As you probably know by now, EA rushed Ultima 8 out in an unfit state. This resulted in many things omitted from the game.
If you notice, you can see all the game's writings by opening the
EUSECODE.FLX file with something like Microsoft Word. It will
list thousands of pages of code, among which you will find all the game's books,
scrolls, dialogues and item labels.
If you notice, however, there are many references in the usecode files (there are 3 usecode files - one in English, one in German and one in French) to places and things that would have been there if Ultima 8 wasn't rushed out in an unfit state.
Probably this is not an omission, but some place from where the programmers would go to manipulate the game. This is found near the beginning, where all the places are listed for the Divination focus, which explains where you are and how long you have been on Pagan.
In October 2020, Daedalus confirmed that Programmer's Playland is actually map number 1 in the game. It is not normally reachable in the game, but Daedalus was able to reach it using either Pentagram or a cheat patch, and used the Divination focus to identify the location, as shown in the following screenshots which he provided:
Programmer's Playland contains nothing but an assortment of NPCs, some of which are arranged to form familiar scenes in the game (such as the execution at the Docks, or the skeletons in the hallway leading to Lithos).
Daedalus also noted that Programmer's Playland also corresponds to the location listed as "Gift Shop" in Michael de Piazzi's cheat menu guide.
The same list of places for the Divination focus reveals a place called the Brimstone Cliffs. This probably had to have some connection with Daemon's Crag, due to the fact that the name suggests fire, besides the fact that it is listed under Daemon's Crag.
In October 2020, Daedalus used Pentagram to locate Brimstone Cliffs and confirm its existence via the Divination focus:
Daedalus wrote: "'Brimstone Cliffs' corresponds to map index 13, exactly between map 12 (Daemon's Crag) and map 14 (Obsidian Fortress). This map is completely empty, though, according to Pentagram's dumpmap function."
Daedalus provided the following screenshots as evidence, and they are hosted here with his permission:
Treasure Cove is not only in the list of places for the Divination focus, but it is even on the map! We all think that Treasure Cove has been omitted from the game, but the truth is that it's been under our nose for years! On 29th July 2003 I received a screenshot from Kobra Kai showing the Divination's description of the Slayer Quest. I couldn't believe it myself, but the Slayer Quest is Treasure Cove! I took the occasion to verify this myself, and took another screenshot, which you can see here:
Although not shown in the Usecode, Vengeance Bay was even mentioned in the manual:
From the manual: This area is beyond the reach of those without the means to cross the seas in safety - a rare thing in these times. The bay was the site of the last and greatest true battle between the Zealans and the Pagans, who won by calling upon Hydros to pull the Zealan leader's ship under the sea. To further the show of power, Hydros spat the ship back up, cursing all on board to eternal slavery as part of her undead legion.
It says that the ship of the Zealan leader was dragged to the bottom of the ocean at Vengeance Bay. The broken ship shows on the world map in the north part, so Vengeance Bay is on the north. It appears to have once been connected to Carthax Lake, but its connection was cut off when Kalen trapped Hydros there, and when Alexis was buried at the connection.
The most popular omission known is that of the Lost Vale add-on that was never made. It would feature an additional plot, additional landscape and tilesets, the other three gods and many other things. Learn more about it in my Lost Vale page.
As explained in the items page, there is a third Necromantic Key. It is possessed only by the Necromancer, and evidence of it is not only its mention in the Usecode, but also its picture in the game data! You can see it with Pentagram, and that is how I managed to take a picture of it for my items page.
Perhaps in the original plot, you would become the Necromancer and inherit
the Key of the Necromancer. Lithos seems to support this theory, telling you
"Do not come before me again until you yourself are the Necromancer"
.
Dialogue all around the Usecode seems to suggest that in the original plot, there would be an invasion of undead, and they would attack Tenebrae. There are lines that tell you to run away because the undead are advancing, and such things. This has not been added to the plot, but Kobra Kai has discovered how to trigger the invasion using cheats.