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Ultima seriesUltima 9: shields(13 posts)solved(13 posts)solved
(13 posts)solved
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Posted April 22, 2021
I noticed that the armor rating goes up when readying a shield and that the Z key makes a block maneuver.

I can never press Z fast enough to actually block anything as far as I can tell so I'm wondering if having a shield provides any benefit just by having it readied, without doing any actual blocking with the Z key.

Thanks!
This question / problem has been solved by gidgemuffinimage
Posted April 22, 2021
i was never able to tell if it made any difference either. the added protection just for readying it is not a bad thing though. and if you are still carrying the kiran shield, you still get a little bit of a mana boost so that's another advantage right there!

and--no thanks are necessary my friend! i'm glad to help when i can. i have always loved these games and i am glad to find someone that likes them as much as i do! :-)
Posted April 22, 2021
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gidgemuffin: and--no thanks are necessary my friend! i'm glad to help when i can. i have always loved these games and i am glad to find someone that likes them as much as i do! :-)
Likewise!
Posted April 22, 2021
You know, reading these posts between the two of you, I find I'm suddenly interested in firing up Ultima IX. :)

Good to have this knowledge added here. I know U9 didn't have the best rep (I still have an unopened copy + a GOG copy) and all these answers might just get people interested again.

Not to hijack the thread, but where can people find the latest patch, assuming the GOG isn't updated to that?

@6502_Workshop - Keep up the good work in asking all these questions and doing it separately. It also doesn't hurt to have your font color stand out lol.

@gidgemuffin - The answers you're providing are probably life savers to a lot of people that attempt to try U9 and would probably give up early if not for a lot of these great hints and solutions.
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Posted April 22, 2021
awwwww shucks. twern't nothin' :-)

i have played this game through dozens of times. i bought a copy on cd when it was first released and struggled through lots of bugs and crashes and other aggravation and i still loved it! it's nice that GOG has managed to make a much more playable version available, even if it is almost 22 years afterward. i am also very grateful for their efforts with U7! (oh boy was THAT ever frustrating way back when!) i never cared for MMORPGs and i don't care for a lot of the newer games that have been released in the last 15 years or so. i love the Ultima series. i also really like Baldur's Gate, but that is for another thread!

i still find some new stuff when i replay. or at least stuff i had apparently forgotten about! i have been playing along with 6502_workshop to sort of mirror their progress so i can come up with pertinent info right away.

i hope you will break out a copy of this game and give it a go. (though it will be infinitely easier as far as bugs & glitches are concerned to go with the GOG version.) let me know if you need any help!
Posted April 22, 2021
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gog2002x: You know, reading these posts between the two of you, I find I'm suddenly interested in firing up Ultima IX. :)

Good to have this knowledge added here. I know U9 didn't have the best rep (I still have an unopened copy + a GOG copy) and all these answers might just get people interested again.

Not to hijack the thread, but where can people find the latest patch, assuming the GOG isn't updated to that?

@6502_Workshop - Keep up the good work in asking all these questions and doing it separately. It also doesn't hurt to have your font color stand out lol.

@gidgemuffin - The answers you're providing are probably life savers to a lot of people that attempt to try U9 and would probably give up early if not for a lot of these great hints and solutions.
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That's great, glad to hear the posts are helpful and are stimulating interest!

Based on what I'm seeing, I think that while Ultima 9 may have deserved it's bad reputation when it was first released due the bugs, it sure looks to me like the patches have largely taken care of that. Granted there are some cannon issues and dumb stuff like "what's the codex" as a dialog option but I personally can just ignore that and focus on the positive things, like the best UI of any of the post 8-bit era main line Ultima games (I didn't play Underworld so I don't know about those)

There are definitely a few things the game has done that have bugged me, but overall I'm having more fun than when playing Serpent's Isle or Black Gate over the last few months. I know that might be blasphemy to say, so I'm expecting to be struck by lightning any moment LOL! It's not that I'm biased toward a more modern UI - I'm more an 8-bit gamer than a modern gamer. What does it for me is the story in Ultima 9 is really, really good and the UI is smooth. I don't feel like I'm fighting with it. And, combat seems to actually have some relevance, and combat tactics have some relevance.

