Y724T2KRVUWP … IGNORE THIS

I’ve been meaning to restore/overhaul the gallery here at Ultima Aiera for a while, and I can think of no better way to kick that process off — and to thumb my nose at Lord of Ultima‘s ridiculously-named new update, which launched just recently — than with sixteen photographs of maps that were part of the original design for Serpent Isle, back when the game was supposed to have a more Caribbean flair, with a focus on pirates and voodoo magic.

All sixeteen pictures were generously provided by Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum.

Some further details on exactly what the original Serpent Isle was supposed to be about can be found at Sheri Graner Ray’s blog:

Originally Bill Armintrout and I were doing the initial design on Serpent Isle. The mandate we were given by Richard and Jeff George (the producer at that time) was that it was to be about the conflict between Brittanian magic and VoDun (VooDoo) magic. And that the island was to be called Serpent Isle because it we were suppoesed to make it in the shape of the snake necklace that Richard wore (and still does, I think.) So I spent a month at the UT LIbrary checking out and reading books on VoDun as that was my side of the design. We’d been in design about three or four months when there was a “re-org.” Jeff George quit and the game was given to Warren Specter to produce. We were told to essentially toss everything out and start over. I recently gave the maps and docs from the earliest part of that design to the Origin Museum.

And so the circle is complete: here are those maps.

And for more Serpent Isle goodness: check thou out Sergorn Dragon’s Ultima Adventures, where at present he is working his way through, yes, Serpent Isle. And don’t forget to check out his fan project set in the land as well!