But first and foremost we are happy to report that music production for Return to the Serpent Isle has officially begun. We are blessed to have to have Panu Aaltio (known to some as Grotto Dragon) doing the music for Return. Panu is a professional composer who has already done soundtracks for games and movies and who has quite simply godlike talent! (If you haven’t: be sure to check examples of his works on his website).

I’m afraid you will have to wait a little more before we share the result of Panu’s work with you all, but let us just say that it lead overwhelming positive receptions by the entire dev team, with words such as “Phenomenal” and “Awesome” being thrown around. This is basically the kind of music you just usually don’t get for an amateur project, and it’s motivating all of us even more to craft content that will honor it!

In addition a lot of work has also been done in term of gameplay systems and mechanics since last month.

For starter, some might have already noticed that, but a new version of the Spellbook system was uploaded to NWN2 Vault earlier this month, with a new (albeit not quite final) UI and GUI much more in line with traditional Ultima spellbooks.

Pretty much all of our spells and skills have been implemented and are now working properly in game – and while these are aspect that will definitely need some balancing down the road, this already means that two more of our core systems are now working and implemented.

Jaakko also continues to be a miracle worker, and has been hard at work implementing new systems or reworking existing ones. Notably we have reworked the way NWN2 handles experience points to fit more how it traditionally works in Ultima games, and we have also modified the Inventory screens which will allow for less cluttering and junk than modern RPGs usually do.

We have also added a new Injury system that triggers when a party member is “knocked dead” and works in a way that is somewhat similar to Dragon Age Origins. We’d actually hoped to release it this month, but some unexpected technical issues have forced us to postpone it.

But in spite of this, we are still happy to share two more new releases with you all that you can find at NWN2Vault

The Death and Resurrection system is a system which will allow for a traditional Ultima resurrection: thus instead of having a game over when the whole party is wiped out, you instead get teleported to a specific place upon death with a small XP loss.

The currencies system is a way to allows for multiple currencies to be used in the game depending of the kind of coins used by a shopkeeper, and the possibility to exchange from one money to another at a specific NPC. Aye – exactly like in the original Serpent Isle!

Other than that work is about to begin on a guard and prison system to punish dishonest players, and several new design ideas have been brought to the table which could come up with some very interesting results if we manage to do as we envision.

So needless to be said: things are going very well on this front. The core gameplay systems are now implemented, and we’re confident that by summer’s end pretty much all features should be implemented and working – balancing not withstanding of course.

We have also decided for a new scale for the overland map, which while it will cause the overland to use many more zones, will allow for much more fun and exploration to be had.

On the writing front we have finished writing and polishing the 36 (!) Ophidian Virtue Questions that will be used for character creation. It was not an easy process, but we are quite proud of the result, and feel we do offer some really interesting moral dilemmas.

Development for Moonshade NPCs have stalled somewhat for the moment as focus has shifted to a new aspect of the project which we feel you’re all gonna find very exciting. But I’ve already said too much…

And don’t forget you can know follow us on our Twitter to get a quicker look at our development processes.

But of course, we can’t conclude an update without a reminder:

WE NEED YOU!

We still need many more motivated team members, and we are notably sorely lacking in both 2D and 3D Artists – so if you feel you are up to the task, do not hesitate to contact us! This project will not be finished without you!

See you all again next month!

You will already have noticed that a new widget showing our twitter directly on the main page, but you an also follow us directly there at : http://twitter.com/UltimaReturn

We’ll be back very soon with our new monthly update as well !

Finally, the Final 1.0 version of the Ultima VI Project, the remake of the False Prophet done by Team Archon, is available for all to enjoy.

While you will require Dungeon Siege to enjoy it, well go ahead and buy it if you haven’t done so !

You can find the full release of this game either at the official project website or Ultima Aiera.

All our thanks to the Archon Team for this wonderful endeavour, this is thanks to project such as these that we are here today !

