Easter Eggs & Real World References (Spoilers!)

the fountain in the central square of aldwater has a map of novia in it.

 

Phineas Drumplemouth (Drump-le-mouth; thanks @Rinaldi) sure does remind me of a billionaire who became president.

Conversation screen-shots:

Spoiler

[edit] Phineas is the main antagonist in Blood River Outskirts.
[edit2] They have since edited the dialog so that some people won't get upset.

 

I can't remember where it was, but I had a conversation with a farmer. During the talk he mentioned something like the only combat he has seen was with a hoe and the destruction of a rabbit. I believe that's a reference to the"Hoe of Destruction" from Ultima VII.

 

Part 1 : Real world reference to a dance from the Peanuts Cartoon
Part 2: Real world references to other dances

Part 1: Real world reference to a dance from the Peanuts Cartoon

Happy Dance - during a lull in one of the telethons, @Merrik (same name in-game) was passing the time by watching you-tube videos and came across a comedy video called "The Charlie Brown School of Dance", which used dance moves from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" where the Peanuts characters were dancing to the song "Linus and Lucy". Merrick requested that a Peanut dance be added to the game. Initially, the idea was rejected. However, Merrick was persistent, and (in his words) "added peanuts dance jokes all over discord and in the forums getting it into peoples heads..." At the next telethon, he asked "Can we have dance emotes from the peanuts? like 'the concussion' and 'Ruby Slipper Vulture' (my favorite)...?", which was followed by a flood of supportive comments in discord. Apparently the developers took notice, and ultimately they selected Merrick's favorite dance (which was called 'Ruby Slipper Vulture' in the School of Dance video, but is called Happy Dance in SOTA).

Watch the kid in the orange shirt!

​

And here is Merrick doing the same dance (Happy Dance) in SOTA!

Spoiler: Where to Get the Happy Dance

Go to Soltown and speak to Kitty, a child who is near the tents. Ask her about "Freckles".

​

Part 2: Real world references to other dances

Here are some other in-game emotes that refer to real-world dances:

1. Timerift - this is the SOTA version of the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
2. Macarena - SOTA's version of the real world Macarena dance.
3. Starrlton - Darkstarr's version of the Carlton; see this post for details.
4. Heavy Hopak & Light Hopak - SOTA's versions of Hopak dancing, a Ukrainian form of acrobatic dancing.
5. Allemande - SOTA's version of the Allemande dance from the Renaissance period.
6. Firedance & Firedance Cross - SOTA's versions of the fire dance.
7. Headbang - SOTA's version of the Headbang.
8. Magic - this is a tribute to David Bowie's Magic Dance from the movie Labyrinth. The in-game dance is similar to the dance shown in this part of a music video by David Bowie.
9. Gypsy - this is an homage to the dance performed by the gypsy in a music video by the Space Bards. Throughout the video below, and you'll see the gypsy doing the dance that was added to SOTA. See this post for another reference to the Space Bards. [The song, called "The Return of Lord British" is an original homage to the return of Richard Garriott to computer gaming with the MMORPG "Shroud of the Avatar." It was conceived for "A Quest from Lord British" video contest held in April 2013, and the song won the contest.]
   
   
   Spoiler: Pic of a Space Bard doing the Gypsy Dance

   

Where do you find these emotes and others? See SOTAwiki: Emotes​

 

Spoiler: Page of Justice

The page of Justice is in the vault connected to the House of Justice in Libris

Spoiler: Rune of Justice

The rune of Justice is also in a House of Justice, but it is in Yew, the city of Justice for Ultima IV.

 

Spoiler: Page of Spirituality

The page of Spirituality is in Brittany Castle in a hidden room

Spoiler: Rune of Spirituality

The rune of Spirituality is also in Brittany Castle in a hidden treasure room in Ultima IV.

 

I mentioned this in my Lighter Side thread, but it is more appropriate here.

The Eye and Hand of Naturamans . I like that, being an old time AD&D player (The Eye and Hand of Vecna). Oh, it was reprised in Hackmaster, as well (The Eye and Hand of Vectra, and also added the Head and Feet).

 

There is a reference to me in the game. I wonder if anyone has noticed it.

 

Minor Easter Egg (and perhaps a "real" world reference): Jackalope
In Crooked Shank

Spoiler: Jackalope

In Crooked Shank, a Jackalope head is mounted inside one of the houses (Location 145.5, 72.0, -42.4).
In this case, it is the Jackalope version of the death bunny.

 

Minor Easter Egg : skeleton having a picnic
in Blood Bay

This one has been known for a while, and was first found on the QA server in January 2017* when Blood Bay was first introduced.

[* link may require Dev+ access].

