someone else
Arcane
1: Introduction to game mechanics, Lord British's Castle and Sewers 1/2.
2: Sewers 2/2.
3: World 1 - Prison Tower.
4: World 2 - Killorn Keep.
4.5: Post Killorn Keep.
5: World 3 - Ice Cavern.
6: Blood Stained Stones
7: World 4 - Talorus.
7.5: Post Talorus.
8: World 5 - Scintillus Academy of Magic.
8.5: Scintillus Academy Secure Vault.
9: World 6 - Pits Of Carnage 1/2.
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Developer: Looking Glass Technologies
1993
"To commemorate the defeat of the Guardian's forces (Ultima 7:The Black Gate) one year ago, you (the Avatar) and the leaders of Britannia are invited to Lord British's castle for an evening of celebration. Suddenly the Guardian strikes again, encasing the building in a gigantic blackrock gem. He offers the imprisoned heroes a simple choice: proclaim him ruler of all Britannia, or starve while his minions conquer the land."
I'm playing with modded brighter lighting, the game is dark and I don't want to cause you guys eyestrain. Running on Dosbox.
This will not be a lulzy fanfiction LP, actual dialogues from the game will be in cyan.
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From the manual:
Designers' Notes: "In designing the Underworld system, one of the things we attempted to do was to merge traditional fantasy RPG elements, such as quests and combats and explorations, with a sophisticated three-dimensional simulation of a sensible and believable world.
We feel that one of Underworld's strongest features is its capacity to generate situations and strategies that we did not script, but that arose from scenarioes we created. For example: Suppose there's a Despoiler daemon guarding the key to that door. Maybe I should come back when I can take him hand-to-hand ... or bring up my picklock skill ... or throw this sling stone at him, see if he'll chase me ... or maybe I can sneak past him - how good is a Despoiler's eyesight? And can he swim ...?
We also decided to make Underworld II a non-linear gaming enviroment. This means that nearly all adventuring locales will contain areas that will be too difficult for you the first time you arrive there. In order to win the game, you will need to visit and revisit dungeons, exploring new areas each time. So if your foe seems to be getting the better of you time and time again, it would be wise to explore elsewhere for a while, until your character is more powerful.
Here are some of the features of Underworld II we hope you will enjoy:
Depth of Simulation. When the 3-D world gets sufficiently complex, a player's choice of actions grows exponentially. We've created the world, and tried to set things up so that you can do what you like it it. (But you're not the only one in the world - non-player characters have plenty of options too.)
Realism. Rivers, ice, torches burning out, armour and weapons whose performance depends on quality, food levels, different lighting levels, and other elements are designed to maximise the realism and detail. When you pick up an item, all creatures who care about that item are checked to see if they notice; when you make noise, creatures will turn to face the noise source, and if you are still there when they finish turning they will see you, and decide whether or not the want to attack ...
Multiple Solutions. Well, we know there are at least a couple of ways of getting through each area/puzzle in the game. However, we don't know how many ways you'll discover."
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1) Introduction to game mechanics, Lord British's Castle and Sewers 1.
You can watch the intro cinematic on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of7mKziADTM
Time to roll my Avatar.
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Theme":
http://www.imeem.com/people/dN7Ej9/music/On8bxFbi/origin-ultima-underworld-2-song-1/
Hmm which class to take? It will determine my attributes and skills.
The Avatar has 3 attributes:
Attributes range from 12-30. There are different minimun scores for different classes.
Skills are 0-30.
To-hit rating = 0.5*attack skill+weapon skill
Defense rating = defense skill+0.5*weapon skill
Dice range for to-hit rolls is 0-30.
Armour reduces damage.
I'm play a mage which starts with the skills attack, defense, mana, casting and choose additional casting or mana. I've only played melee with magic support characters in the past, I don't know how viable are pure mages in combat.
Vitality is hitpoints.
This only affects combat difficulty.
Tribute to helicopter-hair girl. Do a net search.
I start in my room in the Castle Of Lord British.
Same shot with low detail which was what I used to play with. Can you spot the secret door in the first picture? For some secret doors, it looks just like normal walls until you search it, then the textures will change.
Switch the inventory screen to the character sheet. I have 1 free skill point.
I picked up the map in my room and read it. The castle is already mapped out. You can add your own notes to the map.
You can pick up notes and read them. But before proceeding to the throne room, let's take a look at whats behind the secret door.
My adventuring equipment. I also get a runebag and some runestones which are needed for spellcasting. Lots of items lying around, this game allows you to combine items, eg. eat a honey comb and you get wax, combine thread+wax = candle.
There's a door to the right, flipping the switch on the wall opens it.
A cute rat! It is only upset and will not attack so it is possible to avoid combat but I'm going to demostrate how to fight.
I opened the runebag, it has 6 runes in it, I start with more as I'm a mage. As in previous Ultimas, there are 24 runes, corresponding to the A-Z alphabets omitting X and Z. Each rune represents an word. I choose 2 runes: ORT & JUX which means MAGIC & HARM giving me the spell magic arrow. Most of the spells are listed in the manual. I guess it is a form of copy protection. Though Ultima players can figure out the spells through the runes.
To cast a spell you need to be of high enough level, adquate casting skill, enough mana and the correct runes. The only attack spell I can cast now is the level one magic arrow.
My magic arrow hits the rat, which leaps at me, not so cute now is it? At close range I cannot release my magic arrow and is forced to walk backwards to have enough room to cast. Of course the rat will try to close the distance. Good thing about this game is that the hostiles don't just rush at blindly at you; they eye you warily, brandish their weapons, back off and run away when badly wounded. The yellow gargoyle eyes at the top means the rat is moderately wounded.
