Reminiscing Ultima
Yesterday, we were talking on the forums about RPGs we love and how we'd like to see "more games like that." And that caused a question to come up about *what* specific elements made our favorite RPGs our favorite. I was considering asking the question of the original poster, Daringly, as he was looking for more games "like" Wizardry 8 and some of the Ultima games.

DGM put the question to me. What made Ultima VII - still my favorite RPG - so awesome for me. My answer sucked. I listed some of the features that really struck me then --- and still do now. But the features alone didn't make the magic that I'd love to recapture. Much of it is probably just in my head (and in my equipped +2 Rose-Tinted Glasses of Nostalgia), but the question really made me think.

I was blown away by Ultima VII's technology when it was first released in 1992 - much as I had been by Ultima Underworld, released at approximately the same time. It still took me a while to complete it - mostly because I'd gotten distracted by Ultima Underworld.

The last quarter of the game was completed in a single sitting, the day after I'd gotten my kneecap Knocked out of position at a... er... sporting event in the park the night before. I was on crutches, didn't go anywhere but to the doctor, and the only escape from the throbbing pain in my knee (and lack of mobility) was into Britannia. And while the game had been rivetting before, having the ability to dive in like that and spend about eight hours playing straight through was an incredible experience.

When it was over, I felt a sense of loss. Was that all the world offered? In desperation, I called a friend, who had recently purchased the Complete Ultima Collection (or something like that), and out of compassion he came by after dinner and dropped it off for me. I installed Ultima IV, hoping for more. I'd played it years earlier on my Commodore 64, but I'd never completed it. I knew he seven-year-old graphics had not aged well (and they certainly hadn't), and for the first couple of hours they were a distraction.

Then I forgot about the graphics and found myself immersed once more. Not quite as completely as I had in Ultima VII, but enough. Two weeks later, I had finally brought the Codex back from the Underworld, and completed the Quest of the Avatar. By then my knee was passibly healed and I only had a slight limp. I returned my friend his Ultima collection.

So now, trying to look back and figure what it was that made the game work for me. To be perfectly honest, being unable to walk for a day and do much other than play Ultima VII for an entire day to finish the game probably had a fair share to do with it. It left me with a good feeling - well, except for my knee. And that feeling is probably why it remains my favorite. That's a really tough thing to capture in a design document, let alone a game.

So where do we start?

Distilling all my ideas down, it really comes down to a compelling world - which includes everything from graphics and interactivity to plot and character. The elements in my mind which contributed to the success of Ultima VII for me included:

* Deep conversation trees that showed personality for the tons of characters, not just exposition
* NPC scripting and schedules to make them come alive
* About a gazillion items
* Interactivity with objects in the world rarely seen in a single-player RPG
* A ton of *stuff* going on no matter where you went
* A compelling plot
* A kick-butt opening (the murder mystery)
* Great attention to detail in graphics and design (I always think of the cloud shadows on the ground)
* Some outstanding sub-quests that were great stories in their own right

I don't think that's a checklist for a great RPG - I don't think you can make one with a checklist - and I think that even if you were to use Exult (the modern, open-source engine that lets you play Ultima VII on modern systems) as a base, the result would probably not live up to the original.

Even Oblivion, had most of these elements, but still came off (to me) a little flat. It may be, to some degree, a limitation of 3D graphics. The realities of depth complexity and the limitations for presenting a 3D interface on a 2D screen may make it impossible to match that level of interactivity. But I'll cut 'em some slack. After all - this has only been their fourth Elder Scrolls RPG. Maybe by the time they hit #7, they'll really hit their stride, too.

I'd like to see more indies on that path, too.

Labels: Game Design, Roleplaying Games

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