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创世纪 9（Ultima IX: Ascension）是《创世纪（Ultima）》系列最后一部单机作品，标志着“守护者三部曲”正式完结，也为“圣者”（the Avatar）的故事画上句点。这是全系列最具争议的一作，粉丝们对这部作品褒贬不一。论争议性之大，全系列没有一部能与《创世纪 9》相提并论。
《创世纪 8（Ultima VIII: Pagan）》发布后不久，其续作就已提上开发日程，负责这一项目的是 Mike Mcshaffry。当时，开发者依托《创世纪 8》游戏引擎的加强版，来开发《创世纪 9》。很快，Mike 决定弃用 2D 引擎，改用软件加速的 3D 引擎。但不久，他就因人事变动而离职。
此后，大名鼎鼎的 Bob White 版剧本出炉[1] 。该剧本主要基于 Richard Garriort 设计的游戏情节（该版本有在线资源，可供玩家查阅，详见 Ultima Codex、Ultima Wiki 等网站）。那时，EA 认为这款游戏有极大的投资价值，许多游戏里的 CGI[2] 过场动画就是在这段时间渲染而成。
Ultima IX, published over 16 years ago, is the last single-player Ultima, and the conclusion of both the Age of Armageddon trilogy (which began with Ultima VII) and the story of the Avatar. It's also the most controversial entry in the series; no other Ultima game has so sharply and clearly divided the opinions of the fandom.
Development on Ultima IX began soon after the release of Ultima VIII, with Mike McShaffry as the project lead at the time. An enhanced version of the Ultima VIII engine was selected as the technological base for the game, which McShaffry soon converted from a 2D engine to a software-accelerated 3D engine. However, he was soon removed from the project.
It would have been after his departure that the well-known Bob White Plot was written, likely based on Richard Garriott's own designs for the plot of the game (a leaked version can be read online on websites such as the Ultima Codex and the Ultima Wiki). At the time, EA felt the game worthy of significant investment; many of the CGI cutscenes used in the final game were rendered around this time.
就在《创世纪 9》发售前后，Richard Garriott 暗示自己有可能依托《创世纪 9》的游戏引擎重制《创世纪》系列，以线上章节的形式对外发布。不久后，Richard 离开了 Origin，整个项目也就随之搁浅。
Around the time Ultima IX was released, Richard Garriott hinted at the possibility of remaking the entire Ultima series using the Ultima IX engine, releasing them as online episodes. Shortly after, Garriott departed from Origin and the project was canned.
《创世纪 9》的物品栏依然采用背包式界面，但在网格线的衬托下，一切显得井井有条。[3]
Ultima IX's inventory is still based on multiple containers, but they are now gridbased, making them much easier to organise.
好景不长，EA 再次做出人事变动，调拨大量成员开发《网络创世纪（Ultima online）》，《创世纪 9》也就此搁置。直到 1997 年中旬，这一项目才得以重启。而那时，技术方面出现了重大的变化——硬件加速 3D 引擎成为业界宠儿，开发团队便决定《创世纪 9》也应该利用这一新技术。
这样一来，EA 招募了一支新的开发团队，并从 Westwood Studios 请来 Ed Del Castillo 担任游戏制作人。Castillo 对剧本做出大刀阔斧的改动，但没过多久，Origin 就解雇了 Castillo。EA 迫切地想把所有资源集中到《网络创世纪》的开发上，向开发团队施压，如果《创世纪 9》不能尽快完工，就将撤销这一项目。于是，Richard Garriott 重新担起项目掌舵人的重担，再次修改剧本。EA 不断削减《创世纪 9》的预算与资源，最终下了发布期限的最后通牒。鉴于最终期限迫在眉睫，团队只能拼命做出一个勉强能玩的游戏。经过几周的加班加点，游戏终于完工，EA 也快速审批，《创世纪 9》就此发售。
鉴于上述种种因素，《创世纪 9》发售后出现频频闪退、漏洞漫天飞等问题也就不足为奇。由于事情的严重性，Origin 只得制作全新的游戏光盘，寄给所有已购买游戏的玩家。
《创世纪 9》还因为不尊重系列前作的诸多设定而饱受诟病。[4] 如果了解《创世纪 8》结局及游戏各大重要关键事件，不难发现《创世纪 9》要么无视前作设定，要么将其改得面目全非。在那些热爱《创世纪》系列、研究系列世界观长达二十多年的拥趸们眼里，《创世纪 9》简直是场噩梦。除此之外，本作屡遭抨击的痛点还包括小队机制不复存在、地图规模令人失望、战斗系统缺乏打磨、剧本与台词粗制滥造、配音水准不敢恭维等。
这些批评都不是空穴来风。当时，开发者和游戏编辑一心忙着把游戏赶制出来，根本无暇顾及台词质量。
However, much of the team was reassigned to assist with completing Ultima Online, and work largely paused on Ultima IX until mid-1997. Much had changed in the intervening months: hardwareaccelerated 3D had taken off, and it was decided that Ultima IX should make use of this new technology.
