Commonplace

Ultima IV

Created by Richard Garriott/Origin Systems in 1985. Started game as research for BarrelEye. Playing it feels like Myst+Zelda+Rogue to me… the keyboard full of hotkeys takes some getting used to, but is great once it's comfortable. The game begins dialogue-heavy and *requires* notetaking, which I love given enough time. The openness is also pleasant - I thought I knew my mission and died once on the way, and on my second try I hit a portal and my story went in a totally different direction. Now I'm a simple adventurer stranded on the far side of the world, looking for help in a tiny village. I hope I have more time for this one someday.