What this post lacks is a really good, over the top, passionate ranting. No, please allow me, I'm good at this.
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Somebody posts a request for Commander Keen, and there's a programmer working on it before nightfall. This thread has been going on for almost a year now and we've got squat. A sort-of-okay platformer (Some people like it; it really doesn't do anything for me.) gets all that attention and there's nothing for the single greatest role-playing game in existance? Where's the justice here, people? If the Avatar were here, he'd be vomiting in rage!
Before anybody mentions the SNES version in this topic- EVER again, it is a severly watered down port- it is not anywhere near worthy of the Ultima name. After doing such an incredible job with Ultima 6 (Which IMO is actually better than the PC version, despite the lack of solo mode), FCI decided they should F up the SNES conversion of Ultima 7. They completely changed the landscape, making it smaller and less explorable, the towns are tiny and lack the individual character of the PC versions inhabitation; for example, Trinsic has gone from a magnificent walled fortress city to a little mud patch of a village, which looks the same as Paws, which looks the same as Britain, which looks the same as- you get the idea. The interactivity is all gone. You cannot bake bread. You cannot attack townsfolk if you wish. You cannot gather a party, and must adventure alone. Realistic elements, such as hunger, have been cut out entirely. The fifty plus spells of the PC version have been cut down to a mere eighteen, and the reagent system is nowhere to be seen. The story has been heavily censored and has lost most of it's bite. The interactive music from the original has been made to loop endlessly throughout the game- so basically, tunes designed to run for about 30-45 seconds for effect now drone endlessly, on and on and on and...
Essentially, FCI took a classic, unparalleled RPG and turned it into a half-assed Zelda clone. No fan of the Ultima series, nor of RPGs in general, should have to be forced to stomach this crap. Let it never be mentioned again.
Back to the good stuff.
Basically, I think the reason it hasn't been ported yet, is that the programmers around here aren't aware of this game and haven't tried it. This could be the only reason it hasn't already been attempted. The gaming press has shoved the Final Fantasy stick up our you-know-whats so far that it's become the model of what an RPG should be, and anything different is shunned. I think this is sad. Especially since the Final Fantasy series is so lacking when compared to the Wizardrys, Bard's Tales, Wastelands and especially Ultimas of the world.
So, to those of you who remain unaware of it, here is Ultima 7 in as short a summary as could possibly do it justice.
Haven't you ever wanted to, in an RPG, skewer the local monarch with a pitchfork because you're tired of him lording it over you? In Ultima 7, you can! (actually; this is not really recommended, as Lord British SH417 0WNZ TH33 in a matter of seconds. There's actually a secret way to kill him, though. His will is goddamned hilarious!)
The NPCs are not mindless drones who walk in circles and repeat one phrase over and over again. They are virtual human beings with names, identities, and memories (they remember you when you speak to them again.) and they move about their lives with purpose. They go to work in the morning, maybe go drinking or out for a walk in the evening, they sleep at night (most of them anyway). They are ALL unique; none of the 200+ of them share portraits or dialouge, They have knowledge on a number of topics which you may ask them about. And thier dialogue changes as events in the game unfolds.
The interactivity with the world is unparalleled. As it has been said countless times before, you can bake bread. It doesn't end there. You can raise crops, go fishing, move and throw things around, ride horses, beat peasants with farming tools, blow doors up with powder kegs and more. Pretty much the only thing you can't do is arson (believe me, I've tried to set Castle Britannia ablaze. Numerous times.) Heck, if you wanted, you could murder some peasants and live off thier land instead of completing the main quest and fight off the occasional bandit raids with your hoe; sort of like playing a really violent version of Harvest Moon :lol: !
Unlike most RPG's, which limit you to fairly small parties, Ultima 7 lets you gather a veritible army of eight members. At a time. As in, travelling and fighting with you instead of sitting in a roster. Also, unlike most RPG's, they don't follow you around like lost puppies. They comment on the current goings on, blurt in on NPC conversations, and tell you when they're hungry, bored, tired, injured, don't approve of what you're doing, or in Dupre's case, when they feel like getting smashed. They act as individuals in battle, and sometimes they get seperated or lost. If you treat them poorly, they tend to abandon you. If you do so at sea, they'll mutinee. And if they say they want to sing a sea shanty, you can kill them and throw them overboard. Let's see a Final Fantasy game that lets you do THAT! (U7 DOES encourage you to play nice (You ARE the Avatar, after all) but you're also free to murder and pillage as you please without much penalty; provided you don't get caught, and it's fun to go on rampages).
Speaking of Dupre; this game has an interesting system of drunkeness. Unlike most RPGs, instead of merely having a minor effect on performance or causing you to pass out, when you get smashed in U7, your characters ACT smashed. They stumble, fall over, hiccup, laugh at nothing, and even vomit. It makes getting drunk loads of fun, or just getting Spark (a little boy who joins your party early in the game) drunk then laughing at him. Drinking too much (like, say thirty wines in a row) causes you to completely lose control of your character, who then goes about and picks fights and worse. It's very interesting, to say the least.
The interesting part about the game is also the dark mood. In the days before the ERSB was even planning to be formed, Origin game Ultima 7 a voluntary MA-17 (What is equivalent to an M rating these days). In 1992, this was unheard of; but Ultima 7 has earned it. It is completely uncomprimising. One of the first scenes in the game has you visiting the site of a particularly gruesome murder scene (which in the cruddy SNES version was censored to a gruesome... kidnapping scene?). I won't go into it; but let's just say, if this scene doesn't make you at least a little sick to your stomache; you should probably check into a mental hospital before you hurt someone. Now you may be thinking; "It has blood, so what?" or, maybe "It has blood! Yippee!" (get some help), but it adds to the impact of the storyline. Once you find out who is responsible for the deeds, the feeling of sheer terror is immense. I've never been so shocked by a video game's storyline. The social commentary here is incredible. The storyline is relevant, it's socially responsible, and the bite is enormous. Like all the Ultima games from the fourth one on, you'll take something away from the game's story; that being an understatement.
To wrap it all up, the game is packed full of secrets and sidequests. In fact, you'll spend about 90% of your game time just exploring the world and the optional dungeons that line every nook and cranny. I've been playing the game for years and years and I'm STILL finding new areas to explore. Granted, I could just use Exult's cheat feature and see everything all at once; but where's the fun in that? Oh, and your game time; if it doesn't extend into the hundreds of hours once you've finished it, you aren't playing the game properly; and you ain't seen nothing yet. Hell, I haven't even taken Serpent's Isle or the expansion packs into consideration in this summary.
And that is EXACTLY why we need Exult ported.
*Takes in a deep breath*
Two hours of typing, folks. When it comes to my Ultima, I am a man of extreme passion.
Technically, the game shouldn't be a problem to get running. The original game was designed to run on 386 class PCs, and Exult's specs aren't much higher. Looking into the game folder, the largest file, Shapes.VGA weighs in at 7.1 MB. Serpent's Isle's Shapes.VGA goes just over 8MB, but I don't think any of us would mind a little dynamic loading. Not for Ultima.
The downside is, of course, is that for Exult, you must have the original game files. I wouldn't mind lending my Ultima Collection CD (and donate a few bucks) to someone willing to undertake the task, though, and I'm not alone here.
The source code is out there, the GP32 is more than capable enough, all we're waiting for is a programmer with the Valor and Compassion to undertake the project.
*Exhales*
DaveMan sayeth in the name of Virtue; Let not this topic slip below the second page 'ere some soul commences work on ExultGP!
I don't want to have typed all that for nothin' :angry: .
