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I think one essential part of the Ultima formula was its geometric discreteness- The world was one in which the physics is broken into motion in orthogonal dire
by drcode 12y ago
I think one essential part of the Ultima formula was its geometric discreteness- The world was one in which the physics is broken into motion in orthogonal directions through discrete cells, and everything in the game leveraged this fact for maximum effect. It led to a really different gameplay feel than many modern games. Other games of that era had that as well, of course, but not many really leveraged it as well (Boulderdash and Archon would be two other highlights)
Some modern games of course also use this approach to physics (Advance Wars comes to mind) but it is far less common.
- jeffmk 12y agoAs someone who's never played this series, can you give more detail about what this means?
- math0ne 12y agoI think this is just the most complicated description of "grid system" I have ever heard.
- bentcorner 12y agoThere were many "Gold box" DND games that also used this approach. How far you could walk and how your enemies were positioned were very important. I recall interesting tactics like standing on a downed troll so it couldn't regenerate. Most modern tactical RPGs use a similar approach. Shadowrun Returns, X-COM, Final Fantasy Tactics, and SpiderWeb's RPGs come to mind. Advance Wars adds an interesting resource control strategy to the mix. Personally I found it sometimes so difficult it bordered on a puzzle game.