Ultima Forever is an interesting experiment for EA. Based on Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar – a game first released in 1985 and an RPG classic, developer BioWare Mythic is bringing Forever to both PC and iPad, with players able to move from one to the other as they choose. And the real kicker? It’s free-to-play too.
Anthony Gallegos had the first details a few weeks ago, but for those of you craving more on this interesting project, we've done a follow-up Q&A with executive producer Jeff Skalski.
IGN: What's exciting to you about going free-to-play with this title?
Jeff Skalski: The amount of players who will be able to experience Ultima Forever and perhaps even their first Ultima game. For those reading, you have no reason not to jump in and have a look!
IGN: What parts of the game will be free and what will be available for purchase?
Jeff Skalski: You’ll find no lightning bolts here, so keep playing to your heart’s content. I never wanted to kick players out of our game and say, “Hey, come back in 3 hours. Goodbye.” The game is wide open. You’ll need to level up to take on new challenges, but all of that can be earned by just playing the game. As for what’s available to purchase, quite a bit actually. You can buy new vanity gear to stand out in the crowd, or even a new weapon that has those stats you’ve been hunting for. Need a few more healing pots or a little more inventory space, we got you covered. Want early access to your favourite classes’ abilities? We’ll even let you snag those too. The only one thing we won’t sell is virtue. You have to earn that! ;)
IGN: Cross-platform play is a great idea, but can you tell us a little about the challenges of creating a single game that caters to the strengths of two very different platforms/control systems?
Jeff Skalski: Great question, no doubt it’s been hard, but so exciting in the end. We went for depth in gameplay with U4E. Not a one night affair experience. It is an online RPG adventure game at its core, so we just made sure when it came to controls, interface design, and combat pacing that we first thought of the touch consumer and then how would that play best with a more traditional experience such as a keyboard and mouse. These conversations happened in parallel and will continue as we continue to grow and build out U4E.
IGN: Ultima Forever is a "reimagining of the original rich world". Is this more a thematic reimagining, or will you be basing the new game on the same locations, characters and enemies?
Jeff Skalski: For those familiar with the ’85 classic Ultima IV, no doubt you’ll recognize certain NPCs, locations and some of the key moments you took in proving you were an Avatar. There will also be things new for you to explore and experience. We took liberty to make changes as needed, such as going from single player to multiplayer, and turn based to real time combat. The story has been fast forwarded 21 years and a new leader has taken the throne. Past friends have aged, but new friends are waiting to be met.
IGN: Will players once again be playing only as a human?
Jeff Skalski: Yes, we will have Human only classes. We are currently targeting two at launch with the remaining six releasing every few months afterwards.
The two classes that will be available at launch, we presume.
IGN: Players are now used to creating characters that can be good, evil or somewhere in between. How do you think they'll respond to the central goal of this game, which is to be virtuous?
Jeff Skalski: I hope they find it refreshing and engaging. It’s good to go back and remember your roots. Ultima IV did so much for the RPG genre. It inspired so many franchises still enjoyed today. I hope Ultima Forever puts that back into the forefront of gamers who never got to experience the original.
IGN: Can you give us some examples of quests or gameplay based on specific virtues?
Jeff Skalski: It starts from the moment you create your character. The gypsy will look at you and pose her questions. Your answers will dictate your starting virtue levels and the color of your first set of gear. (For those new to Ultima, each of the 8 virtues is tied to a specific color.) All throughout the rest of the game you’ll stumble across NPCs with moral quandaries seeking advice, but most importantly how you treat other real players will influence your virtue gain.
Concept art of the gypsy.
IGN: Can you give us some examples of difficult moral choices the player may have to make?
Jeff Skalski: While travelling through town a woman stops you and asks if you can go find her husband. He’s been missing for 6 days and has not returned from his last adventure to a nearby cave. You accept the quest and go exploring. While travelling through the caves you stumble across a corpse of a fallen warrior and upon searching it you uncover it was this woman’s husband, but also in his pockets is a letter from his mistress. You return to the woman, now widow, and are given a choice. Do you hand the letter over to the woman and tell her, “Your husband has died, but no worries; he was a lying bastard who was cheating on you anyways.” (Honesty) or rip the letter behind your back and tell her, “Your husband died an honorable death. I’m sorry for your loss.” (Compassion) Neither answer is wrong or right, but it’s your choice to decide what virtues you lean towards and ultimately the path you’ll take to prove worthy of Avatarhood.
IGN: Will the multiplayer be co-op only, or will there be PVP as well? How many players can quest together?
Jeff Skalski: Multiplayer will be co-op only, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with your group while playing. i.e. Activating a trap at the wrong moment. ;) As for the group size, it’s a total of four.
IGN: Can you tell me a little about the game's combat system?
Jeff Skalski: Sure, think Legend of the Zelda: Link to the Past, but you have 4-5 abilities instead of just swing. Our combat is positional based, and by flanking or hitting an enemy from behind you increase your chance to crit.
So what do you think? Are you looking forward to Ultima Forever? Let us know in the comments. Oh, and anyone interested in taking part in the upcoming closed beta can sign up at the official website.
Cam Shea is the senior editor at IGN Australia. You can follow him here on IGN, and why not join the IGN AU Facebook community?
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