Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar Preview
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One thing Paul also wanted to make clear is that this really is a co-op, online reimagining of Ultima IV, and not a sequel to Ultima Online. It's not a true MMORPG, and it doesn't aim for the same sort of world simulation as Ultima VII did. Instead, with the choice they made to reboot the series in the footsteps of Ultima IV, they're aiming for stimulation first. Then, if they succeed in bringing people back to Britannia, they'll move on to other series staples like the simulation found in Ultima VII and UO. But at the forefront, U4E will be about the adventure, the story, and the world of Britannia.
The game will be, just like UIV, all about Virtues as well. They'll dictate your choices throughout the game, in true BioWare RPG fashion. If you find a large sum of money on the floor of the pub and give it back to the owner? That's Justice. If instead you give it to some starving beggar children? That's compassion. The entire game is built around these open-ended choices you'll have to make which will help determine the kind of Avatar you become. While Paul wasn't able to talk much about the game's career system, he did say that Virtues will play heavily into the thing. (We extend the Virtue system into multiplayer as well. When a powerful player groups up with a lower player, they might not get a lot of XP for working with them, but they'll gain a lot of Sacrifice virtue.)
The story itself is quite literally a reboot on Ultima IV. It begins 21 years after that title ended, with Lady British now on the thrown in place of her father Lord British. This makes sense given that the lead designer is no longer Garriott, but Kate Flack who's been handling UO now for some time. It'll sport the same isometric view we've come to know and love, and have all the cool stuff we remember from Ultima IV like hot air balloons, sea travel, and more. Paul says many on the team liken it to Baldur's Gate with Friends in a lot of ways, getting back to BioWare's roots in that way.
Thanks RPGWatch.
