Ok... I really don't know is this is for real or not, but I just found:

https://www.lordofultima.com/

.... It has "Ultima" in it, it's online, it's from EA.... so... probably a new Ultima. The bad news, is that this is not really an Ultima rpg or anything like that. My guess is that this is a web based strategy game.

So... what do you people think?

I think it's too early to say. Gamasutra apparently compared it to The Settlers (go here), but that's all I've really heard.

EA Phenomic...that's a lot of development firepower to put behind this. That's another known fact. I wonder what EA is up to?

The screenshot doesn't look that bad, but... I think you can't put screenshots of the game while the beta is on. That's one of the agreements in the contract if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of strategy games, and neither I'm a fan of online games or web based games. So, the only thing that needs this game to really make me hate it even more is a "shooter" mode in it lol.

I only hope that they at least do a manual like the one for Wing Commander Arena. That had a lot of info in it and really looked as one of the old origin manuals in some way. At least that would be interesting.

The game itself... my hopes are not very high.

I also would want to know what EA is thinking. Ultima right now is not that well known, so the name won't really atract many people. Also Ultima has always been an rpg, and probably it's fans would spect an rpg... So what EA wants to acomplish here is beyond anything I can think of.

You make a valid point about Ultima not being well known anymore. Which has me wondering something...

Quick test: have you ever heard of Evony?

I'm basically in wait&see attitude.

I'm actually very open to the idea of spining off franchises in different genres. I feel if a universe is great enough, it can be used for various kind of games - and I'm saddened by the close minded attitudes fans usually have about this kind of stuff.

So in principle I have nothing against an non RPG Ultima game (hell but today standard, I'm sure most gamers wouldn't even consider Ultima games RPGs), not even an online strategy Ultima game, especially with a developper like Phenomic (they created the SpellForce series I mean).

Of course in this case, there is two problems :
1. The fact that it's a browser-based game - color me skeptical.
2. The fact that outside of Ultima Online which is still doing pretty well, the Ultima franchise has been dead and buried for the last ten years, in spite of numerous attempts by EA to ressurect it in various forms. Spinning a strong franchise into another genre is a thing, spinning a comatose franchise is another thing (unless this happens to be a UO Spin Off, but I don't think it is).

If Ultima is to come back it should be a AAA CRPG, like the one they tried to have made a couple of years ago.

But regardless, call be naive, but yeah I see the annoucement of a new Ultima - even a browser strategy game - as a very good news, because it proves that EA still has an interest for the Ultima name and I'm confident that a new Ultima CRPG will eventually comme, sooner or later.

It's true that the main gamer public has little knowledge of the Ultima license, but the it's a name that still carry a great resonance in gamers and CRPGers circles, and even amongst RPG developpers (I don't feel there is any major RPG developpers who hasn't been influenced by Ultima in one way or another).

Hell if Bethesda can ressurect Fallout and make a game met with a tremendous commercial and critical success, ten years after Fallout 1&2 (which were at their core very *niche* games which never had the success of an Ultima), there's no reason with a "Next Gen" AA Ultima CRPG couldn't be created and sold with success.

-Sergorn

Well, I would have prefered an strategy game. But web based online games are something I really don't like at all. Of course, being an ultima and all, I will give it a try...

Anyway, I'm interested in which way they are gonna go with the story (if it even has one).

Personally I have hopes of an RPG someday. Something like Dragon Age but with Ultima lore would be great.

Ugh. That would be my worst nightmare personally. Dragon Age is a great game - but it's pretty much the exact opposite of the Ultima design philosophy. It's a lifeless world, with no interactivity whatsoever and solely focus on the plot.

It a new Ultima RpG ever comes around, it HAS to have an actual "virtual world" - this is one of the major aspects of the series since Ultima V that is totally inexistant in Bioware games. I'd rather have Pyrannha Bytes or even Bethesda (yes!) take a shot at a Ultima than Bioware unless Bioware would be willing to try a vastly different design philosophy

-Sergorn

To revitalize the franchise it would be a good move. I agree with the virtual world part, but I don't think Bethestha would do that well. Ultima had the best of both worlds, a virtual enviroment and a good story. Bethesta works well creating big virtual worlds, but the story in them is not that good, not to mention the writting is really bad and repetitive (I'm talking of Oblivion mostly), whereas Dragon Age works with less interactivity and more plot with better writting.

Ultima Lazarus managed to get both and it felt like an Ultima (it just lacked some more interactivity, and less bugs, but as a fan project it represented what Ultima is capable of).

I thought Bethesda is doing an oustanding world in terme of virtual worlds - both Oblivion and Fallout 3 are a testament to this : the world feel alive, NPCs move around and don't just sit there all day, there is a lot of interactivity. Oblivion also went to the point of creating quite a bit of quests depending on the character schedules and time of day, which is something very Ultima-ish. Admitedly Bethesda games tend to be ridiculously too big, but I was surprised to find some very Ultima-ish aspect in Oblivion, especially the whole virtual world aspects (and this coming from someone who HATED everything Bethesda had produced before Oblivion and considers Daggerfal to be one of the worst RPG in videogame history). In some ways it's even better than Gothic and Risen which are more scripted, altough PB's game have the advantage of having a trully seamless world and a more Ultima ish feel.

Regarding writing, it's true their writing could do with some improvement, altough I feel they've been doing a good job in Oblivion and Fallout 3. Note that while I enjoy Bioware's writing, I wouldn't really trust them to write a good Ultima either considering they don't know the word "subtelty".
In fact if I had to choose ONE developper to write a new Ultima story, it would be Obsidian.

In a perfect world, a new Ultima will have big seamless and alive world a la Gothic, with quests à la Oblivion, a party à la Bioware, and Obsidian quality writing. Boy that could be awesome heh

-Sergorn

Quests like oblivion are not something I really want. I think they were not that good. Also one thing I hate a lot about quests in general is that they come with a reward in the end. There is no need for rewards for a quest, either you do it because you want to, or you don't. I hate when I do something and in the end they give me a Ring of whatever or a sword +5 (that happens in mostly all RPGs nowdays).

Ultima didn't have that and I think it was better. You got experience (in Ultima VII anyway), but never had to check your level or anything because the game more or less made the stats something that you will not really care about that much.

Today games tend to get the nice pixel rewards with nice stats on them, and the "lots of stats and skills" department which are level based.

I don't know if I'm explaining my point very well... sorry for my english