Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar

[HaemishM]

I find it interesting that the Diablo-like is becoming the MMO-lite model of choice.

It's all you need to say when describing a game to make me never want to play it ever.

[Sky]

I'm generally of the same opinion, however Divine Divinity was probably the closest thing to a (somewhat) modern Ultima-like in a looong time. And though Divinity 2 was a good game, I did miss the old style.

[WayAbvPar]

I am going to play U IV this weekend in protest.

e-

'Modern' gamers had problems with Ultima IV, at least.

This gave me a sad.

[Modern Angel]

Deal with it.

This man is assured of a paid position in the video game industry for the rest of time. Because the video game industry is run by fucking babies.

[rk47]

I'm generally of the same opinion, however Divine Divinity was probably the closest thing to a (somewhat) modern Ultima-like in a looong time. And though Divinity 2 was a good game, I did miss the old style.

The funny thing is that DD beats later Ultimas in gameplay hands down, no contest if you exclude Underworld series.
No consequence of death, auto combat (EA takes you back to the flophouse, cheers Avatar) in U7, shitty bastard child of diablo in Pagan, and Ultima 9: Ascend to Derphood.
That franchise is absolutely dead, and raping ten different ways will not result in a magically glowing baby shitting out gold.

 

[Simond]

C'mon, it's Bioware - how bad could it be?









 

[HaemishM]

Bioware Aus...


Never mind.

[Amaron]

This HAS to be a hoax methinks.  Not because of the pissing upon of the Ultima series, but because of how the announcements are coming out.  Anyone who loved the original series will hate this adaptation.  The younger crowd will say "WTF is Ultima?"  The bolded sentence in their quote above reads as if the RPG itself is in peril, not Sosaria. 

Someone made a Syndicate FPS.   Of course that actually made a bit of sense compared to this.

[Kageru]

Same end result. Those who remember it fondly want to set your office on fire and those who will like it don't really care what it's called.

There is no longer room for originality, there is only nostalgia to be branded, turned into a franchise and set to generating a stream of merchandise and DLC.

[Nonentity]

Someone from work went to comic-con and now I have the cloth map and tarot cards.

...WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE

[Lucas]

Someone from work went to comic-con and now I have the cloth map and tarot cards.

...WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE

You kindly send them over to me, maybe? :P
----

The virtue cards:

http://forever.ultimacodex.com/media/virtue-cards/  (the guys over at Ultima Codex also provide an explanation for the Trammel and Felucca moons depicted above each card).

A nice touch (which I assume it's on the actual cards and not photoshopped by the mentioned website): for each virtue, they highlighted the related segment on the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.

[rk47]

Write WHYYYYYYYY??? on the map with your blood and mail it back to Paul Barnett. 

[shiznitz]

You mean feces, not blood.

[Mrbloodworth]

This game looks stupid.

[Sky]

This game looks stupid.

The cards and map look good.

[Bzalthek]

Oh I get it.  "Lord British" isn't under EA's control, so remade him with tranny vision.  Excellent. 

[Lucas]

Yes, you waited for him, you sexually desired too see him once again on your screen, and now your wish come true thanks to this Gamespot Comic-con interview with Paul Barnett (it says demo, but it's just an interview :P) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaqgyB4WYYQ

[HaemishM]

If an angry diety dropped a fiery ball of hatedeath on that stage, the world would be instantly improved.

[Soln]

this needs a meme

[Hutch]

this needs a meme

[Ingmar]

I think you're supposed to use Impact as your font with a meme!

[Hutch]

Yeah. You're also supposed to put borders on your text.
And use colors that don't cause quite so much eye strain.

Oh, and be funny.

Deal with it 

[Lucas]

In this other "Schwag interview" (Gamespot again, only a few hours later, I guess :P), he sounds and looks positively drunk...Or, at least, I hope it's just a case of drunkness 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gtqskAASCg

[Lantyssa]

Barnett a drunken sot?  Say it isn't so!

[Lucas]

A couple of leaked screenshots (along with a particularly lively discussion in the comments section :D) :



http://forever.ultimacodex.com/2012/07/24/leaked-ultima-forever-images/
----


Official Podcast #1 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LH9YVl5LGU

[WayAbvPar]

Is that from the Facebook version of it? Jesus that is fugly.

[Mrbloodworth]

looks like Diablo3 !



/runs

[HaemishM]

Is that from the Facebook version of it? Jesus that is fugly.

This. I mean, I didn't expect much, but this truly lives down below my expectations somewhere in the sub-basement of broken dreams.

[rk47]

[Ingmar]

I actually like the painter-y art style, so that doesn't bother me. It is still going to be terrible, and I think Barnett should be hooked up to a machine that shocks him every time he says "Bioware story".

[Lucas]

Here is a much more in-depth interview with Ultima Forever's Lead Designer, Kate Flack:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/26/enlightening-ultima-forever-interview/

I appreciate her enthusiasm and how she explains the background for some design choices. Of course I would prefer a "real" Ultima CRPG after all these years, but given the limited budget they had and the inherent, limited scope, maybe it won't be so awful or disrespectable to the franchise...Right? 

[HaemishM]

Paul... Barnett.

[Sheepherder]

[Nebu]

Well played, Sheepherder. 

[WayAbvPar]