Hacki's Ultima Page - Ultima IX nitpicks in Skara Brae

“Now do you see the importance of courage, you fool?”

Here you’ll find inaccuracies in Skara Brae, the most often destroyed city in history of gaming, the Great Stygian Abyss, and the Isle of the Avatar in Ultima IX. The last city you visit in the game is by far the most relaxing one. Thanks to the Guardian’s fire wave, there are no more people in Skara Brae, which also means: no pathetic dialogues. Then again, what Skara Brae lacks in terms of pitiness is easily made up by the “Netherworld”. It’s where you get to hear the famous “Stealing is wrong!” quote.

Ignorance of predecessors (20)
Technical shortcomings (12)
General problems (19)

The following nitpick is new:

Mathis' mines

Ignorance of predecessors

Dupre rises from the dead because the Shrines of Virtue are cleansed. Yikes, there are two terrible gaping inaccuracies:
1. Dupre was already dead before the Columns appeared in Britannia, wasn’t he? This means that he died while the 8 Shrines were still OK. Why then does he rise from the dead when they have been cleansed?
2. How did Dupre’s soul get back into his body? It was burnt years ago in the Monitorian Crematory on Serpent Isle, for Jesus Christ’s sake!
It was stupid enough to get Dupre back, let alone doing it in such a senseless way.

(by Hacki Dragon)
Dupre’s resurrection will have serious consequences for the universe. After all, it was his soul in Serpent Isle that was united with the Serpent of Chaos in order to restore Balance and save Serpent Isle and Britannia, too, from destruction...

(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, we are told how the miracle came to pass: the Great Earth Serpent “released” Dupre.
Since Ultima IV, the Avatar always took a small ankh with him when going to Britannia - just this time he didn’t, although he would actually need it now... (We can assume he just, uhm, forgot it at home.)
(by Hacki Dragon)
When Lord British kills Blackthorn, he seems to have real fun; he almost enjoys it! Can this be the same man who had mercy with the once noble Blackthorn at the end of Ultima V because Blackthorn had only been made evil by the Shadowlords, and thus sent him into exile instead of executing him? (Could it be the nearby Column against Spirituality that encourages Lord British to happy murdering?)

(by Hacki Dragon)
In Ultima VI, the lenses were used to look into the Ethereal Void to be able to read the Codex. In Ultima IX, it seems that the Codex always stayed in Britannia (which is bad enough already), and the lenses are suddenly used to decipher it. A terrible mistake of the designers!
(by Hacki Dragon)
The Codex lenses are used the wrong way round in Ultima IX. The blue one should be to the left, and the red one to the right.
(by Mimu)
Actually, you should already be allowed to enter the Shrine of Spirituality after the first moongate works again. In former times, to be precise, you reached the Shrine of Spirituality by walking through any moongate at a certain time.
(by Hacki Dragon)
The summoning of Pyros is strange - What do the Titans of Pagan suddenly have to do with Britannia? And the Abyss is supposed to be the home of Pyros? In the manual of Ultima VIII, the Titans’ origins were described completely differently. Also, where does that odd pentagram in the middle of the Isle of the Avatar come from? There was no pentagram there in former Ultimas. If a Titan simply had to be implemented in the story in some way, then Lithos, the Earth Titan, would have been the better choice for the “Abyss in midst of Earth”, right?
Solution of the riddle: A video from the original plot had to be used. In that plot, the Guardian was supposed to show Lord British visions of how the Avatar had summoned Pyros on Pagan. You can still see the wall of Lord British’s bedroom for a glimpse of a moment. See also Remnants of the original Ultima IX.)
(by Hacki Dragon)
It’s still strange, but at least nobody calls the Abyss “home of Pyros” in the patch, and the pentagram is on the isle because Blackthorn recently summoned Pyros there.
Alright, so a Titan is needed to open the Abyss... But the Avatar is a Titan, isn’t he? At the end of Ultima VIII, he became the Titan of Ether! Well, there are said to be such worthless titles...
(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, you need Pyros because he is brutal and strong, not because he’s a Titan.
The Avatar killed Malchir in combat when the Avatar walked into his sanctum uninvited and certainly didn’t cause Pyros to kill him. While that trick is possible in Ultima VIII, it continues with Pyros immediately destroying the world, and the Avatar with it.
I guess that this all has to do with the fact that murder isn’t appropriate for the image of a shiny blonde hero. (That’s what I call propaganda.)
(by Paulon Dragon)
In the patch, Malchir becomes a nameless sorcerer.
The Well of Souls was destroyed in Ultima VII! Why is it still there?

(by Tribun Dragon)
It contradicts the imagination of virtue we’ve had so far when the Avatar says:

“We can do as we please as long as nobody gets hurt.”

