Ultima 1: Title Screen Comparison
Thanks to a little help from Dungy at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom, Ultima Aiera is pleased to present a (mostly) comprehensive comparison of title screens from the known ports of Ultima 1.
[singlepic id=1445 w=500 h=375 float=center]
The Apple II Original
[singlepic id=1455 w=538 h=364 float=center]
The Atari 8-bit Port
[singlepic id=1456 w=560 h=384 float=center]
The 1986 Apple II Remake
[singlepic id=1457 w=500 h=309 float=center]
The Commodore 64 Port
[singlepic id=1458 w=500 h=313 float=center]
The PC DOS Port
[singlepic id=1459 w=512 h=424 float=center]
The MSX 2 Port
[singlepic id=1460 w=500 h=313 float=center]
The PC8801 Port
As you can see, there is quite a range in terms of quality and interface design between different ports of the game. Most notably, both Apple II versions and the Atari port simply call the game Ultima, not Ultima 1.
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.
“Most notably, both Apple II versions … simply call the game Ultima, not Ultima 1.”
From what I can tell, the 1986 rewrite uses the sword to create a “I” by having it bridge what I interpreted as two horizontal clouds. (I’m not certain, but I seem to recall that it rises out of the lake to do so.)