you wanting to limit your party. I just recalled that on the PC version, every command is mapped to a hotkey, so its simple and convenient to control an eight-character party. On the menu-driven NES version (which, furthermore, animates at a slower speed regardless) having that many characters could get to be a chore pretty quick.

How you enjoying the game so far?

Blitzwing256

12-01-2011, 04:28 AM

Edmond Dantes

12-01-2011, 06:14 AM

Can't you avoid levelling up by simply never talking to Lord British?

kainemaxwell

12-01-2011, 07:44 AM

i've played through the game several times on the nes, and it does scale based on party members AND your level, its actually a bad idea to fight and "grind" for combat

also you can find all 8 members, but can only take 3 with you on the nes version.

True, but you have to try to balance it out since it's the best way to earn gold and there's fights in the dungeons you can't avoid to get to treasure rooms, etc.

Enjoying it a lot actually!

Edmond Dantes

12-02-2011, 12:52 AM

And thus, Ultima continues to find new fans in this day and age.

I still recommend getting The Ultima Collection at some point. Except for Exodus (depending on your POV), almost all of them are better on PC. Only problem is that they run really fast, but DOSbox can fix that. Also, there are copies of all the docs right on the CD, so if you get a disc-only copy you're not screwed.

I have almost the entire series. Only games I'm missing are Runes of Virtue 2 SNES, Savage Empire, and Ultima IX.

Blitzwing256

12-02-2011, 01:30 AM

Leveling up doesn't do you a whole lot of good overall, you increase your stats by touching those crystals, and theres a stupidly easy one to get in hythloth that you can get to right from castle britania, that will increase your stats without having to levelup, thus you can fight the unavoidable fights at a lower level, with that in mind, you can avoid leveling up as long as you have the healing spells to balance it out, also purchase a ton of oil, it helps a great deal in combat.

kainemaxwell

12-02-2011, 11:21 PM

Edmond Dantes

12-03-2011, 05:49 AM

I could swear there was a way to increase stats without getting killed.

kainemaxwell

12-03-2011, 08:23 AM

I could swear there was a way to increase stats without getting killed.

The Orbs in the other dungeons that only raise one stat won't kill you, the one that raises all 3 will.

Edmond Dantes

12-03-2011, 08:53 AM

Ya know, I don't even remember the one that raises all three.

I guess I need to play the game again.

Blitzwing256

12-03-2011, 10:26 AM

go to hythloth through the secret door in castle britania, step in hythloth, cast exit and walk back in ,its right near the entrance, it doesn't actually kill you, but it does like 500 damaqge i believe

kainemaxwell

12-03-2011, 10:34 AM

go to hythloth through the secret door in castle Britannia, step in hythloth, cast exit and walk back in ,its right near the entrance, it doesn't actually kill you, but it does like 500 damage i believe

How much do the 1 stat magic orbs take off?

Edmond Dantes

12-03-2011, 11:21 AM

If you find one, just touch it and see. Its not like its not dirt-easy to come back to life.

Although, I don't think the 1 stat orbs damage you at all. But again, its been awhile.

kainemaxwell

12-19-2011, 12:54 AM

Ok, really gotten into this. Very much enjoying the open-endedness of this rpg. Ended up winning a complete copy of it on ebay recently.

Edmond Dantes

12-19-2011, 01:30 AM

And a new convertee has been made!

(Get the Ultima Collection! The Ultima Collectioooon!)

ianoid

12-19-2011, 02:01 AM

I dunno about these console ports. I would favor just going for Hey #1 Duke of Brittania and play a computer version of Ultima II. I couldn't go console with Ultima because I loved the full keyboard mapping for commands. PC, C64, Apple //, all the same.

Edmond Dantes

12-19-2011, 02:18 AM

I agree, but dude is enjoying Ultima IV on NES, so let's help foster that love.

(Hint: convince him to track down and buy The Ultima Collection. Then he'll have most of the games in the series, on the PC)

(Its only too bad that the Ultima Underworld, Worlds of Ultima and Runes of Virtue games aren't as easy to get)

kainemaxwell

05-23-2012, 08:14 AM

(Its only too bad that the Ultima Underworld, Worlds of Ultima and Runes of Virtue games aren't as easy to get)

Rare and out of print except for ebay prices?

Edmond Dantes

05-23-2012, 10:26 PM

Rare and out of print except for ebay rape prices?

Runes of Virtue is a console-exclusive subseries (Gameboy and SNES specifically). They're actually not hard to get if you just want the carts.

Worlds of Ultima has a problem in that the second game in the series was never released on CD ROM or in any compilations, and you need the documentation. The first game was included in some collections, but I don't know how good the documentation is on those collections.

Ultima Underworld both of them were released on CD several times, most notably in the collection "The Ultimate RPG Archives" whcih is very good, but will probably run $50-$100 on eBay. (Get a disc-only copy--it includes digital backups of the documentation so you can just print it all off if you don't have the book).

dgdgagdae

05-24-2012, 12:02 AM

Runes of Virtue is a console-exclusive subseries (Gameboy and SNES specifically). They're actually not hard to get if you just want the carts.

Worlds of Ultima has a problem in that the second game in the series was never released on CD ROM or in any compilations, and you need the documentation. The first game was included in some collections, but I don't know how good the documentation is on those collections.

Ultima Underworld both of them were released on CD several times, most notably in the collection "The Ultimate RPG Archives" whcih is very good, but will probably run $50-$100 on eBay. (Get a disc-only copy--it includes digital backups of the documentation so you can just print it all off if you don't have the book).

