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Let's Play Ultima VII...on the Super Nintendo - COMPLETED!

Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
717
I approve of the necromancy of this LP.
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Clockwork Knight said:
Show just the seriously fuck up man parts and summarize the rest.
It's too bad I don't really feel like taking video, because the combat is hilariously bad - like someone put an Ultima-skin on top of Zelda then took out everything that made combat in Zelda interesting. Maybe at some point I'll put up a clip or two just so people can see what I mean. I've played a bit further and the skeletons actually throw bones at you. I shit you not.

My favorite so far are still the slimes that taunt the Avatar by name.
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Part 3: In which we face talking snakes, take our first sidequest, and earn our first magic item

Ugh. Time to dive back into the world of Britannia, as re-interpreted by the SNES.
U7_SNES_3_0.JPG

Aw come on! I don't even get a "Journey Onward"? We're off to a bad start when the option is "Restore Saved Game" rather than "Journey Onward", like in every other Ultima game ever made. You know, I'm starting to suspect this game is single-handidly responsible for the stereotype of the "shitty console port".

Anyway, before we head north to Paws, I want to explore a bit of the overworld now that we have our freedom.

First, we murder some sheep just outside of town.
U7_SNES_3_1.JPG

Fortunately, they re-appear if I so much as walk away and come back. Instant-respawning, how convenient - well, at least for the purposes of taking screenshots for an LP. Also, during my sheep-slaughter, I just noticed something "awesome".

U7_SNES_3_2.JPG

You may remember this as the "dust cloud" that appears when I destroy anything in the game. Notice the frame of animation I caught it at? That's a skull, bitches. This game is way more extreme than I gave it credit for.

Hey...wait...what are those buildings doing out here? I just left Trinsic like a screen ago. I don't remember any buildings between Trinsic and Paws, and Paws has a swamp just to the south of it - a nasty surprise if you didn't pick up swamp boots before leaving Trinsic. See?:
U7S_SNES_3_TriniscToPawsPC.JPG


But sure enough, here is the distance between the north side of Trinsic and the southmost building of Paws:
U7_SNES_3_3.JPG

U7_SNES_3_4.JPG

U7_SNES_3_5.JPG

...less than two-and-a-half screen lengths between them. Fuck this, I'm going to do some exploring.

I had southwest, towards the mountains.
U7_SNES_3_6.JPG

Oh cool, a whip. Just lying on the ground between Trinsic and Paws. I guess it's for the sheep, or something? I have a feeling I don't want to know. Either way, it has a longer attack than my broadsword, and since I'm exploring, I figure I can get my Indiana Jones on.
U7_SNES_3_LegoIndy.JPG


Speaking of Doctor Jones...
U7_SNES_3_7.JPG

Fuck yeah! This is what Ultima's about, right? Fighting snakes with a whip? Oh, also, the snakes randomly drop gold. And skeleton keys. And giant pieces of distinctly non-snake meat:
U7_SNES_3_8.JPG


I hit the "4th circle of experience", whatever the fuck that means, while fighting Endlessly Respawning Snakes.
U7_SNES_3_9.JPG


Fuck yeah! An Ettin and a Troll. Now we're getting our Ultima on!
U7_SNES_3_10.JPG

U7_SNES_3_11.JPG

Ouch. The Ettins can one-hit kill me with their thrown rocks. I guess now is a good time to discuss the save/load system in this version. In what some may call an homage to the older Ultimas - but what I just call retarded - you get a single save spot. You can save at any point by bringing up the pause menu and "saving", unless there are enemies nearby, or you are inside a building or, I presume, underground.

Also, it appears in-game time continues to pass by while on the "death" screen, though nothing else on the screen is moving:
U7_SNES_3_12.JPG

I suppose that's realistic, you know? The world doesn't stop just because the Avatar is dead!

I guess now is also a good time to mention, the game seems to be completely scitzo about whether or not to play combat music during enemy encounters. Usually it doesn't bother at all, and sometimes it plays the music when enemies are nearby but not when I'm actually in combat.

Alright. I reload my game and continue my exploration. I manage to kill the Ettin and fight some wolves...
U7_SNES_3_13.JPG


...hitting level 5 in the process.
U7_SNES_3_14.JPG

Of note is that my health is not restored when gaining a level, unlike most action RPGs. Also of note is that Ultima games typically only have 8 levels, and I'm already at level 5. It will be interesting to see if the SNES version has a similar level cal.

It quickly becomes apparent that I need some better armor, as even a lowly snake is taking away 3 "hearts" per hit. So, I return to Trinsic to loot the provisioner of his endlessly-respawning supplies of food as night begins to fall. I stop to camp on the "road" between Trinsic and Paws - if you can even really call it that - and find that the whip has returned:
U7_SNES_3_15.JPG

Apparently whoever is whipping the nearby livestock is a persistent fuck indeed.

Trying to use the bedrool reveals:
U7_SNES_3_16.JPG

Apparently it's only "night" if the entire screen is gone.

This time I get:
U7_SNES_3_17.JPG

So in the middle of Trinsic, I sleep "restlessly". In the middle of the wilderness, I sleep "well". What the fuck ever. Before heading off to Paws, it occurs to me that I haven't tried "talking" to the monsters like I did the slimes, so I try it with the snakes. Some highlights:

U7_SNES_3_18.JPG

U7_SNES_3_19.JPG


And my personal favorite:
U7_SNES_3_20.JPG


Enough of that. Paws, finally. If I remember correctly from the PC version, Paws was in pretty shitty condition - disease and poverty were rampant, and the Fellowship was there to "help", with the subtle implication that they had more interesting in using the poor conditions to recruit new followers rather than aid those in need. Do you think the SNES version will have a similar theme?

