Ultimate RPG File Corrupted!

Unfortunately the game I was working on (Ultimate RPG) became corrupted, and I don't have a backup file. Bummer. I have a much, much, much earlier build of the game, but it's sad to lose so much new stuff. The only data that I still have is about 1/4 of the tileset and the old sprite set. Even the sprites I posted last time got deleted.

OHRRPGCE has been good, but I think it's time to change engines, possibly to Game Maker.

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny Tileset

The tileset posting continues! Ultima 5 boasts 512 tiles (compared to the 256 of Ultima 4), and one can easily tell the difference when playing both games. Overall, however, there is a lot of wasted nonsense like the pink "Shadow Realm" tiles, "sitting down" tiles, and the four-frames of animation for everything.

The class sprites are greatly reduced, no more Tinkers, Druids, Paladins, Wizards, Rangers, Fighters, Shepherds, or Bards... instead characters use either the "Rogue," "Knight," or "Wizard" sprite. Yet, with the lack of diversity, the artist uses space within the tiles more more effectively by filling in more space (so there is less black) and making everything look realistic through shading and eliminating the representation of unimportant/awkward sprite features such as necks.

As far as gameplay is concerned, I'm making good progress in Ultima 5, although some of the new mechanics are annoying at best. Picking up loot has become a veritable chore, and the DAY/NIGHT system is poorly implemented as far as I can tell. Basically there is nothing new to explore at night, and the towns and shops close down in the dark.

On the positive side, the player is no longer burdened with protecting his or her Avatarhood, and can lie, cheat, steal, run away from fights, and murder like the good old days of Ultima 1-3.

Original Midgard NESTalgia Artwork

I've had this guy for a while and forgot to post it. Behold, the original artwork for one of NESTalgia's toughest fights, Midgard. The artwork has since been upgraded, but I sometimes prefer the earlier "less professional" sprites.

Nestalgia is an excellent free-to-play 8-Bit MMORPG and you should definitely check it out.

Download Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar for FREE (Legally!!!)

The Ultima IV tileset is enjoying surprising amounts of traffic, so I thought I'd follow up with another cool download. This came as a nice surprise, but you can actually grab Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar on gog.com 100% for free. It's hard to complain about free. They've also got deals on the other Ultima games as well, so check those out if interested. Don't listen to any haters talking about the games "not aging well." Those people can gtfo my internet.

The PC version is much better than the somewhat-butchered NES port, but I like the NES box art (pictured above) a little more. I suppose the NES version has it's charm, but it's still more of a curiosity than anything else. Thankfully I've had the PC version since the days of AOL, so I never bothered with the NES port.

The NES port of Ultima III: Exodus, on the other hand, is quite brilliant.

Ultima IV Quest of the Avatar Tileset

Last week I finally finished Ultima II, which allowed me to return to my 7-months-in-progress game of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. Tonight, all I have to do is reach the depths of hell and recover the lost codex of the Avatar.

So in honor of this historic event I'm posting the Ultima IV tileset in all its glory. More posts on various Ultima-related escapades forthcoming.

Overall it's an amazing tileset that can teach new pixel artists a lot about economy and representation (particularly of environments). My only criticism of the graphics is the decision to use 4 frames of animation for the enemies. 2 frames per monster would have been plenty. Sorry it's slightly messed up at the bottom, that was a mistake I made when adjusting the colors to more-accurately reflect how they appear on a very old but brilliant 14-inch CRT monitor.

Song of the Week: Mother 3 - Black Beat Battle

This week's chosen song is one of the many battle themes from Mother 3. A slow but interesting battle theme. Perfect for the really difficult battles.

Pixel Art: Pikachu and Jigglypuff

8-Bit Pikachu and Jigglypuff. Playing Earthbound and Pokemon really makes one want to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Any pokemans you'd like to see drawn in my style? Post that stuff in a comment below!