Ultima Forever: Quest of the Avatar - Interview @ Gamasutra

Myrthos

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Kate Flack, who is working on the Free-To-Play iPad version of the Ultima IV based Ultima Forever, has been interviewed by Gamasutra on the design of the game.
I always presume that the game is created in such a way that I'm not going to be punished for a good deed; I'm not going to lose a whole bunch of stuff. I will eventually be able to beat the game anyway. So, for me, it doesn't become much of a choice. I feel like, eventually, there's got to be something; like, who do I save, my mom or my dad? [editor's note: this interview was done prior to the release of The Walking Dead, which does this kind of choice very well.] But I don't want to have to make that choice! It makes me uncomfortable. Do you have any thoughts about that kind of space?
KF: Yeah, absolutely. What we try and do when we give you a quandary is we give you three options that are equally valid. It's not up to us to judge a player; we're just there to make you think. So NPCs will come up to you and say, "Hey! What should I do in this situation?"
One of the classic situations is there's this beggar who's been beaten within an inch of his life. What do you do about that? Do you go for justice and say, "Right; I'm going to track down the people who beat this guy up, or do I sacrifice and get myself in debt in order to pay for magical healing for the guy to bring him back to life? Or do I go for compassion and go off and buy some medicine to give him a good, peaceful, painless death?" They're all equally valid, but which one do you think is the right thing?
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Somewhat more complex choices like that are interesting. I think the iPad and free-to-play tend to try to address a somewhat more casual audience -- if not directly, at least they try to include them -- so I think it will be interesting to see how you can try to bring those players into the idea of these choices being something that you make.
KF: It's not that different to a personality test. Those have always been massively popular because people love finding out about themselves; we're our own favorite subject. I try and present it and think of it, if you're a more casual player, as being more like a personality test; you end up with the character you deserve or who reflects who you are.
More information.
 
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or do I sacrifice and get myself in debt in order to pay for magical healing for the guy to bring him back to life? Or do I go for compassion and go off and buy some medicine to give him a good, peaceful, painless death?

Honestly, wouldn't paying for magical healing be more compassionate than choosing to euthanize him?
 
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I think this picture sums up how I feel about this:

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going to live the rest of my life never playing this atrocity.

I'm still going to reserve judgement until I can gather more information about the finished game from user reviews and youtube videos.

But I do tend to agree that this is looking like the 'Arcania' of the Ultima series.
 
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I'm realizing this isn't an Ultima game I want, but at the very least maybe it might bring some new people into the Ultima universe. Sort of a gateway to exploring the real Ultima games.

I don't think it is even remotely aimed at people like us.
 
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I'm not eagerly anticipating this, but I am interested and will probably spring for it.
 
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I'm realizing this isn't an Ultima game I want, but at the very least maybe it might bring some new people into the Ultima universe...

Ultima Online did this in spades. If it succeeds even a little we'll be hit with #dragons.
 
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Well, any brief revisit of Britannia is welcome to me. And with luck it may open the road to more real Ultima RPGs.
 
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But I do tend to agree that this is looking like the 'Arcania' of the Ultima series.
QFT. My thoughts exactly.

Also, reading the Gamasutra article, one particular quote from Madam Flack really seemed odd, so I went and checked its authenticity. She said: "I then went into pen and paper roleplaying. I did the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying." This to me implies, she did it by herself or was the leading writer, however, I went and checked my copy of WFRP 2nd edition and the credits pretty clearly state that it was Chris Pramas who did the book, if anyone did (he's solely credited for Design and Writing). Under "Additional Material" there are 11 persons credited, among which Kate Flack's name is listed, along with such luminaries as Chris Priesley, Graeme Davis and Dan Abnett.

Tsk, tsk, Kate. Thou hast lost an eight… twice! Honesty and humility need a bit more work. ;)
 
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