*Pic taken without lighting mod*
I'm now preparing to strike with my dagger. The further you pull back, the greater the damage. The green gem in the center means I'll be unleashing my stab at full strength. You can thrust, swing or overhead bash, a dagger is better at thrusting while a mace will be better used with a bash. This also affects the hit area, you have to look up to stab a flying bat for example. You can choose between quick+low damage or slow+hard hitting attacks, since armour reduces damage, high damage is usually prefered over speed. Certain magical weapon properties may make it preferable to strike quickly.
Now lets go to the throne room (no throne though). Looks like a LARPer convention. I can see some familiar faces.
Hmm 2 blackwomen (including me) in the castle and not a single blackman?
Not just yet. I have something I must attend to, first.
Please, Avatar, these are matters of utmost importance!
I need not tell you, citizens of Britannia, that we are near our darkest hour. The gem that surrounds our castle is made of blackrock, a substance impervious to all physical force, which stifles magical workings within its boundaries. The Guardian has this day struck Britannia a fearsome blow, and we may be sure that he will not rest idle. Doubtless, even now he is preparing an assault on the entire nation of Britannia!
Lord British! Cannot Lord Draxinusom of the Gargoyles rally our people against the invader?
He will do what he can, certainly, but I know not whether the humans of Britannia shall follow a gargoyle leader.
*Patterson arrives in a hurry, gasping for breath.*
Well, w-what can we do, then?
Somehow, we must find a way to breach the gem. Now, to work! Servants, take an inventory of the castle storerooms! Nystul, Nelson, we shall have need of thy far-famed scholarly powers -- you must determine how the jewel was created, and how it may be destroyed. You others, warriors, and especially you, Avatar, eight times our savior, you must search the castle, above and below, for some means of escape.
*He breaks off, sensing an otherworldy intruder.*
After this most of the castle occupants dispersed. At the start of the game it's mostly talkytalky, so let's go start with Lord British.
Tell me, then what hath occupied thine attention lately?
Well, Avatar, I am sorry now I did invite thee to this doomed affair. The Guardian's threats are indeed dire!
I would not have my friends face danger alone!
*He laughs.*
Thou'rt right! I was a fool to think I could keep thee out of danger, for thou'rt e'er plunging thyself in the thick of it! Listen, thou shouldst speak with Dupre! He mentioned he had seen something which might relate to our current plight! If there is nothing more, Helicopter, I must go now.
Wait, Lord British, there is more we must speak of.
What wouldst thou like to talk about, then?
I have need of thy healing powers.
Of course, Avatar.
*He performs a gesture of healing, but nothing happens.*
*He repeats the gesture.*
I am sorry, Avatar, but it appears that black jewel has nullifed my powers of healing. Thou wilt have to heal thyself naturally.
Iolo the bard is still hanging around the throne room. A former companion and owner of one annoying talking horse.
That's me!
What news, Iolo?
There is little to say, my friend. 'Tis a fine mess we are in this time, is it not?
Thou art right, Iolo, I see little hope for us.
*Iolo lowers his voice.*
Thou shouldst not be so gloomy Helicopter. 'Tis true the situation is grim, but remember! The others look to thee to keep their spirits up.
*He raises his voice again, so that others can hear him.*
'Tis true, my friend! We may be thankful for this prison, inasmuch as we are safe on the inside, while the rest are trapped outside with Chuckles the Jester!
*He drops his voice to a whisper again.*
But really, Avatar, the situation is darker than most here suspect.
(Valor) Don't tell me! I don't want to hear it!
Courage, Avatar! Dupre and I took a look down in the sewers when the gem first came up -- 'tis crawling with monstrous vermin! The sewers were never safe, but now they are horrific! I believe he has the key, shouldst thou care to take a look for thyself.
Let's look for Sir Dupre then.
Sir Dupre's room as you can easily tell...
Looks like he isn't home.
Most items in the castle can be picked up, but some belongings are tagged with ownership, if Dupre sees me taking this sword, it will lower his attitude towards me. Hmm since he isn't around, let's do something Avatar-like and nick his sword and shield.
Let's visit the other guests in the guestrooms.
My old tinker friend Julia.
What is on thy mind, Julia?
Between me and thee, I am glad thou art here, Helicopter. We've worked together, fought side by side -- I know I can count on thee!
'Tis good to work with thee again, too, Julia.
We must be careful of the others. Feridwyn, for instance, and Syria -- who are they? They happened to come to the festival, but how can we know they are reliable?
Of course they are reliable! Are you suggesting one of them might side with the Guardian?
I know they are our friends, but who can tell what people will do when threatened with death?
Foreshadowing? Dun dun dun.
Lady Tory from Serpent's Hold.
I would know thy thoughts, Lady Tory.
Trapped in here as we are, I sense rising fear and anxiety in nearly everyone.
We must not give into fear. 'Tis the Guardian's chief weapon!
But I also sense that they have great confidence in thee.
*She pauses.*
As do I, Avatar.
Yes but are you confident that this LP won't get totally abandoned?
Nelson, the most accomplished scholar in Britannia.
What is it, Nelson?
We are in quite a fix, aren't we? But then, I suppose that is a specialty of thine!
Thou art right -- I shall get us out of this!
Well, I have been thinking -- all of the Guardian's blackrock structures have had smaller copies of themselves inside -- it would be worthwhile searching for something similar within the castle.
