I actually had a C64 and a C128. The 64 had a power supply problem and maybe something else that I forget so ended up getting a C128 also. I still have both in the basement and it makes me wonder if the C128 would still power up.
Thanks for the tips. I may look into that.
I also have a C128. It’s overclocked. Really. The CPU plugs into a chip which plugs into the mobo. There is a second chip that plugs into the 1541 drive. Both have switches that extend out of the cases. You can run it at 2MHz or a blazing 4MHz. Some software (read games) won’t work at the higher speed.
Having said that I want to fire it up. I’m sure it will run. I just don’t think the floppies are any good. Otherwise I’d be playing Red Storm Rising every day.
It’s the physical media that I wanted, more than the opportunity to play the game again. That said, it is one of the reasons I kept a C-64 while chucking many subsequent devices. As Gordon indicated, the c-64 versions were better until V (and unplayable after that, as VI was significantly compromised on that platform).
I never knew VI was released on C64 actually, I only played up to V since that was my primary platform up until at least 1990 or so. Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I have ever played VI at all - tried to play VII because everyone says it’s awesome, but I found managing the party members and their constant hunger was like being a mama bird with a nest full of squawking chicks.
VI is very much the game you’d expect between V and VII – the graphics transformed into color (well, they were in color before in some tiles, but they were essentially geometric shapes and stickmen) and there is far more world interactivity, along with a lot more dialogue, compared to Ultima V – but the graphics haven’t aged anywhere near as well as Ultima VII’s (the music also feels a lot more dated). I still like the way Ultima VII looks, while VI is blurry and pixelated - I think I actually prefer the stick-men of the prior Ultimas.
But Ultima VI probably has the best (turn-based) combat in the series (which still isn’t great - never a strength of the series) and it’s clearly a stepping stone to the world simulation feel of VII (improving in every way on V in that respect) - and yet doesn’t have some of the annoyances of Ultima VII like the constantly hungry companions and the chaotic real-time combat. Ultima VI’s story is also very good, and overall it’s a legit contender for the best of the Ultima series. It’s a great game.
No one seems to want to talk about Ultima 8? I thought Ultima 9 was brave but somehow it never clicked like 3 to 7 did for me.
U8 was widely derided as a disappointment and the first real failure in the Ultima series, I think. I wasn’t able to play it at the time. I have dinked around with it on DOSBox since then and I will only say the graphics hold up pretty well.
I played U8 and got tired of it after repeatedly jumping to my death. I remember calling it “Mario the Avatar” after all that jumping though. I believe they finally fixed it by having click-jumping. It was they married the Crusader engine to Ultima and unsurprisingly it didn’t pan out.
Ultima IX - outside of U8, that was the only one I didn’t finish because it was more of a slideshow on my computer. I think Origin overreached with that title. I was more excited about upgrading to play Wing Commander than I was to do the same for U9 so I just put U9 down when it arrived and was unplayable.
My understanding is that it’s not that bad a game in and of itself, but next to U6 and U7 it was a real step down.
Ultima 8 wasn’t disappointing, it was a travesty. EA wanted to turn it into an action game, but it wasn’t all their fault, either - pretty sure EA didn’t make them put it in some side world nobody cared about with none of the characters anyone wanted to see.
Don’t forget they also turned it into a game with jumping puzzles. It was only Ultima because it had the Avatar and the Guardian. Apart from that it had almost no connection with any of the previous games either in form, substance or story. I don’t know how Garriott approved this.
Other way around.
You are right. I guess they found a use for the travesty after all because I really enjoyed Crusader.
Everyone loved Crusader, it was too awesome. Even the cheesy FMV.
Unless you play it 20’years after the fact and decide you really, really hate the controls.
Pfffft, weak. I bet you complain about the tank controls in Resident Evil too.
I wouldn’t know! I’ve never had any interest in that series.
True weakness would be complaining about the tank controls in Combat.
U8 was straight-up, a crappy game. It failed in both design and execution.
U9 didn’t lack for ambition but had legendarily poor production and ultimately (sic) was pretty broken.
Sucks that my favorite series of all time died with a whimper. EA.
Is this the Cleve is fat thread?