Ultima

A series of CRPGs which usually feature virtue as a cornerstone of success. Ultima: Ascension, the ninth in the series, is due to be released by Christmas, though it probably won't. Many fans consider Ultima VII to be the best, and Ultima VIII to be the worst, though there's not much optimism for the upcoming U:A, and many think it will surpass U8 in pure suckiness. There is a club called the Ultima Dragons who really like the series, and many members of the club can be found in

The Ultima series was created by Richard Gariott and includes Ultima 1-9, Ultima Underworld 1 and 2, and Ultima Online. In the Ultima universe, Lord British is Richard Gariott's alter ego and is the benevolent ruler of the medieval land of Britannia. The player usually takes the role of the Avatar and wanders the land of Britannia trying to fix whatever's gone wrong this time.

I may describe the systems of magic in the Ultima series at some point.

Ultima produces the longest-lasting line of lipstick within the price range of mere mortals. Their high end lines are available at department stores, but you can also get Ultima II at Walgreens, etc., for around $13.50. I think it's worth it because (without being drying) it stays on forever, and the only thing I hate more than makeup is futzing around constantly with makeup.

The Ultima Legacy

The Age of Darkness Trilogy

Akalabeth

Ultima I

Ultima II

Ultima III: Exodus

The original Ultima trilogy opens with the journey of your nameless hero's fight against the Triad of Evil: the warlock Mondain, his mistress (the witch Minax) and their daemon spawn Exodus. These early Ultimas offered straightforward objectives and a familiar setting on the Earth-like world of Sosaria. The few citizens of this world had little to say, and available weaponry was recognizable. Though lacking innovation, the Ultima framework was laid, and the course of the series was set in motion. Even in its earliest incarnations, the game contained the scope, detail, and the complexity of an epic.

The Age of Enlightenment Trilogy

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Although it inspired legions of fans, Ultima III also stirred up controversy. Youthful Richard Garriott (still in his early twenties) found himself in the midst of an imbroglio over children who were suspected of engaging in devil worship as a result of playing the game. It was enough to make Garriott again rethink his approach to making Ultima. He decided the Ultima series needed to be more substantial and lasting, and with that in mind set the Age of Darkness Trilogy far behind him. Drawing on his positive Ultima experiences, he set forth once more - this time into The Age of Enlightenment. The medieval chaos of Sosaria gave way to a much more civilized, morally conscious world in need of a hero. That world was Britannia, and the hero was the Avatar.

The Guardian Trilogy

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue

Ultima VII part 2: Serpent Isle

Ultima VII part 2: The Silver Seed

Ultima VIII: Pagan

Ultima IX: Ascension

After the Gargoyles and humankind settled into an unstable alliance, Britannia enjoyed two centuries of relative peace. But soon a new threat appeared on the horizon, though most of Britannia's citizens didn't know it until the Avatar had already intervened. Only a few years passed in the Avatar's life on Earth, yet he returned to a very different Britannia. New architecture and technology reigned, and the world was much more crowded than before. And with the changing technology, people's thoughts were altered. A new, seemingly benign order called The Fellowship emerged, endorsing a new set of virtues. The Avatar only later discovered the nature of the organization, its cunning founder Batlin, and his omnipotent, evil sponsor, the Guardian.

The Guardian, a creature whose motives were entirely selfish and cruel, proved to be the greatest threat Britannia had ever seen. Using The Fellowship as a front, the Guardian made his servants create a magical gateway for him to pass through, which he entered and laid siege to the entire world. Only the Avatar was resourceful enough to stop his attempted coup.

Something Lord British often stresses about his Ultima series is that in less early Ultimas he tried not to base the design of the game only on hack-and-slash action, but he also tried to enrich it with human social interaction elements, as well as character feelings and psychology, and more, thus making the Avatar's role a more likely one. This makes easier for the player to identify himself into the game experience, and gives true weight to his behaviour.

In his own words:

[...] One of the things I feel really good about is that Ultima stories are about social consciousness. [...] This is why I feel really good about the role-playing content in Ultima, where you're allowed to cheat, steal and be dishonest, but the game remembers it and shows it back to you later on. [...]

Taken on April 28, 2001 from a Computer Games Online interview with RG (http://www.cdmag.com/articles/023/004/garriott_interview6.html).

So, kinda karma. And in Iolo's cheat menu in the sixth Ultima you can edit yours, if you really want to ...

