SimUltima Now in Open Beta

[JC the Builder]

http://www.lordofultima.com/

Even though it has the Ultima name it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. You can signup and start building your city.

Warning: non-consensual PVP is part of this game it looks like.

 

[Evlar]

Ultima Online vs Lord of Ultima

Ultima Online is a 2D isometric MMO RPG based on the Ultima series of single player RPGs. It is set in the same world (Britannia) and features some of the recurring characters (Lord British, Lord Blackthorn).

Lord of Ultima is a 2D isometric MMO strategy game similar to the ‘Settlers’ series. It features some references to the Ultima games (the ‘Trinsic Temple’ structure is named after ‘Trinsic’, the city of paladins, and the ‘Moonglow Tower’ is named after ‘Moonglow’, the city of mages), but is completely unrelated in terms of gameplay and does not seem to be set in Britannia or share any characters with the Ultima franchise.

But they're quite happy to use the word "Ultima" and references to Ultima Online in this game's content...

But hey, they've got money to spend on a "new" game with liberal use of "names" used within UO, where they don't seem keen to spend money.

Fine, it's a "Settlers" clone, strategy orientated game that clearly isn't UO... but I'm still not comfortable with the references used.

 

[Aran]

Cry?

 

[Coldren]

Gotta say.. This actually is pretty fun, if you like RTS'.

An RTS with a RMT system... Very interesting.

Obviously, not much real resemblance to the real Ultima, but neat none the less!

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

beta has exploded. all towns look to be attackable in 7 days. its going to be a massive world war

 

[Terrorknight]

http://www.lordofultima.com/

Even though it has the Ultima name it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. You can signup and start building your city.

Warning: non-consensual PVP is part of this game it looks like.

Way to many of these free to play web based games out there. I wont name any but I can think of at least 20. Total rip of using Ultima's name to attract people.

 

[JC the Builder]

Apparently the way they plan on supporting the game is by users purchasing diamonds, which can in turn be used as a type of special currency for certain items. For example you can spend 10 diamonds and 1000 mana to get 5,000 gold.

The exchange rate is 1 cent per diamond. Or you can buy $50 worth of diamonds and pay 0.8 cent each.

 

[Eyes of Origin]

What Continents are you guys on?

Yes, it has nothing to do with UO, but its still kinda cool I guess, in the way of place it and leave it games. And yes beta is huge now.. I have towns on all 3 beta worlds.. I just make them and leave them for a few days before I come backs to them.

 

[G.v.P]

http://www.lordofultima.com/

Even though it has the Ultima name it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. You can signup and start building your city.

Warning: non-consensual PVP is part of this game it looks like.

Haha I'm guessing you don't play, JC.

When you create a town in Lord of Ultima, you have 7 real life days of protection. Once this passes, you can be "plundered," which means you can lose resources as other people attack. However, you can build "hideouts" to protect a part of your resources, so if you build hideouts to the max you can hold, you really don't lose anything. If you want to step it up and do real PvP, you build a "castle," and then you can take over other towns and they can take you over. The game also gives you a warning when you create a castle sort of like UO gives a warning when noobs try to go to Fel .

Lord of Ultima isn't UO, duh, it's a lot like Lords of the Realm II if anyone played that but it's pretty simplistic. The team also gave away 140 Diamonds to everyone who plays to get them started and to see how Diamonds work, and shortly, they'll give a chance of finding artifacts from dungeon raids. And the way Mana works is it limits people who do pay real cash from using too many bonuses per day (you buy items with diamonds, you use mana to deploy the items).

Oh, and I should add, unlike most former EA products, and especially the SimCity series, there are absolutely no alpacas in Lord of Ultima (although, I am tempted to build my farms around rocks to prevent wind erosion and build double-bordered fences so the invisible livestock doesn't go into the road to get run over by chevys).

 

[NuSair]

Try Evony or Kingdoms of Camelot on Facebook.....

There are many games like it for free....

 

[Aran]

Sort of like this free one?

 

[Trevelyan]

This is terrible, it looks like someone shoved Evony into a blender with the "Ultima" name. And Evony is about as low as the internet gets. See - http://www.bruceongames.com/


I have to seriously wonder who this is supposed to appeal to. Why would resources be invested in this when the UO team could probably benefit far more from the extra time/money. It really makes me sad to see how the Ultima brand is being (mis)used.

