Underworld Ascendant - Shared Fiction with 'Shroud of the Avatar'?

killias2

killias2

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There is a new rumor going around that Underworld Ascendant may somehow be connected to Richard Garriott's own Kickstarted project, the Shroud of the Avatar. In the same way that Ultima Underworld and the mainline Ultima titles are connected, Underworld Ascendant may be set in the same universe as Shroud of the Avatar. There has yet to be official confirmation from Otherside Entertainment, but Richard Garriott has said the following on Twitter:

We are still working together on joint fiction, so we continue history together!
Click to expand...
Obviously, given the historical connection, this is interesting if true. Any thoughts on this? Does this increase or decrease your excitement for Underworld Ascendant? For Shroud of the Avatar?

More information.
 
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Decreases my interest in both actually and I wont go into details why.:)
 
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"I am your father" --- NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Seriously, and believe it or not, I tried Shroud of the Avatar the other day for an hour (on single player offline) and it was pretty good. The atmosphere is well done, the quest structure, an even the 'simplistic' combat. Still requires significant work but it does play well.

What I hated is that you don't actually download the game, but a client that downloads the game and then you have to log in to access .. etc. I guess this follows from the MMO beginnings!
 
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Personally, I don't think it impacts my interest one way or the other. I'm still very interested in Underworld Ascendant.. less so for Shroud. I'm happy to hear from SpoonFULL that maybe Shroud will pull it off to some extent, but I'm still pretty pessimistic about it.
 
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Having synergy effects by sharing lore theoretically means having more ressources for other stuff. So theoretically I like it. ;)
 
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I like it when different stories, movies, games take place in the same setting. They don't have to be connected story-wise, but being in the same world, with a few cross references enriches the world and makes it all more immersive and more fun for me.

It has to be done properly, and not as a cheap way to exploit a setting beyond reason (all those DnD novels comes to mind).

A few good examples are IMO Ursula LeGuin's books set in the Hain universe, and (although a bit more lightweight) Larry Niven's Known Space books.

pibbur who for instance lives in the same world as and has heard of Geena Davies (who turns 59 today), but is not in any other way connected to her.
 
I lost interest in Shroud when it went primarily MMO, though that doesn't mean I won't eventually get it if I hear good things about it. I'll reserve judgment on UA until I hear more details.
 
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I can understand that. I'm a bit unsure if I had backed it if I knew how it was going to be. (But then again, not having played any of the early access stuff, and in general not payed much attention, I still don't know how it's going to be) But that's the risk of pledging, and I'm fine with that, so I don't regret my investment.

pibbur who acknowledge the difference between regretting something and not wanting to do it today.
 
Yeah, for you, it's like never having visited Australia!! (or playing Cricket) :)
 
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This is a fascinating little development, thanks for posting. I think ultima-tely this should be a good thing. :)

One of the early concerns of fans when the new Underworld project was announced, was what precisely was going to replace the connecting lore in the new game, assuming that it would be impossible to obtain the Ultima trademark to continue in a similar vein of the original games. Thus, if handled intelligently and consistently I can see this as an excellent way of integrating some degree of cohesion and depth into the setting.

I certainly like the idea in theory at least; though I haven't really investigated too thoroughly the nature of Shroud of the Avatar's fiction.
 
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This could be very good....there is a lot of lore designed for shroud by some very creative people like tracey hickman....good thing for both games to be honest.

BTW, you won't have to log in to play shroud when there is an offline version out...but the catch is you won't be playing online, but I think that is what you want anyways.
 
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Corwin said:
Yeah, for you, it's like never having visited Australia!! (or playing Cricket) :)
Click to expand...

Actually I have played a little cricket. Not the complete game but with the proper equipment. My uncle was married to an English woman, and their son who naturally was very often over there, had a wicket, a bat, cricket balls and apparently knew the rules. So we played against each other. Very amputated, yes, but fun.

pibbur who actually knows just a bit more about cricket than he's so far been willing to admit.
 
As a big fan of Richard's early work, I'm fine with him collaborating on UA's story and it having some ties with SotA, and I wouldn't mind seeing Lord British himself in the game… However, if this game is too tightly woven with SotA, or if it is not SINGLE PLAYER ONLY, I'm jumping ship.
 
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Im sceptical here. Id like to see ideas from UA team. Garriot is ahead in production so Im little afraid his team would try to put the lore from SotA into UA. Especially if Neurath or other guys are a little lazy and want to have less work. I dont want to see UA as some SP B-service game for SotA with a world adjusted to wishes of Garriot and his team.
 
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I'm not really interested at all in SotA because it seems far too focused on multiplayer. Not sure about Underworld Ascendant yet. If it's a single-player CRPG, then of course I'll pay attention to news about it..

But I never really played any Ultima so the thought of spiritual successors doesn't excite me... maybe I should rectify that. Just not sure which Ultima I should try... Which ones have turn-based combat?
 
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daveyd said:
I'm not really interested at all in SotA because it seems far too focused on multiplayer. Not sure about Underworld Ascendant yet. If it's a single-player CRPG, then of course I'll pay attention to news about it..

But I never really played any Ultima so the thought of spiritual successors doesn't excite me… maybe I should rectify that. Just not sure which Ultima I should try… Which ones have turn-based combat?
Click to expand...

Ultima's 1-6, Savage Empire, and Martian Dreams all have turn based combat. Ultima 7 has what is effectively real-time w/pause and ultima 8-9 have real time. I'm pretty sure in Ultima 8 at least it does not pause in inventory screen like it did with Ultima 7.

