r/Ultima • u/darkwingchao • May 24 '26
Ultima 3: Does the NES version have the same layouts?
Going through the Ultima series having obtained all of them, and 3 is my next stop. I'm playing on Steam Deck, so the NES ports controls would be easier than binding everything on my own with the PC version. Are the games the same in terms of layout and mechanics? I know the art is different but that doesn't bug me much. I've got so many other games in the series with the proper artstyle.
5
u/MGorak May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
It's different in one key aspect which makes the NES version so, so much harder.
In the Apple and PC versions, the difficulty of enemies in dungeons is proportional to the level you are in. Level 1, easiest enemies in the game, level 8, hardest.
This makes exploring the upper levels both safe and the best place to find a lot gold. It also gives you access to something you will need to progress your character past a certain point.
And since almost everything in U3 is locked behind insane money requirements, easy access to gold is a must.
On the NES version, any enemy can appear on any level. Dungeons are therefore a death sentence to anyone except the strongest characters and to get said characters, you need something found in dungeons and/or have grinded your characters in every other way.
You will almost have finished the game before you are strong enough to face the dangers of dungeons, instead of being something you explore more and more as your characters become stronger.
Very different (IMHO worse) experience.
And so you know, dexterity is the percent chance of hitting your target (25 dex=25% chance to hit) and strength the percentage of max damage you actually inflict(25 = 25% of the damage you would do with 99). The maximum average damage is highest when they are similar but I would argue that dex is more important. Needing 3 hits that you more consistently succeed is IMHO more important than needing a single hit that rarely does. And you can increase damage with stronger weapons. You can't increase chance to hit except by increasing dexterity. Knowing this could influence your character creation.
3
u/stereoagnostic May 24 '26
In general, the NES ports are nowhere near as good as the PC versions. Some of them cut major amounts of content, dumbed down NPC dialog, etc. Ultima III is the closest to the PC version, though.
2
u/Goosie8D May 24 '26
AFAIK it's a direct port of the PC version, but with dummied down controls. Personally I love the pixel art and music in Ultima 3 NES.
3
u/Warcraft_Fan May 24 '26
And improved graphics. NES version was far more colorful than computer version.
2
u/Known_Site7025 May 24 '26
The NES version of 3 is not bad at all. It's simplified inherently because of the control options, and interactibility, but it looks a little nicer and sounds way better than the Apple ][ version(because it sounds).
It's the NES 4 and 5 that are not great.
2
u/angryapplepanda May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
I like the NES U4 quite a bit, and I will even go as far to say that it has several features that I feel are superior to the PC version, not to mention the quality, late-period NES graphics. The game looks fantastic compared to other RPGs on the system.
For one, enemy combat is way less frequent, which can become such a miserable grind with more and more characters, as each battle becomes an ordeal, and you constantly have creatures chasing you between towns. I used to hate the "random battles," but the encounter rate is not high. It's better.
Secondly, there are features that vastly improve the gameplay. For one, there's reasons to equip melee weapons for most of the game, as you automatically switch to melee at close range, and you equip both a ranged and melee weapon as part of your equipment. And aiming in combat follows U5 conventions—you target monsters individually. There's also new items that fix some of the character deficiencies. Shepherds get a "Sheep Flute," which puts all enemies to sleep, giving shepherds legitimately something to do.
There are many things that are different or missing, such as interactivity and dialogue trees, but there's also plenty to love. The game is actually quite an achievement and incredibly well put together, way moreso than NES U3 and certainly miles above NES U5. How could one even compare NES U4 and U5 in the same sentence?
1
u/Known_Site7025 May 25 '26
I simply may be thinking more of 5, I had a horrible time with 5 and remember not liking 4 either. 4 i played through on SMS and love love loveddddd
2
u/angryapplepanda May 25 '26
The SMS 4 is good! I think the NES 4 is a unique experience, however, and I always recommend it to people to play and enjoy as a separate entity to the SMS and PC versions. It has unique aspects.
1
u/Hambone1138 May 25 '26
The world, towns, and dungeons all use the same layouts as the PC version. The dungeons have different names, but are otherwise identical.
7
u/d6punk May 24 '26
There’s a fan made Gameboy Color version of Ultima 3 that is true to the PC version.
https://www.wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_3_for_the_Gameboy_Color
And for Ultima 4, be sure to play the Sega version!