A new team was hired, and Ed Del Castillo was brought over from Westwood Studios to serve as the game's producer. He rewrote the plot treatment significantly, but was soon dismissed from Origin Systems. With pressure from EA to cancel the game and focus on Ultima Online mounting, Richard Garriott took direct control of the project, and the plot was rewritten once more. EA gradually removed funding and resources from the Ultima IX team, and eventually imposed a firm release deadline which left the team scrambling to complete a playable build of the game. With only weeks to spare, a playable build was achieved, and the game was greenlit for release.
Upon release, Ultima IX was – as might be expected given the above – very buggy and unstable, so much so that Origin Systems opted to re-release an updated version of the game on new CDs to all who had purchased it.
The game was also heavily criticised for paying little heed to the canon of the Ultima series; the ending of Ultima VIII and many other key events from the series were ignored or rewritten, upsetting fans who had followed the Ultima lore for almost two decades. Other common complaints include that it lacked party members, that the game world felt overly small, that combat was crude, the plot limited, the dialogue unpolished and the voice acting poor.
There is validity to all of these criticisms. There was little time during the race to finish the game for designers and editors to iterate the written dialogue.
__________
1 译者注：Bob White 版剧本是《创世纪 9》的初版剧本，其实是由 Richard Garriott，Brian Martin 和 John Watson 合作完成，Bob White 只负责最后的润色工作。初版剧本情节曲折，极具史诗感，但由于开发期间阻力重重，剧本大幅删减。后来 Bob White 将初版剧本公之于众，故得名于此。《创世纪 9》的官方版和 Bob White 版的关系，可类比《正义联盟》的院线版与扎克施耐德导剪版。
2 译者注：即电脑成像技术，Computer-generated Imagery。
3 译者注：不过看似整齐的背包也有不合理的地方，比如一把大剑需要占用一格储物格，一粒小小的珍珠也要占用一格储物格，看上去很不协调。
4 译者注：《创世纪 9》与系列前作冲突之处有很多。1.圣者对圣骑士一无所知。在本作，圣者不断发问，“什么是圣骑士？”然而在前作，圣骑士杜普列与圣者是莫逆之交，也是全系列的灵魂人物。后来，杜普列在巨蛇岛牺牲了自己，拯救全宇宙。因此，本作的圣者竟然不知道何为圣骑士，这让许多骨灰粉难以接受。2. 杜普列的死而复生。杜普列以肉身陨灭为代价，让自己的灵魂永远束缚着混沌巨蛇，以此维系宇宙的平衡，然而本作让杜普列死而复生，与前作严重冲突。3. 黑棘勋爵的再次黑化。黑棘勋爵是《创世纪 5》的反派，本性不坏，但被阴影领主蛊惑走向堕落。后来不列颠勋爵出于怜悯饶了它一命。《创世纪 7》里的僧人日记暗示黑棘勋爵在修道院顿悟，忏悔过去的所作所为，也获得灵魂的宁静。但在《创世纪 9》里，他再次沦为守护者的狗腿子，这不符常理。此外，冲突之处还包括《创世纪7：黑月门》里由圣者炸毁的灵魂之井在本作完好无损、结尾解读《圣典》的步骤与《创世纪 6》的设定相悖等。简言之，本作颠覆了前作种种关键性设定，让许多玩家不满。针对这些质疑，主创 Bill Randalph 给出的理由是：“时间太紧，无暇打磨”。
《电脑 RPG 游戏史（The CRPG Book Project）》原书信息
英文原版主编：Felipe Pepe
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这本书历时四年，由 119 名志愿者共同完成。
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