Ultima IX
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ultima IX: Ascension | |
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| Developer(s) | Origin Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Distributor(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Designer(s) | Richard Garriott |
| Engine | Ultima IX Engine |
| Release date(s) | 1999 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB M (Mature 17+) |
| Platform(s) | Windows 95 |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Pentium II 400MHZ+
128+ MB RAM 16+ MB Video Memory 1+ Gigabyte Hard Drive |
Ultima IX: Ascension (1999) is the ninth and final part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima.
Following the Avatar's escape from Pagan, he is transported back to Britannia for one final battle with the Guardian, who is increasingly ruining the physical and moral fabric of that land. He must restore the Runes of Virtue, cleanse the shrines of the Guardian's taint and restore the people to the way of the Virtues — now knowing that he will never again be able to return to Earth.
Ultima IX was controversial in that it deviated from most of the previous Ultimas' isometric view and party-based gameplay. It was ill-received by many fans and did poorly in sales, creating sufficient outcry that Origin shut down an official online help page due to so many negative posts. Ultimately, Richard Garriott left Electronic Arts over "creative differences", thus effectively ending the series. EA retains the rights to the "Ultima" brand.
A MMORPG sequel of sorts, Ultima X: Odyssey, began development at EA — but to the further dismay of Ultima fans it was cancelled in 2004, before completion. It was to be set in a world named Alucinor, created by the Avatar following the events of Ultima IX.
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[edit] Development history and controversy
There was a gap of five years between Ultima VIII and IX. The game caused a lot of debate among the fans of the series quite a long time before the game was even released. News of Ultima IX's development trickled from the developers as the development progressed.
In the "fans.txt" file included with the last patch of Ultima VIII, Richard Garriott said that Ultima IX would be based heavily on the feedback they had received from customers, and it would be a "classic Britannian Ultima". Frustration among some fans grew as more and more of the "classic" features were dropped over time.
Reportedly, the original plan for Ultima IX was to create a game with isometric graphics, similar to Ultima VIII but technologically more advanced. This version was approximately three quarters finished around the time the entire development team went to focus on Ultima Online.
When the team got back to Ultima IX, they threw away the entire isometric version and started over. It was decided to aim for a true 3D game. The release was further delayed because the targeted Voodoo 3D graphics cards fell out of public favor and thus the Glide API-based code had to be readjusted another time for Direct3D.
The game's release was initially complicated by a rather buggy first release, with very advanced hardware requirements for the time; the design team had objected strongly to the timing of release, but the Electronic Arts management enforced it. A few months later, a fixed version was released; a further unofficial fix was leaked on the Internet a bit later by an anonymous member of the team. As it stands now, the game is not completely bug-free and still has memory leaks, but is generally quite playable on modern hardware.
The game world was rendered in a detailed and seamless manner. Yet, with the technological constraints, Britannia was much smaller in overall area than previous games. For example, Britain, the largest city of Britannia, consisted of only a few buildings. One of the chief criticisms of Ultima IX was that the story did not do justice to the continuity of earlier parts of the series. Many fans feel it is unfinished and not as polished as the earlier Ultimas were. It is notable that the plot was changed during the development. A summary of the original plot (often called "Bob White plot", after the lead designer at the time) was later released on the Internet.
One prime difference from previous Ultimas is that in Ultima IX you have less control of what path to take in the game. In fact, many areas of Britannia are blocked off until quests are completed, reducing the amount of initial exploring available in the world.
Combat and strategy were vastly different from previous Ultimas, save perhaps Ultima VIII. Combat in Ultima IX was reduced to clicking the mouse buttons as fast as you could in order to defeat your enemies.
As previously discussed, the game also does not link to earlier Ultimas as well as some fans hoped. The game was said to be made to attract a more general gamer audience with little or no knowledge of previous Ultimas, so many facts and events from earlier games are disregarded, while others are altered to suit the plot of Ultima IX. Some fans have found a considerable number of "errors" in the game. Because of this, many Ultima fans consider the game non-canonical, going so far as to completely ignore that the game ever happened and look to fan made replacements. (See external links for a list of nitpicks.)
A major annoyance to most Ultima fans was the fact that the Avatar was given an audible voice. Throughout the history of the series, interaction with NPCs was accomplished through trigger words that the character would either type or select off a menu to get a reaction, something which was gently mocked in self-reference as it became outdated. Even though it was a technical step forward from the sometimes frustrating keyword system, the old interface was a major part of the old games and its removal was dubbed as just another step away from what had always been Ultima.
[edit] Plot
Since the final release of Ultima IX in December of 1999, there has been much speculation as to what happened in the five years since the original release of Ultima VIII. Origin Systems had released a number of tantalizing video clips in these intervening years, first in the Ultima Collection CD and intermittently in between. These screenshots and clips pointed to a totally different plot from the released version, which many longtime fans of the Ultima saga agreed was unsatisfying and unrewarding.
