Editing Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

{{short description|1992 first-person role-playing video game}}
{{Redirect|Ultima Underworld|the sequel|Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = Ultima Underworld cover.png
| alt = Cover art
| caption = Cover art by Denis R. Loubet
| developer = [[Blue Sky Productions]]
| publisher = [[Origin Systems]]{{efn|Published in Japan by [[Electronic Arts Victor]]}}
| designer = [[Paul Neurath]]
| director = [[Richard Garriott]]
| producer = [[Warren Spector]]
| programmer = {{Plainlist|
* Jonathan Arnold
* [[Doug Church]]
* Jon Maiara
* Dan Schmidt
* Carlos Smith
}}
| artist = {{plainlist|
*Carol Angell
*Douglas Wike}}
| writer = {{plainlist|
*Brad Freeman
*Dan Schmidt}}
| composer = {{plainlist|
*[[George Sanger (musician)|George Sanger]]
*Dave Govett}}
| series = ''[[Ultima (series)|Ultima]]''
| platforms = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|[[DOS]]}}|[[FM Towns]]|[[PC-98]]|[[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]|[[Windows Mobile]]}}
| released = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|March 21, 1992}}|'''DOS'''{{vgrelease|NA|March 21, 1992}}|'''FM Towns'''{{vgrelease|JP|December 1993}}|'''PC-98'''{{vgrelease|JP|December 17, 1993}}|'''PlayStation'''{{vgrelease|JP|March 14, 1997}}|'''Windows Mobile'''{{vgrelease|NA|May 29, 2002}}}}
| genre = [[Action role-playing game|Action role-playing]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}

'''''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss''''' is a 1992 [[action role-playing game]] developed by [[Blue Sky Productions]] (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by [[Origin Systems]]. Set in the fantasy world of the [[Ultima (series)|''Ultima'' series]] the story takes place inside the Great Stygian Abyss: a large cave system that contains the remnants of a failed [[utopia]]n civilization. The player assumes the role of the [[Avatar (Ultima)|Avatar]]—the ''Ultima'' series's [[protagonist]]—and attempts to find and rescue a baron's kidnapped daughter.

''Ultima Underworld'' has been cited as the first [[Role-playing video game|role-playing game]] to feature [[first-person (video games)|first-person]] action in a 3D environment, and it introduced technological innovations such as allowing the player to look up and down. Its design combines [[Immersive_sim|simulation]] elements with concepts from earlier role-playing video games, including ''[[Wizardry (video game series)|Wizardry]]'' and ''[[Dungeon Master (video game)|Dungeon Master]]'', which led the game's designers to call it a "[[Dungeon crawl|dungeon simulation]]". As such, the game is [[Nonlinear gameplay|non-linear]] and allows for [[emergent gameplay]].

''Ultima Underworld'' sold nearly 500,000 units, and was placed on numerous hall of fame lists. It influenced game developers such as [[Bethesda Softworks]] and [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], and it was an inspiration behind the games ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]'' and ''[[BioShock]]''. The game had a sequel, ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]'' (1993), and a new game in the series, ''[[Underworld Ascendant]]'', was released in late 2018.

==Gameplay==
''Ultima Underworld'' is a [[role-playing video game]] (RPG) that takes place from a [[first-person (video games)|first-person]] perspective in a [[2.5D|three-dimensional]] environment.<ref name="ace" /> The player's goal is to adventure through a large, multi-level [[dungeon]], in which the entire game is set.<ref name=guide /> The player uses a [[point-and-click|freely movable mouse cursor]] to interact with the game's world, and with the icon-based interface on the [[Heads-up display (video games)|heads-up display]] (HUD). Each icon has a specific effect; for example, the player uses the Look icon to examine objects closely, while the Fight icon readies the weapons of the [[player character]].<ref name="ace" /><ref name="cgw1" /> The player's progression through the game is non-linear: areas may be explored, and puzzles and quests finished, in any order.<ref name=guide>{{cite book | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss Player's Guide | year=1992 }}</ref> An [[automap|automatically filling map]], to which the player may add notes, records what the player has seen above a minimum level of brightness.<ref name="gamebytes" /> The player character may carry light sources to extend the [[line of sight (gaming)|line of sight]] in varying amounts.<ref name="guide" /> Exploratory actions include looking up and down, jumping, and swimming.<ref name="gamespy" /><ref name="dragonmag" />

[[File:Ultima underworld 1 screenshot.png|left|thumb|A goblin walks up an inclined surface. The player has selected the Fight icon, causing the player character's current weapon, a fist, to appear at the bottom of the screen.]]

The player begins the game by creating a character, for whom traits such as gender, [[character class|class]] and skills may be selected. Skills range from fighting with an axe, to bartering, to picking locks. By participating in combat, quests and exploration, the character gains [[experience point]]s. When certain amounts of experience points are accumulated, the character [[Experience level|levels up]], gaining additional [[hit points]] and [[Magic point|mana]]. Experience is required to recite [[mantra]]s at [[shrine]]s in the game. Each mantra is a statement—such as "[[Om|Om Cah]]"—that increases proficiency in a specific skill when typed. Simple mantras are provided in the game's manual, while more complex ones are hidden throughout the game.<ref name="guide" /> An inventory on the HUD lists the items and weapons carried by the player character; carrying capacity is limited by weight.<ref name="cgw1" /> Players equip items via a [[paper doll (gaming)|paper doll]] system, wherein items are clicked-and-dragged onto a representation of the player character.

