From: eric@smos.com (Super nice guy)
Subject: Ultima Underworld II
Keywords: UW2, UWII
Organization: S-MOS, Inc
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 20:18:13 GMT

Hi!

Well, I looked all over this weekend to try and find the game.  Well I finally
found it at Software Etc -- it was the last one in the store!  I had talked to
CompUSA and Egghead software and they said there were going to get it this
week (Tuesday probably).

Anyway, they sold me the game for $67.95.  In the Origin Catalog, it was set
at $79.99.  Both are much too expensive, but the game IS good.

As for the game itself, it's really cool.  I'm running on a 486/25 with
soundboard (Pro) and a graphic accelerator board.  I'm also using OS2 -
2.0 with service pack.  Anyway, just like UW1, I have had no problems
running UW2.  The major difference is that it is slower than UW1.  About
30% slower.  So if playing UW1 was slow on your machine, UW2 will be
even worse.

As for the look of the game, the graphic screen (3-D) is about 30% bigger.
But all the things that were there before (character, icons, compass, text
screen, gargoyle...) are still there.  They have just been moved around
and made smaller.  There are still only four possible save positions.  The
detail levels and sound/music controls are still the same.  The character
window still shows the same three screens: Character items, Character stats
and rune bag.

The character generation is similar if not the same as before.  You are limited
to paladin, druid, bard ...  The same as before.  Left or right handedness and
male/female gender.  But after generating the base character, you get a few
free skills (battle, magic or other) -- I don't remember if it was like this
in UW1.  These skills seem to personalize your character.

As for the game itself, it leaves the Abyss (which does not exist anymore) and
goes back to Britain in the castle.  Everything in the game is still inside,
but there is a lot more now.  There are two/three levels in the castle, and
then multiple levels in the sewer (I don't know how many -- at least 3).  As
for what comes after, I don't know.
You cannot transfer any characters from UW1.  You start out a lowly first level
character.  The bug is that the first level beneath the castle is REALLY tough
(some headlesses and a beholder/whatever)!!!  The instructions suggest that
you should go down to the other levels before completing an upper level.  I
will try that.
The graphics however are much nicer.  They use the same texture mapping as
before on the walls/ceiling/floor.  There is no more warping effect as you
get near the surfaces, though.  The monsters/characters are much nicer now.
Even when you are fighting a monster right in front of you, they are perfectly
clean with no "huge" pixels.  Much nicer.
Also, the game does not use much more sound/music than before.  But, they added
a few nice touches: When you walk, you can hear your footsteps; When you fight
you can "hear" your weapon it walls or monsters (splat or bang).  You can still
hear monsters that are near.  The music is a little more "tacky" than before.

Anyway, all in all it's a good game.  It's a petty that it's slower than before -
makes you want to get a faster CPU.  But the improvements are quite nice and
make the game much more fun.

That's all.


Eric
(email: eric@smos.com)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games