GENWiki

Type X1-74 to download [View] (1-74/q/?-List) :65

The Hotel California [312] 234-6237

/—————————————————————————–\

\—————————————————————————–/

<SCORPIA> Our guest for tonight, Lord British. Go ahead, Lord B. <[Lord British]> Hello everyone…sorry I'm late, had some trouble getting a

     good line in.  Well, as you all know I am Lord British, and my real name
     is Richard Garriott...tonight I hope to talk to you all about Ultima 4,
     and also tell you a bit about Ultima 5; at least all that I can...I have
     been working on Ultima 5 now for a few months...when I came in I heard
     someone ask if I did all the programming myself, and YES, in general, I
     do...For the first time here with Ultima 5 I am getting some help, Steve
     Meuse here at O.S.I is helping me, thus far he has written many of the
     editors I am using.  (Scorpia, should we take Ultima 4's then talk
     Ultima 5?)

<SCORPIA> Lord B, ok if that's what you'd like to do. All right, raise hands

     for questions...ok...Wild Bill is up.

<[Wild Bill] W.T.COLBURN> Lord B, I want to give you the usual accolades for

     Ultima IV.  I love it!!  I am also very interested in your anti-theft
     techniques.  I see that you use Manuals and Maps in your packaging. 
     Anyone who does not BUY your game is really in for a bummer of a time. 
     My compliments in that area also.  Any comments??

<[Lord British]> Thanks Bill, Have you finished it? The things you have

     noted...map, manuals, etc...are not only good protection, but I believe
     add greatly to the value of the product...I know they cost us a lot,
     which is the major factor in why Ultimas cost over $50.

<[Wild Bill] W.T.COLBURN> Thanks. I agree with you completely on the value

     for the consumer.  Also, I love the manuals, etc.  They are well done,
     and fun to read and examine.

<[Lord British]> Thanks! <[Wild Bill] W.T.COLBURN> Finally, I have not yet finished the game, but hope

     to soon.....

<[Lord British]> Good luck! <SCORPIA> Ok, B.Reese is next, go ahead B.

<B.REESE> Great work on Ultima but when is the IBM version for 4 coming out? ! <[Lord British]> The I.B.M. version is at this moment coming along very

     well...

<B.REESE> What month? <[Lord British]> Last I saw it you could do most all of the commands, so

     should not be more than say 2 months...very tricky to guess.

<B.REESE> Why do the conversions take so long? Do your staff do them

     serially?

<[Lord British]> AH…Yes and no. The 6502 versions (i.e. Apple, Atari, and

     Com64) are often done serially, and the 68000 family are done one after
     the next, and the Amiga, and Atari ST versions too.  But these three
     groups run fairly independently.  The reason for their serial nature is
     because often work is duplicated within the same processor family.

<B.REESE> Thanks…next time (for 5), do the IBM conversion first! Keep up

     the great work...goodbye!

<SCORPIA> OK, Tyger is next. Go ahead, Tyger. <[Lord British]> Bye

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> Ok. I have 4 questions and one comment. 1) When is the

     ATARI ST version coming out, and will it use GEM?

<[Lord British]> The ST version is in final play test and YES. <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> Will it run on Monochrome? <[Lord British]> YES, mono. <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> 2) On the next Ultima are you going to let us attack

     diagonally?

<[Lord British]> YES, in fact there are two attack types…you can A)

     (north,south,east,west), or you can do a ^A which gives you a crosshair
     to place upon any monster...

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> 3) When are you going to start a scenario-based game?

     [With modules (levels & games)]

<[Lord British]> Well thats a more difficult question. I did intend to do

     just that with Ultima 4, but I changed my mind due to the fact that with
     each Ultima I make so many improvements, (I think)...

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (u did) <[Lord British]> …that to stagnate with any of my systems so far would not

     be in keeping with the route the games have taken to date, if you follow
     my meaning...

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (yeah) <[Lord British]> But later, when I have crammed as much as I think I can

     TECHNICALLY...into a game, I will probably spread out into scenarios.