We'll hit up the inn first. It's another of those buildings that has a "Use Other Door" sign. What's with this? There aren't any technical limitations allowing only one entrance into a map - some doors are just "blocked", even though you can use them as exits.
U7_SNES_3_21.JPG

U7_SNES_3_22.JPG

U7_SNES_3_23.JPG

U7_SNES_3_24.JPG

Drama in Paws! No option to rent a room, though. A brief exploration of the building reveals nothing of interest, and there's no way I can see to use the beds, so I guess the bedroll is my only option in that regard.

We visit the provisioner in Paws, who has a new item for sale (the whip), a store with the exact same layout as the one in Trinsic, and, I imagine, a basement full of things to kill. Also, for some reason, she uses the protrait of Natassia from Ultima VII.
U7_SNES_3_25.JPG


In her basement, I find:
U7_SNES_3_26.JPG

Fuck me, that's ominous. I can't tell if people in Britannia just never go in their basements, or if there's something sinister at work throughout the entire land. I can't get through the door yet - my skullkeys don't cut it, apparently. I imagine it's either magically locked, or I need a specific key. Since I doubt this game even bothers to have door-specific keys, it's probably the former. But I will return!

We visit the local Fellowship hall, which again, is just a hallway - but this time with a front desk! And a basement! I wonder what we will find down there.
U7_SNES_3_27.JPG

U7_SNES_3_28.JPG

U7_SNES_3_29.JPG

Again with the incredibly subtle foreshadowing.

U7_SNES_3_30.JPG

"Eliza" *twitch* and Abaraham went to Britain? Why, that's also where our "kidnapper" *twitch* Hook supposedly went! What a fine coincidence.

Now I shall explore your basement, which I am sure is not full of monsters in any way.
U7_SNES_3_31.JPG

Hmm, a metal door, but no monsters yet. Let's just go inside...

U7_SNES_3_32.JPG

Holy shit a fucking skeleton?!? Did the designers of the SNES port read that the Fellowship was a "seemlingly benevolent organization with skeletons in its closet" and take that literally?

The skeleton's actually a fairly tough opponent. It hits hard and...throws bones at me for a ranged attack. Oh, and they just randomly appear when I'm about 2 steps away, with no animation or anything. This isn't limited to just the skeletons, by the way - it seems to be a running theme, just like the other terrible design decisions in this game. After dying, the skeletons drop bones, which I can use as a melee weapon.
U7_SNES_3_33.JPG

Yeah. This game is awesome.

I finish off the first wave then head a little deeper in the room when...
U7_SNES_3_34.JPG

...JESUS FUCK where were all these things hiding?!

I manage to survive the onslaught (barely) and loot the room, finding a couple piles of Blackrock:
U7_SNES_3_35.JPG

This is, admittedly, an interesting touch, at least if you've played Ultima VII and know what Blackrock is and what the Fellowship was using it for. If you don't, shame on you. Educate yourself:
http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Blackrock

In case you're wondering, as I was: no, you cannot ask the person upstairs why there's an army of skeletons and snakes guarding piles of Blackrock in their basement. Somehow I doubt I'll be given the option to inform Lord British, either.

After a brief stop by the provisioner to sell my leftover crap (she won't buy the skeleton bones, sadly) and heal up, I continue my exploration of Paws.
U7_SNES_3_36.JPG

Fuck yeah! Finally!

I suppose I should question why Paws, a poor town of beggars, has an armory, and Trinsic, the city of Paladins, does not, but I'm just happy to finally upgrade my shit...
U7_SNES_3_37.JPG

...oh God damnit it's empty.

The basement has a couple more of those creepy locked doors I can't open yet, along with another small army of skeletons and this time - just to mix things up - slimes.
U7_SNES_3_38.JPG

I guess my quest to find armor that prevents me from losing half my health bar on a single hit will have to continue.

Hey look, a dock with a city-name-sign next to it!
U7_SNES_3_39.JPG

I guess there are boats in this version, so that's something at least. I wonder if it has the magic carpet, too? Hmmm.

Next, I visit the Paws courthouse, which is literally the first building I've been in with more than one NPC.
U7_SNES_3_40.JPG

U7_SNES_3_41.JPG

This is stupid. Women can't do things.

U7_SNES_3_42.JPG

U7_SNES_3_43.JPG

U7_SNES_3_44.JPG

U7_SNES_3_45.JPG

U7_SNES_3_46.JPG

U7_SNES_3_47.JPG

Hooray, my first sidequest! Unfortunately, it looks very similar to my "quest" in Trinsic - ask a bunch of people around town about the Newly Unlocked Keyword. I certainly don't remember this quest (or even this character) from the PC version, but then it's been awhile.

Gee, I wonder if those guys who "dislike the Fellowship", mentioned earlier, might have something to do with this?

Here is the other fellow in the courthouse:
U7_SNES_3_48.JPG

His name is Gaydos. Which, while simulaneously hilarious and idiotic, is probably not a clever jab at the DOS operating system, and fortunately the game was released far too early for this to be a Portal reference. He has nothing of relevance to add.

One of the boxes in the courthouse has "ankh" items, which vanish when I pick them up.
U7_SNES_3_49.JPG

I imagine they would be restoring my magic bar, if I had any magic to cast. I don't think I have to explain how stupid this is.

