ULTIMA UNDERWORLD: THE STYGIAN ABYSS Retrospective || The Most Influential RPG Ever?
370#ultimaunderworld #lookingglass #rpgs
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL HERE: https://www.patreon.com/highfunctioningmedium
In 1992, 3D first person gaming branched into two distinct directions: the action-packed shooter Wolfenstein 3D by id software and Ultima Underworld: the Stygian Abyss by Blue Sky Productions (later known as the legendary Looking Glass Studios). Whereas Wolfenstein 3-D was all about speed and violence, Ultima Underworld focused on designer Paul Neurath's ultimate goal: to make the best and most immersive dungeon crawler ever.
The game included survival and simulation elements like having to eat and rest regularly, engaging in intuitive conversations with NPCS to solve quests, and a non linear and sometimes open-ended structure to the order and manner in which quests could be completed. It was also the first game to have an almost entirely 3-D space, with right angled corners, multiple planes of elevation, texture mapping on floors and ceilings, and the ability to look up and down, jump, and fly, just to name a few.
These technical achievements set the standard for gaming going forward, but Ultima Underworld's utopia in ruins setup would also inspire the settings for games like System Shock and Bioshock as well as provide the mechanical framework for much of incredibly popular Elder Scrolls series. In addition to influencing quite a lot of modern RPG design, the game's attention to detail and open-ended solutions would prototype the immersive sim(ulation) design ideas that Deus Ex, Thief, and many others would iterate and improve upon.
0:00 Introduction
1:22 Development
2:32 Story
4:31 Presentation
5:54 Character Builds/Skill Breakdown
8:24 Controls/Interface
10:28 Quests and NPC Conversations
12:30 The Bad
13:23 Is Ultima the First Immersive Sim?
16:25 Legacy of Ultima Underworld
All the patches you could want for the Ultima games: https://github.com/JohnGlassmyer/UltimaHacks#ultima-underworld-ii-labyrinth-of-worlds
Join the Discord where we talk about everything from gaming to movies to comics to sports and other hobbies like TCGs or boardgames! - https://discord.gg/wqW6XyAngT
Original music by GhostHost - https://ghosthost.bandcamp.com/
Original art by Rizkiali - https://www.fiverr.com/rizkiali/do-create-horror-theme-illustration-for-your-artwork-need?source=order_page_summary_gig_link_image&funnel=a9d29d5fe25eb70250bc74df919b764d
Additional music from ArcanumObscura's channel (supposed to be the Soundblaster soundtrack):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIgFvFLAGK0&list=PLD14AD8668B6FA218
SUBSCRIBE for more gaming and movie reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4CsYIwOAImbz37NJAOPhA?sub_confirmation=1
SHARE this video with a friend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VpA_QsID0w
READ my blog: https://www.highfunctioningmedium.com/
FOLLOW me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hifuncmedium/
Contributors: Original music by GhostHost - https://ghosthost.bandcamp.com/
Original art by Rizkiali - https://www.fiverr.com/rizkiali/do-create-horror-theme-illustration-for-your-artwork-need?source=order_page_summary_gig_link_image&funnel=a9d29d5fe25eb70250bc74df919b764d
Other Videos By High Functioning Medium
Other Statistics
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss Statistics For High Functioning Medium
At present, High Functioning Medium has 8,897 views spread across 1 video for Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, with his channel publishing less than an hour of Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss content. This makes up less than 0.75% of the total overall content on High Functioning Medium's YouTube channel.