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> 4) Is IV going to be in a folder like high priced IBM

     software?

<[Lord British]> I dont know what folders you mean, so… <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> like binders <[Lord British]> No, I guess not, it will be in the Ultima 4 box as with other

     versions.

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> Ok, for #5…This is more of an idea than a question…

     But can you have a "adventurer's note book" in Ultima IV, where the
     player has an extra disk just for notes?  (It can work like DATA-base.)

<[Lord British]> Very good idea…thats a good idea…it would be a bit tough

     to cram in the 8-bit machines, but, the Mac, ST, and Amiga could do it
     easily.  There is not enough room in memory or on disk for the 8-bits.

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> That is it…I have played 2, 3, & 4 and they grow on

     you.  (A big hand shake)  Fini.

<SCORPIA> Ok…Before the next person goes, I have a loooong list of people

     here, so I am going to restrict everyone to 2 qyestions each, otherwise
     this will take forever.  If you like, I can put you on the bottom of the
     list if you have more you want to ask or say, but from now on, only 2
     questions please...and Exodus (where have I heard that before?), you're
     next.  Go ahead.

<[Exodus] HLESSER> Thanx…Mr. British, I wish to commend you on the work for

     all of the Ultimas and especially Autoduel.  My first question is: What
     inspired you to start the Ultima series (books, movies, etc...)?

<[Lord British]> Well, thats a good question…it kind of happened on

     accedent.  In high school I learned how to program in BASIC at about the
     same time I was learning FRP's.  I began writing games when the school
     had not but one computer course.  I wanted to learn more, so they let me
     and a friend have a class where all we had to do was have a project that
     we worked on and we would get credit.  My projects were FRP's.  Then
     when I graduated, I went to work for a Computerland store and was then
     exposed to Apples and graphics for the first time, so it was a natural
     to take the games I was writing in school (on a teletype) and rework the
     28th one I did into graphics, which became known as AKALABETH.  I never
     intended to publish it, but a publisher got ahold of one and signed me
     up...then I said to myself, "Self: if you can do this for play, think
     what you could do if you were doing it for publication!"  And then I
     began work on ULTIMA.

<[Exodus] HLESSER> I have Akalabeth, it was pretty good for back then, now my

     second question/idea...

<[Lord British]> (1978) <[Exodus] HLESSER> …I was wondering if you are ever coming out with hints

     (like InvisiClues in a way) for Ultima or any other of your great games,
     and if so, when?

<[Lord British]> Well I'm not sure…for Ultimas we will probably do just what

     we were doing, but include a little more info than we did in U3's, like
     we did in U4's.  But for the other games, I don't know at this time.  We
     have given it some thought.

<[Exodus] HLESSER> Thank you a lot for your time…and for an idea, when

     someone completes an Ultima, how about a feature which allows them to
     print out an award for themselves to show that they completed the
     adventure?

<[Lord British]> Well, as a matter of fact, in Ultima 5, I plan to record the

     players progress on the disk, i.e. what main goals were acomplished on
     what dates, etc., and then when you are done with the game you can send
     in your disk, and we can generate a custom story / history of your deeds
     and adventures.  Like that?

<SCORPIA> <neat!> <HTCOLONNA> <GREAT!> <J.RADEN> <YES!!> <[Wild Bill] W.T.COLBURN> <yes!!> <[Exodus] HLESSER> thanx <[Lord British]> Also, you do know that if you write to O.S.I. about

     completing an O.S.I. game we have personalized certificates we send
     out...

<SCORPIA> Ok, Morgul is next.

<[MORGUL] K.ALLEN> First, not meant as a disrespect, but I know (in U3 at

     least) that in LCB castle there is a Lord British.  Just out of
     curiosity, can you kill him?

<[Lord British]> Well, LB was meant to be Undefeatable in Ultima 3 but there

     turns out to be a way...In Ultima 4, however, if you attack him you WILL
     die.

<[MORGUL] K.ALLEN> Thanks…second question: how many more Ultimas are there

     going to be and what pretense will you use?