Combat occurs in real-time, and the player character may use both melee and ranged weapons. The player attacks by holding the cursor over the game screen and clicking, depressing the button longer to inflict greater damage.<ref name="ace" /> Some weapons allow for different types of attacks depending on where the cursor is held; for example, clicking near the bottom of the screen may result in a jab, while clicking in the middle produces a slash.<ref name="guide" /> Simulated [[Dice#Application in role-playing games|dice rolls]] occur behind the scenes to determine weapon accuracy.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /> Enemies sometimes try to escape when near death,<ref name=gamespy /> and the game's stealth mechanics may occasionally be used to avoid combat altogether.<ref name="uw2manual" /> The player may cast spells by selecting an appropriate combination of [[runestone]]s. Like mantras, runestones must be found in the game world before use. There are over forty spells, some undocumented;<ref name="gamespy2" /> their effects range from causing earthquakes to flight.<ref name="ace" />

The developers intended ''Ultima Underworld'' to be a realistic and interactive "dungeon simulation", rather than a straightforward [[role-playing video game]]. For example, many objects in the game have no actual use,<ref name="gamebytes" /> while a lit torch may be used on corn to create [[popcorn]].<ref name=gamespy2>{{cite web | url=http://archive.gamespy.com/halloffame/july01/underworld/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227093131/http://archive.gamespy.com/halloffame/july01/underworld/ | title=Hall Of Fame: ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' | archive-date=December 27, 2007 | last=Carlson | first=Rich | publisher=[[GameSpy]] | access-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref> Weapons deteriorate with use, and the player character must eat and rest; light sources burn out unless extinguished before sleeping.<ref name="guide" /> A physics system allows, among other things, for items to bounce when thrown against surfaces.<ref name="gamespy" /><ref name=gamedesigntheory /> The game contains [[non-player character]]s (NPCs) with whom the player may interact by selecting dialogue choices from a menu. Most NPCs have possessions, and are willing to trade them.<ref name="ace" /> The game was designed to give players "a palette of strategies" with which to approach situations, and its simulation systems allow for [[emergent gameplay]].<ref name=uw2manual>{{cite book | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | year=1993 | title=Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds Manual }}</ref><ref name="mallo" />

==Plot==

===Setting===
''Ultima Underworld'' is set in Britannia, the fantasy world of the ''Ultima'' series. Specifically, the game takes place inside a large, underground [[dungeon crawl|dungeon]] called the Great Stygian Abyss. The dungeon's entrance lies on the Isle of the Avatar, an island ruled by Baron Almric. The Abyss first appeared in ''[[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar]]'', in which it contains the player's final goal, the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.<ref name=manual>{{cite book | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | year=1992 | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss Manual }}</ref>

''Ultima Underworld'' is set after the events of ''[[Ultima VI: The False Prophet]]''; in the time between the two games, a man named Cabirus attempted to create a [[utopia]]n colony inside the Abyss. The eight settlements of the ''Ultima'' series each embody one of eight virtues, and Cabirus wished to create a ninth that embodied all virtues. To achieve this, he united diverse cultures and races in peaceful co-existence and planned to promote harmony by giving each group one of eight virtue-imbued magical artifacts. However, he died before distributing the artifacts, and left no instructions for doing so. As a result, the colony collapsed into anarchy and war, and the artifacts were lost.<ref name="manual" /> At the time of ''Ultima Underworld'', the Abyss contains the remnants of Cabirus's colony, inhabited by fractious groups of humans, goblins, trolls and others.<ref name=manual /><ref name=gamespot4>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990430054541/http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/18.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/18.html |archive-date=April 30, 1999 |title=The ''Ultima'' Legacy |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=March 9, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Story===
Before the beginning of the game, the Abyss-dwelling wizard brothers Garamon and Tyball accidentally summon a demon, the Slasher of Veils, while experimenting with inter-dimensional travel. Garamon is used as bait to lure the demon into a room imbued with virtue. However, the demon offers Tyball great power if he betrays Garamon. Tyball agrees, but the betrayal fails; Garamon is killed, but seals the demon inside the room. Because he lacks virtue, Tyball cannot re-enter by himself, and plans to sacrifice Baron Almric's daughter, Arial, at the doorway to gain entrance.<ref name=cluebook>{{cite book | last=Allston | first=Aaron | title=Ultima Underworld Clue Book: Mysteries of the Abyss | year=1992 | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | isbn=0-929373-08-1 }}</ref>

In the game's introduction, the ghost of Garamon haunts the Avatar's dreams with warnings of a great danger in Britannia.<ref name=playtime /> The Avatar allows Garamon to take him there,<ref name="dialogue1">{{cite video game | developer=[[Looking Glass Studios]] | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | date=1992 | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | quote='''Ghost:''' Treachery and doom! My brother will unleash a great evil. Britannia is in peril! / '''Narrator:''' Sure that the ghost can take you to Britannia, you allow yourself to be drawn to him.}}</ref> where he watches Tyball kidnap Arial. Tyball escapes, leaving the Avatar to be caught by the Baron's guards.<ref name="dialogue2">{{cite video game | developer=[[Looking Glass Studios]] | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | date=1992 | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | quote='''Tyball:''' No matter, thou shalt serve to draw the hounds from the scent. / '''Narrator:''' Below a creature heads toward the dark woods, a thrashing sack slung over its massive shoulder.}}</ref> The guards take him to the Baron, who banishes him to the Great Stygian Abyss to rescue Arial.<ref name="dialogue3">{{cite video game | developer=[[Looking Glass Studios]] | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | date=1992 | quote='''Baron Almric:''' If thou art truly the Avatar, then perhaps thou canst offer hope. None here can survive the Stygian Abyss and rescue Ariel. My mind is set! Corwin shall take thee to the Abyss. Return here with my daughter and thy innocence shall be proven. If thou dost not return, Avatar, then thy lie shall have brought thee low.}}</ref> After the introduction, the Avatar explores the dungeon and finds remnants of Cabirus's colony.<ref name=guide /> A few possible scenarios include deciding the fate of two warring goblin tribes, learning a language, and playing an instrument to complete a quest.<ref name=gamespy2 /><!--<ref name=gamespot4 /> --><ref name=playtime /> The Avatar eventually defeats Tyball and frees Arial.<ref name=cluebook /><ref>{{cite video game | developer=[[Looking Glass Studios]] | publisher=[[Origin Systems]] | date=1992 | title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | quote='''Baron Almric:''' Thou hast earned my gratitude and more. Were it not for thee, my daughter tells me we would have lost more than her delightful company.}}</ref>

However, as he dies, Tyball reveals that he had decided to contain the Slasher of Veils, whose prison he had been weakening, within Arial as a way to prevent it from destroying the world. Arial asks the Avatar to prevent the Slasher of Veils from being unleashed, and magically teleports back to the surface to evacuate its inhabitants. With help from Garamon's ghost, the Avatar gathers the eight talismans of Cabirus and throws them in the volcano at the base of the Abyss; Garamon's spirit uses the energy they release to open a portal and send the Slasher of Veils into another dimension. The Avatar is sucked through the portal into a chaotic alternate dimension, but escapes back to the Isle of the Avatar and makes it on board the Baron's ship as the volcano erupts. As the game ends, Garamon's spirit reveals that he teleported the inhabitants of the Abyss to another cave.