As I explore and loot the town, I find that my "keyring" of universal-lock-opening skeleton keys is limited to 15.
U7_SNES_3_50.JPG

Also, I murder a few more sheep, and one of them drops a skeleton key. Cuz why the fuck not, I guess. I honestly have no idea why these "keys" are in the game - they are ridiculously easy to find, so locked doors are never a problem. But really, I probably should've stopped questioning this game's design decisions around the first "Use Other Door" sign.

Finally, the Salty Dog Tavern, with a record of three NPCs in the same building at the same time!
U7_SNES_3_51.JPG

Could these three be the ones who hate the Fellowship, mentioned earlier?

U7_SNES_3_52.JPG

U7_SNES_3_53.JPG

U7_SNES_3_54.JPG

U7_SNES_3_56.JPG

Yup. Looks like some people might need be on their way to a good mur--kidnapping. This is the first indication the game gives you that the Fellowship may not be on the up-and-up. If you're retarded, that is.

Here's the only house we haven't been to yet...
U7_SNES_3_57.JPG

U7_SNES_3_58.JPG

...with the famous Fellowship-hating Benjamin...

U7_SNES_3_59.JPG

...who is a stupid emo fuck.

Let's search his basement! His bedroom is full of snakes (a Fellowship hit-squad?!), but no sign of the plaque. Guess we'll ask around town.
U7_SNES_3_60.JPG


Turns out the Innkeeper is the only one with something useful to add.
U7_SNES_3_61.JPG

U7_SNES_3_62.JPG

"Wait, there's more!"? Seriously? Just fucking tell me, don't announce it.

U7_SNES_3_63.JPG

Alright then. Time to pay the treasurer another visit. This is exciting.

U7_SNES_3_64.JPG

U7_SNES_3_65.JPG

Wow, really? No alibi at all? Why did he even confess to embezzlement? Couldn't he just have said he was working late and was scared to talk before? This guy is the worst criminal ever, and that includes the "kidnapper" in Trinsic who apparently fled the scene of the crime without his kidnap victims.

U7_SNES_3_66.JPG

U7_SNES_3_67.JPG

Surprisingly, this will never come up again.

Back to the tavern to talk to FUCK-qua now.
U7_SNES_3_68.JPG

Letting your son commit the crime and selling him out when evidence is found? How very Codexian of you, good sir. Well played.

Time to visit Benjamin and finish this shit.
U7_SNES_3_69.JPG

U7_SNES_3_70.JPG

I'd rather just beat the shit out of your dad, but since this is the SNES version of the game, that's not an option.

We return the plaque.
U7_SNES_3_71.JPG

I get 100 XP for returning the plaque, which I'm pretty sure is less than I get from killing one of the endlessly respawning snakes, but whatever.

I speak to the mayor, just in case there's another reward...
U7_SNES_3_73.JPG

U7_SNES_3_74.JPG

Sweet! First magic item.

I assumed it was something you equipped in, you know, an arm slot, but it turns out it has to go in one of the "useable item" slots - items activated by "A" or "B" - previously reserved for weapons or shields:
U7_SNES_3_75.JPG

Hey, usable items slots assigned to buttons! Just like in Zelda, right?! I can't wait to find the boomerang. Which is a possibility, since it was a weapon in the PC version of Ultima VI. The moment I have to use a boomerang to activate a switch, though, this LP is done.

Using the bracelet heals me 5 "hearts" while costing my 3 "ankhs". Jesus fuck I can't believe I just typed that about an Ultima game. As suspected, the "ankhs" I find in containers restore these, and they gradually come back as time passes, too, just like any good mana bar.

In case you're wondering, I can never actually go back to Benjamin and "judge" him as he requested I do. So, I guess that settles it for my adventures in Paws. It was refreshing to see all of the subtle "class warfare" and "religious manipulation" undertones from the PC version were left completely intact, and hey, I got a magic healing bracelet to boot. I guess this really is Ultima after all!

Next time - we journey five feet north to Britain, and finally visit Lord British himself!
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,156
For fuck's sake, who was the retard that made this? SNES had tons of great games, including adventure games like Zelda, Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia... This is indeed one of the first "shitty console ports".
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Luzur said:
dont expect much, i stopped my gaming in Britain.
Well then, this will be an Exciting Adventure for us both.

lightbane said:
For fuck's sake, who was the retard that made this? SNES had tons of great games, including adventure games like Zelda, Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia... This is indeed one of the first "shitty console ports".
Yeah, the SNES is still my favorite console ever, which makes this LP all the more painful for me. As far as I can tell, the port was made by Origin:
Wikipedia said:
FCI / Pony Canyon published the SNES version of Ultima VII, simply titled Ultima: The Black Gate, which was created by a small team inside Origin Systems.
A very small team. Of interns. Very, very stupid interns. Though really, it's hard to blame the developers for everything - the idea of a SNES port of Ultima VII is pretty terrible regardless of implementation, especially since:
Wikipedia said:
This version was largely different from original since the PC version of the game was a then-huge twenty megabytes, yet this translation could use only one megabyte of memory for all of the game data and program. The maps and many usable items and plotlines had to be redesigned from scratch, and the game program had to be rewritten entirely in assembly language.
Still, there are a lot of terrible design decisions that could've been avoided, even given the inherent stupidity of the base concept.

Clockwork Knight said:
You know, that experience is too jacked up...are you sure you aren't using a hacked rom?
I'm pretty sure it's impossible to intentionally create something this bad.
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Part 4: In which we explore a Britain the size of Paws, meet Lord British, finally learn some spells, and take to the skies!

When left off last, we were heading north to Britain!

