zddgame
/
Gaming News
/
Paul Barnett's Rose-Tinted Memories of Ultima
Paul Barnett's Rose-Tinted Memories of Ultima-October 2024
Oct 22, 2024 11:33 PM

  You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

  Click To Unmute

  Ultima Forever Interview - Comic-Con 2012

  Resident Evil 4 Is A Perfect Remake

  How Alan Wake II Made Me Face My Fear of Horror GamesGameSpot's Top 10 Games of 2023Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - LoadoutFirearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerHow Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight Trailer

  Share

  LinkEmbed

  Size:640 × 360480 × 270

  Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

  Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

  Sign up or Sign in now!

  Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

  This video has an invalid file format.

  00:00:00

  HTML5

  Auto HD High Low

  Report a problem

  Sorry, but you can't access this content!

  

Please enter your date of birth to view this video
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year2023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900

  By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

  Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

  enter

  BioWare Mythic's Paul Barnett joined us on our Comic-Con 2012 stage show to talk about the newly announced Ultima Forever. Here are some of the most interesting quotes from that interview…

  

On deciding which Ultima game to reimagine

  When you look at Ultima, it's basically got three types of worlds that look good. Ultima Online--still going strong, still great. Ultima IV--very much stimulation. You go all over the world, the virtues become the avatar. It's got boats and pirate dens and great stuff. And then Ultima VII--this big, chunky, simulation world. We looked at the three of them and went, hmm, well we haven't got a very big team and we haven't got a lot of time. So I guess doing the online one's probably not a very good idea…and Ultima VII looks quite chunky. Maybe this…this Ultima IV looks pretty good!

  So we got a group together at Bioware and said, who really cares about Ultima? Who's not gonna mess it up? Who's got supreme passion and wants to do Ultima IV again? Then they put their hands up. We said, great! We gave them sugar, put them in a room, and off they went.

  

On looking back at Ultima IV with rose-tinted glasses

  Everyone who played Ultima IV who's old and craggy and remembers when all of this was text, they have this vision in their head of what all of this was like. In their head, it was this beautific game, and it wasn't really 27 different key controls with terrible, juttery graphics. They think it was awesome!

  You then take the modern team, the team who have to deliver it. You sit them down and say, we need you to play this game we're gonna reimagine. We tell them it's an all-time classic, it's been around, it's formed a lot of big thinking. They then try to play it and it's sort of like when you're given Chaucer to read.

  

On building a game for both PC and iPad

In their head, Ultima IV was this beautific game, and it wasn't really 27 different key controls with terrible, juttery graphics. They think it was awesome!"

  One of the benefits of going to the iPad is that it kept you honest on complexity, game depth, and game timing. It stopped us from being drawn into the gravitational black hole of, I'm a PC! I've got a mouse, all these keys, I can put hot bars in…I can go crazy!

  We wanted it to be an RPG adventure. And so if anything, we were inspired by the Super Nintendo Japanese RPGs. One button to get through a conversation, choices that you had to make, extreme emotion, reasonably tight and fun controls rather than hot bars of madness and number-crunching math puzzles. Going onto the iPad helped keep that focus, that strong design urge.

  

On the biggest myth about Ultima Forever

  [The biggest myth] is that it's a crappy Facebook game with energy rubbish and that we're trying to gouge money from people just for blinking. It's absolutely not! It's a joyous, full, rich game. It doesn't have any of that nonsense. You can get in and literally within half an hour you'll have gone across the entire world, visited all the great towns, got yourself a boat, visited Lady British, gone off to the Lyceum--there's no stopping you!

  We went out of our way to remove the glass walls and instead we though, you know what? We're just going to let people play it. Play it and enjoy it. Have a really great go at it. When you actually see the game up and running, it's a joy.

  

More highlights: Cliff Bleszinksi on Fortnite and Frank O'Connor on Halo 4

Comments
Welcome to zddgame comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zddgame.com All Rights Reserved