tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post3387313080352325987..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Ultima V: You Don't Know What We Can SeeCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86101857123630755442024-01-03T11:05:32.375-05:002024-01-03T11:05:32.375-05:00Neoquest and Neoquest 2 are awesome! Definitely en...Neoquest and Neoquest 2 are awesome! Definitely enjoyed beating them as a kid (with guides of course)johnmysternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35617987684542077362022-09-06T20:11:13.711-04:002022-09-06T20:11:13.711-04:00Even if we've been able to loosen a lot of tec...Even if we've been able to loosen a lot of technological constraints that limited things like old movies and video games, I think the human artistry of, well, art, is timeless, and that it's better to view art as something cumulative rather than... I don't know a specific word for it, but the type of system where old things are discarded and replaced with new things.<br /><br />This is, incidentally, also why I'm rather leery of the concept of a linear progression in things like games over time. I think looking at it as exploring more and more of a figurative space makes more sense, if we're likening the evolution of games as a medium to travel.<br /><br />Sincerely, someone who's probably actually younger than that person was (turning 28 just about half a month from this posting).Topaz Lighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06932726490860542612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80651119877904872492022-03-10T19:34:28.666-05:002022-03-10T19:34:28.666-05:00Re: graphics.
I was so turned off by Ultima VI...Re: graphics. <br />I was so turned off by Ultima VI's graphics (on the C64) that I quit the game. Too colorful. Seeing all of your party -- too clunky.<br /><br />What I love about U5's graphics is they are clean enough for you to recognize what you were seeing; but not so explicit as to deprive you of your imagination. Imagination is especially important with an atmospheric game like U5. You need to feel the threats, be it the threat of the expansive landscape and its monsters, or more importantly, the oppressive threat of the regime. Life in Britannia is heavy and dark. The darkness is your imagination's breeding ground; it's a place to grow beyond what Garriott et al put on the screen. <br /><br /><br />Re: Lord Kenneth. <br />If I recall correctly, his is the only conversation that you can't quit. You have to learn the notes. You can't say goodbye and leave. If you don't learn the notes you sit at the harpsichord until you do or until you turn off the computer. I know because, well, my young mind couldn't readily follow what he was trying to teach. I wanted to get up, explore some more, and then return later. Good thing I eventually learned. Otherwise...pull up a chair, it might be awhile. Hythloth is a Word?noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47614257553670727642018-09-17T16:32:00.513-04:002018-09-17T16:32:00.513-04:00I wondered whether you would climb that ladder and...I wondered whether you would climb that ladder and get locked in LB's chamber - that happened to me when I got in the first time. Did you think to grab a second magic carpet while you were there? I found it handy to have a backup in case I inadvertently got off the carpet while hovering over a trapdoor...<br /><br />I don't remember combat in the Apple version being any different from the DOS version. There is a version somewhere that allows the same type of weapon to be equipped in each hand - having 12 magic axes in play would probably affect balance a bit, but I've never figured out which system that was on. <br /><br />Apart from having fewer colours and the option for music, the only functional difference I remember is that the Apple version didn't allow you to view the karma meter. Oh, and I was never able to retrieve characters who'd been left at the inn. I also had a corrupted dungeon disk - I could open them with the words of power, but the game would hang if I tried to enter.Romhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424138564206888866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79589451815368291632018-09-14T21:02:48.964-04:002018-09-14T21:02:48.964-04:00It's not so much that I don't consider the...It's not so much that I don't consider them RPGs as it seems unlikely that they'll still be around by the time I get to them.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-550929881435844012018-08-30T16:33:46.804-04:002018-08-30T16:33:46.804-04:00Hey Addict, I have to ask: do you consider browser...Hey Addict, I have to ask: do you consider browser-based PHP games to be CRPGs? I never played the Ultima games proper, but the more I go through these entries, the more I'm reminded of Neoquest (2001) and Neoquest II (2004). <br /><br />If you can stomach the shame of making a Neopets account in the year 2018, they might be worth your time -- I can guarantee that they're better than at least some of the games you've played so far. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09364569937816230276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27399580032397455182018-03-05T19:35:19.298-05:002018-03-05T19:35:19.298-05:00We have a fairer sex and a not-so-fair sex. Deal ...We have a fairer sex and a not-so-fair sex. Deal with it. To be fair (in another sense), demanding no exposed skin for the non-fairest members of the fairest sex is probably taking it too far... but still... iI prefer that that comment be seen as aspirational rather than outrageoud..<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gerry Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078394659680797175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86618931994138879972017-03-30T19:10:44.442-04:002017-03-30T19:10:44.442-04:00You mentioned earlier that the Shadowlords are nev...You mentioned earlier that the Shadowlords are never in towns, so that telescope is thus unnecessary.Nathan P. Mahneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55758529742893792122017-03-24T20:19:35.944-04:002017-03-24T20:19:35.944-04:00Kenneth tells you which keys to press to play the ...Kenneth tells you which keys to press to play the notes, yes. He doesn't tell you that you can start playing them the moment the party icon changes to show the character sitting down in front of the instrument, with no other interface action, like "use," necessary in between.<br /><br />I'm not a fan of the term "necro commenting." None of my entries are ever "dead." We have lively discussions on some of them for years. Why you chose to do it to perpetuate someone feeling bad about an understandable mistake in a 30-year-old interface is, I agree, a bit of a mystery.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80387025675746687182017-03-23T09:42:08.843-04:002017-03-23T09:42:08.843-04:00Kenneth tells you exactly how to play it though do...Kenneth tells you exactly how to play it though down to the buttons to press. <br />Tim the bard from Empath Abbey will tell you that playing the Stones on an instrument fit for a king has been rumored to produce magical results.<br />I don't know why I'm necro commenting on this but here I am.The Tinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16194022333785202533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45733500178960929902017-01-16T19:42:23.821-05:002017-01-16T19:42:23.821-05:00NES version differences continued:
There's no...NES version differences continued:<br /><br />There's no interaction with objects, no way to push anything. The doors to the magic carpet merely require the lockpicks, although the sandalwood box requires stones music sheet to be used on the harpsichord. (Just equip and use.) Recognizing the harpsichord for what it is was the most difficult part of getting the box. The telescopes do nothing. :(Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62886099678108220632015-11-10T03:13:33.356-05:002015-11-10T03:13:33.356-05:00Yeah! I'd like to think certain men and women ...Yeah! I'd like to think certain men and women wouldn't mind seeing me outside a full body covering.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33273843303355088472015-11-06T13:22:57.599-05:002015-11-06T13:22:57.599-05:00I was enjoying your blog, esp the U5 and Wasteland...I was enjoying your blog, esp the U5 and Wasteland entries, and then happened upon this comment. Casual sexism, or what?Muffy the Rabbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05760991491805128676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91599830020596368182014-06-21T15:28:35.949-04:002014-06-21T15:28:35.949-04:00Sure, Kenneth tells you to play on the harp. But ...Sure, Kenneth tells you to play on the harp. But the normal ways of interacting with objects don't work on the harp. You can look at it, try to push it, search it. None of the instruction manuals indicate that the number keys can be used there.Dan Weberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06626675217693199470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4891582461358073242014-06-13T23:15:55.870-04:002014-06-13T23:15:55.870-04:00But an NPC in the game WILL tell the player to do ...But an NPC in the game WILL tell the player to do just that. And you obviously CAN play it on any harpsichord. Only the one in British's room will net you anything though.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86288654991326975932014-06-13T14:41:10.193-04:002014-06-13T14:41:10.193-04:00It's a non-obvious dynamic. At no other place ...It's a non-obvious dynamic. At no other place in the game do you suddenly start pressing otherwise-unused keys just because of where you happen to be sitting.