Exult Forum

i want to make a new Expansion for Ultima 7 Part 1 or 2 with Exult Studio and all the other things you need but not like Forge of Virtue or Silver Seed in which you can get good Armour and so on. I think everyone kows what you can get there. i want this because there are no good RPG's in stores and I'm bored of the Second world war shooters and the boring Strategy games
I want to play a good RPG like U7. So if anyone want to make it then post it

I'd be interested in playing it:-) If you want a sample, take a look at the "island patch" we did. I'm also looking for suggestions for improvements to both ExultStudio and the usecode language we have.

Where is the Island Patch? I looked around and couldn't find it.

I think Exult Studio is great - so far I've un-landlocked every major island (you can walk from east of the Mint, to the West side of Moonshade, then north of Freedom you can walk to Monk Isle,) put up gates and walls between them, and have guards pacing the gates. Now, making the guards talk is another matter.

One thing that would be neat is the ability to rotate Chunks - I know it would be impossible as it stands because the FAQ sez you change one, you change all instances of that chunk (and some have trees that point straight up, etc.)

But it would be nice to be able to select rotate, and have the chunk appended to the U7Chunks file. Takes a long time to find the right tile - when it might not exist - and I'm no artist. Suppose there would be other problems, tho, since the frames probably aren't EXACTLY 8x8 or what have you - still would be nice, and you asked

Go to "http://sourceforge.net/project/showfile ... up_id=2335" (the 'files' section of our project page), and get the "Map-editor Demo 3".

Back to the first request: I would be happy to help out, possibly writing some of the scripting. Do you have a plot in mind? Also, I'm wondering what kind of reward there should be for the player.

i have nothing done i just posted it to see how many want to help me i have no story nothing and i can't make a new map or anything because i didn't test exult studio and the demo of the map editor so if ther where only 1 or 2 i don't want to make a big game ther should for every part one person or more for the story board for scripting and so on but mail me DrCode if you realy want to make a game with the engine

DrCode, or someone else that knows ExultStudio well.

I want to know, what sort of potential do you see ExultStudio feasibly being used for in terms of creating, say, Ultima 7.5 or some other fan-mix. Do you believe a group of 3 or 4 people leading up one project could really use ExultStudio to create a complete expansion or new game using the same engine?

A lot of my questions will be answered once I get off this horrid dialup and am able to download the stuff on my own (And no, downloading anything on a connection that barely gets over 6000bp/s is not fun)

And I thought I had it bad, at 24kbits/s.

Thanks for the heads up on that page, DrCode - never really looked at the full blown Files Site - just went to exult.info all the time.

Soul Harvester: Yes, that's why it exists. Currently, I think it's well-suited for creating add-ons, as we already created the one mentioned above. A completely new game (with all new artwork) may be possible, but would be more challenging.

I'm quite interested in designing a new world/game using exult studio. It's one of the things I've mentioned frequently before on these forums, and DrCode was generous enough to help figure out a few bugs with studio itself causing certain roof combo's to disappear when there was too many items placed into the world a few months ago. I've gotten pretty good at editing the map itself and manipulating the chunks, and I'm pretty good with ideas for story's and plot arc's etc. Not to mention I'm a web designer so if a project does get started and you would like me to join up I can provide a very solid website design w/ news scripts, forums, etc etc. :]

if a project get started i will contact you kelly thomas
and all other interested people

I am not particularly keen on new art or music, mostly because my talent in such can be rated accurately on a scale of 0. However I am a programmer and an avid writer at heart. Ultima VII being my all-time favorite, the possibility of using it to create my own visions is wonderful to me.

I am supposed to get DSL back today(just made a big move and it cost me a lot of money), and thus will be taking a close look at ES.

I have also been formulating not only an idea, but a reason for, a multiplayer exult. I know that is typically frowned upon but I believe this plan I have been working on is solid. Anyways, I am glad to hear you say that DrCode.

And behold, for I have DSL once again.

I only have a dual 56k modem setup that runs 94.5kb/s connection, but I don't see why everyone with 56k is complaining. The file downloads are no where near huge and it's easy to download all the necessary files whether you have dialup or broadband. Just to throw that out there, that I may have a low end connection but I still refuse to let it keep me from doing such a great project. I've never let my connection hinder my web site designs, or uploading my artwork and programs I design to the web, so I sure as heck won't let it hinder working on something as grand as an Exult Studio game.

