[ This file contains part 1 [ed: both parts-Zac] of the edited transcript of our online conference with Lord British on October 12, 1985. Lord British is the author of the bestselling Ultima series of computer games. ] (Nightie) Greetings, all! (Nightie) Okay, let's all settle down now, and start the CO... (Nightie) As you all know, Lord British is here with us this evening... (Nightie) Please hold your questions until... (Nightie) I ask for them, at which time I will make a list of everyone... (Nightie) who wants to ask a question... (Nightie) Remember, this is a formal CO,... (Nightie) and interruptions will not be allowed... (Nightie) The CO will be in two parts: ... (Nightie) First, Lord British will say a few words... (Nightie) and then he will take a brief break while I compile a list... (Nightie) of those of you who have questions for him.... (Nightie) Then, we'll take the questioners in order... (Nightie) It should be a lot of fun for all of us!... (Nightie) We are delighted to have Lord British with us again... (Nightie) He visited us in June, 1984 when he was still working on... (Nightie) his massive game, Ultima IV.... (Nightie) Happily, that game is now in release... (Nightie) and I'm sure he will be talking about it some more.... (Nightie) Now, the gentleman you have come to see tonight... (Nightie) LORD BRITISH!! GA. (Lord British) Hello all!... (Lord British) Believe it or not... (Lord British) even with two modem failures... (Lord British) I am finally here... (Lord British) I hope that those of you who have managed... (Lord British) to get copies of U4 are thus far enjoying it... (Lord British) it is a little slow getting through... (Lord British) the distribution channels... (Lord British) and I am glad to say, selling faster than we can make... (Lord British) them. Before we begin Q's and A's... (Lord British) let me tell you all a bit about the game... (Lord British) and let me also put some rumors at last to rest... (Lord British) For all you Atari people... (Lord British) I just signed the Atari U4 contract Friday!... (Lord British) so it is now underway!... (Lord British) it should be available for all types.... (Lord British) Now about the game... (Lord British) As some of you know first hand... (Lord British) Ultima 4 is a very very big game... (Lord British) Just the map is sixteen times larger... (Lord British) the amount of quests and things to do is much more... (Lord British) than before, ... (Lord British) there is much more detail in the animation... (Lord British) and in the game logistics... (Lord British) there can be up to 16 monster types in a monster party... (Lord British) or dungeon room.... (Lord British) there is terrain encumberance through many... (Lord British) types of terrain... (Lord British) the magic system is much more... (Lord British) understandable and improved... (Lord British) there is a kind of help screen... (Lord British) durring most types of transactions, that before... (Lord British) required a reference card... (Lord British) and many, many more technical improvements,.... (Lord British) which I'll discuss later.... (Lord British) The most unique change, however.... (Lord British) is the method of character development... (Lord British) and the main thrust of the game... (Lord British) in U4 you don't create a character... (Lord British) but rather... (Lord British) you are asked a series of questions by which... (Lord British) your personality profile is judged... (Lord British) then, you personally, Yes This Means You... (Lord British) go into the world of Britannia!!!... (Lord British) therein to gather others from within the game... (Lord British) into your party!... (Lord British) As the game progresses... (Lord British) you must prove your virtue in many areas... (Lord British) in which your actions are always judged... (Lord British) Well... (Lord British) I believe that is enough of an overview... (Lord British) if not a bit long-winded... (Lord British) so why not back to you Nightie. GA. (Nightie) Thanks, M'Lord! Okay, now we will take down... (Nightie) the names of those of you who want... (Nightie) to ask a question of Lord B.... (Nightie) Wizzy...please write these also. GA. [ pause to make the list ] (Nightie) Okay, the