Kotaku: Ultima Online

Next Year, You'll Be Able to Watch A Movie About Ultima Creator Richard Garriott Blasting Off into Orbit

Evan Narcisse — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:40:00 EST

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What does one do after inventing one of the first virtual worlds ever to exist online? If you're Richard Garriott, you try to leave Earth behind altogether, for a little while anyway. Lots of gamers know about Garriott's quest to escape the bounds of Earth's gravity via private space travel. What some may not know is the reason the man known as Lord British wants to do it so badly. Turns out his dad was an astronaut and the younger Garriott sees following in his dad's footsteps—and becoming the first second-generation astronaut—as his destiny. You'll get to see exactly how he accomplishes that when Man on a Mission, a documentary that chronicles the training and eventual journey that takes Garriott beyond the stratosphere. The film comes out in theaters and on on-demand services on January 13th of next year. Among others things, audiences will get to see the inside of the International Space Station and watch Garriott's dramatic re-entry back to our fair planet's atmosphere. More »

Is EA Cooking Up A New Ultima Game?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:30:00 EDT

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Ultima IV, an oldie-but-goodie role-playing game from one of the PC's most revered franchises, has been available for free since 1997. And nobody gave a hoot. Then, yesterday, EA suddenly gives a hoot. More »

A Computer Mind To Finger The Real Bullies, Pedophiles and Killers of Virtual Worlds

Brian Crecente — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EDT

When the text-heavy fantasy worlds of multi-user dungeons first invaded the mainframes of Essex University and the dial-ups of Compuserve, there were few rules in place and even fewer ways to enforce them. More »

Mythic "Committed" To Its Games Amid EA Layoffs

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:20:00 EST

With Electronic Arts cutting back in a major way, fans of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot are justifiably concerned about rumored layoffs at Mythic Entertainment, development home to those online multiplayer games. More »

Everybody Back In The Britannia

Mike Fahey — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EDT

Ultima Online celebrates its twelfth birthday by inviting everyone who has ever played back to rediscover the joys of getting killed over and over again while trying to chop wood. More »

Ultima Online's 8th Expansion Dated

Mike Fahey — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:20:00 EDT

Ultima Online turns twelve-years-old next month, making it the perfect time for Mythic to release the game's 8th expansion pack, Ultima Online: The Stygian Abyss. More »

Test Drive Ultima Online's New Gargoyle Race

Mike Fahey — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:40:00 EDT

EA invites players eager for a first shot at Ultima Online's new Gargoyle playable race to sign up for the beta test for the upcoming Stygian Abyss expansion. More »

Ultima Online Enters The Stygian Abyss

Mike Fahey — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:20:00 EDT

Now in its twelfth year of operation, Ultima Online gears up for the Stygian Abyss expansion, which adds the game's largest dungeon and a new playable race - the gargoyle. More »

Mark Jacobs - Saviour Of Britannia

Stuart Houghton — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Mythic's Mark Jacobs has revealed that Ultima Online was set to be axed by EA, but that he was able to persuade them to pump more money into relaunching the title. More »

10 Years Of Ultima Online

Mike Fahey — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:00:07 EDT

Ten years ago yesterday the age of the MMO was ushered in with the release of Ultima Online. While not technically the first MMORPG, it was the first one that gained a widespread audience, paving the way for games like Everquest and World of Warcraft. In celebration of this 10 year anniversary, Electronic Arts is inviting players from the entirety of the games 10 years to return to the game for free from now until October 9th using their old username and password to experience the recent changes that came with the Kingdom Reborn makeover. The in-game celebration includes special events like a monster hunt where players can win prizes like maps of Britannia, an ahnk pendant, commemorative sculpture, or a virtue armor set. All players will also receive a wand of fireworks and 10 decor tokens, whatever those might be. Happy 10th Ultima Online! May you last another 10 years with the tiny player base you have left over! More »

