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Here's something I was prompted to write up due to a discussion I was having. It's not directly related to my writing, but it's not completely separate from it either. It might normally be the kind of thing that's better suited to a Journal entry, but at the same time, I wanted something I could link to and share. Plus I wanted to be able to upload a PDF format because of the bulleted lists (but am also uploading in plaintext because I prefer plaintext when possible, and the bulleted lists aren't that bad here).
As a teenager, I had a major Breakdown, and had to practically construct a new personality out of the shattered pieces of my psyche. One of the things I leaned on as an inspiration was the Ultima series, especially the Virtues that were a core part of the games. They sort of served as the glue that held things together, except they weren't that prominent. They've been mostly in the background of my thoughts all these years, though sometimes I'll half-jokingly call them "The closest I have to a religion".
I've rambled about these a few times online, but now I have something I can basically point to in one spot instead of having to type it all up from scratch every time. I was prompted to do this because I was talking about how my different forms highlight aspects of myself, and when I went to put it into words, I realized they closely lined up with the three Principles of Truth, Love, and Courage. So to explain this in better detail, I made a thing. Enjoy!
Or don't. I'm an author, not a cop.
Basically, this is a way for me to give an insight into my own personality, as well as the personalities of Princess, Flopsy, and Vayryn, since they're all based on me as well. Maybe you'll see something you like and wish to adopt for yourself! Maybe you won't, and that's fine too.
(Image used comes from the Ultima Codex, specifically the page https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Eight_Virtues )
As a teenager, I had a major Breakdown, and had to practically construct a new personality out of the shattered pieces of my psyche. One of the things I leaned on as an inspiration was the Ultima series, especially the Virtues that were a core part of the games. They sort of served as the glue that held things together, except they weren't that prominent. They've been mostly in the background of my thoughts all these years, though sometimes I'll half-jokingly call them "The closest I have to a religion".
I've rambled about these a few times online, but now I have something I can basically point to in one spot instead of having to type it all up from scratch every time. I was prompted to do this because I was talking about how my different forms highlight aspects of myself, and when I went to put it into words, I realized they closely lined up with the three Principles of Truth, Love, and Courage. So to explain this in better detail, I made a thing. Enjoy!
Or don't. I'm an author, not a cop.
Basically, this is a way for me to give an insight into my own personality, as well as the personalities of Princess, Flopsy, and Vayryn, since they're all based on me as well. Maybe you'll see something you like and wish to adopt for yourself! Maybe you won't, and that's fine too.
(Image used comes from the Ultima Codex, specifically the page https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Eight_Virtues )
Category Story / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 11.8 kB
U6 did actually have a choke point where you could only get to the codex if you had full karma.
I discovered this by accident since I had been 'accidentally' firing a cannon at guards to sell their armour for scrap. Since they didn't realise they were being attacked (the cannon not being a weapon you wield) I assumed I'd hoodwinked the game into not docking karma for murder. But it knew.
I discovered this by accident since I had been 'accidentally' firing a cannon at guards to sell their armour for scrap. Since they didn't realise they were being attacked (the cannon not being a weapon you wield) I assumed I'd hoodwinked the game into not docking karma for murder. But it knew.
I did recently look into the Karma thing and saw that, but I don't know what the cutoff is. The wiki I linked to does mention that if you are out of ways to raise it, you're kinda out of luck and are in an unwinnable position.
Good thing I never actually solved the game the right way, considering my penchant for having Sherry grind levels on mice, cats, and eventually guards (selling their equipment because why not). The little tiny mouse wielding a halberd was too amusing to pass up.
As for how I solved it, the hot air balloon can actually pass through the right statue of the pair that block you without the Shrine of Singularity's blessing. Skipped pretty much the entirety of the Gargoyle stuff, as you just need the two Lenses, the Vortex Cube, and the eight Moonstones at that point. (Also, if you go through it again, try out holding Alt and pressing 2-1-3 on the number pad. It'll show you the same view as using a Peer Gem, as well as print a bunch of numbers. Those include your coordinates, as well as your karma! Alt-2-1-4 will let you warp, using the same coordinates you got from 213, but for some reason the prompt is in Garish. And there's also always asking Iolo about "spam", "spam", "spam", "humbug", but that's well-documented. ^_~ )
Good thing I never actually solved the game the right way, considering my penchant for having Sherry grind levels on mice, cats, and eventually guards (selling their equipment because why not). The little tiny mouse wielding a halberd was too amusing to pass up.