list is made, and if anyone wants... (Nightie) to be added, hold your ?? until we make the first pass.... (Nightie) One question and one followup per person... (Nightie) GA, Starsailor. (STARSAILOR) COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE... (STARSAILOR) ABOUT MOEBIUS ONE? WERE... (STARSAILOR) YOU INVOLVED IN THAT AND WHAT'S IT LIKE? GA (Lord British) Well... (Lord British) Moebius is a fantasy game by Greg Mallone... (Lord British) it is set in an oriental martial arts setting... (Lord British) including martial arts combat... (Lord British) that was originally photo digitized... (Lord British) then hand touched, giving it a very real feel... (Lord British) I, however was not involved with the project, except... (Lord British) as creative input after the original version was given unto... (Lord British) us here at Origin Systems, Inc. GA. (Nightie) Followup, Star? (STARSAILOR) THANKS... (STARSAILOR) I BOUGHT U4 AND AM ENJOYING IT. (Nightie) GA, Five Lions. (Five Lions) Ok, thanks... (Five Lions) Before our question, we want to ask you, Nightie,... (Five Lions) if we can ask a two-parter... (Five Lions) The questions are interrelated. (ga) (Nightie) GA, with no followup. (Five Lions) Right... (Five Lions) In order to avoid anyone laughing at us,... (Five Lions) we will say right off the bat that... (Five Lions) We never heard of Ultima before now. Hence our question... (Five Lions) 1) Is Ultima a computer game, an RPG, or both, and... (Five Lions) 2) if it is played on a computer... (Five Lions) is it available for the Coleco ADAM? It sounds interesting. (ga) (Lord British) Ultima is a computer fantasy game... (Lord British) but, I regret to tell you that it is not currently available... (Lord British) on the Adam, but I hope this does not deter your interest... (Lord British) Is your only computer now an Adam, GA, 5 Lions? (Five Lions) Yes. It's all we need now. Thanks. And good night... (Five Lions) (Rock seals den entrance) (ga) (Nightie) Let's go to Lord Montor. GA. (Lord Montor) 2 q's.. (Lord Montor) 1st, did you get the game I'm writing... (Lord Montor) which I sent 2 weeks ago? (Lord Montor) oops, my name is Joe Rumsey, sorry. ga (Lord British) Indeed we did. GA. (Lord Montor) Like it? ga (Lord British) Yes, we did it shows great promise... (Lord British) as you know it is still in early development. GA. (Lord Montor) ok, that was 1 q. The other... (Lord Montor) I have gotten an Amiga, and am planning on moving over to it... (Lord Montor) so I am wondering: do you have any plans... (Lord Montor) to market games for it?... (Lord Montor) I am starting work on moving my game over there as soon as.. (Lord Montor) I learn C ang get the compiler. ga. (Lord British) Yes... (Lord British) In fact I just signed the translation contracts... (Lord British) for the Amiga and Atari ST versions on Thursday! GA. (Lord Montor) Thanks. Done. (Nightie) Okay, GA Dragon. (DRAGON) ok, 2 Q's... (DRAGON) I am just wondering how you go about getting... (DRAGON) a party in U4, since only one player is made at the start. ga (Lord British) Good q.... (Lord British) In U4 there are many... (Lord British) non-player characters, who.... (Lord British) at the right time, if you are not too lacking... (Lord British) in the virtue which they favor... (Lord British) will join thy party if asked..... (Lord British) Part of the problem, of course... (Lord British) is determining just who might be willing to join thy party... (Lord British) this, is found out through conversation... (Lord British) with all of the many NPC's in the game. GA. (DRAGON) Is the thief type character wiped out, or just changed around... (DRAGON) I've heard there is no longer a thief profession. ga (Lord British) Ah... (Lord British) In fact U4 is a game where virtuous... (Lord British) activities are rewarded, and dishonesty, cowardice,... (Lord British) and hatred are not looked upon well... (Lord British) therefore, thieves... (Lord British) are not one of the eight character classifications... (Lord British) that are offered unto the player. GA. (Nightie) Okay, let's go to Starkiller. GA. (Starkiller) Okay...you said something about the map... (Starkiller) 6 times as large. How you get that to fit in... (Starkiller) computer's