Spoiler: Where to Find the Skeleton Picnic

At the top of the central mountain in Blood Bay (the highest point in the scene), there is a picnic spot: there is a bottle of wine and a slice of cheese in the picnic basket, a nice view, and a skeleton to keep you company (you cannot loot the skeleton, but you can steal the wine and cheese). This spot used to have a point of interest on the compass called "Respected Fellow Peak", but the point of interest was removed for unknown reasons.

 

We got told we have overactive imaginations for thinking Drumplemouth resembled Trump :

The surname of Donald Trump's family was originally "Drumpf."

Drump loud mouth ? Drump lewd mouth ?

and he seems to have a big ego... I dunno maybe it should be tweaked a little if it really wasn't intentional

 

Real World Reference to "Wanna buy a duck?" from the Ultima Series
In Brittany Fields

Spoiler: Wanna Buy a Duck (Quest Spoiler)

Dupre is a character based on the real-life Greg Dykes, a personal friend of Richard Garriott. Garriot planned to include Dupre in Ultima 2, and asked Dykes what he would like his character to say. Dykes responded "Wanna buy a duck?" Here is Garriot telling this story:

​

"Wanna Buy a Duck?" in Ultima

In Ultima 2, Dupre asks "Wanna buy a duck?"

In Ultima 5, Dupre asks "Wanna buy a duck?" If you answer yes, Dupre says "It'll cost 5 gold crowns, O.K.?". If you say yes again, he gives you a duck and says "Enjoy the duck!"

In Ultima 6, when asked about a duck, Dupre says "Please, let's not talk about ducks..."​

"Wanna Buy a Duck?" in SOTA

In Brittany Fields, if you ask Jean Christian Dupre for help, he asks "...wanna buy a duck?"


This leads to a mini-quest, where you end up talking to a lot of NPCs about buying a duck. When you talk to one of the final NPCs in the quest (Abigael), the chat box says "I made a note to kill the next person who asks if I wanna buy a duck" (a reference to Dupre's comment "Please, let's not talk about ducks..." from Ultima 6).


Ultimately, you can buy the duck from a child named Little Abby:


If you give her 10 worms, she gives you a white duck (which you can use as a pet). Just like Dupre in Ultima 5, she tells you to enjoy the duck.
​

Origin of "Wanna Buy a Duck?"

David Watson (Iolo) suggested that Dykes had recently seen a number of Marx Brothers movies and the "Duck" line may have been inspired by a comedy routine from one of those movies. It may have arisen from this "Why a duck?" routine from the Marx Brothers movie The Cocoanuts (1929). While Groucho and Chico are discussing a map, Groucho mentions the presence of a viaduct. Chico, who is playing the role of an immigrant with poor English skills, replies "Why a duck?"

​

It is also possible that the inspiration came from a comedy routine by Joe Penner, who posed the question "Wanna buy a duck?"

• Audio of "Wanna buy a Duck?"
• Link to Info on Joe Penner ​

.​

Additional In-Game Reference to Dupre's Duck

There is a craftable type of food in SOTA called Dupre's Duck Stew.

​

 

the cliffs of insanity in elad's lighthouse, a replica of the ruins in a princess bride where the famous sword-fight was held.

Area: Elad's Lighthouse (Novia_R3_City_Elads) Loc: (192.8, 73.2, 579.3)

 

I hope this is ok to post here.
I 'accidentally' encountered some trees that like to kill me in Ulfheim.
I was not aware they were in the game so you can imagine my surprise when the tree killed me (4 times actually). I assume it is a take off from the Ents in Lord of the Rings?
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ents
But the ones in SOTA are pure evil to a small avatar. LOL
Sorry for the poor image... I was trying to exit when I was rooted again before it killed me.

 

Easter Eggs referring to the the movie The Princess Bride
In Elad's Lighthouse

Inspired by @Alley Oop's discovery of the Cliffs of Insanity in Elad's lighthouse (a replica of the same cliffs from The Princess Bride), I went there and snooped around and found more Easter eggs

Spoiler: Princes Bride Easter Eggs

Cliffs of Insanity

See Alley Oop's post about this Easter Egg.
​

Sword in the Tree

See Alley Oop's post about this Easter Egg.​

Battle of Wits

Vizzini (who kidnapped Buttercup) proposes a battle of wits in which Westley and Vizzini try to guess which cup of wine is poisoned. Vizzini describes his logic for choosing a cup. Westley and Vizzini each pick a cup and drink the wine. However, Wesley reveals that both cups were poisoned, but he had cultivated an immunity to the poison. So, only Vizzini dies.
Here is the clip from the scene:


And here is the reference in SOTA (Location: -186.5, 65.8, 543.0), which shows the 2 wine cups on a tablecloth on the rock, and the skeleton of Vizzini (this location shows up on the compass as a point of interest called "Battle of Wits").
​

Florin Shipyard

The Princess Bride is set in the country of Florin, which is on the coast.
Here is a scene where the characters board a ship and sail away:


In Elad's Lighthouse there is a point of interest called "Florin Shipyard" (see red arrow below; Location 170.7, 43.6, 136.4):
​

.