But where would such a thing be?
'Tis hard to say. It may have been hidden, or it may contain its own defences, in some interior space. 'Tis probably not in the castle proper, though, but rather nearer the base of the sphere, in the sewers.
The sewers, how cliche, I'm sure it will be dark and gritty as well.
Patterson, the mayor of the town of Britain.
How are things, Patterson?
I am glad to have a chance to speak with thee. I just wanted to say, I have always been a great admirer of thine, and 'tis good to be working with thee. If there is anything I can do to help out...
Just stay out of my way, Patterson.
Er...
Thank thee, Avatar! I shall do as thou sayest.
Looks like the Avatar has her own adoring fan.
Feridwyn, a philanthropist.
What is on thy mind, Feridwn?
Well, Helicopter, once again thy visit has coincided with calamity. I cannot say I am surprised.
If thou wilt not be civil, do not speak to me.
Civility, like respect, should be earned, Avatar.
t('-'t)
Sir Dupre finally found his out of Ten-Forward and returns to his room.
Is our situation not difficult enough?
Thou dost not know the worst. Iolo and I walked down into the sewers, and a bit below -- a plague of monsters has erupted! I do not know where they are coming from, but the matter bears investigation!
(Valor) Truly, I am loath to descend into the sewers.
Avatar, shame on thee! The men and women of the castle are depending on thee! Take thou this key to the sewers, if thou shouldst recover the courage I admire thee for!
Yeah I may be lacking in balls, but I do have a fist.
Look Dupre! Naked blue alien chick!
Sucker punch!
Sir Dupre responds with X-TREME force.
The stalwart Avatar hides in Iolo's room while Dupre shoots his crossbow. Notice that Dupre is out of sight, firing unlimited ammunition that is piling up on the floor. This is a good way to get ammo for those keen on missile combat. I better put a stop to this before he destroys Iolo's bed, yes furniture can be destroyed.
I step into view, got shot and woke up in jail.
*Achievement unlocked: get incarcerated*
Lord British is pacing outside my cell.
I do not wish to speak to thee.
As the situation stands, thou hast not a choice.
Avatar, I and thou know that the burden of protecting a nation is a great one. However, the next time thou dost find the pressure too much to bear, I suggest that thou find some occupation besides brawling with thy friends!
Nay, I shall spend my time how I like.
Try to be more civil in the future, though -- this is all we ask.
Sure thing Richy! Out of jail just like that. Being the Avatar has its privileges.
Next we visit the kitchen, grab some grub and meet one of the servants, Charles:
Who says nothing worth copying, unless you are interested in some Britannia lore, which I've been ignoring in this LP.
The castle stores, see all that a day-old piece of food? Will they still be a day old after a week?
The armoury is near the storeroom but it is locked. I can't pick it open, need to find the key.
Once back in the kitchen, we meet Nell, another servant.
Canst thou think of anything which might tell us more about our situation?
'Twas the night before this hideous gem formed around us. At four o'clock in the morning I was awakened by a voice in the throne room, I was too scared to investigate, but it sounded like someone chanting in a very low voice. I was going to tell thee, but then the gem appeared, and that awful Guardian spoke to us, and I forgot all about it until now.
Four am eh? *Writes it down*
The head servant Nanna.
What hast occupied thee of late, Nanna?
Lord British's behavior is becoming more and more offensive! "Servants, take an inventory"! No "please," no "thank you," no mention of "far-famed organizational powers!" I wonder what he thinks he would do without us!
Look, Nanna, in this time of crisis we must all pull together.
Pull together? I spend all day searching the storerooms, shooing away rats, while he sits on his throne looking noble, staring into the middle distance! I suppose that's what you call pulling together!
I AM VERY ANGRY ABOUT LORD BRITISH!
The court magician Nystul in his quarters.
What wouldst thou say to me?
'Tis a staggeringly huge spell -- I had not thought even the Guardian could create such an enormous amount of blackrock -- but 'tis also a very crude casting, no subtlety about it. If I had the book it was cast from, I'd swear I could reverse it!
What dost thou mean, a crude spell?
'Tis as if the caster had so much power he thought there was no need to work skillfully. As it is, the ether has been violently disrupted, and I should not be surprised if there were aftershocks and side effects in our own and other realities.
What kind of "aftershocks?"
'Tis hard to predict -- possibly some sort of "echo" effect, wherein the spell effect might replicate itself on a smaller scale, like an echo repeating and dying away. Tis common in his castings. I shouldn't wonder if we see some smaller replica of the gem just as we saw in his assault a year ago.
And you think this effect might extend to worlds beyond our own?
The same ether surrounds and permeates all the realities. An etherstorm this size might have far-reaching effects. Such things are hard to estimate.
Just what is blackrock, anyway?
I know not, save that it blocks the flow of the ether, and thus we can cast only the simplest spells within castle.
Level 1 to 4 spells to be exact. Under the castle as well.
Nystul keeps a library including some books from our Earth. I always wanted to read Lovecraft in a game. Those two crytal balls let you view the Great Hall and Throne Room.
The Princess Bride, I approve. The chest on the right is locked, I wonder what books the dirty wizard keeps in there? I'll get it open eventually. The nearby closet in the library is actually a teleporter to Nystul's laboratory.
Found some potions and runes. I also notice a secret button hidden behind 2 boxes, which opens a secret door.
Expecting to find some charmed beauties, but turns out Nystul has a fetish for slugs and rats. I quickly slaughter them for XP. Sorry about the cursor.
