Ultima 7, what a classic. Released originally back in 1992 it continues to live on thanks to open source. Exult is a FOSS game engine for it and it finally has a fresh release.
16 years in the making! The last stable update for Exult was back in 2004. The release actually marked the 28th anniversary of Ultima VII - The Black Gate too, so they picked the timing for it nicely. Like with a lot of open source projects, it took time due to real life and some developers moving on to other things.
A massive update too, some of the highlights include:
- Better pathfinding when the party boards a barge
- Fixed most inexplicable crashes
- Separate settings for fullscreen and windowed mode possible
- SDL 2 for modern system support
- NxBR and HQ3x/HQ4x scalers
- Some more combat options to make charmed combat more difficult
- Serpent Isle Beta version works
- Schedules got a work-over and are more closer to the original but not yet perfect
- Shortcut bar with important shortcuts right on top of the screen
- Tons of bug fixes
See more on the Exult site and GitHub. It's licensed under the GPL.
It needs a copy of the data for Ultima 7, which you can get easily from GOG.com.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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5 comments
Nice to see an official release, though at least on Linux, compiling from source wasn't that hard.
As for Ultima VII, that's still one of my favorite RPGs of all times. There are games with better graphics, games with better combat (definitely!), probably games with better anything. But there's hardly a game that beats the package as a whole.
So I'm immensely grateful to the Exult team for all the work they did so far to keep that gem alive on modern hardware!
As for Ultima VII, that's still one of my favorite RPGs of all times. There are games with better graphics, games with better combat (definitely!), probably games with better anything. But there's hardly a game that beats the package as a whole.
So I'm immensely grateful to the Exult team for all the work they did so far to keep that gem alive on modern hardware!
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I never got to play those Ultima games when they were new - not many games available to me back then.
Glad I can still play them today.
Glad I can still play them today.
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Ultima III was the first real PC game I played. I have great memories of Ultima games. 7 was a classic. I have them all on GOG so it might be fun to give this a spin and see how it plays.
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With ScummVM integrating Nuvie, I wonder what the odds of bringing Exult in are...
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slaapliedje Apr 23, 2020
Quoting: LightkeyWhoa! When did all this happen? Also, will Roberta then support these integrated into the Steam library? Though I suppose you would need the GOG versions, plus if we can get MT32 support plugged in... maybe I can finally finish all Ultima games in a row like I have been planning to do for years. (Basically bought an Apple IIGS to play the original 1-5 in all their glory).Quoting: DesumWith ScummVM integrating Nuvie, I wonder what the odds of bringing Exult in are...Not just Nuvie but also xu4 and Pentagram (Ultima IV/VI/VIII) and DreamMaster adding his own engine for Ultima in ScummVM as well.
You will notice a pattern on their homepages, that's because Dominus Dragon is involved in all those projects, so he changed all the logos. Him coordinating the new Exult release also has something to do with those assimilations. It's to show to DreamMaster that Exult is still alive and does not need saving like those other dead projects. Besides that, Exult Studio would not fit in ScummVM.
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