🚀 go-pugleaf

There is a LOT that I could say about this, but I will try to keep it
down to the most important points.


1) ULTIMA IS AN RPG.
 
   When I play an Ultima game, I want to play an RPG. Not an action game.
Not a Sierra-type adventure game. An RPG. That is how Ultima started and
how it gained its huge following. However, starting with Ultima 7... Maybe
even Ultima 6, Ultima has been getting away from the RPG and moving towards
an adventure game, or if Ultima 8 is any sign, and adventure-arcade hybrid.
   What do I mean by this? Well, in recent Ultimas, most of what you are
doing is running around from point A to point B trying to find the right
person to give you the needed item or that necessary clue so you can get to
point D. Your characters don't improve very much over time... They gain a
few hit points and attributes, but not much. Combat is almost an afterthought
(I will get into this later). Optional side-quests are rare. Magic is of 
little use except when the plot calls for a certain spell. And in U8, you
don't even have party members!!!!
   In an RPG, I want to see my characters getting better with time. I want
statistics to show it, maybe even skills, like Wasteland. I want combat
to be a major part of the game. I want magic to be a major part of the game.
I don't want to be led around by the hand from point A to point B to point C.

2) REAL-TIME COMBAT SUCKS

   In U7 & U7.5, combat was a farce. You press 'c' and watch all your party 
members run over to the enemy and start hacking away until it dies, then they
run 6 miles south to butcher a poor little deer. You have no control over
your members, and if you give them a missile weapon you risk becoming a 
pincushion. 
   Until computer AI advances to a much higher level, real-time combat as it
is done in U7 and U7.5 is worthless. 
   Tactical, turn based combat, like we had in U4-U6 is the way to go. Or 
perhaps something like in Darklands, where you can stop the action whenever
you want to give orders, and then watch the battle unfold before you. But,if
it is done right, tactical combat can be really fun. If you make most combats
unique (remember the dungeons is U4 & U5?), they can each be a tactical 
problem with different solutions. You can still have a few "wandering monsters"
for atmosphere, but they should be kept to a minimum, and if I KILL SOMETHING,
IT DAMN WELL BETTER STAY DEAD!!! I really hate having to kill the same things
over and over again just because the game engine is too poor to remember.
   Oh, and another point... magic is an important part of combat. In U7 & U7.5,
magic was pretty much useless becomes things were happening too fast. I liked
it in U4 & U5 when combat spells were essential, and you could find mages as
NPC's to help you out.

3) THE PLOT IS PARAMOUNT

   The essence of any good RPG is the plot. The plots of most Ultimas have
been reasonably good, but it is time to pull itself to a higher level and
do what has not been done before... A dynamically branching plot. Give the
player choices and have the plot accomodate them. And not just little choices,
MAJOR choices that affect the very outcome of the game and of the subplots
of the game. You want to talk about non-linearity... well, this is the very
essence of it. 
   Do not force me to do something I would never want to do in order to 
progress the plot. This really only happened in U8, but it was inexcusable.
At least give me a choice.
   I want the populace to notice what is going on around them. If I did 
something for them, I want them to notice, and to thank me. If I did something
to piss them off, I want them to hate me or fear me.
   The characterisation of your companions is VERY important. I want my 
companions to have personality. I want them to make comments, and act according
to there natures. U7 and U7.5 made some progress here, but it could have been
better. There were times in U7.5 where I was nearly yelling at Shamino to
show some sort of reaction to the events in the northern castle. Your 
companions shouldn't follow you around like dogs. Dupre would get really bored
interrogating the entire city of Britain... He should go off and spend the
afternoon at the pub. Shamino might go off to hunt for dinner. Iolo might stay
with you to help out. Or, on a long hike in the wilderness, the characters
could tell stories without any prompting, or Iolo could sing a song. Things
like that give the characters much more personality.

I could go on, but I have things to do, so I will leave it at this.
I think it is great that Origin is asking the people who play the games
their opinions. I trust that you will make U9 a masterpiece. And if so, I
can pretend that U8 never even existed...

Best of luck,

Nick