Why don't we: A) Organize the damn menu to have separate areas for weapons/armor/food B) Add an experience bar to the main HUD so we don't have to keep pausing the game to see how much grinding we need to do C) Tighten up the movement controls D) Add some kind of map to the HUD so we don't have to keep pausing the game to see where we are E) THEN THINK ABOUT EXPANSION AFTER YOU'VE MADE THIS GAME AN ACTUAL RPG LIKE DUNGEON HUNTER IS.
yeah i agree with Mdcosta911 you should fix some things first befor you make this expansion pack or multi player. Whats about the streng? its decreasing every time. After you got a level up you get strengh and after you travel you lose it
Just a tip. Go find Ultima 9, sit down and play it for a while, then come back humbled, and start implementing stuff. ( Okay that's not quite fair, none of you two are up to the same level as Garriott, and may never will be, but one can try )
Personally, I think that Garriott is a genius -- the Ultima 1 originated many of the core ideas of computer-based RPGs. You are right that the comparison is unfair, but perhaps you should start by contrasting platforms (PC vs handheld) and budgets (EA's vs personal money). In any event, perhaps Ultima 9 is not the best game to emulate... From Wikipedia:
I was reluctant to post this at first (because I didn't want to come across as a whiner ), but I guess ill have a go. I made notes while playing the game and these things came up: Bugs: * Str bug, which you already know of. * Clipping bug at the cemetery, upon entering the area keep heading right, up some stairs, through the gate, and through the gate on your immediate right (you are now at the well of life area), take another right and go a little forward. Here you will be "sucked" into a clipping bug, through a fence and you won´t be able to get out besides using the homing amulet. (see screens below) * Every "boss" can be trapped and blast arrowed very easily, maybe give them a ranged attack to counter this (or something else which fixes it). * Sounds sometimes "fade" when in inventory. Suggestions: * Inventory overhaul. Preferably a tabbed system with weapons/armour/potions/food/quest items and such as tabs. * Add "visible" stats to armour and weapons, also define special attributes certain weapons have (such as fire for Ravensword). * Add a time restriction to the ranged minigame. With this I mean that one only has a certain amount of time to finish the minigame or you will have failed. For example: 20 seconds for easy, 15 for medium and 10 for hard, although these are just random numbers, this is so you will fail more often and you can´t get rich in a matter of minutes anymore. * Add an experience reward to quests. * Add damage when falling from great heights, now you just seem to glide down like a feather and take no damage at all. * Make dropped weapons from monsters available from their inventories instead of from the ground, often weapons that have been dropped just fall "through" the ground (due to clipping) and you're not able to pick them up anymore * Let deaths be penalized on your stats, at this moment you can die without any repercussions (even though the fact you have to walk all the way back is a hefty penalty in itself ). Also make some sort of expensive consumable item that will safe your life (like the homing amulet does at this moment). Expansions: * Fast travel, like horses, spells, mark/recall, amulets and so on. * Ability to choose atributes when lvling, make melee, ranged and magic skills, which can only be lvl'ed when using the associated items. Of course there is a huge list of expansions id like to see but these are the more important ones. And to conclusion: I would rate Ravensword at 7/10 at this moment. It's a good game, but there's also a lot that's keeping it from epicness. But the potential is certainly there, if you keep adding to the world and keep releasing expansion packs, this could one day become something truly awesome! Cemetery screens: http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2064/img0153v.png http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4586/img0153.png
You don't sound like a whiner at all. Those are all excellent suggestions (though some have been made already).
Actually, looking back ( and having PCs which can actually RUN it ) Ultima 9 was a goddamned amibitous project and it DID work, in being the first ever full 3D seamless RPG. The shitty story/rushed release -WAS- EAs fault, ( they basically slowly destroyed Origin with their crap ) and was the main reason for the bad reviews. Also, fanboys. Remember the fallout3/NMA stuff.
You are right: that quote was pretty unfair as a rejoinder. Heck, many of my favorite movies were critical and commercial failures at the time (Blade Runner, for instance). Guess I brissled a bit at the idea that the devs needed to be "humbled." Having worked with them through the beta testing process, Josh and Russ struck me as pretty humble and down-to-earth guys. Time and again they bent over backwards to deliver on pretty major changes proposed during testing -- I don't remember ever getting any pushback from them. The gist of your comment was right on: it's important to look at and understand what has been done in the past.
Updates on the current version to make it more playable and complete? Somehow I don't think anyone should be thinking about an expansion when this one is full of bugs and gaps.
