Ultima Forever: Quest of the Avatar coming to iOS 'soon'

[Zosimus]

While browsing all my internet gaming connections I came across some news for the Ultima Forever fans. Thought I post it here for anybody that may be interested in the news. Looks like it will be available on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Down below is an article from tech2.in.com


Source

Ultima Forever: Quest of the Avatar coming to iOS 'soon'


16 Feb, 2013 | by Shunal Doke |


Electronic Arts has announced that the iOS version of its upcoming free-to-play game Ultima Forever: Quest of the Avatar will be out "soon", according to Polygon. The company has also announced that the Android version of what it likes to refer to as the spiritual successor to the Ultima series is in the works.

The story of the game is set to take place 21 years after the events of Ultima IV. Players are sent on a mission by Lady British, who is the daughter of the now-retired Lord British, to help out as the land is under attack by a plague called the Black Weep. You can check out what the gameplay will be like in this trailer.



The game looks more like Diablo than the original Ultima games. There seems to be a focus on loot. But along with all the hack-and-slash action, players will apparently also have to master the eight virtues to become the Avatar.

The game was announced back in July 2012. It is going to be a reboot of the classic RPG from 1985. It will be available free-to-play on PC as well as iOS and Android devices. Though the game is free, it will include the ability to buy in-game gold and better accessories for real money. The game involves a small group of three or four characters wandering the world of Britannia, flying in hot air balloons over mountain ranges, sailing across oceans, surviving storms, battling sea monsters and competing to collect the eight Virtues. The game will also feature a mentorship system where low-leveled characters can get more experience from high-leveled characters. Players can sign up for the closed beta of the game on the official Ultima Forever website and see the first trailer for the game.

Ultima Forever doesn't seem to have much in common to its namesake




The first game in the Ultima series was released in 1981, dubbed The First Age of Darkness, almost 30 years before the release of the browser-based Ultima Online: High Seas. Kotaku, however, explained that the game was a disappointment for long time fans.

According to a report by MSNBC, production of Ultima Forever does not involve the original creator Richard Garriott. He has been busy with Portalarium, an Austin-based gaming company that recently secured $7 million in funding.

The Ultima series has been divided into three major parts – The Age of Darkness, which is Ultima I to III; The Age of Enlightenment, which is Ultima IV to VI; and The Age of Armageddon, which is Ultima VII to IX.

Ultima IV: The Quest of the Avatar from the Age of Enlightenment was a major departure of the series’ usual good vs. evil plot. Instead, the game chose to explore more mature themes, with additions like a complex morality system based on the Eight Virtues.

The Ultima series has been one of the most celebrated games in history. Here’s hoping BioWare does not mess the game up after a series of disappointing releases.

Also I found a video from MMORPG videos series called MMOFTW Live. Tehy start talking about Ultima Forever at 11:38 time and ends at 20:05 in the video so if you don't want to watch the beginning of the video just start from there.

Source

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Which because I am NOT a slave to Apple means that I'll be missing this title although I was looking forward to it. Sorry U4E peeps, but I'm not paying 2 to 3 TIMES the cost of a piece of technology just because it has an Apple logo in order to play the game.

Maybe I'll get excited again if they actually put it on the PC where it belongs and if making it iOS first does NOT mean that it sucks.

iOS only release is NOT good news in my book and from what I've seen on the FB announcement and the You Tube responses, it's getting a VERY mixed response.

 

[Zosimus]

In the article it also states .......

It will be available free-to-play on PC as well as iOS and Android devices.


They are just promoting Apple because alot of people do have Apple products. It will work on android devices and PC as well.

 

[Wenchkin]

Android will be supported which opens it up to those of us who aren't Apple users. Can't ignore Android when so many users have it, same with PCs. The more platforms your software works on, the more customers you reach. I'm just hoping that I can get it to play nice on Linux, given that both UO clients do, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it I'm really looking forward to having a game in the Ultima series that I can play on desktop and tablet, and F2P makes it a good casual game too.

Personally I take many reviews with a large pinch of salt, especially for games. If it's free, I'll try it myself and then decide. I can only imagine the reviews that either UO client would get "in the wild" and yet we're loyal fans.

Wenchy

 

[DJAd]

It will work on android devices and PC as well.

Not at first it won't. They are as always "coming soon".

 

[Zosimus]

Look it is going to work no matter what the system. Big deal if it comes out on an IOS first. Basically rumors are confirmed back in August of 2012 that Andorid version was in the works.

Quote below on another article.

There have been a lot of questions regarding platform support and we would like to clarify our intentions. We had been planning a simultaneous launch on both PC/mobile and went into Alpha on both systems. Mobile scored higher in testing and so we doubled our efforts on iOS to expedite release. After the iOS launch, we will focus our efforts on bringing the game to other platforms. We will confirm exact dates for Android and other platform releases later this year.

