Produced by: Team Return
Website: Return to the Serpent Isle
Forum: Return Forums

Led by Sergorn Dragon, Return to the Serpent Isle is a “fan-made game based upon the legendary Ultima series and…crafted with the use of the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine.” It intends “to follow in and uphold the tradition of the Ultima series, it will lead the players to revisit the Serpent Isle which first had been introduced in Ultima VII Part Two,” Serpent Isle.

This ambitious effort isn’t a remake, but is in fact a completely new story set in the Ultima universe, and will tell a completely new tale set in a post-holocaust Serpent Isle. Several familiar faces from the second part of Ultima 7 will be making a return in the game, though many new characters will also feature in it.

Produced by: Kevin Fishburne
Website: Eight Virtues

Some may remember Kevin Fishburne from the Ultima V TES III mod that was announced a few years ago, which saw a lot of progress but ultimately ceased development due to the sheer number of 3D assets that needed to be created for it.

Mr. Fishburne is back with a new project called Sanctimonia, which borrows elements from Ultima IV, V, Online and arcade titles such as Gauntlet. It’s a 2D game with faux 3D effects and is not a mod; it’s a standalone MMO-type game that he’s coding himself. Other than landscape textures and building tiles, all the objects (trees, furniture, people, animals, etc.) will be photographed from real models from 16 directions to create the faux 3D effect when the screen is rotated.

Produced by: Mark Mitchell
Website: Forum posting at the Cartographer’s Guild

This is an ambitious project to create a realistic heightmap of Britannia using such tools as Photoshop, Terragen, and L3DT.

This in turn would be useful for some Ultima project developers, since I know for a fact that tools exist for some game engines (Neverwinter Nights 2 especially) that allow for the automatic creation of terrain based on imported heightmaps.

But that’s not the reason Mark has undertaken this project for himself. As he creates this work, he also wants to consider: “size and scaling of the continent, political and demographic issues, economy and trade routes, [and] geology and land formation.” In that regard, it’s as much an anthropological study as it is a really cool piece of artwork. You can see just how cool by clicking on the project’s image there on the left; that’s a sample/preview image he sent me a couple months back. It can be viewed in somewhat better detail at Aiera’s Flickr page.

Produced by: Andrew Brozyna
Website: Ferrous Lands

Andrew’s intriguing project involves taking various 28mm metal figurines and repainting them (with physical modifications if necessary) in order to reimagine Ultima as a tabletop wargame.

Thus far, he’s added a number of monsterforms to his collection — ettins, orcs, goblins, and headlesses to name but a few — and has fashioned a model of the female Avatar and a few of the companions as well (Dupre is pictured here). He has even begun work on a to-scale tavern model, inspired by The Modest Damsel (New Magincia’s tavern in Ultima 7.)

Produced by: Enrico Ricciardi
Website: Enrico Ricciardi

Mystik is a calendar of photographs of European models posed with props and backdrops that represent the virtues and principles of the Ultima universe, as well as the associated character classes.

Ricciardi put a fair bit of thought into understanding and conveying these aspects of Ultima’s backstory, and is offering the calendar in support of Village for All (V4A), which appears (I cannot read Italian) to be a charity devoted to helping those with disabilities travel.

This effort even has the support of Richard Garrriott, which is pretty darn cool.

Produced by: Chgowiz
Website: Chgowiz’s Old Guy RPG Blog
Releases:
* Rulebook (390.2 KiB, 125 hits)
* Game Referee's Guide (378.3 KiB, 109 hits)
* Hawkwind's Gazeteer: Perinia (470.1 KiB, 117 hits)

A pen-and-paper RPG inspired by the first three Ultima titles, Siege Perilous is not (according to its author) a faithful representation of the canonical timeline — it is instead a “hybrid” game that can represent any point within the Ultima timeline, or serve as the foundation for a completely new, “off the cuff” Ultima adventure.

It was developed from an adaptation of the Swords & Wizardry White Box, in addition to several other sources.

The game is complete to the point that it can be playtested; Chgowiz has additions to make to the list of magic items (including potions and spells), character creation rules, and game setting information. Reviews of the game are welcome.

Produced by: Max Breedon
Website: EUO
Releases:
* EUO Installer (3.5 MiB, 20 hits)
* EUO Patching Utility (99.7 KiB, 17 hits)
* Launcher Client (24.7 KiB, 18 hits)
* EUO Map Editor (158.8 KiB, 17 hits)
* EUO 3D Client (253.3 KiB, 16 hits)

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 an Ultima Online-like skill system, without player classes. Combat is based on D&D dice rolling like in Neverwinter Nights (with additional 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!

Produced by: Gordon McNutt
Website: Nazghul CRPG
Releases:
* Nazghul 0.7.0 Setup (Windows) (7.4 MiB, 20 hits)
* Nazghul 0.7.0 Setup (Mac) (9.9 MiB, 12 hits)
* Nazghul 0.7.0 Source (7.5 MiB, 12 hits)

Still in development (although you can download and compile the source, which is currently at version 0.7.0), Nazghul is a 2D single-player computer role-playing game (CRPG) engine in the grand tradition of Ultimas 1 through 5. Much as with EUO, the developer proudly states that if you are looking for gorgeous graphics and squad-based combat, you should look elsewhere.

Haxima is the game being developed concurrently with the Nazghul engine, and features an Ultima-inspired tale of adventure.

Produced by: Andrea B. Previtera
Website: Ashes

Ashes is a 3D RPG inspired by, and using similar textures to, Ultima VII. The author is aiming to create a game that has a very similar feel to the classic Ultima title in terms of graphics, world interactivity, and other aspects.

