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Codex Interview Ultima 5: Lazarus Interview with Ian Frazier

Discussion in 'RPG Codex News & Content Comments' started by VentilatorOfDoom, Feb 15, 2012.

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  1. VentilatorOfDoom RPG Codex Staff Patron

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    #1
    Tags: Ultima 5: Lazarus; Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

    For quite some time now the bros in Jaesun's super-secret bro forum concerned themselves with a hobby-project of theirs. It was an interview about a Dungeon Siege mod, Ultima 5: Lazarus. Now, having a new, fancy homepage, we might as well put it online. I'll give you a snippet:

    Hope you like the read.

    Read the full article: Ultima 5: Lazarus Interview with Ian Frazier
    CappenVarra, DwarvenFood, Sceptic and 7 others Brofist this.

  2. MMXI Scholar

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    #2
    That was a great read. Made me realise just how big a project Lazarus must have been. Considering the engines most game developers use nowadays to build their games, Lazarus was effectively as large and ambitious as a full game, yet not as decline due to having source material from 1988.

    This part was depressing, though. But it's not like any of us thought any differently.

  3. Zed RPG Codex Staff

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    #3
    Took a while to read but there was a lot of good stuff in there.

    Yeah regarding that "no TB RPG in the West". I wonder what his thoughts are on the whole crowdfunding thing.

  4. Jaesun Codex Serpent Staff Patron

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    #4
    Yeah. Sadly this interview happened before the whole Kickstarter craze.

  5. ghostdog Scholar

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    #5
    That was a good read.

    :thumbsup:

    You've brought some incline with these interviews lately. Keep it up.

  6. Infinitron Liturgist Patron

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    #6
    :salute:

  7. tibermoon Literate

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    #7
    I'd never seen it done on a large enough scale to make me think it was a viable option until Tim Schafer's brilliant maneuver last week (huzzah for Double Fine!), but upon seeing that...well, it certainly gives me hope! :)
    Sceptic and MMXI Brofist this.

  8. Bulba Educated

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    #8
    Gonna try out this lazarus thing now, sounds fun:thumbsup:

  9. Unorus Janco Lurker

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    #9
    Awesome! I never played Lazarus, I need to finish the original U5 first...
    Fuck that, I'm downloading it right now :bounce:

  10. Sceptic Scholar

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    #10
    Fantastic read. Ian comes across as a really nice guy too, especially with how detailed some of the answers are.

  11. Jaesun Codex Serpent Staff Patron

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    #11
    Agreed. And the fact I consider him a CODEX BRO, for even taking the time to answer our questions. And in great detail.

    :bro:

  12. Harold Scholar

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    #12
    Great read. Here's to content like this showing up more often on the codex.:incline:
    Kz3r0 Brofists this.

  13. MicoSelva Learned

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    #13
    I bought DS: Legends of Aranna only so I could play U5 Lazarus and U6 Project.

    That was my best spent $4 for gaming I can remember.
    Kz3r0 Brofists this.

  14. Bruticis Learned

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    #14
    Awesome read, thanks for doing it. If anyone hasn't played U5:Laz yet, do it right now!
    Jaesun, Infinitron and Sceptic Brofist this.

  15. Sceptic Scholar

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    #15
    This, a million times :bro:
    Silellak Brofists this.

  16. Stinger Learned

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    #16
    The main reason I don't regret preodering Dungeon Siege 3 :love:

  17. Antagonist Scholar

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    #17
    This was a very interesting interview. Thanks. Lazarus is among the top 5 games I have played in the last 10 years.

  18. Silellak Scholar

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    #18
    Lazarus-Brofist! :bro:

    I was one of the ones who Jaesun tapped to help put the list of questions together. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer the questions of us drooling Lazarus fanboys.

    As I was reading the interview, something came to mind that I'd forgotten about and wish I'd asked - I remember on the Lazarus boards, there was talk of a really well-hidden Easter Egg in the game for long-time Ultima fans that no one had found yet. As far as I can remember, no one ever did find it. I don't suppose you can finally tell us what that is? ;)

  19. Silellak Scholar

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    #19
    Million and one. :bro:

  20. Sceptic Scholar

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    #20
    Wa... tibermoon is Ian? He is among us? :eek:

    Many many thanks for answering our questions, and MANY more for making Lazarus in the first place. I played it a few years ago when I had almost given up on any good party-based CRPG being released and it warmed my heart on those cold winter nights :love:

  21. tibermoon Literate

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    #21
    Yeah, I suppose after all this time I can finally spill the beans...

    If you explore the underworld very carefully, you can find a strange icy area that appears entirely out of place with its surroundings, as if teleported there wholesale from somewhere else. Within that area, you can find Enilno the Quicksword, the weapon that slew Minax the Enchantress in Ultima II. It's by far the best 2H weapon in Lazarus. :)

    Meanwhile there's another even MORE hidden easter egg in the game, which as far as I know only 1 person has ever discovered in the years since Lazarus released (I'm sure others have found it, but only one has told me so). That one involves the character Hazael of Skara Brae, but I'll say no more than that.
    CappenVarra, DwarvenFood, Unorus Janco and 6 others Brofist this.

  22. tibermoon Literate

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    #22
    Haha, yep, that's me. I stop by the Codex and lurk from time to time. Never made an account until relatively recently, though.

    Anyway, glad to hear you had such a great time with Lazarus! :)

  23. Infinitron Liturgist Patron

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    #23
    Hazael is you, isn't he?

  24. tibermoon Literate

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    #24
    Yep, he is. Or the me of several years ago, at least. Just as Lord British always had to be killed in some special manner in the Ultima games, there's only one way to kill poor Hazael.

  25. Silellak Scholar

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    #25
    Oh, sweet! Enilno I actually knew about (and found on my first playthrough), but I didn't know about Hazael at all - and I didn't catch onto the "strange icy area" part of the easter egg.

    I always thought it was weird that Enilno vanished from the Ultima saga without a trace, so I was pretty excited when I found it. Well played, sirrah.
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