There's actually more distance between Paws and Britain than between Trinsic and Paws, despite Paws and Britain essentially being part of the same town in the PC version:
U7S_SNES_4_TriniscToPawsToBritainPC.JPG

So clearly, the SNES version is a massive improvement. :incline:

Between Paws and Britain we find a house with a collection of trees and sheep, and most importantly, a sign challenging us:
U7_SNES_4_0.JPG

No one tells the Avatar what to do!

Inside the house, we encounter Figg:
U7_SNES_4_1.JPG

Clearly the sign was just for show. In the SNES version, I remember the Orchard was just outside LB's castle, but this remake has proven that it is not bound by the shackles of its predeccesor. If it wants to needlessly re-arrange the basic layout of the map, you'll fucking like it. I guess I just should be happy Britain isn't south of Trinsic, or some shit.

He has nothing of interest to add, for now. After looting the chest in his house with no NPC reaction or consequence of any kind, we continue north, to what is apparently supposed to be Britain:
U7_SNES_4_3.JPG

Apparently the SNES doesn't have the memory for "paved roads", so Britain looks to be on the same economic level as Paws. Obviously a deep commentary on Britannian society.

First, we visit the Wayfarer's Inn, a staple of the Ultima universe...
U7_SNES_4_2.JPG

...with the exact same layout as the Inn in Paws. And one less NPC. So, no one. Awesome.

Speaking of Ultima staples:
U7_SNES_4_4.JPG

Fuck yeah! I'm sure Iolo would have something to add here, if he wasn't still in Trinsic, wandering around in circles outside the "kidnapping" scene.

I go ahead and pick myself up a ranged weapon, even though it costs almost all of my gold.
U7_SNES_4_5.JPG

I've already proven that money is meaningless and the economy is completely broken, so I can always make more. Besides, most of the enemies have ranged attacks, so I can finally even the odds.

Equipping the bow takes two hands, so I can't equip my magic healing bracelet while using it.
U7_SNES_4_6.JPG

However, as in all the best action RPGs, there is no ammo to worry about, so it all balances out.

I explore his basement and kill...whatever these things are...with ease.
U7_SNES_4_7.JPG

Besides another of those Evil Demon Doors that the people of Britannia seem so laid-back about, there's also a piece of leather armor in the crate, as well as a hammer and some gold in the next room.

The hammer and the armor sell for about 55 gold, which means each run to the basement nets me 65 gold.
U7_SNES_4_8.JPG

I'm feeling lazy, so I only do this a few times. I'm sure there's a better place to exploit, anyway. Good to know this is here if I need it, though.

Now the third Ulima Staple of Britain - the Blue Boar tavern!
U7_SNES_4_9.JPG

This place is clearly the center of Britannian activity, since it actually has an NPC, unlike the Inn and the Provisioner.

U7_SNES_4_10.JPG

Is Shamino even in this game? It's not like he could join me anyway, so what's the point? Also, this little snippet reveals yet-another annoying thing about this version of Ultima VII - everyone knows you're the Avatar and no one questions it. In the PC version, people would often ask your name, and if you said you were the Avatar, they often called you a liar. Here, you may as well have it branded on your forehead. Stupid Unnecessary Change #537.

On mention of Shamino...
U7_SNES_4_11.JPG

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be just as helpful as Iolo.

On mention of the Fellowship...
U7_SNES_4_12.JPG

No, totally not a cult at all. And yes, since Iolo told me to ask everyone about the Fellowship, I can literally ask everyone in the game about the Fellowship.

The courthouse across the street is empty, but the random building next to it is not:
U7_SNES_4_13.JPG

Preeeeeeeetty sure I don't remember a "jail" the size of a cottage with underground cells from the PC version.

U7_SNES_4_14.JPG

All over Britannia, in this tiny fucking cottage? Really? What happened to Yew being the City of Justice and housing the great Court and oh fuck it why do I even ask anymore. Time to go down the ladder and see this "prison".

I am attacked by snakes as I enter, of course. Every basement in Britannia needs snakes. I guess this is innovative - after all, at least it's not rats. :incline:?

A switch on the wall opens the door to the cells.
U7_SNES_4_15.JPG

INTERACTIVITY!!!! Guess I should just be glad I didn't have to use another skeleton key.

I open the cell and speak to the prisoner inside.
U7_SNES_4_16.JPG

I like how his profile shows him behind bars, even though you can't talk to him through the bars.

He whines about how he stole apples from the orchard because his family was starving. I think he misunderstands the world "unjustly", but whatever.

U7_SNES_4_17.JPG

I remember this is actually a quest from the PC version, so another slight :incline:. I accept, not because I necessarily agree with his cause, but because it's a sidequest in an action RPG and that's just what you do.

The other cell is empty, except for this vampire-bat thing on the wall, which nearly kills me in three hits.
U7_SNES_4_18.JPG

Fuck I need some better armor or something.

I open a door with a ladder behind it, and am accosted by...three headless? Were they like, imprisoned here too? What do you even charge a creature with no head with?
U7_SNES_4_19.JPG

My new bow makes short work of them. The note on the wall next to the ladder reads:
U7_SNES_4_20.JPG

Ah, so that's where the headlesses came from. Good thing they never broke through the door, I guess. I was actually sort of hoping there'd be more to the prison, since apparently the high-security underground prison for "all the criminals in Britannia" consists of two cells, and "all of the criminals" consist of one poor hungry fuck who stole apples for his family.

...I really hate this fucking game.

