Ultima 32131 225818815 2008-07-15T15:29:22Z MattieTK 434929 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Time for action|Time for action]] to last version by JMax555 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Ultima Logo.svg|thumb|The Ultima logo|right|250px]] --> '''''Ultima''''' is a series of [[fantasy]] [[computer role-playing game]]s from [[Origin Systems|Origin Systems, Inc.]] ''Ultima'' was created by [[Richard Garriott]], a.k.a. [[Lord British]]. Several games of the series are considered seminal games of their genre. Today, [[Electronic Arts]] holds the brand. ==Overview== The main ''Ultima'' series consists of nine installments (the seventh is further divided into two parts) which are grouped into trilogies or "[[List of time periods|Age]]s": The Age of Darkness (''Ultima I-III''), The Age of Enlightenment (''Ultima IV-VI''), and The Age of Armageddon (''Ultima VII-IX''), also referred as "The Guardian Saga" after its chief [[antagonist]]. The first three games were set in a [[fantasy world]] named [[Sosaria]] but during the cataclysmic events of The Age of Darkness, three quarters of it vanish. What is left becomes known as [[Britannia (Ultima)|Britannia]], a realm ruled by the benevolent [[Lord British]] where the later games mostly take place. The protagonist of all games is a [[canon (fiction)|canon]]ically male resident of [[Earth]] who is called upon by Lord British to protect Sosaria and later, Britannia from various dangers. Originally, the [[player character]] was referred as "the Stranger" in the games but by the end of ''Ultima IV'', he becomes universally known as the [[Avatar (Ultima)|Avatar]]. In ''[[Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness]]'' ([[1980 in video gaming|1980]]), the Stranger is first summoned to Sosaria to defeat the evil wizard [[Mondain]] who aims to enslave it. Since Mondain possesses the Gem of [[Immortality]], which makes him invulnerable, the Stranger locates a [[time machine]], [[time travel|travels back in time]] to kill Mondain before he creates the Gem, and shatters the incomplete [[artifact (fantasy)|artifact]]. ''[[Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress]]'' ([[1982 in video gaming|1982]]) details Mondain's secret student and lover [[Minax (Ultima)|Minax]]'s attempt to avenge him. Having destroyed Earth, Minax launches the conquest of Sosaria but the Stranger escapes Earth in time, pursues the evil sorceress to the Castle Shadowguard at the Origin of Time and defeats her. ''[[Ultima III: Exodus]]'' ([[1983 in video gaming|1983]]) reveals that Mondain and Minax had an offspring, the titular Exodus, "neither human, nor machine", according to the later games. Some time after Minax's death, Exodus starts his own attack on Sosaria and the Stranger is summoned once again to destroy it. ''Exodus'' was the first installment of the series featuring a [[role-playing game#Game systems|player party system]], which was used in many later games. ''[[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar]]'' ([[1985 in video gaming|1985]]) marked a turning point in the series from the traditional "[[hero]] vs. [[villain]]" plots, instead introducing a complex [[alignment (role-playing games)|alignment system]] based upon the [[Virtues of Ultima|Eight Virtues]]. Although Britannia now prospers under Lord British's rule, he fears for his subjects' spiritual well-being and summons the Stranger again to become a [[spiritual leader]] of Britannian people by example. Throughout the game, the Stranger's actions determine how close he comes to the [[ideal (ethics)|ideal]] and upon achieving enlightenment in every Virtue, he becomes their "Avatar". In ''[[Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny]]'' ([[1988 in video gaming|1988]]), Avatar returns to Britannia to find that after Lord British had been lost in the [[Underworld]], his throne was usurped by [[Lord Blackthorn]] who enforces a [[political radicalism|radically twisted]] vision of the Virtues, deviating considerably from their original meaning. Avatar and [[The Companions of the Avatar|his companions]] overthrow the tyrant and restore the Virtues in their true form. ''[[Ultima VI: The False Prophet]]'' ([[1990 in video gaming|1990]]) details the invasion of Britannia by [[Gargoyle]]s, which Avatar and his companions have to repel, and explores the themes of [[racism]] and [[xenophobia]]. The [[spin-off]] ''[[Worlds of Ultima]]'' series uses