U7 and U8 - The chasm between

[Ignitus Dragon]

I've never seen such a joy-kill as Serpent Isle and Ultima 8.
I mean, here we've got, happy-go-lucky Ultima 7 The Black Gate, and then, wham its like you've been transported into instant goth-land.
I wonder about the general feeling during the making Ultima 7 and Ultima 8.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Serpent Isle's morte-de-virtue type thing, but its as if Britannia is the only planet with people who are happy. Infact in Britannia it felt like everyone was on crack, looking back at the character portraits, whoever drew those were on crack themselves. I only wished that Serpent Isle and Ultima 8 were as nice to play as The Black Gate, the add-on and the next in the series should have had more interactivity, instead it seem't as if someone rushed them into producing, and hence leaving out the simple things we all love: unique items, usable items, more npc's, jobs, more mini-quests.
At the same time, it seemed as if more fuel went into the graphic side of it.
They did away with the small portraits, added digital portraits, then U8 removed that and came up with semi-accurate shaded characters.
Ultima 8 removed simple actions like, sitting...yet added new actions like jumping and climbing, but all in all theres no reason we couldn't have all three things. Having non-linearity and total involvement is part of the reality in the game, it makes the game feel more like a RPG and less like an arcade-scroller. I got lost in U7(both parts), I made it my virtual home, I played that game and wished I was really there, I still do infact. If Britannia was only bigger, I'd enjoy the hell out of living there.

[Andy]

SI would have ended happier had they added all of the original plot into the game engine. Everyone wouldn't have died, and you could have returned for a quick little "treat" with Frigidazzi. Restoring balance to the land should have done more than mass death, IMHO. I think it's time for yet another round of us asking developers like Warren Spector to release the full plot. The entire script would be best. It never hurts to ask.

I'm still foggy on how U8 was originally supposed to end, but I am very sure that there was much more to it.... like The Lost Vale.

Yes, having two worlds almost litterally crumble after you (the Avatar) were finished with them does tend to leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Some can say what they want to about that it was "supposed" to end so darkly, but I think most of us know that it was mainly due to EA's corporate greed in pushing the game developers to push the games out the door rather than finish the games.

So let's, everyone, ask the game creators for the original scripts. Different copies could have, and probably were kept separately from the source. With Exult we have the power to truily finish these games (at least SI). (I want a full reason for Cat (Claw) Isle.)

Andy a.k.a Grimlock Dragon

[drcode]

Does anyone know how to read Warren Spector?

[Neutronium Dragon]

> Does anyone know how to read Warren Spector?

Yes, you generally start with the W and work your way to the right. Oh, you mean *reach* him.

Neutronium Dragon

[Colourless]

It's real obvious: wspector@ionstorm.com

-Colourless Dragon

[IgnitusDragonn]

*giggles* *erupts in mad laughter, falls on face, is locked up and diagnosed with Mad Mage Disease(in that order) *

[drcode]

^read^reach^

Grrrr:-(

[IgnitusDragonn]

Don't feel bad DrCode, some people have such boring lives that they can't help but latch onto someone elses mistakes and make jokes out of them. I'm one of those people.

[ToasterThief]

If you're careful, you can find out that SI actually had a somewhat happy ending-if you plant the Silver Seed AFTER the Banes have killed everyone, it is said that the Tree will help restore the lives of those slaughtered across SI. The Monks apparently will be able to do this with the tree's help.

Too bad this was forgotten one day after it was released.