Ultima IX: Ascension [Demo Version 1.0] September 7th, 1999 Copyright (C) 1999 ORIGIN Systems, Inc. *** PLEASE READ! *** *** This file explains known bugs *** *** and how to avoid them. *** *** This demo is optimized for 3dfx cards *** *** 8 bit textures and the Glide API. *** Topics covered in this README file: 1. A Word from Lord British 2. Known Issues 3. Random Crash Bugs 4. 3D Hardware Compatibility 5. Feedback 1. A Word from Lord British =========================== Fellow gamers, Let us welcome you to the Ultima IX: Ascension demo. As of the time of this writing and the creation of this demo, the main game has just reached what we call the alpha state. Alpha means that we have nothing but bugs, balancing and some last minute tweaks. The full game is still a work in progress, so please be aware that you will encounter some problems that will not be in the final game. Our goal in creating Ultima IX has been to surpass the very best elements from two previous Ultimas in particular. I hope that we will tell a tale as compelling and important as we did in Ultima IV where we introduced the Virtues of the Avatar, and the principles of Truth, Love and Courage. I also hope you believe we have created an immersive virtual world like has never been seen before, harkening back to Ultima VII which is the best virtual world we had created before in a solo player game. In this demo, which is but a small sample of the whole game, you will play a modified version of the beginning of the game and visit one of the dungeons as well. The full game includes hundreds of NPCs, dozens of unique environments, magic and combat skill advancements, spells, weapons, numerous fearsome creatures to battle, and of course a detailed world and plot to explore. These aspects of an Ultima are hard to demo in a short tour of the sort we have crafted. They await you in the full version. Below are some of the known issues with the demo, as well as some hardware incompatibilities. 2. Known Issues =============== Creature AI ----------- Creature AI is currently being refined. You may notice some creatures acting erratically, or ignoring you until you are right next to them. Be assured that the creatures you meet in the full game will behave properly. Combat ------ Do not go through the Moongate with your sword drawn. We are working full time on tweaks and system balancing in the game. Combat has undergone a lot of changes in the last month, and will continue to be balanced over the next few weeks. Sound Effects ------------- We are paying close attention to the sound effects in the game now, balancing out all of the ambient sounds, background music, and speech volumes. User Interface -------------- Some interface issues remain still. You may find that your backpack opens unexpectedly, some items may become stuck below your toolbelt, and books may appear too large or small to read. If you get stuck, try to climb or jump. If you create a new character from the journal, you will need to strike the shift+q keys to toggle your interface items on. 3. Random Crash Bugs ==================== Of course we are well aware of a few random crashing bugs as well. These are just examples--you may not ever encounter any of the above. Crash Upon Start Fix -------------------- The demo attempts to start you at your last save game location. If you encounter a problem starting the game, but you have had the game working properly before, DELETE ALL FILES FROM THE SAVEGAME FOLDER. You will find one file to be 'read-only', this file should not be deleted (U9game0.sav). 4. 3D Hardware Compatibility ============================ This demo will require a recent 3D accelerator, as will the final game. It supports the Voodoo2 and Voodoo3 series of chipset via the Glide API. This demo DOES NOT YET run well on most D3D cards. Not all system configurations have been tested for compatibility. Many video cards that support Direct3D may show graphic artifacting, or run the game slowly. The following Direct3D chipsets have been tested and are known to work with this demo: nVidia TNT nVidia TNT2 Matrox G400 Make sure you get the latest drivers from your card manufacturer or the latest Reference drivers from the chipset manufacturers. The final product will fully support many more Direct3D cards. 5. Feedback =========== We value your feedback, so if you have any comments about the demo, please send email to the following address: lordbritish@origin.ea.com (This is a direct line to Richard Garriott, it does get read!) We will be unable to respond to any email that is sent to this address, as we will be very busy putting the finishing touches on our masterpiece. Please have as much fun playing our demo as we did putting it together for you. The Ultima IX : Ascension Team