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I’m happy to say that I still have the big ol’ 3-ring binder with the original Lazarus design documentation in it!Īfter Dungeon Siege finally came out, we spent a lot of time learning the tools and technology and figuring out what new systems would be necessary to truly make the game feel like an Ultima. So the first 9 months or so of the project were spent sketching out concept art and maps for different areas, planning out the game’s design on paper, and writing sample dialogue to try and nail the right tone for the game. Unfortunately, Dungeon Siege wasn’t out yet, and its release was delayed shortly after we started the project.

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Trying to convince people to work for free isn’t easy, but fortunately the love of Ultima and excitement about getting into game development were enough to get several very talented people on board for the project.Īs for how development played out: In the early days of the project, I decided I wanted to use the Dungeon Siege engine for development (it was more flexible and suited to the game’s goals than the other options at the time). Initially getting the project off the ground consisted of making a simple website to describe what I wanted to do and recruiting people from both the student body at Purdue University (where I was a freshman at the time) and the Ultima fan community online. So with these reasons in mind, I decided to start the Lazarus project. And third, I knew that I wanted to get into the game industry and that I’d need some way of proving that I had what it takes to make games. Second, because I came to the Ultimas so late, most of them were already technologically ancient by the time I experienced them, and I really wanted to combine all the amazing aspects of the old Ultimas with all the advantages of modern tech and art.

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There were really three main inspirations: First, after Ultima IX came out, I simply hated the thought of the series coming to an end and I wanted to somehow prolong its lifespan a bit.

What was your original inspiration for Lazarus? How did the project initially get off the ground, and how did it progress through the years of development? In any case, I have to tip my hat to the folks at Origin for making a video game series that got a nerdy kid to seriously consider how he could be a better person in real life! I wasn’t raised in a particularly religious home, and I think Ultima was my first real exposure to any form of structured morality, so I suppose it makes sense that it captivated me like it did.

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I got into the series in 8th grade, and I can remember being fascinated by the whole idea of the virtues and actually pondering how to better myself along those eight vectors. I think there’s a ton of room for evolution on that front, actually, and I’d very much like to push forward the evolution of game morality/personality systems in the future.Īs far as the influence the Ultima series has had on me as a person, it’s actually a bit embarrassing how seriously I took the philosophy of those games. I was fascinated by what Ultima did with tracking virtue, and most of the best times I’ve had in gaming since then have been with games that track and respond to morality/personality in some way, from Planescape: Torment to Mass Effect. Professionally, I’d say the biggest influences that Ultima has had on me are a love of “living world” game design (which unfortunately I’ve not gotten to do yet on a retail game) and the incredible possibility space for morality systems in games. After that I was completely hooked, and I went on to play Pagan, Ascension, and the two Worlds of Ultima games. I played the crap out of those games, and immediately fell in love-so much so that I had to go back and play the entire series leading up to that point.

In 1995, I was looking through a bargain bin for some games to run on my already-ancient 486 PC, and I came across the Complete Ultima VII Collection and both Underworlds. I actually came very late to the Ultima series. What was your initial experience with the Ultima series? How has the series influenced you as a game designer? As a person? It had an exciting world to explore, and some of the most engrossing characters I have seen in a video game. Even though it wasn’t an official entry into the series, I still think Lazarus is the greatest Ultima produced.

It has been seven years since Ultima V: Lazarus version 1.20 was released.

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