To celebrate 30 years of the Ultima franchise and 14 years of Ultima Online, EA and BioWare Mythic have launched a new Ultima Forever site that lets you download the original PC version of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar for free! If you've never played this classic game, here's a brief description from the site:

"Released in 1985, Ultima IV was the first in the 'Age of Enlightenment' period of Ultima games. It truly was a step forward in gaming, as it focused not on defeating some generic evil force with traditional “hack & slash” gameplay, but offered a story-driven quest based on ethical dilemmas presented to the player in an attempt to achieve enlightenment."

If that's not enough Ultima for you, then you'll be happy to know that Ultima Underworld 1+2 is now available on GOG.com for $5.99. The package includes Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss and Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds.

Ultima Online Producer Cal Crowner and Associate Producer Bonnie Armstrong have chosen YouTube as their medium to answer questions from the game's community, and they cover a variety of topics in their latest Q&A video. Watch it below for details on their plans for the game.

Crowner also wrote a brief producer's update letter that discusses the Ter Mur story, enhanced client crashes, player abuse and additional High Seas content. It pairs well with the video, so be such to check it out for even more Ultima Online news.

It looks like players will soon get the chance to distill and distribute alcohol in Ultima Online. In his latest letter to the community, Producer Calvin Crowner unveiled the distillery, which will allow players to engrave and name their special brews. The team will reveal more information on Magincia's bazaar area in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for details on the raised garden bed, gargoyle statues and a llama topiary, as well as a feature that will finally allow vendors to sell pets.

Crowner said the team is "centering many decisions this year around improving the Enhanced Client (removing the Beta Tag); increasing the frequency of small developer-lead events; and improving the transition of new and returning players to Ultima Online." Also, the next story arc will center on the origin of Ter Mur. The first events should kick off in June and run for six weeks.

BioWare Mythic has released a new Ultima Online Developer Diary that focuses on what the team will be working on this year. Producer Calvin Crowner, Associate Producer Bonnie Armstrong and Lead Engineer Erik Brinkman cover a variety of topics, including a new client art set, a new player adventure and the continued implementation of new quests.

In order to get new players into the game, Brinkman says that the team wants to get the initial download to less than 200 MB. In order to accomplish this task, they will be adding an area for new players that they can explore while the rest of the client downloads in the background.

Ultima Online turns 14 years old in September. Get more details on the plans for the game in 2011 by watching the video below!

BioMythic has a new European Community Manager for their MMO games: DAoC, WAR and UO:

Greetings, 

My name is Kai Schober, also known as Sterntaler to some of the European players, and I am happy to restart an old job in a new environment so to speak.

The Syndicate is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month! According to the Guinness Book of World Records, The Syndicate is the oldest, continuously operated online gaming guild. Members of this group have played nearly every MMO imaginable, but they focus predominantly on Ultima Online and World of Warcraft.

While the members of the guild enjoy playing games, they are also accomplished testers and guide writers. The group is featured in the MMO documentary Second Skin and published a book that details the first 10 years of the organization. The Syndicate is also the first online gaming entity to trademark its name, logo and slogan.

Congratulations to The Syndicate for 15 years of gaming! So ZAM readers, how old are your various guilds?

If you're an Ultima Online player, you might want to clear your calendar tonight, Dec. 1, from 7-8 p.m. EST for a dev chat. Here's the announcement from the UO Herald:

Come join the Ultima Online development team this Wednesday, December 1st, for a UStream Live Webchat! We'll be kicking things off on the official BioWare Mythic Ustream channel at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST and going until 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST, so be sure to sign up for a UStream account ahead of time to participate in the live chat! The UO Stratics team will be helping us answer your questions about the following topics:

• Veteran Rewards
• Live Story Arc Progress
• Holiday Season Plans
• Stygian Abyss update
• High Seas Fixes
• Fishing

Ultima Online received the inaugural Hall of Fame Award at GDC Online, which is certainly a major accomplishment. GameBreaker TV's Gary Gannon got the chance to speak with Producer Calvin Crowner about the game's 13-year history, the new High Seas booster pack, and the future of Ultima Online.

The interview is short and sweet, and you can watch it after the jump. We'd like to once again congratulate the Ultima Online team for earning this prestigious award. How you tried out the High Seas booster pack yet?

The High Seas booster pack sets sail today in Ultima Online, and it introduces a number of changes and new features to the game. Players can enjoy all new ship combat, increased storage for banks and characters, fishing updates, and more.

The expansion costs $14.99 and is available via digital download in the EA Store and through UO Game Codes. You can read the patch notes after the jump.

Ultima Online recently won the inaugural Hall of Fame Award at GDC Online. The game shows no signs of stopping 13 years after its release. Do you still play UO? Will you be purchasing the High Seas booster pack?

As we reported, the winners of the inaugural Game Developers Choice Online Awards were announced yesterday, and Ultima Online received the first Hall of Fame Award at GDC Online. In honor of the occasion, the team has posted a video on YouTube that reflects on the rich heritage of the game.

You can watch the video after the jump for a look back at Ultima's 30-year history. What are some of your favorite Ultima Online memories?