memory and disk? (Lord British) aha... (Lord British) actually, I said 16 times larger... (Lord British) and how it fits is... (Lord British) all of a 256 by 256 map could not fit in memory,... (Lord British) of course, for it would require 64k of memory... (Lord British) so, only a 32x32 section is in at a time. .... (Lord British) As one dost move about the world, new material is loaded.... (Lord British) with a fast sector grabber, in a continuous manner.... (Lord British) the map takes up 16 tracks on the disk (about half)... (Lord British) leaving some room for more stuff, but... (Lord British) that is one reason that U4 has 4 disks! GA. (Nightie) Followup, Star? (Starkiller) WOW! I wonder if it can fit Atari? GA (Lord British) Yes... (Lord British) the author we have lined up... (Lord British) plans to use data compression techniques... (Lord British) to fit all of the ult4 maps etc. on the disk! GA. (Starkiller) I will look for utl 4. Thanks! GA (Nightie) Okay, QuasiFrog? GA. (Mr.QuasiFrog) I have two questions... (Mr.QuasiFrog) Lord British, Ultima IV is the best game of its kind... (Mr.QuasiFrog) that I've ever seen. But the weakest part of the game... (Mr.QuasiFrog) is its combat system. When a party is very strong,... (Mr.QuasiFrog) they still have to spend five minutes or more... (Mr.QuasiFrog) battling a mere party of slimes in a dungeon.... (Mr.QuasiFrog) What changes to the combat sequences do you foresee... (Mr.QuasiFrog) for Ultima Five? (GA) (Lord British) First... (Lord British) I agree with your criticism.... (Lord British) If you learn the magic system well, however... (Lord British) much of this time can be avoided... (Lord British) by use of the tremor spell, the jinx spell, and... (Lord British) many other very high level spells..... (Lord British) No doubt, also though, that in U5 something shall be done... (Lord British) about that as well. GA. (Mr.QuasiFrog) Thank you. Second question... (Mr.QuasiFrog) I am curious about where you got the name "Sir Simon"... (Mr.QuasiFrog) for the wise lord encountered in the village of Paws.... (Mr.QuasiFrog) I wonder because one of my friends has used that handle... (Mr.QuasiFrog) on bulletin boards across the nation for almost a year. GA (Lord British) Simon and Tessa are good friends of mine... (Lord British) in an organization called the S.C.A. and... (Lord British) like them, many of the names in all the Ultimas... (Lord British) are friends and people I have met.... (Lord British) Also, that reminds me,... (Lord British) in U4 I also let other... (Lord British) people send in submissions of names and characters... (Lord British) for possible use in the game; a few hundred of these... (Lord British) are actually in there. Later, I would like to see if... (Lord British) any of you have seen yourselves, or friends in the game. GA. (Mr.QuasiFrog) Thank you. That's it. GA (Nightie) Now, Cronus! GA. (CRONUS) Do you have any idea on the release date... (CRONUS) of U4 for Atari 800? ga (Lord British) Yes... (Lord British) it will probably be sometime after Xmas... (Lord British) But, as you know it is very, very difficult... (Lord British) to guess when software will be completed... (Lord British) but, you can almost always be sure... (Lord British) that it will be late, except... (Lord British) I must give Chuckles a credit here.... (Lord British) He is actually two weeks ahead of his 5 week schedule on... (Lord British) the C64 version due out at the end of this month. GA. (CRONUS) Also, I just wanted to say that I consider the Ultima series to be... (CRONUS) the ULTIMATE in computer gaming!! GA. (Lord British) Why, thank you much, indeed! GA. (Nightie) GA, Wanderer. (Wanderer) What is the actual goal in Ultima 4? GA. (Lord British) Hmmm..... (Lord British) That's a toughy...no not really... (Lord British) In Ultima 4 thou art trying to become an AVATAR... (Lord British) which is one who is to be like the champion of the people... (Lord British) pure, in all the eight virtues.... (Lord British) and having proved thy worth, in deeds of quest and.... (Lord British) by thy everyday actions and attitudes in thy dealings... (Lord British) with the peoples, this is accomplished... (Lord British) by finding out all about the eight