Ultima V-style moongates.

[Kensu]

Some time ago I remember one of the main developers was asking for suggestions for game improvements; finally one has occurred to me.

I think a nice effect would be to replace the half-assed blue moongates with ones that operate under the same principles as Ultima V.

Notably differences:
- Moongates only appeared at night during Ultima V
- Digging at the site of a moongate would reveal its moonstone
- Going through one of the blue moongates at midnight would take you to
the shrine of Spirituality.
- The moon phases determined the destination of the gates (I don't think this is true in Ultima VII; in any case there's no way to tell what phase the moons are in.)

Anyone interested?

[VisElEchNon]

IIRC the moongates are broken in the Black Gate because magic is broken. Changing them back would be changing a major portion of the game.

[Kensu]

The fact that they appear chunky and can hurt you when you go through them is a plot point, yes.
However them appearing all the time and not obeying the phases of the moon seems more of a design decision (i.e. if you risk dying by using them, and they'll be gone after the midpoint of the game, what's the use in implementing them correctly?)

Also, according to an interview with RG around the time the game came out*, the moonstones were supposed to explode when you destroyed the sphere generator; leaving giant craters wherever the moonstone were buried. (Also the orb of the moons was supposed to explode in the Avatar's backpack and send him/her flying across the room.) That would be neat to add, in and of itself.

(* - the interview is in The Avatar Adventures strategy guide)

[Random Person]

yeah i think they should be left alone because of plot

[monotremata]

Well as was said it was major part of the plot. Magic was way out of whack in VII. This disturbance to the ether affected the moongates as well to the point that they became erratic and no longer worked as they used to. Hence why they were there all the time and killed you instead of transporting you somewhere only at night like usual.. I like that they added that little twist to the story. That meant you actually had to explore all of Britannia and check out all the new graphics.. Plus there was stuff hidden all over the place, especially in the forest areas in the tree trunks, you wouldnt have found if you were moongating from one towne to the next..