I meet a couple of fighters near the jail.
First is Syria, Headmaster of the Library of Scars.
What is on thy mind, Syria?
It seems I shall have a chance to see the famous Avatar in action. I shall be curious to know whether there is any truth to the tales of thy boldness and cunning.
(Humility) I have indeed endured many perils! Mine has been a full life.
Excellent! I shall expect a dazzling performance, Avatar.
Next is Geoffrey.
How hast thou been, Geoffrey?
In a way, 'tis a relief to be in action again. To confront danger in the realm's defense, 'tis a strange sort of exhilaration, and I have not felt it for a long time.
Last person to talk to can be found in the Great Hall, which looks better ingame, really I swear.
Miranda, a councilor of Britannia.
What is the situation in the castle?
Well, I'm setting up our "War Room" in the Great Hall, where I'll keep track of all the events related to our battle against the Guardian. Make sure to come to me often to get the lastest news, and inform me of thy progress.
I shall.
One last look at the Courtyard.
Time to prepare for the sewers, I stuffed my face with food, pack some day-old piece of meats and took an extra handaxe as a backup weapon. I decided to eschew missile weapons since I'm a mage. I travel light as I expect I'll need the space for the loot I'll find.
Light the torch! It's dungeon crawling time!
Immediately upon setting foot in the sewers I got attacked by a bat.
A rotworm.
These vermin are easily dispatched with my shortsword despite my zero weapon skill. I am somewhat saddened that they don't drop gold when they die.
I spot a human in a room nearby. The plants can picked up and eaten if you are hungry.
Who art thou? An intruder in Castle British?
I hates ta tell a stranger the plain truth, but me situation's a bit desperate. My name's Fissif, an' I came up here about 2 days ago through the tunnel from Buccaneer's Den, to see what could be... acquired under cover of the festivities.
What happened then?
T'was about 4:15 in the morning, and I was just making me way down through the basement to the tunnel, when the bloody ground started shaking, knocked me off my feet! When I got up and went downstairs, this black stuff was blocking the cave mouth!
Wait. How didst thou know what time it was?
I found the Avatar's pocketwatch in a bunch o'junk in a closet. I 'ad me the key t'the armory, too, but I lost it in a scuffle with th'green giant! By the way, what did thou sayest thy name was?
If you choose another conversation path he mentions that the key to the armoury is lost near a Reaper (a brown tree monster actually, like a treant).
Actually, I am Helicopter, the Avatar, incarnation of the eight virtues, and eight times the saviour of Britannia.
Oh.
*Pause*
Then I s'pose thou wilt be wanting thy pocketwatch back again.
Yes, that would be nice.
Perhaps I should be getting along, then.
*He begins edging toward the nearest exit.*
First, canst thou tell me more about the sewers?
'Ere f'r a bit o' sightseein', are ye? Well, Fissif'l 'elp yew out a bit! Stay away from the 'eadlesses next door, that'l do fer a start. if ye're looking' for a short cut downstairs, ye can jump a few platforms, 'n'op down the rabbit'ole.
Speak proper Ultima English! Thou saw some headless the other day? Horrible creatures!
The rabbit hole?
Thou shalt see! Just watch for the big duck pond, 'n keep to your left!
Thank thee -- I see thou art very familiar with the area.
I know m'way 'round'ere, I does!
*He turns to leave.*
And where art thou going in such a hurry?
Oh, things to do. Oy've got rats to kill and eat, fetid water to sip, that sort o' thing. Oy'm a busy man!
Not so fast, Fissif. I mean to arrest thee.
Arrest? And why should I come with thee to jail? We are all in the Guardian's jail, anyway!
1. If thou dost not, I shall kill thee where thou standest.
2. If thou dost remain below, thou shalt starve or die of disease.
Eh... What will
do?
If thou dost not, I shall kill thee where thou standest.
*He takes a step backward, and slowly sizes you up.*
(Valor) Thou dost look a bit out of shape, Helicopter. I believe I shall take my chances with thee.
1. So be it.
2. Dost thou think to succeed where the Triad of Evil failed?
So be it.
The unarmed thief is no match for The Avatar, despite the Avatar's lack of combat skills...
Okay, okay, y'dinna have to get so rought, I'll go off to jail wi'ye. 'S not like I 'aven't been before!
*Sulking, he limps off towards the upstairs ladder.*
Next door where the headless are, the skulls serve as a warning that this is a dangerous area. Headless are out-of-depth monsters at this point and the designers put them near the start of the game. I'll probably get killed but I'm sure you guys want to see some headless right?
I'm using my tracking skill and can detect a few creatures, had my skill been higher I would be able to get more info. A headless walks into view from the right opening. Move closer to the screen if you cannot see. I started retreating while casting magic arrows.
Too busy fighting so I didn't get a screenshot of me kiting. I can only slowly walk backwards, unlike this guy.
After shooting 20 magic arrows I ran out of mana and the headless thing isn't dead yet. Yes the spell is that bad. I stab at the abomination with my shortsword but only managed to miss and damage my sword due to lack of weapon expertise. Mana regenerates too slowly so...
Runaway!
And run she did.
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*You sense an otherworldy intruder.*
Missing in combat? That's frustrating, weapons should always hit, combat is more satisfying and immersive if you can feel your blows connecting.
Pish-tish! Character stats should matter, not player's skill.
Well, we could compromise and let character skill influence attack damage. Like the Barehand skill does in this game.
What a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that!