Not to be confused with Exult 3D, which is a 3D visual environment for the actual Ultima VII world, Ashes is definitely a spin-off that has been inspired by the Ultima tradition. It looks very promising, and should be very interesting to play when completed!

Produced by: Arkane Studios
Website: Arx Fatalis Online (English site)
Releases:
* English Demo (Updated) (153.1 MiB, 10 hits)
* English Demo (Old) (154.2 MiB, 6 hits)
* German Demo (156.4 MiB, 7 hits)
* French Demo (154.4 MiB, 8 hits)
* Version 1.18 Patch (English) (2.6 MiB, 19 hits)
* Version 1.17 Patch (English) (3.1 MiB, 12 hits)
* Version 1.17 Patch (Italian) (3.1 MiB, 7 hits)
* Version 1.17 Patch (French) (3.1 MiB, 7 hits)
* Bonus CD Content (181.0 MiB, 17 hits)

Arkane Studios developed this game in honor of the Ultima Underworld series, out of recognition of the superior gameplay style of those games.

Featuring a strong plot with many subquests, multiple NPC races – each with different dialogue styles, character customization, exceptional world interactivity and even runic magic, this game could very well have been titled Ultima Underworld 3. And in fact, it was supposed to have exactly that title, but Arkane was unable to license the name.

Produced by: SantiagoZ
Website: Slashie.Net
Releases:
* DrashRL v0.32 (1.3 MiB, 11 hits)

Kidnapped by the evil Garrintrots just as he escapes Mondain’s Lair, the Stranger from Another World finds himself (or herself) trapped in the dungeons of Mount Drash.

A remake of the non-canon Ultima spinoff, SantiagoZ’s project features updated graphics with a clean, tiled feel.

Produced by: Titans of Ether
Website: Titans of Ether

Corv has been sparse on the details surrounding this new project, so there’s not much we can tell you about it. What is certain is that it is set after Ultima 9, and could perhaps be called Ultima X – although Corv discourages the use of this name as he wants to distance this project as much as possible from the now defunct UXO.

From the map, it looks like the game will feature the land of Britannia, circa roughly Ultima 7. However, in what is sure to be an interesting plot twist, the map screenshot on their site appears to imply that Britannia is not actually the Lands of Lord British from Ultima 1.

NOTE: As of Sept. 18, 2004, this project and Ultima IX: Redemption have become one unified effort under the direction of Corv. The New King will be the direct sequel to Redemption.

Produced by: A New Breed of Dragon
Website: The Dark Core
Releases:
* Dark Core v1.02 for Netscape (6.3 MiB, 13 hits)
* Dark Core v1.0 for Internet Explorer (6.3 MiB, 7 hits)
* Internet Explorer 4.0 (13.3 MiB, 5 hits)
* Netscape Navigator 4.08 (9.7 MiB, 8 hits)
* Dark Core v1.0 for Internet Explorer 8 (6.3 MiB, 16 hits)

Mere seconds after the Avatar arrives back in Britannia, freshly escaped from Pagan, he finds himself standing before a huge statue of the Guardian. Suddenly, he is granted a vision of the Dark Core of Exodus, and finds that he is being drawn into the core. Complicating matters, it seems that the Guardian is also being drawn in…

…or is he using this vision to deceive the Avatar?

An interactive game in the style of Myst, this web-based remake is a truly amazing Ultima spin-off!

Note: You must have a version of Netscape less than 4.3 in order to play this game! It will also work with Internet Explorer 4.0 or 5.0. It is known that the game will NOT work with more recent versions of Netscape, and I have no idea how well it will behave in later versions of Explorer. I have provided downloads of Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Navigator 4.08 (both for Windows only) above in order to help people get this thing running on their home system.

One further note: Given the tight integration of Internet Explorer with Windows, it might be best to try installing Netscape first. Most extant Windows installations likely sport at least version 5 of Internet Explorer, and rolling said program back to an earlier version is a trying task.

And a warning: Both Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Navigator 4.08 are at least 13 years old, and were built for an era of computing and Internet browsing that was not nearly so perilous as is the case today. Both browsers contain numerous vulnerabilities which modern malware can and will exploit almost as a matter of course. If you install one of these browsers on your system, make sure you never run it while your connection to the Internet is live. Better still: create a Windows 98 (or whichever version is your preference) VirtualBox with networking specifically disabled, and install and run The Dark Core therein.

Or: you could just try out Infinitron Dragon’s Internet Explorer 8-compatible update for the game. Whether or not said update will work with other browsers (e.g. Firefox, Chrome) is uncertain at present, nor is it known whether said update will work on non-Windows platforms.

See Also: A New Breed of Dragon’s System Optimization Guide.

Produced by: Telemachos
Website: Peroxide
Releases:
* Mount Drash (459.5 KiB, 18 hits)

Ultima: Escape from Mount Drash is not a canon Ultima, and bears only a passing relevance to the Ultima storyline. It was not a Richard Garriot game, and it seems likely that, at the time, Sierra just slapped the Ultima label onto another game in order to boost its sales.

Telemachos, formerly of Peroxide, ported the game from the VIC 20 to the PC about a year ago, and Warwon Dragon graciously provided me with his copy of the port for inclusion on the site.

Produced by: Iron Will Games
Website: Dransik
Releases:
* Client 1.03

Dransik apparently began as an Ultima 5-like online MMORPG, as a project supposedly headed by former Ultima 8 developer Jason Ely. However, the game evolved somewhat, taking on a more isometric graphics set with some very beautiful special effects.

Dransik is no longer in development, of course, having morphed into a second online RPG called Ashen Empires. However, it is now available for free download and play, and the only limitation imposed on you by the developers is that your backpack/inventory capacity is reduced if you do not play through an active Ashen Empires account.