The definitive answer came on December 9, 1999, when a synopsis of the original script was posted to the Ultima Horizons discussion board and quickly spread throughout the fan community. The synopsis was written by Bob White and released with his permission. White worked directly with Garriott, John Watson, and Brian Martin in developing the game's original story before leaving Origin.
Summaries of both the official plot and the leaked original plot are given below. The premise behind both plots is essentially the same, but the original plot arguably has greater complexity and more depth. Some of the fan remakes have tried to recreate the original plot from what information about it is publicly available.
[edit] The official plot
The game picks up just after the end of Ultima VIII, but somehow the Avatar returns to Earth for an unspecified amount of time before getting back to Britannia. He arrives in Britannia on a mountain overlooking the Guardian's keep in Terfin. Before he can overcome disorientation, a Wyrmguard takes a dragon up and incinerates him.
Then there is the dark throne room scene with the Guardian in shadow talking to Lord Blackthorn. Blackthorn is pleased after apparently seeing the Avatar's death but the Guardian realizes that he was teleported away just in the nick of time by someone, who must be at the castle of Stonegate. Blackthorn wants to go after him but the Guardian instructs him to wait because he wants the Avatar to see how he has been destroying Britannia and wants the Avatar to despair.
The Avatar is brought to Stonegate by Hawkwind the Seer (from Ultima IV), who gives him a brief rundown of what has happened since he left for the Serpent Isle. Great columns have appeared throughout the land, and their malign influence has caused plagues, famine, and other natural disasters. Under their power, the people of Britannia have twisted the Virtues into mockeries of their true meaning.
As the quest progresses the Avatar learns that the Guardian has stolen the Runes of the Virtues and twisted them into the glyphs that form the heart of the columns (also true in the original plot). Most of the game consists of traveling through the dungeons to recover the glyphs and to visit the Shrines of the Virtues to meditate and cleanse them, making the game not so dissimilar to Ultima IV in this respect, with the one difference that the game requires visiting the columns and shrines in a fixed order. Eventually, as the game progresses it is revealed that the Guardian is nothing other than the dark half of the Avatar himself, and the only way to save Britannia is for the Avatar to ascend to a higher plane, taking the Guardian with him, which is accomplished via an Armageddon spell cast behind a Barrier of Life.
As previously mentioned, this plot has many glaring inconsistencies that many longtime fans of the series have found offensive. Pieces of the original plot described below can be found peeking through in many places, most notably in the full motion video cutscenes that were produced with the original plot in mind.
[edit] The original plot
The beginning of the game is more or less the same as the beginning of the actual Ultima IX release, except that the Avatar never actually returns to Earth after his sojourn in Pagan in Ultima VIII. Just as in the official plot, there are also columns created by the Guardian with malign influence. Further, Lord British has become enfeebled and left government of the kingdom in the hands of a tribunal consisting of the lords of the cities of Moonglow, Britain, and Jhelom, but they have proved unable to deal with the crises and have fractured into mutually distrustful city-states that are, at the time the Avatar arrives, at the brink of war.
Of course, the Guardian is behind all of this, orchestrating these events, with the aid of Lord Blackthorn, but few within the kingdom suspect this. Among these men is a leader in the town of Asylum, formerly known as Buccaneer's Den, known as Samhayne, a benevolent underworld character who smuggles contraband food and supplies to the various cities. He enlists the aid of the Avatar to find proof of these shadowy manipulations that are causing Britannia to disintegrate. With the help of his longtime friends Shamino and Iolo and Samhayne's protegé Raven, they uncover Lord Blackthorn secretly advising members of the council and goading them to war. Blackthorn is unmasked just as the armies of the council have taken the field of battle. He is eventually caught later on at Terfin, and executed at Lord British's command, but the Guardian escapes.
The Avatar and Lord British then travel to Stonegate for the final confrontation with the Guardian, but after it appears that they successfully kill him, they are told that it is not enough. The columns that the Guardian created have embedded themselves too deeply within the very fabric of Britannia itself, and soon they will destroy the world, funneling the power of its destruction back into the Guardian, resurrecting him and making him stronger yet. The only way to destroy the Guardian now would be to extinguish the life force of Britannia itself, but the people may be saved by evacuating them to the island of Skara Brae and using the power of the Runes of Virtue to protect them. The Ritual of Armageddon is cast, Britannia is destroyed, along with the Guardian and Lord British, but the Avatar ascends to a higher plane by the power of the spell, and the populace that was evacuated to Skara Brae is protected by the Runes and they live on, to find another world to call their own.
[edit] Dragon Edition
At the time of initial release, EA also produced a "Dragon Edition" of the game, named for the Ultima Dragons fan club. It included an extra-large box, prints of in-game artwork, tarot cards, an ankh pendant, and special versions of the game books. Many of these extras recall the tradition of previous Ultima's including a trinket. Though the edition was intended as a collector's item, it reportedly proved difficult for some retailers to sell.
