Paperdoll

Paperdolls are essentially an item system, where the armour, weapons and equipment are put on an interface that looks like the person in question or at least has a human shape. In the Ultima Series, the system developed only slowly.

The development of the paperdoll system started with Ultima VI, when the whole interface was re-built for mouse control. The item slots were seperate and only showed on a stylized doll art, where the item in question would be. The same system was used in Savage Empire and Martian Dreams, only that now the doll art actually showed the character in question.

When the interface was again re-built for Ultima VII, the system was kept the same, but the presentation of the art was vastly improved. All party members now had an individual full-body portrait. This art is shown below in an gallery.

The system of Ultima Underworld and Ultima Underworld II actually was a mix of the old and the new system that was in the works. Armour now was pulled directly onto the Avatar, and the doll art showed him/her wearing said armour, while weapons and items still were in the old slot system.

A complete changeover came wit Ultima VII Part Two. The paperdoll now held everything, armour, weapons, items... The art showed a realistic picture of how the characted looked with wearing these items, with only the odd item still showing in a seperate item slot. The same system was used for Ultima VIII'.

By the time of Ultima IX, the paperdol lsystem had been abolished, if favor of pulling the tiems directly onto the Avatar sprite.

Gallery
Here all the paperdoll art from Ultima VII.