Neocron Dragon has posted a couple more development updates for his project — uUltima, a Unity-based remake of Ultima 1 — on the Ultima Dragons Facebook group. The first of the set gives us a look at the game’s UI, among other details:

1) Going with a UI similar to U3-U5 with the gameplay screen taking up 3/4 of the screen and the UI on the right 1/4 of the screen. That would give me some more room to work with and instead of a 4×4 grid, go with a 3×6 grid. The Event Log would remain in it’s current position, the navigation buttons would be relocated to the lower-right of the screen (where the stat box is) and the stat box would be relocated to just to the left of the stat box and hovering inside the gameplay area along with the Event Log.

2) Take the 3 system-related action buttons (About, Quit, and Status) and align those buttons along the top border of the Event Log and create a few context-sensitive button that changes it’s function depending on where the player is at (essentially consolidating Attack and Fire into one button depending on if the player is on a ship or on foot, for example), and relocating area-centric buttons like H-Jump, Climb, Unlock, and Open into separate Space and Dungeon Exploration UI’s. Doing this should enable me to consolidate the Action grid down to a 4×3, 3×4, 2×5, or 5×2 grid (the latter 2 options might go hand in hand when combined with option 1).

What are your opinions regarding these options? Maybe I could do both options and present screenshots of them both to give a visual representation of what each option brings to the table. Sound off and let me know what you think!

You can see an initial screenshot of the UI in question above; a modified version can be found in the comments to Neocron’s Facebook post. A shot of the game’s About screen also graces that comments section.

More recently, Neocron announced a bit of bonus content that will be included in uUltima:

A teaser for an addition I am adding to the game… a way to immortalize our venerable group if you will….

I give you: UDIC Hall

Have yet to decide where it will be placed in the world… I am thinking an island somewhere as an easter egg. Will likely populate it with NPC’s named after some of our more influential Dragons (will take submissions on names later!).

Neocron plans to use the UDIC Hall thusly:

Three names are already reserved though…. they are named in the Special Thanks section of the About screen: Cran Gallara (need your Dragon Name), Kenneth Kully (Withstand the Fury Dragon), and Splut Dragon (Richard Garriott de Cayeux). I am probably going to place them in the center three “rooms” and am contemplating asking Josh if he can make a custom Dragon sprite specifically for these three NPC’s. Maybe have a dragon with a little gold crown on it’s head for Splut… you get the idea.

There are a number of other Ultima Dragons who are, I submit, worthy of inclusion in the Hall; feel free to nominate someone in the comments of Neocron’s post.