Perhaps Diablo 3 will benefit from always-hit attacks as well.
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Back to the game. I ran back up to the castle and decided to visit the captured thief.
Bartering. While there is gold in this game, most of the transactions can be done with goods.
There's also an option to demand goods.
You can also give gifts to increase your relationship.
Hmm best not think where he hides the lockpicks.
I demand that thou givest me these items.
Art thou going to take my belongings by force?
Yes, I must.
No! Thou shalt not take them!
Fissif turns hostile but he is behind bars and cannot reach me. I can get myself thrown in jail again which will reset hostiles in the castle but I just reload my save.
While sleeping in the castle, I got a disturbing dream. Someone in the castle has given in to the Guardian?
The headless returned to its home when I returned to the sewers. Monsters heal too when you sleep so this will not be easier. But this time I'm wielding a handaxe since I damaged my sword.
Once more into the breach!
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Combat" music:
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=4501382&song=Combat
Did you notice that the Avatar is a head taller than the monster? :D
MAGE FAIL
Not a good thing to fail incantations when you are engaged in head-to-head combat.
I swing my axe whenever it ventures close. Combat is slow and sluggish like those old, poorly choreographed kungfu movies. I actually like it. Can't say I'm playing this for the combat though.
The horrible creature falls before my Avatar-like-might, they aren't that hard as long as you keep your head. Alas I was not quick enough to capture the death animation. Here is a blood stain instead. Forgot which one though.
Heading deeper into the headless lair, I encounter one more headless plus a rat. I pull the rat away from the headless and quickly kill it.
The headless approaches.
It's the Deus Ex protoAI! I'm not even crouching (can't crouch in this game) and I'm holding this lit torch, but let's not nitpick over stealth.
First strike is mine then; a few creatures have different armour rating for head and body, I would aim for the head but...
I'm out of mana again and have to resort to vulgar physical violence. I believe I have in my sack, an unidentified mana potion from Nystul's lab but I'm saving it.
I feel like I've passed an arbitrary experience point limit and gained more power. The Avatar can now cast level 2 spells now such as lesser heal, with the runes 'IN BET MANI' (IBM) or 'Cause Small Life'. I'm still stuck with magic arrow as my attack spell and I've worn out my axe with my wild noobish swinging.
I pop back to the castle to visit Nystul and spend my new skill points training on mana.
The floor leading to next area appears and disappears, I missed my timing (purposely) and fell down to the next level.
Lady Helicopter falls into water next to a hostile lurker, nasty tentacles. I can't attack while swimming so I made for the ladder before I get tentacle-raped.
I rest up and killed the lurker from the shore, out of range of its tenacles with magic arrow.
There is a drain at the pool which leads to a nook with a wand. Using it fires off a magic arrow.
The ladder leads back up and I pass the disappearing floor trap and meet up with a new monster, a weak giant spider. It isn't hostile but I want my XP.
Another trap, the floor disappeared right before me, good thing I was walking slowly.
A sidepath...
Dead adventurers remains all over the ground! What horrible creatures did this? Nope, I searched, no PDAs, no audiologs nor diaries describing their final moments.
Onwards! "Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once."
A gazer! Reminds me of a beholder. It hasn't seen me yet. I fear this is too much for me to handle but maybe I can sneak/rush in and grab whatever it is guarding?
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Dangerous Situation" music:
400kb mp3:http://www.taconf.com/tom/mp3/mt32/[Ultima Underworld II] Dangerous Situation.mp3
Small LQ midi:http://www.bootstrike.com/Uw2/playmidi.html?file=dangeroussituation.mid&title=Dangerous Situation
Two of them! And the chest is locked, I have no lockpicking skill and no time to bash the chest open. Time to run!
The ledge back out is a bit high, Lightning bolts blast into my back as I try jumping up but failed (I shouldn't have stuffed my face). Acrobatic skill will help here! Wait, I can also cast jump but is there time for me to open my runebag? Let's try jumping again. Oh wait I forgot to heal, must not forget to take a screenshot as well.
Oh noes! Death comes with multiple zooming skulls.
The Avatar is dead, dead as
and Lord British couldn't raise him due to the blackrock interference.
Latest map. Note there is a long tunnel to the gazers. Gazers are deaf but are able to see twice as far as humans. If they spot you early, you will be seeing lightning bolts flying at you out of the darkness. It only takes 3 to 4 bolts to kill me and there is no room to dodge them so I can't just shoot them from a distance, I can't hit them with my weapon either since I am unskilled in weapons. Looks like I should skip this and return when I am stronger.
You see gentlemen, proof that level scaling is better.
Well I suppose the Avatar wouldn't have died if the gazers were weaker or some weaker monsters spawned instead.
Aye, instead of wasting time traveling back here she would have killed the monsters and gotten the leveled loot in the chest. We don't want people to uninstall the game due to death from out-of-depth spawns do we?
Too bad you don't rule Britannia, but what about our poor old Avatar, what is she going to do now? Let us ask the viewers. What do you guys think? How should Miss Helicopter get out of her jam? Do you have a cunning plan? Or should she come back later stronger as the game designers intent?
Current stats:
Level 4
Offensive spells:
Level 1 - magic arrow
2: Sewers 2/2.
3: World 1 - Prison Tower.
4: World 2 - Killorn Keep.
4.5: Post Killorn Keep.
5: World 3 - Ice Cavern.
6: Blood Stained Stones
7: World 4 - Talorus.
7.5: Post Talorus.
8: World 5 - Scintillus Academy of Magic.
