Hello,

How playable are thoses aging classics... I remember how tedious aiming was in U4 in a full party, especially in the dungeons. I did download xu4, and it looks like a lot of the presentation was improved, (music, graphics, etc) the most tedious parts of the games remains same.

Also, is there any xu4 type of improvement for Ultima 5?

Was aiming more or less the same for U5? Can't remember.

Thinking of replaying the classics. ...

Also, How is Ultima Underworld? Never played that one. Is it real time? Is it playable nowaday?


Thanks

I can vouch for Ultima Underworld being playable - the graphics are dated but it's a pretty awesome game.

I'll let someone else answer for U4 and U5.

They're pretty similar in most ways, though U5 does improve on some of the problem areas. You target the enemy directly, from any angle - no more marching single file at them with bows and slings. You can focus control on just one character at a time, automatically skipping the others' turns, making it much easier to guide the party through a tight space. You can mix reagents in batches. The world itself is more detailed and the npcs have slightly more interesting dialogue.

It does have a few problems of its own, however. There's no longer any quest exp for the Avatar, and while reaching level 8 isn't technically required, the endgame is excruciating without the high end spells. So you either grind or knuckle down for a real challenge. Navigating the underworld can also be a hassle if you only have the ingame map via gems. Looking up a proper map online is highly recommended.

Ultima Underworld is totally playable once you get over your WASD-instincts. It is realtime, notably when you get something repaired and it can take up to a real hour. Repairs are very rarely needed though, so this doesn't stop it from being a great game.

Thanks! I think it's going to be Ultima Underworld then.

Cheers!

which ultima game is the best?

Ask five people and you'll get ten answers. My personal pick would be Ultima Underworld, but that's arguably not a real Ultima game, just a spinn-off. Out of the main series I'd go with Ultima VI running in the Nuvie port. The original engine has an atrocious interface, but Nuvie has an option for an updated interface that's worlds apart and works great. It has other great improvements as well.
http://nuvie.sourceforge.net

I feel that Ultima VI was the last Ultima to be actual RPG. Some people will praise Ultima VII, and while I have to admit that it is incredibly ambitious in what it sets out to do, i.e. simulating a living breathing world, I just don't find that premise to be really all that exciting when there is no real challenge for me.

Like any old game, it takes a bit to get yourself back into that mode if you will. I find I get a bit of nostalgia, followed by some annoyance at the archiacness of it, then finally settle into enjoying it, assuming its a good game (and both are IMO).

The good news is that with DosBox, you can run the games pretty fast. I was surprised that a game (U4) that literally took me nearly an entire summer back in '87, took me about a week to beat playing only a couple hours at a time. So much time was spent loading back then on machines, it really ate up your play time!

I thoroughly enjoyed my recent play throughs of both. I'm on the Worlds of Ultima games right now, and its the same cycle.

If you REALLY can't deal with the games in the state that they are, but want to enjoy the story, etc., look up Ultima V: Lazarus. Its a total conversion mod for Dungeon Siege. Its phenomenal. I played it a few years back and was blow away (even by a game engine that was a decade old by that point). If you enjoy it, the Ultima 6 Project was completed a couple of years ago. Its great too, though, for me, the content was a bit TOO much (I had nearly 50 hours in when I had to stop playing due to some life events, and I wasn't even halfway done!)