I don't feel like a dungeon crawl right now, so I head back out. On the way, I mention Weston's Tale to the "warden", if you can even call guarding one prisoner and some snakes a "warden".
U7_SNES_4_21.JPG

Quest solved? Guess we'll see.

Time to explore more:
U7_SNES_4_22.JPG

Woo boat! I am both fascinated and terrified to see how they implemented boats in the SNES version. Will I actually get to sail, or just instantly teleport around the world?
U7_SNES_4_23.JPG

Guess I won't find out today, because that's a fuckload of gold and while I could just exploit the endlessly-respawning-crap feature, I don't feel like it right now, and don't really need a boat at the moment anyway. The fact he calls it a "magic" boat doesn't bode well, though.

North of him is a house, and inside:
U7_SNES_4_24.JPG

Batlin.gif
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ask about "Eliza" and Abraham:
U7_SNES_4_25.JPG

Damnit. I ask about membership...
U7_SNES_4_26.JPG

Gasp, a choice! I turn him down, for now.

I find another provisioner shop, this one with an actual employee:
U7_SNES_4_27.JPG

He has a couple of new weapons, a "Wind Sword" (whatever the fuck that is) and a Spear, but they cost too much for me to bother right now. There's also an Evil Demon Door right in his shop. Subtle.

More exploring. I meet the mayor...
U7_SNES_4_28.JPG

...who is black, just like in the PC version! He spends the entire conversation verbally masturbating about the Fellowship, and apparently the Avatar can't think of anything more interesting to ask the mayor of the capital city of Britannia.

Interesting fact: after speaking with him, he left his house and I followed him, and he walked all the way to - and entered - the town hall. So, apparently NPCs do have some form of scheduling system in this game - or at least some of them do.

A sign in at the north end of town shows me which direction to go to get to various towns:
U7_SNES_4_29.JPG

I'm actually a little surprised they're all in the game.

One more important landmark!
U7_SNES_4_30.JPG

Yup, that's the castle of Lord British. Apparently. Downside: no drawbridge. Upside: no random sea monsters in the moat.

Inside the castle!
U7_SNES_4_31.JPG

I suppose should mention that entering the castle is literally the first time the music has changed, besides the random bursts of combat music whenever the game starts to have a seizure. Other than that, I've always been listening to one of two musical themes: outside and inside. While it is a pretty terrible rendition of the Lord British theme, it's still a welcome change.

The man himself!
U7_SNES_4_32.JPG

U7_SNES_4_33.JPG

I imagine, considering you can't seem to get shit done yourself.
U7_SNES_4_34.JPG

Someone actually bothered to tell the King of Britannia about kidnappings? And you're going to send the Champion of the People, Savior of Britannia to...investigate them? Alright then.
U7_SNES_4_35.JPG

Spells! Finally.
U7_SNES_4_36.JPG

U7_SNES_4_37.JPG

I hope they aren't building up to some reveal about Batlin being from another world. That would make me sad.
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U7_SNES_4_41.JPG

U7_SNES_4_42.JPG

Alright, let's conclude this update by exploring the castle and playing with spells.

GAH DEMON!!
U7_SNES_4_43.JPG

Surprisingly, they didn't dumb down Gargoyle Speak for this game.

U7_SNES_4_44.JPG

Another quest. Again, I'm pretty sure this one was actually in the PC version.

Gasp, a Demon Door! Right in the middle of the castle!
U7_SNES_4_45.JPG

Time to see if my theory about them being Magically Locked is right.

I guess now is a time for a brief look at how spells work in this game. First, I open the inventory and "use" the spellbook:
U7_SNES_4_46.JPG

This appears to be all the spells in the game. I guess there are no reagants, either. My theory is that gaining levels will unlock the "disabled" spells. You select spells by pressing the L or R button on them, so you can only have two spells "active" at one time. I am sure that won't get annoying at all.

I guess we'll try both "Unlock Door" and "Unlock Magic".
U7_SNES_4_47.JPG

Damn, "Unlock Door" does nothing. I guess that'sy locked doors in case you somehow manage to run out of skull keys, or something.

Let's try "Unlock Magic" now...
U7_SNES_4_48.JPG

Success! It "cost" four "ankhs" (God I feel stupider just typing that), but the door is open! Behind is a ladder - I guess even Castle Britannia isn't safe from the plague of basements.

Beneath are two more magically-locked doors, spiders...
U7_SNES_4_50.JPG


...skeletons...
U7_SNES_4_51.JPG


...and some new armor called "scale armor".
U7_SNES_4_52.JPG

I have no way of telling if it's better than leather, but I imagine it has to be. The only well to determine the effectiveness of armor and weapons seems to be to find out how much a vendor will buy it for. Classy.

There's another ladder down to the sewers, but I'm still not up for a dungeon crawl quite yet.

I return to the castle, only to find the door I came through is re-locked, meaning I get to sit and wait for my "ankhs" to recharge. Truly a very Ultima-experience.
U7_SNES_4_49.JPG


Finally, our tour of the castle comes to an end as we start a conversation with Chuckles...
U7_SNES_4_53.JPG

Ah yes, "The Game". Something else I remember from the PC version. Basically, I can only reply in one-syllable words or I "lose" and the conversation immediately ends.

So I quickly "win"...
U7_SNES_4_54.JPG


U7_SNES_4_55.JPG

...
DoubleFacePalm.jpg


Sigh.
U7_SNES_4_56.JPG

I reply "No". I'm still not sure at this point if I'm reading the scroll, or if it's actually talking to me. I also don't really give a fuck, honestly.

