I’ve signed on as the Technical Officer of a committee that is planning to host a gaming convention in my home city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. More details to follow, including recruitment/volunteer opportunities.
Tags >> Alberta | Canada | EdmontonI was contacted a while back (an inexcusably long while back, as it happens — my apologies!) by Zen, who passed along a bit of an addon module for Dungeon Keeper based on the first level of the Abyss in Ultima Underworld.
As Zen doesn’t have a website to host the project at for himself, he has made it available to the world via Aiera, and I have (finally!!) created a project entry for it. Check thou it out, O Reader, if you’ve still got those Dungeon Keeper discs tucked away in a drawer or closet!
Also, I have added a download for the Ultima 6 Project’s Milestone 5 release to that project’s entry, so if you haven’t grabbed it from somewhere else already, you can now get it here as well.
Also, other news, courtesy of Dino’s Ultima Page:
Ultima V: Lazarus
Cheerful Dragon has released version 1.29 of his various mods and bugfixes for this remake of Ultima 5. These can be downloaded either at the previous forum link, or via the project entry here at Aiera.
Seven Towers Exult Mods
Marzo has released updates to his mods for Exult, for both The Black Gate (Keyring) and Serpent Isle (Fixes). The latest revisions of both can be downloaded through their respective project entries here at Aiera:
Ultima: Iris
Apparently, the project’s developers took home first prize at the Dusmania 10 hobby game development meeting in Frankfurt, Germany. Congrats!
Ultima 5 for TI Calculators
Ranman has released version 1.01 of his port of Ultima 5 to the Texas Instruments calculator. The up-to-date download can be found via the project entry here.
Exult
This Ultima 7 remake has been updated recently — or, rather, the unstable 1.4 version has been updated, as has Exult Studio and its accompanying tools. The Exult team’s plugins for GiMP have also been updated this month, and the whole mess of things can be downloaded via the project entry here.
EUO
This Ultima-inspired game has seen the release of version 0.16 of its rudimentary 3D client, which can be downloaded via the project entry here at Aiera.
Ultima Restoration
This comprehensive multi-project has released screenshots of the Kilrathi space station from their remake of Ultima 1. With this completed, they now have all the cities, dungeons, and space stations fully mapped in the game — which, if I do say so myself, is damn good progress!
They’ve also added links to a good couple-dozen Neverwinter Nights modules that I’m going to have to sort through in short order, so…well, it’s nice to know in advance what I’ll be up to for at least part of next week.
Also, the Wing Commander CIC team are attempting to back up what remains of the Origin Systems data library. They are looking for people with experience with this sort of thing, so if you’re one of those people who lives and breathes in backup tapes, you might want to check their project out.
Tags >> Aiera | Dino's Ultima Page | Dungeon Keeper | Dungeon Siege | EUO | Exult | Exult Studio | Frankfurt | Germany | Neverwinter Nights | Serpent Isle | Texas Instruments | The Black Gate | Ultima 1 | Ultima 5 | Ultima 6 | Ultima 6 Project | Ultima 7 | Ultima Online | Ultima Underworld | Wing Commander
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Produced by: Zen
Releases:
* Ultima Underworld for Dungeon Keeper (27.7 KB)
This is a multiplayer Dungeon Keeper level based on the first level of Ultima Underworld. While Dungeon Keeper doesn’t do sloped surfaces the layout is otherwise very close.
Since much of the level is impenitrable rock much of the challenge in designing this level (and, presumably, subsequent levels also based on Underworld) came from managing the space for rooms well.
The map replaces level 61( Multiplayer 7) in-game, and is for 3 players (but it can be played by one player against the computer). The developer doesn’t have a website at which to host it, so this offering is more or less exclusive to Aiera at present.
To play the level:
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Produced by: Max Breedon
Website: EUO
Releases:
* EUO Installer (3.34 MB)
* Patcher Update (use only if needed) (99.65 KB)
* Launcher (Client Configurator) (24.68 KB)
* Map Editor (158.8 KB)
* 3D Client (253.32 KB)
Borrowing a fair bit from other RPGs, EUO is intended to be a real-time, single/multi-player, persistent-world RPG…one that looks and plays much like Ultima 4 or Ultima 5. The project site proudly proclaims that those looking for mouse support and Diablo 3-style graphics should seek their fix elsewhere.
EUO uses a Ultima Online-like skill system, without player classes. Combat is based on dice rolling like in Neverwinter Nights (and with more Ultima Online influences, apparently). Although the original EUO did feature a U4-like tileset, the current iteration is completely original (although most monsters and traps will be familiar to Ultima 5 fans). Spells can be cast using either the Ultima 5 runes, or through a simpler list for the less-than-Ultima-proficient.
Also, the game now incorporates the LUA scripting language, meaning that the player can influence the dungeons to a greater degree through certain key actions. Leveling is done at shrines, with stats being upgraded along the same lines as happened in Ultima 6.
The game features over 100 NPCs and over 50 quests, with more being added all the time. And now, a 3D client is even available!
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Produced by: Exodus Project
Website: Archon
Releases:
* Milestone 1 (147.85 MB)
* Milestone 2 (225.61 MB)
* Milestone 3 (270.87 MB)
* Milestone 4 (356.82 MB)
* Milestone 5 (442.48 MB)
Tools:
* Font Builder (618.99 KB)
* Interface Designer (1.22 MB)
* Dev Tools (69.6 MB)
Tech Demo:
* Tech Demo (36.83 MB)
Another Dungeon Siege remake, this high-profile (and high-tech) project aims to re-create Ultima 6, adding many of the same features to that game as Lazarus promises for Ultima 5: enhanced music, expanded storyline, new characters and additional side quests.