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52830417620340371772014-06-12T22:11:52.699-04:002014-06-12T22:11:52.699-04:00Here is the thing: I absolutely could not figure o...Here is the thing: I absolutely could not figure out how to get the sandalwood box. I spent days of real world time spinning all over the place, even disintegrating everything I could, to break in there.<br /><br />I always knew the harp was there, but I never figured out that you could actually play them. Sitting down and pressing the number keys plays the notes. I just couldn't grok that. A few months later, "Family (And Home Office) Computing" published hints for Ultima V and said "play 678 987 8767653 on the harpsichord in Lord British's Chamber." Holy cow, I had it! Enough trial and error and I figured out I could play it! (I still remember those notes. Go look up "Stones" on YouTube for some awesome renditions.)<br /><br />The other cool thing about the chamber was that the carpet was lying right there and the first few times I visited it, I totally disregarded it.<br /><br />Covetous and Wrong have some excellent Dungeon Rooms to farm. You can usually keep one enemy alive. And with Invisibility Rings . . . well, you can just crush dragons in one hit.Dan Weberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06626675217693199470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59540803846949908932012-06-28T22:50:11.800-04:002012-06-28T22:50:11.800-04:00Not possible, unfortunately. I guess the magic car...Not possible, unfortunately. I guess the magic carpet just skims the ground, because you can't fly over even simple barriers like rocks. In this case, the castle ramparts form a "wall" around the rooftop.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73144027415022538162012-06-28T16:40:47.708-04:002012-06-28T16:40:47.708-04:00I have not played this game, nor any other Ultimas...I have not played this game, nor any other Ultimas, but I just want to ask: Why didn't you use your magic carpet to fly out from the rooftop? Or isn't that possible?Ragnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61097353869065542112012-01-20T23:12:53.577-05:002012-01-20T23:12:53.577-05:00My view of things is understandably skewed by what...My view of things is understandably skewed by what I grew up with (I was 13 when Baldur's Gate came out, and very impressionable), but to me there was a definite technological "sweet spot" in RPGs when it comes to graphics... An era when they were still simplistic enough to churn out a lot of and allow for huge amounts of content, but attractive enough that they don't look ugly or overtly primitive today.<br /><br />For me that era roughly fell between Fallout and Arcanum...Carthagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208053827935987607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-78592496861817255182012-01-14T00:35:12.312-05:002012-01-14T00:35:12.312-05:00Digeus Registry Fixer I use it when there are pro...<a href="http://digeus.com/products/regcleaner/registry-cleaner.html" rel="nofollow">Digeus Registry Fixer</a> I use it when there are problems with windows. I also recommend to use <a href="http://windsty.com/products/windows_7_tuneupsuite/windows-7-tuneup.html" rel="nofollow">Windows Tune Up Suite</a>. It restores system to a healthy state.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26858133466081371402011-09-05T14:34:53.714-04:002011-09-05T14:34:53.714-04:00That makes sense. That person is clearly your &quo...That makes sense. That person is clearly your "number two"--probably your best fighter.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4059006956917437282011-09-05T03:01:54.112-04:002011-09-05T03:01:54.112-04:00I remember first playing Ultima V and was complete...I remember first playing Ultima V and was completely blown away how much improved it was over U4. I was shocked when Blackthorn killed Shamino. If I remember right, he basically kills whomever is in the second slot.Hoose71https://www.blogger.com/profile/01969439019611571246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88451901656108123822011-09-02T20:23:02.126-04:002011-09-02T20:23:02.126-04:00I'm thinking about starting a travel blog just...I'm thinking about starting a travel blog just to write about things like this. TSA ought to ask, "did you take a shower this morning?" as a mandatory question and refuse to board people who clearly did not.<br /><br />I wish people would consider their fellow travelers' comfort when they decide how to dress for the flight. Tip #1: If you're not an attractive female, absolutely no one wants to see any of your exposed skin except heads and hands.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83611131551467501902011-09-01T07:52:13.897-04:002011-09-01T07:52:13.897-04:00If I saw somebody playing Ultima on an airplane I ...If I saw somebody playing Ultima on an airplane I would shake their hand. But I always just get crying babies and smelly people.Synertianoreply@blogger.com