Ultima 4: Gameplay Graphics Comparison
Thanks to a little help from Dungy at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom, and from Katarn and J Arcane in the comments, Ultima Aiera is pleased to present a (mostly) comprehensive comparison of gameplay graphics from the known ports of Ultima 4.
The Apple II Original
The Commodore 64 Port
The Atari 8-bit Port
The PC DOS Port
The MSX 2 Port
The FM Towns Port
The NES Port
The PC98 Port
The SEGA Master System Port
As you can see, there is quite a range in terms of quality and interface design between different ports of the game. Original for original, the FM Towns and Amiga/Atari ST ports probably win out for graphical quality, although the PC version has since been enhanced by several fan-generated graphics updates.
For complete details about the different versions of the game — and the differences between — be sure to check out the Codex article on the subject.
The FM-Town port is neat… but somehow it just feels very weird to be playing Ultima IV with the Ultima V tileset.
The Sharp X68000 port also deserves a mention in term of graphical quality. I have some screenies if you want.
I believe you are mising the best looking port of all, the Japanese PC-98 port: http://www.mobygames.com/game/pc98/ultima-iv-quest-of-the-avatar/screenshots . I was able to find a copy of this tileset some years ago, and was able to integrate them into xu4. I haven’t posted on the xu4 boards about it, but I could send screenshots of xu4 under the PC98 tileset if you like, and directions on how to get the PC98 tileset working in xu4. I don’t know, however, if there are any legal issues in using this tileset in xu4 (it may explain why the xu4 devs never put formal support for it into the program, and instead rely on fan-made graphic patches).
Erm scratch what I said… The X68000 port if for Ultima V, not Ultima IV 😛
Katarn: You shouldn’t keep these things secret! People are always on the lookout for the ultimate, definitive version of a game.
By the way, notice how Japanese ports are as a rule, more bright and colorful than Western ones. Chalk it up to cultural differences.
(I think the dark look fits better and is more natural.)
Was there no NES Ultima IV?
There was an NES port, yes. You can see it here: http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/ultima-iv-quest-of-the-avatar/screenshots
Very different graphics set there.
Yeah, the NES Ultima IV is actually pretty nice. It plays a tad more like JRPGs of the times (no interactive dialogues, no monsters shown on map) or even I guess Ultima III, but it’s a nice port none the less.
Thanks for all the additional screenshots, people! The more complete the listing, the better!
I’ll make every effort to get the post updated tonight. I’m not feeling my best, but I’ll try.
Thanks for posting these WTF, although I hardly deserve all the credit for them. There’s so much material on the codex now, and I’m only one contributor.
Infinitron is correct; I totally forgot that the patch doesn’t affect the title screen.
Thanks, by the way, for that screenshot, Mike O. I’ll try and update the article with that in a bit.