virtues... (Lord British) and how to prove thyself worthy, indeed... (Lord British) all thy ill dealings with people or beasts... (Lord British) will come back to haunt thee! GA. (Nightie) Followup, Wanderer? (ED HARRINGTON) WILL THE LATEST ULTIMA BE OUT FOR THE ATARI LATER THIS YEAR? (Wanderer) Thanks. What systems is the game currently on the market for... (Wanderer) (hopefully IBM) and which will it be marketed for in the future? GA (Lord British) Now, only Apple... (Lord British) C-64 in a few weeks... (Lord British) IBM after christmas.... (Lord British) Atari, Mac, Amiga, and ST also... (Lord British) YES, ED ATARI!!!! GA. (Nightie) Okay, John Switzer? GA. (John Switzer) Oboy, I can see, LB that your goal is to make a computer... (John Switzer) game that cannot be played in a liftime!... (John Switzer) Wanderer asked my question about whether UIV has an endgame... (John Switzer) or not so instead... (John Switzer) After writing these games for so long, do you ever play them... (John Switzer) and if so, do they ever surprise you?? GA. (Lord British) As a mater of fact... (Lord British) usually not. For after writing for say, 2 years on a game... (Lord British) I've usually seen enough. However I did play... (Lord British) U3 and U4 completion. If you refer to other people's games,... (Lord British) again, not often. I used to be a big D&D player... (Lord British) and play comp. fantasy games also,... (Lord British) but these days Ultima seems like my life!.... (Lord British) When I write an Ultima a lot of me (seriously)... (Lord British) goes in there GA. (Nightie) Followup, John? (John Switzer) Well, thanks for the sacrifice! Got any... (John Switzer) ideas for U5 , yet?? GA. (Lord British) Yes,... (Lord British) I hate to admit I do... (Lord British) In fact before U5 we will probably do an Ultima IV part 2... (Lord British) "The Continuing Adventures of the AVATAR".... (Lord British) Since U5 will likely take 2 years... (Lord British) we are thinking about part 2 so that all you don't get too... (Lord British) bored, durring your wait.... (Lord British) As some of you know, each Ultima I do is a total... (Lord British) re-write of the system, that way I can make massive... (Lord British) technical and play improvements to the system,... (Lord British) probably why Ultima has had such staying power in the... (Lord British) market. However 2 years is a long time to wait, so... (Lord British) we are considering a second game within the same system... (Lord British) same magic, shops, weapons, etc. to fill the gap,... (Lord British) Ultima IV is a particularly good project to start... (Lord British) this trend with. Also, from now on... (Lord British) I hope to allow players to carry their characters... (Lord British) with them into the subsequent Ultimas. GA. (John Switzer) !! (Nightie) Rolex's turn. GA. (Rolexian) Will you continue to be developing the Ultimas on Apples,... (Rolexian) and then converting for other computers? (ga) (Lord British) Yes!.... (Lord British) Apple is my preferred machine to work on,... (Lord British) (no offense to any others)... (Lord British) We are, however, considering using a new... (Lord British) development technique that would have cross-assemblers... (Lord British) for many systems at once, but... (Lord British) we are still looking into it. GA. (Rolexian) Other Q: Is there anything to be inferred from the decision... (Rolexian) to have EA handle distribution for Ultima IV? (ga) (Lord British) No... (Lord British) EA is doing distribution for us,... (Nightie) [ Electronic Arts ] (Lord British) just distribution.... (Lord British) EA has a lot of pull in areas... (Lord British) we are still too small to touch... (Lord British) like Toys-r-Us, and other big mass merchants.... (Lord British) Since we began with Electronic Arts,... (Lord British) our sales have almost tripled, and.... (Lord British) we are reaching many, many stores we used to never reach.... (Lord British) The popularity of U4 hit both E.A. and ourselves... (Lord British) so off guard that even EA's orders to us... (Lord British) had to substantially increase from... (Lord British) their projected. This has caused us to triple... (Lord British) our production capability (hardware etc.) and