I only have 56K. One really helpful trick when using CVS: Always run "cvs -z8 ...", or put the -z8 in your .cvsrc file. It causes files to be compressed before transferring them.

Kelley thomas: this was beyond "slow". This was literally at about a 10th of a 56k, and that was on a good day, if the sun was shining, if the wind was blowing in the right direction, if I paid homage to the proper spirits.

It was horrible.

I've had to deal with that before, with certain ISP's. The FCC prohibits any 56k connection to actually connect at 56k. So the best you'll ever usually get is around 40k, depending on how good your isp is, and some that I've used felt like I was using an old 14.4 modem. Personally though, I'll be happy for everyone when the phone companies and cable companies realize that it'd be cheaper to provide broadband for a larger area, than it is to provide it for a small area and leave so many neighborhoods and suburbs broadband less. About the only solution you can find if you cant get DSL or Cable is Satellite 2way connections, and thats 700 to 1000$ install, 70$ a month, plus you still need a modem, plus there's other fee's for hardware and service fee's. But, until then, those of us stuck with lowband connections will just have to stick it out. That's why I've grown accustomed to long uploads/downloads, especially when I'm participating in a project. Atleast Exult Studio doesn't require the file sizes normally associated with a 3d game's modifications. Those mods and total conversions for games like Unreal and Quake require file transfers that would take a 56k a day or more to upload. I think Exult is the perfect RPG engine to work with because the files arent terribly large, and its a very efficient engine to use. It has a lot of potential and with Exult Studio you can pretty much design an entire world, in less time, and with more areas than you ever could with a larger 3d engine.

Umm. Actually those where 'old' FCC limits, imposed when the phone systems where still doing a lot of transitioning to better quality equipment. My own is connected at 49.3 right now, but I know people that have gotten as much as 52k or better. It often depends on how good the line quality actually is and how close you are to the place where they have all the switches. Though, having a telephone company that isn't run by idiots, that can't even find their ass with both hands, helps too. lol Tell me if any of you ever find one.

The regulation is still imposed. It limits data transmission to roughly 53300bp/s. The channel itself is only 64kbp/s so it isn't like you are losing much.

Hm, you want to create an expansion that is not like FoV in that you get a new weapon? Perhaps you could add another town which has reappeared (Perhaps Dawn?), and then add new NPCs to several towns to add a new sidequest, which perhaps could end up with a ne ending (If thats possible)

Why not just make a new adventure all together? Why worry about adding in a sidequest where we'd have to struggle to figure out what's reappearing? It'd be better to either make a past or future Britannia that you have to explore in, even if its during an old adventure and you're trying not to interfere with your past/future self or make a totally new world. A new world would let you either make something along the lines of a better Pagan, something like the Ultima Worlds, or even a new idea altogether that doesn't have to rely on preset limits. You could even do a mirror Britannia where everything is the opposite, and in order to keep balance with both dimensions you have to do the complete opposite of each virtue to ensure that both worlds don't collapse due to the imbalance. Could even be a future Britannia, where British no longer exists, noone knows who the Avatar was, and everything is evolved. Your presence reawakens the magic in the land, allowing the once wizards to be able to recast their spells of old, and rekindle the land. I'm sure I can think of a few more ideas.. The trouble with a slow connection, while online you have lots of time to think. ;-P

> Perhaps you could add another town which has reappeared (Perhaps Dawn?)

Well it already exists in SI right? Teleport storm transports it back to BG?
It would be even easier to destroy a town. Take Vesper, for example. (poor guys, always getting hit) Wipe it out, and just keep a few of the NPCs with new conversations. Add some quests that involve exploring and fighting and finding something. This is easier because you don't have to do so much scripting as you do with a complete town.

> even if its during an old adventure and you're trying not to interfere with your past/future self

But that's a great idea! I'd like to create or play a game that gives you the opportunity to affect the timeline... but interfering would be the point of it, not something to avoid. Someone can take any of the Ultima stories and give the player a second chance to do things even better (or worse). Ultima 8 and 9 are especially good candidates for that.
Of course, the Time Lord must of had something to do with it.

Yeah, it can swing either way with the time example. Personally I'd like to see a new take on Pagan or Ascension through Exult. Or atleast an adventure that takes place afterwards.

