Just got this in my inbox last night, and I see it has gone live over at the Ultima 6 Project website:

It is with much pleasure that we announce the release of Team Archon’s next milestone of the Ultima 6 Project, Milestone 6 for Dungeon Siege 1 (PC and Mac). Some things to look forward to in this release:

• Nearly the entire world is now available for players to explore:
  • Brand new dungeons have been added and existing dungeons have been expanded or improved. This includes Pirate Cave, Covetous/Wrong, Shame, Crypts, Cyclops Cave, Destard, Heroes’ Hole, Ant Mound, Hythloth, and Stonegate
  • Gargoyle lands are in place, including the Gargoyle Shrines and Tomb of Kings
• Many new NPCs have been added, including all the Gargoyle NPCs, a favorite talking horse and an exiled Gargoyle
• More quests have been implemented, and one quest which players were unable to finish in the original game can now be completed. Many more quest related items are now available to the player
• Numerous enhancements to the core game play have been made, including improved animations and textures for the Gargoyles, and many small tweaks and improvements
• Additional enhancements to existing areas

You can find the download links on the Official Website:

http://www.u6project.com

You can post comments, suggestions, and request help on the Milestone 6
board on our forums at the PB Britannia site:

http://www.projectbritannia.com

I’m obviously still working on getting the downloads back in order, so there won’t be downloads of M6 mirrored here for a while yet. But all the same, good reader: check thou it out! This is a very exciting, long-anticipated project (especially for me, being that Ultima 6 was my favourite Ultima title), and this latest example of the progress the team has made is just staggering.

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Tags: Dungeon Siege, Ultima, Ultima 6, Ultima 6 Project

I’ve been away too long.

The downloads don’t work. The news hasn’t been updated in over a month. And don’t even get me started about Lost Sosaria. I’ve been away from Ultima too long, and Aiera has suffered for it.

So here’s the deal, the changes that will be made.

First, the template. It’s time to strike a more…classical…tone, so I’ve changed the site template. This being Wordpress, everything else should still function more or less the same. If something does suddenly come up broken, let me know. This site is useless if I do nothing. It is almost as useless if the community does nothing.

Second, the downloads. These need to be restored, and they also need to be updated. Dead projects need to be pruned. Living projects need to be highlighted. And the way in which such things are displayed — which has served me well since the days of Aiera’s inception — could use a bit of an overhaul, if for no other reason than that it’d be nice if the CSS was…you know…modern. So, starting next week, and going (ideally) week by week from there, I’m going to work to get yet another section of downloads re-established.

Third, the news. This will resume — mark my words.

And fourthly, Lost Sosaria. I’d be kidding myself if I said that Lost Sosaria, in its current form, was still alive. But by the same token, I’d be lying if I said the project was dead. I have a couple of ideas that I’m toying with for what to do with everything that has been developed thus far, and I hope to have something to show for all my ruminations by the summer.

But more on that later. For now, the template has been changed, and will see some further revision in the near future. Downloads and news will resume presently.

Sorry for my absence.

Tags: Aiera, CSS, Lost Sosaria, Ultima, Wordpress

Dino brings us news from Blake Delaney, whose love of the Ultima games (and especially Ultima 6, my personal favourite) has inspired him to attempt to create a game in the style of Ultima 6.

Ultima 6 Inspired Project seeks Creators

In a dark corner of the Northern Central United States…
for over 256 weeks…
a massive game has been plotting, devouring, and growing.

For the first time, we invite outside Game Creators to assist us in building a modern classic.

It’s not Ultima 6, and it’s not single player, but it sure feels that way.

Interested persons say hi to Blake:
DancingReality ~atsign~ gmail ~dot~ com

I quite agree with Dino; this could — would — make for an excellent opportunity for those who want to explore what game design entails. So if you’ve any interest in that sort of thing, O Reader, check thou it out by emailing Blake.

And, hopefully, the project will soon have a website that will serve to report on its progress.

Tags: Ultima, Ultima 6

GameDaily has an exclusive interview with Richard Garriott — the creator of the Ultima series — in which he laments the end of Tabula Rasa (the MMORPG he helped create) and hints at a return to the gaming business in the wake of his departure from NCSoft.

Apparently, some of the “new interests” that he suggested that he wanted “to devote [his] time and resources to,” following “the unforgettable experience” of space travel, includes the possibility of a return to gaming.

And just to sweeten the pot:

BIZ: If you did return to games, would it definitely be an online game?

Garriott: I wouldn’t use the word definitely. I think that if it were today, it’s most probable. That’s just what I find the most interesting, still. That being said, I am still a huge fan of solo-player games as both a player, and as a storyteller. I just think there’s an intimacy in solo-player games that is much easier to do in a solo-player environment than it is to shoehorn it into a multiplayer environment. One of the things we were trying with Tabula Rasa was to offer more storytelling in an MMO setting. And we made some strides in that direction. But I still don’t think it was nearly to the level that the middle Ultimas did.

BIZ: If Electronic Arts wanted you to return and author a single-player Ultima for the consoles, would you do that?

Garriott: Conceptually? Sure. The property Ultima is still very near and dear to my heart. I think that if, by hook or by crook, I had access to that property, either in solo-player or multiplayer, I would absolutely love to continue to play in the Ultima universe.

Yeah, I know…it’s not a formal announcement of his triumphal return to the Ultima franchise in the wake of recent shifts in EA’s game development strategies and policies. It’s still interesting, all the same, to see just what Lord British is up to these days, and what his vision for the future might just be.

Tags: EA, Electronic Arts, Lord British, MMO, MMORPG, NCSoft, Richard Garriott, Tabula Rasa, Ultima

…there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;

for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

For those readers who are traveling during this Christmastime, please travel in safety and under the watchful care of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And do mind the roads, especially if it has been snowing.

And for all my readers, may this be for you a holy and blessed Christmas season, full of the love of God and the joy of family and friends.

Aiera will resume its coverage of Ultima news in 2009, so Happy New Year as well!

Tags: Aiera, Christ, Christmas, God, Jesus, Ultima

You totally didn’t read it here first, but there it is: Ultima series creator Richard Garriott has parted ways with Tabula Rasa (also his creation) publisher NCSoft in order to pursue new interests.

Apparently, his recent trip into space (a “lifelong dream” of his) has prompted him to look for a change:

“Well, that unforgettable experience has sparked some new interests that I would like to devote my time and resources to. As such, I am leaving NCsoft to pursue those interests.”

Well, here at Aiera, we wish Lord — now General — British all the best in whatever new venture he strikes out toward, whether those interests exist within, or outside of, the gaming industry.

Interesting factoid I did not know previously: Lord British is apparently the son of an astronaut.

(thanks to Reader mageguru for the link to this article)

Tags: Aiera, Lord British, NCSoft, Richard Garriott, Tabula Rasa, Ultima

I missed this update, which is already almost two weeks old, to the Redemption website. Direhaggis posted an advertisment, announcing the project’s need for writers:

Do you like Ultima dungeons? Does the thought of creating NPC’s and plots based around or involving an anti-virtue sound interesting? Do you want to check out all of the behind-the-scenes action?

We’re looking for a new writer or two to help sparsely (or maybe not so sparsely) populate several remaining dungeons in U9R. You have 100% free artistic license over your area and will obviously get credit for your work.

So if you find that you are interested in climbing aboard one of the most exciting projects currently under development in the Ultima community, Direhaggis has provided his email address and the submission guidelines at the Redemption website. Go and check thou it out!

Tags: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls, Ultima, Ultima 9, Ultima IX: Redemption