In 1992, 3D first person gaming branched into two distinct directions: the action-packed shooter Wolfenstein 3D by id software and Ultima Underworld: the Stygian Abyss by Blue Sky Productions (later known as the legendary Looking Glass Studios). Whereas Wolfenstein 3-D was all about speed and violence, Ultima Underworld focused on designer Paul Neurath's ultimate goal: to make the best and most immersive dungeon crawler ever made.

The game included survival and simulation elements like having to eat and rest regularly, engaging in intuitive conversations with NPCS to solve quests, and a non linear and sometimes open-ended structure to the order and manner in which quests could be completed. It was also the first game to have an almost entirely 3-D space, with right angled corners, multiple planes of elevation, texture mapping on floors and ceilings, and the ability to look up and down, jump, and fly, just to name a few.

These technical achievements set the standard for gaming going forward, but Ultima Underworld's utopia in ruins setup would also inspire the settings for games like System Shock and Bioshock as well as provide the mechanical framework for much of incredibly popular Elder Scrolls series. In addition to influencing quite a lot of modern RPG design, the game's attention to detail and open-ended solutions would prototype the immersive sim(ulation) design ideas that Deus Ex, Thief, and many others would iterate and improve upon.

0:00 Introduction

1:22 Development

2:32 Story

4:31 Presentation

5:54 Character Builds/Skill Breakdown

8:24 Controls/Interface

10:28 Quests and NPC Conversations

12:30 The Bad

13:23 Is Ultima the First Immersive Sim?

16:25 Legacy of Ultima Underworld