For patches - the GOG version if installed today is patched up to 1.19f. There is one more patch that I applied, 1.1.9h, which is available here on the Ultima Codex:

https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_IX_Patch_1.19h

Note: When it's installed, the game will still say it's running version 1.19f. I found a post from years ago that said this is normal, the 1.1.9h patch doesn't update the version number displayed in-game for some reason.

I have encountered an occasional crash, but I'd say overall it's more stable than Skyrim.

You mentioned something about the font of my posts - I'm sorry but I don't quite follow. I don't see anywhere in the GOG interface to change the font.
Post edited April 22, 2021 by 6502_Workshop
Posted April 22, 2021
"what's the codex?" :-D i know, right!! bwahahaha

seriously though, i wonder if maybe they put that stuff in to help people who had never played any of these games before. there must be at least 3 or 4 of them out there in the world somewhere!

i also agree about the feel of the game. both UW games were first person shooters--something i never liked and i am sorry to say that i totally lost interest in them after about 10 minutes.
Posted April 22, 2021
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6502_Workshop: You mentioned something about the font of my posts - I'm sorry but I don't quite follow. I don't see anywhere in the GOG interface to change the font.
Thanks for the patch link!

As to the font. I meant the orange-ish color that are assigned to Devs makes the threads stand out. Makes it easier for others to find in the future. An unintended benefit for those that need U9 answers in the future. :)
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Posted April 23, 2021
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gidgemuffin: "what's the codex?" :-D i know, right!! bwahahaha

seriously though, i wonder if maybe they put that stuff in to help people who had never played any of these games before. there must be at least 3 or 4 of them out there in the world somewhere!
I'd bet the moons of Britannia that's exactly why they put that stuff in there. I think a better solution would be to have the game ask you during character creation if you've played Ultima before and if yes then suppress those dialog options.

But, considering the higher priority crash issues they were dealing with up to (and after) release, I can understand how it ended up the way it did.
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gidgemuffin: i also agree about the feel of the game. both UW games were first person shooters--something i never liked and i am sorry to say that i totally lost interest in them after about 10 minutes.
Oh, well, in that case I don't at all feel like I've missed anything :-)
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gog2002x: As to the font. I meant the orange-ish color that are assigned to Devs makes the threads stand out. Makes it easier for others to find in the future. An unintended benefit for those that need U9 answers in the future. :)
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Ah, gotcha. For some reason the orange color doesn't show up in my display, but that totally makes sense now.
Post edited April 23, 2021 by 6502_Workshop
Posted April 23, 2021
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gidgemuffin: i also agree about the feel of the game. both UW games were first person shooters--something i never liked and i am sorry to say that i totally lost interest in them after about 10 minutes.
Playing UW1 back it was first released was a lot of fun and I still consider it a favorite. Playing it today, might be a bit harder to get into. I still have it installed, but it is hard to continue past the first area, for now.

Sometimes how we remember a game when it first came out, doesn't always have the same feeling decades later I guess lol.

If they ever remade it in a more U9 style (w/o the bugs) and with modern features, it might be worth revisiting? :)

Reading all these threads reminded me of a game I forgot about for so long. Ultima Online and I still have an unopened plastic sealed retail box! Maybe there's an Ultima museum out there somewhere I can donate it to lol.
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Posted April 23, 2021
you are probably right about that. perhaps i will see if i can find a copy and try them again. :-)
Posted April 23, 2021
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gog2002x: Reading all these threads reminded me of a game I forgot about for so long. Ultima Online and I still have an unopened plastic sealed retail box! Maybe there's an Ultima museum out there somewhere I can donate it to lol.
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That's awesome! There are a some computer history / video game history museums out there, like the Strong Museum of Play (https://www.museumofplay.org/about/icheg/video-game-history) in New York which I bet would love to have it if you were to generously donate it.
Posted April 23, 2021
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6502_Workshop: That's awesome! There are a some computer history / video game history museums out there, like the Strong Museum of Play (https://www.museumofplay.org/about/icheg/video-game-history) in New York which I bet would love to have it if you were to generously donate it.
I was saying that half musing and half in jest, but now that you posted a link, I'll have to check it out. :)

Thanks!
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Ultima seriesUltima 9: shields(13 posts)solved(13 posts)solved
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