Do you recommend playing any of the Ultima games?

[Menegrothx]

It's the storylines and world simulation elements (being able to use all items found in the environment in some fashion, which is very unusual in video games) that make the Ultima games stand out. They're still quite unmatched in what they do as far as RPGs are concerned

[Ack]

U4-6 might be the only RPGs from that time period that had actually good stories,

What, not a fan of the first three Might and Magic games or Wizardry IV-VII?

Anyway, it may make for a tough pill to swallow now, but I'd say if you are curious, play a bit of Akalabeth before jumping into the Ultimas. It really helps create an appreciation for how they(and the rest of the genre) evolved over time. You don't have to spend long, and understand that it is extremely rudimentary, but I enjoyed it and found it a wonderful starting port for exploring what is now one of my favorite hobbies.

[Hatta]

The other very early cRPGs were good games, but not really story driven. At least not really beyond the basic, "become a powerful hero and destroy the big bad guy". Ultima IV was the first computer role playing game that was really about playing roles.

I agree about Alakabeth. It's a very small game, so it's quick and easy to get an appreciation of what's it all about. There's less to it than most cell-phone games even, but it does contain the core of cRPG gaming.

[fastbilly1]

Well 4 is free on Gog, so it would not hurt to give it a whirl.

[Nemoide]

I bought the Ultima Collection when I was in high school and beat Akalabeth (well, as "beaten" as that game can get) and Ultima I and II. I keep meaning to play through all the others in the series, but this has yet to really happen? Regardless of this, the series has had a pretty big impact on my perception of what games can be and I've played at least some of every game in the main series as well as most of the spinoffs. Richard Garriott really took the whole thing in all kinds of interesting directions. To my knowledge, they're the best and most perennially relevant American RPGs from the 80s.

(Also: I'm hoping to see Ultima IV become a Together Retro title next year - it's where the series took a turn towards being more serious in its themes and is easily available on many many platforms.)

[Hatta]

The thing with Ultima is that much of what makes it groundbreaking and unique isn't really what we expect from RPGs anymore. So what we found amazing back in the 80s, is just disorienting to a gamer today. Here's a quote from a professor teaching gaming history

Now it seems to me we're facing basic literacy issues. These eager players are willing to try something new, but in the case of a game like Ultima IV, the required skill-set and the basic assumptions the game makes are so foreign to them that the game has indeed become virtually unplayable.

And as much as I hate to say it - even after they learn to craft potions, speak to every villager, and take notes on what they say - it isn't much fun for them. They want a radar in the corner of the screen. They want mission logs. They want fun combat. They want an in-game tutorial. They want a game that doesn't feel like so much work.

I think there's a case to be made that Ultima IV hasn't aged well. I think there's also a case to be made that gamers haven't aged well. We dont' look at interacting with a virtual world inside a computer as entertainment in itself anymore. We need points and achievements to direct our gaming. Creating our own story isn't its own reward anymore.

[Ack]

The thing with Ultima is that much of what makes it groundbreaking and unique isn't really what we expect from RPGs anymore. So what we found amazing back in the 80s, is just disorienting to a gamer today. Here's a quote from a professor teaching gaming history

Now it seems to me we're facing basic literacy issues. These eager players are willing to try something new, but in the case of a game like Ultima IV, the required skill-set and the basic assumptions the game makes are so foreign to them that the game has indeed become virtually unplayable.

And as much as I hate to say it - even after they learn to craft potions, speak to every villager, and take notes on what they say - it isn't much fun for them. They want a radar in the corner of the screen. They want mission logs. They want fun combat. They want an in-game tutorial. They want a game that doesn't feel like so much work.

I think there's a case to be made that Ultima IV hasn't aged well. I think there's also a case to be made that gamers haven't aged well. We dont' look at interacting with a virtual world inside a computer as entertainment in itself anymore. We need points and achievements to direct our gaming. Creating our own story isn't its own reward anymore.

I think it's a mixture of convenience versus how we play role playing games in general. Some of what you mentioned are things I do normally in a computer RPG(talk to every villager) versus those I do in tabletop(take notes of what the villagers tell me). The Ultima series exists within a time where video game RPGs were still pulling the vast majority of their content from tabletop games and fantasy novels. They've evolved away from that in the following decades, so it may seem like it's a lot of work to think about how they formed. Instead, I propose that it is simply a different mindset: 1980s computer RPGs should be viewed through the lens of tabletop gaming and not through how we look at a modern action RPG. They're related, sure, but one is much, much closer to its inspirational roots and hasn't really made the leap into its own yet.

[Menegrothx]

To my knowledge, they're the best and most perennially relevant American RPGs from the 80s.

Well that depends. Japan still produces Wizardry-clones on handheld consoles to this day (some on PC and consoles sure, but that doesn't get released over here nearly as much).

Ultima games were not the best games out there combat wise and in some other aspects. Games like Wasteland, Pools of Radiance (and the numerous other SSI games) are also still good. Like said, Ultima was the first one to really focus on story rather than combat, and in turn it suffered in that regard compared to CRPGs with simplistic and minimalistic stories but a lot more depth in party creation, customization, combat etc.

The ingenuity of the Ultima 4-6/7 storyline does not stand out just when compared to it's peers, I'm hardpressed to come up with any modern RPGs that did something as smart as that with their storylines. Let alone a trilogy of games. Sure there's religion and cults and what not in RPGs, but the kind of ethnically nuanced commentary that does not rely on binary choices and black and white stereotypes? That is almost exceedingly rare in video games

[Violent By Design]

So I got Ultima 7 on Gog but I'm a little confused on what buttons do what and I was aware that my copy comes with a digital manual of some sorts?

Does anyone know where I can read the manual?

[Ack]

So I got Ultima 7 on Gog but I'm a little confused on what buttons do what and I was aware that my copy comes with a digital manual of some sorts?

Does anyone know where I can read the manual?

If it came with a digital manual from GOG, than you likely need to download it from your collection. Go to your collection on GOG and click the game in question to reveal a dropdown menu of download options and relevant data. There should be a list of bonus content to download in the rightside column. Look there for a manual or other potentially helpful reference tools.