<[Lord British]> That is a good question to which I don't have an answer. I

     suppose they will go on and on until either they quit selling (eeek) or
     I get tired of writing them (booo)...

<[MORGUL] K.ALLEN> Thanks, and its been a pleasure talking to you. <SCORPIA> Ok, before we go on… <[Lord British]> Thanks Morgul. <[MORGUL] K.ALLEN> Bye! <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (drop me, have to go) <SCORPIA> OK, scratch Tyger (grin)…J.Raden, your turn. <[Lord British]> Evil grin she has.

<J.RADEN> Ok. Lord, first I want to compliment you on all the Ultimas. When

     should U5 be out, and how will it differ from the others?  (I would have
     run out of ideas by now!)

<[Lord British]> Well, to tell about Ultima 5 in great detail I am going to

     wait till all questions are through, but briefly, so far, it takes up 6
     sides of disks...it has 512 tiles to draw the maps with (as opposed to
     256 in U4)...it has twice the size outdoor map, and twice as many
     towns...twice as much data per NPC, and the list goes on and on and
     on...  As for the plot, it will be a sequel to Ultima 4 but more like
     The Empire Strikes Back.  The bad guys may win this one... (evil nasty
     grin)

<MIKE.HALL> Will there be a version for the C128 or will it be for the C64

     only?

<[Lord British]> Well… <J.RADEN> Well, when should it be out, and will it be out for Apple first,

     then all the others, or will several versions be out at the same time?

<[Lord British]> To answer the two questions: the C128 version of U5 may

     differ in some ways...for instance, even on the Apple I am getting so
     crammed for memory that music has been put up into the aux. 64k, so 64k
     Apples may not get music, and this may also hold true for the 64/128. 
     As far as when will U5 be out, and on what computers, usually Apple is
     first but if I finish U5 very soon (i.e. only slightly after Christmas),
     then we may hold it for a few months while some translations are being
     done and so that it does not encroach on U4 sales.

<J.RADEN> Ok, thanks a lot for answering my questions. I hope the Ultima

     series sticks around for a while.  They're awesome!

<SCORPIA> Ok, David FGJ is next. GA, David.

<[DAVID] FGJMAJ> Any updates on AUTODUEL? <[Lord British]> So far there are no updates that I know of…do you have a

     problem?

<[DAVID] FGJMAJ> Like new equipment… <[Lord British]> Oh, no there is not any new equipment YET, but it looks like

     we are going to do a sequel!

<[DAVID] FGJMAJ> What sequel? <[Lord British]> AUTODUEL II. <[DAVID] FGJMAJ> Thanks . . . <SCORPIA> Ok, Makyo is next.

<[Makyo] PSM> If it pleases Your Lordship . . . Did Smith the Talking Horse

     have anything useful to say?

<[Lord British]> A very common Question…Unfortunately, no, he did not. You

     see, I wanted him to have a clue, but he came into the game so late that
     I just couldn't think of anything good for him to say.

<[Makyo] PSM> What games are you planning on releasing for the Amiga? (And

     when?)

<[Lord British]> All our products and U3 will be soonest. <[Makyo] PSM> Thanks!! <SCORPIA> Ok, C.Davis is next.

<C.DAVIS> Your Lordship, what do you think the effects of the ST and Amiga are

     on game design?

<[Lord British]> Well, unfortunately the ST and AMIGA, even though they are

     very powerful...if we were to write, say, Ultima's first on them, and
     take advantage of their great power, then we would never ever fit them
     into the 8-bit machines, which is where the VAST majority of sales are
     right now.  However, as 16-bit becomes the standard, you will see more
     and more original developements -- like Ultimas -- being done for them. 
     In Ultima 5, I have crammed so much in already at this early stage that
     I don't know how long I can continue in 8-bit.  A few more yet...

<C.DAVIS> 2) when will AUTODuel and OGRE be out for the ST and ATARI 8 bit ? <[Lord British]> Autoduel soon, Moebius, soon. Ogre later…how's that for

     obscure?

