PC PowerPlay 11/PCPP11.iso/faqs/ultima-1.doc

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Ultima FAQ                              Version 1.2 01/12/95

This   FAQ   is  in  no  way  affiliated  with  Origin.  All
information within this FAQ is from the author, contributors
or  from books. Any comments concerning this FAQ can be made
to the author at [e-mail] and please  have  the
words "Ultima FAQ" in the subject.

The  purpose  of  this  FAQ  is  to  ask and answer some the
quesions that come up when one plays the Ultima series (from
Ultima  I  all  the way to the current Ultima VIII:Pagan, or
any of the Worlds of Ultima games).

These questions do not pertain so much to how to  solve  the
game  in particular but is more to try to make sense of some
of the inconsistencies that  exist  within  the  story  line
between each game.

This  FAQ  does  contain the odd bit of information that may
act as a spoiler to some of the surprises that exist  within
the  Ultima  games. A warning will be placed just before the
spoiler to help those avatars keep their innocence. :-)

I) Why an Ultima FAQ?

Q: "Why would you want to waste your  time  trying  to  make
sense  out  of  a computer game, why not just play and enjoy
it"?

A: "I am not doing this to read any deep meanings  into  the
Ultima  games. I enjoy just playing the games like thousands
of others do but I find it  fun  and  entertaining  to  find
plausible answers to some of the story line inconsistencies.
To me it is like writing a story which allows  me  to  enjoy
playing  Ultima  in a different way. Furthermore the purpose
of this FAQ is not to make the story of  Ultima  believable!
It  is  a  fun attempt to make sense out of the storyline. I
will not attempt to cite historical and scientific  accounts
of  time doors actually existing on Earth like in they do in
Ultima II as that is neither important  or  the  purpose  of
this FAQ. The Ultima series is fantasy and this FAQ seeks to
make that fantasy more enjoyable".

Q: "Are there not books out there that already  answer  many
questions concerning Ultima"?

A:  "The  two  books  I have (The Official Book of Ultima by
Shay Addams and Master Ultima by  Ralph  Roberts)  are  both
very  good  in  terms  of  helping  the  reader complete the
individual games. But what this FAQ is to do is answer  some
of  the  questions  concerning  the story line which in many
places is very inconsistent. So I  see  this  FAQ  having  a
unique purpose".

Q: "Which Ultima games does this FAQ apply to"?

A:  "All  of  them  in  essense,  but  since  the  author is
currently playing the second trilogy of Ultima there will be
a focus on questions concerning the first five games (Ultima
I, II, III, IV and V). Since  the  second  trilogy  is  more
consistent  in  terms  of storyline there isn't as great the
need to answer many questions concerning those games (Ultima
IV,  V,  and  VI).  If  people  do have questions or answers
concerning any of the Ultima games they can e-mail  them  to
me to be entered into the FAQ".

II) Questions and Answers to the Ultima Storyline.

Q:  "In the first trilogy there existed up to five different
races available  to  players.  They  were  humans,  dwarves,
elves,  bobbits,  and  fuzzies  (who appeared only in Ultima
III). In Ultima IV and onwards only humans were available to
play  with.  What  ever  happened  to  the  dwarves,  elves,
bobbits, and fuzzies"?

A: "A combination of factors  eliminated  these  races  from
further Ultimas:

i)  The  continent of Sosaria was transformed between Ultima
III and IV. Many people of all races were killed due to this
violent  transformation,  but because these other races were
less populous than the humans they had a more difficult time
surviving.

ii)  In  Ultima IV and onwards these other races still exist
within Britannia  but  play  a  non-role  because  of  their
reduced  numbers, self-induced isolation, and because of the
dawning of human achievement".

Q: "How do you explain the presense  of  high-tech  weapons,
armor,   and  vehicles  in  Ultima  I  and  II  despite  the
fantasy/medieval atmosphere of both  games?  As  well,  from
Ultima  III  and onwards these high-tech items do not exist,
how do you explain their disapperance"?

