Ultima V for iPad

Learning how to run one of the greatest CRPGs of all time on the iPad.

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Christmas in Britannia?

I wonder, do we suppose they celebrate a Christmas-like holiday in Britannia this time of year? Yes, there's a long standing tradition of gifts and holiday themes in Ultima Online, but that's us, Earthlings logging in and playing a game. I'm wondering about the fictional denizens of that world, the mythology of Britannia. It's plain from the theme of the games that Lord British didn't spread Christianity in Sosaria when he crossed over; the system of Virtues makes that pretty clear to me. But most cultures on this planet, apart from and even pre-dating the Nativity, celebrate the winter solstice or the new year in some way. I should think that Lord British would introduce his own culture's spin on the holiday to Sosaria, even though he didn't espouse the religious underpinnings of European Christmas. I can imagine a giant fir tree in the great hall of Castle Britannia, and the townes all decked out in garlands and magical lights. Giving thanks and gifts to those you love seem to be ideas congruous with the Virtues. I like to think they do celebrate Christmas, or Yule (as they do in Middle Earth) or what have you in Britannia. What say you?

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I have never figured out a way to get at the dragon treasure in these rooms in Deceit. This must be one of Lord British's cruel jokes.

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Enormous thanks go to Jeff Skalski and the Mythic team for extending the opportunity to be a part of creating the next Ultima, and for sending this lovely gift of a U4E map and virtue cards! They will take a special place in my collection, made all the more special because they came from a shared love of Ultima. And a shout out and thanks go to WTF Dragon, of Ultima Codex fame, for putting me on Mythic's radar as somebody who cares deeply about this franchise!

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Give the Ultima Codex a place on your mobile device’s desktop!

http://ultimacodex.com/2012/10/announcing-the-ultima-codex-mobile-web-app/

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The Shadowlord of Hatred… vanquished!

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This might be the most awesome piece of Ultima fan art ever…

http://ultimacodex.com/2012/08/awesome-ultima-fan-art/

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I am speechless, and in total awe.

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The Return

Avatar, is that you?  It has been too long!

...

Well, er, yes, it has.  Life, you know?  Anyhow, things have come around, and I've circled back to the retro-computing, retro-gaming hobby.  With that, I have a new project to work on, a labor of love that I hope Ultima fans will enjoy, which is directly related to Ultima V for iPad.  I don't want to say too much just yet, but it involves a lot of scanning.

For a little taste, here's something I've really wanted for a long time: a nice, clean, high-resolution, unadulterated scan of the Ultima V box art.

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Jeff Skalski responded to a question about how Ultima fans might get their hands on some U4E schwag.

http://forever.ultimacodex.com/2012/08/20/ultima-forever-schwag-or-swag-how-to-get-it/

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Portalarium’s upcoming game, Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale, sure seems to feature a lot of classic Ultima games amongst its virtual collectibles.

http://aiera.ultimacodex.com/2012/05/maybe-they-should-call-it-ultima-collector/

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In which case, this is a game I'm already playing in real life.

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I was looking at Middle-earth fonts for a map project, and I happened upon Moria.

This font has been around for ages, but it includes something special: phases of the moon, perfect for a map of Britannia!

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So, who is taking care of my ship while I'm galavanting around in dungeons, anyway? I can accept that there is some kind of municipal service at the docks to make sure it isn't actually stolen, but there's still upkeep.

Come to think of it, unless I sustain damage in battle at sea, or actually crash my ship into the rocks, my frigate doesn't require any expenditure of resources (time or gold) to maintain at all.  It's a one-time expenditure.  Then there's the crew, which must be there, because you can travel by ship with just the Avatar in your party.  Shouldn't you have to pay them, or give them food?

I know, I know, it's just a game mechanic, same as the horse (which also doesn't require upkeep--and which allows your whole party to ride one beast, but that's a different topic).  I only bring it up because the game does include the feature of leaving companions at an inn, and when you decide to pick them up again, the rent is due.  I always thought that was a nice touch.  Sometimes I like to liberate various companions from their dungeons or whatnot, then leave them at an inn.  I don't ever pick them up again, and I liberate them from their equipment as well, but it's still a nice gesture.  Right? :)

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Here's a thing I made, with a combo of Pic Grunger for iPad and GIMPShop on the desktop.  Enjoy!

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Empty

(Yes, you are grave robbing, technically, but to borrow a phrase from Lord British himself, "The game doesn't care."  As far as that dungeon room is concerned, that treasure is yours for the taking.  In fact, you could argue that the game balance was designed so that you are supposed to take it.)

My issue is that at least half of the rooms on L7 and L8... are empty!  Tiny spoiler, there's a big block of 9 rooms all connected on L8, and most of them have no monsters at all!  You just tediously maneuver your party from room to room, braced for some terrific battle (this is L8, after all), and there's nothing.

You could suppose grave robbers as an in-game explanation, but wouldn't the upper levels be emptied first?  Unless... oh.  Maybe they were looted from the bottom, and it's the denizens of the Underworld who have taken the weapons and gold.

Seriously, though, I wonder if this was really a game design decision, or somebody just didn't get around to filling all the rooms.

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A truly impressive map of Britannia by Ashlynn the Cartographer of the PaxLair Times.

http://aiera.ultimacodex.com/2012/04/a-gorgeous-map-of-britannia/

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Ah, my old UO stomping grounds.  This really is quite stunning.

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Delver is a project inspired by Notch’s ‘Prelude of the Chambered’, which aims to blend the mechanics of Ultima Underworld with the playability of a roguelike.

http://aiera.ultimacodex.com/2012/04/in-which-i-finally-get-around-to-mentioning-delver/

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This project kind of intrigues me.  Back in the day, Ultima Underworld didn't hold my attention the way it did some.  Because it didn't follow the familiar formula and top-down perspective, it didn't seem like an Ultima.  And I've never really played the rogues.  But I've often wished for a really great first-person dungeon crawl; this might become just the ticket.

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Silver and Gold

As my alter-ego Adric the Avatar recently stated, I have always wondered about silver swords, and whether they actually do anything special.  Quoth the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom:

Purveyors of these expensive blades insist their weapons will "bring true death to those who once arose," but these claims have not been substantiated.

I do seem to recall having that conversation with a smith, in a game long ago, so early on I've tended to use the silver sword against undead.  Frankly, it doesn't seem to do much good.  Regular weapons seem to hit and damage a ghost or skeleton just as readily.  Maybe this was a bit they forgot to code, that undead could only be hit with silver or magical weapons?  Of course, traditionally it is held that lycanthropes are the monsters you must use silver against, but there are none in Ultima that I have heard of.

They sure didn't forget to code the economy part; silver swords are worth a lot of loot, compared to their long sword cousins.

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An experiment of mine: a running record of my journey through Ultima V, 140 characters at a time, from an in-game perspective. You can still look for my real-world thoughts on playing through the game right here.