the [[game engine]] of ''Ultima VI'' and describes Avatar's adventures after its conclusion. In ''[[Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire]]'' ([[1990 in video gaming|1990]]), a failed experiment transports Avatar to the Valley of Eodon, a [[jungle]] world populated by thirteen [[primitive tribe]]s whom he unites against a common enemy, the [[insectoid]] Myrmidex. ''[[Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams]]'' ([[1991 in video gaming|1991]]) takes place after ''The Savage Empire'' and sees Avatar travel back in time to the [[Victorian era]] and eventually land on [[Mars]] to rescue humans stranded on it by accident and to restore the native Martian civilization. The third game, ''Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 3: Arthurian Legends'' was planned to be set in the times of [[King Arthur]] but was canceled in [[1993 in video gaming|1993]]. ''[[Ultima VII]]'' consists of two games: ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1992]]) and ''Ultima VII, Part Two: Serpent Isle'' ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]), with an [[expansion pack]] released for each (''Forge of Virtue'' and ''The Silver Seed'', respectively). In ''The Black Gate'', Avatar is entangled in the plan of a seemingly virtuous organization named the Fellowship to create a [[Moongate (device)|gateway]] for the evil entity known as [[Guardian (Ultima)|the Guardian]] to enter Britannia. Following the Fellowship's defeat, its founder [[Batlin (Ultima)|Batlin]] flees to the Serpent Isle, the remnant of a lost Sosarian continent, and is pursued by Avatar and companions in ''Part Two''. By the end of the game, Avatar confronts the Guardian but is overpowered and thrown into another world, where ''[[Ultima VIII: Pagan]]'' ([[1994 in video gaming|1994]]) is set. In ''Pagan'', Avatar masters the ways of Elemental Titans, [[god]]-like servants of the Guardian now controlling that world, defeats them with their own magic, and finally returns to Britannia. An expansion pack, ''The Lost Vale'', was canceled after ''Ultima VIII'' failed to meet sales expectations. The final installment of the series, ''[[Ultima IX: Ascension]]'' ([[1999 in video gaming|1999]]) sees Britannia conquered and its Virtues corrupted by the Guardian, so Avatar has to cleanse and restore them. The Guardian is revealed to be the evil part of Avatar himself, expelled from him when he became the Avatar. To stop it, he has to merge with it, destroying himself as a separate entity. The [[Ultima IX: Ascension#The original plot|unreleased version of the plot]] featured a more [[apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|apocalyptic]] ending, with the Guardian and Lord British killed, Britannia destroyed, and Avatar ascending to a higher plane of existence. The second spin-off series, ''[[Ultima Underworld]]'', consisted of two games. Set after ''Ultima VI'', ''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss]]'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1992]]) sees Avatar descending into the Great Stygian Abyss to rescue a Britannian [[baron]]'s kidnapped daughter and prevent the summoning of a powerful [[demon]]. ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]'' ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]) is set between the two parts of ''Ultima VII'' and starts with the Guardian trapping Lord British, Avatar and his companions within impenetrable barrier in their castle. To free them, Avatar has to travel through several [[parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]]s looking for a way to undo the spell. ''[[Ultima Online]]'' ([[1997 in video gaming|1997]]), a [[MMORPG]] spin-off of the main series, has become an unexpected hit, making it one of the earliest and longest running successful MMORPGs of all time. Its lore [[retcon]]ned the ending of ''Ultima I'', stating that when the Stranger shattered the Gem of Immortality, he discovered that it was tied to the world itself, therefore its shards each contained a miniature version of [[Britannia (Ultima Online)|Britannia]]. The player characters in ''Ultima Online'' exist on these "shards". Seven expansion packs for ''UO'' have been released (''[[Ultima Online: The Second Age|The Second Age]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Renaissance|Renaissance]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Third Dawn|Third Dawn]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge|Lord