The candles burn out for you; I am free

  • Return to the Serpent Isle character creation video

    The busy folks of Team Return have managed to get an Ultima-like character creation system working in Neverwinter Nights 2, and have even posted a video of their system in action: They have also announced, and posted, a new team roster page.

  • Return to the Serpent Isle August Update: Stop, thief!

    Sergorn Dragon’s increasingly ambitious Ultima project (which I’m also working on) has posted its latest monthly update, and announces the development or updating of several game system scripts that members of the team have been feverishly working on. Foremost among these is a new Guards and Prison system, which allows shopkeepers to summon the guards [...]

  • Quoth Warren Spector: most game devs are “still making cartoons”

    The former Ultima developer is evidently a bit down on the approach many big-name game developers are taking these days: …one of his main problems with games’ stories is their tendency to be dude-centric — he warned the Gamescom crowd “if we don’t break out of big buff guys with swords and guys in tights [...]

  • Warren Spector has him some Disney fever

    The former Ultima developer and Epic Mickey mastermind is, apparently, very interested in doing something with the Duck Tales franchise next: In a new interview with Industry Gamers, he now says that, “A day does not go by where I don’t tell somebody at Disney: ‘Uncle Scrooge, come on! Donald! Huey, Dewey, and Louie! Come [...]

  • An Ultima 4 Development Challenge

    I was told the most interesting thing today. As the good reader is probably aware, a port of Akalabeth was recently released on the iPhone (or, more correctly, iOS) platform, Apple‘s mobile device operating system. The good reader is also probably aware that I’ve had some contact with Mythic Entertainment. Mythic, as most hopefully know, [...]

  • Return to the Serpent Isle July Update

    I added the project entry, but forgot to mention that Sergorn Dragon’s Ultima project (which I am also working on), Return to the Serpent Isle, just posted its July update, the biggest news in which is that the team has recruited a professional composer to craft its score. I’ve heard some of his work; it’s [...]

Restored: Escape From Mount Drash

Yeah, yeah, I know…it’s barely playable, and really isn’t an Ultima at all, except because Sierra slapped the name onto it as a marketing ploy. Be that as it may…Telemachos’ PC port of the game is once again available for download.

Mass Effect 2 coming to PS3

And from the sound of it, all the various bits of downloadable content (DLC) will be included in the box. Not that this has even the first thing to do with Ultima…but I like Mass Effect 2 (though not as much as I like Mass Effect), and therefore count it worth remarking on. (via Joystiq)

Dragon Age 2 ‘Destiny’ Trailer

Yeah, I know, there’s nothing particularly Ultima-related about BioWare‘s Dragon Age series of games. At the same time, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the Dragon Age toolset is ludicrously powerful and would, I think, be well-suited to developing an Ultima adventure in. And hence, I’m reporting this, because as [...]

Re-restored: Ultima VII Mod

Thanks to Matthew Johnston, the download archive for this interesting Ultima-inspired tale is no longer corrupt.

Restored: BritanniaMOD

Though incomplete, this Morrowind total conversion would one day have served as a fine basis for Ultima-themed mods. It was a project in much the same vein as Project Britannia or Realms of Ultima. And it is once again available for download, in its incomplete state.

Titans of Ether July update

The Titans of Ether have, of course, been busy this last month. Progress has been made on NPCs, the endgame, Destard, the “Deus Ex choice at the end that results in the Voltaire quote” (Direhaggis, you tease…), Jhelom, Buccaneer’s Den, and texturing on armour models. A good month, then, July. A very good month. And [...]

Lazarus website and forum updates

Okay, granted, the update to the project website is just a quick note from Zephyr stating that the Project Britannia team have taken over some of the website administration duties, and have resurrected the Lazarus Forums at the Project Britannia website, but hey…project news is project news. (hat tip)

Arkane Studios purchased by Zenimax

Some of you may recognize Arkane Studios as the developer of Arx Fatalis, the game that many considered to be, unofficially of course, Ultima Underworld 3. Well, they’ve just been purchased by Zenimax, who are also the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Here’s the interesting part: Arkane Studios is already working on a project with [...]

More Spoony Ultima reviews

Spoony has continued his hilarious, if profane, reviews of the different games of the Ultima series, and has added reviews for Ultima 2 and Ultima 3 to his site. Check thou them out! (hat tip)

An Ultima 4 Development Challenge

I was told the most interesting thing today. As the good reader is probably aware, a port of Akalabeth was recently released on the iPhone (or, more correctly, iOS) platform, Apple‘s mobile device operating system. The good reader is also probably aware that I’ve had some contact with Mythic Entertainment. Mythic, as most hopefully know, [...]

Restored: Realms of Ultima

I know that the project itself has stalled, and in truth I’m considering moving it to the Orphanage. Be that as it may: MokahTGS’ Neverwinter Nights 2-based project, Realms of Ultima, is once again available for download.

Restored: Ultima VII Mod

Matthew Johnston’s total conversion for Exult is once again available for download. And with that, I’m out sick for the rest of the day.

Facebook integration a-go-go

I’ve grown tired of manually updating the Ultima Facebook page with news from Aiera every time I publish, so I’ve installed a new plugin, called FacePress, to automate the process. This is, admittedly, mostly just a test post to see how it handles things, but I figured some of you might be interested to know, [...]

Flyleaf is performing in Edmonton this month?

Why didn’t anyone tell me? Okay, let me just clarify. I could probably do without some of the emo baggage that the various Flyleaf fan blogs are veritably infested with, but Memento Mori hasn’t left the CD player of my car* since the Dragoness gave it to me for my birthday a few months back. [...]

It’s the Dragoness’ birthday today!

She flat-out told me what she wanted for a gift, though: Yeah, we’re kind of a gaming household.

Restored: Nazghul & Haxima

Gordon McNutt’s Ultima-inspired engine (Nazghul) and its associated RPG (Haxima) are once again available for download!

I did not wonder this previously, but now I do

I suppose, where fantasy RPGs are concerned, I’m something of a purist. I love Ultima, and quite frankly cannot stand nor abide and Final Fantasy title. As in: at all. Thus, I cast my lot in (albeit only in this case) with the Philosoraptor: And if that doesn’t start a flame war in the comments, [...]

Anyone want to be a site editor in another language?

The long-time reader will know that I have a fairly broad selection of daily reads, including many political, religious, and gaming sites and blogs. The long-time reader probably does not know, however, that I also follow a few game blogs of a very different sort. Perhaps I should capitalize the ‘g’, as well; these blogs [...]

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