Ultima V: Lazarus
Encyclopedia
Ultima V: Lazarus is a fanmade remake of Ultima V
. The game uses Gas Powered Games
' Dungeon Siege
engine, and that game is required to play the remake. It is an attempt to reconstruct the original title, including an elaborated plot, strategy elements and updated conversational mechanisms to resemble modern game dialog systems.
The director of Ultima V: Lazarus is Ian Frazier, a game designer currently working at Big Huge Games
. As a tribute to his efforts, Ultima fans bought for him a crossbow made by David R. Watson
, the real world inspiration for the recurring Ultima character Iolo.
Lazarus was nearly six years in the making, and the final version of the game for PC
, 1.20, was released on April 1, 2006. The Mac
version was released on 13 April 2006. The French localised version of Ultima V: Lazarus was released on September 21, 2006. A German version was released on December 23, 2007.
game was a stand-alone game for the Apple II, DOS, Atari ST, NES, Amiga & Commodore 64 platforms. Ultima V: Lazarus is a modification to video game Dungeon Siege
.
The original game featured a tile-based 2D
world to explore, whereas the world of Britannia in Lazarus was entirely re-constructed in 3D
. Several spells from the original could not be supported by the new game engine; Among them were "Des Por", which caused the party to move to the next lower level of a dungeon, and "Uus Por", which caused movement to the next higher level. The "In Por" (Blink) spell was removed from the final patch due to a bug referred to as "Blink Blindness", although a patch to reactivate the spell is featured on the website as an unsupported download. Many objects from the original Ultima V which could be moved, such as chests, barrels, and mirrors, are immovable in Lazarus. Naval combat is also different, as the few NPC ships are immobile, and cannons are absent. Other features from the original game that had to be removed because of engine limitations include whirpools, the magic carpet, digging up moonstones and usable skiffs.
The developers re-wrote much of the dialog in the game, adding many more quests and choices than were available in the original game. Much of the dialog was enhanced to discuss the philosophy of the virtues system in more detail and giving greater depth to the personalities encountered.
gave the game 90 out of 100 and summarized that "Ultima V: Lazarus is a truly wonderful modernisation of a classic game. Despite the bugginess and a somewhat aged Dungeon Siege engine, Lazarus is a must-download for every Ultima fan. Impressive work in every respect."
Ultima V: Lazarus in the press:
Ultima V
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is the fifth entry in the computer role-playing game series Ultima.-Plot:After having mastered the eight Virtues, attaining Avatarhood and retrieving the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom in the previous game, the player is summoned back to Britannia by his old comrades Iolo...
. The game uses Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees....
' Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege is a computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Chris Taylor showed Dungeon Siege years in production for the first time at E3 2000...
engine, and that game is required to play the remake. It is an attempt to reconstruct the original title, including an elaborated plot, strategy elements and updated conversational mechanisms to resemble modern game dialog systems.
History
The developers of Ultima V: Lazarus are known as Team Lazarus. This group is composed of volunteer writers, musicians, artists, and programmers from America, Australia, Austria, Brazil, England, Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, and Slovenia. Several members of Team Lazarus are professional game designers and many of the developers are also members of UDIC, the Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter.The director of Ultima V: Lazarus is Ian Frazier, a game designer currently working at Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games is a video game developer located in Timonium, Maryland. The company was founded in February 2000 by four veteran game industry developers: Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds...
. As a tribute to his efforts, Ultima fans bought for him a crossbow made by David R. Watson
David R. Watson
David R. Watson is a bowyer currently living in Austin, Texas.He has composed music for the Ultima series, including "Stones". Watson is a fencing master, a composer, lutenist, and musician; and has a varied career of video game support including level designer in X-COM: Apocalypse, lead mission...
, the real world inspiration for the recurring Ultima character Iolo.
Lazarus was nearly six years in the making, and the final version of the game for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, 1.20, was released on April 1, 2006. The Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
version was released on 13 April 2006. The French localised version of Ultima V: Lazarus was released on September 21, 2006. A German version was released on December 23, 2007.
Differences from the original
The original Ultima VUltima V
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is the fifth entry in the computer role-playing game series Ultima.-Plot:After having mastered the eight Virtues, attaining Avatarhood and retrieving the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom in the previous game, the player is summoned back to Britannia by his old comrades Iolo...
game was a stand-alone game for the Apple II, DOS, Atari ST, NES, Amiga & Commodore 64 platforms. Ultima V: Lazarus is a modification to video game Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege is a computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Chris Taylor showed Dungeon Siege years in production for the first time at E3 2000...
.
The original game featured a tile-based 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
world to explore, whereas the world of Britannia in Lazarus was entirely re-constructed in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. Several spells from the original could not be supported by the new game engine; Among them were "Des Por", which caused the party to move to the next lower level of a dungeon, and "Uus Por", which caused movement to the next higher level. The "In Por" (Blink) spell was removed from the final patch due to a bug referred to as "Blink Blindness", although a patch to reactivate the spell is featured on the website as an unsupported download. Many objects from the original Ultima V which could be moved, such as chests, barrels, and mirrors, are immovable in Lazarus. Naval combat is also different, as the few NPC ships are immobile, and cannons are absent. Other features from the original game that had to be removed because of engine limitations include whirpools, the magic carpet, digging up moonstones and usable skiffs.
The developers re-wrote much of the dialog in the game, adding many more quests and choices than were available in the original game. Much of the dialog was enhanced to discuss the philosophy of the virtues system in more detail and giving greater depth to the personalities encountered.
Gameplay
There is at least one more possible ending where the Avatar decides that rather than rescue Lord British, he will ensure the missing monarch's disappearance is permanent.Critical reception
PelitPelit
Pelit is a Finnish video games magazine published 11 times a year by Sanoma Magazines, a division of the Sanoma Group. Being by far the largest of its kind in Finland and covering both PCs and consoles, it has for a long time lacked serious competition and is thought by many to be the magazine of...
gave the game 90 out of 100 and summarized that "Ultima V: Lazarus is a truly wonderful modernisation of a classic game. Despite the bugginess and a somewhat aged Dungeon Siege engine, Lazarus is a must-download for every Ultima fan. Impressive work in every respect."
External links
- Official Ultima V: Lazarus website
- Ultima V: Lazarus at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom
- Complete Character Portrait Listing
- The Dagon's Lair French language website covering the localisation of Ultima V: Lazarus
Ultima V: Lazarus in the press: