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Archive-name: games/ultima-gameplay
Posting-Frequency: Biweekly
Last-modified: 15 September, 2000
Version: 1.16
URL: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/ultimafaqs.htm>
Copyright: (c) 1999, 2000 Paul Ryan
Maintainer: Paul Ryan <paulryan@ihug.co.nz>

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Miscellaneous Notes.

This FAQ was written by and is currently maintained by Paul Ryan, also known as Paulon Dragon <paulryan@ihug.co.nz> of the Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter. The current URL is <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/ultimafaqs.htm> while the text version can be found at <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/ultimafaqs.txt>

On the use of words such as I, my and me:

In the actual questions, these may be assumed to be referring to the person with the problem they wish addressed, but in the rest of this document, including the answers to said questions they are referring to the FAQ maintainer.

What this FAQ is:

This FAQ is an attempt to answer the most common questions asked about the Ultima series of computer games created by Richard Garriott and Origin Systems. It covers both gameplay and technical problems that commonly occur, and human nature being what it is, also covers cheats or exploits when they exist in the game.

Note: These questions are based on the PC versions of Ultima unless otherwise noted. This means the technical questions in particular will be invalid for other systems.

What this FAQ isn't:

This FAQ is not intended to cover Ultima Online or any derivatives thereof. It also is not intended in any way to substitute for the rgcu.* FAQ maintained by Fortran Dragon, but rather to supplement the information contained therein with help for more of the common gameplay problems, both in the game and technical in nature. For information relating to the Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter or to actually participating in the forums they frequent, the rgcu.* FAQ should be consulted.
<http://home.kc.rr.com/hidalgo/faq/rgcudfaq.html>

Spoilers:

This document contains spoilers for many gameplay problems, and could severely affect your enjoyment of the games if you browse through too much of it. It's better to look for what you need and leave quickly than to keep on reading.

Revisions:

15 September 2000:
Updated status of the Exodus Upgrade Project again. New location of the U2/U3 colour reassignment patch.

1 September 2000:
Updated status of the Exodus Upgrade Project for U3.

22 August 2000:
Ultima 7 and Serpent Isle in Windows! Wow! C64 version of the U6 cheat mode.

Older revisions are recorded at <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/revisions.htm>

Contents:

• 0 Legalese and Disclaimers
• 1 General Ultima Information

  1.1 Abbreviations Used 1.2 General Questions 1.2.1 How do I slow down the games? 1.2.2 How do I get my Creative AWE32/64 working with Ultima? 1.2.3 Where do I find the answers to other questions? 1.2.4 Is there any better documentation than what's on the budget CD I've got? 1.2.5 Are there any better versions of the original maps available? 1.2.6 Can you give me the answers to copy protection questions? 1.2.7 Where do I find gameplay editors and cheat programs? 1.2.8 Where can I find complete walkthroughs for these games? 1.2.9 Where do I actually find the games themselves? 1.2.10 U1 and UW1 were on a magazine coverdisk. Does that mean I can download them?

• 2 Ultima I - The First Age of Darkness

  2.1 U1 Gameplay Questions 2.1.1 How do I stop myself dying when I dock my spaceship? 2.2 U1 Technical Problems 2.2.1 Why do the graphics get messed up?

• 3 Ultima II - Revenge of the Enchantress

  3.1 U2 Gameplay Questions 3.1.1 Where do I find keys? 3.1.2 How do I boost my ability scores? 3.2 U2 Technical Problems 3.2.1 How do I fix the 'Divide by Zero' error I get when I try to run the game? 3.2.2 Why are all the other planets in the Solar System like different times of Earth? 3.2.3 Is there any way to fix the colour scheme or graphics for the PC version? 3.2.4 Is there anything else that can make Ultima 2 easier to play? 3.2.5 Can the game be run in Windows? 3.2.6 How do I create a new character?

• 4 Ultima III - Exodus

  4.1 U3 Gameplay Questions 4.1.1 How do I locate a ship? 4.1.2 How do I stop the Whirlpool from destroying my ship? 4.1.3 How do I increase my ability scores? 4.2 U3 Technical Problems 4.2.1 Is there any way to fix the colour scheme or graphics for the PC version? 4.2.2 How do I get the music to play on the PC version?

• 5 Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar

  5.1 U4 Gameplay Questions 5.1.1 How do I get through locked doors? 5.1.2 How do I locate and obtain a ship? 5.1.3 What do I have to do to locate the Rune of Spirituality? 5.1.4 How do I use the balloon? 5.1.5 Where do I find a Shepherd? 5.1.6 How do I get past the water in the secret tunnel around Jhelom? 5.1.7 How do I get past the room with the Sea Serpents in Dungeon Despise? 5.1.8 How do I get to the Green Stone in Dungeon Wrong? 5.1.9 Where do I find the powerful reagents of Mandrake Root and Nightshade? 5.1.10 How do I know where I am? 5.1.11 How do I get through these rooms in the Abyss? 5.1.12 Why am I being ejected from the Abyss? 5.2 U4 Technical Problems 5.2.1 Is there any way to improve the graphics? 5.2.2 How do I get the music to work? 5.2.3 How do I export my character to U5 or U6?

• 6 Ultima V - Warriors of Destiny

  6.1 U5 Gameplay Questions 6.1.1 How do I remove a party member? 6.1.2 Do I still need to hunt pirates in order to get a ship? 6.1.3 How do I go up in levels? 6.1.4 How do I play a Harpsichord? 6.1.5 How do I get rid of the purple barriers around a Shadowlord in combat? 6.1.6 How do I remove the purple barriers if there isn't a Shadowlord about? 6.1.7 How do I get through the bottom room in Deceit? 6.1.8 How do I get through the first room in Dungeon Shame? 6.1.9 How do I determine my current location? 6.1.10 So what does an Amulet of Turning do anyway? 6.1.11 Why doesn't the Clone spell mix correctly? 6.2 U5 Technical Problems 6.2.1 Why can I only use the number keys '5' and '0'? 6.2.2 Is there a graphics patch for Ultima 5? 6.2.3 Why doesn't the music work? 6.3 U5 and Cheating 6.3.1 Karma 6.3.2 Reagents

• 7 Ultima VI - The False Prophet

  7.1 U6 Gameplay Questions 7.1.1 How do I cure poison? 7.1.2 How do I find out who killed Quenton? 7.1.3 Can I cure Matt, the mute publican in Britain? 7.1.4 What is the story of Dupre and the Tournament about? 7.2 U6 Technical Problems 7.2.1 Why is the Adlib/Soundblaster music messed up? 7.2.2 Can I get the Roland MT-32 music running properly? 7.3 U6 and Cheating 7.3.1 How do I turn on the cheat mode? 7.3.2 Is there a list of items anywhere? 7.3.3 What are the Alt Keys good for?

• 8 Worlds of Ultima - The Savage Empire

  8.1 SE Gameplay Questions 8.1.1 How do I free the Fabozz statue? 8.1.2 How do I get up to the gorilla's ledge to free Halisa? 8.2 SE and Cheating 8.2.1 How do I turn on the cheat options? 8.2.2 Where do I find information on how to use them? 8.2.3 Can I just talk to Triolo, like in Ultima 6?

• 9 Worlds of Ultima II - Martian Dreams

  9.1 MD Gameplay Questions 9.1.1 How do I cure poisoning? 9.2 MD and Cheating 9.2.1 How do I turn on the Cheat mode? 9.2.2 Is there an item list to go with it?

• 10 Ultima Underworld I - The Stygian Abyss

  10.1 UW1 Gameplay Questions 10.1.1 How do I get the Ring of Humility? 10.1.2 Where do I find Garamon's bones? 10.2 UW1 Technical Problems 10.2.1 Can the sound be upgraded for wavetable soundcards? 10.2.2 Why is my inventory duplicating items? 10.2.3 How do I run the budget releases of Underworld? 10.2.4 How do I get UW to run in Windows 95/98?

• 11 Ultima VII - The Black Gate

  11.1 U7 Gameplay Questions 11.1.1 How do I get into the Northeast tower in Castle Britannia? 11.1.2 Where do I buy ammunition for the Musket? 11.1.3 How do I keep my party members from shooting me in the back? 11.1.4 Can I make a custom sword? 11.1.5 Where is the key to get at the Hoe of Destruction? 11.1.6 How do I stop the bodies in the Minoc Sawmill from vanishing? 11.1.7 How do I get into the Tetrahedron? 11.1.8 A key vanished out of my inventory. What happened and how do I get it back? 11.1.9 How do I get through the Test of Truth in the FoV addon? 11.1.10 How do I get into Penumbra's house? 11.1.11 What's the secret of Alagnar's Storeroom? 11.1.12 How do I get into the room with the Hydra on Ambrosia? 11.1.13 How do I get into the Tower or the pirate's cave on Ambrosia? 11.1.14 How do I get through the metal door in the dungeons on the Isle of the Avatar? 11.1.15 What is the trick with the Throne of Changes? 11.2 U7 Technical Problems 11.2.1 How do I get enough memory to run Ultima 7? 11.2.2 Why do earthquakes crash the game? 11.2.3 How do I get my fancy new Soundblaster Live card working with U7? 11.2.4 So how do I improve the sound in Ultima 7 then? 11.2.5 Is there any good way to run U7 on a modern computer? 11.3 U7 and Cheating 11.3.1 How do I turn on the cheat mode? 11.3.2 Where are there lists of the items? 11.3.3 Any combat tips? 11.3.4 How do I get a shortcut from Windows to turn on the cheat mode? 11.3.5 Are there any more useful cheats or exploits?

• 12 Ultima Underworld II - Labyrinth of Worlds

  12.1 UW2 Gameplay Questions 12.1.1 How do I get into the chests in Nystul and Lord British's chambers? 12.1.2 How do I deal with the Servant Strike? They won't talk to anyone. 12.1.3 Who can I talk to about the Trilkhai? 12.1.4 Are the Trilkhai connected to the Kilrathi? 12.1.5 Where do I find the Blackrock Serpent in UW2? 12.1.6 Why won't Mors Gotha appear after I've done everything? 12.2 UW2 Technical Problems 12.2.1 Can the music be upgraded? 12.2.2 How do I get UW2 working from a budget CD release? 12.2.3 How can I run UW2 in Windows 95/98? 12.3 UW2 and Cheating 12.3.1 Potion Cheat

• 13 Ultima VII Part 2 - The Serpent Isle

  13.1 SI Gameplay Questions 13.1.1 How do I get into the List Field to fight or train? 13.1.2 What does "I Re-Ten Bentas Juxark I! Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I" mean? 13.1.3 How do I use the Serpent Jawbone to teleport? 13.1.4 How do I get past the magic barrier into Shamino's Castle? 13.1.5 How do I get into Skullcrusher? 13.1.6 Where has Columna hidden the Comb of Beauty? 13.1.7 How do I get cast the Summon Shade spell to talk to the Great Heirophant? 13.1.8 Can Cantra be cured? 13.1.9 How do I blast my way through the debris in the Abandoned Outpost (SS)? 13.1.10 I'm stuck in Aram Dol's Lair, in a set of chambers with two stairs down. How do I continue (SS)? 13.2 SI Technical Problems 13.2.1 How do I get enough memory to run the game? 13.2.2 How do I stop earthquakes crashing the game? 13.2.3 How do I get my Soundblaster Live card working with Serpent Isle? 13.2.4 Then is there any way to get really good sound in SI? 13.2.5 What is the 'Muppet Intro'? 13.2.6 What is the 'Director's Cut Intro'? 13.3 SI and Cheating 13.3.1 How do I turn on the Cheat mode? 13.3.2 Where do I find cheat lists? 13.3.3 Any combat tips? 13.3.4 Can I save all that neat stuff I find in the Dream Realm?