As for how I solved it, the hot air balloon can actually pass through the right statue of the pair that block you without the Shrine of Singularity's blessing. Skipped pretty much the entirety of the Gargoyle stuff, as you just need the two Lenses, the Vortex Cube, and the eight Moonstones at that point. (Also, if you go through it again, try out holding Alt and pressing 2-1-3 on the number pad. It'll show you the same view as using a Peer Gem, as well as print a bunch of numbers. Those include your coordinates, as well as your karma! Alt-2-1-4 will let you warp, using the same coordinates you got from 213, but for some reason the prompt is in Garish. And there's also always asking Iolo about "spam", "spam", "spam", "humbug", but that's well-documented. ^_~ )
Richard Garriott actually insisted on being called Lord British in real life, based the character on his own appearance, dressed up in medieval-style clothing, did the voice acting for him in later games, etc... Dude was probably a bit unhealthy about it, and that's coming from someone who feels a phantom tail pretty much every day. (His other self-insert was Shamino the ranger, one of the Avatar's constant companions.)
I'll leave off "Build a castle filled with medieval weapons and actual human remains in the dungeon" and "spend $30mil on being the first and only 'private citizen space tourist'", though.
Gotta respect a dude who hates EA enough to make villains out of them in at least two games, though.
* Honorable mention to Ultima V which included "ELECTRONIC ARTS" in the list of swear words to have NPCs scold you for using.
* Ultima VI had the bloodthirsty backstabbing pirates Captain Hawkins (Trip Hawkins), Old Ybarra (Joe Ybarra), Alastor Gordon (Bing Gordon), and Bonn (Steward Bonn).
* And Ultima VII had the "bad guys" named Elizabeth and Abraham (or "E. and A."), they were using a Cube, Sphere, and Tetrahedron (the three shapes in the EA logo at the time) as part of their evil plot, and the major threat was dubbed "Destroyer of Worlds" (while EA's logo was "We Create Worlds").
Gotta respect a dude who hates EA enough to make villains out of them in at least two games, though.
* Honorable mention to Ultima V which included "ELECTRONIC ARTS" in the list of swear words to have NPCs scold you for using.
* Ultima VI had the bloodthirsty backstabbing pirates Captain Hawkins (Trip Hawkins), Old Ybarra (Joe Ybarra), Alastor Gordon (Bing Gordon), and Bonn (Steward Bonn).
* And Ultima VII had the "bad guys" named Elizabeth and Abraham (or "E. and A."), they were using a Cube, Sphere, and Tetrahedron (the three shapes in the EA logo at the time) as part of their evil plot, and the major threat was dubbed "Destroyer of Worlds" (while EA's logo was "We Create Worlds").
Hm. I wonder if the Ultima Series was an inspiration for The Three Virtues of BIONICLE, which first appeared alongside six derivative principles in the Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle. For those wondering what I'm talking about, here's a video by HeroraNuva on them: https://youtu.be/oZZST-wgFPg?si=PbPTL-uk_jyk0O8m
Knowing basically nothing of Bionicle, that was actually surprisingly interesting. I definitely see some similarities, like the way Principles were made by focusing on one or two Virtues, and some of the Bionicle Principles lined up pretty closely with Ultima Virtues.
Something I left out of my essay is that Ultima also associates each Principle with a stat, and each Virtue with one of the eight Classes:
Truth = Intelligence | Love = Dexterity | Courage = Strength
Honesty ( T ) = Mage | Compassion ( L ) = Bard | Valor ( C ) = Fighter
Justice (TL ) = Druid | Sacrifice ( LC ) = Tinker | Honor ( TC ) = Paladin
Spirituality ( TLC ) = Ranger | Humility ( - ) = Shepherd
Ultimas 1-3 were "The Age of Darkness", as the land is constantly being attacked by those who sought to rule. These were before the Virtues, so life was mostly just a struggle for survival without real growth. (Interestingly, the world is known as Sosaria at this time, with Britannia being only one of the warring city-states that made up the world.) The games are pretty basic, being standard RPG fare with no real moral questions (and a lot of wild and crazy stuff, like having to get into a spaceship and become a Space Ace, being able to get a Ferrari to drive around in, wielding weapons lifted from Star Trek and Star Wars, etc...)
Ultimas 4-6 were "The Age of Enlightenment", where Virtues became the main focus, the land was mostly peaceful, and prosperity rose. People were able to focus on spiritual growth, following the example of the Avatar, and achieve great things. The series really picks up here, the world starting to feel like a living place with people who actually care about a hero being heroic instead of just powerful.
Ultimas 7-9 were "The Age of Armageddon", as the Guardian is influencing people to weaken their faith in Virtue, spreading corruption and plotting against the Avatar in order to weaken the land so he could invade and rule. The series gets pretty dark figuratively and literally, with the graphical upgrade in 7 paving the way for some pretty gnarly violence (the game opens with you trying to solve a ritualistic murder with a mutilated body). 8 started going pretty downhill with the game becoming action-heavy with platforming and awkward controls, and 9 was in development hell to the point where so much had to be axed that you can barely recognize what game they were trying to make within that buggy mess. Shame what happened, really, and no wonder Richard Garriott hated Electronic Arts so much.