still... (Lord British) we are nearly a month behind, so if... (Lord British) any of you are having trouble... (Lord British) getting it, that's why. GA. (Rolexian) Thanks, LB. (Nightie) Okay, let's go to Lorini. GA. (Lorini) OK, 2 questions... (Lorini) 1) Was playability a big factor in the design of U4?... (Lorini) I've found U4 much easier to stay alive in and it's easier to pay... (Lorini) attention to important things like the quest, than in U3. ga. (Lord British) Yes, indeed it was.... (Lord British) In all previous Ultimas... (Lord British) one of the main problems was the fact that... (Lord British) throughout the game one had to constantly refer to... (Lord British) the player ref. card, and worse yet... (Lord British) remember the letter of all those strangely named spells... (Lord British) And worse yet! the game was so difficult to get started... (Lord British) that many new Ultima players found it very tough to get... (Lord British) going in. Ultima IV however... (Lord British) has many help-like screens, and scales itself down in the... (Lord British) beginning so that new players can get a feel for things... (Lord British) before ( later ) letting loose all the big bad monsters... (Lord British) on them, and such. GA. (Lorini) A question relating to this:... (Lorini) Will there ever be a way to print out stats... (Lorini) and small scale maps?... (Lorini) A utility such as that would be *very* helpful... (Lord Montor) cheat programs. (Lorini) (no cheat progrms!!) (Mr.QuasiFrog) Exodus Construction Set. (Lord British) hmmm... (Lord British) Well, actually I had not given it much thought... (Lord British) yet... (Lord British) but, it is a good idea... (Lord British) and, I really do seriously concider user input... (Lord British) that feature does sound good, I am not sure though... (Lord British) what is involved in trying to stay multi comp. compatible.... (Lord British) I will have too look into it! GA. (Lorini) Thanks! (Nightie) Richard G.? GA with your question. (Richard G) Thanks, Nightie. (Richard G) Lord B., we Atari and Ultima fanciers... (Richard G.) thank you hugely for the Atari version. (Lord British) Thou art most welcome indeed! (Richard G) Do you plan that any of the target computers will have... (Richard G) a reduced (less complete) implementation of U4? GA (Lord British) No... (Lord British) not if it can be helped at all!.... (Lord British) The programer just got signed the other day... (Lord British) so, we will see what he says.... (Lord British) As far as trouble in getting it all in... (Lord British) he claims he can fit it all without too much trouble... (Lord British) we shall see! GA. (Richard G) Great news, Lord B.... (Richard G) Most adventure games have some difficulty mixing Infocom-style... (Richard G) freedom of communication, Ultima-style graphics and action... (Richard G) and tend to be a bit repetitious on replay.... (Richard G) Any brilliant ideas in these areas? GA (Lord British) Hmmm..... (Lord British) As far as the mix of the usual... (Lord British) Ultima style, and the NPC interaction of other... (Lord British (usually text) games,... (Lord British) I hope that I have made a good stab at it with... (Lord British) Ultima IV, as you may know each of the hundreds, of NPCs... (Lord British) are capable of interactive dialog, although, somewhat... (Lord British) limited. I am sure with each Ultima even this shall improve... (Lord British) I feel very strongly on trying to construct an... (Lord British) enviroment for the player to get totally lost in... (Lord British) "suspension of disbelief" <-- like when you are at... (Lord British) a very good movie and forget you are in the theater... (Lord British) With each Ultima, I try to approach that goal... (Lord British) Things like the music, which on the Apple, is not really... (Lord British) monetarily worth it in returns, makes the whole experience... (Lord British) better for those who can hear it... (Lord British) Did that answer your question at all? GA. (Richard G) YES. PANT, PANT. CAN'T WAIT! DONE (Nightie) Let's go to Chris B. GA. (CHRIS BAKER) ARE THE VIRTUES BASED ON THE BUDDHIST EIGHT-FOLD PATH... (CHRIS BAKER) AND IS THE CHARACTER DISK DOS 3.3 BASED (OR CLOSE) SO THAT... (CHRIS BAKER) THE