Ultima IX map of Britannia
As with previous installments, a physical cloth map of Britannia was included with Ultima IX for its original release. It was illustrated by veteran Ultima artist Denis Loubet.
Description[edit]
Compared with previous renditions, the map is highly detailed and varied, with a top-down oblique projection reminiscent of Ultima VI's map of Britannia and Ultima VII Part Two's map of Serpent Isle. As well as the usual shrine and moongate locations, the Guardian's eight columns are also indicated.
In Ultima IX itself, an identical map is supplied to the Avatar by Lord British during their first conversation in the throne room of Castle Britannia. While this may largely render the physical cloth map redundant as a navigational aid, the in-game map of Britannia is unavailable for a time after the Avatar's belongings are confiscated during imprisonment in Dungeon Deceit.
Other Releases of the Map[edit]
The cloth map is identical in North American and European copies of Ultima IX. However, releases in less prevalent gaming markets throughout Europe (such as Russia and Portugal) and elsewhere (China, Japan) did not include a cloth map; rather, it was made of paper. This also held true for later European releases after Origin had exhausted their supply of cloth maps. The original cloth map exhibits a cooler color temperature and higher contrast than the later paper version (seen below).
Source Art[edit]
In December 2015, Loubet made the source image file publicly available at 50% resolution through Patreon. This file, however, is not the final print-ready design; while the cartography itself is as seen on the released map, a number of extra details such as the coordinates grid, various decorative illustrations, runic labels, and the main "Britannia" title are absent, while the border, although functionally complete, shows a different arrangement of the Virtue symbols than the final design. The file as released by Loubet can be found at his Patreon page, linked below.
Alternate Maps[edit]
Paper map
Trivia[edit]
- Interestingly, the rolled-up map in the Ultima IX backpack is not this map. Instead it is the Ultima Online map. It is unknown how this error did happen.
- The position of the column against Spirituality is wrong on the map. On the map it is in the sea a little west of Skara Brae, but in the game only a lava spot is found there. The column instead is found in the sea north of the Isle of the Avatar.
Gallery[edit]
Source artwork (reduced)
The rolled-up map that is not this map
The map in-game
See Also[edit]
External Links[edit]
| Maps Included as Trinkets | |
|---|---|
| Maps | Ultima I ☥ Ultima II ☥ Ultima III ☥ Ultima IV ☥ Ultima V ☥ Ultima VI Ultima VII ☥ Ultima VII Part Two ☥ Ultima VIII ☥ Ultima IX Savage Empire ☥ Martian Dreams ☥ Ultima Underworld ☥ Ultima Underworld II Ultima Forever ☥ Shroud of the Avatar |