Story Idea:
500 years after Ascension, the Pillars are torn down. The cities are alive with new life, following the virtues. Britannia has advanced its ecology and society. But a dark shadow still exists in the land. Something that has been there from the beginning. Haunting the minds of those who would try to defeat the Avatar. Feeding on the fear it instills in those that become aware of it's existence. An Ethereal being that is not bound by time or space. Bound by no means of magic or mechanics known to any Britannian. Any mage who has learned about this being has never been seen again, never able to tell anyone of what he's learned. For centuries it has lingered in between the world of Sosaria, and the Void. Those that would conquer Britannia were given power by it, but also were enslaved to it. Britannians go about their daily lives, content in the world that the Avatar has given them. Free to work their gardens, plow their fields, and explore their lands without fear of being destroyed or taken by evil doers. The land is ruled by a new king, the son of Lord British. There is no longer a need for an Avatar of Virtues for there is no crime, no hatred, and no injustice. Peace flows throughout the land of Britannia, and Balance is fulfilled between all the connected worlds. After the Avatar's adventure in Pagan, he was given a choice of becoming a god, but after the merged himself with the Guardian, he was no longer in our realm. Lord British made it a high priority for his best mages to find the Avatar, or any trace of what happened to him. But none could find an answer. Not even the slightest trace of the Avatar within the Void. But Lord British left instructions for his son, his only heir to the throne. He advised his son that peace never lasts forever, there is always some force, some being, some presence that corrupts the minds and warps the souls of those who would live peacefully in the land. His son, taking his dear father's words to heart, created a small council of mages. The best of the best, the brightest of the land, to try and solve the mystery of the Avatar. For incase his father was right, they would need their saviour. The 'darkness' had sat idly by for far too long. Many times he had influenced and helped those that would take down the Avatar and wreak havoc upon the land. And many times he had watched them all fail. So many had come close. Including this new being, the Guardian, of whom he knew nothing about. A being so unique, that it had never encountered one quite like it. It intrigued this darkness to watch this being manipulate so many worlds, and to fail so many times when the Avatar encountered him. But it also infuriated the darkness that the Guardian was not one of his own influenced beings. So many had come before, that he had expected to be a part of Sosaria's end. They had all come to him in some way. Whether it was worship, seeking help, or by summoning it. He had played a part in helping the shadowlords cross the dimensional space and enter Britannia. He had personally seen to it that they were powerful enough to confront the land, even though they were powerful enough in the beginning. But it wasn't enough. The Avatar still triumphed over them, just like he triumphed over the Guardian. And now that the Avatar was gone, he had big plans for Sosaria. For not even he could feel the presence of the Avatar in the Void. The time was perfect. The world was vulnerable, their guard was down. He would start by infecting the minds of a few choice candidates. Turning them to do his bidding. Then he would raise an island for a castle of darkness to be erected. There he would call those dark mages, the ones he would select himself, to perform the ritual that would bring him out of the in-between realm between the Void and Sosaria. There he would become a living entity, with a body, flesh and bone, and a thirst for domination. There he would sit upon a thrown of black stone, in a court of corpses, while outside his walls chaos and disorder reigned in the lands. There he would be god, controlling Sosaria like none had done before. He would succeed where those before him had failed so many times. He would conquer this new king, and this new land and bring their values and beliefs shattering to the ground. But somewhere in the Void, a white light shines dimly, slowly increasing in strength as it gets closer and closer to Sosaria. For far too long it had watched over Earth. Weaving it's magic around the small blue ball to keep it protected. For far too long it had stayed away from Britannia in order to see to it that its old home would not fall prey to sinister beings. But it heard the call. It felt the pain and suffering that would begin again in Britannia. It knew that if it didn't answer, that the infection of darkness would soon spread to other worlds connected to Sosaria. Soon Pagan, New Sosaria, and even Earth would be plagued by darkness and destruction. So it began it's journey back to the lands that called to him in his human form, the lands that beckoned him when they were in dire need of a hero. The lands that would once again need a hero to bring it from it's darkest hour of need. Once it had been a great warrior for this world, bound by an oath to an old friend to save it no matter the cost. And in the end, it had cost his life, because of the Guardian. It had cast devastating magics to vanquish his evil from Britannia and all the worlds connected to it. And in the end it had cost it it's life. But in death, there is a new beginning. For once the Guardian and it's human form were enveloped by the magics it had cast, they were merged, completing the necessary process in becoming the God of Virtue that it had sought to become after it's time on Pagan. For Britannia may have forgotten the Avatar, and thought him dead, and moved on with their grief to start anew in their new age, he still existed. He still was a protector of both Earth and Sosaria, bound by his oath to both worlds, and those connected, to protect them from whatever evils that might plague them. Bound to them by love and compassion, and by honor. It was still possible for him to leave the Void, and take a physical form within the realm of the living. It didn't matter that the citizens of Britannia had grown old and died, and his legend had become a story told not often. Because he had come to love Britannia as his own home. He would answer this call for help, and he would come to the aid of those who didn't know him. He would enter their realm and fight whatever evil and darkness that would seek to do them harm. And he would use whatever of his powers that he could to see to it that Britannia, it's people, and it's society were preserved and protected. The Avatar would return again to the land of his past, but not as he had before. He would return as a God of Virtue. A pure embodiment of the Virtues. A being of extreme power and ability. But deep down within his soul he hoped that it was enough to do whatever it is that was needed of him. And he prayed that he was strong enough, and powerful enough to overcome whatever evils had begun to plague Britannia once again.

