The Dragon Gallery - part VII
Gaseous dragon

Frank 'Parcival' Rieter-Lambers, 2004-02-26

The Dragon Gallery is dedicated the Ultima Dragons who contribute(d) to the ultima community. You will get a look at ‘the person behind the dragon' and his love for Ultima. Samurai Dragon passed on the quill to Gaseous Dragon.

Personalia

In real life I am Ron Windeyer; I was born in 1951, so that makes me an almost geriatric 53. I would describe myself as of average height, not overly ugly, and quite easy-going. It usually takes a lot to get me wound up, but I have been known to throw the odd hissy fit when seriously provoked.

My job: for the last 20 years I have been an anaesthetist in private practice in Perth, the lovely capital of Western Australia. It's something I still enjoy quite a lot; there's a sense of satisfaction when you do the job well, especially if it's an epidural for a woman in labour. My wife Elizabeth looks after the business side of the practice, and we have two grown sons who still live with us, but are almost off our hands.

Ultima

I first came into contact with Ultima about 18 years ago - we had invested in an Apple IIGS computer for the family, and I was browsing in a local store when I saw the "Ultima Trilogy". This turned out to be a boxed set of Ultima I-III. The role-playing and adventure really appealed to me, although I didn't complete Ultima III until many years later.

Later on the boys acquired an Amiga for themselves, and I found Ultima V for that platform. Needless to say we all spent many hours following Lord British through the dungeons - the musical score was great!

Later still we upgraded to a PC, and I found the Black Gate (on 5.25" floppies!). We played half way through the game before we invested in a sound card, and discovered the richness of the music and dialogue.

By now I was thoroughly hooked, and got each title as it was released. I even purchased a Voodoo 3D card a year before the release of Ultima IX.

Your Favourite

I would have to say the VII series, both part 1 and 2. Their richness, complexity and degree of interaction with the world are unparalleled. I also like the humour which is frequently present in the dialogue.

Ultima Character

That's a hard one. Maybe I would say Dupre. He may have been a bit of a nonentity in the earlier games, but the character was fleshed out as the series went along - we saw a swashbuckling  adventurer, someone who liked the ladies and a bit of a drink, but when the chips were down he had what it took to step up and sacrifice himself for the good of the land.

Memories

A couple of memories in Ultima VII. Firstly, when flying over the Isle of the Avatar on the carpet, and the Guardian starts laughing - that was a shock!  I also admit to being caught in the dungeon there - experienced players will know all about the "bug" that occurs if you fly over the area beforehand. As this was pre-internet days and I knew nothing about hackmoving, there was nothing for it but to start all over again. You know a game is good if you are prepared to do that.

Ultima Internet Community

I found the Dragons in 1997, and was pleased to find a group with similar interests. I have enjoyed chatting in the newsgroups, and also found my way to the Weyrmount. There were also very nice people there, and the challenge of tinkering with programming code was appealing, so I ended up building quite a lot of stuff.

Website

This just sort of evolved - I had battled with Ultima 7 since the days of DOS 5.0, had managed to get it running in Windows 95, and put up a few hints to help others out. I also did the same for Ultima 8. Things went along like that for some time, until I got an email from Dragon Baroque, saying that he had formulated this new patch, and had seen my page, so would I like to try it? Of course I agreed, and even though I have no understanding of how it works, I am proud to be a host for the greatest development for playing U7 and U8 in recent years.

Beyond Ultima

I do play other games, although somewhat less now that life seems so busy. I am currently working through Warcraft III; if I ever finish that I will try the Frozen Throne addon. Baldur's Gate was an enjoyable CRPG. I don't get to play the Ultimas much, but recently worked my way through from I-VI.

I enjoy travel; my wife and I have recently returned from a Central American cruise. Also I have a private pilot's licence, and when time and money permit I take to the skies over Perth.

Pass it on

I would like you to contact Nameless Dragon, a very nice guy and someone who has been a driving force behind the resurrection of the Weyrmount.

[We sure will - Parc]