You know, I have posted up news before about UO or related to UO in some way and for some reason it always has to be nit-picked apart. If Android got it first it be an issue for the Apple users. Apple is first and it's an issue with non-Apple users.lol. Can't win for anything now days. Since articles on the internet about Ultima Forever are similar and still different things do get confused but it will work on PC, IOS,and Andorid devices just not being released at the same time.


I apologize for the confusion but I didn't write the bloody article but the statement stand true. Let me add I didnt say or the article say when they all platforms were going to be released. I just bolded from the original article part It will be available free-to-play on PC as well as iOS and Android devices

 

[DJAd]

I think it would be better and even draw more attention if they released on all platforms at the same time. Why iOS first? If that were me I would wait until all versions (iOS, Android and PC) were ready and ship them all at the same time.

 

[Wenchkin]

I think it would be better and even draw more attention if they released on all platforms at the same time. Why iOS first? If that were me I would wait until all versions (iOS, Android and PC) were ready and ship them all at the same time.

If you release to all platforms at once, you run a very real risk of getting attention because it all goes wrong. If a game is released over a period of time, it gives your CS and dev teams time to focus on each group of players as their game launches. It avoids everyone trying to buy game items at the same time too, and potentially creating yet more CS work if orders should fail etc. Now the game and website should be able to cope with all of that, but if I was in charge I sure as hell wouldn't risk a bad launch because I was more interested in getting attention than launching with 100% success and a great customer experience. I wouldn't want to take a silly risk like that. EA have not got the best reputation, I think the worst thing they could do is tempt fate and take risks. This game has the potential to do really good things for the Ultima franchise, let's not ask them to mess it up lol.

Now if you think about the different platforms, it's quite obvious why Apple is probably first to launch. Hardware. Apple has a limited number of devices and hardware variations. So making the game work on Apple devices and testing will be completed sooner.

Android runs on phones, tablets, netbooks, even my Kindle Fire is running Android. All with different hardware specs, screen sizes, you name it. There are different marketplaces to deal with too. PCs come in all shapes and sizes as well, with different operating systems just to add even more complexity.

If my product is finished testing and ready to launch on one platform, then I'd launch it and get that revenue coming in ASAP. Every day you delay a game launch is another day your competition are closer to launching another game that might attract your potential customers. And there are probably EA execs aware of when different games are launching in each platform and timing the launch for a period when they will get the best visibility. So I suggest there are more factors at play here than you might think. And likely more that I haven't even listed

Wenchy

 

[Vor]

I think it would be better and even draw more attention if they released on all platforms at the same time. Why iOS first? If that were me I would wait until all versions (iOS, Android and PC) were ready and ship them all at the same time.

Skyrim DLC comes out on the 360 first because MS bought exclusivity with Bethesda. I've no idea if Apple do that, but it might be the reason. Though Ultima Forever is hardly a game the masses are waiting for, so would it even be worth Apple doing it?

 

[Ashlynn_L]

As it is free to play some friends and I will definitely be giving it a try although it is slightly annoying it is coming out on iJunk devices first. I'm really curious as to how it plays and what direction they have taken the "reboot" in.

I don't mind waiting too much though - I've still got things I bought in the steam christmas sale to play/finish.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

My fear for U4E, as it's become known, is that most people will be like me and not want to literally play Ultima 4 forever, over and over again. (That may not literally be what's going on here, but that's the basic concept.)

And then if it fails, UO ends up taking a hit.

But we shall see.

-Galen's player

 

[Wenchkin]

Erm Galen, It's a bit early to be discussing possible game failure isn't it? At least let it launch and play it first

If you have a look on the tablet marketplaces, you'll find it's surprising the standard of games that do well on tablets, the bar isn't set too high for this to be a success. There are some good games to compete with it, but UF could carve out a really nice market for us, especially if the app is free and F2P. UF might be propping up UO rather than the other way around.

At least it's getting some marketing, hopefully it also brings some curious souls into trying UO too.

Wenchy

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Erm Galen, It's a bit early to be discussing possible game failure isn't it?

Not really. It's called being prepared. Also note that I specifically cast my concern as a "fear," and ended with the phrase "but we shall see." By use of the term fear I did not wish to imply I'd done a full-fledged analysis, complete with spreadsheets, and come up with a rational conclusion. Rather I deliberately used the term fear as what it literally is: A feeling, or emotional response. By use of the common phrase "we shall see," I meant to reinforce the implication of indefiniteness.

-Galen's player

 

[Wenchkin]

Fair enough I wasn't meaning that you had decided it was doomed or anything, it's just you seemed a bit pessimistic in tone a little earlier than I'd expected at this stage heh.

Wenchy