8.5: Scintillus Academy Secure Vault.
9: World 6 - Pits Of Carnage 1/2.
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Developer: Looking Glass Technologies
1993
"To commemorate the defeat of the Guardian's forces (Ultima 7:The Black Gate) one year ago, you (the Avatar) and the leaders of Britannia are invited to Lord British's castle for an evening of celebration. Suddenly the Guardian strikes again, encasing the building in a gigantic blackrock gem. He offers the imprisoned heroes a simple choice: proclaim him ruler of all Britannia, or starve while his minions conquer the land."
I'm playing with modded brighter lighting, the game is dark and I don't want to cause you guys eyestrain. Running on Dosbox.
This will not be a lulzy fanfiction LP, actual dialogues from the game will be in cyan.
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From the manual:
Designers' Notes: "In designing the Underworld system, one of the things we attempted to do was to merge traditional fantasy RPG elements, such as quests and combats and explorations, with a sophisticated three-dimensional simulation of a sensible and believable world.
We feel that one of Underworld's strongest features is its capacity to generate situations and strategies that we did not script, but that arose from scenarioes we created. For example: Suppose there's a Despoiler daemon guarding the key to that door. Maybe I should come back when I can take him hand-to-hand ... or bring up my picklock skill ... or throw this sling stone at him, see if he'll chase me ... or maybe I can sneak past him - how good is a Despoiler's eyesight? And can he swim ...?
We also decided to make Underworld II a non-linear gaming enviroment. This means that nearly all adventuring locales will contain areas that will be too difficult for you the first time you arrive there. In order to win the game, you will need to visit and revisit dungeons, exploring new areas each time. So if your foe seems to be getting the better of you time and time again, it would be wise to explore elsewhere for a while, until your character is more powerful.
Here are some of the features of Underworld II we hope you will enjoy:
Depth of Simulation. When the 3-D world gets sufficiently complex, a player's choice of actions grows exponentially. We've created the world, and tried to set things up so that you can do what you like it it. (But you're not the only one in the world - non-player characters have plenty of options too.)
Realism. Rivers, ice, torches burning out, armour and weapons whose performance depends on quality, food levels, different lighting levels, and other elements are designed to maximise the realism and detail. When you pick up an item, all creatures who care about that item are checked to see if they notice; when you make noise, creatures will turn to face the noise source, and if you are still there when they finish turning they will see you, and decide whether or not the want to attack ...
Multiple Solutions. Well, we know there are at least a couple of ways of getting through each area/puzzle in the game. However, we don't know how many ways you'll discover."
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1) Introduction to game mechanics, Lord British's Castle and Sewers 1.
You can watch the intro cinematic on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of7mKziADTM
Time to roll my Avatar.
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Theme":
http://www.imeem.com/people/dN7Ej9/music/On8bxFbi/origin-ultima-underworld-2-song-1/
Hmm which class to take? It will determine my attributes and skills.
The Avatar has 3 attributes:
- Strength
- Dexterity
- Intelligence
- Attack
- Defense
- Axe (yeah separate from mace)
- Barehand (increases damage)
- Mace
- Missile (increases damage)
- Sword
- Casting
- Mana
- Acrobat (jump higher, land safely)
- Appraise (more accurate valuation in bartering, useless)
- Charisma (helps in bartering)
- Lore (identify items)
- Picklock
- Repair
- Search
- Stealth (reduces noise)
- Swimming (you can drown if you swim for too long)
- Track (detects monsters, gives more info)
- Traps (disarm)
Attributes range from 12-30. There are different minimun scores for different classes.
Skills are 0-30.
To-hit rating = 0.5*attack skill+weapon skill
Defense rating = defense skill+0.5*weapon skill
Dice range for to-hit rolls is 0-30.
Armour reduces damage.
I'm play a mage which starts with the skills attack, defense, mana, casting and choose additional casting or mana. I've only played melee with magic support characters in the past, I don't know how viable are pure mages in combat.
Vitality is hitpoints.
This only affects combat difficulty.
Tribute to helicopter-hair girl. Do a net search.
I start in my room in the Castle Of Lord British.
Same shot with low detail which was what I used to play with. Can you spot the secret door in the first picture? For some secret doors, it looks just like normal walls until you search it, then the textures will change.
Switch the inventory screen to the character sheet. I have 1 free skill point.
I picked up the map in my room and read it. The castle is already mapped out. You can add your own notes to the map.
You can pick up notes and read them. But before proceeding to the throne room, let's take a look at whats behind the secret door.
My adventuring equipment. I also get a runebag and some runestones which are needed for spellcasting. Lots of items lying around, this game allows you to combine items, eg. eat a honey comb and you get wax, combine thread+wax = candle.
There's a door to the right, flipping the switch on the wall opens it.
A cute rat! It is only upset and will not attack so it is possible to avoid combat but I'm going to demostrate how to fight.
I opened the runebag, it has 6 runes in it, I start with more as I'm a mage. As in previous Ultimas, there are 24 runes, corresponding to the A-Z alphabets omitting X and Z. Each rune represents an word. I choose 2 runes: ORT & JUX which means MAGIC & HARM giving me the spell magic arrow. Most of the spells are listed in the manual. I guess it is a form of copy protection. Though Ultima players can figure out the spells through the runes.
To cast a spell you need to be of high enough level, adquate casting skill, enough mana and the correct runes. The only attack spell I can cast now is the level one magic arrow.