Spoiler: Elad's Lighthouse is Inspired by Ireland

I spoke to Sea-Wolf about this zone and about the two points of interest called "Ruined Church" and "Burial Mound". He said "The ruined church and burial mound are not references to the princess bride. They are actually based on real world locations in Ireland, which is where the princess bride was filmed. I established Elad's Lighthouse as our version of Ireland, because of its proximity to Brittany, the fact that it is an island, and the fact that it is rocky enough to necessitate a lighthouse. After creating the coastline as the cliffs of Moher, I thought it might be fun to bring in some princess bride references. "

 

Announcement of a New Section in this Thread

This new section will refer to a real world reference, and perhaps the ultimate Easter egg: the SOTA community.

Since I first joined the SOTA community in 2015, I have been impressed with how the players have contributed to the game through creation of in-game content, development of game related tools, contribution of ideas, and compilation of game references.

But far more impressive is the magnitude of good-will, generosity, and compassion that the community shares with its fellow members. This strong sense of community is clearly evident in the support and well wishes expressed for community members who have become ill, passed away, or fallen on unfortunate times.

This new section is titled "Tributes to the Community & Community Outreach" and it will include in-game tributes to community members and in-game references to community outreach. It would be an insurmountable task to include every important community contribution and act of kindness; however, I hope to highlight some examples that are representative of this amazing community.

@Lord British, @DarkStarr, @Berek, @Lum the Mad, @Chris

The first post in this new section follows below:

 

Memorial for Lacey
In Necropolis

This post was created to honor Lacey, to allow new SOTA members to learn about Lacey, and to kindle memories for players who knew her.

Lori Kennedy Matheson (in-game name Lacey) is a beloved member of the SOTA community who passed away in September, 2016 from breast cancer. She was only 48 years old. Those who knew her in-game and in real life described her as a wonderful, caring, and altruistic person who enriched the lives of those around her. Her passing had a profound effect on the SOTA community, even those who did not know her.

I did not know Lacey, but I was profoundly moved by the tremendous outpouring of love and warmth from the community when she passed away. After reading the heart felt comments in the forums, I wished I had the opportunity to meet her. When Portalarium created a tribute to Lacey in the Necropolis, I went to the Necropolis and I spoke to Lacey's spirit. So, in a way, was able to meet her. Hopefully, this post will help ensure that all players who meet Lacey in the Necropolis understand the significance of this special encounter.

Lacey's passing was announced in the thread "We have lost our dear friend Lacey", where the community expressed their affection for Lacey, their gratitude, their fond memories, and their sympathies. In addition, an in-game memorial service was held for Lacey in Cottage Grove on September 24, 2016, which included eulogies from those who knew her (see video below).


I encourage everybody to read the "We have lost our dear friend Lacey" thread and watch the video of Lacey's memorial service because these tributes truly convey the magnitude of Lacey's impact on the community.

Upon Lacey's passing, many players created in-game tributes to Lacey, some of which are shown in the Update of the Avatar #195 (Portalarium's post about Lacey). Update #195 also includes the announcement that Portalarium created two permanent in-game tributes to Lacey:

Ability to Customize the Names on Crafted Gravestones

Darkstarr stated that "The 3 craftable gravestones now have the same customizable tooltips as signs so that you modify them to pay tribute to fallen loved ones. We made this change in honor of our community member Lacey who lost her battle to Breast Cancer and was an incredible decorator contributing to Hometown, the Devs vs. Players PVP event, and countless other community events.."​

Lacey's Spirit

The developers placed a spirit named Lacey in the necropolis. From Update of the Avatar #195: "...Scott 'Lum' Jennings added a new spirit to the entrance of the Necropolis. Unlike the other spirits to be found, this particular spirit is helpful and kind – and, unique among them, was once an Outlander herself. Now, much as she did in reality, her kindness will help guide avatars as they progress along the Path of Love. Hopefully this small tribute will help demonstrate how much she, and everyone in our community, means to us and to each other."​

Lacey appears as a faint shadow-like figure:

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Make sure you speak with Lacey as you pass through the Necropolis:

​

Perhaps Lacey's spirit will remind us to keep family, friends, and the SOTA community in our hearts, especially when they are ill or when they fall on hard times. As @Asclepius said, "I think we are more than a game community - we are a family." Lacey is (and will forever be) part of that family.

