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What happened to depth?
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Ernest
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August 17, 2009 - 1:33 pm
Member Since: July 2, 2009
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Periodically I get the urge to start playing all the Ultimas from scratch, and somewhere near the end of Ultima 1 life intrudes.  But it's not because I'm not having a blast!  So my question is: what happened to depth in games?  If/when I ever actually manage to get my life functional enough (don't get me started on the renovation) I'm gonna finish every single one of those, and anyone who's played even a few will/should understand that I have a TON of play time ahead.  I remember Ultima 2 and up from back when I played them, and lord I'll have 100s of pages of notes by the time I'm done.

So again whatever happened to depth in games?  Why haven't more followed the same model?  Sure there have been a few, but for every Planescape Torment...oh wait there hasn't been anything like PT since.  There are so many decent writers who would love to write for computer games, why in heck haven't more designers let them?

A mystery.  A real mystery.

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Steerpike
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August 17, 2009 - 5:12 pm
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A mystery indeed, Ernest. The truth is, I think it has something to do with the mainstreaming of games, and the chronological maturation of the key audience. Many of us were kids when we started playing, and kids have lots of time on their hands - a game like Ultima 2, classic if there ever was, took hours to explore and experience. Once school and college and spouses and kids and renovations and work intervened, it became increasingly difficult to fit such games into our lives. You're right, there hasn't been a game like Planescape Torment since Planescape Torment, and no examples of anything like it appear on the horizon. It's a pity whenthe games we miss most are the ones least likely to stage a comeback. I applaud your All-Ultima Initiative. Once you do get the time, you'll have to keep us posted on your progress!

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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