• 14 Ultima VIII - Pagan

  14.1 U8 Gameplay Questions 14.1.1 Which of the levers over the bridge do I pull to open the gate in the cave leading to the catacombs? 14.1.2 Where does Mordea keep the ceremonial dagger? 14.1.3 Is there any way to make all this jumping easier? 14.1.4 Where is the Birthplace of Moriens? 14.1.5 I'm stuck in the Hall of the Mountain King. 14.1.6 How do I open the gate with marbles in front in the Tomb of the Ancient Ones? 14.1.7 How do I open the large doors in the cave on the Plateau? 14.2 U8 Technical Problems 14.2.1 How do I get this game to run? 14.2.2 Is there an addon for Ultima 8? 14.3 U8 and Cheating 14.3.1 How do I turn on the U8 cheat mode?

• 15 Ultima IX: Ascension

  15.1 U9 General Questions 15.1.1 When is this game going to be released? 15.1.2 Where can I find more information about UA? 15.1.3 Is there going to be a special edition? 15.1.4 Where can I order a copy of Ultima Ascension? 15.1.5 Where are some good sites relating to this game? 15.1.6 I've heard about replacement CDs being sent out. When do they arrive? 15.1.7 I did register, and still haven't got a new CD. How do I get EA to respond to me? 15.2 U9 Gameplay Questions 15.2.1 How can I buy and sell items? 15.2.2 How do I get through the second locked door in Despise? 15.2.3 How do I get the key behind a locked portcullis? 15.2.4 Where is the Red Kiran Stone? 15.2.5 I have the Glyph, so why won't Raven accept it? 15.2.6 How do I bind spells? 15.2.7 How do I deal with the New Magincia quest? 15.2.8 Where is the Green Statue in Hythloth? 15.2.9 I've just appeared in prison. What happened? 15.2.10 So how do I get my stuff back after Blackthorn got me? 15.2.11 Where is the Staff of Wisdom? 15.2.12 I fell out of the moving boat. Now what? 15.2.13 Where is the Sigil of Justice? I can't find anything NE of Yew. 15.2.14 Where is Vasagralem? 15.2.15 Where is Gringolet? 15.2.16 Why won't Dupre appear at the Shrine of Honor? 15.2.17 Where is the back entrance of Destard? 15.2.18 Where is the shipwreck mentioned in Jordan's journal? 15.2.19 How do I get into the altar room in Destard? 15.2.20 Where is the Sigil of Valor? 15.2.21 Now how do I kill the daemon at the Shrine of Valor? 15.2.22 How do I get the Book of Truth? 15.2.23 Where exactly is Serpent's Hold? 15.2.24 How do I free Shamino? 15.2.25 How do I get to the Isle of the Avatar to summon Pyros? 15.2.26 Where do I get a red candle for the Summon Pyros ritual? 15.2.27 Where's the Crook of Humility gone? 15.2.28 What are the weapons and armour statistics? 15.3 U9 Technical Questions 15.3.1 How do I get this game to run? 15.3.2 What do I do about an 'Invalid Pixel Format Error'? 15.3.3 How do I get the videos to play? 15.3.4 Is there an addon for Ultima 9? 15.3.5 Are there any patches for this game? 15.3.6 How do I check the framerates I'm getting? 15.3.7 I've installed the game, but now the CD isn't recognized. 15.3.8 Where did the status bars go? 15.4 U9 and Cheating 15.4.1 How do I use cheats? 15.4.2 Are there any other useful tips?

• 16 Summary

  16.1 List of URLs 16.2 End Notes

• 17 Acknowledgments

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• 0 Legalese and Disclaimers:

  The information contained in this document is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but there may be errors herein. No responsibility is taken by myself or anyone who has contributed information for any problems or damage that may be caused by the usage of the contents in this page. If something here blows up your computer then I refuse to take any blame for it.