Thank you to many of Lacey's friends who expressed their support for this tribute and who helped finalize its content.

The content of this post was created on October 18th, but was not posted at that time so that Lacey's friends had a chance to contribute to the post. Unfortunately, while this post was being finalized, we lost another beloved member of the SOTA family: Halte Khaza.
To all of our fallen Avatars: You will not be forgotten.

.

 

Real Word Reference to Monty Python & the Holy Grail
In Highvale Outskirts

In the movie Monty Python & the Holy Grail, monks walking through a town hit themselves in the in the head with a wooden tablet while chanting in Latin. Notice that when they hit themselves, you can see a cross painted on the underside of the tablet.


In Highvale outskirts, there is an NPC named Montgomery (location -545.7, 55.5, -105.1). The name Monty in "Monty Python" was inspired by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (they shortened his name to Monty). So, Montgomery in SOTA appears to be a direct reference to the "Monty" in Monty Python.


If you talk to Montgomery and ask him about meditation, he will teach you an emote called "tablet".

​

When performing the "tablet" emote, the Avatar will hit himself/herself in the head with a wooden tablet while chanting the Latin phrase "Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem" (just like in the movie). The Avatar's tablet has an ankh painted on the backside (rather than the cross shown on the movie's tablet). To see the Latin phrases chanted by the Avatar, you must look in the chat window and have the "Emote" option selected in the chat window tab. The translation of the chant is "Merciful Jesus, grant them rest." [See this post by @Daxxe Diggler who discovered the Latin words]
Here is a picture that shows the Avatar about to smack himself in the head.

​

This Easter egg was pointed out by @Aurelius Silverson in this post.

See the other Monty Python references that are listed in the first post of this thread.

 

Real World Reference to the movie Aliens
In HighVale outskirts

This Easter Egg was first reported by @Aurelius Silverson in this post - good catch!

In the Movie Aliens, Ripley finds a child named Rebecca (nick named Newt). Both of Newt's parents were killed by the Alien creatures, and Newt was the sole survivor of their space colony. When Ripley arrived at the decimated space colony, she found Newt and protected her.

This is the movie dialogue when Ripley initially finds Newt:

Ripley: You don't talk much, do you? I don't know how you managed to stay alive. But you're one brave kid, Rebecca.
Newt: Newt.
Ripley: What'd you say?
Newt: Newt. My name is Newt. Nobody calls me Rebecca except my brother.​

In-game, Ripley is represented by Esmeralda, Newt is represented by a little girl named Hyla, and the Aliens are represented by the Frostgeists.
Esmeralda and Hyla are both located in the Living Quarters on the top of the mountain (location 2.1, 194.0, -454.9).

Esmeralda

1. Esmeralda helps you defeat the Frostgeists in-game (similar to Ripley helping defeat the Aliens in the movie).
2. Esmeralda takes Hyla "under her wing" in the same way Ripley takes Newt "under her wing" and protects her.
   

Hyla

1. If you speak to Esmeralda, she says that both of Hyla's parents have died (just like Newt's parents - see Esmeralda's conversation above).
2. If you talk to Hyla about her name, she states:
   
   This is essentially the same thing that Newt says in the move: "Newt. My name is Newt. Nobody calls me Rebecca except my brother."
3. Newt and Hyla are both the names of amphibian creatures:
   • Newt is a salamander.
   • Hyla is a tree frog.
4. The tree frog Hyla was named after a character in Greek mythology called Hylas. After Hylas' father was killed in battle, Hercules took Hylas "under his wing." Later, Hylas was kidnapped by water nymphs. This story roughly correlates with the Aliens and SOTA stories, where a child whose parent died is taken "under the wing" of another, and is threatened by a moist creature. Perhaps the frostgeist represents a frozen water nymph? [I am just speculating on this Greek Mythology reference, which may be an over-reach. I am not sure if this reference was intended or not].

Frostgeists

If you talk to Esmeralda in-game about frostgeists, she will say "...Now, what I need you to do is go into the abandoned buildings that's barricaded and find a frostgeist - it's like a ghost, but a lot colder and meaner. It's better if you go at night since they mostly come out at night... mostly, as little Rebecca likes to say. Find a frostgeist and defeat it!"

In the movie, the escape ship crashes, and Ripley, Newt, and others are stranded on the planet surface. Newt warns "We'd better get back 'cause it'll be dark soon and they mostly come at night. Mostly." (which is remarkably similar to what Hyla/Rebecca "likes to say" in-game).

[see time 0:25 to end]
​

.​

 

Talk to a guard near gate outside of Monastery In Highveiw Outskirts, Jamie Bond ....... "Jamie...Jamie Bond" when asking his name. A reference to the James Bond movies.