Finally we get...
U7_SNES_4_57.JPG

Wow...so...how does Chuckles even...nevermind. Whatever you say, game. I've learned not to question you anymore, and just roll with it.

I take my leave from the castle and stop by Iolo's Bows to sell a bunch of crap I looted from the King of Britannia. In the process, I discover that shopkeepers do, in fact, have a limit on how much they'll buy from you:
U7_SNES_4_58.JPG

However, once I leave the merchant window and re-enter it, a few of the merchant's slots are free again. So, it doesn't fix the broken economy - it just makes it more annoying to sell a lot of things at once.

So, I guess we'll conclude this update by playing with a few of our newly-learned spells. Again, here's the list of what I know so far:
U7_SNES_4_46.JPG


The first spell, "Location", brings up this map of Britannia, which to its credit, is way more accurate than the Ultima IX map:
U7_SNES_4_59.JPG

It appears to use no ankhs.

Also using no ankhs is "Kal Lor" (the Help spell, I believe), which teleports me back to Lord British...
U7_SNES_4_60.JPG

...at the cost of an entire character level:
U7_SNES_4_61.JPG

So I load my game and decide we'll never be using that spell again.

"Illumination" and "Healing" do exactly what you might expect. "Ring of Fire" makes pretty colors:
U7_SNES_4_62.JPG

Pretty worthless as far as I can tell.

"Lifting" appears to make small (inanimate) objects hover:
U7_SNES_4_63.JPG

U7_SNES_4_64.JPG

U7_SNES_4_65.JPG

Will be interesting to see if it's just cosmetic or actually serves a useful purpose at some point.

"Explosion" creates a small explosion directly in front of me.
U7_SNES_4_66.JPG

It's basically a slow melee attack that costs 3 ankhs. No thanks.

We already know "Unlock Door" opens randomly locked doors in case you somehow run out of skull keys even though they're fucking everywhere, and Unlock Magic opens the creepy demon-head doors.

So, finally, we have "Levitation." "Levitation" is...well, let's face, the most awesome fucking thing in this entire game.
U7_SNES_4_67.JPG

Hell. Yes. The Avatar is now the Dalai-Fucking-Llama.

One of the spells I'll unlock in the future is "Water Walk". So, obviously:
dalai-lama.jpg


+

jesus-thumps-up1.jpg


+

chucknorris.jpg


=

Avatar.jpg


Also, mods: I would like to officially request "Floating Avatar" as a new forum profile pic. Make it happen.

I can even fly over buildings!
U7_SNES_4_68.JPG

Who needs a fucking magic carpet?!?

Unfortunately, you cannot levitate over deep water, only shallow water. I guess that's what "Water Walk" is for. However, while normally the duration of Levitate is limited to 10 or 15 seconds, you seem to have unlimited time to hover over water, probably because the game designers didn't know what to do if your timer expired and you weren't over a patch of land:
U7_SNES_4_69.JPG

Awesome. Best Ultima game ever.

So, on that uplifting note (get it?!?), we end Part 4. Next time: we do some dungeon crawling, join the Fellowship, and head for Cove!
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
lightbane said:
I admire your tenacity, that's almost painful to read.
There's a sick part of me that's admittedly enjoying the playthrough. It's like watching the Hollywood-movie adaptation of your favorite novel - it's awful, but you want to keep going so you can see how everything was changed.

Luzur said:
i believe it was a good choice to end my game at the first house in britain.
Perhaps, but then you would've never BELIEVED AN AVATAR CAN FLY!!

On a related note, just for fun, I fired up Ultima VI for the SNES. It's a much better port than Ultima VII. Right off the bat, you can enter your name, so you aren't just called "Avatar" by everyone. And you even get a party! Which begs the question - why did Origin's consecutive console ports actually degrade in quality? Were they trying to emulate the Final Fantasy series?
 

Bobtheblob

Novice
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Messages
22
On a related note, just for fun, I fired up Ultima VI for the SNES. It's a much better port than Ultima VII. Right off the bat, you can enter your name, so you aren't just called "Avatar" by everyone. And you even get a party! Which begs the question - why did Origin's consecutive console ports actually degrade in quality? Were they trying to emulate the Final Fantasy series?

I think computers simply outpaced the consoles of the era by that much, after all, the processing and memory requirements from U6 to U7 were massive.

I'm in tears reading this thread, may persistence and precision guide your LP.
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Bobtheblob said:
On a related note, just for fun, I fired up Ultima VI for the SNES. It's a much better port than Ultima VII. Right off the bat, you can enter your name, so you aren't just called "Avatar" by everyone. And you even get a party! Which begs the question - why did Origin's consecutive console ports actually degrade in quality? Were they trying to emulate the Final Fantasy series?

I think computers simply outpaced the consoles of the era by that much, after all, the processing and memory requirements from U6 to U7 were massive.

I'm in tears reading this thread, may persistence and precision guide your LP.
True enough, but sadly it's not just a matter of memory-based limitations inherent to the console's cartridge format. The game is filled with what are quite-simply terrible design decisions that could only come from complete incompetence on the part of the development team - console limitations or no.

Of course, I'm particularly bitter right now because I just finished the Britain Sewers for the next part of the LP, and sweet water-walking-Avatar-Jesus what a trainwreck. Hopefully I can get Part 5 up late tonight before I take a break from the LP for at least a few days.

Glad you're enjoying it so far!
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Part 5: In which we descend into our first dungeon, face off with Bouncing Green Horrors, and get our Jesus on

This is a bit of a smaller update than I intended, but I've run out of time and wanted to get something up. It's finally time to hit the Britain sewers, and get our first look at an Ultima VII dungeon crawl, SNES-style! We will use the prison ladder I found last time.