  
  

• 1 General Ultima Information:

  This section covers general information about the series and questions which can be asked about more than one game. 1.1 Abbreviations Used: U1 to U8: Ultima 1 to Ultima 8 respectively UA or U9: Ultima IX: Ascension UW1 & UW2: Ultima Underworld 1 & Ultima Underworld 2 FoV: Forge of Virtue (Ultima 7 Addon) SI: Serpent Isle (Ultima 7 Part 2) SS: Silver Seed (Serpent Isle Addon) SE & MD: Savage Empire and Martian Dreams respectively. 1.2 General Questions: These technical questions can be asked about more than one Ultima game. The answers are the same for most of them. 1.2.1 Q: How do I slow down the games? A: For SI and U8 you shouldn't need to. Both games have a built in frame limiter to keep things from running away on you. The Underworlds also seem fine on faster machines. For U1 to U7 however, you need a slowdown program. The most commonly used is MoSlo. There is a selection of slowdown programs on Lost Dragon's New PC Slowdown Page. <http://home.att.net/~pc_slowdown/> 1.2.2 Q: How do I get my Creative AWE32/64 working with Ultima? A: Check out Contrapuntal Dragon's The Avatar and the AWE FAQ. <http://www.zip.com.au/~mfleming/ultima/ult-awe32.html> 1.2.3 Q: My question isn't answered here. How can I find the answer to my problem? A: The best place to ask questions is Usenet. The comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg newsgroup can help, but the best places to get an answer are the rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons and rec.games.computer.ultima.series newsgroups. 1.2.4 Q: The documentation is lousy to non-existent. Is there any online documentation for me to look at or download? A: After the release of the Encore Collection (a budget release of U1 to U6) which was completely lacking in any documentation, Micro Dragon and Trigon Dragon both started projects to recreate the documentation, in MS Word and Adobe PDF formats respectively. Micro Dragon's completed work can be found here: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/dindx.html> Trigon Dragon's work to date is here: <http://members.aol.com/trigonman3/intro.html> 1.2.5 Q: Are there any better versions of the original maps available? A: There are indeed. The largest maps are the work of Xe Dragon, who currently has large maps of U1 through U5, U7, SI, U8, and both SE and MD available on his High Resolution Ultima Map Project (HRUMP) page. <http://www.dengler.net/xedragon/hrump/index.htm> There are also maps for U7, SI, and the Underworlds on my maps page. These are not as high a quality as Xe Dragon's work. <http://members.xoom.com/PaulonDragon/Maps/Maps.htm> Micro Dragon also has smaller scanned maps, edited so that the original runic writing is legible. He has maps for U1 to U6. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/mindx.html> 1.2.6 Q: Can you give me the answers to the Ultima copy protection questions for my Ultima game? A: No. Origin put the questions in for a reason, and I have no way to verify your truthfulness. Contact them to ask for the answers. 1.2.7 Q: Where do I find gameplay editors and cheat programs? A: You can start by looking at Lord Empire Dragon's Backpacker's Guide to Britannia. Further programs are on other pages referenced in this FAQ. <http://mypage.direct.ca/k/kbutt/index.htm> 1.2.8 Q: Where can I find complete walkthroughs for these games? A: The Ultima Web Archive has solutions and general information about the games. <http://www.uo.com/archive/> 1.2.9 Q: Where can I get the games themselves? A: This document will not go into illegal methods. Nor will correspondence asking for the games to be sent be replied to. Legal alternatives exist to software piracy. That being said, the majority of the Ultima games are fairly easy to obtain. Ultima IV can be legally downloaded from the site of any Ultima Dragon who chooses to make it available, and can ONLY be legally downloaded from a Dragon's site unless Electronic Arts specifies otherwise in the future. You can obtain the game and check the email correspondence authorising this either from Fortran Dragon's Hidalgo Trading Company site, or from Contrapuntal Dragon's site, to list just two. <http://home.kc.rr.com/hidalgo/u4.html> <http://www.zip.com.au/~mfleming/ultima/u4download.html> There are compilations containing most of the games available if you look. The Ultima Collection (U1 to U8) was recalled by Origin, but can still be found if you want to look, especially outside the United States. It's been recently rereleased as an EA Gold version, so it should be easier to find in the US now. It can also be ordered directly from Electronic Arts for US$14.05 if no other copy can be found. On their store, search using the keyword 'Ultima' and the categories 'Adventure/RPG', 'EA Classics' and 'IBM PC'. <http://www.eastore.ea.com/cgi-bin/eastore.storefront> While Electronic Arts does not offer it for sale at present, copies of the Underworld I & II CD can still be purchased online from some distributers, such as CDAccess.com, for US$14.95. <http://www.cdaccess.com/html/quick/ultimauwpr.htm> Older compilations and budget releases (The Encore Collection with U1 to U6, the Complete Ultima VII, Ultima VIII, and the Underworlds, the latter three in various versions) can be found in bargain bins if you want to look carefully. The Underworlds were available as part of the Ultimate RPG Archives from Interplay, and you may be able to find copies in software shops, although Interplay no longer has it for sale directly. Once the bargain bins are exhausted, there is the Internet. The Ebay auction site <http://www.ebay.com> is a good place to get Ultima related items. In particular there is a compilation CD with SE, U7, and UW1 which is usually available for under US$10. The Ebay system allows you check on feedback about the sellers, so it's a good place to try to get items. The other games also are often for sale there, in various states of completeness. All in all, the only Ultima game it is hard to obtain in some form without paying a large sum of money is Martian Dreams, as it is the only one not released in some form of CD compilation. 1.2.10 Q: Ultima I and Underworld I were published on a magazine coverdisk. Does that mean I can download them if I missed the magazine? A: No. Just because permission was given by the copyright holders for that particular distribution, it does not mean that they have relinquished their rights to the games, or to say whether they may or may not be downloaded. Until permission is forthcoming from Electronic Arts and any other legal entity with the right to release them for download, downloading U1 or UW1 (and any other game of the series except U4, see 1.2.9 for details) is illegal.

