GDC 2009 - DarkStarr and I discuss UO2 and TR **Picture**

While sorting through my photos, I found this old pic of @DarkStarr and I at the Game Developers Conference (2009 I believe). I waited outside of a room he was giving a talk in that I didn't have the badge level to access, and he was generous enough to come chat with me for a bit about Ultima Online 2/Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (which was cancelled already) and Tabula Rasa (which was currently in development).

Thanks again, Starr. You rock and made that entire trip to GDC worth it.

 

I was really disappointed when they cancelled UO2, as Austen Andrews had really put some serious effort into writing some damn good story for the game, along with researching the background for his Technocrat War trilogy. And the artwork/gameplay style was pretty damn cool looking at the time; I wanted to play a Juka steampunk warrior

 

Oh to be a human with feline traits! The quick and clever Meer! Or perhaps a Juka, contemplate. With tech I have no fear!!

 

For anyone that didn't get the chance before, the prequel stories are still available and a really good read. Besides, who doesn't want to see @DarkStarr running around as a giant mechanical entity?

wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_Worlds_Online:_ORIGIN_Prequel_Fiction

 

You know... the Elves of SotA are fairly close to the Meer...

New stretch goal for Half-Kobolds?

 

Ultima Online 2 trailer

 

watchers at like 1:25

 

I was a big fan of this one after the name changed to "Ultima Worlds Online: Origin"

 

I remember when there was huge hype for UO2. It's a pity. but anyway, we have now SotA. Consider anything available today is the direct result of milestone and goals from the past. So probably no SotA if that project went out.

 

It's possible. UO2 was when @RichardGarriott was leaving EA (the backstory specifically provides a reason why Lord British becomes "Lost"), and he went on to do several other projects, including Tabala Rasa. I'm still greatly annoyed that EA continues to do next to nothing with the Ultima license, but stubbornly refused to allow RG to utilize it for SotA.

 

I'm the opposite. I'm glad EA isn't doing anything with Ultima.. they screw up every franchise they touch. I'm actually a bit perturbed for example at the UO2 backstory where they tried to make Exodus a machine from the future. It totally flies in the face of Exodus' backstory and the shared history of the shards up to the shattering of the Gem of Immortality. They have no respect for established lore or the spirit of whatever franchise they get their grubby hands on.. and worst yet they refuse to learn from their mistakes. But what really irks me the most is they have so much talent and potential to be great and they've been squandering it for many a year.

 

U4E is a prime example of EA trying to use the Ultima license, and failing miserably

Actually, I will disagree with you regarding Exodus in UO2, as it did fit well into the lore. Exodus WAS a machine creation of Mondain and Minax, and the Avatar was forced to hunt down the Cards of Sol, Moon, Love, and Death to use to "kill" the creature. Its remnant still lingered in Britannia, and was forced to be banished into the Void during the events of Ultima 7 and the Forge of Virtue. Going back to the history of Ultima 1, Mondain had already created the Gem of Immortality and could only be destroyed by the Hero (sans Avatar) by use of the Time Gems to travel back to before the Gem's creation.

Also, Minax was the Enchantress of Time, and had use of the powerful Time Gates to several Ages of Legends throughout space and time. It's altogether likely that Mondain and Minax made use of these terrifying powers to create their demonic hybrid of machine and beast from a far distant future. Also, since the backstory of UO2 dealt also with the Multiverse and the attempted Reforging, it is also not unreasonable to expect there were many alternate universes being chosen from. It's why Blackthorn opposed it so strongly; the Reformation would destroy all other Universes.

 

I think that's a bit of a stretch. For a couple reasons. First, Exodus had to have existed at the time of Mondain's defeat and the alternate timelines Minax influenced on Earth were undone. So those futures effectively never happened in both cases. Also the events after Mondain's defeat never happened within the shards.. cause.. well.. no Avatar. So Exodus would have already existed within the shards right from the beginning. Furthermore, the events within the shards are contained within the shards. They have no bearing on events in the "real world". (Effectively nullifying most, if not all UO lore for all intensive purposes).

 

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey!

The last part is correct; UO2 was intended to wipe out the UO history by removing all prior Shards, and thus creating the New Britannia that was a meld of the ancient past (Meer), present (Britannians), and the far future (Juka). Ultimately, I think EA decided they didn't want to compete with themselves, and scrapped the project. A great many of the UO2 elements (including some of the Exodus/Juka parts) did get introduced with Age of Blackthorn into the UO storyline

http://www.uoguide.com/The_Exodus_Encounter

 

@HoustonDragon Do you dare defy Bowen Bloodgod!!!! Lol

 

I likes teh lore!

I'm actually very interested to see what easter eggs and/or sci-fi elements we may end up seeing in SotA, especially considering @RichardGarriott 's love for space travel

 

He quoted Dr. Who as an argument while discussing what-could've-been's in Ultima lore... if you ask me he's making a worthy opponent of himself

 

Yeah I'm aware they did that.. I don't have much to say about Minax and Exodus appearing the shards.. Me and my guild left the game not too long afterwards if I recall rightly.

I'm not going to hear the end of this one for awhile am I?

 

Yeah me too, its the best part of the Ultima series and SoTA. Though in full disclosure I prefer more high fantasy than sci-fi elements being put in the game. Some of the steam/Tesla stuff is OK, but not too much more.

 

I would fully expect a more significant Star Citizen tie in. I wouldn't complain if there were a crashed space ship or two somewhere.