==Development==
''Ultima Underworld'' was conceived in 1989 by [[Origin Systems]] employee [[Paul Neurath]]. He had just completed work on ''[[Space Rogue]]'', a hybrid title that features sequences both of [[2D computer graphics|2D]] [[Tile-based video game|tile-based]] role-playing and of [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[space flight simulator game|space flight simulation]].<ref name=gamedesigntheory /><ref name=cvg /> According to Neurath, ''Space Rogue'' "took the first, tentative steps in exploring a blend of RPG and simulation elements, and this seemed to me a promising direction." He felt that the way it combined the elements was jarring, however, and believed that he could create a more immersive experience.<ref name="cvg">{{cite web | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=28003 | title=Feature: Games that changed the world: ''Ultima Underworld'' | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212192612/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=28003 | date=April 16, 2002 | archive-date=December 12, 2007 | work=[[Computer and Video Games]] | last=Mallinson | first=Paul | access-date=February 10, 2009 }}</ref>

{{quote box | width=32% | align=right | quote=I had played lots of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons|D&D]]''. I also read a range of fantasy: [[Robert E. Howard|Howard]], [[Fritz Leiber|Leiber]], [[Jack Vance|Vance]], [[Roger Zelazny|Zelazny]], [[Ursula K. Le Guin|Le Guin]], and of course, [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. Tolkien's description of [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]] struck me in particular, and it seemed like a fine setting for a game.|source= —[[Paul Neurath]]<ref name=mallo /> }}

Neurath had enjoyed [[role-playing video game]]s like ''[[Wizardry (video game series)|Wizardry]]'', but found that their simple, abstract visuals were an obstacle to the [[suspension of disbelief]].<ref name=ttlg /> He believed that ''[[Dungeon Master (video game)|Dungeon Master]]'''s detailed first-person presentation was a "glimpse into the future", and he sought to create a fantasy role-playing game that built on its example.<ref name=ttlg /> In early 1990, Neurath wrote a design document for a game titled ''Underworld'',<ref name=cvg /> which described such elements as "goblins on the prows of rowboats tossed in the waves, shooting arrows at the player above on a rope bridge swinging in the wind."<ref name=swords /> He contracted former Origin employee Doug Wike to create [[concept art]].<ref name=ttlg /> Wike created a brief, hand-drawn animation with [[Deluxe Paint Animation]], which depicted the game's interface and a creature moving toward the player. The animation defined the game's direction,<ref name=gamedesigntheory /><ref name=swords /> and it was used as a reference point for the game's tone and features throughout development.<ref name=gamedesigntheory>{{cite book | last=Rouse III | first=Richard | title=[[Game Design: Theory and Practice|Game Design: Theory & Practice Second Edition]] | publisher=Wordware Publishing | at=500-531 | year=2005 | isbn=1-55622-912-7 }}</ref><ref name=cgm5>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030908171031/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/191/dougc_interview.html |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/191/dougc_interview.html |title=The Tracks of His Games |date=January 30, 2000 |last=Bauman |first=Steve |work=[[Computer Games Magazine]] |archive-date=September 8, 2003 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> That spring, Neurath founded the company Blue Sky Productions in [[Salem, New Hampshire]], with the intention to create ''Underworld''.<ref name=ttlg /> Among the company's first employees was [[Doug Church]], who was studying at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT).<ref name=ttlg /> The team was thus composed of Doug Church as programmer, Doug Wike as lead artist and Paul Neurath as lead designer.<ref name=mallo /> Development began in May 1990.<ref name=cgm5 />

An early difficulty was the implementation of [[texture mapping]]. Neurath had experimented unsuccessfully with the concept on an [[Apple II]] computer in the late 1980s, but he believed that the more powerful [[IBM]] PCs of the time might be able to process it. He contacted [[Lerner Research]] programmer Chris Green—an acquaintance from his past work with [[Edward (Ned) Lerner|Ned Lerner]]—who created a working [[algorithm]].<ref name=cvg /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Using the ''Space Rogue'' engine, Green's algorithm, assembly code from Lerner Research's ''[[Car and Driver (video game)|Car and Driver]]'' and original programming, the Blue Sky team completed a prototype of ''Underworld'' after roughly a month of work.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /><ref name=mallo /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Neurath described the prototype as "fast, smooth, and [featuring] true texture mapped walls, though the ceiling and floor were flat shaded and the corridors and rooms were all 10' [3.0 m] high—it looked a lot like ''[[Wolfenstein 3D|Wolfenstein-3D]]'' in fact."<ref name=gamebytes>{{cite web | url=http://www.ttlg.com/articles/UW2int2.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419201423/http://www.ttlg.com/articles/UW2int2.asp | title=An Interview With Looking Glass Technologies | publisher=Game Bytes | archive-date=April 19, 2013 | year=1992 | access-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref> The team demonstrated it at the June 1990 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] (CES) and impressed [[Origin Systems]].<ref name="mallo" /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name="swords" /><ref name=pcgamerinterview>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011211122730/http://www.pcgamer.com/eyewitness/eyewitness_2001-08-08a.html |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/eyewitness/eyewitness_2001-08-08a.html |title=Warren Spector / Doug Church Interview |work=[[PC Gamer US]] |date=October 2001 |archive-date=December 11, 2001 |access-date=November 14, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Origin producer [[Warren Spector]] later said, "I remember Paul showing me that demo ... at CES and being totally floored by it. None of us had ever seen anything like it."<ref name=pcgamerinterview /> The two companies reached a publishing agreement that summer, and Origin suggested that the game be reworked to fit into the ''Ultima'' universe.<ref name=mallo /><ref name=ttlg /> The team agreed, and the game was renamed ''Ultima Underworld''.<ref name=ttlg /> While Spector had hoped to produce the game, he was not assigned to the role;<ref name=swords /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> and he later said that he "sort of watched [the other producer] jealously from the sidelines."<ref name=swords />

