Ultima Rebirth
- Remaking the Ultima Saga Ultima Rebirth
- Remaking the Ultima Saga 1. License Information
1.1 Is Rebirth Free? 
1.2 Why isn't the whole thing Open Source?
1.3 Will Rebirth use any binaries from the previous Ultimas?
1.4 Do Module files require binaries to be on my box?
1.5 Why don't you accept donations?
1.6 Why aren't there any downloads? 
1.7 When will there be downloads?
2. General Design Topics
2.0 How do I find out about development?
2.1 Why 2d?
2.2 Any multiplayer?
2.3 What will the interface look like?
2.4 Will parties be allowed?
2.5 Will there be a level system or skill system or both?
2.6 Why aren't there levels?
2.7 Will I be able to become an uber-character by doing the same simple thing over and over?
2.8 Will I know how to do everything in a particular skill set once I'm trained?
2.9 Will NPCs prices be fixed like in most games?
3. Technical Design Topics
3.1 What platforms will Rebirth run on?
3.2 Why aren't there plans for Linux?
4. Story Design Topics
4.1 Will ultima be exactly the same as the original, but with modern graphics.
4.1.1 Why are you changing ultima so much?
4.1.2 Can I give feedback on the story changes?
4.1.3 Will my comments be taken seriously?
4.2 Can you give examples of hassles with EA or Sierra?
4.2.1 Can you give another example?
4.3 Will Ultima 2 take place on Earth?
4.4 So ultima 8's story will be redone?
4.5 But the avatar is weakened at the beginning of each game?
4.6 Can you give an example of skills that the avatar would know but not be able to use?
4.7 I heard you are adding the City of Dawn? Wasn't that destroyed?
5.1 Magic System
5.1 Will the magic system in u8 be unique to u8?
5.2 But didn't the titans empower magic in u8?
5.3 But what about the avatar's Titan of Ether powers?
5.4 What are the types of magic?
5.5 Where is thaumaturgy?
5.6 Where do I learn the different types of magic?
5.7 Tempestry, that's not learnable in the original?
5.8 Shaman Magic. Only Triolo can uses it in Savage Empire?
5.9 So on average you'll be limited to druidry, piety and magery?
5.10 What about magic, doesn't the spell book from a previous ultima get lost?
5.11 What about shaman magic. No one outside of Savage Empire knows how to do that?
6.1 Virtues
6.1 What about the virtues and karma?
6.2 Virtue Powers?
6.3 Good more powerful than evil?
6.4 What about maintaining powers?
6.5 What do acts do to my karma?
1.1 Is Rebirth Free?
The Rebirth Engine is free for download and will have a GPL license. Which means that potentially someone
else can build upon it and release code based on it. The graphics packages, sound packages, and module files
will not have a GPL license they will be owned by the Ultima Rebirth project, however a home use license will
be granted through sourceforge downloads. There will be a studio that will allow you to make your own modules.
1.2 Why isn't the whole thing Open Source?
Only the program itself is open source. The graphics are being done from scratch. And I don't want to see them in other games without my permission. The other files may have some copyright issues, and I'd prefer that they be limited in distribution so I don't incur the wrath of EA.
1.3 Will Rebirth use any binaries from the previous Ultimas?
No. This will be different enough from the origninal that we won't be able to reuse anything. Checking for the orignal binaries
doesn't seem like it would be a good idea.
1.4 Do Module files require binaries to be on my box?
No, the Modules will have a home use only license, and are not for commercial use. So selling them is out of the question.
The graphics modules will have a partial protected content license -- basicly non-comericial, no redistribution.
1.5 Why don't you accept donations?
So I don't make any profit from this. EA is a big company and I'd prefer not to have litigation.
1.6 Why aren't there any downloads?
1.7 When will there be downloads?
After the first planning release we will probably have the most current source available for download.
There won't be any binaries for a while, probably until beta.
2.0 How do I find out about development?
Look at the dev notes blog. Or use the RSS feed. Both links are at the top. Or email ultimarebirth@users.sourceforge.net Eventually there will be forums available.
2.1 Why 2d?
2d is easier to do what I want to do. I want to be able to do a lot of things in the game world and I'm much more skilled at 2d drawing and programming. 3d allows for too many options for your character. If I did allow it it would be similar to UO 3D which still looks 2d because of camera position.
2.2 Any multiplayer?
No, sorry. I feel that ultima was good because it was single player. Besides the game will allow the player to speed time up. I don't know how that would work in a multiplayer situation.
2.3 What will the interface look like?
The basic interface will look like a cross between ultima 6 and baldur's gate with a ultima 7 window in the middle.
