Starting Ultima Series

SwordCoast · Dec 3, 2011

I want to start Ultima series. Which game do you suggest to start first? GOG has Ultima games 1 to 7 now. Should i start with first game? Or is it too primitive to play?

Jaesun · Dec 3, 2011

Play Ultima IV - V - VI - VII Part 1 and Part 2 - VIII

Enjoy!

jancobblepot · Dec 3, 2011

Jaesun said:
Play Ultima IV - V - VI - VII Part 1 and Part 2 - VIII

Enjoy!

This. Also Underworld 1 + 2

Jaesun · Dec 3, 2011

oops yes. Definitely Underworlds 1 and 2.

Xor · Dec 3, 2011

I - III are all fun if you're in the mood for a silly dungeon crawling adventure, but they're very primitive. I say try those first to at least get a feeling for where the series began, but quit if you get frustrated and just move to IV, which is where the series really hit its stride.

Also, be prepared to take notes.

Infinitron · Dec 3, 2011

If you're repelled by old graphics, swap U4 with one of the NWN remakes (there were actually two), U5 with U5:Lazarus, and U6 with the U6 Project.

But be prepared to face the wrath of the Kodex if you choose this dark path.

Jaesun · Dec 3, 2011

Play the originals THEN play Lazarus.

Bruticis · Dec 3, 2011

If you're going to play the underworlds (and you should), I'd go 4-6, UW1, U7 + FoV, UW2, U7 SI + SS, and finally U8. That's a lot of gaming and if even if you only manage to make it through 4-6, you'll be a better bro afterwards.

kmonster · Dec 3, 2011

Make a honest blind LP of Ultima IV and tell us how you're doing.

Infinitron · Dec 3, 2011

Worlds of Ultima ftw

Stabwound · Dec 3, 2011

I'm making an attempt at U4 right now. I don't really like it, but I want to play U5 and 7 badly and can't stand not playing the earlier games first.

Word of advice: get a pen and notebook.

Silellak · Dec 3, 2011

Jaesun said:
Play the originals THEN play Lazarus.

This. And don't fucking play Ultima 4 in the NWN engine. Why would you even consider doing that? No no no no no. You may as well just skip to 5 if you're going to pull that shit.

Jaesun · Dec 3, 2011

Agreed BRO. That NWN Ultima 4 mod was..... interesting. But In my opinion, was no where near the impact of the original.

There is a far better engine to do an Ultima IV remake in........

Sceptic · Dec 3, 2011

Man up and play them all. The only truly primitive one (provided you play the 1986 remake of U1, which if you're getting the GOG version you will) is U2, but both U2 and U3 have unofficial patches that improve the graphics, tweak the programming to make the games much more playable (and in the case of U2 fixes a stupid bug in all the non-original-floppies DOS versions, though I don't know what GOG have done about this one) and even provides music for U3. And speaking of music, you should get the music patches for U3, U4 and U5.

I'll second mentions of the Worlds of Ultima and Ultima Underworld games. Especially Martian Dreams and the UW's.

Infinitron said:
If you're repelled by old graphics, swap U4 with one of the NWN remakes

NO. Don't do that. Both remake are terrible, even if one was slightly less so. And while Lazarus is fantastic it's not a real substitute for 5, and you really should play both.

Stabwound · Dec 3, 2011

I've played U4 for a few hours now and I have to say the combat is banalshitboring and happens every 2 minutes outside of towns. Seriously, it's god awful.

JarlFrank · Dec 3, 2011

The Worlds of Ultima games are also worth a try.

Martian Dreams has 19th century celebrities travel to Mars by being shot by a large cannon. That's basically a "must try".

SwordCoast · Dec 3, 2011

Thanks for answers gentleman. I am not the type whose effected by graphics so much. Because of that, i will try to start with the first game if it works on my computer without a problem. You mentioned about some unofficial patches.Can you direct me to those unofficial patches and tell me which ones are good to install?

jancobblepot · Dec 3, 2011

Stabwound said:
I've played U4 for a few hours now and I have to say the combat is banalshitboring and happens every 2 minutes outside of towns. Seriously, it's god awful.

Get a horse and you will never fight again outside dungeons.

Jaesun · Dec 3, 2011

SwordCoast said:
Thanks for answers gentleman. I am not the type whose effected by graphics so much. Because of that, i will try to start with the first game if it works on my computer without a problem. You mentioned about some unofficial patches.Can you direct me to those unofficial patches and tell me which ones are good to install?

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/ultima1/pixs-ultima-patcher/

That pretty much covers them all (if you are playing GOG versions of Ultima).

asper · Dec 3, 2011

If you had to express the genius of Lord British in one sentence, what would that sentence be?

Sceptic · Dec 4, 2011

Stabwound said:
I've played U4 for a few hours now and I have to say the combat is banalshitboring and happens every 2 minutes outside of towns.

Combat isn't that exciting (and not as good as U5's) but it's too quick to be banalshitboring, and you know, 2 minutes is a pretty long time. It takes me less than that to go from one destination to another usually, so one combat per trip isn't so bad.

SwordCoast said:
Thanks for answers gentleman. I am not the type whose effected by graphics so much. Because of that, i will try to start with the first game if it works on my computer without a problem.

If you have trouble installing patches or need any other kind of help with the early games I'll be glad to help a daring soul.

You mentioned about some unofficial patches.Can you direct me to those unofficial patches and tell me which ones are good to install?

U1 works fine under DOSBox as is. The link Jaesun provided seems to apply fixes to all games, though I'm not sure you should use it for all of them (you may want to consider Exult, but you'll worry about it when you get there).

Jaesun said:
http://www.ultimaaiera.com/ultima1/pixs-ultima-patcher/

A few clicks from there took me to this page, which has a whole bunch of PDF's of old Origin strategy guides.
:bounce:

You're a BRO Jaesun. :bro:

Stabwound · Dec 4, 2011

Yeah, but combat doesn't ruin the game but it's pretty terrible.

The game is more fun than I thought, though. I was mostly just slogging through it so I could play Ultima 5-7 but 4 is pretty good for what it is when you get into it. Especially considering it was released in 1985 - mindblowing. I played Ultima 3 and 4 on the NES as a kid, but they're pretty different than the computer versions, and the virtue system went way above my head at the time.

Playing blind and have 1/8 shrines so far: Justice, which is probably the easiest one. I don't exactly understand how to raise some of the virtues, and I have a feeling I'm fucking myself on some of them, but oh well.

Feels good to play some of the games I probably should have played a long time ago. :smug:

jancobblepot · Dec 4, 2011

Sceptic said:
Stabwound said:

I've played U4 for a few hours now and I have to say the combat is banalshitboring and happens every 2 minutes outside of towns.

Click to expand...

Combat isn't that exciting (and not as good as U5's) but it's too quick to be banalshitboring, and you know, 2 minutes is a pretty long time.

Thanks god there are no reapers in the wilderness...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssuyUrgumF8

Insane Psychic · Dec 4, 2011

Stabwound said:
... and the virtue system went way above my head at the time.

Playing blind and have 1/8 shrines so far: Justice, which is probably the easiest one. I don't exactly understand how to raise some of the virtues, and I have a feeling I'm fucking myself on some of them, but oh well.

Ha! I remember the exact same thing when I tried it for Sega Master System when I was a kid. It took me forever to figure out how to get honor, or was that justice?

Quetzacoatl · Dec 4, 2011

asper said:
If you had to express the genius of Lord British in one sentence, what would that sentence be?

Greater than MCA.

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