We had already mentioned this system before, but it is now ready for public consumption: a fully working Ultima Magic System, which means spell scrolls to scribe, reagents and of course Mana (represented by a new neat mana bar that appears next to the character portrait).

You can find it there.

Also a lot of work has been done in term of character creation and classes – we have notably made some changes to the character creation screens, removed the useless D&D stats and features, and of course crafted a working character creation system based on Virtue questions that will determine your character class!

We are also currently working on implementing our own character classes with a freeform skill system, roughly inspired by Ultima Underworld. If all goes well, we should be able to share this with you guys very soon.

While we know that some people might feel that the idea of using a D&D-based system for an Ultima game would be terrible, we can reassure you and tell you that it feels less D&D-ish by the day and more and more like a new Ultima !
In addition we have also written and scripted the introduction sequence and are working on implementing it as we speak (although with now 2D Stills due to a lack of artist from now).

We also also welcome a new and talented writer amongst Team Serpent, Kat, which has just joined our team and will hopefully helps up speeding up the NPC creation process.

So all in all things are progressing well, but keep in mind…

WE NEED YOU!

As much as we are making progress, we still need many more motivated team members, and we are notably sorely lacking in both 2D and 3D Artists – so if you feel you are up to the task, do not hesitate to contact us!

See you all again next month!

As such both our basic Food and Sleeping systems have been uploaded to the NWN2 Vault here and there. While these are bound to receive further update in time we are delighted to share these with you!

In addition Jaako which continues to be our miracle worker has designed a fully workable Serpent Gate system. It will be working slightly differently from the original Serpent Isle, but we’ll share more about that later.

Besides sides still are thing going a bit slow, but we have potential new team members incoming that might hopefully help to speed things up.

But of course we will finish with our usual plea:

WE NEED YOU!

We’ll be back next month with a new Update that will hopefully come sooner in the month.

I am happy to say that we have been doing some great progress on game systems since our last update. Thanks to the tremendous work of our newest coder Jaako, we’ve been doing some great work on developing the world simulation aspects of Return, far beyond what was ever implemented in NWN2.

First, as we mentioned last month already, we already have a working schedule system that will allow NPCs to move around the world depending on the time of day. But in addition, Jaako has fully revamped the sleeping system : rather that the strict and fixed system of NWN2, you may now choose the number of hours you might sleep in, as well as picking one of your party member to stand guard… just in case some monsters might attack.

But of course what would be an Ultima without food? As such we also have a working feeding system, where you need to use food items on your characters to replenish their food bar.

As of yet, we are only scratching the surface of some of the more complex feature of these systems (such as consequences a low food bar will have on your character, or the risks of sleeping in an area more dangerous than another), but we are hoping to be able to share a basic release of these systems soon – so keep your eyes open !

In addition, we have also devised a magical system requiring the use of reagents – yes indeed! So no more D&D-ish spell memorization, but true Ultima-ish reagent-based magic.

Unfortunately I also have to report that progress on the Moonshade NPCs have been slower than anticipated due to unexpected real-life considerations, but we are still hard at work !

Of course let me finish this update like every month by saying as usual :

WE NEED YOU!

Be sure to check our recruitment page and contact us if you feel you’ll be able to help!

Indeed, one will set Return to the Serpent Isle aside from other fan projects, is that we have decided to release the game in an Episodic format. Now this might come as a surprise for an Ultima game – but after careful consideration it appeared to be a good decision when taking into account both the scope and the amateurish nature of this Mod. Return is a big and ambitious project – and crafting the game as a whole will probably take years – so we felt (and the NWN2 Engine offers us this possibility) it would be a good idea to take a more Episodic approach in developing the project, by crafting and releasing one Chapter at a time.