I will try to explain more precisely what this would mean:
- You may lie, as long as the other person doesn’t notice that you lie.
- There is no problem in striving to become the richest and most powerful man in the world, because nobody gets hurt by that.
- You are allowed to run from danger; this does not hurt anyone.
- Why should we try to harmonize our spirits? This has nothing to do at all with hurting other people.
(by Lord Eternal Dragon)
All these dialogues of nethermost quality in the Netherworld were edited in the patch.
The Avatar participated in the ritual of summoning Pyros in Ultima VIII. Why then must he talk to Malchir’s spirit to summon Pyros again? (Can be explained with theory about the Avatar’s head and Pagan.)
(by Lord Eternal Dragon)
A scary ferryman controlled the traffic between Skara Brae and the mainland in Ultima VII. He said he would be bound to Britannia until the end of time, couldn’t be destroyed, and would never find salvation. Duh.
(by Lord Eternal Dragon)
Why does Blackthorn actually carry out a magic duel against Lord British? He should know that Lord British’s Crown protects from spells (see Ultima V)! Well, of course, it’s still not clear if it’s still the same crown as before...
(by Tailrace Dragon)
Where are Horance and Caine? In Ultima VII, the two remained in Skara Brae after the destruction of the Well of Souls and certainly survived the Guardian’s fire wave without any trouble.
(by Artic Blaze Dragon)
In the patch, Horance dies. You don’t hear anything of Caine, though.
To summon Pyros, you need the Master Sorcerer and four Acolytes! Not just the Avatar! The reason why four acolytes were needed was to support the Master Sorcerer in case Pyros tried to break free (which he did try on Pagan), so since in Ascension, the Avatar is sucked in by the ground Pyros should just leave the pentagram and smash Britannia!
(by Dino the Dark Dragon)
Pyros was defeated with the Tongue of Flame. He either died or lost all titanic power! How can he still be around? And imprisoned in the pentagram, for that matter?
(by Dino the Dark Dragon)
Skara Brae has been destroyed... Uhm... This reminds me of something... Oh, yeah! Skara Brae was already destroyed in Ultima VII! And in Ultima IX, the town (rebuilt in the meantime) is destroyed again, before you can even step onto the isle - Silly plot design, isn’t it? (Most likely, a video from the original plot had to be used here.)
(by Hacki Dragon)
You have to wonder how that giant pyramid got to Skara Brae. We didn’t see it in any previous Ultima. What purpose did it serve before the town was destroyed?
(by Wood Dragon)

Technical shortcomings

When you enter Skara Brae, the Sentinel’s head is stuck halfway in the sand - a portrait of devastation. But, wait a moment... the head is already stuck in the sand before the destruction, as you can see in the video shown on Terfin! (Yes, I know, the journal also tells us quite confusing things about the Sentinel without actually explaining anything.)

(by Hacki Dragon)
I don’t want to appear bloodthirsty, but... shouldn’t lots of corpses lie in Skara Brae? If the fire wave burnt everything, then why are still monsters on the island?
(by Hacki Dragon)
Not surprisingly, Skara Brae looks already destroyed before the destruction on the map of Britannia.
(by Hacki Dragon)
Am I blind or is the Golden Ankh invisible?
(by Hacki Dragon)
No more blabbing about the alleged presence of Lord British’s vessel in the patch.
3 things have gone wrong with the Codex lenses:
1. The lenses have always been round.
2. In Ultima VI and VII, the lenses were much larger.
3. The Gargoyle lens should actually be purple, not red.
(by Tribun Dragon)
It’s completely pointless to discuss Malchir’s appearance. How the heck did the robed wizard from Ultima VIII become a fat bald pirate? Did he meet Lord Stuart the Hungry in the Netherworld?
(by Lord Eternal Dragon)
This flaw is smashed in the patch, because Malchir has become a nameless sorcerer.
Isn’t it strange that the destroyed Shrine of Spirituality is covered with plants in the void?

(by Tribun Dragon)
Much has gone wrong with the “Stone Guardians” at the Shrine of Codex. First, they look in the wrong direction, second, they are a bit too small, third, they just look like lifeless gray Gargoyles.

(by JBO Dragon)
An interesting mistake in Skara Brae: The docks! They should have been completely destroyed by the Guardian’s fire wave, shouldn’t they?

“You see, you can’t sail there because there are no docks on Skara Brae. And of course, swimming is out of the question!”