After the game was renamed, Doug Church recruited Dan Schmidt, a college friend who had just graduated from MIT, as a programmer.<ref name=mit>{{cite web | last=Weise | first=Matthew | date=March 21, 2011 | title=Looking Glass Studios Interview Series - Audio Podcast 2 - Dan Schmidt | url=http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2011/03/looking_glass_studios_intervie_1.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327055922/http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2011/03/looking_glass_studios_intervie_1.php | archive-date=March 27, 2014 | publisher=Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab }}</ref> The team abandoned the ''Space Rogue'' engine and created a new one that could display a believable 3D world—one with varying heights and texture-mapped floors and ceilings.<ref name=gamebytes /> Church estimated that the first year of production was dedicated to creating the game's technological base.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /> However, Neurath stated that the team spent "comparatively little" time on the game's technology, and that "most was spent working on game features, mechanics, and world building".<ref name=gamebytes /> Their ultimate goal was to create the "finest dungeon game, a game that was tangibly better than any of the long line of dungeon games that came before it."<ref name=gamebytes /> Each member of the small team assumed multiple roles; for example, the game's first two levels were designed by Paul Neurath, while the rest were built by artists, designers and programmers.<ref name=ttlg /> According to Schmidt, Neurath contracted a writer to create the game's story and dialogue, but the relationship was a "mismatch"; and so the team decided to write the plot themselves.<ref name=mit /> Alongside his programming work, Church co-wrote the game's story with Dan Schmidt, and he gradually took on project leader responsibilities.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /><ref name=swords /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Writing duties for each level were given to the person who created that level; Schmidt's role was to edit the dialogue of each level to fit with that of the others.<ref name=mit /> Schmidt also created the game's sound effects, which were synthesized—no recorded sounds were used—in a graphical sound editor.<ref name=mit /> Neurath, who Church said was "very day to day at the beginning of the project", became more involved with the company's business and finances.<ref name=gamedesigntheory />

Church explained that the core of the project was its "dynamic creation". He noted that the team had "no set of rules ... or pre-written plan", but rather worked organically toward the general idea of creating a "dungeon simulation".<ref name=gamebytes /> Church believed that the game's ''Ultima'' series heritage was extremely helpful, as it gave the team an anchor for their experiments.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /> According to Church, because the team was young and inexperienced, they were "improvising almost the whole time".<ref name="swords" /> He said that they would "just write something" that seemed interesting, but would then "get it half done, and we'd say, 'Eh? That's not working.'" He believed that this iterative method was useful overall, but that it entailed an abnormally large workload:<ref name=gamedesigntheory /> it resulted in the creation of "four movement systems before we were done, several combat systems, and so forth".<ref name="swords" /> Certain failed experiments meant that the team created "[AI] code for many ideas which turned out to be largely irrelevant to the actual gameplay".<ref name=cvg />

During the first year of the game's development, Church believed that Origin had little faith in the team's ability to complete the game. He later said, "They didn't pay any attention at all, frankly."<ref name=gamedesigntheory /> While Origin CEO [[Richard Garriott]] helped the team in fitting the game into the ''Ultima'' franchise,<ref name=ttlg /> Warren Spector later said that the company seemed "blasé" about ''Ultima Underworld'' "for the first several months after ORIGIN and Blue Sky signed the deal", despite his own belief that it was a "change-the-world project".<ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Neurath opined that this was due to the team's status as outsiders, whose company was "some 1,500 miles distant" from their publisher.<ref name=mallo /> The team was advanced $30,000 to create the game, but its final cost was $400,000.<ref name=ttlg /> The game was funded partly by Ned Lerner, and by Neurath's royalties from ''Space Rogue''. Throughout the game's production, the studio was run on a tight budget.<ref name=ttlg />

Roughly a year into development, the team discovered that their second producer—the first having quit Origin near the beginning of development—had left the project.<ref name=mallo /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Neurath later said that "neither [producer] had much involvement" in the game,<ref name=ttlg /> and that, following the second's departure, the team spent time without any producer at all.<ref name=mallo /> Rumors circulated that Origin planned to cancel the project.<ref name=ttlg /> Following a proposal by the team around this time, Spector, who had previously worked with Neurath on ''Space Rogue'', assumed the role of producer. Church later described this event as "a big win for everyone".<ref name=mallo /><ref name="ttlg" /><ref name=pcgamerinterview /> Spector began to interact regularly with the team by phone and to visit the studio in person.<ref name=gamedesigntheory /><ref name=swords>{{cite book | last=Hallford | first=Jana | title = Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide To Computer Role-Playing Games | publisher= [[Cengage Learning]] | at = 61–63 | date = June 7, 2001 | isbn = 0-7615-3299-4 }}</ref> Neurath later said, "Warren understood immediately what we were trying to accomplish with the game, and became our biggest champion within Origin. Had not Warren stepped in this role at that stage, I'm not sure ''Ultima Underworld'' would have ever seen the light of day."<ref name=ttlg /> Church said that Spector helped the team polish the game and "make it real", and that Spector's past experience in the industry enabled him to keep the team focused on completing the game. He explained that Spector "had that ability to help me and the rest of the guys reset, from the big-picture view of someone who has done it before."<ref name=gamedesigntheory />

{{quote box | width=32% | align=right | quote=We had about eight of us in this 15x15 room, sitting in uncomfortable red deck chairs, faxing bug lists to [[Origin Systems|Origin]] and back, blasting music and playing ''[[Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge|Monkey Island II]]'' about 30 minutes a day to avoid insanity.|source= —[[Doug Church]]<ref name=cgm5 /> }}