2.4 Will parties be allowed?
Yes. To accommodate ultima 4 the engine will support 8 character parties.
2.5 Will there be a level system or skill system or both?
Rebirth will use a skill system, there will not be experience point driven leveling. Skills will have more synergy with other skills making it more valuable to have a little knowledge in a particular skill.
2.6 Why aren't there levels?
There are levels, they are based on your skill level. I think Richard Garriott was moving in this direction based on ultima 7 and ultima 8. It will be different than UO. UO has titles based on skill.
2.7 Will I be able to become an uber-character by doing the same simple thing over and over?
Hopefully not. All skill checks have a challenge rating. If the challenge rating is too low, then you get your skill level
doesn't increase. If the challenge rating is too high and you succeed then there is a max skill increase. For those that like
to make only a few things if you haven't performed a certain percent of the abilities 2 levels below you, your skill increases
will get more and more pitiful until you do have that percent.
2.8 Will I know how to do everything in a particular skill set once I'm trained?
This depends on what kind of training you get. In general you have to learn the abilities before you can use them. It will be similar to a mage learning spells.
2.9 Will NPCs prices be fixed like in most games?
Yes. It was too hard to not do it this way. However you wont be able to sell an NPC an unlimited amount of items.
They will have a limit on what they'll buy based on their inventory.
3.1 What platforms will Rebirth run on?
Rebirth will be initially only for windows. It will be tested on windows xp. Rebirth uses SDL and mingw, so it should be easy to port. Right now there are no plans to do so.
3.2 Why aren't there plans for Linux?
Mostly because I don't have a Linux box. I don't want to partition my windows boxes. Anyone is welcome to get the code working for Linux though.
4.1 Will ultima be exactly the same as the original, but with modern graphics.
No. The saga will be thought of as one story not 9+ individual stories. Continuity will be very important. Anything that is deemed to be because of Origin's hassles with EA or Sierra are free game. Anything that is because of the engines limitations will be free game.
4.1.1 Why are you changing ultima so much?
I'm trying to make it consistent. I'm trying to make a unique telling of the story. I'm trying to fix the problems I had with the series.
4.1.2 Can I give feedback on the story changes?
When the project has a lot of the world done for ultima 4. This won't be until it is alpha or beta though.
Until then you can send questions/concerns to ultimarebirth@users.sourceforge.net
4.1.3 Will my comments be taken seriously?
Yes. However I ask that we focus on major inconsistencies, not little nit-picks. Also any party interested in commenting must make sure to be polite and not personally attack people. Constructive criticism is allowed, but hurtful messages will be ignored.
4.2 Can you give examples of hassles with EA or Sierra?
EA pretty much had ultima 8 shipped before the story was complete. Its like half a story. There could have been a really good game, but it was shipped too early.
4.2.1 Can you give another example?
Ultima 1 seems to take place in ultima 9's future. I could have a lot of fun with this. Temporal Mechanics allow you to do a lot. Right now my thoughts are when the avatar kills Mondain the alternate future never took place.
4.3 Will Ultima 2 take place on Earth?
This isn't final. Probably it will take place in Sosaria. This is mostly so I don't have to make a ton of new drawings just for ultima 2. The reason Richard Garriot gives in his interview in the Ulitima 9 clue book for ultima 2 on Earth is because Sosaria had no history. Britannia has a rich history now so telling it on Earth may be unneccesary.
4.4 So ultima 8's story will be redone?
Ultima 8's story will be expanded on. There will be a way to influence the people of pagan to virtue. It will be possible to be virtuous in ultima 8. I'm leaning toward making the goody goody path very hard in u8. The avatar should always have the choice of being good or bad.
4.5 But the avatar is weakened at the beginning of each game?
The crossing between worlds takes a lot out of the avatar. I haven't decided what that will be yet. Probably a reduction in skill rank. As long as you still posses the skill you should be able to retain the knowledge how to work a special ability you knew previously, you just might not be skilled enough to teach it or use it.
4.6 Can you give an example of skills that the avatar would know but not be able to use?
This isn't final. Lets assume at the end of u4 the avatar was 100% in blacksmithing. at the beginning of u5 it wont be 100% lets say its 30% at the beginning of u5. At 30% you would not be able to make plate mail, but you would remember the process, you wouldn't have to learn the skill ability make plate mail. But you would have to get blacksmithing up to a rank high enough to be successful.
4.7 I heard you are adding the City of Dawn? Wasn't that destroyed?
Yes, Dawn will be added. In fact its the first city to be implemented because its self sufficient and islolated.