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Today, Ultima VII: The Black Gate and Ultima VII: Serpent Isle (the latter is the Part II of the former), two of the most beloved and famous Ultimas, have the chance of not being only a thing of the past anymore: for Ultima fans, it's indeed time to exult :-) !

Generally, the most powerful black magic spell in the popular Final Fantasy series. It always has certain properties in each game:

• Its nature is of cosmic, ultimate proportions
• It requires the most magic points
• It attacks every opponent (even if they have a wall / reflect) with very strong non-elemental damage
• It is generally learned late in the game by your magical character
• It will engulf the whole screen with some sort of visually stunning blast during a cast

Despite this spell's awesomeness, it is only practical to use against battles involving more than one enemy. Otherwise, flare is a much better (and cheaper) choice (Warning: flare can be reflected!!). For the most part however, ultima will do at least 5000 damage, and it's very possible for it to do 9999 if your character is strong enough.

Although ultima is a pervasive spell in the Final Fantasy series, it actually started its debut in Final Fantasy 6, and is replaced by doomsday in Final Fantasy 9. It comes back in Final Fantasy 10, however.

The predecessor for ultima is probably meteo, and luminaire looks suspicously similar to ultima in Chrono Trigger. Although I have heard of no evidence concerning this spell's relation to the Ultima Series, one must wonder...

Ultima is a variant of chess that brings a whole new aspect of piece-based teamplay to life. Rather than making the movements of the pieces important, as per chess, it's the way the pieces capture that makes Ultima so special.

Robert Abbott had created Ultima, and it first appeared in the December 1962 issue of "Recreational Mathematics Magazine". Later, when he published his book of "Abbott's New Card Games", he modified a few rules. Players didn't like that too much, so the original set stands.

Ultima is played on a standard 8x8 chessboard (or checkerboard, if you prefer), with a standard chess set in the chess starting position. Before the game begins, the rook on each player's left is turned upside-down. The object is to capture the opponent's king. Check is not announced, and the king will leave the board, unlike in chess.

The first piece of mention is the King. The piece that represents the King is, of course, the king. It moves just like in regular chess. The King cannot put itself in a place where it could be captured.

Then there's the Pawns. There are 8 of them. They move like rooks, orthogonally for as far as they wish, until blocked. Their method of capturing is quite strange; it sandwiches the captured piece between itself and an allied piece. Thus, a single Pawn can capture three pieces. The diagram demonstrates a Pawn capture. Note that the assisting piece doesn't have to be a Pawn, it just has to be of the same color.

(Excuse the ascii chessboard. Empty white squares are asterisks, black squares are @s.)

* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ P K < - - P *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
 

The upside down rook is an Immobilizer. The Immobilizer moves like a queen. It prevents any orthogonally adjacent pieces from moving. However, an Immobilized piece can capture itself as a turn, allowing for another piece to attack. Often times, Immobilizers will be stuck Immobilizing each other while the rest of the game plays on.

The right side up rook is the Coordinator. It too moves like a queen (In fact everything does, minus the Pawns and King.). The Coordinator captures by making a rectangle with the allied King, and it attacks the corners that are occupied by neither King nor Coordinator in question.

* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
C * @ X @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
X * @ K @ * @ *
 

Those knight looking pieces are called Long Leapers. They cannot actually leap, unless they do so to capture. They move like queens until they reach their targeted captured piece (if there is a target), then jump over the piece any number of spaces. If the player wishes, the process can be repeated, providing the Long Leaper is still moving in the same direction.

* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ W @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * L * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
 

* @ * o * @ * @
@ * @ o @ * @ *
* @ * o * @ * @
@ * @ X @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
* @ * @ * @ * @
@ * @ * @ * @ *
 

Her Majesty has turned into a coward, and has earned the name Withdrawer. She(?) captures pieces by moving away from them. Starting her move at an orthogonally adjacent square, and moving away from it, the formerly adjacent piece is now captured.

The Chamelions posing as bishops are very versatile pieces, as they can capture in all of the above ways. However, there is a catch: they must capture their target in the same fashion the target would capture something. As of now I am unsure of how this would work against Immobilizers and other Chamelions.

Please learn from my mistake and don't try learning Ultima while you're learning Chess. Either learn it before or after.

Ul"ti*ma (?), a. [L., fem. ultimus last.]

Most remote; furthest; final; last.

Ultima ratio [L.], the last reason or argument; the last resort. -- Ultima Thule. [L.] See Thule.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Ul"ti*ma, n. [L., fem. of ultimus last.] Gram. & Pros.

The last syllable of a word.

 

© Webster 1913.