Blackthorn's Revenge]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Age of Shadows|Age of Shadows]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Samurai Empire|Samurai Empire]]'', and ''[[Ultima Online: Mondain's Legacy|Mondain's Legacy]]''), with the eighth (''[[Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss|Stygian Abyss]]'') currently in development. The aging ''UO'' graphic engine was renewed in [[2007]] with the official ''[[Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn|Kingdom Reborn]]'' client. ''Ultima Online 2'', later renamed to ''[[Ultima Worlds Online: Origin]]'' and canceled in [[2001 in video gaming|2001]], would have introduced [[steampunk]] elements to the game world, following Lord British's unsuccessful attempt to merge past, present, and future shards together. The canceled MMORPG ''[[Ultima X: Odyssey]]'' ([[2004 in video gaming|2004]]) would have continued the story of ''Ultima IX''. Now merged with the Guardian, Avatar creates a world of Alucinor inside his mind, where the players were supposed to pursue the Eight Virtues in order to strengthen him and weaken the Guardian. ''Ultima X'' was developed without participation of the original creator [[Richard Garriott]] and he no longer owns the rights to the series. However, he still owns the rights to several of the game characters so it is impossible for either him or [[Electronic Arts]] to produce a new ''Ultima'' title without getting permission from each other. ''Ultima'' [[game box]]es often contained so-called "[[feelie]]s", e.g. from ''Ultima II'' on, every game in the main series came with a cloth [[map]] of the game world. Because the maps were crucial to navigation in the Ultima game, they also served as anti-[[warez|software piracy]] devices, since the primitive file sharing methods of the 1980s did not allow transferring large images over the early low-baud rate computer connections used by [[darknets]]. Furthermore, the map was large (18" x 12") and in color, and so was not easily reproduced by [[photocopiers]]. Starting with ''Ultima IV'', small trinkets like pendants, coins and magic stones were found in the boxes. Made of metal or glass, they usually represented an important object also found within the game itself. These other feelies served a similar purpose, being crucial elements of the gameplay not otherwise represented in the game itself, and it was almost impossible to transfer their images over phone lines or by the low capacity floppy disks of the time. ==Media== ===Games=== ====Main series==== * ''[[Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness]]'' ([[1980 in video gaming|1980]]) * ''[[Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress]]'' ([[1982 in video gaming|1982]]) * ''[[Ultima III: Exodus]]'' ([[1983 in video gaming|1983]]) * ''[[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar]]'' ([[1985 in video gaming|1985]]) * ''[[Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny]]'' ([[1988 in video gaming|1988]]) * ''[[Ultima VI: The False Prophet]]'' ([[1990 in video gaming|1990]]) * ''[[Ultima VII#Part One: The Black Gate|Ultima VII: The Black Gate]]'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1992]]) ** ''[[Ultima VII#Forge of Virtue expansion|Ultima VII: Forge Of Virtue]]'' (Expansion Pack) ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]) * ''[[Ultima VII#Part Two: Serpent Isle|Ultima VII Part 2: Serpent Isle]]'' ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]) ** ''[[Ultima VII#The Silver Seed expansion|Ultima VII Part 2: The Silver Seed]]'' (Expansion Pack) ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]) * ''[[Ultima VIII: Pagan]]'' (including Speech Pack) ([[1994 in video gaming|1994]]) * ''[[Ultima IX: Ascension]]'' ([[1999 in video gaming|1999]]) ====Ultima Collection==== The '''''Ultima Collection''''' is a [[CD-ROM]] collection of the first eight ''[[Ultima]]'' [[computer games]] (MS-DOS Versions only), including their respective [[expansion packs]]. It was released in [[February 17]], [[1998]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[DOS]]. Along with ''Ultima'''s I-VIII this collection also included: * The PC port of ''[[Akalabeth]]''. * A sneak preview of ''[[Ultima IX]]'' with an interview with [[Richard Garriott]]. * A complete atlas of the maps used in each game. * The original documentation converted into Windows help file format. ====Other games==== * ''[[Akalabeth|Akalabeth: