Just because the setting was derivative does not necessarily imply that the game mechanics were. Ultima was one of the first RPGs available for the computer and set the standard for years to come - standards which it continually refined. Ultima IV, for instance, required the player not to defeat some looming, final evil but rather to ascend to the status of Avatar by doing good deeds, meditating at shrines, and adhering to a moral system. Revolutionary for 1985. Seven years later, Ultima VII is released and is one of the first games to feature full-fledged scheduling for NPCs and the ability to interact with almost every single item in the game world.