<C.DAVIS> Thanks…hurry on OGRE… <SCORPIA> Ok…Bazzar is next.

<BAZZAR> Lord British, first Sierra marketed Ultima II, are they going to

     market Ultima 4 or 5, becaues on the 8 bit Origin marketed III...who's
     next??

<[Lord British]> My first publisher was California Pacific. They published

     Akalabeth, and Ultima, and promptly went out of buisness...so on to
     Sierra I went with Ultima II...  But, I did not like the way I was being
     treated there so Myself, Chuckles and My brother started Origin Systems.
     So, as you can see, this time I am publishing myself, so unless
     something horrible happens (knock on wood), this publisher should be it
     for a while.  By the way, my contracts with Sierra just ran out, so I
     will be publishing all of the Ultima's -- I,II,III,IV,V -- myself.

<BAZZAR> Ok…I am also wondering how you feel about the Atari ST, and if you

     plan to fully support it???

<[Lord British]> It is very nice, and yes all O.S.I. products are planned for

     it.

<BAZZAR> Ok…will they be the same playing as Ultima II on the ST? It plays

     nice, but seems a little blocky..

<[Lord British]> I hated the translation of U2 that Sierra did…we are

     re-doing it.

<SCORPIA> Ok, *now* it's your turn, Nexus.

<[NEX] J.BRODY> As a young high school gamer/programmer I'd like to say I

     respect your work on the computer very much...

<[Lord British]> Thank you much. <[NEX] J.BRODY> …and you said somthing about editors. Do you program the

     editors first, and then the detailing?

<[Lord British]> Yes… <[NEX] J.BRODY> Ok, and is the programmers life all wealth and fun? <[Lord British]> ga <SCORPIA> IS that it, Nex? <[NEX] J.BRODY> I guess so… <[Lord British]> Oh…I was waiting for more about editors. The editors I

     write look a great deal like the game will actually play, so I see the
     screen as it will look during game play...but of course I can turn the
     "hide" off/on, to see thru walls and walk on water, etc.  As far as your
     second query, there are many aspects of the programmers' life that are
     as you suggest, but it also has many drawbacks that are difficult to get
     into in a short discussion...

<[NEX] J.BRODY> Sorry about the pun. OK <[Lord British]> …but later if thee and I are still on we can discuss it. <[NEX] J.BRODY> Thank you very much, sir. <SCORPIA> OK, go ahead Conrad.

<[Uk] CONRADSMITH> A little comment…I have done Ult 2-4 and the ending to 4

     was a royal pain...I loved it...anyway...Why do you call yourself Lord
     British?

<[Lord British]> I must agree, it was a B@#$% to complete…a real chore. My

     nickname Lord British comes from early in high school...one summer I
     went to O.U. (oklahoma university) for a summer course in computer
     progamming.  When I arrived there some of the people who were there
     ahead of me came to my room, and said "HI".  So I said "hello", and they
     said, "hello, no one from round here says 'hello', so you must be from
     Britain so we'll cal you 'BRITISH'".  As it turns out I was born in
     England so I became known as British that summer...

<[Uk] CONRADSMITH> Is there any way to get Ultima I? <[Lord British]> Not yet, but we are re-writing it even now into machine

     launguage for release this fall.

<SCORPIA> OK… <[Uk] CONRADSMITH> Great…I was wondering about the Lord British because I'm

     English...

<[Lord British]> I was born in Cambridge… <SCORPIA> Uni, it's your turn now.

<[UNI] CARL.VALLE> Do you find people who use computer games to be mostly

     male/or loners and fond of science fiction/fantasy?  (I am Uni and
     female and alone among the above groups in my circles of friends.)  I am
     a proud user of TRS-80 mod III and Tandy 1000.

<[Lord British]> Ok Uni…we here find that the profile of users, based upon

     our warranty cards, is strongly based in the upper teen males, but we do
     have a very strong showing of older males as well, and some very very
     young ones.  But in this industry females are hard to come by.  "Young"
     is 7-9 years...also, as I believe you asked, the typical computer game
     player is in fact a loner type, and often socially removed or quite...

