For someone who played the original Ultima games while Lord British was in control this is exceptionally exciting news. Richard Garriott is at the helm of a new game, Shroud of the Avatar, which he’s calling the true predecessor to Ultima. The gameplay sounds complex and layered. Not only is it an RPG, but a Sim as well. There may be some tinges of Minecraft in there. Maybe some Monopoly? You slay the monster and live in the world. You look for riches and build an economy. It sounds like a lot more than just a simple adventure game.
Garriott has pulled together a team to develop and publish the game himself. He’s not tying this to one of the established game publishers. And that’s where Kickstarter comes in. Garriott is looking for start up capital and interest. Pledge some money, get some swag, get the game and maybe even meet the man himself. The hard part is deciding what cool stuff you want to get for your donation level.
The game is scheduled for an alpha/beta release in December of 2013. Developer blogs should be starting in April 2013. Artist renderings/screenshots are here today. No doubt, this project is in motion and I want to be a part of it. It’s been decades since I played Ultima and I’ve been waiting for someone to come out with Ultima for the iPad, but it just hasn’t come around. Come on EA! It’s a damn shame it’s taken this long, but who better to bring it to the public than the original man himself?
There are obviously issues with EA so it can’t be a true part of the Ultima series, but all the game elements will be there. The game sounds massive and there are 5 parts scheduled each one adding more space and items to the world.
Check out the story below to read more from Forbes and then check out the Kickerstarter page. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a donation.
Richard Garriott’s ‘Shroud Of The Avatar: Forsaken Virtues’ Launches On Kickstarter
Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues on Kickstarter
Website: shroudoftheavatar.com
More brilliant musings about my adventures in New Britannia
- The Virtues of Shroud of the Avatar – A Dev Hangout
- Kickstarter in the rearview mirror, Shroud of the Avatar on the horizon
- Watching Shroud of the Avatar take shape
- Looking for news of Shroud of the Avatar from E3?
- Lord British reaches his goals for Shroud of the Avatar
- The Macallan 12 from the Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter Project. A signed bottle to commemorate the fun!
- Wondering about the SotA story? Progress has been made! Dev Hangout for 4/30 will feature Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott talking about the story
- Richard Garriott’s D&D #1 Contest!
- I’ve upped my pledge for Shroud of the Avatar
- Dev Forums will soon be open, some new SotA members, the serialized back story and even some new Devs
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