“Ultima 5 Redux”: Finally, the Dungeons are Stable
Another bit of news from Twitter today: the developer of Ultima 5 Redux has finally managed to get the 3D reworking of Ultima 5 to stop crashing in all of the game’s dungeons:
The new UI is also coming along rather nicely:
Ultima 5 Redux, I think, be a very fun and exciting way to re-experience Ultima 5 — or to experience the game for the first time — when it’s finally ready.
I really look forward to playing this version of Ultima V!
Yep, me too. He is making steady, dedicated progress, and nothing stops him. This is all in his free time. The guy is a legend! And it just keeps looking better and better.
I am always pestering him to add in hooks for new content/maps/etc. so that Ultima V could be expanded upon. I still look to that version of Ultima as the ultimate balance of playability and depth, unmatched to this day.
Agreed. I think Ultima V represented was a honing of the craft for 8-bit game mechanics as it was the last Ultima on 8-bit platforms. With 5 Ultima’s just getting better and better at it, it really showed. With Ultima 6 and beyond, the system resources were expanding so rapidly, Origin had to make all sorts of decisions, like how to deal with the mouse in the UI, etc, and it took time to figure those things out.
Now that you mention it, though, a 3D take on U6 in this same vein would be a nice thing to see…
Well put. Agree totally. Your project is very much in this vein too, being a ‘honing’ of the 8-bit game, or at least the Apple II version of that.
That all being said, I wonder what the impact of all these new graphics/options/power will be on the mechanics/perfection of Ultima V. Can it be improved, or is less, or limitations at least, sometimes better?
Thank you everyone! As always, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement!
Finding the balance between original gameplay of the near perfect game and modernizing has been so tough. I seem to make each UI element more than a few times as I learn and see opportunities. I was thinking about hosting a Twitch stream or Discord chat soonish to go through the elements and gather feedback and have some great discussions 🙂