<[UNI] CARL.VALLE> Do I have another? <SCORPIA> Uni, yes you get 2 questions. <[UNI] CARL.VALLE> Is anybody writing for the ubiquitous MODEL III anymore? <[Lord British]> Not very many I'm afraid. Tandy equipment is a tricky

     thing...

<[UNI] CARL.VALLE> I mean with 48K and 2 disk drives. <[Lord British]> …because it used to be that Tandy would only carry Tandy

     brand software so you had to license your stuff to them at horrible
     rates...so they pushed away a lot of the developers...and its a tough
     road back.

<SCORPIA> OK, JM Donnelly is next.

<JM.DONNELLY> (four wine coolers later…) <SCORPIA> (I've only had one so far jm, grin) <[Lord British]> Got one for me? <JM.DONNELLY> I have two questions. 1) Have you found that there is a big

     market for IBM conversions of your games?

<[Lord British]> Uni: yes for PC compatables, and JM: the IBM market for

     entertainment products was actually a let down to us.  They only make up
     a small percentage of our sales, and we have a tough time finding
     affordable translators who will do the conversions, since even for an
     Ultima translation royalties are an unknown $ on the PC.

<JM.DONNELLY> 2) Do you play games, and if so, what are your favorites, other

     than your own, of course?

<[Lord British]> I play only a few games, when they come highly recommended,

     and then usually I only look at them long enough to form my own opinion
     of them.  Some of the games of note I can think of are...The Bards Tale
     is real slick...

<SCORPIA> <yes!> <[Lord British]> …and even though it's one of ours, OGRE is also real

     slick...

<JM.DONNELLY> (Sure, a little free advertising…grin) <[Lord British]> …hehehe…(really though thats my opinion)…and beyond

     those...I draw a blank?...any I should consider?

<[Exodus] HLESSER> Wizardry…(but too boring considered to yours) <JM.DONNELLY> Nope, just wondering. Thanks a lot. You seem like a nice guy

     as well as a crack designer and programmer.

<[Lord British]> Wizardry was good but is not up with current state of the art

     any more.

<SCORPIA> <he IS very nice!> <[Exodus] HLESSER> yep <[Lord British]> Thanks, JM. Let me say that Wizardry broke a lot of ground

     in this industry.

<SCORPIA> OK…Go ahead Heinrich

<[Heinrich] HTCOLONNA> WOW! Ok, the 'lowest common denominator' of the Atari

     8-bits is 48K.  However, the newer models have 64K and the newest 128K,
     and (I am an ultima NUT!) I must complain that the music is left out of
     UIV.  A lot of new games check for an XL or XE.  Please consider this
     for the future.  I commend the design of Ultima IV...the combat is not
     nearly is repetitive as in UIII...and I hope UV moves a little bit
     further from this combat repetition. Could you comment on these things? 
     Thanks.

<[Lord British]> Ahhh… <[Heinrich] HTCOLONNA> One tiny thing…joystick would be nice too. <[Lord British]> Music – I agree and in the future these sort of checks will

     be made.  I am considering joystick at this time, and also I agree that
     combat is getting better, but it does have a way to go yet.  I have a
     number of new things that I am trying this time to remove the redundancy
     of combat for an experienced party...we'll see how it goes.  Did that
     cover it?

<[Heinrich] HTCOLONNA> One more thing and I will shut up…are you happy with

     Atari 8-bit sales?  Thanks a whole lot.

<[Lord British]> Yes, Atari has always been in the top 3. <SCORPIA> Ok Frank, go ahead.

<[Frank] WPFRANK> My Lord, when do you plan to release Ult 4 for the Mac? (I

     have another)

<[Lord British]> Ultima 4 for the Mac is done by the same person that does the

     IBM version, and will shortly follow it since much code is re-used...so
     this fall some time.

<[Frank] WPFRANK> I would pay dearly for a copy of Apple Ultima IV on those

     Mac disks for the Apple computer, is there a way you could get it on
     those?