Thanks for this very long idea i don't want only make a new town i want to make a new world like kelly thomas said all who want to make a new expansion with the story idea of kelly thomas or with an other just put you all together i don't want to lead the project i just want the ultima fans to create a new Ultima because the rpg's in stores are ..... i don't want to say this
so all who want to make a new game post a comment what you can do
(map design etc) and what for idea's you have so we all can plan it and maybe you can find anywhere other fans who don't read this who want to help and post youre comments to the idea of kelly thomas
i hope we get some people who want it!

I've toyed around with Exult Studio and the usecode for some time now - wouldnt be all that hard to make a new expansion - the question is do you have the patience.
My idea was to make kind of a side story in which Lord British goes mad with power and turns Brittania into a military state.
If anyone does start a project though, i'd be glad to help with reconstructing Brittania via ExultStudio.

Sir Duddley Dupres, I'm very glad you enjoyed my story. That's one talent I have, writing inspiring stories and being able to tell passionate events. If a mod gets started for a total conversion to make a new game altogether, that is the story I would love to work with as background and story. Again, I am truely glad you liked it, thank you so much for the kind words.

When I had played with the idea of making my own game based on Exult the idea I had was to delagate out a world.

One person, likely the host, or who ever actually got the idea going would do the "cosmic plotline". Basically it would be there job to design the major theme and major goal to the game. Personally I'd go with something like a "what if" world. Like what if the shadowlords had killed the avatar upon arriving in britannia.

After that each of the volunteers would take a portion of the world to make their own. For instance one person would take Trinsic. The main guy would have likely already created a few important characters for the cosmic plot, but from there the volunteer would have free reign over the area. It would be that persons job to flesh out the city, and the neighboring areas. The idea would be to also have there be a sidequest for each city. Obviously if you want your sidequest to involve multiple cities you have to get in contact with that volunteer.

This way you'd not only lessen the work for everybody involved but you'd also create a game in which none of the creators would know the entire thing. Each creator would know a snapshot of the cosmic plot as well as their own sidequest but when they would play the full game every new city would contain it's own suprises.

This is a brilliant idea, Morg. You also must make sure sub-quest are coordinated, by having a sub-quest coordinator. So that only one quest will provide you The Best Weapon Of The Game (tm) for instance.

Artaxerxes

Talk about lending each region having their own flavor That would be neat, if possible. You could give out areas based on ability, time, or desire. Twould be pretty spiffy if it came to pass. Have a city that runs by it's own desires, then the organizer could add one or two NPC's to further the plot. Kind of like references to Eliz & Abe in U7, or Serpent Ruins in SI...

On a side note - is there a way to start with a blank map?

make a 192x192 bmp image where all is black (#000000)

use mockup with the following mappings.txt:
000000 0

You're done.

Artaxerxes

Would it be hard to have ExultStudio do this and create a new map with a single command?

Nothing is impossible when it comes to programming, but that doesn't mean its an easy task either for the programmer. ;-P

That'd be a definite plus having the ability to easily start new maps, insert blank npc's to work with, etc etc with a click of the menu.

