jason

Meat

ultima

talk about the history of ultima

Richard Garriott (Lord British) programmed 28 games based on D&D before his first success, Akalabeth. He sold the game himself in ziploc bags until the rights were bought by California Pacific Computher Company. Garriott originally called Akalabeth "D&D28b," since it was his 28th D&D inspired game.

akalabeth - published in 1980, also referred to as "Ultima 0"

Ultima - originally coded in Applesoft BASIC, made only for the Apple II in 1981. Sold 30,000 copies. Re-coded and re-released in 1986 as Ultima I: First Age of Darkness for DOS and C-64. Fun Fact: this is the only game in the series to feature space combat. and the landspeeder. I frickin' loved the landspeeder.
FUN FACT:  Many people assume that Ultima got its name from Ultima Thule. a cartography term for "distant north," or any distant place beyond the edge of the world. Actually, Garriott wanted to call it Ultimatum, but there was already a game with that name. So he shortened it to Ultima.

even ported to consoles
look back at some old school versions
on console

[ultima oldschool1]
[ultima oldschool2]


The main Ultima series consists of nine installments (the seventh is further divided into two parts) which are grouped into trilogies or "Ages": The Age of Darkness (Ultima I-III), The Age of Enlightenment (Ultima IV-VI), and The Age of Armageddon (Ultima VII-IX), also referred to as "The Guardian Saga" after its chief antagonist. The first three games were set in a fantasy world named Sosaria but during the cataclysmic events of The Age of Darkness, three quarters of it vanish. What is left becomes known as Britannia, a realm ruled by the benevolent Lord British where the later games mostly take place. The protagonist of all games is a canonically male resident of Earth who is called upon by Lord British to protect Sosaria and later, Britannia from various dangers. Originally, the player character was referred as "the Stranger" in the games but by the end of Ultima IV, he becomes universally known as the Avatar.

7 - black gate and serpent isle--
astonishing

[ultima 7 intro]
ultima 7 gameplay]

objects
hackable
stuffing things backpack-

1994 8 came out -- pagan.. but diff -action oriented


1997 UO came out -- father of mmos

http://wiki.moongates.org/Ultima

http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/837/837389p1.html

carlos and jasons own history with the game


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