Better than Ultima

If I never engage in combat the entire game I think I will love this game. I started the path of love in Ardoris, and after talking to all these characters I'm seeing the potential of this game. FANTASTIC!!!

Ultima was just the beginning this is already looking to be a far richer story, with a deeper and more meaningful journey. I remember Richard mentioning something about truthiness... wow. This is far deeper than Ultima ever was, and this is just the beginning.


On a side note...
How can something sound truthy to a multitude of people??? If there is Truth with a capital T, then how can anybody know it unless they have met or been introduced to Truth before? Nobody recognizes someone they never met. If there is Truth it absolutely must be true for all, nobody's belief/faith can create their own unique truth because we all exist in the same universe. Gravity effects us all the same. Not saying that each person isn't unique. However if a multitude can recognize something as truthy that makes me wonder. If there is Truth, then Truth can only be recognized by the One who already knows the Truth.

I'm not saying this game is the Truth, but it does make me think.

 

The plan is for every character in the game to have unique dialogue and be truly unique characters.

 

as it turns out I'm enjoying magic as well. I don't know how they did it. looks like the same spells and stuff, but the managed to make it fun. I didn't realize it until after I leveled the skills a bit. Magic was a big drawback for me a year ago. This game has really come a long way.

It was a burden because it seemed like we had to stack glyphs to make the spells more powerful. Now with the skill gain system the spells get more powerful and it feels like a natual progression as if the character is actually becoming a better caster rather than just stacking etc. I'm finding the deck much less stressful and mindnumbing If fact it is actually facilitating combat. how about that??? Also the spells seemed like they were nonmystical actually seem like magic now. I really am glad. I had such high hopes for this project and it looks like I won't be disappointed.

 

Better than which Ultima? Ultima I circa 1981? UO?

 

the entire series. Personally when I am comparing this to Ultima I'm specifically referring to Ultima 4 and later.

 

Ok. Well the game is looking better and better release after release overall minus some cross hairs and lighting tweaks here and there but I'm still waiting on u4, u5, u6, u7, u8 style automated npc quests. Some say it would be like wow if it had automated npc quests in the online mode, but, it wouldn't be in any way shape or form, as, ultima series style quests were actually good, ingenious, complex, puzzle filled, original, unique, made you think, forced you to think, whereas wow and every other wow-clone out there is the exact opposite, their quests are bad, as bad as quests can get, not to mention brain dead, so, I'm waiting on that, the reason I enjoyed the ultima series to begin with, the reason I still play 25+ year old games from time to time. I like the sota world the way it looks, just hoping lore, and quests can bring the game to life.

 

Can't agree. Other time, other computers, other internet-speed, other community. Not comparable.

 

To me, SotA is like a modern Ultima Ascension.

 

QUESTION: Have you spoken to any of the people in Ardoras on both sides of the city for the love storyline??? HOLY CRAP it's awesome. Keep in mind this is the city of love or it is founded in love or the home of the Titan of love... whatever that is. I haven't followed up on it yet but I got far along enough to see this is not only deep it is really fantastic. It is already deeper than Ultima 4 quests.

1st of all, I spoke to the Oracle who said the people have lost or forsaken the path of love, how will I guide them or whatever. Then when you talk to these people it sounds like they know a whole lot about love, in fact they revere love in many ways. It seems like a deeper story than just go tell them to do the right stuff, and forsake evil and turn to good.

The other side is just like it from another perspective. This is not simpleton stuff.

*****************************************************

Richard fantastic work. Tracy Hickman also gets kudos for what he did. It may be a spirtual successor, but at this rate Shroud of the Avatar is more Utlima than Ultima ever was.

 

I've been testing the game, the mechanics, from day 1 to today (not often, as I'm not a paid tester), I have yet to play the game. I don't want to spoil the plot. I've talked to some guards, asked them what their name was. They told me they don't have a name. Yet, I pledged to the level of "name an NPC", and I keep waiting, I submitted the details of my NPC, apparently I need to re-submit it at a better time. All I can say is, I've paid big bucks, took a good hour to write out some NPC name options, etc, sent them, and the time of sending isn't good, this isn't the best way to treat a major pledger and supporter of the game. So that's the type of stuff I notice when I talk to NPCs. I guess you got lucky and talked to some quest NPCs. But the Oracle just repeats the same prophecy when I talk to it. The Oracle looks cool though and was one of my favorite parts of Serpent Isle.

 

I edited my post because of spoilers. Hopefully that isn't too much. I also am not going too deep into the story right now for the same reason. However I hope that doesn't hurt us when it comes to lot selection etc. I missed lot selection time and don't know how to get to the better locations with a new character, and dont' know if playing the plot now will give an advantage to others. ??? Hope not.

 

Lot selection hasn't happened yet. Just a mock one happened, will be wiped.

 

Except comparing is the act of finding and understanding similarities and differences.

You can compare a fruit to a light bulb if you wanted to.

 

in fact when I think about it, there is a lot we can compare, and there certainly is a lot of contrast.

 

I'm sorry but I have to be the 'mad hatter' here and say well sota is great and all but all is not great as all is not present, so to be great you have to be present to receive the presences of greatness when all is present.

I know that's a gob full lol but in a nut shell the game is not finished so I cant say if it is better than ultima or not - currently as SOTA stands I still feel that U7 and U5 were way better than the current iteration of SOTA minus the graphics improvements but as I said I haven't seen the final outcome of the game yet so I eagerly wait

 

I've been playing the game non-stop for the past 6 months and I also haven't even got into the story line. At this point I have more time in then any Ultima game I played and Im starting to take a big chunk out of my UO time (I played UP for the first few years it came out).

I can say that even in alpha with its problems, this game is my favorite of all of them already.

 

I have recently started playing Ultima Online again after a 7 year break, and finding I enjoy it more than SotA. But everyone is different

 

Comparing depends on the question if it is meaningful or not. Comparing pears to apples is possible - but not meaningful.

 

It is if someone likes fruit.

A person could say I like most fruit. That person can also say I like apples, and say why they prefer apples to pears. A person who likes the genera might find the comparison reasonable.

I really liked UO, and Ultima was my favorite game growing up. So for me to say I believe this may be better than that, it is because I have played those and what I personally liked about those games I believe I am finding more of in this game.

 

My statement earlier was due to the fact that some said UO was bad in comparing to SOTA. Thats why I said you can't compare it. UO was a game we used with bad bandwith, nearly no memory and bad video-displays. But it was the best therewas in that time. You can compare UO to RPGs of this era and you have to compare SOTA to current RPGs. No more no less.