I was a member of the forum at Gone Gold, a gaming website that existed from 1998 to 2004. One popular activity on the forum was participating in "challenge threads" in which we played through a game from start to finish and posted about our progress. At first, these threads were competitions for finishing first. Later, they became about sharing experiences.One challenge thread was for Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, a 1985 roleplayiung game that is widely considered one of the best computer games of all time. I had never played it, so I joined the challenge to motivate myself to give this classic a chance.
Perhaps because I was getting frustrated with the game, my imagination took over and began developing an alternate story for the game. I wrote this story in my posts to the thread, giving personalities to the game characters as well as the real reason why my alter ego, Sausalito, was given the quest to become the Avatar. I altered the screenshots I posted to fit the story, which grew in length and absurdity and took over the thread. I had no intention of going so far, but writing Sausalito's “journal” became an obsession. One hour of playing the game could mean four to five hours of writing and Photoshopping. I played the game to the end not just to see how it would end but also how my interpretation of it would end.People enjoyed reading the journal and suggested that I put up a website to preserve it. Shortly after the demise of Gone Gold, I placed the journal on GeoCities. GeoCities closed in 2009, and I have now gotten around to putting the journal here on Blogger.
Enjoy the adventures of Sausalito! For you Gone Gold historians out there, you can read the original challenge thread by downloading this 7 MB Zip file.
The Making of "The Little Shepherd"
I played the PC version of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar using XU4 version 0.9 and Upgrade version 1.3. I used Photoshop 5.5 for the artwork and ImageReady 2.0 for animation.
Note that a Flash version of Ultima IV can be played online.
Characters
Occupation: Shepherd
Torn from today's world to become a shepherd in the virtual realm of Britannia, this young man faces the challenge of practicing the virtues to become worthy of Avatarhood.
Occupation: Bard
An laid-back codger who's seen it all during his years as a traveling musician, Tubbs has settled down. But is there one last verse to his song before the coda?
Occupation: Druid
A passionate servant of nature, Jaana has seen little beyond her idyllic hometown. It may take a man like the Avatar to awaken her deep-seated sense of justice.
Occupation: Unknown
This lady watches over a closed treasure chest and says nothing to anyone. Townspeople quietly pass her by, not knowing what to make of her. What will the Avatar make of her?
Occupation: Ranger
This man-about-town calls himself a ranger yet seems to think himself above carrying the implements of the trade. What will the Avatar think of a ranger without a bow, or words without action?
Occupation: Fighter
Belligerent and brash, there is no warrior in the land more valiant than this one. However, it will take a friendship with the Avatar to bring out the warrior within.
Occupation: Ruler
The sovereign of Britannia looks upon his subjects with a benevolent face and directs them with a sure hand. But what is his true motivation? Only the Avatar can discover it.