On the way back in, I stop to ask the "Warden" about Weston.
U7_SNES_5_0.JPG

Gripping. Glad to know the Lord of all Britannia has time to discuss an Apple thief as well as personally see to a kidnapping in another city.

Down we go!
U7_SNES_5_1.JPG


It is incredibly dark.
U7_SNES_5_2.JPG

I cast the "Illumination" spell to fix this. I imagine torches would work too, but I don't have any right now to try.

There are rats, spiders, and bats rounding out the Generic Dungeon Crawling Roundup. There are also skulls on the walls, because apparently whoever designed this sewer was incredibly goth.
U7_SNES_5_3.JPG

I also find I cannot get out the way I got in, for whatever arbitrary reason. So, I guess we can only go forward.

I have absolutely no idea what the fuck these things are, and I've played nearly every Ultima game in existence.
U7_SNES_5_5.JPG

All I know for sure is that they hop instead of walk and take an annoying number of arrows to kill.

Scorpions and ghosts as well! Clearly, a lot of work went into the encounter design to make sure the creatures you encountered were a logical addition to an area based on its background lore.
U7_SNES_5_4.JPG

Just as much work went into the loot tables as the encounter design, as evidenced by the fact that ghosts drop edible meat.

Speaking of encounter design, the same "respawn if you leave the area" encounters that were prevalent in the overworld show up in dungeons as well. So if a large number of foes makes you fall back to kill them, they'll be there when you try and pass again, too. Knowing that, maybe a ranged weapon wasn't the best idea in the world. At least the repetitive encounters help net me level 6.
U7_SNES_5_6.JPG


Let's see what new spells I have:
U7_SNES_5_7.JPG

I can now cast Great Heal, which I assume is like regular heal, except great, and Water Walk, which I presume makes me into Jesus.

The nice thing about the bow is that enemies who are grouped next to each other will all take damage from an attack and are frozen in place after I hit them, so I can abuse this "feature", along with the terrible AI of the creatures, to make life a little easier for myself.
U7_SNES_5_8.JPG

As in other Ultimas, ghosts can go through walls, which makes their endlessly-respawning nature even more fun.

I find the ladder, but apparently need to find a switch or something in order to reach it.
U7_SNES_5_9.JPG


Trap!
U7_SNES_5_10.JPG

Fortunately, I just have to time it so I move in between the fireballs. Besides, if I take any damage, I flash invincible for a few seconds - just as in all the great RPGs.

Apparently my theory about keys earlier was wrong, and there are door-specific keys, as I find one in a chest:
U7_SNES_5_11.JPG

Hopefully it will get me to the ladder.

Mongbats!
U7_SNES_5_12.JPG

Like skeletons, they are annoying because they have a ranged attacks - rocks instead of bones, this time.

I find that none of the three golden keys I've found open the locked door to the ladder. Ugh.

After wandering around for another 5 minutes, I realize that the game's stupidity must've worn off on me, because I never tried to "use" the keys in my inventory while standing next to the door.
U7_SNES_5_13.JPG

Success! Turns out the "Golden Keys" are disposable items that, despite all having the same name, only work on certain doors. Sigh.

At least at this point I've realized that it's easier to just run past most monsters since I move faster than them and they are incredibly dumb, so backtracking wasn't too painful.

We descend into a clusterfuck:
U7_SNES_5_14.JPG


I hit level 7 fighting my way out, and come across the remains of a poor fuck who apparently died playing this game.
U7_SNES_5_15.JPG


I can now cast "Invisibility" and "Teleportation":
U7_SNES_5_16.JPG


"Invisibility" does what you would expect.
U7_SNES_5_17.JPG


"Teleportation", apparently, "Cannot be used inside".
U7_SNES_5_18.JPG

So, we'll have to wait to play with that one.

I run across these, but have no idea what they are or what they're for, if anything.
U7_SNES_5_19.JPG


Level 3.
U7_SNES_5_20.JPG

Apparently the homeland of the Bouncing Green Horrors.

At first there appears to be no way out of the room, but I wander around and apparently trigger a switch, because some enemies spawn and the wall slides open.
U7_SNES_5_21.JPG

I quickly discover there are several of these "triggers" throughout the floor. Like everything else in the damn game, they "reset" if you go off-screen, so you can accidentally close yourself into a room you just entered. Fun times.

This looks like it might be the exit to the dungeon, and in fact one of my "Golden Keys" does open it...but I still can't seem to get out.
U7_SNES_5_22.JPG


Only one way to go: further down. Level 4.
U7_SNES_5_23.JPG

New tileset! I'm getting deep now. In the PC version, I believe the Britain sewers only have 1 or 2 levels, but it eventually leads you to Buccaneer's Den. Wonder if this is the same?

See these little stalagmites?
U7_SNES_5_24.JPG

They take off half a heart if a walk over them. Fantastic.

Gazer!
U7_SNES_5_25.JPG

Sadly, it does not explode into an insect swarm upon death.

Levitation does not work indoors, so to get past some of the water, I have to get my Jesus on.
U7_SNES_5_26.JPG


"Water Walk" takes an unnecessarily large amount of "ankhs" away...
U7_SNES_5_27.JPG

...all for a dead end that leaves me stranded because it also seems to wear off incredibly fast. Guess I get to wait for my "ankhs" to restore. Wow, this shitty console action RPG has more downtime than a fucking MMO.