I probably sound like a GOG shill at this point, but you can get both Underworld 1 and 2 there for 6 bucks.
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/ultima_underworld_1_2

Edmond Dantes

05-24-2012, 02:37 AM

Now if only GOG would stock the Worlds of Ultima games, anyone whose looking for an easy and legit way to play the whole series would be set.

Personally, I'm on the lookout for a legit Savage Empire because it and the SNES version of Runes II are the only Ultima games I don't own.

... Oh, that's right, there's an Ultima IX too isn't there....

dgdgagdae

06-02-2012, 01:00 PM

All Ultima titles that GOG sells are on sale this weekend for half off.

Their Wing Commander titles are too, but that's not what this thread is about.

http://www.gog.com/promo/ultima_wing_commander

Edmond Dantes

06-02-2012, 03:14 PM

kainemaxwell

06-02-2012, 05:59 PM

Well, the games do mention compatible with windows xp, vista and 7...

camarotuner

06-02-2012, 10:45 PM

Spoony has done a complete review of every game in the Ultima series and JUST released part 1 of his review of Ultima IX.

OMG you can get the enterprise in Ultima I lol.

dgdgagdae

06-03-2012, 01:15 AM

If their Wing Commander games are reprogrammed to function on modern PCs, they're worth a slight thread derail.

... and what's this about an Ultima 8 "Gold Edition?" Is that some sort of GOG Exclusive?

I bought both WC3 and WC4 from them when they started selling them. WC3 runs in DOSBox, so that's pretty straightforward. WC4 is the DVD version, and it runs great in Windows 7.

kainemaxwell

06-04-2012, 12:38 PM

Spoony has done a complete review of every game in the Ultima series and JUST released part 1 of his review of Ultima IX.

OMG you can get the enterprise in Ultima I lol.

Got a link?

Edmond Dantes

06-04-2012, 12:45 PM

Yeah I knew there was space flight in Ultima I, but I've never seen the Enterprise.

camarotuner

06-05-2012, 01:54 PM

http://spoonyexperiment.com/category/game-reviews/ultima-retrospective/

The part 9 review isn't on there it's on TGWTG (www.thatguywiththeglasses.com) or on the main page of spooney's site.

dgdgagdae

06-19-2012, 08:20 AM

GOG now has both Worlds of Ultima games. And - are you ready for this? They're free!

http://www.gog.com/news/free_releases_worlds_of_ultima_1_2

kainemaxwell

08-24-2012, 08:41 PM

I should really finish Quest of the Avatar, once I remember where I left off. lol

Kitsune Sniper

08-24-2012, 11:28 PM

Forget about paying eBay prices - you can get the entire main series, plus Underworld 1 + 2, for $18!

http://www.gog.com/en/promo/ultima_series_promo/

dgdgagdae

08-25-2012, 12:30 AM

Forget about paying eBay prices - you can get the entire main series, plus Underworld 1 + 2, for $18!

http://www.gog.com/en/promo/ultima_series_promo/

Yes, but they make you purchase Ultima IX to get the rest at that price. How cruel!

BlastProcessing402

08-25-2012, 07:45 PM

The manual wasn't strictly needed for Worlds of Adventure 2 anyway. Many of the copy protection questions are just general questions about Mars. I remember back when I was playing it when it was fairly new I didn't have the manual, but I could find the answers to what it asked in books just lying around the house like an encyclopedia or almanac. With the internet at your fingertips today, it would've been even easier.

kainemaxwell

12-03-2013, 08:44 PM

and enjoying the nes Quest of the Avatar all over again, and got a complete copy on ebay. Whee.

BlastProcessing402

12-04-2013, 03:48 PM

... and what's this about an Ultima 8 "Gold Edition?" Is that some sort of GOG Exclusive?

Old question, but I have the answer. It's just Ultima 8 + the speech expansion pack. AKA the same version everyone's been playing from various CD ROM compilations all along. Only the floppy disk version didn't have the speech pack built in.

Neb6

12-05-2013, 01:49 PM

I was going to recommend Questron II, but I'm not aware of a NES version of it.

Edmond Dantes

12-05-2013, 10:05 PM

Questron II is exclusive to PC platforms (DOS, Commodore 64, and Apple II are the ones I'm aware of).

The first Questron is even more exclusive... only Apple and Commodore to my knowledge.

Rickstilwell1

12-05-2013, 10:38 PM

My problem is I'm afraid I'll break something.

I wouldn't worry about breaking it too much. The batteries that already come with solder joints are the best and you can simply reuse the solder that is attached to the old battery's joints by wiping it off to where the joints of the new one is going to go and pressing down on the new one's joint with the soldering iron to melt it onto it. That way you don't even have to buy or have fresh solder around. My iron is a cheap little one that I got for $15 at RadioShack.

kainemaxwell

09-09-2014, 01:17 PM

Gave Ultima 4 a whirl since i had it free from gog. Just...not feeling it. Seems a bit complicated, maybe I'm just old. lol Didn't help that i had to really look up all the controls and keyboard commands too. May stick with the nes port of Avatar, really been enjoying that...I should continue playing it sometime speaking of which.

Edmond Dantes

09-09-2014, 11:47 PM

Really the controls are the only "complicated" part of Ultima IV PC. I remember I used to keep the manual to the Collection opened above my keyboard while playing so I could quickly glance at what I needed to press. After awhile though you start to get the hang of it and it becomes second nature. From there the game is almost a console RPG.