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Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

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Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#11

Post by bobsy »

I am going to rant about graphics here. The graphics on this game look 8 years old. A game doesn't need to look fantastic to be good but surely a new game should have good graphics. I am not talking about realistic graphics. Simply esthetically pleasing graphics. The graphics in the video look like something from runescape...

Looking elsewhere. Is this game not called 'Ultima Online' because Garriot doesn't own the rights? A sequel in all but name?

While the vision sounds promising I worry about broader appeal. Who is this game for? Tabula Rasa failed pretty badly. I don't quite see the appeal of this game. Most MMO's have a clear goal. Even if that is the same. "Level up, do quests, reach new areas, get gear." Perhaps I misunderstand but the goal of this game seems to be 'explore for yourself.' I don't think that is enough to pull people in. I have played the Ultima series. I still give Ultima Online a spin every couple of months and this new game doesn't pull me in..

The video left me feeling like the game is a time sink without getting the reward of getting little achievements like gaining levels and discovering new gear. The very things that make such games addictive.

When I saw the title my first thought was "TAKE ALL MY MONEY NOW." After seeing the video I think perhaps there is a reason why EA didn't take the franchise further.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#12

Post by Kurtz79 »

ralphleon wrote: post #10
potatoman2 wrote: post #8

I'd pitch in if they promised to base the engine off Ultima 8.

Why not ultima 7? Ultima8 wasn't as interactive as ultima7 imho.

I agree, graphics were prettier, but controls were sluggish and unresponsive. Jumping mechanics were a nightmare.

The series really started its downward slope from there.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#13

Post by estebank »

> From Lord British's Treatise on "What is an Ultimate RPG?":

> * Fully interactive virtual world - If it looks usable, it should do something > * Deep original fiction - Ethical parables, cultural histories, fully developed alternate language text

This reminds me of the first Deus Ex. Wonder if they'll be able to pull it off.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#14

Post by [deleted] »

bobsy wrote: post #11

I am going to rant about graphics here. The graphics on this game look 8 years old. A game doesn't need to look fantastic to be good but surely a new game should have good graphics. I am not talking about realistic graphics. Simply esthetically pleasing graphics. The graphics in the video look like something from runescape... Looking elsewhere. Is this game not called 'Ultima Online' because Garriot doesn't own the r…

[deleted]

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#15

Post by moron4hire »

bobsy wrote: post #11

I am going to rant about graphics here. The graphics on this game look 8 years old. A game doesn't need to look fantastic to be good but surely a new game should have good graphics. I am not talking about realistic graphics. Simply esthetically pleasing graphics. The graphics in the video look like something from runescape... Looking elsewhere. Is this game not called 'Ultima Online' because Garriot doesn't own the r…

The quality of graphics that we see in modern games has more to do with art assets then with programming of the game engine. Take a close look at the surroundings in your next game session. Every single thing in the game at some point had to be modeled by a person. When you're just starting with a project, you don't have those various and detailed models available. What you saw here was the "programmer art" version, which is actually pretty good for programmer art.

And apparently "explore for yourself" worked for Minecraft. Any style of game can be successful, it just takes a good gameplay element on top of it to make it.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#16

Post by potatoman2 »

Kurtz79 wrote: post #12
ralphleon wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not ultima 7? Ultima8 wasn't as interactive as ultima7 imho.

I agree, graphics were prettier, but controls were sluggish and unresponsive. Jumping mechanics were a nightmare. The series really started its downward slope from there.

I think it was the kind of game that was so bad that looking back I have fond memories.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#17

Post by chaostheory »

> Since then, most every other RPG has focused more on level grinding then “role playing”, which has been reduced to a few initial character choices... Less open. Less immersive.

I don't think this team has played any RPGs over the past decade. Non of them are like this other than JRPGs. It lessens his project's credibility.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#19

Post by bornhuetter »

Kurtz79 wrote: post #5

I remember fondly Ultima 7 and Ultima Underworld 2. Incredible titles, way ahead of their time. Ultima 7 has probably more sophisticated interaction mechanics than 99% of the games today.

They remain two of the best games I have ever played. Looking at the games the team have made brings back a lot of good memories. Wing Commander Privateer was also phenomenal at the time.

Re: Lord British launches “Shroud of the Avatar” on Kickstarter

#20

Post by robertfw »

bobsy wrote: post #11

I am going to rant about graphics here. The graphics on this game look 8 years old. A game doesn't need to look fantastic to be good but surely a new game should have good graphics. I am not talking about realistic graphics. Simply esthetically pleasing graphics. The graphics in the video look like something from runescape... Looking elsewhere. Is this game not called 'Ultima Online' because Garriot doesn't own the r…

It has the word PROTOTYPE on the screenshots. I wish my prototypes looked that good!
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