I eventually escape and kill another Gazer, who has a skeleton-shaped key:
U7_SNES_5_28.JPG

Which the game describes in my inventory as a "Dungeon Key". Maybe this is what I need to open the door back on Floor 3 and get out?

...nope. I guess it's just a "Master Key" (ala Zelda again) or something, because the way out remains distinctly closed.

I explore a bit more using Water Walk and find a...unique looking door:
U7_SNES_5_29.JPG

The front of the door matches my key!

The door takes me back to the basement of Lord British's castle - the other "entrance" I'd discovered earlier - and the key is gone from my inventory.
U7_SNES_5_30.JPG

Going back down the ladder takes me back to the first floor of the dungeon (instead of the door that took me out) as I suspected it might, so I reload to avoid having to trudge through that crap again.

As I sit here waiting for my ankhs to recharge so I can open 3 magically locked doors, I have to wonder...what would have happened if I'd gone to the sewers before I had the spellbook? I had to use Water Walk, a Level 6 spell, to get out of there. I guess I would've just had to intentionally kill myself and reload, since you can't save in a dungeon anyway? Choices and Consequences!

Finally back on the surface, I (tediously) sell all of the random shit I found down in the sewers, since none of it was useful.

I use some of my newfound wealth to buy myself the thousand-gold spear, another unlimited-ammo ranged weapon, but only one-handed.
U7_SNES_5_31.JPG

Since I can sell my bow for 3/4ths of its original worth, the spear only costs about 250 gold, so I go ahead and buy the "Wind Sword", the most expensive (and thus logically best) melee weapon I've seen so far.

I am now dual wielding a throwing spear with unlimited ammo, and a possibly-magical rapier.
U7_SNES_5_32.JPG

Truly, this is what it means to play an Ultima game.

Before I forget, let's try out the teleport spell. Casting it gives me the message:
U7_SNES_5_33.JPG

Sure enough, in my inventory, there is a "teleport token":
U7_SNES_5_34.JPG

"Using" it brings up the map:
U7_SNES_5_35.JPG

Ah, I see. So if it cast it a little ways away, I get another token on the map:
U7_SNES_5_36.JPG

That could be pretty useful, I suppose. Selecting a location "uses" that token up, so you can only "recall" to a spot once after "marking" it.

I wonder if they work underground? There's a small dungeon northwest of Britain where we can find out. On the way, I manage to find a place where the "Lifting" spell is actually useful:
U7_SNES_5_37.JPG


And here is our destination:
U7_SNES_5_38.JPG

I believe this is another carry-over from the PC version.

I intended to continue this part of the LP through the Cyclops Cave, but I've run out of time and probably won't be able to play for a few days, as I plan to spend some time playing games that don't make me want to hang myself. Besides, I'm already cluttering this page enough as-is.

So, try to bump this to Page 4 in the meantime, and when I can muster up the courage, we'll do our next dungeon crawl through the Cyclops Cave, then hit up Cove and continue the "story", if one can call it that.
 

Heresiarch

Prophet
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
1,451
Wow, I love this LP. It's great to see someone endure such a painful gaming experience.

Wait, did you just went through a whole sewer dungeon which net you....nothing? Experience doesn't count as it's pointless.

There were actually at least 3 Ultimas on the SNES. There's one called Ultima: Runes of Virtue 2. That's some extremely silly hack and slash shit in which you control either Iolo, Maria, or one of two other guys (but no Avatar!) to rescue some noble being kidnapped by a Black Knight. The best part of the game was the way of shopping: I remember HAMBURGERS which are used to restore "hearts" are put on the floor in "food shops", and when you pick them up (by walking over them), 10 gold will be extracted from your purse. *facepalm*

This Runes of Virtue series has two games, 1 is exclusive on the gameboy and the other is on both GB and SNES.

Someone REALLY should pick them up and make a LP.

BTW, the U6 on the SNES, while is unfortunately dumbed down in some ways (no character portraits, no corpses, etc), has a few points which are MUCH superior to the DOS version. Like a MUCH bigger gameplay screen, much smoother animation, and the best part, very very high quality music. It's MP3 quality!
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
Heresiarch said:
Wow, I love this LP. It's great to see someone endure such a painful gaming experience.

Wait, did you just went through a whole sewer dungeon which net you....nothing? Experience doesn't count as it's pointless.

There were actually at least 3 Ultimas on the SNES. There's one called Ultima: Runes of Virtue 2. That's some extremely silly hack and slash shit in which you control either Iolo, Maria, or one of two other guys (but no Avatar!) to rescue some noble being kidnapped by a Black Knight. The best part of the game was the way of shopping: I remember HAMBURGERS which are used to restore "hearts" are put on the floor in "food shops", and when you pick them up (by walking over them), 10 gold will be extracted from your purse. *facepalm*

This Runes of Virtue series has two games, 1 is exclusive on the gameboy and the other is on both GB and SNES.

Someone REALLY should pick them up and make a LP.

BTW, the U6 on the SNES, while is unfortunately dumbed down in some ways (no character portraits, no corpses, etc), has a few points which are MUCH superior to the DOS version. Like a MUCH bigger gameplay screen, much smoother animation, and the best part, very very high quality music. It's MP3 quality!
I'm pretty sure I actually have the Runes of Virtue 2 ROM, since I've noticed it in my list before, but I'm also pretty sure I wouldn't survive it after this LP.
 

Silellak

Cipher
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
3,198
Location
Tucson, AZ
I have another appropriately rage-filled update ready to go. Can we get this bumped to Page 4 before I post?
 

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