Of course the downside is that it will create a more linear game than originally intended – but the upside is to allow fans to be able to actually play the game sooner rather than later, and continuing from where they left off. In a way, you could compare this to the multiple milestone that had been released for the U6 Project – except crafted in a way to create a more cohesive story per release and allowing the players to keep their savegames and characters, which is something Dungeon Siege couldn’t allow.

Now the ultimate plan is still to release the full non-linear game experience at the end of development, but this way also allows us to focus our team effort on a single goal in order to offer something for public consumption as soon as possible..

So as of now, we are focusing on producing our first Chapter. We’ll obviously keep the lid on the actual content, but we will however reveal that this first chapter will consist of the entire Isle of Beyond where lies the city of Moonshade, and as such we are focusing on designing and crafting this area.

We’ve reached a first deadline last month, as the NPC list and count for the region has been finalized. In the coming month we will be working on expanding them into full profiles, as well as defining the actual region content.

In the meantime, our tech guys are also hard at work on devising or modifying game systems in order to fit an Ultima style (indeed let us just announce already that we’ll have a fully functional NPC schedule system!)

So this is it for this monthly update – we’ll obviously keep you informed as to how development will progress on the region.

Allow me to remind you all however that we are still in dire need of team members, especially artists (2D and 3D) and worldbuilders. So if you can help us: do not hesitate to join us!

As for those wondering WHEN Chapter I will be released?

When it’s done of course!

One thing I have noticed however is that most Ultima projects (whether alive or dead) have essentially focused on remaking or enhancing the existing games. This is a wonderful endeavor in itself and allows us to experience these classics in a new way — but I’ve always felt that to continue to keep the Ultima legacy alive, it is also important to expend the Ultima world beyond what the nine core games and their spin off have brought us, by crafting new stories and new adventures.

But what is Return to the Serpent Isle, one might ask?

Return to the Serpent Isle is a new Ultima adventure created by fans, and that aims to create a whole new game faithful to everything Ultima ever stood for, while at the same time trying to modernize it. Thus we hope to give to every Ultima and CRPG fans the chance to enjoy a new story in the Ultima universe that is very much tied to “Ultima VII Part Two – The Serpent Isle,” which was released in 1993.

But even before all that, Return to the Serpent Isle is pretty much at the core — a fanboy’s dream.

When Ultima VII Part Two came out in 1993, it was pretty much an unique episode in the Ultima series. While you could trace back its root to the Worlds of Ultima series, it was the first time that a core Ultima game brought the Avatar to a vastly different world from Britannia. It was also admittedly a departure from the traditional Ultima design… with a more linear approach, but at the same time providing one of the most developed and compelling story that Ultima has ever offered. The result was one of the most beloved episodes of the Ultima series — which really happens to be my favorite episode as well.

Unfortunately we never got the chance to revisit the Serpent Isle. Of course it probably wasn’t ever planned as far as Origin was concerned -– but while I enjoyed Ultima IX, its cardinal sin as far as I’m concerned has always been how the game basically and blatantly ignored the events of Serpent Isle, essentially relegating it to rank of a forgettable Spin-Off, much like the Ultima Underworlds and the Worlds of Ultima games.

And this is how the idea of a new Serpent Isle story gradually began to form in my mind. I began to imagine what would be my idea of the “ultimate” Ultima game and how I would continue the franchise if I had the chance… and the idea of using the Serpent Isle immediately came to me… soon followed by a setting, characters, a plot… Of course at this time the idea of actually doing a game about it felt like a fool’s dream –- which eventually brought me to start this story as a fan-fiction, though it never got past the first chapters.

Over the years as I followed the development of Lazarus and U6P, it eventually hit me –- why wouldn’t it be possible? If these two remakes have proved us something, it’s that with enough dedication anything is possible. So gradually, I started writing a more detailed story and background, and a pretty extensive development doc. I immediately settled for the Dungeon Siege engine –- because it somehow felt obvious after Lazarus: what better way to craft a new Ultima game? And thus after announcing the project, I began what is probably one the hardest part: finding a team.