(by Tribun Dragon)
Shouldn’t we see the pyramid in the video of Skara Brae’s destruction?
(by Tribun Dragon)
The icy platforms in the Plane of Air aren’t slippery. (Remember Underworld II? Its engine was superior to that of Ultima IX, as far as this was concerned!)
(by Natreg Dragon)
The mines Mathis mentions appear to have been laid to waste just recently, and there are even still some Goblins around. Mathis tells you the Goblins would not have attacked if he had stolen the totem from a nearby Goblin camp. Problem: There is not a single Goblin camp in that area. The next camp is far to the south, and there’s no reason the Goblins from there would have been interested in attacking the mines, as Yew was much closer.
(by Tribun Dragon)

General problems

Has nobody in Trinsic, Paws or Moonglow noticed the destruction of Skara Brae? I think if my neighbor town were suddenly destroyed, then I’d surely notice!
(by Hacki Dragon)
Who or what is actually that Sentinel? Would have been interesting, huh? But no, the Avatar just wonders what Gargoyles and paladins are!
(by Hacki Dragon)
The patch tells us: Horance built the Sentinel, who was meant to watch over Skara Brae.
From where does Shamino know Malchir? Did he meet him in the Netherworld? Why don’t you get any background information in Ultima IX?
(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, it seems that Shamino does not know the spirit.
Shamino’s just standing in this cave after his rescue and doesn’t move! Hey, old friend, what about joining me into the Abyss, like you once did? I could need your help...

(by Hacki Dragon)
In the Netherworld, the Avatar tells Calan that stealing is evil every time and everywhere. A few minutes later, he talks Mathis into believing that he should have stolen the Goblins’ totem. What a pathetic turncoat!

(by Hacki Dragon)
It’s an entirely new dialogue in the patch.
I really never got why picking up a baby (or a baby doll possessed with a baby’s spirit) from ten meters away is related to the principle of Love.

(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, it looks like this: Elizabeth does not realize what Love really is until the Avatar reaches the baby to her and she can hold her child in her arms.
So, is the Isle of the Avatar invisible or is it not? A few dialogues in the game or in the journal would suggest that. But first, Lord British has no trouble getting there, and later on, Raven doesn’t seem to have problems navigating to the isle either. To make things even worse, the isle is shown on the Britannia map, which is available everywhere!
(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, the isle is not invisible but protected through an invisible barrier. When it becomes clear that the Avatar is connected to the Guardian, you realize that it’s no problem to get through for the Avatar as well.
So, Lord British thinks he is capable of surviving the deadliest Britannian dungeon ever, the Abyss. He could at least have explored dungeons like Despise by himself then, instead of waiting for the Avatar, or am I asking too much?
(by Hacki Dragon)
In the Netherworld, the Avatar writes into his journal where the Book of Truth can be found. I actually thought that to this point, you already consulted the Book of Truth long ago...
(by Hacki Dragon)
Concerning the Golden Ankh... Lord British really could have placed his vessel to the Avatar’s deposal from the beginning of the game!
(by Hacki Dragon)
When you meet Raven after the short trip into the Abyss, it seems she already knows everything - but from where? The Avatar left the Abyss before Lord British, didn’t he?
(by Hacki Dragon)
Why does Blackthorn always carry the Codex with him? And isn’t it very careless to take it into the Abyss, where his nemesis Lord British could grab it...? (Which of course happens.)
Perhaps the reason for Blackthorn to carry the Codex with him all the time is that he doesn’t trust anyone, not even the Guardian. It might be also be possible that the Guardian isn’t interested in the Codex at all. This seems to make sense, but the designers forgot about the dialogue to confirm it all.

(by Hacki Dragon)
Does anyone understand Lord British? First, he produces a completely linear game, and then he suddenly interferes in the story and travels into the Abyss on his own...
(by Hacki Dragon)
Not necessarily an inaccuracy, but an interesting observation: Why actually does the Avatar have to travel down the Abyss? Just to watch Lord British throwing lightning flares and fireballs and to grab the glyph afterwards? This is called a “constructed plot”.
(by Hacki Dragon)
A very large plot hole: How did Blackthorn and Lord British get to the bottom of the Abyss without fighting their way through all those traps and elemental planes? They did not even summon Pyros, did they?
(by Lord Eternal Dragon)
The patch says that Blackthorn, too, must fight his way through those obstacles, and Lord British makes use of a mighty teleportation spell.
It is a bit strange that the Shrine of Spirituality was affected although the responsible Column isn’t in the ethereal void.
(by Kensai Dragon)
If the people in Skara Brae aren’t affected by the Column, then why is the shrine destroyed? Yeah, that’s what I call a plot hole!
(by Kensai Dragon)
When the Avatar arrives at his isle, he wonders why Lord British is there. Hrmmm, must be aftereffects of his injury in Pagan! After all, he just learned a few minutes ago from Lord British’s plan to descend into the Abyss and fight Blackthorn.
(by Hacki Dragon)
In the patch, the respective Journal entry was replaced with: “Now the Isle of the Avatar lies before me, and somewhere within Lord British and Blackthorn await.”
How did Shamino actually get into the Netherworld? After all, you need the ankh to enter the Well of Souls.
(by Tribun Dragon)