Ultima X: Odyssey Preview

Quite some years back, Origin Systems, the Texas-based game developer, dominated the industry with two admirable franchises: Wing Commander, a widely acclaimed space sim and Ultima, the famed RPG series. (Ed. - Ultima VII The Black Gate still rocks!) This capable and renowned development team was also responsible for the MMO series Ultima Online, which generated incredible feedback and still has a community of over 250,000 subscribers. With such success behind them, Origin eagerly announced their brand-new project, Ultima X Odyssey. But the purpose of the new game is not just to appease a huge sea of diehard fans who are thirsty for more Ultima goodness (A huge sea of thirsty people - oh my! - 2Lions). This time Origin also intends to work hard on bringing some overall improvements to the MMORPG genre. Another pleasant surprise is that such an ambitious project will be powered by the Unreal engine. Now that’s sounds like a plan to me.

Those tin boots are gonna get real hot, real fast!

Ride the lightning, baby!

Assuming that there are still many of you who are not familiar with the story behind the Ultima series, I’ll try to summarize some of the most important events and characters. Throughout most Ultima titles, the story involved the Avatar, a brave and skilled hero summoned to a world called Britannia, to confront a great evil. (Do our younger readers even know who Lord British is? - 2Lions) The Avatar’s struggles were long and hard. During his journeys and quests, the Avatar had to deal with a vicious powerful demon whose purpose was to annihilate Britannia and the whole of its populace. At the conclusion of Ultima IX: Ascension, the Avatar challenged this demon, the Guardian, in a valiant effort to ascend and merge with his being.

The effort was a success for the Avatar who immerged triumphant and had managed to harness all the evil power. But this was not the end. This new entity now ties two powerful souls together, both of which are fighting to gain control. The battle rages on, as the demonic Guardian gradually gains more power and slowly begins to dominate over his engulfed adversary. This actually signifies the beginning of the plot in Ultima X Odyssey. Overwhelmed by the Guardian’s supreme powers, the Avatar uses his remaining strengths to create an entire world where he would train thousands of brave Britannians, who would be willing to face many dangerous challenges. Anyone who ascends will ultimately be able to join the Avatar in his ongoing war against the Guardian.

The game boasts the usual set of features you can expect to find in any RPG these days. The basic idea of the game revolves around creating your ideal character and preparing him for many different quests and combat situations; from melee battles, ranged combat (archery), spell casting, etc. So yeah, basically, most of your tasks will involve treasure hunts and exploring various dangerous locations infested by monsters. Each quest can be completed single-handedly or in groups. The interesting thing, and rather welcomed feature, is that all character classes (even healers) will be able to wonder, fight, and complete quests on their own. This aspect is going to appeal to those players who prefer to go through the game unaccompanied by other avatars.

Completing a quest awards your character with experience points and various additional items and equipment you can use further on. Next to the usual stuff, however, Ultima X Odyssey encompasses many things that make it a bit different from your typical MMORPG surrounding. The combat, for instance, is intense and quick, which means that the entire game is more action-oriented than other MMORPG’s. This fast-paced gameplay, similar to the single-player Ultima series, is undoubtedly a formidable move by Origin. Even the most experienced gamers are increasingly becoming fed up with somewhat dreary concepts behind today’s average MMO games. (Click left mouse button, kill rat. - 2Lions) Also, the controls shouldn’t be a problem since you get to move your character with the standard combination of the mouse and "WASD" keys. (So the combat will be similar to titles like Rune? Interesting... - 2Lions)

Welcome to my humble abode, now die!

Have you ever heard of Nikola Tesla?

Another crucial aspect of the game is the so-called Virtues, which were also present in the single-player Ultima series (since part IV, that is). So, your basic goal is to wade through the game until you’ve mastered all eight virtues -Humility, Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, and Spirituality. Not only do these attributes define all characters, but they are also an important part of the gameplay. As you go through numerous quests you’ll be able to "work on" these virtues and consequently gain points within that specific trait. Characters who show compassion can receive new healing skills. Your character can also make several crucial choices throughout the game. Don’t think that making these choices will be an easy endeavor. For instance, at some point in the game you may have to decide whether you wish to turn over a bandit to the appropriate authorities or simply take matters into your own hands and kill him yourself. This means that all quests are unrestricted and offer multiple solutions, which certainly promises an open-ended gameplay altogether.

To power the fast-paced gameplay and ensure a smooth frame-rate, Origin employed the highly flexible and well-known Unreal engine - still one of the most commonly used technologies in action games today. The recent unveiling of the pre-alpha version of Ultima X Odyssey demonstrated an excellent use of the Unreal technology. Since we’re talking about a MMORPG, you shouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary in terms of visuals. What’s more important is that you can expect smooth and life-like character animations, complex environments, various detailed objects in the surroundings, etc.

They’ve also livened the atmosphere a bit with effects like cool-looking water surfaces and a rich world of flora and fauna (thick forests, plants - grass swaying in the wind, and so on). To help players go through the game’s complexity, the designers have come up with a very plain and intuitive interface, which should be easy to grasp by Ultima fans, MMORPG players, as well as newbies. Basically, everything fits into place and things look impressive even at this stage.

Ultima X Odyssey has been in creation for over a year and a half and the developers are aiming for a early 2004 launch. We still expect to get more details on things like player death, spawning, items, and other usual elements that would concern all you MMO fans. Stay tuned for more info.