Conference 7.286::atarist

I've also been looking for Ultima V for the ST for over a year. A few weeks
ago I saw an ad for it, so I called. They said they didn't have it in stock,
but expected it "next week". So I called at the end of that week - and got
the same message. Then I called Origin Systems in Manchester, New Hampshire,
and asked them. They said Ultima V was not due out until the first quarter
of next year! But her voice didn't sound very sure.

I wish I could speak to the author, Richard Garriot (Lord British). He'd
probably know the definitive answer.

    
    OK !
    
    Now we have 1990 !
    Where is U L T I M A  "V"  ? Any news ?!?
    
    		Markus_looking_for_Ultima_V
                                 

To find out information on any software put out by Origin Systems, I usually
phone their office in Manchester, NH, which is sort of a local call. But when
I called a few weeks ago, they said they were closing their Manchester office
as of the first of the year! It is being consolidated with their Texas office,
where Richard Garriot (aka Lord British) is now located. I don't know the
phone number or address of this office - does anyone know it?

Other than that, the only information I see about Ultima V is what I read
in Current Notes, which has a regular column on adventure gaming. As I recall,
the last thing I read there was that it was being delayed due to
some persistent bugs.

So now Ultima V is finally out on the ST I'm considering the purchase...

Can anyone comment on how it compares to IV ? Is it a good buy ?



Cheers,


				Jamie.

I've played Ultima III, but not Ultima IV. And I've probably spent 30-50
hours playing Ultima V! It seems to suck up all my free time, but I do have
a good time playing it.

The game is, of course, more sophisticated than its Ultima predecessors. Like
Ultima III, I found it somewhat frustrating to begin, due to the quantity
of things you have to learn. While the documentation is more informative than
for Ultima III, I still would have liked more information. For example, the
documentation says nothing about the colored "potions" you find from time to
time. And no one you "talk" to has anything to say about them. I tried using
them at random, but often you get a message like "not here". I guess true
gamers consider that part of the game mistique.

I've gravitated away from the typical "hack and slash" games, and play
few computer games now. I guess the main thing I like about Ultima V is the
sense of exploring a new land. I liken it more to an interactive novel than
a typical computer game, due to the richness of the environment. You meet
all kinds of characters and monsters. And you can travel by foot, horse, skiff,
boat, or magic carpet (my favorite mode). You traverse forests, grassland,
swamps, rocky terrain, or mountains. And there are lots of villages to visit
and explore, where you can buy food, buy or sell weapons, get healed, and
even sleep. The people in these towns walk around during the day and go to
sleep at night. For example, I had to get some information from one fellow,
but he was running off to bed. So I followed him to his bedroom and passed
time until he awoke and got up - then I started asking him questions!

As game time goes on, you gather more gold and experience, giving you more
power. There are eight dungeons and an "underworld" to explore. I have
barely touched these yet though.

So it looks like I still have dozens of hours more to play.

Oh, for comparison, I've also played Dungeon Master. I feel the graphics
are richer in Dungeon Master, but Ultima V leads in depth of play and in
variety of experience.

I've certainly got my money's worth in this game, since I've played it more
hours than any other game for my ST. But don't buy it if you only want to
spend a few hours on it - you'll barely scratch the surface of its potential.

Thanks for the info. You're obviously hooked ;-)

I've actually got Ultima IV. I like the game, but I do find the constant
fighting gets monotonous. Does anything change in V ? Are the battles more
sophisticated ?

How about subquests ? Are there any subquests in Ultima V (Ie to get an item
of worth you have to perform a task for someone etc).

Basically, what's the difference between the two versions (plot aside)...


Cheers,


				Jamie.

    
  >>  Does anything change in V ? Are the battles more sophisticated ?           -
    
     More realistic in some ways.. infuriating occasionally for example:
     you can see missile weapons move across the screen, you cant shoot
     if one of the 'team' is in the way (and you can hit your friends too).
    
     Thieves and Skeletons are *much* tougher Demons are virtually
     unbeatable in the early stages ( I haven't beaten one yet).
    
     Spells are harder to use but you can buy all of the ingredients (not
     all from the same shops though and prices vary **a lot**.
    
     Ultima IV already has lots of sub-plots in the sense that to assemble
     all the requirements to complete the task you have to complete many
     smaller tasks, V has the same kind of thing.
     
     Theres is more opportunity to choose the 'dark-side' in V but it
    doesn't get you through the game of course,
    
    Apart from those things the look and feel is very much the same, the
    graphics a little more sophisticated, However the dungeons are very
    nasty places indeed and (on my 1040 anyway), it takes an age for the
    dungeon room to set-up after you 'enter' the room.
    
    On the subject of availability, I got mine while in Australia in May
    from a company which imports from the UK, by which time friends with AT
    etc compats were merrily playin IV **TANJ**
    
    Also my version seems to have an annoying bug, on occasion it tries to
    access the play disk and doesn't recognise it, it say 'put player disk
    in drive a (or whatever) doing so doesn't help it just keeps saying
    wrong disk, to get out of this you have to reboot the machine and start
    the game again, very frustrating as you have to save more often and of
    course it happens when you save as well sometimes. This appears to be a
    totally random event in terms of interval between each time or type of
    action requiring access to the disk etc.
    
    Anybody else  experienced/heard of this problem. remember it is a U.K.
    release disk.
    
    Aidan Donnelly
    
    PS: I am in France now .. I returned to Europe in August (Just in case
    sharp eyes noticed the address node was Ferney-Voltaire).
     

    
    Whoops...in .7 I said compat owners were playing IV...I meant
    of course VI...maths were never my strongest point (or was it my latin
    :).
    
    Aidan
    

Gee, I thought that bug was some quirk of my ST! I see the same thing
periodically using my US version of V. Real pain like you say. Guess it's
time to write a letter. I've also noticed that using the mouse will lock up
the game in real short order. If you move the mouse at the same time as
typing a key the game locks up tight.

Dan