After the release of Ultima III: Exodus, the members of Origin Systems would pack up and move across the country to the chilly town of North Andover, Massachusetts. Here, they would buckle down and create the follow-up to the much lauded Exodus. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar would represent a sea change in the trajectory of both the Ultima series, and CRPGs in general. This video chronicles the story of Ultima IV's development, while also taking a close look at what makes the game so enduringly special. This is the 4th video in my Ultima Retrospective series. Watching earlier parts isn't necessary to enjoy this video, but it is recommended. They can be found here: Akalabeth & Ultima I:
Ultima II:
Ultima III:
Thank you to Lazarus De Lis for creating the landscape used in the thumbnail! You can find Laz here:
https://twitter.com/LazarusDeLis Links:
https://twitter.com/majuular Music used in this video (with timestamps):
Running list of sources used in the Ultima Retrospective:
00:00 - A Fresh Start 6:27 - Reimagining Ultima 9:50 - Collaborators & Concerns 13:50 - Ports & Preamble 16:16 - A Whole New World 22:27 - Character Creation 25:10 - Conversations 28:24 - Embodying the Avatar 32:05 - Halting the Minmax 34:26 - Virtues & Principles 39:34 - The Problem With Virtue 42:48 - Exploration 49:01 - Magic 53:01 - Companions 56:43 - Combat 1:00:34 - Runes, Mantras & Shrines 1:09:34 - Dungeons & Stones 1:20:08 - The Final Treasures 1:25:00 - The Stygian Abyss 1:27:19 - The Codex of Ultimate Wisdom 1:36:28 - The Impact of Ultima IV 1:39:48 - A Changing Industry 1:45:31 - Credits Various Credits: Hand Model - scribbletoad Rose Model - Artem Low Poly Sword - Fermin Morales Key Sprites - BizmasterStudios Large Key Sprite - CarmenMCS