  
  

• 2 Ultima I - The First Age of Darkness:

  2.1 U1 Gameplay Questions: 2.1.1 Q: How do I stop myself dying when I dock my spaceship? A: You need to be wearing a spacesuit, either a Vacuum Suit or a Reflect Suit. 2.2 U1 Technical Problems: 2.2.1 Q: Why do the graphics get messed up? A: The EGA setup is incompatible with some video cards. There is a patch for this on Micro Dragon's Homepage. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html>

  
  

• 3 Ultima II - Revenge of the Enchantress:

  3.1 U2 Gameplay Questions: 3.1.1 Q: Where do I find keys? A: You need to kill guards to get keys. 3.1.2 Q: How do I boost my ability scores? A: The clerk in the Hotel California, in New San Antonio will raise them, for a price. 3.2 U2 Technical Problems: 3.2.1 Q: How do I fix the 'Divide by Zero' error I get when I try to run the game? A: Your computer is too fast. You can use MoSlo or a similar utility to slow it down, or get the patch from Micro Dragon's Homepage to fix the game itself. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> 3.2.2 Q: Why are all the other planets in the Solar System like different times of Earth? A: When the game was first released the planets were on a separate disc, which had the same file names. When the budget CD originally released was done, the whole game was dumped into a single directory, and the planets maps were over-written by the timezone maps. There is a patch to fix this problem. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> 3.2.3 Q: Is there any way to fix the colour scheme or graphics for the PC version? A: Yes. Finire Dragon's patch reassigns the colours. You still have the same graphics, and still only four colours, but green trees and blue water makes a vast improvement. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> 3.2.4 Q: Is there anything else that can make Ultima 2 easier to play? A: Arthuris Dragon has created a patch which slows the game down and adds a Reload and Quit option. <http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~palenstn/> 3.2.5 Q: Can the game be run in Windows? A: Yes, the Dos version can. However,. there is now a Windows native version of Ultima II, created by John Alderson. Note that you need the original game to use the new version. Features include the ability to exit and restart the game, two alternate colour schemes for the tiles, and the correct maps for the planets. <http://ultima2.voyd.net/> 3.2.6 Q: How do I create a new character? When I try the game says that the character disk is already in use. A: There are two ways, but unfortunately both require some file copying. The first is to delete then completely reinstall the game. This wipes the old character and game out completely. The second is to copy the file 'PLAYER' from the original onto the hard drive. If you are copying from a CD don't forget to alter it's attributes so it is no longer read only. This method has the problem that it doesn't reset the maps, so spawned monsters from the prior game will also remain. Of course so should ships, planes, and spaceships (untested as yet), so it's a mixed blessing.