My magic arrow hits the rat, which leaps at me, not so cute now is it? At close range I cannot release my magic arrow and is forced to walk backwards to have enough room to cast. Of course the rat will try to close the distance. Good thing about this game is that the hostiles don't just rush at blindly at you; they eye you warily, brandish their weapons, back off and run away when badly wounded. The yellow gargoyle eyes at the top means the rat is moderately wounded.
*Pic taken without lighting mod*
I'm now preparing to strike with my dagger. The further you pull back, the greater the damage. The green gem in the center means I'll be unleashing my stab at full strength. You can thrust, swing or overhead bash, a dagger is better at thrusting while a mace will be better used with a bash. This also affects the hit area, you have to look up to stab a flying bat for example. You can choose between quick+low damage or slow+hard hitting attacks, since armour reduces damage, high damage is usually prefered over speed. Certain magical weapon properties may make it preferable to strike quickly.
Now lets go to the throne room (no throne though). Looks like a LARPer convention. I can see some familiar faces.
Hmm 2 blackwomen (including me) in the castle and not a single blackman?
*Patterson arrives in a hurry, gasping for breath.*
*He breaks off, sensing an otherworldy intruder.*
After this most of the castle occupants dispersed. At the start of the game it's mostly talkytalky, so let's go start with Lord British.
*He laughs.*
*He performs a gesture of healing, but nothing happens.*
*He repeats the gesture.*
Iolo the bard is still hanging around the throne room. A former companion and owner of one annoying talking horse.
*Iolo lowers his voice.*
*He raises his voice again, so that others can hear him.*
*He drops his voice to a whisper again.*
Let's look for Sir Dupre then.
Sir Dupre's room as you can easily tell...
Looks like he isn't home.
Most items in the castle can be picked up, but some belongings are tagged with ownership, if Dupre sees me taking this sword, it will lower his attitude towards me. Hmm since he isn't around, let's do something Avatar-like and nick his sword and shield.
Let's visit the other guests in the guestrooms.
My old tinker friend Julia.
Foreshadowing? Dun dun dun.
Lady Tory from Serpent's Hold.
*She pauses.*
Yes but are you confident that this LP won't get totally abandoned?
Nelson, the most accomplished scholar in Britannia.
The sewers, how cliche, I'm sure it will be dark and gritty as well.
Patterson, the mayor of the town of Britain.
Looks like the Avatar has her own adoring fan.
Feridwyn, a philanthropist.
t('-'t)
Sir Dupre finally found his out of Ten-Forward and returns to his room.
Yeah I may be lacking in balls, but I do have a fist.
Sucker punch!
Sir Dupre responds with X-TREME force.
The stalwart Avatar hides in Iolo's room while Dupre shoots his crossbow. Notice that Dupre is out of sight, firing unlimited ammunition that is piling up on the floor. This is a good way to get ammo for those keen on missile combat. I better put a stop to this before he destroys Iolo's bed, yes furniture can be destroyed.
I step into view, got shot and woke up in jail.
*Achievement unlocked: get incarcerated*
Lord British is pacing outside my cell.
Sure thing Richy! Out of jail just like that. Being the Avatar has its privileges.
Next we visit the kitchen, grab some grub and meet one of the servants, Charles:
Who says nothing worth copying, unless you are interested in some Britannia lore, which I've been ignoring in this LP.
The castle stores, see all that a day-old piece of food? Will they still be a day old after a week?
The armoury is near the storeroom but it is locked. I can't pick it open, need to find the key.
Once back in the kitchen, we meet Nell, another servant.
Four am eh? *Writes it down*
The head servant Nanna.
I AM VERY ANGRY ABOUT LORD BRITISH!
The court magician Nystul in his quarters.
Level 1 to 4 spells to be exact. Under the castle as well.
Nystul keeps a library including some books from our Earth. I always wanted to read Lovecraft in a game. Those two crytal balls let you view the Great Hall and Throne Room.
The Princess Bride, I approve. The chest on the right is locked, I wonder what books the dirty wizard keeps in there? I'll get it open eventually. The nearby closet in the library is actually a teleporter to Nystul's laboratory.
Found some potions and runes. I also notice a secret button hidden behind 2 boxes, which opens a secret door.
Expecting to find some charmed beauties, but turns out Nystul has a fetish for slugs and rats. I quickly slaughter them for XP. Sorry about the cursor.
I meet a couple of fighters near the jail.
First is Syria, Headmaster of the Library of Scars.
Next is Geoffrey.
Last person to talk to can be found in the Great Hall, which looks better ingame, really I swear.
Miranda, a councilor of Britannia.
One last look at the Courtyard.
Time to prepare for the sewers, I stuffed my face with food, pack some day-old piece of meats and took an extra handaxe as a backup weapon. I decided to eschew missile weapons since I'm a mage. I travel light as I expect I'll need the space for the loot I'll find.
Light the torch! It's dungeon crawling time!
Immediately upon setting foot in the sewers I got attacked by a bat.
A rotworm.
These vermin are easily dispatched with my shortsword despite my zero weapon skill. I am somewhat saddened that they don't drop gold when they die.
I spot a human in a room nearby. The plants can picked up and eaten if you are hungry.
If you choose another conversation path he mentions that the key to the armoury is lost near a Reaper (a brown tree monster actually, like a treant).
*Pause*
*He begins edging toward the nearest exit.*
Speak proper Ultima English! Thou saw some headless the other day? Horrible creatures!