Things have proven to be difficult, and slow –- real life also getting in the way most often than not, and while the project never really got to a halt I have no doubt that many believed it to be dead. Return to the Serpent Isle never died… but it mutated. As months went by, I gradually came to rethink it. Some progress had been made, but it was mostly work done on paper, with no actual production having started in Dungeon Siege. So the solution became somewhat obvious.

And the end result being of course the decision to drop the Dungeon Siege engine.

In term of versatility, I still feel the Dungeon Siege Engine is the most suited to create a traditional seamless Ultima –- but it brings a whole lot of other issues with it. Nevermind the fact that it is becoming very dated (it is a 2001 game after all), but Dungeon Siege is already having issues running with Windows Vista and 7, so who knows what will happen in a few years time. Indeed the DS community in itself is basically dead and buried and consists solely of the talented and dedicated U6P Team. And the more I thought of it, the more it felt to me that U6P would really be the DS engine’s swan song… and that a Dungeon Siege Siegelet no matter how ambitious it was, would probably not hold much interest for gamers or fans in a few years time. And the idea of spending what was probably going to be many years on a project that nobody would end up playing was just terrifying.

Another reason that drove this change of engine is the desire to offer a sense of novelty. After two epic Ultima games with the Dungeon Siege engine, I’ve began to apprehend the fact that another game might just end up feeling “more of the same.” Ultima has always been about pushing technology forward, so there was also a logic in going forward with a more modern engine and I felt this would also be an opportunity to offer a slightly different approach and gameplay –- but one that we felt would still be very Ultima-ish.

Thus I began looking at other engines, other choices –- knowing it would mean some compromise –- but also (with agreement from the rest of the team) that it would be in the project’s best interest. It has not been an easy prospect because CRPGs have greatly changed since the days of Ultima, and the design philosophy of modern games has little in common with Ultima games.

But after careful consideration, I’ve finally noticed an engine with a very interesting and promising feature: an overland map. It is not a very common feature nowadays –- most game would basically just offer you a bland world map with a few locations to click and where you are instantly transported. And there was this overland map where you can move around, that you can freely explore between two towns… Indeed it reminded me of a very old game, a game which focused on a similar approach for five legendary episodes. A game called Ultima.

So this is why I decided to settle on the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine, with the obvious additions of its two add-ons, and particularly Storm of Zehir’s overland map.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking: “A Dungeon&Dragons Ultima game?!” It is a valid concern, but I believe that Ultima has always been much much more than its ruleset and you can rest assured that everything will be done to diminish the D&D feel of the engine and create a game with many of the features you would expect of an Ultima game. And trust me when I say that you might be surprised, as Neverwinter Nights 2 is far more moddable than one might suspect.

Of course –- Return to the Serpent Isle will not be a traditional seamless Ultima game in the vein of Ultima VII, but it will still be an Ultima –- more old school in its approach perhaps, but can’t you just begin to picture exploring our Serpent Isle while an overland musical theme rings inside your ears?

So this is it: Serpent Isle is returning at last – and we all vow to make everything in our power to craft a new Ultima worthy of this legendary legacy.

Marc “Sergorn” Charlot

Project Leader

At long last, the “Return to the Serpent Isle” Website is opening for all to see. It has taken a long time to come to this, but we’re happy to finally be there for all of you. As you can see, there is not much in term of content for now, but rest assured the site grow over time and we will do our best to provide regular updates on our progress. At the very least, you can always expect a monthly update.

Our team is still pretty small, so we are also looking for new team members in many domains. Be sure to have a look at our Recruitment page if you have some interest in joining us!

Also, check back in a couple of hours to get a chance to read our first Dev Diary entitled “The Birth of a New Ultima” which goes into how this project was born and how it evolved in the year following its announcement.

In the meantime, feel free to come and say hi in our forums (in which you can post with or without registering) and ask any questions you might ask.