World of Doom]] (a.k.a. Ultima 0)'' ([[1980 in video gaming|1980]]) * ''[[Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash]]'' ([[1983 in video gaming|1983]]) &mdash; not considered canonical part of the series, as it was produced by [[Sierra On-Line]] without any authorization from Garriott and has little in common with the other games of the series. Highly sought after by collectors due to extreme rarity. * [[Worlds of Ultima|Ultima: Worlds of Adventures]] (a.k.a. Worlds of Ultima): ** ''[[The Savage Empire|Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire]]'' ([[1990 in video gaming|1990]]) ** ''[[Martian Dreams|Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams]]'' ([[1991 in video gaming|1991]]) * [[Ultima Underworld]]: ** ''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss]]'' ([[1991 in video gaming|1992]]) ** ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1993]]) ====Unreleased games==== * ''[[Worlds of Ultima|Arthurian Legends]]'' (cancelled in 1993) * ''[[Ultima VIII: The Lost Vale]]'' (expansion pack, cancelled in 1994) * ''[[Ultima Worlds Online: Origin]]'' (a.k.a. ''Ultima Online 2'', cancelled in 2001) * ''[[Ultima X: Odyssey]]'' (cancelled in 2004) ====Ultima Online==== {{main|Ultima Online}} A [[MMORPG]] version of the world of Britannia. In ''Ultima Online'', thousands of players interact online in Britannia. See ''[[Ultima Online]]'' for more information. ''UO'' spawned two sequel efforts that were cancelled before release: ''[[Ultima Worlds Online: Origin]]'' (cancelled in [[2001 in video gaming|2001]], though the game's storyline was published in the Technocrat War trilogy.) and ''[[Ultima X: Odyssey]]'' (cancelled in [[2004 in video gaming|2004]]). However, several expansions were released for ''Ultima Online'', adding new features and areas to be explored. They are ''[[Ultima Online: The Second Age|The Second Age]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Renaissance|Renaissance]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Third Dawn|Third Dawn]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge|Lord Blackthorn's Revenge]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Age of Shadows|Age of Shadows]]'', ''[[Ultima Online: Samurai Empire|Samurai Empire]]'', and ''[[Ultima Online: Mondain's Legacy|Mondain's Legacy]]''. ====Console games==== Console versions of ''Ultima'' have allowed further exposure to the series, especially in [[Japan]] where the games have been bestsellers and were accompanied by several [[Merchandising|tie-in products]] including ''Ultima'' [[manga]]. In most cases, gameplay and graphics have been changed significantly. *''Ultima: Exodus'' ([[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]) *''Ultima: Quest of the Avatar'' (NES) *''Ultima IV : Quest of the Avatar'' ([[Sega Master System]]) &mdash; A faithful port of the original. Only released in English. *''Ultima: Warriors of Destiny'' (NES) *''Ultima: Runes of Virtue'' ([[Game Boy]]) &mdash; Non-canonical, action based gameplay and puzzle solving. The game's antagonist is called the "Black Knight." This is Garriott's favorite console-based ''Ultima''.[http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/g15.html] *''Ultima: Runes of Virtue 2'' (Game Boy, [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]]) *''Ultima VI: The False Prophet'' (SNES) &mdash; Gameplay adapted for the game pad. Includes plot changes and reduction in violence. *''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' (SNES) &mdash; Gameplay adapted for the game pad. Includes plot changes and reduction in violence. *''Ultima: The Savage Empire'' (SNES) &mdash; A graphical update using the ''Black Gate'' engine for the SNES. Japan only, cancelled in the [[United States|US]]. *''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' ([[PlayStation]]) &mdash; Uses 3D models rather than the 2D sprites of the original. Released only in Japan. ====Remakes and new games==== * ''[[Ultima V: Lazarus]]'' - A remake of ''Ultima V'' by volunteer programmers using the ''[[Dungeon Siege]]'' engine. The final version of the game, ''Ultima V: Lazarus'' v1.2, was released on April 1, 2006. ([http://www.u5lazarus.com website]) * ''[http://www.u6project.com The Ultima 6 Project]'' - A remake of ''Ultima VI'' also using the ''[[Dungeon Siege]]'' engine. Currently in development, with four demos released. * ''[http://ultima.cfkasper.de/ Titans of Ether]'' merges