[edit] Fan-made patches
Some of the most popular fan-made patches are;
- Patch v1.19, which enhances the game's performance and fixes some bugs, released unofficially by an anonymous member of the development team. Installation of this patch is highly recommended if you are still having problems with the last official patch (1.18).
- Dialogue Patch - which amongst other things rewrites the dialogue for almost the entire game, fixing plot holes and increasing coherency with the rest of the series. The patch changes only the existing dialogue text, so speech must be disabled to use it. Many Ultima fans recommend this patch as the bare minimum add-on to install. The patch also allows the player to change the name of the Avatar character - this feature was found in earlier installments of the series, but due to inclusion of voice acting, it was omitted in this game.
- Economy Patch and Monster Patch - The shops have more in stock and the monsters are harder to beat. Those are the most noticeable changes, with other details on the rather long list. This one changes gameplay, but not the storyline.
Any combination of these patches can be used if desired, though the Dialogue, Economy and Monster patches are distributed as a single package.
Halfway through 1999, Origin sent to everyone that had registered the game a CD that contained the fix for almost all of the bugs found to that date. However, there remained some bugs which caused game crashes for some people. Electronic Arts publicly stated that this was the last official patch to be made public.
Threats of a class-action lawsuit were passed around the online community but none of the threats ever materialized.
[edit] Fan remakes
There have been several community-based projects aimed at reproducing and/or replacing the original Ultima IX for the Ultima fans dissatisfied with the original game.
[edit] Alter U9 and Eriadain
One of the longest-running of Ultima IX remake projects was Moa Dragon's one-person effort, Eriadain. Based on the Bob White plot, and originally called Alter U9, it was first built on on RPG Maker 1995, and later became a Neverwinter Nights project. After many delays, the Moa finally cancelled the project; unfinished files can be now be found at the Aiera Orphanage.
[edit] Ultima IX: Redemption
The most active project as of 2006 is the Ultima IX: Redemption project, which aims to create a "true" Ultima (an Ultima game that has traditional plot elements and characters included), with a heavy focus on preserving continuity with regards to the previous games. Redemption is being produced using the game engine from the successful computer role-playing game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. So far, the team has implemented many new features using the Morrowind engine, including crafting weapons and armour, fishing, harvesting, cooking, etc. Additions such as a new sailing system and combat system changes have also been included.
While the game starts with the premise set forth by Ultima VIII's ending - the Avatar returns from Pagan, and sees a seemingly unknown land subjugated by the Guardian - the plot is completely new. Atarkans, the race of people found in Ultima Underworld II, have somehow invaded and conquered most of Britannia. The Avatar's task is to free Britannia, restore the balance of the corrupted Ether, and ultimately confront the Guardian. Currently, there are several endings that occur based on the actions of the player throughout the game. Redemption also features many of the old companions of the Avatar and characters from the previous installments of the Ultima series.
The development of Redemption is managed by Titans of Ether team. The team also has developers from another fan project called The New King, a new Ultima game set chronologically after Ultima IX. The developers of The New King came to help the project when the former Redemption manager abruptly left the team and the project was in danger of being cancelled.
As of August 2006, production is approximately half-way complete.
[edit] Forgotten World
Unlike the other Ultima IX related projects, Forgotten World is a modification of UIX using the original engine. In May 2006, Forgotten World was officially announced combining the efforts of landscape improvements by First Knight and continued file format research by Nimdraug. This project aims to alter the game in many ways that will, in the end, satisfy the many players who were disappointed with the release version of UIX.
As of July, Team Forgotten World claims to have found different remains of the originally intended game features in the various files they have examined thus far. While trying to improve the world, graphics and story in general, they are also endeavoring to restore these remains.
The current stage of development for Forgotten World is to decode the various file formats in order to understand and ultimately change them. According to the website, the team has managed to decode the files for the models used in game and can successfully export and import 3d models and textures.
Currently, the team is looking for programmers, 3d modelers, and 2d artists. To apply, check the contact page at their website: http://www.forgottenworld.de/
[edit] External links
- Ultima IX: Ascension at MobyGames
- Last official patch, 1.18f
- Unofficial patch, 1.19f
- Ultima IX Dialogue, Monster and Economy patch
- Nitpick list for Ultima IX: Ascension
- Original Ultima IX, with history of Ultima IX before its release, screenshots from the in-progress versions, the Bob White plot text, and the remnants of the original game discovered in the released game. The original Usenet posting of the Bob White plot is here
- Titans of Ether, home of Ultima IX: Redemption fan remake
- Forgotten World, website of the Forgotten World mod
- Whacked-Out Ultima 9, Doug the Eagle's humorous look at many odd facets of Ascension.
- Escapist article, relating the acquisition of Origin Systems by Electronic Arts, and the debacle that resulted in Ultima IX.
- Ultima Ascension Screenshots, a collection of screenshots from the original development version of the game.
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| Akalabeth (Ultima 0) |
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| Ultima Underworld : The Stygian Abyss - Labyrinth of Worlds |
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