A: "Prepare yourself for a long-winded answer:

In  Ultima  I  Mondain  the  Wizard  was  intent  on   world
domination.   He   was   also  intent  on  conquering  other
civilizations. Using his magic and  power,  Mondain  altered
the  dimension  doors  (the  very same ones that allowed for
Lord British and all later heros to enter Sosaria)  so  that
they  would  allow  him  to  enter  a point in time into the
future. In this new dimension Mondain encountered and became
allied  to an alien race who too shared Mondain's thirst for
power. With these new  alies  Mondain  intended  to  totally
conquer  Sosaria  and many other dimensions. Adventurers and
earlier heros managed to use Mondain's time  door  to  steal
some  of  the  weapons, armor and transport that belonged to
the aliens for the defense of Sosaria. Merchants  eventually
got  a hold of some of these items as well and began to sell
them to those who could afford them. Thus  the  presense  of
high-technology became common in Sosaria.

In  Ultima  II the game takes place no longer in Sosaria but
on Earth. This change of  battleground  alone  explains  the
presense   of   bi-planes,   blasters,  reflect  armor,  and
spaceships among other things. The presense  of  time  doors
upon Earth is something that will be explained later.

In Ultima III the battle has shifted back to Sosaria (though
a radically different place than before) and  we  find  that
the  high  tech  items of the earlier games no longer exist.
The only explanations for this lie in the  actions  of  Lord
British  who  had  decided to do away with these items since
their potential for evil was far too  great.  He  felt  that
these  items  posed  a  threat  to  the  natural  balance of
Sosarian  life.  Besides  with  the  death  of  Monain,  the
dimension  door to the future had closed and these high-tech
items could no longer be  recharged/repaired  thus  limiting
their  usefulness.  You can bet that the merchants were sure
upset!

                        <<< SPOILER ALERT BEGINS >>>

Yet Ultima III  does  have  an  element  of  high-technology
within  its  story. This is based on the fact that Exodus is
actually a computer! It seems likely that Mondain and  Minax
had  worked together and combined their black magic with the
sciences of the future dimension opened by Mondain to create
Exodus".

                        <<< SPOILER ALERT ENDS >>>

Q: "Why do the continents change so drastically in the first
three Ultimas"?

A: "The only change that does actually take place is between
Ultima I and III, since Ultima II is played on Earth and not
Sosaria. Sosaria as found in Ultima I consists of 4 seperate
continents, with townes, castles, and dungeons found on each
one. The change to the world as seen in Ultima III is  quite
radical  since  it changes to a world of two continents, one
of which has Lord British and various towns, while the other
is  largely  uninhabited.  It  seems  that  the  loss of two
continents can only be explained by  some  kind  of  massive
cataclysm  (perhaps  a comet hitting the planet, or the last
dying magical wish of  Mondain)  which  totally  gutted  two
continents  and  transformed  the others. The continent that
Lord British lived on (which became Sosaria in  Ultima  III)
was  spared  in  large  part  due  to his magical power. The
hidden continent of Ambrosia was created when the  cataclysm
submerged the continent, seperating it from Sosaria.

In  Ultima  II  the  geography changes radically because the
setting takes place in four different time  eras  of  Earth.
The  reason  for  the  change  from Sosaria to Earth is that
Minax wished to destroy the planet that  produced  the  hero
who killed Mondain. Minax accomplishes this by creating time
doors upon Earth to go into the past and future and  set  up
the  conditions for a nuclear confrontation. It was the goal
of the hero in Ultima II to defeat Minax so that the  future
created by her would not come to pass.

The  transformation of Sosaria in Ultima III to Britannia in
Ultima IV can be explained by the ending of Ultima III  when
the  heros kill Exodus. Following the death of Exodus, great
natural  catastrophes  took  place  which  was  due   to   a
self-destruct  mechanism  that  would be activated if Exodus
was  ever   destroyed.   The   catastrophes   consisted   of
earthquakes  and  volcanic explosions killed many people and
also transformed Sosaria into what is now Britannia".

Q: "How do you explain the presense of Lord British on Earth
during Ultima II when he belonged in Sosaria"?

A:  "Lord  British  used the portal to come back to Earth to
help the hero of Ultima II to defeat Minax. Since Minax  had
plans  to  destroy the Earth, Lord British worked to prevent
this by summoning the hero and then providing support during
this  battle  on Earth. When Minax was defeated Lord British
returned to Sosaria to help in its rebuilding. It was likely
during  this  time  that Lord British also recruited many of
the future Avatar Companions, such as  Dupre  and  Jaana  to
invite back to Sosaria".

