Ultima Videos
by Elder Klaitu

Preserved here are an assortment of Ultima-related videos that will prove especially useful to those who have not seen them before. While some of them come from Ultima Prime, there is always something to be learned. Please, enjoy these videos!

Note: all videos are in MPEG format. To conserve bandwidth, please download them and do not stream them off the server.

Original UO Intro Video

This video recounts the story of the Shattered Legacy as told by the Time Lord. This is the version that came with the original version of Ultima Online. Later, Electronic Arts would remove the first part of the video that contains the Origin Logo and the credits for Lord British.


Rejected Renaissance Intro

This clip was included with the retail version of Ultima Online: Renaissance, and is composed of unused videos created for Ultima 9's original story. They were edited together by the head of UO's interest team at the time, IGM Eidolon. This video was eventually removed from the client, probably because of the glaring error in the first scene, where the Stranger is referred to as The Avatar. There are also problems regarding the age of Lord British, who is not "old" in UO. Additionally, his UO throne looks nothing like his Ultima 9 throne.

See also:
What Might Have Been
Myth-Conceptions


Ritual of Armageddon

This video graphically describes the effects of the Ritual of Armageddon. This is not to be confused with the spell of Armageddon, which is significantly less powerful. The ritual was used in prehistoric times by a mage named Zog. The Followers of Armageddon also tried to cast it, but failed. It is the most destructive spell in the Ultima series.

See also:
Historical Archives Page 1


The Power of Virtue

Spoiler Warning: This is the conclusion video for Ultima 9!

This video demonstrates the power of the virtues. The Avatar has surrounded the chamber with the 8 sigils of virtue. He then casts the Ritual of Armageddon in order to destroy his nemesis, the Guardian. The power of the virtues prevents the spell from destroying the entire planet, but everything within the chamber is destroyed.. including the Avatar.


Spirituality Moongate

This clip from Ultima 9 demonstrates several important points for the UO player, the foremost being that Lord British himself is a powerful mage, among the most powerful in all the realm. In this video he slows the orbits of Britannia's moons in order to open a moongate to the Shrine of Spirituality. Moongates are a staple of Ultima games. They open and close in relation to the moons and their current phases. The same is true in Ultima Online. (although EA changed the interface into a menu, in the fiction of the gates, they still operate according to the moon phases)

See also:
Dimensional Travel: A Monograph


Guild Branding

Here we see Raven branding the Avatar with a brand for "The Guild". The mark was used to identify him to other guild members. This video also features the most realistic female body that 1999 CGI technology has to offer!


Lord British Speaks

Richard Garriott explains why he dresses funny, lives in a dungeon, and goes around referring to himself as Lord British.


How Ultima Began

Garriott relates how the Ultima franchise started. Note the Serpent Medallion he wears, it allows moongate travel between Earth and Britannia.


Garriott's Favorites

Garriott highlights some of his favorite games in the Ultima series.


Garriott talks about UO

A very important point about UO is brought up. Ultima Online was intended to be a true roleplaying game, as opposed to a strategy game centered on statistics like many RPG's are. This fundamental difference is seldom understood by developers to this day.


Activity and Consequence

Garriott explains the basic premise for the Virtue system developed for Ultima 4. It's the same virtue system used in Ultima Online.




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