创世纪 4：圣者传奇 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar p.78

游戏的关键从不在于你获得了多大的力量或多强力的武器来赢得胜利，而在于这些思考：你学到了些什么？从始至终你都获得了怎样的智慧？而这是否意味着你现在就是解决问题的最优人选？

The point is not whether you have strong enough muscles or big enough guns to win, the issue should be: What have you learned? What wisdom have you gained from the beginning through to the end that really means you're now the appropriate person to solve the problem?

理查德・加里奥特,
《创世纪 4》项目领导者

Richard Garriott,
Ultima IV's project leader

尽管前面几部作品的对话系统很有限，但对话一直都是《创世纪》系列的特色。本作的对话系统特点在于：人们会因为喜欢、信任、或尊重你而告诉你一些情报——这些信任或尊重是玩家通过游戏行为赢得的，你离成为圣者的伟大目标越近，人们就越有可能告诉你重要的情报。

放眼诸多游戏的任务设定，一种像这样的所谓“交换条件”式设计已经十分泛滥了：“所以，你想知道这把 +30 强化的秒杀之剑的位置吗？那首先你得前往可怕的滑稽之兔所栖身的巢穴，然后把老旧的大鼓（不带电池的）给我取回来。”但在《创世纪 4》里，你不会是任何人的“跑腿员”。

游戏里的人们从来不会把玩家当宠物狗，让你去找回遗失或被盗的物品，而且他们也不会叫你去帮忙——你在游戏里所学会的一切、获得的一切都是为了你自己。

Conversation has always been a staple of the Ultimas, even if it was very limited in previous games. An important aspect here is that people give you information because they like you, trust you, or respect you. This is trust or respect you earn by your actions during play. The closer you are to the ideal of Avatarhood, the more likely people are to tell you important things.

There is none of the “quid pro quo” that infects so many games. You know: “So, you want the location of the +30 Sword of Instant Death? First, you must travel to the lair of the Dread Funny Bunnies, and bring back to me the Drum of Ages (batteries not included).” Nowhere in Ultima IV are you ever someone's “gofer”.

People don't send you off to retrieve lost/stolen items as though you're some sort of pet dog. Nor do they ask you to do any “favours”. Everything you learn, every item you obtain, is for your own use.

由粉丝克里斯・霍普金斯制作的《创世纪 4 第二章：老兄，我的圣者去哪了？》是对《创世纪》系列的恶搞作品，它的故事发生在《创世纪 4》与《创世纪 5 》之间。

Created by fan Chris Hopkins, Ultima IV Part 2: Dude, where's my Avatar? is a parody of the Ultima series. It takes place in the gap of time between Ultima IV and Ultima V.

至于游戏的结局，也许那才是《创世纪 4》中最具批判性的部分，正如我的一个朋友所说：“这是唯一一个以读书为最终目标的游戏。”游戏的结局并非是要你去打败愚蠢的反派或（再一次拯救世界），而是让玩家深入地下城，去阅读一部名为《终极智慧法典（Cdex of Ultimate Wisdom）》的书籍。当然，还有其它的游戏也采用了非暴力的结局，但没有一部拥有像本作这样的原创性。

尽管如此，这款游戏对于现在的一些玩家而言是无法接受的：游戏的画面过于原始和简陋，没有任务追踪、游戏日志、小地图、出色的掉落物和详细的教程，保持耐心和记笔记才让你精通这款游戏的关键，因为玩家有太多的东西要去学——你最好也学一学。最终，你将会在游戏末尾的地下城中经受重重考验，以确保玩家能够真正明白成为圣者的意义。

虽然本作的设计有着它的年代感和诸多不便，但如果你正在寻找的是一种独特的游戏体验，而非一味地“砍砍砍”或是无尽的支线任务，那么经受了多年岁月洗礼的《创世纪 4》对你来说，将仍是一部独一无二的出色作品。

Perhaps the most iconoclastic part of Ultima IV is the ending. As a friend of mine put it, “It's the only game where the goal is to read a book”. Not trashing Foozle, not saving the world (again), but penetrating to the depths of a dungeon to read the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. There have been other games with nonviolent endings, but none so original as this.

For all that, some of today's gamers may find the game unplayable. The graphics are primitive. There is no log, no journal, no automap, no big loot drops, no hand-holding. Patience and extensive note-taking are crucial, because there is so much to learn. You'd better learn it all too; you're tested throughout the final dungeon to ensure you really know what it means to be the Avatar.

However, if you're looking for a unique experience that doesn't rely on hack-and-slash or endless “side jobs”, then Ultima IV is still one-of-a-kind, even after all these years.