Ultima: the first benchmark for computer role-playing games
16Before role-playing games were visually stunning experiences, there was Ultima, a title that anticipated many of the elements that we now consider standard in role-playing games.
What made Ultima revolutionary was its freedom. Unlike previous role-playing games, Ultima did not constrain the player to dungeons and a rigid storyline. Although in a much more rudimentary way than current works, the player could still freely explore the world, interact with the inhabitants, trade, learn new skills, steal, and even travel through space in a ship.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Ultima was the way the game alternated between its viewpoints. When exploring the overworld, towns, and castles, the player moved around a two-dimensional grid that offered a top-down view of the game world. However, once entering a dungeon, the game switched to a first-person view for a more immersive experience.
Ultima also had other typical RPG features: character creation with points to spend on different characteristics (such as strength, agility, intelligence and more), experience point accumulation, turn-based movements, spells to cast, and inventory management.
The man behind the video game is Richard Garriott, born in 1961 in Cambridge, England, better known as Lord British. He was one of those attic developers mentioned at the beginning of the episode. The original Ultima came out in 1981 on the Apple II, but was soon converted to other platforms. In 1986 Garriot also created an improved re-release called The First Age of Darkness which, for those who want it, can be found on the digital store GOG (included in a package that also includes Ultima 2 and 3).
The Ultima saga has always been offered with many bonuses, including maps (sometimes made of cloth) and very beautiful manuals that went into great detail about the game's history, environments and characters. Those were the times when packaging was given a certain importance to get the player into the right mood.
00:00 Introduction
01:18 Developers from the attic
02:00 Ultima and the historical medal
04:45 Richard Garriott
07:39 Memory Lane
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