Quote:What is Lazarus?
Lazarus is a remake of ORIGIN Systems' classic computer RPG Ultima V, which was released for the first time in 1987. If you have never played any of the Ultima games, you might want to visit The World of Ultima to find out what the series is all about. Lazarus is a mod using the Dungeon Siege engine from Gas Powered Games. It features an enhanced storyline, characters, and setting based on the original Ultima V. We want to keep the original story intact as much as possible, but we've also sought to improve the game with new side quests, a deeper and richer plot, and enhanced dialogue. In addition, we've added several entirely new NPCs.


Where can I learn more about Lazarus?

The best site to have bookmarked is the official Lazarus homepage, www.u5lazarus.com. You should be able to read the latest news about the project, along with plenty of concept artwork and music. The latest version of this FAQ will always be available from the official homepage. Also, a great place to ask questions is the Official Lazarus Forum

Why Ultima V?
The decision to remake Ultima V was made by our founding member, Ian "Tiberius" Frazier. The reasons behind his choice are best expressed in his own words:

"After I finished playing Ultima IX, I knew that the series was over. Ultima is my all-time favorite series of games, so I decided to remake one of the older ones and help keep the series alive. We're doing Ultima V specifically, rather than, say, IV or VI, for three basic reasons:

First, U5 is old enough that its technology is completely obsolete. Ultima VI-IX are still "playable" with today's computers, but V and those that came before it are very outdated.

Second, no one has ever created any patches or upgrades for it. Ultimas I, III, and IV have all at least been patched, if not completely remade.

Finally, I feel that Ultima V has the greatest potential for expansion of all the early Ultima games--its story is rich, its characters are interesting, and its environments are begging to be seen in modern graphics. We now have the technology to bring to life this gaming classic, and that's what we've done! "

I'm an Ultima fanatic, and I can't stand the way you're ruining this game! Why are you changing so many things?

The biggest change from the original Ultima V to Lazarus is the technological leap. With the Dungeon Siege™ engine, we have the capability to immerse the player in a 3D environment and allow them to experience Britannia in all its glory. The original U5 was created with a blocky and simplistic (by today's standards) tile-based engine because that was the limitation of the technology at the time. We have the ability to far exceed that technology while still keeping all the things that made Ultima V great.

Aside from the technology, we're keeping everything else as intact as possible. The plot will remain the way it was in the original, and we're striving to make the dialogue as accurate as possible and fit into the rich Ultima history.

We've carefully avoided bringing in things that weren't mentioned until later Ultimas (i.e. the gargoyles) because we don't want to damage the "historical accuracy" of the game. However, we will have several references to older Ultimas and some little things that would make sense in the grand scheme of the Ultima saga but weren't possible in the original. For example, an observant player may be able to find Gargish runes inscribed into walls deep in the Underworld. Unless you've already played Ultima VI and you can read Gargish, you'll be unable to translate them -- but they're there nonetheless simply because it makes sense for them to be there.

If you're still worried about us messing up your beloved Ultima V, don't be. Most of us have played Ultima 9 and we are well aware of potential problems and what not to do -- we don't want to alienate long-time die hard fans. Just remember that we're die hard fans too, and we a want to see this project become worthy of the original classic that inspired it.

How much will Lazarus cost, and what will I need to run it?

Lazarus is freeware. You will, however, need a copy of Dungeon Siege 1 or Legends of Aranna installed in order to play. See the Dungeon Siege homepage for information regarding system requirements--the system requirements for Lazarus are similar, though our performance tends to be a bit slower overall while playing on a comparable system.


How will Lazarus be distributed, and how big will it be?

Lazarus will most likely be distributed via download only. Because we are working with a $0 budget, we can't afford to burn it onto CDs and distribute them to end users.

However, we will do what we can to get Lazarus included on freeware/shareware CDs (such as the ones included with some gaming magazines) so that people with poor Internet connections can still play the game.

The mod is very, very large--approximately 530 MB.

Who is currently working on the project?

Lazarus has a team of roughly 30 talented members at any given time. You can see a list here