Underworld has a sort of legend of grimrock style combat but with only one character. It's paced slowly enough that it feels like continuous turn-based play.

Unfortunately most of the turn based Ultimas have aged the worst graphically. Worse still, the PC versions weren't the best releases of some of the games even in their day. You can have some luck with some of them using fan patches though that make them a little less dreadful to look at.

Compare the PC and PC 98 (a Japanese console/computer) releases
ultima4%20-%20DOS%20-%2008.png

ultima4%20-%20PC98%20-%2008.png


From:http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ultima/ultima5.htm

The PC version also had inferior sound and music compared to some of the other versions. If you do want to dive into a turn based Ultima then Ultima 6 is probably the easiest to get into if you must have turn based combat.

89f8a416374c38ba0163242a32875d139d441282.jpg


I do think that Ultima 7 and Serpent Isle are the best even though they have the most passive combat systems.
 
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Ultima 7.
 
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daveyd said:
But I never really played any Ultima so the thought of spiritual successors doesn't excite me… maybe I should rectify that. Just not sure which Ultima I should try… Which ones have turn-based combat?
Click to expand...

If you are a fan of CRPGs, you simply must play an Ultima game!
I've completed all Ultimas and spin-offs multiple times, so here's my 2 cents…

IHMO, the best is Ultima 7: The Black Gate, although it is not turn-based.
It is the most interactive and atmospheric of the Ultimas, with the best story and the creepiest opening of any game I can remember. The demonic Guardian sets an ominous tone. While the game characters are not voiced, the game makes excellent use of its sparse speech… The Guardian will occasionally and unexpectedly comment on your actions in his deep spooky voice, which can make you jump. The game hooks you right away with a murder mystery to solve, and your search for the culprits will lead you from city to city, although you are free to explore where you want. The real-time combat is its weakest element, but it's easy to overlook given the strength of the rest of the game. It's about half the length of previous Ultimas, thus the necessity of a sequel, Ultima7 part 2: Serpent Isle, which is also excellent with some nice improvements, but not quite as memorable as part 1.

If you must have turn-based, try Ultima 6… I would rank this as my 2nd favorite Ultima, with my third being Ultima 4. However, before you dive into this 100+ hour game, I would suggest trying a Worlds of Ultima game… Savage Empire and Martian Dreams are both excellent Ultima-lite spin-offs based on the Ultima 6 game engine, although significantly shorter. Even better, both are FREE right now on GOG.com. In these games, Dr. Spector (aka Warren Spector) will join you on your adventures. In Savage Empire you travel to a world filled with primitive tribes and dinosaurs. It's the prettiest of these games, but also the shortest. Then in Martian Dreams, you and some of the greatest minds of the 19th century are shot to Mars using a space cannon. While the plot is absurd and the barren Martian landscape can be ugly, this is a fairly deep and memorable game and should not be overlooked. While neither game has much in common with a real Ultima, they are classics in their own right and can whet your appetite for the much meatier Ultima 6.

http://www.gog.com/game/worlds_of_ultima_the_savage_empire
http://www.gog.com/game/ultima_worlds_of_adventure_2_martian_dreams
 
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Vindicator said:
If you are a fan of CRPGs, you simply must play an Ultima game!
I've completed all Ultimas and spin-offs multiple times, so here's my 2 cents…

IHMO, the best is Ultima 7: The Black Gate, although it is not turn-based.
It is the most interactive and atmospheric of the Ultimas, with the best story and the creepiest opening of any game I can remember. The demonic Guardian sets an ominous tone. While the game characters are not voiced, the game makes excellent use of its sparse speech… The Guardian will occasionally and unexpectedly comment on your actions in his deep spooky voice, which can make you jump. The game hooks you right away with a murder mystery to solve, and your search for the culprits will lead you from city to city, although you are free to explore where you want. The real-time combat is its weakest element, but it's easy to overlook given the strength of the rest of the game. It's about half the length of previous Ultimas, thus the necessity of a sequel, Ultima7 part 2: Serpent Isle, which is also excellent with some nice improvements, but not quite as memorable as part 1.

If you must have turn-based, try Ultima 6… I would rank this as my 2nd favorite Ultima, with my third being Ultima 4. However, before you dive into this 100+ hour game, I would suggest trying a Worlds of Ultima game… Savage Empire and Martian Dreams are both excellent Ultima-lite spin-offs based on the Ultima 6 game engine, although significantly shorter. Even better, both are FREE right now on GOG.com. In these games, Dr. Spector (aka Warren Spector) will join you on your adventures. In Savage Empire you travel to a world filled with primitive tribes and dinosaurs. It's the prettiest of these games, but also the shortest. Then in Martian Dreams, you and some of the greatest minds of the 19th century are shot to Mars using a space cannon. While the plot is absurd and the barren Martian landscape can be ugly, this is a fairly deep and memorable game and should not be overlooked. While neither game has much in common with a real Ultima, they are classics in their own right and can whet your appetite for the much meatier Ultima 6.

http://www.gog.com/game/worlds_of_ultima_the_savage_empire
http://www.gog.com/game/ultima_worlds_of_adventure_2_martian_dreams
Click to expand...

Yeah those are often overlooked and were under-appreciated in their day. I enjoyed Martian Dreams the best of the two, though it is kind of an odd shift since it's alt history steam-punk Victorian scifi. Some of the plot and thematic elements were really interesting though - some of which reminded me of "The Dig."
 
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