Ultima III: Exodus

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Ultima III: Exodus
Developer(s)	Richard Garriott
Publisher(s)	Origin Systems
Designer(s)	Richard Garriott
Engine	Ultima III engine
Release date(s)	August 23, 1983
Genre(s)	RPG
Mode(s)	Single Player
Platform(s)	Amiga, Apple II, Atari 800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh, MSX, NES
Media	Floppy disk

Ultima III: Exodus is the third game in the Ultima series. Released in 1983 (USCO# PA-317-503), it was the first Ultima game published by Origin Systems. It had an immense influence on the development of both the American and Japanese traditions of role-playing video games, and is considered one of the most influental video games ever made.

The story of Exodus centers on a quest (back in Sosaria) to destroy the final remnant of the evil Mondain and Minax. Exodus features revolutionary graphics for its time, being the first computer RPG to feature animated characters. Also, Exodus differs from previous games in that players now direct the actions of a party of several characters rather than just one. Players now battle groups of enemies on a separate battle screen, where the player has to understand fairly complex weapons and magic systems and employ rudimentary tactics in order to overcome each opponent, as opposed to the system in the previous two games, in which the player is simply depicted as trading blows with one opponent on the main map until either is defeated.

Ultima III on the Commodore 64

While previous Ultima games let the player "explore" randomly generated dungeons (in Ultima I) or poorly-designed and plotwise completely irrelevant dungeons (in Ultima II) in wire-frame first-person, Exodus' dungeons are solid-3D in appearance, integrated into the game's plot, and remain the same across multiple plays (therefore introducing the element of requiring players to actually create their own maps for dungeons). In many other ways Exodus is more focused than the earlier parts; futuristic references are largely (though not completely) gone; also there are almost no map areas that do not serve some particular purpose in the game. The look of the game is no longer based on certain characteristics of the Apple II hardware; it is rather a carefully designed screen layout.

The game is named for its chief villain, Exodus, a demonic creation of Minax and Mondain that the series later describes as neither human nor machine. At the beginning of the game, Exodus is terrorizing the land of Sosaria from his stronghold on the Isle of Fire (later called Fire Island in Ultima Online). The player character is summoned by Lord British to defeat Exodus and embarks on a quest that takes him to the lost land of Ambrosia, to the depths of the dungeons of Sosaria to find the mysterious Time Lord, and finally to the Isle of Fire itself to confront Exodus in his lair. In the great tradition of old-school "Kill The Foozle" CRPGs, the game ends immediately upon Exodus' defeat; but unlike many games in the genre, Exodus cannot simply be killed in battle by a strong party of adventurers, but only through clever puzzle-solving and by paying attention to the many clues given throughout the game. The game ended with the message "REPORT THY VICTORY!" If you called Origin and reported your winning, they would send you a certificate autographed by Richard Garriott.

Although this is the last game in the series to take place in Old Sosaria, places in the game such as Ambrosia and the Isle of Fire make cameo appearances in later games, namely Ultima VII.

Exodus became a smash hit, and it is often cited as a main inspiration for later game developers.

[edit] Other Versions

Numerous ports of Ultima III appeared on many different systems. Below is a complete list of the various systems Ultima III: Exodus has appeared on along with some differences between them.

System	Release date	Publisher	Notes
Amiga	1986	Origin Systems Inc.	More colorful graphics than the original. Mouse support is present. Complete soundtrack is included.
Apple II	1983	Origin Systems Inc.	The reference card packaged with the game had listed Richard Garriott's address in Houston, Texas rather than the newer Origin's address in Andover, New Hampshire. The color of the reference card varies for each system. This card is usually dark blue on grey.
Atari 800	1983	Origin Systems Inc.	The reference card packaged with the game had listed Richard Garriott's address in Houston, Texas rather than the newer Origin's address in Andover, New Hampshire. The color of the reference card varies for each system. This card is usually dark blue on grey. Complete soundtrack is included.
Atari ST	1986	Origin Systems Inc.	More colorful graphics than the original. Mouse support is present. Complete soundtrack is included.
Commodore 64	1983	Origin Systems Inc.	The reference card packaged with the game lists the newer Origin's address in Andover, New Hampshire rather than Richard Garriott's address in Houston, Texas. The color of the reference card varies for each system. This card is usually orange on grey.
IBM PC	1983	Origin Systems Inc.	The reference card packaged with the game lists the newer Origin's address in Andover, New Hampshire rather than Richard Garriott's address in Houston, Texas. The color of the reference card varies for each system. This card is usually purple on grey. Designed for use with a composite color monitor; will not display correctly on CGA/EGA/VGA RGB-based monitors.
Macintosh	1986, 2006	Origin Systems Inc.	The game is restricted to black and white and has no sound. Mouse support is present A full-color modernization was later done by Lairware Software, with permission, beta version for OS X in 2006.
MSX 2 - Cartridge	1988	Origin Systems Inc./Pony Canyon	It was packaged in a VHS like box with only the game cartridge and 40 page manual.
MSX 2 - 3.5" Disk	1989	Origin Systems Inc./Pony Canyon	While still in a VHS like box it contains the manuals and map, both translated. Although the map is very different to the original.
NES	1987	Origin Systems Inc./FCI	Modified graphics and a new soundtrack. Only a small instruction booklet rather than the map and manuals. Added endgame sequence after defeating Exodus.
PC-8801	1986	Origin Systems Inc./Starcraft	Note: The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the popular PC game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996. Comes in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps. Rather than a cloth map, it has a jigsaw puzzle that forms the map.
PC-9801	1986	Origin Systems Inc./Starcraft	Note: The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the popular PC game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996. Comes in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps. Rather than a cloth map, it has a jigsaw puzzle that forms the map.
FM-7	1986	Origin Systems Inc./Starcraft	Note: The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the popular PC game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996. Comes in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps. Rather than a cloth map, it has a jigsaw puzzle that forms the map.