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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Ultima IV in Flash

Almost a month ago, a reader named Blair Leggett posted a comment to one of my Ultima IV postings indicating that he had created a Flash version of Ultima IV and posted it online. At the time I read it, this seemed so wildly improbable that I didn't give it much thought, although I mentally filed it to check it out when I had a free moment.

The CRPG Addict in a rare free moment.

Blair, I apologize. I shouldn't have doubted you. The effort you have put in to the recreation of this game is nothing short of incredible. I encourage anyone interested in playing this classic game to skip downloading and installing it, and simply go to Blair's site:

http://www.phipsisoftware.com/ultima4/Ultima4.html

Blair's contributions don't end with the game itself. He has also posted clean PDF versions of the History of Britannia and the Book of Mystic Wisdom (the spellbook), which I will be using throughout the rest of my playing. Finally, don't forget to visit his blog at...

http://interactivevisions.blogspot.com

...to learn about the development of the project.

I think it says something about the richness of the plots and quests in the Ultima series that fans are so eager to remake the games. This page catalogs a host of attempts by different developers--some completed, some still in progress--to update Ultima IV and other games in the series to modern operating systems, graphics, and sound. There are several remakes using the Neverwinter Nights engine. I would sacrifice an eighth* for a version using the Infinity engine (from Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale).

Blair, thanks for reading, and thanks for all your work in perpetuating this excellent game.

*That was the geekiest thing I've ever said. You'll get the reference in a few postings.
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11 comments:

  1. WebMonkey741May 31, 2010 at 6:41 PM

    Thanks soooo much for your kind review. May I 'quote' you? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CRPG AddictJune 4, 2010 at 10:38 PM

    Of course. Go to town.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BenSeptember 1, 2010 at 4:41 PM

    A NWN remake would be incredible -- just another testament to NWN's greatest strength: it can be whatever you want a CRPG to be, it is the perfect framework for thousands of adventures. Multiplayer fan-made campaigns still haven't been raised higher than NWN

    ReplyDelete
  4. SilenceJanuary 9, 2012 at 3:23 PM

    @WebMonkey741: Very sorry to see you had to take the flash port down because of a "Cease and Desist notice from Electronic Arts". :(
    To have it done by your ex-employer is just salt in the wound. Some companies just seem inhuman at times.

    You may never read this, and I should probably send you a personal email of support instead, but I was here and felt a quick comment in the blog that sent me to your site wouldn't hurt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 12, 2015 at 4:29 PM

      Hi - Blair's (webmonkey741) wife here. As of 2012, we've been working on our own studio called One More Story Games where we've created a DIY publishing platform called StoryStylus where folks can create visual novels or point and click adventure games for sharing or selling... hope you'll come check it out.

      www.onemorestorygames.com

      And thanks for taking the time to comment. The Ultima 4 project meant a lot to Blair and we hope to be able to create a lot more awesome stories as the result of our current passions!

      Jean

      Delete
  5. CRPG AddictJanuary 13, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    Well, that sucks. EA is not my favorite company these days for a lot of reasons, and this just puts another nail in the coffin.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJuly 27, 2012 at 3:04 PM

    Agreed as well. I only managed to play a little since "I wasn't in the mood for old RPGs" at that time. Now wanted to and found out EA happened... again.

    That really really sucks, and your site/game was just plain incredible. Good luck in whatever you are doing right now.

    -- Francois424

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zenic ReverieJuly 27, 2012 at 3:48 PM

      I can see why EA did it, especially if they planned to do this all along: http://ultimaforever.com/

      Delete
    2. UnknownMay 12, 2015 at 4:30 PM

      Hi - Blair's (webmonkey741) wife here. As of 2012, we've been working on our own studio called One More Story Games where we've created a DIY publishing platform called StoryStylus where folks can create visual novels or point and click adventure games for sharing or selling... hope you'll come check it out.

      www.onemorestorygames.com

      And thanks for taking the time to comment. The Ultima 4 project meant a lot to Blair and we hope to be able to create a lot more awesome stories as the result of our current passions!

      Jean

      Delete
  7. WebMonkey741May 12, 2015 at 5:24 PM

    For a recent update on where I've been since then and how you will soon be able to create your own point-and-click adventure games to be able to share with your friends. ;)

    Link to Web Site Update

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kenny McCormickMay 13, 2015 at 12:30 AM

      I prefer RPGs and graphic adventures over point-&-click games but your website looks pretty cool.

      We'll have to get you over to the Adventurers side of Blogspot. LOL

      Delete

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