CHARACTERS MAY BE MODIFIED WITH A DISK EDITOR LIKE CIA... (CHRIS BAKER) AS WITH THE OTHER ULTIMAS? GA (Lord British) Well... (Lord British) First, to answer your second Q... (Lord British) Yes, but don't.... (Lord British) You can get yourself into much trouble with this one,... (Lord British) for there are many hidden values floating around... (Lord British) that can have disastrous... (Lord British) effects if others are modified!.... (Lord British) About the eight-fold path... (Lord British) No, not really, in fact the eight virtues... (Lord British) I chose came about as follows: ... (Lord British) I wanted to derive a primary set of virtues... (Lord British) that all encompassed as many others as possible... (Lord British) since most things like avarice, and envy and such... (Lord British) have overlap, I spent much time trying to... (Lord British) decide which to use, then... (Lord British) I found a set of three which seemed to fit the bill... (Lord British) Truth, Love, and Courage, for which... (Lord British) not only did I feel were a good primary set, but... (Lord British) there was some historical precedents, such as... (Lord British) in the Wizard of Oz, the Scarcrow, Tin man, and lion.... (Lord British) I felt they must have been chosen after some thought... (Lord British) from those three there are eight possible combinations... (Lord British) thus the eight virtues, but, how they relate is.... (Lord British) part of solving the game, so, I will not Tell. GA. (Nightie) Okay, Termite. GA. (Termite) As I asked in your last CO about the... (Termite) quality and quantity of music & sound fx in U4... (Termite) does the Apple version support the Mockingboard?... (Termite) Last time you mentioned your composer got a... (Termite) new synthesizer, I remember. GA (Lord British) YES... (Lord British) He did indeed, in fact it's a beaut.... (Lord British) He currently has a rather sophisticated setup including... (Lord British) a synthesizer, connected to a sequencer, to a self-designed... (Lord British) board in his Apple, that allows direct entry... (Lord British) but actually, he more often uses hand entry?!?!.... (Lord British) I sincerely feel he is a superb composer of great talent... (Lord British) but, often difficult to motivate,... (Lord British) (are you listening Ken, James, Steve)... (JamesV) I hear you. (Lord British) There is a lot of music in U4 and on the Apple requires... (Lord British) so much that it is banked in off disk. GA. (Termite) Is the mock supported??? (Lord British) YES! GA. (Nightie) All right, let's go to Andy Keith. GA. (Andy Keith) Thank you. Two years ago, in an interview with the now-defunct... (Andy Keith) magazine, SOFTLINE, you stated that your eventual goal... (Andy Keith) is to develop a game "universe" in which an infinite number... (Andy Keith) of scenarios is possible.... (Andy Keith) My two-part question:... (Andy Keith) 1) Do you feel you have achieved that goal with U4?... (Andy Keith) 2) Do you foresee adapting the Ultima gaming system... (Andy Keith) to other genres, e.g., espionage, science-fiction, etc.? (ga) (Lord British) I don't remember the statement exactly like that, but... (Lord British) in U4, as those who play shall find out... (Lord British) each player's character is individually designed... (Lord British) around her/his beliefs, and further... (Lord British) they shall start the game on one of eight different... (Lord British) places, with a unique character, therfore... (Lord British) the game will develop differently, in the beginning,... (Lord British) for each player. But the eventual goal is the same for all... (Lord British) Yes, I would like to do other types of scenarios... (Lord British) but, time is difficult to find, perhaps, I will let... (Lord British) someone else do the programing, or something like that... (Lord British) Origin Systems may soon (6 months or so) get a mini comp.... (Lord British) If it does, I will likely write a multi-player Ultima... (Lord British) for outside people to play, including a download... (Lord British) of graphics modules for each comp. type... (Lord British) Sound like fun? GA. (Andy Keith) Yes, indeed. Thank you. GA (Nightie) The CO will end at about midnight, so... (Nightie) each of