Ultima 7 - Exult Updated

Dhruin

Dhruin

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Exult for Ultima VII was updated last week - time for another trip through one of the best games ever made:
Exult 1.4.9rc1 has been released!
It took us over six years, but with DNF seemingly getting ready to be released after all, we had to do something. To prepare for a full release, we have created a first Release Candidate, available on our download page. Please play with it and tell us of any problem you encounter using the forum or bug tracker.
If you have followed the news this list is likely already familiar to you, but we did a lot with Exult in the years since 1.2:
  • Compatible with the stricter permissions of Windows Vista and Windows 7
  • Rewrite of the Graphics system to allow switching to full screen on modern systems
  • Better integration into Mac OS X with default location for the supported games
  • Smooth scrolling (disabled by default, though)
  • Aspect correction is now supported
  • More data from the original has been decoded and thus improved gameplay and combat
  • In-game Notebook with support for automatic notes (notes created by usecode)
  • Integrated Pentagram's audio system which means support for real Roland MT-32 device, Roland MT-32 emulation and FluidSynth
  • Removed dependency of the audio system on SDL_Mixer
  • New shapes for the paperdolls
  • Tons of bugfixes
There have been many changes to Exult Studio and our support for mods as well:
  • Multi-map support for new games
  • Moved hard-coded information to datafiles
  • Increased limits on resource sizes (shapes, frames, etc)
  • Greatly improved compiler tools to ease new game development
Tons of work on our map editor Exult Studio and the ability to develop new games and mods
More information.
 
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This is great news. I kinda thought the Exult website had gone 'dead.' I'm glad to see that I am wrong.

It took us over six years, but with DNF seemingly getting ready to be released after all, we had to do something
Click to expand...

Does anyone know what DNF is?
 
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Wow, that's great to hear, erspecially as Ultima 7 worked pretty fine for me with the old version of exult, so if they further improved it... Great :). I always assumed that Exult had died the slow death, as the homepage wasn't updated for a long time. Glad to hear that I've been wrong.
 
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Wow. I've been playing Serpent's Isle with a beta version of Exult for a little while - hopefully upgrading won't cause any problems.

Here's what I really, REALLY want to see: Brand new games using this engine.
 
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RampantCoyote said:
Wow. I've been playing Serpent's Isle with a beta version of Exult for a little while - hopefully upgrading won't cause any problems.

Here's what I really, REALLY want to see: Brand new games using this engine.
Click to expand...

There is someone working on Savage Empires version using Exult as well as another person working on a Ultima 6 version in Exult. Unfortunately the are just one person working on them. So perhaps some day…

darkling said:
Isn't Teudogar based on the Exult engine?
Click to expand...

Yes
 
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Sorry to take this OT a bit, but I remember seeing some fully-patched/community-patched version of Ultima IX Ascension available somewhere (this was a few weeks ago), but I haven't been able to find it through the usual suspects (Steam, Impulse, GOG, etc.) Anybody know where I can get it? Or did I just imagine it? I know it was uniformly panned when it came out, and I don't suspect patching did much more than make it playable (maybe), but I never got to play very far into it and I just won't feel complete until I do! ;)
 
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rbtroj said:
Sorry to take this OT a bit, but I remember seeing some fully-patched/community-patched version of Ultima IX Ascension available somewhere (this was a few weeks ago), but I haven't been able to find it through the usual suspects (Steam, Impulse, GOG, etc.) Anybody know where I can get it? Or did I just imagine it? I know it was uniformly panned when it came out, and I don't suspect patching did much more than make it playable (maybe), but I never got to play very far into it and I just won't feel complete until I do! ;)
Click to expand...

I tried to play it a few years back (and I have a legal copy, purchased when it came out) and using windows XP, there is unfortunately a game breaking bug (skeletons will crash the game). So it is pretty much unplayable unless you have perhaps windows 95 or 98.

For PATCHES (Not the full game) they can be found here:

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/
 
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I got the latest build a few weeks ago and have unfortunately found it far less stable than 1.2. I have had a couple of freezes (complete locks) with about 3 hours gameplay. The new smooth scrolling function is completely ridiculous, the characters looks like they are speed-skating. The paper doll changes are nice but spark still looks like a muscleman with a tiny head!!!

Another thing I haven't determined whether it actually is a setting or not (nothing in any menu as far as I can tell) but the character count has supposedly been raised over 8. Hopefully this isn't the case but I am not sure why it is mentioned in the release notes. Surely this should be an option given that it is such a balance breaker.
 
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I noticed the download is only for 32 bit windoze, does it also work with 64 bit?
 
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Oh, cool! I also thought Exult development had been abandoned. Nice surprise it wasn't. However, I'll wait until they test this version a bit more before actually installing it (once it's out of RC phase, that is). The previous version is working just fine.

RampantCoyote said:
Here's what I really, REALLY want to see: Brand new games using this engine.
Click to expand...

Amen! Preach it, brother! I absolutely love the U7 engine and would really like to see more games using it (well, the combat system could use a revision).

So, Teudogar (and Darghul too, I suppose) is done with/based on Exult. Well, there is a strong family resemblance surely. Should've guessed it, but actually didn't know that. I always thought it was more of an "inspired by U7" deal. Well, learn something new every day.
 
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Thanks for that link, Jaesun. I had forgotten all about that site.

Seems like Pentagram was updated as well.

I went there about a month ago and thought it had been abandoned.

There's also a bunch of patches/mods here. Although this site has not been updated since 2007.
 
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FYI, Exult was far from abandoned in recent years. Bugfixes and minor improvements came out on a fairly regular, monthly basis. They just hid the updates info in the Downloads section, and not on the front page.... but luckily, I am a sucker for both Serpent Isle *and* changelog docs... ;)
 
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Couldn't they post an update on the frontpage? How long would that take a few minutes? Maybe, they didn't want anyone knowing they were still working on it.;)

Still seems odd they'd do that work and not update the frontpage for a long time.
 
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bjon045 said:
I got the latest build a few weeks ago and have unfortunately found it far less stable than 1.2. I have had a couple of freezes (complete locks) with about 3 hours gameplay.
Click to expand...

If you are having crashing problems, you should definitely make a post on the forums as well as a bug report. I've had no problems at all (with Windows 7, 32 Bit). Be sure to mention what version of Windows you are using, what version of Exult, what mods you have installed, what version of Ultima VII you are using etc.. Also, is this crashing happening with a NEW game. You aren't using an old save game are you? Or are you using a pirated version of Ultima VII?

bjon045 said:
Another thing I haven't determined whether it actually is a setting or not (nothing in any menu as far as I can tell) but the character count has supposedly been raised over 8. Hopefully this isn't the case but I am not sure why it is mentioned in the release notes. Surely this should be an option given that it is such a balance breaker.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you read that the party size was increased? If I recall correctly, that has never been changed and is exactly like the original (maximum of 7).
 
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Actually, I do follow a lot of indies. It's pretty consistent that if they have gone silent for quite a long time then it has been abandoned. It's very unusual for an active development team to be silent that long and still be working on the project.

I'm not complaining that much since I like what they do, but it would have been nice to know that it hadn't gone the way of the DoDo.

I think Rampant Coyote did a blog about that. Something along the lines that if you don't hear from them for awhile then they just might be really busy working on the project. If you don't hear from them for a VERY long time then, more than likely, it's dead in the water.
 
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