Yesterday our readers were treated to the first of a two part history of the grand old Lady of MMOs, Ultima Online. Today we continue our look at how this venerable title came to be in part 2. Read on and then share your memories!

So now that they had the art style, the funding, and the engine - they needed a direction for the game to head in. Again the idea of “simulating fantasy” set out early by Garriott resurfaced, but they had a slightly different take on the traditional Avatar plot lines of preceding Ultima games. Inspired by pen and paper gaming; the project wouldn’t focus on the heroics of the individual, but instead the idea of co-existing in a world with others. You could be a hardened fighter, slaying monsters, or instead you might be a simple blacksmith, forging the armour and weaponry for those more courageous sorts – both play styles were catered for, and both equally important: you need the chain of production to get anything done, even in Britannia.

Read more of Adam Tingle's Ultima Online: The Making of a Classic Part 2.