I was reading some of the inaccuracies (the ones from Hacki's site) the other day, and I noticed a mention regarding the lack of lockpicks in Ultima IX).   Well, I think I can definitely confirm that it wasn't for lack of trying.  It must have been cut pretty late in development.  There are two objects in Ultima IX named lockpick.  They are small and look a lot like a bent spatula (of course I'm zoomed in pretty far).  Though I suppose, everybody already guessed that lockpicking was just a cut feature.  Hey a key ring object is here as well. 

Still, the lockpick was planned, and hey if we get to the point where new dialog can be added, then a simple lockpicking system would certainly be put on the list of features to add.

Another interesting thing I've noticed recently, several NPCs have pieces of their schedules already coded. Only they lack a few important things like a bed to sleep in and hours to do certain tasks.  Oh speaking of schedules, it looks like setting a time of day for a task, sequence or event should be super easy.  So creating schedules for NPCs should be really easy once we can add new objects to the game world using a select and drop method.  In fact, this part is so simple, it was easiest part of my Activity editor to code for.  Unfortunately, many other aspects of the editor remain to be completed, so no screenshots yet.   At least the hardest parts are done.

- Iceblade

The Britannian Highway Administration is now open for business.

The editor for the highway database for Ultima IX is now complete.  Editing this file is a key component to NPC scripting and schedules.

It contains an ID/coordinate database of the waypoint objects used in the game for engine to know where to teleport the Avatar, NPCs, objects, etc. and for NPCs to know where their "marks" are for movement during events or schedules.  So in a sense, any waypoint or target location we add to the map has to be "registered" in this file to be used by the engine.  I observed this issue back when I fixed Mariah and Jaana's post shrine cleansing scripts.   Until I added their teleport targets to the highway file (by hex editing), they wouldn't teleport to their places.

In addition, this file contains highway segments with each segment being a route of waypoints with seemingly no restriction on the number of waypoints in a path.  A waypoint can be repeated multiple times within a route, so an NPC could be made to pace back and forth between two waypoints or to play fetch.

Anyway, for those curious, I've posted a screenshot.  Obviously, the tool usefulness is limited by the functionality of other tools, but my rapid progress so far probably means a complete scheduling editor will be ready in a week or so.

In other news, I have received several applicants for composer (in only 12 hours), so no more applicants.  I will be making my final decision regarding the new composer in a few days.

Also we have yet to receive any beta testers for the books editor.  For that matter, nobody has submitted any books for Ultima IX. Hopefully that is a good sign that people are at work on short stories rather than short summaries.

Our other programmers are also hard at work, but more news on that at a later date.  Reverse Engineering is continuing at a steady pace, and several more critical files have been heavily decoded allowing for continued progress with our tools.  There are still, however, many trigger commands and a number of object properties left unknown or unclear, but progress is being made.

I've updated the team page, and several of you might notice an open position for 3D modeler.  Let me clarify that.  At present, we do not have a tool to import models into the game.  Also, we do not have a clear idea on what the requirements will be or the kinds of limitations that will be placed on the models.  We hope to have several of these issues dealt with in a matter of months.  We will keep you guys posted.

If you are a 3D modeler and are very interested in joining up and staying for long haul (5 years max - we hope FW will be nearly finished by then), you can help with upgrading the graphics in the game.  At present, there are a number of objects that could use upgraded or even redone textures.  If you require the models themselves, I'm sure we can create an exporter tool from our Mesh Viewer's code in a relatively short period of time.

- Iceblade

I know the screenshots have been a little limited of late especially from the Forgotten World side, so I took a screengrab of the books editor that I'm working on (posted in the Awesome Screens section).  It is nearly complete only lacking one or two minor features and a few cosmetic changes.  Once those have been completed, I will require a few people for some beta testing, so I'm currently taking volunteers from the community.  The main reason for the outside beta test is to get some feedback from the community regarding the editor since I will be releasing it to the public in a few weeks or less.

While on the whole, this editor's usefulness is limited given the simple format of the books.flx file, the task has provided me with valuable insight into Python GUI programming.  As a result, other editors (mainly a scheduling editor) will be developed with a much faster pace.

On the subject of books, there are no limits on the number of books/recipes/etc you can submit.  If you have a submission or wish to beta test, you can contact us via the usual channels list on the Team and Contact page.

Also, it looks like we have a need for musical composer, so if you are interested, please send a sample to the team email and we will get back you pretty quickly.  I've already got a list of areas that need musical accompaniment.

That is all for now, but expect some additional news in the coming week or so.

- Iceblade

Hail to thee travelers,

The Librarians of the Britannia seek new additions for their shelves.  Over the next several months, we will be taking submissions for novels, songs, tales, self-help, and daily living texts to add to the available list of books for various locations around Britannia.  Already, work is starting to fill out the list with books from Ultima 6 and 7, but more tomes are needed.

It is up to you how far you wish to develop the book.  It can be a lengthy short story (though we would prefer if you kept it below 10 double-space pages), plot summary, excerpt from a daily living, occupational or self-help text, or a full guide of recipes.  If your recipes or crafting ideas are worth-while they made be added as a scriptable event in-game similar to the bread-making feature.  If you want to write a fictional tale (either full length or a plot summary), we do ask that you write something original rather than summarize the plot of a real novel.  

The kinds of text that we are looking for are the following: (note:  * - indicates that we have a need for these kinds of books, ** - means that we need a lot of books of this kind)

Fiction (mainly short story length rather than plot summary)

* Adventure tales (stories that occurred in Britannia involving an adventurer but with some possible exaggeration)

* Nonfictional (within the Ultima Universe) narratives or histories

Daily living/self-help

* Recipe books or guides

Fauna

Flora

** Geographical (either history of a location or descriptive)

* Magic-related (regarding alchemy, wands, spells, mages, etc.)

War (ie books on weapons and fighting)

** Ships and Sea-navigation

* Study of literature (books on analyzing or writing literature)

* Music or theater related (plays, dance styles, lyrics; just no actual sheet music)

** Monks (texts regarding monks, namely those from Empath Abbey)

** Governmental archives (Court of Justice, records of deeds, minutes from meetings of the Great Council or any other council from the various towns, etc.)

Occupational

So if you submit something, then as long as it fits and doesn't contradict Ultima lore, it will be added to the book list.  And when you make a submission, please include the name you want displayed for the book's author, the kind of book it is, and approximately when it was written in relation to the games (pre-U5, post-SI, etc.).