Q:  "Why  is  it  in Ultima I-III players steal, cheat, kill
"innocents", and commit other non-virtuous actions, yet that
all changes in Ultima IV and on"?

A:  "This  has  to  do  with the time era that players found
themselves in. In each of the first three  Ultimas,  players
found  themselves in a time where survival was of the utmost
importance. Because of the great threat that  the  Triad  of
Evil  represented to Sosaria amd Earth little importance was
placed  on  virtues  and  principles.  Thus  players   found
themselves  doing some un-avatarish things such as stealing,
lying or even killing "innocents"  (Remember  the  Clown  in
Ultima I)! Despite what traditional history tells us, it was
not the Avatar who saved Sosaria and Earth from the Triad of
Evil,  but  it was other brave individuals who sometimes had
to do wrong things for the right reasons. (Stealing food  in
Ultima  II  was  a  necessity if the player wished to live)!
This all changed after Exodus was defeated  and  a  new  age
came  into being. Lord British rediscovered the ancient ways
of Avatarhood that existed in ancient  Sosaria,  and  called
out  for the players to now embody this new philosophy. Thus
the eight virtues and the three principles became a new  way
of living for Britannia, its inhabitants and its visitors".

Q:  "Why  does  the  magic system change so much through the
Ultimas"?

A: "All of the same basic spells appear in each Ultima. (for
example  there  is  a  magic  missle and blink spell in each
Ultima) Some new ones are created due  to  progress  in  the
magic  arts,  while  some  old  ones are lost. It seems that
spell components were  abundent  in  earlier  times  (Ultima
I-III)  such  that  if  you  needed something, it was easily
found along the countryside. After Exodus was destroyed, the
lands  went  through  violent  change  and  spell components
became harder to come by. It thus became more  expensive  to
collect these reagents and thus players were now charged for
them which is a practice that began in Ultima  IV.  Also  in
Ultima II players were also charged for acquiring spells but
we must remember that this epsiode took place on Earth, were
magic  is rare and to practice it is expensive. Think of all
the props that David Copperfield must buy! ;-) Seriously the
presense  of  magic  on  Earth  during Ultima II can only be
explained by the presense of the time doors which linked  up
Earth  and  magical  realms  such  as Sosaria and the Age of
Legends. From Ultima IV and onwards the magic system remains
relatively  stable  and  only  seems to change if the player
moves to a different land such as Pagan.

It is important to not that in Ultimas I  and  II  an  often
used  spell  was  the Prayer spell to call upon the aid of a
personal deity. This is  unique  since  in  Ultima  III  the
Priests  seemed  to rely on the power of truth instead. From
Ultima IV onwards  there  have  been  no  signs  of  deities
existing  or  playing  an  active  role  in  the  history of
Britannia. Possibly the deities of Ultima I and II  did  not
survive  the  cataclysms  that  shook Sosaria from Ultima to
Ultima".

Q: "How  would  you  explain  the  changing  of  professions
between  some  of  the  Ultimas?  For  example  in Ultimas I
through III there is a Priest class yet there  is  not  such
class  in  Ultima IV and onwards. As well how do you explain
the changing of professions by certain characters,  such  as
Shamino  being  a Ranger in Ultima IV but in Ultima V and VI
he is a Fighter"?

A: "The Priest  profession  transformed  over  time  between
Ultima I, II and III from that of a god following profession
to one that follows the way of truth. Many of the spells  in
Ultima  III were truth oriented. For example they could turn
undead since living death is an  untruth  and  their  second
most  powerful  spell  Zxkuqyb  unleashed the power of truth
onto all enemies. In Ultima IV and on truth is  one  of  the
three  Principles upon which the Avatar's virtues are based.
The Priests' dissappearance was due to the  fact  that  evil
was mostly banished from the land which made their existence
as a distinct profession  unesassary.  Instead  their  order
disbanded and turned to forming towns based on the virtue of
truth. Some towns created were Moonglow, Trinsic and Yew.