<[Lord British]> Clarify? <[Frank] WPFRANK> The disks that run in that Mac drive but hooks up to the

     Apple...Apple released it in the fall i think, it only runs ProDOS.

<[Lord British]> Do you mean the new 3.5" drives for the Apple II series? <[Frank] WPFRANK> yes <[Lord British]> OK…well actually I use those now myself, and U4 and U5 will

     both likely go there at some time.

<[Frank] WPFRANK> So I couldn't get it on those right now? <[Lord British]> Don't you have 5-1/4" drives? <[Frank] WPFRANK> I have a Mac only, but I have an adaptor that can use those

     disks.  That would be my only way to get Ultima 4 now.

<[Lord British]> Let me get this straight…You have a Mac but no Apple II and

     an adapter for your Mac drives to what?

<[Frank] WPFRANK> A program I have enables me to run Apple 3.5 disks on my

     Mac...

<[Lord British]> I got ya… <[Frank] WPFRANK> …thereby converting it temporarily into an Apple. <[Lord British]> Frank, write to my office, and we can try to help you! <[Frank] WPFRANK> Wow! Thanx a million! <SCORPIA> OK, Dyangie is next (followed by C.warren).

<DYANGIE> What is Autoduel and what is it about? <[Lord British]> Autoduel is based on a board game called Car Wars. It's kind

     of like Mad Max and The Road Warrior...you start the game with some
     (little) money, and then go into a future world (post nuke), and then
     have a full role playing game to solve, where your utinsels are cars
     that you build for battle on the roads, etc . . .

<DYANGIE> Are you planning on making a game like Adventure Construction Set? <[Lord British]> Not any time soon…they're too much work (for an Ultima-type

     game) and could only really hurt me in the long run.

<[Exodus] HLESSER> There are some Ultima Constuction Sets out… <[Lord British]> …Well… <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> …(for characters)… <[Exodus] HLESSER> …made by pirates… <[Lord British]> …Not really… <DYANGIE> Thanks a lot, LB… <[Exodus] HLESSER> …and are in ads in computer magazines. <[Lord British]> They are map editors, not the same thing. <SCORPIA> Ok, C.Warren is next <[Exodus] HLESSER> No, I mean the full biggie Ultima III. A friend of mine

     had one.

<[Lord British]> I have seen some good ones, but not a construction set. <SCORPIA> Go ahead, C.

<[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Hello, Lord British. We fought a war with the

     British 200 years ago, and WON, so I will dispense with the titles
     hereon in. (he he)

<[Lord British]> By the way I was born in England on July 4!!!! <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (happy birthday) <[Lord British]> Thanks! <[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Thanks. The Atari 800 XL/XE's are THE superior 8

     bits.  If sales are good, why no support?

<[Lord British]> What do you mean no support? We give it the same as our

     others.

<[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Are EVERY Origin game available for the Atari,

     simultaneous with the C-64?  I doubt it.  That's what I mean by no
     support.

<[Lord British]> Well, as a matter of fact EVERY game is planned for the

     Atari, and falls 3rd in our list of translations, to be done behind C-64
     for sales reasons.

<[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Hmm. Second question: I can't make back-ups of

     Ultima IV with my Happy drive.  How come?  Is piracy so bad?

<[Lord British]> Grrr…I have not heard of a Happy drive in some time…as a

     matter of fact Atari may be the worst in piracy...which has caused many
     companies to not support it at all.

<[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Let me rephrase that… I know that piracy is bad.

     But I don't pirate.  It is just that when I pay 50 bucks for a game, I
     like to be able to back it up.

<[Lord British]> Yes, you should be able to back up certain things. But to

     say that a person is rightfully due a backup of non-essential things
     (games, not business software)...

<[Exodus] HLESSER> I have to go so I'll just ask this one quick question, When

     will Ogre first be out?  (Doesn't matter what kind...we have 6
     computers.)

<[Lord British]> (ogre-apple now out)… <[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> My last question: I lived in Britain for 4 years.

     Software support for Atari over there is pathetic, even by Origin.  How
     come?