Mages got Truth as a deliberate attempt to make magic transparent and accessible, keeping mages from shrouding themselves in mystery to the point of the people being unable to trust them as had happened in the past. Shepherds explicitly don't gain stats (or gain them slowly) either, making them something of a challenge class, and being forced to have one in Ultima 4 is part of the difficulty in making it through the game. (I think I forgot to mention it, but in 4, not only did you have to be maxed out in all eight virtues, you ALSO had to have a full party of all eight classes, with the class you got in the beginning meaning you had to recruit companions to cover the other seven classes. And keep them all alive, because the final test is Leadership, as "Thou must show leadership in all the eight Virtues", I think it words it.)
It's kind of interesting, all the stuff the Ultima games worked in as well. Character Creation was often done by having someone present you with situations and ask you to choose between two Virtues. "Entrusted to deliver an uncounted purse of gold, thou dost meet a poor beggar. Dost thou A) deliver the gold knowing the Trust in thee was well-placed; or B) show Compassion, giving the Beggar a coin, knowing it won't be missed?" Each choice increases stats, and the Virtue you picked the most often determines your class in 4. I think by 6, the classes had become essentially flavor, rather than something that was part of gameplay (the player is always "The Avatar", different companions have various stats, some can use magic and some can't).
Something I left out of my essay is that Ultima also associates each Principle with a stat, and each Virtue with one of the eight Classes:
Truth = Intelligence | Love = Dexterity | Courage = Strength
Honesty ( T ) = Mage | Compassion ( L ) = Bard | Valor ( C ) = Fighter
Justice (TL ) = Druid | Sacrifice ( LC ) = Tinker | Honor ( TC ) = Paladin
Spirituality ( TLC ) = Ranger | Humility ( - ) = Shepherd
Ultimas 1-3 were "The Age of Darkness", as the land is constantly being attacked by those who sought to rule. These were before the Virtues, so life was mostly just a struggle for survival without real growth. (Interestingly, the world is known as Sosaria at this time, with Britannia being only one of the warring city-states that made up the world.) The games are pretty basic, being standard RPG fare with no real moral questions (and a lot of wild and crazy stuff, like having to get into a spaceship and become a Space Ace, being able to get a Ferrari to drive around in, wielding weapons lifted from Star Trek and Star Wars, etc...)
Ultimas 4-6 were "The Age of Enlightenment", where Virtues became the main focus, the land was mostly peaceful, and prosperity rose. People were able to focus on spiritual growth, following the example of the Avatar, and achieve great things. The series really picks up here, the world starting to feel like a living place with people who actually care about a hero being heroic instead of just powerful.
Ultimas 7-9 were "The Age of Armageddon", as the Guardian is influencing people to weaken their faith in Virtue, spreading corruption and plotting against the Avatar in order to weaken the land so he could invade and rule. The series gets pretty dark figuratively and literally, with the graphical upgrade in 7 paving the way for some pretty gnarly violence (the game opens with you trying to solve a ritualistic murder with a mutilated body). 8 started going pretty downhill with the game becoming action-heavy with platforming and awkward controls, and 9 was in development hell to the point where so much had to be axed that you can barely recognize what game they were trying to make within that buggy mess. Shame what happened, really, and no wonder Richard Garriott hated Electronic Arts so much.
Mages got Truth as a deliberate attempt to make magic transparent and accessible, keeping mages from shrouding themselves in mystery to the point of the people being unable to trust them as had happened in the past. Shepherds explicitly don't gain stats (or gain them slowly) either, making them something of a challenge class, and being forced to have one in Ultima 4 is part of the difficulty in making it through the game. (I think I forgot to mention it, but in 4, not only did you have to be maxed out in all eight virtues, you ALSO had to have a full party of all eight classes, with the class you got in the beginning meaning you had to recruit companions to cover the other seven classes. And keep them all alive, because the final test is Leadership, as "Thou must show leadership in all the eight Virtues", I think it words it.)
It's kind of interesting, all the stuff the Ultima games worked in as well. Character Creation was often done by having someone present you with situations and ask you to choose between two Virtues. "Entrusted to deliver an uncounted purse of gold, thou dost meet a poor beggar. Dost thou A) deliver the gold knowing the Trust in thee was well-placed; or B) show Compassion, giving the Beggar a coin, knowing it won't be missed?" Each choice increases stats, and the Virtue you picked the most often determines your class in 4. I think by 6, the classes had become essentially flavor, rather than something that was part of gameplay (the player is always "The Avatar", different companions have various stats, some can use magic and some can't).
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