I personally thought that Dawn was destroyed because it was cut because of lack of programming resources. Also
the City could have been thought to be destroyed.
5.1 Will the magic system in u8 be unique to u8?
No. Everything in ultima is based on 8. So there are 8 forms of magic. It will be possible to learn the magics in u8 in ultima 1. Its just good luck finding a trainer. Magery is the basic form of magic and thaumaturgy is a form of magery. In some forms of magic, like the kind the paladins use you will be able to learn the paladin spells easily but the other ones are lost (probably in some book in some ruins).
5.2 But didn't the titans empower magic in u8?
No. The powers of the elements were always there. They just taught people how to use it. Sorcery will require a daemon to be bound for higher magic, however it doesn't have to be Pyros.
5.3 But what about the avatar's Titan of Ether powers?
The titans had powers from each element that weren't really related to the magic. You steal those.
5.4 What are the types of magic?
These aren't final: Theurgy, Necromancy, Sorcery, Tempestry, Magery, Druidry, Piety, and Shaman.
Theurgy -- Air and Divination magic.
Necromancy -- Earth magic and magic related to the dead.
Sorcery -- Fire magic and summoning.
Tempestry -- Water magic and the storm.
Magery -- a little of each school.
Druidry -- Nature magic. Used by druids, and rangers primarily.
Piety -- Magic from faith in truth. Used by clerics and paladins primarily.
Shaman -- Magic from spirits.
5.5 Where is thaumaturgy?
thaumaturgy is part of magery. its a limited set of spells that apply to the 8 circles.
5.6 Where do I learn the different types of magic?
I'm not going to reveal how to learn them before the avatar is supposed to.
But this is how you learn them the appropriate way:
Theurgy -- Stratos U8
Necromancy -- Lithos U8
Sorcery -- Pyros U8
Tempestry -- Hydros U8
Magery -- any mage starting from u1. Some spells will not be easy to find in different ultimas.
Druidry -- any druid/ranger starting from u3.
Piety -- any cleric in u1 or u3. u4 and beyond clerics are rare. They can only be found in the city of Dawn.
Shaman -- There is a way in savage empire, but its not required.
5.7 Tempestry, that's not learnable in the original?
Personally I thought there was a lot of dialog that implied that you would go to Hydros' Underwater City and learn it. I thought that Tempestry being hereditary was due to lack of time.
5.8 Shaman Magic. Only Triolo can uses it in Savage Empire?
Right. I think that you should be able to learn it. I don't think it should be easy or part of the main plot though.
5.9 So on average you'll be limited to druidry, piety and magery?
Yes. Unless you learned how to use them in other ultimas the easy way. Example you learned clerical magic in u3, you should have the knowledge to cast piety spells you knew in u3 in u4.
5.10 What about magic, doesn't the spell book from a previous ultima get lost?
Yes it does. Magery will have to be relearned every time, because its focus is the spell book. The rest of it doesn't necessarily have a focus. The ones that do will have to be made before they can use them.
5.11 What about shaman magic. No one outside of Savage Empire knows how to do that?
Right. Unless you learned it. Then you do. You know how to make the totems. In u7 you'll have to make them. Wont be easy, but you can do it.
6.1 What about the virtues and karma?
karma will exist. you'll get karma for doing good or bad. some actions will be tied to virtues and affect virtue quests and any powers from virtue. You will be allowed to be bad. each action doesn't always drain karma. in u4 if you ran away you'd lose an eighth. I found this to be annoying. now if you run away you might lose an eighth.
6.2 Virtue Powers?
I thought the avatar should get something out of having an eighth of the avatar hood. I don't know what these are yet. However there will be powers for the vices as well as virtues. these will be powered by negative karma. it will be easier to get and maintain vice powers. However avatar hood powers will be better and stronger. thus good is more powerful than evil.
6.3 Good more powerful than evil?
I am trying to get the player to be a good guy, through incentives. Plus I really like what yoda said about the dark side in Empire Strikes Back, "its quicker, easier, more seductive". so evil will be easier in the beginning but harder in the end. good will be easier in the end and harder in the beginning.
6.4 What about maintaining powers?
I haven't designed this yet. My thoughts are if you are a full avatar and your karma is high, and your compassion is clean then you should have some sort of healing power. this power wouldn't be accessible if your karma was low or you have uncompassionate acts to atone.
6.5 What do acts do to my karma?
The higher your karma the harder it is to raise it by doing good, and the easier it is to lower it by doing bad. The same holds true for negative karma. Imagine if Blackthorn helped the avatar, his karma would take a major positive hit. That might affect his powers.