Ultima Online Is Reborn

Mike Fahey — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:20:56 EDT

Nearly a full ten years since the original game was launched in September of 1997, Ultima Online is reborn as Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn launches in North America. Much lumber will be gathered this day in celebration of the massive graphical overhaul the game has undergone to keep up with UO's tendency to look 5-7 years old at any given time. On top of the graphics, the game has received an enhanced UI, and an updated new character experience to help ease players into the world. The update is completely free for all, with new players able to try the game four 14 days to see what they've been missing these past ten years. Part of me is tempted to give the game a try, but the other part of me that has gone back to try to find enjoyment in the game multiple times over the past decade took that part out to the woods behind my apartment and beat the shit out of it. For those not as conflicted, hit the jump for download locations. More »

Garriot - MMO Design Must Change

Mike Fahey — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:40:44 EDT

Delivering a keynote speech at the Develop Conference in Brighton, Richard "Lord British of the Rat Tails" Garriott denounced the MMO genre as having grown stagnant, simply offering gamers shinier shells over the same core components that were formulated ten years ago when Ultima Online launched. Garriott explained that by reusing the same concepts, developers are underselling the potential of the genre. "We owe it to consumers to provide new kinds of gameplay." Specifically mentioned in the keynote as overused features were stale combat systems, a focus on grinding, and a general lack of AI use in the genre.

"I think it (AI) has a lot more to offer the MMO genre than a lot people has given it credit for. The richness it offers in helping create the world and making sure that players are not the only moving part in that world is really important for the MMO category."

Clip: Ultima Online Kingdom Reborn

Mike Fahey — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:20:18 EDT

Ten years ago a force was unleashed upon the world that would change how we waste our time forever. Now EA is nearly ready to...re-unleash that same force, having spent countless resources making Ultima Online - a ten year old game - look like a seven year old game. More »

UO: Kingdom Reborn Website Launches

Mike Fahey — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:20:40 EDT

Winner of the Most Dangerous Place To Be A Lumberjack award nine years running, Ultima Online is quickly approaching its 10th anniversary, and EA has just launched the website for the expansion. The site details new features being added to the game, such as a streamlined, more World of Warcraftian interface, an improved new player experience, and an all new graphics engine, complete with before and after comparisons like the one above. . More »

2007 MMO Charity Calendar

Mike Fahey — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 14:40:59 EST

With the New Year just around the corner, MMO players are going to need a new calendar to monitor how many days they can safely go without sleep before succumbing to death's icy embrace. MMO Portal has exactly what they need in the form of their 2007 MMORPG calendar, featuring art from a different game every month, signed by members of their respective dev teams. It'll cost you $14.95, and 100% of all proceeds go towards the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee. More »

Ultima Online Gets Upgrade In Its 10th Year

Michael McWhertor — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 11:46:38 EDT

It seems that one of the MMO's that popularized the genre will continue to receive some life support, this time in the form of a totally new client. Yep, massively multiplayer online role playing game Ultima Online will see a considerable graphics overhaul and a reworked UI. More »

Ultima Online Deletes Trillions in Gold

Brian Crecente — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 13:30:57 EDT

Ultima Online just did some major housecleaning. A few weeks after the game started to use cheat detector PunkBuster, Electonic Arts announced that they have closed down 180 accounts and permanently deleted about 15 trillion gold pieces. That's a 15 with god knows how many zeros. More »

Mythic, Ultima Online Teaming Up

Brian Crecente — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 21:19:51 EDT

Apache reports that something is afoot over at Ultima Online. The official site for the granddaddy of MMOs says they are going to be teaming up with Mythic to "forge Britannia's future." More »

Virtual Ecospheres Coming To MMOs?

Brian Crecente — Wed, 31 May 2006 19:00:47 EDT

Master MMO designer and Ultima Online graduate, Raph Koster points out the emergent artificial life simulation created by a Second Life user in the non-game. More »

Free Eats with the Ultima Online Crew

Brian Crecente — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 06:06:09 EST

Electronic Arts is hosting a Redwood City Town Hall meeting on March 2 to discuss Ultima Online. The meeting, which will on the Redwood Shores campus, will include members of the UO Team and discuss some of the upcoming coolness set to land on the granddaddy of MMOs. The 3 1/2 hour meeting will include free pizza and soda and a chance to ask your own questions of the team. More »