The final four months of the game's development constituted "crunch time".<ref name=ttlg /><ref name=cgm5 /> During this period, Neurath rented an extremely small basement office space in a [[Somerville, Massachusetts]] social services building: he sought to circumvent the long commute that several team members had been making from Massachusetts.<ref name=mallo /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name=cgm5 /> Furniture consisted of inexpensive folding tables and "uncomfortable red deck chairs".<ref name=mallo /><ref name=ttlg /><ref name=cgm5 /> Development took place during the winter, but the room was drafty and poorly heated.<ref name=mallo /><ref name=cgm5 /> The team hired college friends such as [[Marc LeBlanc]] to bug test the game,<ref name=mit2>{{cite web | last=Weise | first=Matthew | date=November 10, 2011 | title=Looking Glass Studios Interview Series - Audio Podcast 8 - Marc "Mahk" LeBlanc | url=http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2011/11/podcast-marcleblanc.php
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101185510/http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2011/11/podcast-marcleblanc.php | archive-date=November 1, 2013 | publisher=Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab }}</ref> and Spector stayed at the studio for roughly a month and a half, according to Church.<ref name=cgm5 /> Spector later said that "in that little office, that team created some serious magic. I mean, the sense of doing something incredible was palpable".<ref name=mallo /> Neurath summarized, "Despite the austere working environment, the game came together amazingly well in the final stretch, and we delivered the [[Golden master|Gold Master]] just about two years after we had started."<ref name=ttlg /> The game was released in March 1992.<ref name=gamebytes />

===Technology===
''Ultima Underworld'''s [[game engine]] was written by a small team.<ref name=gamebytes /><ref name=mallo /><ref name=manual /> Chris Green provided the game's texture mapping algorithm,<ref name=ttlg /> which was applied to walls, floors and ceilings. The engine allowed for transparencies, walls at 45 degree angles, multiple tile heights and inclined surfaces, doors that swung open and closed, and other aspects.<ref name=gamebytes /><ref name=mallo /> ''Ultima Underworld'' was the first video game to implement many of these effects.<ref name="gama2">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629172105/http://gamasutra.com/features/20060425/shahrani_01.shtml |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2674/educational_feature_a_history_and_.php?page=1 |title=Educational Feature: A History and Analysis of Level Design in 3D Computer Games (Part 1) |date=April 25, 2006 |archive-date=June 29, 2006 |website=[[Gamasutra]] |author=Shahrani, Sam |access-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The game was also the first indoor, real-time, 3D first-person game to not only allow the player to look up and down, but also tilt the view side to side (for example, while swimming), as well as the ability to jump.<ref name=mallo />

''Ultima Underworld'' uses two-dimensional [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]s for characters,<ref name=ace /> but also features 3D objects, as the team believed that it "had to do 3D objects in order to have reasonable visuals".<ref name=mallo /> The game uses physics to calculate the motion of thrown objects.<ref name=gamespy /><ref name=gamedesigntheory /> During the game's [[software testing#Testing process|alpha testing phase]], part of the programming team worked to create a smooth lighting model.<ref name=gamebytes /> The game's advanced technology caused the engine to run slowly,<ref name=mallo /> and its [[system requirements]] were extremely high.<ref name=ace /><ref name=cgw1 /><ref name=playtime>{{cite journal |author1=Geltenpoth, Alexander |author2=Menne, Oliver |date=June 1992 | title=''Ultima Underworld'' | journal=Play Time | at=20, 21 }}</ref> Doug Church later downplayed the importance of the game's technology, stating that technological advancement "is somewhat inevitable in our field ... [and] sadly, as an industry we seem to know much less about design, and how to continue to extend and grow design capabilities". Instead, he claimed that ''Ultima Underworld''{{'}}s most important achievement was its incorporation of simulation elements into a role-playing game.<ref name=mallo />

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| Allgame = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=930&tab=review |title=Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss - Review |website=[[AllGame]] |access-date=June 28, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116040105/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=930&tab=review |archive-date=November 16, 2014 }}</ref>
| Dragon = 6 out of 5<ref name=dragonmag/>
| rev1 = ''[[ACE (games magazine)|ACE]]''
| rev1Score = 938 out of 1000<ref name=ace/>
| rev2 = ''Datormagazin''
| rev2Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="dator"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Mega Zone]]''
| rev3Score = 87%<ref>''Mega Zone'', issue 23 (August–September 1992), pages 52-53</ref>
| rev4 = ''Power Play'' (DE)
| rev4Score = 94%<ref name=powerplay/>
| rev5 = ''Play Time''
| rev5Score = 95%<ref name=playtime />
| rev6 = ''[[Pelit]]''
| rev6Score = 98%<ref name="pelit"/>
| rev7 = ''{{interlanguage link|Svenska Hemdatornytt|sv|Svenska Hemdatornytt|vertical-align=sup}}''
| rev7Score = 66%<ref>''Svenska Hemdatornytt'', Vol. 1992, No. 5 (May 1992), page 40</ref>
| award1Pub = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| award1 = [[List of Game of the Year awards|Best Game of the Year]]<ref name=tribune/>
| award2Pub = [[Origins Award]]
| award2 = Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1992<ref name=origins/>
}}
''Ultima Underworld'' was not an immediate commercial success, which caused Origin to decrease its marketing support.<ref name="cvg" /> However, its popularity increased via [[word of mouth]] in the years following its release.<ref name="cvg" /> Sales eventually reached nearly 500,000 copies,<ref name=ttlg>{{cite web | url=http://www.ttlg.com/articles/uw2.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613054540/http://www.ttlg.com/articles/uw2.asp | title=The Story of ''Ultima Underworld'' | last=Neurath | first=Paul | date=June 23, 2000 | archive-date=June 13, 2011 | publisher=Through the Looking Glass | access-date=February 12, 2009 }}</ref> with praise for its 3D presentation and automapping feature.<ref name=ace /><ref name=dragonmag /><ref name=powerplay /><ref name=computershopper /> In 1993 the game won the [[Origins Award]] for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1992,<ref name=origins>{{cite web | url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1992 | title=1992 List of Winners | publisher=[[Origins Game Fair]] | access-date=February 26, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080507063623/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1992| archive-date = May 7, 2008}}</ref> and was nominated for an award at the [[Game Developers Conference]].<ref name="cgw199307">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=108 | title=The 7th International Computer Game Developers Conference | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=July 1993 | access-date=12 July 2014 | pages=34}}</ref>

''[[ACE (games magazine)|ACE]]'' called ''Ultima Underworld'' "the next true evolutionary step in the RPG genre", and noted that its simulation-style dungeon was "frighteningly realistic". The magazine thought that the game's [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] character models "detract from the dense atmosphere a bit", but ended the review by stating, "If you've got a PC, then you've got to have ''Ultima Underworld''."<ref name=ace>{{cite journal | author=Upchurch, David |date=April 1992 | title=''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' | journal=[[ACE (games magazine)|ACE]] | issue=55 | at=36–41 }}</ref> ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]]'' opined that "to say this is the best dungeon game we've ever played is quite an understatement," and it "will leave you wondering how other game entertainments can ever stack up against the new standards ''Abyss'' sets."<ref name=dragonmag>{{cite journal |last1=Lesser|last2=Lesser|last3=Lesser|first1=Hartley|first2=Patricia|first3=Kirk|name-list-style=amp |date=November 1992 | title=The Role of Computers | journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]] | issue=187 | at=62–63 | url=http://annarchive.com/files/Drmg187.pdf}}</ref>

''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'}}s Allen Greenberg in 1992 described it as "an ambitious project" but "not without its share of problems." He praised the game's "enjoyable story and well-crafted puzzles", but disliked its "robotic" controls and "confusing" perspectives, and stated that "far more impressive sounds and pictures have been produced for other dungeon games". He summarized the game as "an enjoyable challenge with a unique game-playing engine to back it up."<ref name=cgw1>{{cite magazine | last=Greenberg | first=Allen |date=July 1992 | title=''Abyss''mal Perspective | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=96 | issue=96 | at=42–44 }}</ref> [[Scorpia (journalist)|Scorpia]] was also positive, stating that despite flaws "''Ultima Underworld'' is an impressive first product. The meticulous construction of a real-world dungeon environment is outstanding. [It] may be a [[dungeon crawl|dungeon trek]], but it is certainly the dungeon trek of the future".<ref name="scorpia199207">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=96 | title=Scorpion's Tale | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=July 1992 | access-date=25 November 2013 | author=Scorpia | pages=106}}</ref> In 1993 she praised the "superb graphics" of "a definite must for game players".<ref name="scorpia199310">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111 | title=Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=October 1993 | access-date=25 March 2016 | author=Scorpia | pages=34–50}}</ref>  The magazine later awarded the game "Role-Playing Game of the Year".<ref name="cgw2">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100 | title=CGW Salutes The Games of the Year | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1992 | access-date=4 July 2014 | pages=110}}</ref> ''[[Computer Shopper (US magazine)|Computer Shopper]]'' enjoyed its storyline and characters, and believed that the game "makes you feel as if you've entered a virtual reality". Despite describing its interface as "not truly intuitive", the reviewer finished by calling the game "addictive" and "a fine value".<ref name=computershopper>{{cite journal | last=Freund | first=Jim | title=''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' | date=August 1, 1992 | journal=[[Computer Shopper (US magazine)|Computer Shopper]] }}</ref> The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' awarded it Best Game of the Year, and called it "an amazing triumph of the imagination" and "the creme de la creme of dungeon epics".<ref name=tribune>{{cite news | first=Dennis | last=Lynch | title=Winners and worsts: From Corn Gods to Bart Simpson, a look back | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=January 29, 1993 | at=Section 7; 46 }}</ref>

Jim Trunzo reviewed ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #32 (July/Aug., 1992), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "''Ultima Underworld'' is simply the kind of product that you need to experience to fully understand where Origin has taken fantasy gaming."<ref name="WW32">{{Cite magazine |last=Trunzo |first=Jim |date= July–August 1992|title=The Silicon Dungeon |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=32 |pages=12–13 |url=https://imgur.com/a/N00kiep}}</ref>

The game was also well received by non-English publications. The Swedish ''Datormagazin'' considered the game to be "in a class by itself".<ref name="dator">{{cite journal | last=Fröjdh | first=Göran |date=May 1992 | title=Tjuvtitten ''Ultima Underworld'' | journal=Datormagazin | at=66 }}</ref> In Germany, ''Power Play'' praised its "technical perfection" and "excellent" story,<ref name=powerplay>{{cite journal |date=June 1992 | title=Das ultimative Dungeon | last=Hengst | first=Michael | journal=Power Play }}</ref> while ''Play Time'' lauded its graphical and aural presentation, and awarded it Game of the Month.<ref name=playtime /> Finland's ''[[Pelit]]'' stated, "''Ultima Underworld'' is something totally new in the CRPG field. The Virtual Fantasy of the Abyss left reviewers speechless."<ref name="pelit">{{cite journal|last=Nirvi|first=Niko|title=Virtuualifantasian mestarinäyte|journal=[[Pelit]]|at=22-24|date=April 1992|issn=1235-1199|language=fi}}</ref>

''Ultima Underworld'' was inducted into many hall of fame lists, including those compiled by ''[[GameSpy]]'', ''[[IGN]]'' and ''Computer Gaming World''.<ref name=gamespy>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108183511/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top505/ |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top505/ |title=GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |author=The GameSpy Staff |archive-date=January 8, 2007 |access-date=February 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=ign3>{{cite web | url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082486p1.html | title=The Top 25 PC Games of All Time | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020613022434/http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082486p1.html | date=July 24, 2000 | archive-date=June 13, 2002 | website=IGN | url-status=dead | access-date=March 6, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="ign">{{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/091-100.html |title=IGN's Top 100 Games (2005) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050805011731/http://top100.ign.com/2005/091-100.html | work=[[IGN]] | archive-date=August 5, 2005 |url-status=dead | access-date=February 9, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="cgw3">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 | title=150 Best Games of All Time | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1996 | access-date=25 March 2016 | pages=64–80}}</ref> ''[[PC Gamer|PC Gamer US]]'' ranked the game and its sequel 20th on their 1997 The 50 Best Games Ever list, citing "strong character interaction, thoughtful puzzles, unprecedented control, and genuine roleplaying in ways that have yet to be duplicated".<ref name=pcgamer>{{cite journal | title=The 50 Best Games Ever | journal=[[PC Gamer|PC Gamer US]] |date=May 1997 }}</ref> In 2004, readers of ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' voted ''Ultima Underworld'' as the 62nd top retro game: the staff called it "easily one of the best entries in the long-running ''Ultima'' series."<ref>''Retro Gamer'' 8, page 67.</ref> {{Clear}}

In 1998, ''[[PC Gamer]]'' declared it the 18th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "Light-years ahead of their time, and still regarded as some of the best roleplaying games ever created".<ref name=pcgtop50>{{cite journal | title=The 50 Best Games Ever | date=October 1998 | volume=5 | number=10 | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | pages=86, 87, 89, 90, 92, 98, 101, 102, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 125, 126, 129, 130 }}</ref> A poll conducted in May 2023 by ''[[GQ]]'' among a team of video game journalists listed it as the 95th-best video game of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best-video-games-all-time |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Legacy==

''Ultima Underworld'' has been cited as the first RPG to feature first-person action in a 3D environment,<ref name="gama2"/> and even as the first true first-person 3D game in any genre.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Next Generation's Top 10 Online Game Picks |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=27|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=March 1997|page=41}}</ref> Rival 3D games appeared; ''[[Legends of Valour]]'' advertised "''Ultima Underworld'', move over!"<ref name="cgw199301">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=102 | title=A Technological Breakthrough in 3-D Action Fantasy! | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=January 1993 | access-date=5 July 2014 | pages=63 | type=advertisement}}</ref> [[Gamasutra]] posited that "all 3D RPG titles from ''[[Morrowind]]'' to ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' share ''Ultima Underworld'' as a common ancestor, both graphically and spiritually ... [and] for better or for worse, ''Underworld'' moved the text-based RPG out of the realm of imagination and into the third dimension".<ref name="gama2" /> Its soundtrack, composed by [[George Sanger (musician)|George "The Fat Man" Sanger]] and Dave Govett,<ref name=manual/> was the first in a major first-person game to use a [[dynamic music]] system; the player's actions alter the game's music.<ref name=audio>{{cite book | last=Brandon | first=Alexander | title = Audio for Games: Planning, Process and Production | publisher= New Riders Games | at = 88 | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-7357-1413-4 }}</ref>

''Ultima Underworld'' is considered the first example of an [[immersive sim]], a genre that combines elements from other genres to create a game with strong player agency and emergent gameplay, and has influenced many games since its release.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 | title = How the Makers of 'System Shock' and 'Ultima Underworld' Rediscovered Their Roots | first = Alex | last = Wiltshire | date = December 15, 2016 | access-date = April 17, 2017 | work = [[Glixel]] | archive-date = May 18, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170518102320/http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The game's influence has been found in ''[[BioShock]]'' (2007),<ref name=eludamos>{{cite journal | url=http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/27/40 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306020123/http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/27/40 | title=Bioshock: A Critical Historical Perspective | last=Weise | first=Matthew Jason | date=February 29, 2008 | archive-date=March 6, 2008 | journal=Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture | volume=2 | issue=1 | doi=10.7557/23.5977 | s2cid=145315938 | oclc=220219478 | at=151–155 | access-date=March 8, 2009 | doi-access=free }}</ref> and that game's designer, [[Ken Levine (game developer)|Ken Levine]], has stated that "all the things that I wanted to do and all the games that I ended up working on came out of the inspiration I took from [''Ultima Underworld'']."<ref name=forbes>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/12/03/ken-levine-bioshock-tech-personal-cx_mji_1203levine.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225110906/http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/03/ken-levine-bioshock-tech-personal-cx_mji_1203levine.html | archive-date=February 25, 2009 | title='Games Are The Convergence Of Everything' | last=Irwin | first=Mary Jane | date=December 3, 2008 | magazine=[[Forbes]] | access-date=March 17, 2009 }}</ref><!--<ref name=pcworld>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205152212/http://www.pcworld.com/article/154948/bioshock_creator_says_games_are_the_convergence_of_everything.html | url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/154948/bioshock_creator_says_games_are_the_convergence_of_everything.html | title=''BioShock'' Creator Says Games are the Convergence of Everything | last=Peckham | first=Matt | work=[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]] | date=December 4, 2008 | archive-date=December 5, 2008 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref>--> ''[[Gears of War]]'' designer [[Cliff Bleszinski]] also cited it as an early influence, stating that it had "far more impact on me than ''Doom''".<ref name=mtv>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532185/20060519/story.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304115303/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532185/20060519/story.jhtml |title=Gaming Roundtable Considers Bloody Monsters |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=May 22, 2006 |archive-date=March 4, 2010 |publisher=MTV |access-date=March 6, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other games influenced by ''Ultima Underworld'' include ''[[The Elder Scrolls: Arena]]'',<ref name='TES1'>{{cite web|url=http://www.elderscrolls.com/tenth_anniv/tenth_anniv-arena.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211032310/http://www.elderscrolls.com/tenth_anniv/tenth_anniv-arena.htm | title=Arena: Behind the Scenes | archive-date=December 11, 2007 | access-date=2007-09-28 |publisher=[[Bethesda Softworks]]}}</ref> ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]'',<ref name=eurogamer>{{cite web|date=August 4, 2000 |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=337 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518105205/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/warrens2 |archive-date=May 18, 2011 |title=Warren Spector of Ion Storm (Part Two) |work=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=March 6, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War]]'',<ref name=rpgvault>{{cite web | url=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/440/440693p1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031119071038/http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/440/440693p1.html | archive-date=November 19, 2003 | title=''Deus Ex: Invisible War'' Interview, Part 1 | last=Aihoshi | first=Richard | date=November 17, 2003 | website=IGN | url-status=dead | access-date=March 6, 2009 }}</ref> ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade&nbsp;– Bloodlines]]'',<ref name=boyarsky>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-designer-diary-3/1100-6085643/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518130331/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-designer-diary-3/1100-6085643/ |title=''Vampire: The Masquerade&nbsp;– Bloodlines'' Designer Diary #3 |last=Boyarsky |first=Leonard |archive-date=May 18, 2016 |date=December 13, 2003 |website=[[GameSpot]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''[[Half-Life 2]]''.<ref name=euro>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_e3valvesoftware_pc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126011711/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_e3valvesoftware_pc |title=''Half-Life 2'' - Valve speaks to Eurogamer |last=Reed |first=Kristan |date=May 12, 2004 |archive-date=January 26, 2010 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=March 6, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Toby Gard]] stated that, when designing ''[[Tomb Raider]]'', he "was a big fan of ... ''Ultima Underworld'' and I wanted to mix that type of game with the sort of polygon characters that were just being showcased in ''[[Virtua Fighter (arcade game)|Virtua Fighter]]''."<ref name=bbc>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1410480.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040717173949/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1410480.stm | title=Q&A: The man who made Lara | date=June 28, 2001 | archive-date=July 17, 2004 | last=Gibbon | first=Dave | publisher=BBC | access-date=March 6, 2009 }}</ref> ''Ultima Underworld'' was also the basis for Looking Glass Technologies' later ''[[System Shock]]''.<ref name=gamedesigntheory />

[[Id Software]]'s use of [[texture mapping]] in ''[[Catacomb 3-D]]'', a precursor to ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', was influenced by ''Ultima Underworld''.<ref name="gama2" /> Conflicting accounts exist regarding the extent of this influence, however.<ref name=salon /> In the book ''[[Masters of Doom]]'', author David Kushner asserts that the concept was discussed only briefly during a 1991 telephone conversation between Paul Neurath and [[John Romero]].<ref name="mastersdoom">{{cite book | last=Kushner | first=David | title=[[Masters of Doom|Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created An Empire And Transformed Pop Culture]] | publisher=[[Random House]] | at=89 | year=2003 | isbn=0-375-50524-5 }}</ref> However, [[Doug Church]] has said that [[John Carmack]] saw the game's summer 1990 software convention demo, and recalled a comment from Carmack that he could write a faster texture mapper. Paul Neurath has recounted the incident similarly, with both Carmack and Romero present.<ref name="cvg"/><ref name=salon>{{cite news | url=http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2003/05/05/doom/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307094756/http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2003/05/05/doom/index.html | title=Masters of "Doom" | last=James Au | first=Wagner | archive-date=March 7, 2008 | date=May 5, 2003 | work=[[Salon.com]] | access-date=March 9, 2009 }}</ref>

Despite the technology developed for ''Ultima Underworld'', Origin opted to continue using traditional top-down, 2D graphics for future mainline ''Ultima'' games.<ref name="gamacrpg" /> The engine was re-used and enhanced for ''Ultima Underworld''{{'}}s 1993 sequel, ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]''.<ref name="gamebytes" /> Looking Glass Studios planned to create a third ''Ultima Underworld'', but Origin rejected their pitches.<ref name=cvg /> After [[Electronic Arts]] (EA) rejected [[Arkane Studios]]' pitch for ''Ultima Underworld III'', the studio instead created a [[spiritual successor]]: ''[[Arx Fatalis]]''.<ref name=gamespot5>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/arxfatalis/news.html?sid=2856384&mode=previews |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525015944/https://www.webcitation.org/5tw8kwxgf?url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/arxfatalis/news.html%3Fsid=2856384&mode=previews&print=1 |title=Arx Fatalis Preview |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |date=March 20, 2002 |website=[[GameSpot]] |author=Todd, Brett |access-date=February 9, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On March 14, 1997, a 3D remake of the game (published by [[Electronic Arts Victor]]) was released exclusively in Japan for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] by Infinity Entertainment. All of the creatures and NPCs were recreated using polygon models; however, the items and environments use their original textures.
The HUD and inventory were reworked to allow the game to be displayed in fullscreen. Additionally, the character were redrawn in an [[anime]] style to make them more appealing to the Japanese market. Sound effects were added and all of the music was remixed (with most of it slightly resembling the original music). New ending and introduction videos were also added.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ultima Underworld - The Stygian Abyss |url=https://psxdatacenter.com/games/J/U/SLPS-00742.html |website=PSX Data Center |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>

In the early 2000s, Paul Neurath approached EA to discuss a port of ''Ultima Underworld'' to the [[Pocket PC]]. EA rejected the suggestion, but allowed him to look for possible developers; Neurath found that ZIO Interactive enthusiastically supported the idea, and EA eventually licensed the rights to the company. Doug Church and [[Floodgate Entertainment]] assisted with portions of its Pocket PC development,<ref name="mallo">{{cite web | url=http://www.mallo.co.uk/ultima/index.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721001230/http://www.mallo.co.uk/ultima/index.htm | title=Games That Changed The World Supplemental Material | archive-date=July 21, 2010 | last=Mallinson | first=Paul | publisher=[[PC Zone]] | access-date=March 9, 2009 }}</ref> and the port was released in 2002.<ref name=gamacrpg>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070411/barton_02.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228013236/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1571/the_history_of_computer_.php | title=The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004) | last=Barton | first=Matt | archive-date=December 28, 2007 | date=April 11, 2007 | website=[[Gamasutra]] | access-date=March 7, 2009 }}</ref>

[[GOG.com]] released an [[Emulator|emulated]] version in June 2011 for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and in October 2012 for [[Mac OS X]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/new_release_ultima_underworld_1_2|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124140658/http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/new_release_ultima_underworld_1_2|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 24, 2013|title=New Release: Ultima Underworld 1+2|author=Galimatias|date=June 2, 2011|publisher=[[GOG.com]]|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GOG.com goes Mac |url=https://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_goes_mac |website=[[GOG.com]] |publisher=[[CD Projekt]] |access-date=24 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019164455/https://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_goes_mac |archive-date=19 October 2012 |date=October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2015, [[Otherside Entertainment]], a new developer founded by Paul Neurath and other Looking Glass and Irrational veterans, announced a new entry in the series, entitled ''[[Underworld Ascendant]]''. The new title is an officially licensed part of the series set in the Stygian Abyss, but this licensing agreement does not extend to the ''[[Ultima (series)|Ultima]]'' name or greater IP, effectively orphaning ''Underworld'' from the ''Ultima'' series.<ref name=udwacs>{{cite web | url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/othersidegames/underworld-ascendant/description | title=Underworld Ascendant | access-date=March 22, 2016 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{moby game|id=/ultima-underworld-the-stygian-abyss}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100127232354/http://www.etc.cmu.edu/etcpress/content/ultima-underworld-corvus-elrod "Descending into the Abyss: A Storyteller explores the narrative accomplishments of ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss''"] - (from ''Well Played 1.0'')

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{{Ultima}}
{{Looking Glass Studios}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultima Underworld 1}}
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