you on my second list will have 1 short question now... (Nightie) GA, Frog. (Mr.QuasiFrog) Have you considered a modem-based Ultima... (Mr.QuasiFrog) similar to a CB talk like this one,... (Mr.QuasiFrog) but in which people all over... (Mr.QuasiFrog) would be interacting with each other in the game?... (Mr.QuasiFrog) This is similar to the minicomputer concept,... (Mr.QuasiFrog) but have you considered having... (Mr.QuasiFrog) a version for microcomputers? I think you'd need... (Mr.QuasiFrog) 1200 baud for this, and I realize that it... (Mr.QuasiFrog) would REALLY slow the game down, but I think it's... (Mr.QuasiFrog) an interesting concept. GA (Lord British) Indeed, that IS what I meant with the mini comp..... (Lord British) I would alow outside lines to play!... (Lord British) There is so little data to transmit... (Lord British) that, 300bd is adequate. GA (Mr.QuasiFrog) Oh. Thank you. QUICK question: Can we send you mail here... (Mr.QuasiFrog) on CompuServe with questions, suggestions, etc? GA (Lord British) YES!!... (Lord British) but... (Lord British) I dont remember my permanent number,... (Lord British) will post it later tonight,... (Steve M) It's 72477,555. (Mr.QuasiFrog) Thanks. GA (Nightie) Thanks, Steve. This is Lord B.'s brand new account... (Nightie) and it is not fully activated yet. When he gets his new password... (Nightie) he will come here and let us know that he's back for good!... (Nightie) Now, GA Wanderer. (Wanderer) Thanks... (Wanderer) Is it possible that by giving certain answers to the ... (Wanderer) character generation questions that you can never... (Wanderer) achieve the status of Avatar? GA m'Lord. (Lord British) Nay, 'tis not.... (Lord British) Which virtue thou dost feel most important... (Lord British) unto thyself, is all good and well, i.e., what is most... (Lord British) important, to be honest, or compassionate (rhetorical)?.... (Lord British) to each their own, but, what U4 pushes, is awareness of the... (Lord British) virtues, and has the players, at least think about the... (Lord British) benefits, that can come from their use in everyday life... (Lord British) without, being heavy or preaching, very passive, ... (Lord British) U4, is a thinking game. Aaahhh, that I... (Lord British) should make people think! GA. (Nightie) Okay, Rolex. GA. (Rolexian) Now, veto this if it would be too lengthy... (Rolexian) but what info can you relate to us about Autoduel, in general? (Rolexian) GA (Lord British) Autoduel is a licence of Steve Jackson's Car Wars... (Lord British) and sort of a Mad Max type futuristic car battle game... (Lord British) where you design your own cars, and take them out... (Lord British) to solve a big plot, in short. GA. (Nightie) Don Oliver, GA. (Don Oliver) Lord B, I love your games... (Don Oliver) I have finished the three previous... (Don Oliver) Ultimas and am now into U4.... (Don Oliver) Are you planning a hint book like ... (Don Oliver) The secrets of Sosaria? Keep up the fascinating work. GA (Lord British) Yes, but this book will be more difficult... (Lord British) to write, so I've been putting it off... (Lord British) and, since no one but I have solved it here at OSI... (Lord British) only I can write it, sigh!... (Lord British) Eventually. GA (Nightie) Alchemist, GA. (Alchemist) LB, for Atari computers, any chance of a U4 that adapts itself... (Alchemist) to available memory, perhaps leaving out some features? (Lord British) It shouldn't need to lose any features... (Lord British) in any version, but, since the programmer... (Lord British) has not yet even seen the game we can't be sure... (Lord British) what problems he will have, nor what shall be done... (Lord British) about them. He claims, after being told of the... (Lord British) size and scope of the game, that he should be able to... (Lord British) do it, and all I know who know him say,... (Lord British) "If anyone can he can," so I have high hopes! GA. (Nightie) Richard G.? GA. (Richard G) We'll let you have a (short) vacation, Lord B., before U5... (Richard G) How about a two-micro game, that people can play... (Richard G) without running up big phone bills? ga (Lord British) First, I hope the "G" doesn't stand for Garriott or else... (Lord British) thee and I are