<[Lord British]> Probably not so many Atari's over there… <[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> There are a BUNCH. But they seem to be ignored. <[Lord British]> We find sales in the UK to not be great anytime. In the UK

     cheap is the big thing...Ultima is too expensive.

<[yankee doodl] C.WARREN> Yep. In the UK, a cassette recorder is still a neat

     idea...

<[Lord British]> True. <[Lord British]> Next? <SCORPIA> Next is Merlin.

<T.MERLIN> Ok…I got on late and I'm not sure whether or not this question

     has already been asked, but what are the changes and/or improvements in
     Ultima 5 over Ultima 4?

<[Lord British]> This is probably a good time… <SCORPIA> (yes, it is!) <[Lord British]> …to go into that. I was saving it for the hard core group

     of diehards...here goes.  Ultima V...well, first to repeat some of the
     things I did say...I have now been working on it for a few months and it
     is coming along very very well.  Some of the technical changes are, that
     so far in early development it takes up 6 disk sides...

<[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (oh, my god!) <DYANGIE> really <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (I'm in love already) <[Lord British]> …I have doubled the number of shapes (tiles-grass, water

     etc) that I have to make the surface of the world with to 512.  This
     gives me a lot more terrain types, and a lot more detail, like I have
     coastline tiles so that the coast does not look blocky...I have curves
     and diagonals, rivers and roads, juctions for both, waterfalls and
     things...There are left edge of hills trailing off into grass, and right
     and so on so that the map hardly looks like tile graphics any more. 
     Looks more like a hand drawn picture.

     In the towns there are tables, chairs, lamps, bookshelves, anvils,
     torture devices...the list goes on and on and on...so just walking
     around in the world is a whole new experience.  There is now real time
     of day and night, and at night it gets dark...in towns you can see
     circles of light  around the lampposts...outdoors there are lighthouses
     with a beam of  light that circles...

     There are many new types of NPC's...they also have twice the speech
     capability of U4.  They (hopefully) will travel about the town in an
     intelligent manner rather than randomly.  Towns are all (most all),
     multi stories tall...the shopkeepers' houses are often above their
     shops, and they have the appropriate furnishings, etc.  Combat will have
     two attack commands -- (A) and (^A) -- for the old normal attacks and
     the new (controlled attack) for choosing who to strike anywhere on the
     screen, by means of cross hairs that you place on your target.  As far
     as the plot goes...I won't tell, except...

<SCORPIA> <AWWWW!> <[Lord British]> …that the bad guys will do well in this game… <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> oooo!. <[Lord British]> …and also there is a whole Underworld… <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (killer) <[Lord British]> …the same size as the surface (256x256) to explore in the

     darkness...and and and...thats all for now!   GA

<SCORPIA> <siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh> OK, last minute questoons? Questions, even. <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> yeah <SCORPIA> OK GA Tyger. <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> So, then the guards arr going to go on rounds and be

     yelling "2:00 and all is well!", right?

<[Lord British]> YES Typer! <SCORPIA> <hehehe> <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> are– <[Lord British]> thats YES, Tyger! <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> –you going to upload a sheet like U-IV? <[Lord British]> NPC sheet, YES! <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> I want this game NOW!!! <SCORPIA> <I want it yesterday> <[Lord British]> ME TOO! <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> (hehe) <SCORPIA> OK…. <[NEXUS] J.BRODY> WE ALL DO <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> Need a beta tester? <SCORPIA> I think we can close the CO at this point… <NARACK> NEED A LOT OF TESTERS? <[Lord British]> In house only, sorry! <SCORPIA> Lord British, thank you for coming (you were terrific as always). <[NEXUS] J.BRODY> Yes, thank you very much…I got alot out of it. <[Tyger Von] S.HALL> very very much! <[Wild Bill] W.T.COLBURN> Thank you very much for sharing with us tonight,

     Lord B.

<[Lord British]> Thanks Scorpia, my pleasure!…as always.

/—————————————————————————–\

\—————————————————————————–/

Done! Press (Return) to continue :