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The Legendary ULTIMA IV: Quest of the Avatar, APPLE ULT

PRICES REDUCED FROM PREVIOUS LISTING!

Here is a mint-condition copy of the legendary RPG ULTIMA IV. I loved the ULTIMA series … I started with the original ULTIMA and eagerly awaited each new installment. I once met the author of the series, Richard Garriott (AKA Lord British), at an Apple software expo and put in a bid to compose music for whatever was to be the next ULTIMA. That didn't pan out, but I was still happy I got to meet and chat with him.

There were many chapters in the ULTIMA series, but ULTIMA IV is widely considered to be the most perfect of the lot. ULTIMA IV differs from most RPGs in that the game's story does not center on asking a player to overcome a tangible ultimate evil.

Richard Garriott (AKA Lord British, the creator of the ULTIMA series) has stated that he began writing this game when he realized (partly from letters of enraged parents) that in the earlier games immoral actions like stealing and murder of peaceful citizens had been necessary or at least very useful actions in order to win the game, and that such features might be objectionable. He decided that if people were going to look for hidden meaning in his work when they didn't even exist, he would introduce ideas and symbols with meaning and significance he deemed worthwhile, to give them something they could really think about.  

This was the first ULTIMA game where you had to play as a human, eliminating the elves, dwarves, and bobbits found in previous games.  The object of the game is to focus on the main character's development in virtuous life, and become a spiritual leader and an example to the people of the world of Britannia (the fictional world in which the game takes place). The game follows the protagonist's struggle to understand and exercise Eight Virtues: Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Honor, Sacrifice, Spirituality and Humility. The eight virtues used in the game were derived from combinations of truth, love, and courage, a set of motivators Garriott found worked best, and also found in one of his favorite films, THE WIZARD OF OZ.  After proving his or her understanding in each of the virtues, locating several artifacts and finally descending into the dungeon called the Stygian Abyss to gain access to the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, the protagonist becomes an Avatar.

Technically, the game was very similar to ULTIMA III: Exodus, although much larger. This was the first ULTIMA game to feature a real conversation system—whereas Non-Playing-Characters in the earlier parts would only give one canned answer when talked to, now players could interact with them by specifying a subject of conversation, the subject determined either by a standard set of questions (name, job, health) or by information gleaned from the previous answers, or from other characters. Many sub-quests were arranged around this.

The game took two years to develop, twice that of both ULTIMA II and ULTIMA III.  Garriott stated he wanted to become a good storyteller and make certain the story had content. He said that 90% of the games out there, including his first three ULTIMA games, were what he called "go kill the evil bad guy" stories. He says that "ULTIMA IV was the first one that had ethical overtones in it, and it also was just a better told story."


The game box and all its contents are in mint condition, there is only very slight wear on the box corners; there are no other marks or creases. It still looks as though I just took it out of the shrink-wrap. Inside the box are the two game disks, a cloth map, a History of Brittania, a Book of Magic, a Reference Card and a metal Ankh (all pictured).

Grab this one while you have the chance. I don't know how many times this game comes up for auction; I would be very surprised if another copy in such good condition shows up in the near future.


SHIPPING NOTE: If you'd like this shipped in a manner other than what's pre-selected, please write me and I'll adjust the shipping cost after the auction (before you pay, of course!).


NOTICE TO ALL INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
Most of our orders shipped outside the US are delivered within 2-4 weeks. But, please be aware and understand that sometimes they can take up to 6 weeks + to arrive because of delays in customs. If an order is not received within 3-4 weeks, you might want to contact your local customs office to see if your package was held up there for some reason.
Also, we are required to mark the correct value on the customs form and include a sales receipt in the package. Please do not ask me to mark it as a gift or falsify the value. International buyers are responsible for any possible customs fees required by their country when claiming a package. 

SORRY, NO RETURNS. This is sold "as is."  I don't have an Apple II computer anymore, so I can't check that the disks. Also, I hold no responsibility for user operating system incompatibility. Please know what your computer can run. Thanks.

HAPPY BIDDING!
 _gsrx_vers_419 (GS 6.0.7 (419))