 

[AtlanteanAngel]

Regarding Evony's advertising campaign.

At first I thought it was a joke. But Wikipedia confirms it's real.

First read this page, which includes the advertising images :
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/07/14/evolution-of-evony-video-game-ads/

Then read Wikipedia's entry, particularly the section on "Advertising campaign" :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evony

It's cute that the Japanese online card game Alteil's advertisements feature an image of a female character with the slogan "She is actually in our game my Lord", which pokes fun at the Evony ads (which feature the words "Save her, My Lord" together with an image of a woman that has *nothing* to do with the game at all).

 

[Aran]

This is terrible, it looks like someone shoved Evony into a blender with the "Ultima" name. And Evony is about as low as the internet gets. See - http://www.bruceongames.com/


I have to seriously wonder who this is supposed to appeal to. Why would resources be invested in this when the UO team could probably benefit far more from the extra time/money. It really makes me sad to see how the Ultima brand is being (mis)used.

Um... This has nothing to do with UO's dev team, so I don't see the problem here...

 

[JC the Builder]

I don't see why people are bashing the game so much. So what if they named it after Ultima. The game play seems good so far for what it is, and that is what counts. I am interested to see how they add to the game. Maybe more Ultima elements will be introduced.

 

[Trevelyan]

Because it has absolutely nothing to do with Ultima, in terms of story or gameplay, and because it is far more like other games in terms of gameplay and theme.

Fun or not, what is "Ultima" about it? This is the issue for me really; the Civ/Kingory/Evony connection is just a personal dislike and was my immediate reaction when I saw it. I think of Ultima and I do not think of "Play now, free forever my Lord". (of Ultima)

 

[Aran]

What's Ultima about UO other than some names and places?

 

[SchezwanBeefy]

It's made by EA so I'm sure there's no problem calling it Ultima or referencing it to gain gameplay. You guys are taking it way too seriously.

 

[Trebr Drab]

From the history section:
"Our Kingdom is No More
Beloved Sosaria, shattered into countless islands and torn from its place in time, is gone. I mourn its passing, but even now turn my thoughts to the future.
Upon a vast ocean rises a new world, Caledonia."

Muahahaha

Although, the name Caledonia sounds familiar, but I don't know from where.

This actually looks like a fun little game, at this point.

I remember Speedman talking about working on code that could have been related to this, players having a "house" and hirelings and that sort of thing. Related to UO or not, they may have taken that to the next level.

I've always felt that a really great MMORPG would allow characters like we have now, and added content where those characters can build small armies and houses that are more like compounds, and even castle if one could afford it. Actually more like guilds than individual players, for the most part. That's too much for today's technology yet. But the time will come. With this, having tested code after a few years, in both sorts of games, EA could possibly come out with an ultimate MMORPG that allows such. A truly world like game with not only individual characters, but NPC armies raised and led by alliances of players.

 

[Trevelyan]

What's Ultima about UO other than some names and places?

Far less is Ultima than isn't - through the years expansions have attempted to be faithful to Ultima lore (Gargoyles, shadowlords, blackthorne (sort of)). The lands are all based on the Ultima series, quite a few graphics are based on Ultima 8 art and the gameplay is very similar.

From playing UO you would likely understand other Ultima games straight away, however LoU would take a lot more understanding.

I am really surprised that you asked what is "Ultima" about UO, especially when compared to LoU. But ultimately I guess its what people make of it. I just dont understand really why the Ultima name is used, as I can't see how people would associate this game with the Ultima franchise, other than through (not many) references.

 

[aarons6]

this game is fun but i will not pay for it.. i dont even see why anyone would..

 

[Aran]

So then don't pay for it?

 

[G.v.P]

I've always felt that a really great MMORPG would allow characters like we have now, and added content where those characters can build small armies and houses that are more like compounds, and even castle if one could afford it.

Haha UO should scrap the mahjong game and instead add a Lord of Ultima gameboard and allow us to play it while in UO, haha.

 

[Fink]

Total rip of using Ultima's name to attract people.

Because that's working so well for UO?

I know you're talking transfer of existing players, but I think broadly speaking the name Ultima ceased to attract people long ago.