Shamino and others likely changed thier  profession  due  to
neccesary  circumstances.  Each  of the eight professions of
Ultima  IV  ended  up  congregating  into  the  three  major
professions of Ultima V and VI. It looked like this:

Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Shepherd     -->     Fighter
Bard, Tinker                 -->    Bard
Mage, Druid                 -->    Mage

The reason for the change was to  have  each  of  the  eight
professions  embody the three Principles more than the eight
Virtues. The Fighters embodied Courage, the  Bards  embodied
Love, while the Mages embodied Truth. This took place due to
the pressures of the three Shadowlords who tried to  corrupt
the  three  Principles  in Ultima V. The people of Britannia
and the Avatar Companions responded by strongly  emphasizing
the three Principles in an effort to combat them".

Q: "What is the time lapse between Ultima I-IX"?

A:  "The time lapse is given while the reasons for the lapse
follow:

Ten years passed between Ultima I and II. Minax was still  a
young  apprentice  when Mondain was killed, and thus was not
powerful enough to get her revenge.

Twenty years pass between Ultima II  and  III.  We  have  to
remember  that  before  either  Mondain or Minax were killed
that they had to create Exodus! It seems likely that  Modain
and  Minax created Exodus early on in their relationship. It
would take Exodus a long time to mature to the point that he
would  be  able  to terrorize Sosaria the way he begun to in
Ultima III.

Thirty years passed between Ultima III and  Ultima  IV.  The
continents  and  oceans  changed after Exodus's destruction,
and  in  the  aftermath  Britannia  as  a  civilization  was
beginning to form. The rebuilding process was a slow one and
much research was done by  Lord  British  into  the  ancient
Sosarian  Avatar  Ethic.  When  Lord  British  summoned  the
players to Britannia it was hoped they would embody this new
ethic.

Five  years  pass  between Ultima IV and Ultima V. After the
attainment of Avatarhood and the unearthing of the Codex  of
Ultimate  Wisdom,  it  took some time for the Shadowlords to
form into what they became and set out their plan to  abduct
Lord British.

Another  five  years  would pass between Ultima V and Ultima
VI. The problem of the Gargoyles took a while to escalate to
the point that the Avatar had to be summoned again.

Ultima  VIIp1  and  its add-on (The Forge of Virtue) started
two hundred years  afer  Ultima  VI.  This  gives  time  for
Britannia  to  become  more advanced such as paved roads and
larger cities. The Guardian is  at  work  for  about  twenty
years  corrupting  the underbelly of civilization before the
Avatar arrives.

Ultima  VIIp2  and  its  add-on  (The  Silver  Seed)  starts
eighteen  months  after the end of Ultima VIIp1. This is how
long it takes to dismantle the Fellowship,  search  Batlin's
belongings and equip the party for the voyage to the Serpent
Isle.

Ultima VIII starts immedately after Ultima  VIIp2  when  the
Avatar is transported from the void to the world of Pagan.

Ultima IX will start immediately after Ultima VIII. Based on
the conclusion of Ultima VIII you are teleported immediately
into the world of the Guardian.

Q:  "Is  it  possible to tie in the history of Ultima to the
Wing Commander universe"?

A: "Sure it is. In fact in Ultima VII there  are  references
to the Kilrathi! To explain this would not be too difficult.
It would be safe to say that Earth would  not  be  the  only
place  that had portals connecting to Britannia. Surely some
of the planets within the Kilrathi  empire  also  had  these
portals  as  well.  Furthermore  we could make an assumption
that it was the  Kilrathi  that  Mondain  recruited  in  his
efforts to conquer Sosaria in Ultima I"!

III) Conclusion.

I will be adding to this FAQ as time goes on, and as I think
of new questions to be answered. As well  I  would  like  to
involve  the  Worlds  of Ultima and Ultima Underworlds games
into the storyline. I would appreciate any  feedback  and/or
contributions to this FAQ. Hope you enjoy!

I would like to thank the following for helping me with this
FAQ with thier contributions and ideas:

Lawrence Abrams - Dan Fabulich - Allan Mills -  John  Sabean
Jason Sprague - Mike Marcelais - Janne Siren ---

Chris Billows [e-mail]