Pyrian on 10/7/2010 at 01:43
Quote Posted by Melan
My problem with
Ultima IV was that even after I did all the quest things that had to be done, it would have been a chore to get all eight virtues up to the maximum level - there seems to be a decay rate, so even if you don't do anything incorrect, you can lose your virtue status.
They don't inherently decay. Watch out for conversation choices, though. Most of them should max out through normal (virtuous) play, but compassion and sacrifice need to essentially be farmed. Not bad once you know how to do it, but a pain in the neck if you don't know the formulae.
Quote Posted by Melan
In
Ultima V, I got as far as the very last dungeon, but could never pass a room that had something like seven or eight dragons in it, even though every character was kitted out with magic axes, magical armour etc. Maybe there was a trick to it, but even more likely, I would just have needed a lot of grinding to get every single character up to superhuman level. Meh. That said, Ultima V is really good; I was in love from the point I found the climbing gear. :cool:
Hrm. It sounds to me like you probably didn't have the Mystic equipment. Really, you should only need your Avatar at level eight - and you
will want that max spellcasting capability precisely for rooms like that - and the rest of the party 5th-6th should be sufficient.
Zerker on 10/7/2010 at 11:32
And don't forget to use the Crown of Lord British to block enemy spells. Then again, Daemons are practically impossible without it, so you're probably doing that already.
Aerothorn on 10/7/2010 at 22:10
Is Ultima V substantially different from IV? I know VII is supposed to be a big upgrade, and VI at least had a graphical makeover (not sure about the gameplay).
june gloom on 10/7/2010 at 22:48
god damn it i keep mentally adding "my lord!" to "Rule Britannia"
i hate the internet
Sulphur on 11/7/2010 at 15:06
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
Is Ultima V substantially different from IV? I know VII is supposed to be a big upgrade, and VI at least had a graphical makeover (not sure about the gameplay).
Not very, mechanics-wise, but it's overall a much more polished and complex game than IV. It fleshes out the mechanics from IV quite a bit - day/night cycles, NPC routines and different methods of transport (and the brilliant inclusion of a magic carpet, which always makes me smile with glee).
Narratively, the story is much better written - it twists the premise of the virtues into a starkly fundamentalist, morally absolute version of themselves and explores the effect of this on the land. It's an astonishingly dark game.
Aerothorn on 13/7/2010 at 17:57
Hey, as long as it doesn't require me to stand around making literally hundreds of seperate reagents transactions just to farm my honesty stat. The single most annoying gaming experience I've had this year.
Another question: So apparently it's possible to lose your avatarhood in a given virtue. Explain this to me:
Honor:
-3 ... attacking non-evil creatures
Valor:
-2 ... fleeing from enemy
Justice:
+2 ... fleeing from non-evil creature
+1 ... letting non-evil creatures flee
-3 ... attacking non-evil creatures
So I encounter a non-evil creature. If I attack them, I'll lose justice and honor. If I flee from them, I lose valor. I get +1 justice for letting them flee, but lose 3 for attacking them in the first place (the only way to make them flee) so...what? Does "attack" mean "kill?" How do I ensure I don't accidentally kill the non-evil creature when trying to make it flee? So confused as to how to get my justice.
Al_B on 13/7/2010 at 21:26
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
Hey, as long as it doesn't require me to stand around making literally hundreds of seperate reagents transactions just to farm my honesty stat.
It's been ages since I've played Ultima IV, but I don't remember that being a big problem. Are you sure you're not dropping it by opening chests elsewhere?
In any case, I agree with Sulpher that the story in V is much better. If you've got the time then definitely play it when you're finished with IV - particularly if you're not rushed to complete it for an assignment.
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
So confused as to how to get my justice.
Not sure about the exact game mechanics, but my personal rules were:
* Don't attack anything that doesn't attack you first.
* If they start running from you then let them.
I know that doesn't really tie into the evil / non-evil aspects, but it worked for me.
Aerothorn on 13/7/2010 at 22:24
I definitely stole some chests at the beginning before I realized that that counted as stealing, but even once I made it back to a normal honesty ranking I've made 100+ transactions without getting it all up. It's madness. I have to go back for a third sesson of buying single cloves of garlica and hope this puts me over.
And yeah, I accidentally killed some "non-evil" creatures before I looked it up (honestly, it's horrible game design that it doesn't tell you which creatures are evil and which aren't) but I can't let them flee - I'm too powerful. Even a sling will kill a python in one hit. I guess I could un-equip all weapons. I could flee, but then my valor will go down the tubes. I'll try that and see if I can pull it off without sinking it.
Al_B on 13/7/2010 at 22:29
You shouldn't have to flee - just let them do it. I know what you're saying about one-shot kills but I didn't think that worked against you. If the enemy you're fighting moves for the exit then let them - you can stay till the end.
Aerothorn on 14/7/2010 at 06:33
Quote Posted by Al_B
You shouldn't have to flee - just let them do it. I know what you're saying about one-shot kills but I didn't think that worked against you. If the enemy you're fighting moves for the exit then let them - you can stay till the end.
Yeah, I one-shot kill him every time - the only way is to take all the weapons off my characters and punch him till he runs, I guess. And get horribly poisoned again and again and again!