What we lack is art.
And with Exult Studio you do GET a new map, it's just that it is a bit... blank

We lack art? Haven't you seen the Avatar and portrait I created for new games in ExultStudio?:-)

More seriously, we could use:
1. A decent palette.
2. Some basic tiles.
3. A few NPC's with all the frames.
4. Portraits for the NPC's.

That would let someone get started playing around.

'Course, it's easier just to use the U7 art and do mods.

Artaxerxes - thanks.

I have zero time or editor skills but I am decent with music and writing. My idea was to have there be an unspoken fourth generator that existed only to be triggered upon the destruction of the black gate. It's completion was so late that not even the time lord was aware of its existence. What it does is turn the world around on itself. Every virtue becomes its negative mirror: humility - vanity, valor - fear, and so on. Each town would have a scenario of some kind that the avatar would have to solve to inspire a reversal. I guess the motive for this would have to be, if the gaurdian couldn't have britannia to conquer, he would turn it into a huge mess for the avatar to clean up. What would be neat is that buc's den would become a "good" place by accident, and you would have to turn the sailors into pirates and murderers for the sake of honesty.

I also think the love part would be fun. That one chick in cove or whatever would be seemingly incapable of affection and you'd have to ask around about her, go on a quest or something to find something she really wants and bring it back. She shows mild interest in return (progress). Learn to play a song or something, couple more progressions etc. Finally she snaps out of it and kisses you (mission accomplished). Just an example of how one of these would work.

Obviously, this would be like creating a whole new game, cept you wouldn't have to edit the map much. Really hard though I'm sure.

DrCode wrote:
> More seriously, we could use:
> 3. A few NPC's with all the frames.
> 4. Portraits for the NPC's.

Maybe the Exult Dev Team should provide 2 pictures (face close-up, full-person), so that they could be placed in the ExultStudio data files to start something with.
Question is, should the protrait be realistic in a SI-like fashion, or cartoonish in a BG-like one?

Artaxerxes

I've been working on a project like that on and off... Since Oliver Marcoux came out with his U7Wizard I've been working on trying to organize a solid add-on or create my own game completely with the help of some friends.

Currently I'm testing out the ExultStudio and trying to get the hang of that. I had problems before when I was trying to run ultima 7 with exult as i tried editing with the u7 wizard but found out soon enough that they were not compatible... sadly alot of work including three full blown continents were lost in that fact alone.

Artaxerxes: What if my realistic portrait IS cartoonish?:-)

I'll do NPC frames, but I can't do portraits. Tell me what to make, and I'll go to work!

Maybe we can make a better u7 si, i dont want to say that it is not good but we can add things like healing cantra and mybe we can add Britannia to si so that the serpent earrings and necklace can only be found there so that some people from si returned to Britannia with some thins you need
or my favorit idea we make si before the Sosarian came there so that the riuns will be Palasts and all other serpent history will be in the game
or a game only with shamino before he left si and his wife

Maybe we could remake an earlier Ultima with the U7 engine?

Yes we could but not U5, because Lazarus io a very good remake and they relased there beta 2.0 and it's very good i think you know it (http://u5lazarus.com/) maybe U1 2 3 4 and U6-9 are still playable

Ultima 4 is always a possibility, noticing it's now free to download.

It'd be better to create our own story. The fandom needs more adventures of the avatar, not retreads of the old ones. Still like my story, cause it would help wrap up the ending u9 didn't deliver.

But I think the Shamino idea is good. Go back to the time of previous games, but follow someone besides the Avatar.

But I love how the Avatar was generic and didn't have a name! It made it so you were the Avatar, not somebody conrolling the Avatar.

Did I mention I can do graphics?

Oh, graphics! If anyone is planning on making a remake such as "The Avatar Goes Disco", I'd be more than happy to make some flashy bellbottoms for paperdoll art. XD

The Fashionable Avatar needs an update, admittedly- I've been working on a fanfiction as my Ultima project right now and a Cedric Diggory KiSS set (which covers the whole fashion design thing), but the Ultima 7 expansion idea sounds like fun. The one with the secret fourth generator making everything topsy-turvy is cute...Bucc's Den turning good...ha ha.

Well, whatever you decide to work on, I'm sure it will be great.