two former development efforts, both originally based on ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'' game engine. ''Ultima IX: Redemption'' is an effort to create an alternative to ''Ultima IX: Ascension'', writing a new ending to the Age of the Guardian saga of the Ultima series. Production is approximately 75% completed as of December 2007. ''Ultima X: The New King'', a sequel to Ultima IX: Redemption, will be created by the same team and will likely feature ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' game engine. * ''[http://www.biggles2k.com/darkcore/ Ultima: The Dark Core]'' is a post ''Ultima VIII'' game made for web browsers by Michael D. Hilborn. ===Novels=== *'''''The Ultima Saga''''', by [[Lynn Abbey]] ([[Warner Books]]) **''[http://www.lynnabbey.com/html/forge_of_virtue.html The Forge of Virtue]'' ([[1991 in video gaming|1991]]) **''[http://www.lynnabbey.com/html/temper_of_wisdom.html The Temper of Wisdom]'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1992]]) *'''''Ultima: The Technocrat War''''', by [[Austen Andrews]] ([[Pocket Books]]) **''Machinations'' ([[2001 in video gaming|2001]]) **''Masquerade'' ([[2002 in video gaming|2002]]) **''Maelstrom'' (2002) ===Manga=== *''Ultima: EXODUS No Kyoufu'' (The Terror of EXODUS) *''Ultima: Quest of the Avatar'' *''Ultima: Magincia no Metsubou'' (The Fall of Magincia) ===Engine rewrite projects=== * [http://xu4.sourceforge.net xu4] - An open-source, portable ''Ultima IV'' engine. * [http://nu5.sourceforge.net nu5] - A planned open-source, portable ''Ultima V'' engine. * Nuvie ([http://nuvie.sourceforge.net website]) - An open-source, work-in-progress, portable ''Ultima VI'' engine (also supports ''The Savage Empire'' and ''Martian Dreams''). * [[Exult]] ([http://exult.sourceforge.net website]) - An open-source, portable ''Ultima VII'' engine (supports all four ''Ultima VII'' titles). * Pentagram ([http://pentagram.sourceforge.net website]) - An open-source, work-in-progress, portable ''Ultima VIII'' engine (may later work with the ''[[Crusader (computer game)|Crusader]]'' series). ==Characters== * [[Avatar (Ultima)|The Avatar]] * [[The Companions of the Avatar]] ** [[The Companions of the Avatar#Dupre|Dupre]] ** [[Gwenno (Ultima)|Gwenno]] ** [[Iolo]] ** [[Jaana (Ultima)|Jaana]] ** [[Katrina (Ultima)|Katrina]] ** [[Shamino]] * [[Batlin (Ultima)|Batlin]] * [[Lord Blackthorn]] * [[Lord British]] * [[Chuck Bueche|Chuckles]] * [[Exodus (Ultima)|Exodus]] * [[Guardian (Ultima)|The Guardian]] * [[Mondain]] * [[Minax (Ultima)|Minax]] * [[Smith (Ultima)|Smith]], Iolo's talking horse * [[Johann Schliemann Spector|Dr. Johann Schliemann Spector]], a.k.a. Zipactriotl * The [[Time Lord (Ultima)|Time Lord]] ==Ultima Dragons== {{importance-sect}} The Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter is a large fanclub of Ultima devotees. Some members have been honored with tributes to them in various games in the ''Ultima'' series, and the ''Dragon Edition'' of ''Ultima IX'' was named in their honor. ==See also== * [[Artificial scripts in Ultima series]] * [[Britannia (Ultima)|Britannia]] * [[Felucca (Ultima)|Felucca]] * [[Gargish]] * [[List of characters based on developers in Ultima series]] * [[List of Ultima series characters]] * [[Moongate]] * [[Richard Garriott]] * [[Sosaria]] * [[Stones (song)]] * [[Trammel]] * [[Virtues of Ultima]] * [[:Category:Ultima|Wikipedia articles on Ultima subjects]] ==External links== {{Wikiquote|Ultima}} * [http://www.origin.ea.com/ Origin Systems, Inc.] (redirects to the ''Ultima Online'' website) * [http://www.uo.com/archive/ The official Ultima WWW Archive] - Information and files concerning the entire saga *{{moby game|id=-group/ultima-series|name=''Ultima'' series}} * [http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/ The Ultima Legacy from GameSpot] - A historical overview of the series * [http://www.udic.org/ Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter] * [http://ultima.wikia.com The Codex of Editable Wisdom (Ultima Wiki)] * [http://www.ultima-universe.com Ivanhoe's Ultima Universe] Fan Site {{Ultima}} [[Category:Ultima|*]] [[Category:Apple II games]] [[Category:DOS games]] [[Category:Role-playing video games]] [[Category:Video game franchises]] [[br:Ultima]] [[de:Ultima (Computerspiel)]] [[es:Ultima]] [[fr:Ultima]] [[ko:울티마]] [[it:Ultima]] [[nl:Ultima (computerspel)]] [[ja:ウルティマ]] [[pl:Ultima (seria)]] [[pt:Ultima]] [[ru:Ultima]] [[fi:Ultima]] [[sv:Ultima]]