the same person... (Lord British) but, about a two micro game... (Lord British) it's a concept we have beat around here for a while... (Lord British) and no decision as of yet, perhaps, later in the future... (Lord British) but not this year anyway. GA. (Richard G) Believe it or not, I hadn't noticed the... (Richard G) significance of the initials...done. (Nightie) Okay, GA Chris. (CHRIS BAKER) How would being humble and gentle affect the game... (CHRIS BAKER) as opposed to being aggressive and arrogant? GA (Lord British) Strongly!... (Lord British) Agressive is O.K. but arrogant will get ya... (Lord British) the game is watching your every deed and action... (Lord British) Bad deeds will get you less than nowhere... (Lord British) they will get you in trouble! GA. (Nightie) My list is at its end, and it grows quite late... (Nightie) I'd like to ask James, Steve, and Wizzy... (Nightie) if they have a question. GA. (JamesV) No questions or comments from me. Thanks. (Steve M) Me neither, Thanks! (Nightie) GA, Wizzy. (Wizzy) Okay, LB... (Wizzy) I see that Ultima2 is available for the PCjr... (Wizzy) What are the chances that the earlier Ultimas will be... (Wizzy) available for the IBM-PCs and compatibles in the near future?... (Wizzy) (I realize you've already answered this regarding U4.) GA. (Lord British) Well... (Lord British) currently, U1 has no publisher, meaning that I am,... (Lord British) whenever we get around to doing it,... (Lord British) U2 is still in Sierra's hands (clutches)... (Lord British) until next spring, but after that I have them all back... (Lord British) 1, 2, 3 & 4... (Lord British) What we do then is uncertain... (Lord British) That's all. GA. (Wizzy) Thanks! (ga) (Lord British) By the way, thanks Steve for all your help tonight! (Steve M) Don't mention it! (Nightie) That's great news (about getting the rights back to your games)... (Nightie) I have a quick question... (Nightie) If you've been a very bad girl (yes, I admit it)... (Nightie) and your honesty goes down the tubes... (Nightie) how long does it take to get it back!? And, is there... (Nightie) anything special I should do to recover... (Nightie) my standing in that virtue? GA. (Lord British) HeHeHE... (Lord British) You bad, bad girl.... (Nightie) (Lord British) Well, in fact the road to recovery is long and hard... (Lord British) If thou hast showed a failing in a virtue... (Lord British) it will take about twice as long to recover... (Lord British) since you must first work back to the middle... (Lord British) then to the top. Tsk, tsk, stole some money, did ya? GA (Nightie) Um, yeah. GA. (Lord British) Well... (Lord British) No, just a long period of virtuous deeds... (Lord British) paticularly being honest... (Lord British) should fit the bill. ga (Nightie) Okay, I promise I'll be good! You're so nice whenever... (Nightie) I go visit you. Always giving me more hit points and such... (Nightie) I really will do better! ... (Nightie) Very seriously, though, for those of you who have not had... (Nightie) a chance to see Ultima IV yet,... (Nightie) I'd just like to say that it is a true morality play, and... (Nightie) very probably the finest role-playing game created for... (Nightie) a computer. It's big and tough, but throughout, you... (Nightie) are constantly aware of following a path... (Nightie) (however dim it may be initially).... (Nightie) Lord B., please accept my thanks for creating a magnificent game,... (Nightie) and for being with us again... (Nightie) This was a wonderful conference,... (Nightie) and we hope to see you here again soon! GA. (HAGAR) (Nightie) (Wizzy) (enthusiastic applause!) (CHRIS BAKER) Add my thanks to my liege, Lord British! GA (Alchemist) LB, thanks! (Rolexian) hear hear! (Mr.QuasiFrog) Yay! Applause! (Wanderer) Thanks for a wonderful CO! 21 gun salute! (Richard G) Bravo! (Mr.QuasiFrog) Encore?? (Wanderer) Magnifique! (Mr.QuasiFrog) 'night, LB. (HAGAR) THANKS LORD B. (Wanderer) Do we get hit points now? (Rolexian) Yes, Wanderer...experience more.... (Lord British) Thank you for your kind words.... (Lord British) and of course I shall be here. (Nightie) Now, we say goodnight to all! (Nightie) Thank you James and Steve!! (Lord British) Fare thee well my friends!!! [ End of File ]