The Ultima 6 Remake: General Update
There’s only a short news update posted at The Ultima 6 Remake’s website this week, highlighting progress made with the Rune of Valor and a certain related NPC:
AgentOrganGuy has been hacking and slashing away at the usecode. The part of the rune of valor quest where you enlist Sherry’s help is done. As of right now, it is scripted due to the game locking up when ‘going solo’ with Sherry (Avatar polymorphed into Sherry and vice versa). The rune of Valor can be obtained now, and soon the shrine will be able to be freed. All cities and towns are structurally complete, some just need npcs and conversations finished. Right now he’s working on the main points of the plot (being able to get the runes, free the shrines), and cleaning up some areas here and there on the map.
That’s rather a clever solution, using the engine’s ability to shift the Avatar’s appearance to simulate taking control of another NPC in order to solve an essential quest in Ultima 6. I look forward to playing as everyone’s favourite mouse-named-for-a-former-girlfriend-of-Lord British!
Oh, and Zygon Dragon has also posted an updated — if rather low-resolution — map of the game. Which, it should be said, compares favourably and quite handily replicates the original game’s map!
My main problem with the interface of Ultima VII was that you could physically interact with things on screen but far away from your character. Also finding the exact pixel on the check mark on the inventory GUI was a pain in the ass. If those things could be corrected then it, and this, would be a hell of an improvement.
Great work on the conversion nevertheless.
I am SO looking forward to this!!
This does sound cool. I have a fondness for both interfaces, but by far prefer the U7 one for being full screen, equally interactive and a clock that doesn’t wait for you, but can still be paused to take your time with conversations and inventory (though it’s nice that the latter is optional with Exult).
“My main problem with the interface of Ultima VII was that you could physically interact with things on screen but far away from your character”
At least it knows (maybe not always, but most of the time with closed doors and the like) when to restrict you if you can’t logically reach something (BLOCKED). If one wants to walk up to a corpse to search in glorious realism, then go for it; other people like shortcuts (such as those sissy moongates).
“Also finding the exact pixel on the check mark on the inventory GUI was a pain in the ass”
I think it easy enough, at least on a low resolution, but something of a more circular shape would be better (i.e. just clicking near it). Since it’s Exult mod, you can also hit escape for speed. Sure this closes everything at once when I may not be finished, and though I usually find it faster to reopen whichever gump(s) I want, yeah the check mark is still useful.
I’ll definately play this when it comes out. Now if only the U6Project would finish their final release…