*He turns to leave.*
1. If thou dost not, I shall kill thee where thou standest.
2. If thou dost remain below, thou shalt starve or die of disease.
Eh... What will
*He takes a step backward, and slowly sizes you up.*
1. So be it.
2. Dost thou think to succeed where the Triad of Evil failed?
The unarmed thief is no match for The Avatar, despite the Avatar's lack of combat skills...
*Sulking, he limps off towards the upstairs ladder.*
Next door where the headless are, the skulls serve as a warning that this is a dangerous area. Headless are out-of-depth monsters at this point and the designers put them near the start of the game. I'll probably get killed but I'm sure you guys want to see some headless right?
I'm using my tracking skill and can detect a few creatures, had my skill been higher I would be able to get more info. A headless walks into view from the right opening. Move closer to the screen if you cannot see. I started retreating while casting magic arrows.
Too busy fighting so I didn't get a screenshot of me kiting. I can only slowly walk backwards, unlike this guy.
After shooting 20 magic arrows I ran out of mana and the headless thing isn't dead yet. Yes the spell is that bad. I stab at the abomination with my shortsword but only managed to miss and damage my sword due to lack of weapon expertise. Mana regenerates too slowly so...
And run she did.
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*You sense an otherworldy intruder.*
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Back to the game. I ran back up to the castle and decided to visit the captured thief.
Bartering. While there is gold in this game, most of the transactions can be done with goods.
There's also an option to demand goods.
You can also give gifts to increase your relationship.
Hmm best not think where he hides the lockpicks.
Fissif turns hostile but he is behind bars and cannot reach me. I can get myself thrown in jail again which will reset hostiles in the castle but I just reload my save.
While sleeping in the castle, I got a disturbing dream. Someone in the castle has given in to the Guardian?
The headless returned to its home when I returned to the sewers. Monsters heal too when you sleep so this will not be easier. But this time I'm wielding a handaxe since I damaged my sword.
Once more into the breach!
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Combat" music:
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=4501382&song=Combat
Did you notice that the Avatar is a head taller than the monster? :D
MAGE FAIL
Not a good thing to fail incantations when you are engaged in head-to-head combat.
I swing my axe whenever it ventures close. Combat is slow and sluggish like those old, poorly choreographed kungfu movies. I actually like it. Can't say I'm playing this for the combat though.
The horrible creature falls before my Avatar-like-might, they aren't that hard as long as you keep your head. Alas I was not quick enough to capture the death animation. Here is a blood stain instead. Forgot which one though.
Heading deeper into the headless lair, I encounter one more headless plus a rat. I pull the rat away from the headless and quickly kill it.
The headless approaches.
It's the Deus Ex protoAI! I'm not even crouching (can't crouch in this game) and I'm holding this lit torch, but let's not nitpick over stealth.
First strike is mine then; a few creatures have different armour rating for head and body, I would aim for the head but...
I'm out of mana again and have to resort to vulgar physical violence. I believe I have in my sack, an unidentified mana potion from Nystul's lab but I'm saving it.
I feel like I've passed an arbitrary experience point limit and gained more power. The Avatar can now cast level 2 spells now such as lesser heal, with the runes 'IN BET MANI' (IBM) or 'Cause Small Life'. I'm still stuck with magic arrow as my attack spell and I've worn out my axe with my wild noobish swinging.
I pop back to the castle to visit Nystul and spend my new skill points training on mana.
The floor leading to next area appears and disappears, I missed my timing (purposely) and fell down to the next level.
Lady Helicopter falls into water next to a hostile lurker, nasty tentacles. I can't attack while swimming so I made for the ladder before I get tentacle-raped.
I rest up and killed the lurker from the shore, out of range of its tenacles with magic arrow.
There is a drain at the pool which leads to a nook with a wand. Using it fires off a magic arrow.
The ladder leads back up and I pass the disappearing floor trap and meet up with a new monster, a weak giant spider. It isn't hostile but I want my XP.
Another trap, the floor disappeared right before me, good thing I was walking slowly.
A sidepath...
Dead adventurers remains all over the ground! What horrible creatures did this? Nope, I searched, no PDAs, no audiologs nor diaries describing their final moments.
Onwards! "Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once."
A gazer! Reminds me of a beholder. It hasn't seen me yet. I fear this is too much for me to handle but maybe I can sneak/rush in and grab whatever it is guarding?
Listen to Ultima Underworld 2 "Dangerous Situation" music:
400kb mp3:http://www.taconf.com/tom/mp3/mt32/[Ultima Underworld II] Dangerous Situation.mp3
Small LQ midi:http://www.bootstrike.com/Uw2/playmidi.html?file=dangeroussituation.mid&title=Dangerous Situation
Two of them! And the chest is locked, I have no lockpicking skill and no time to bash the chest open. Time to run!
The ledge back out is a bit high, Lightning bolts blast into my back as I try jumping up but failed (I shouldn't have stuffed my face). Acrobatic skill will help here! Wait, I can also cast jump but is there time for me to open my runebag? Let's try jumping again. Oh wait I forgot to heal, must not forget to take a screenshot as well.
Oh noes! Death comes with multiple zooming skulls.
The Avatar is dead, dead as
Latest map. Note there is a long tunnel to the gazers. Gazers are deaf but are able to see twice as far as humans. If they spot you early, you will be seeing lightning bolts flying at you out of the darkness. It only takes 3 to 4 bolts to kill me and there is no room to dodge them so I can't just shoot them from a distance, I can't hit them with my weapon either since I am unskilled in weapons. Looks like I should skip this and return when I am stronger.
Current stats:
Level 4
Offensive spells:
Level 1 - magic arrow