  
  

• 4 Ultima 3 - Exodus:

  4.1 U3 Gameplay Questions: 4.1.1 Q: How do I locate a ship? A: You need to stand near the coast and wait, no matter how long it takes for one to appear. Once one is present, you need to stand next to it and defeat the pirates. 4.1.2 Q: How do I stop the whirlpool destroying my ship? A: The only place where the whirlpool cannot reach is past the Great Earth Serpent guarding the Castle of Death. If you cannot get past it yet, park the ship as far up a river as you can, but this is no guarantee of ship safety. 4.1.3 Q: How do I increase my ability scores? A: The Shrines in Ambrosia will improve ability scores in exchange for gold. 4.2 U3 Technical Problems: 4.2.1 Q: Is there any way to fix the colour scheme or graphics for the PC version? A: Yes. Once again, Finire Dragon's patch reassigns the colours. You still have the same graphics, and still only four colours, but they are more rational than the original purple, cyan, black and white, if not quite as appropriate as the U2 reassignments. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> Voyager Dragon is currently working to upgrade the game to a full 16 colour EGA display. At present the first phase of the project is complete, with EGA level graphics, new key functions (quit, return to menu and reload game), and a built in slowdown effect, removing the need for external programs. The next phase is music... <http://ultima3.voyd.net/> 4.2.2 Q: How do I get the music to play on the PC version? A: There is none, nor is there a patch at present. The best solution is to download the midi versions from Televar Dragon's Mysterious Sosaria website and play them in the background while the game is running. <http://www.surfing.net/ultima/> Voyager Dragon's Exodus Upgrade Project includes the addition of music as the next phase when when his time permits, but does not yet provide it. <http://ultima3.voyd.net/>

  
  

• 5 Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar:

  5.1 U4 Gameplay Questions: 5.1.1 Q: How do I get through locked doors? A: You need to purchase keys. These can be obtained from the Guild shops in Vesper and Buccaneer's Den. 5.1.2 Q: How do I locate and obtain a ship? A: Once again it is required that you wait for one to appear and attack. There are a number of ships around the Isle of the Abyss, but unfortunately you need a ship to reach them, which doesn't make things easier. 5.1.3 Q: What do I have to do to locate the Rune of Spirituality? No person seems to know much about it. A: You may have talked to the people, but not to all the entities of Skara Brae. Discuss the matter with the Ankh. Or if you are really desperate, search the treasure chamber in Castle Britannia for one of the greatest treasures of the realm. 5.1.4 Q: How do I use the balloon? It says "Drift Only" when I try to move, but I don't go anywhere when I wait. A: The problem is that you have boarded the balloon, but you haven't left the ground. In order to drift with the wind you need to Klimb off the ground, and to halt motion you need to Descend back down to it. The use of Wind Change spells is essential for steering. 5.1.5 Q: Where do I find a Shepherd? Magincia is a lifeless ruin. A: Head south once you enter the ruin, without crossing the bridge into Magincia. Katrina the Shepherd is at the southwest corner of the map. 5.1.6 Q: How do I get past the water in the secret tunnel around Jhelom? A: It isn't water, but is an Energy Field, which the Dispel spell will negate. 5.1.7 Q: How do I get past the room with the Sea Serpents in Dungeon Despise? I think the Yellow Stone is behind it. A: There is a secret door/illusionary wall to the right of the pool. Step into it. This makes a second secret door/illusionary wall appear in the section of wall to the southwest of the pool. Step into this one and a passage through is revealed. A screenshot shows the spots to stand. 5.1.8 Q: I have a similar problem in Dungeon Wrong - again there is no way though the room. A: This time there is a floor trigger hidden under an energy field. Dispel the fields and step on the trigger to open the passage. 5.1.9 Q: Where do I find the powerful reagents of Mandrake Root and Nightshade? A: Both reagents can only be found at the moonphase (0,0), ie no moons are visible. You also need to move off the spot where they are found then return there if you wish to collect more. The Nightshade is found in the forest at J'F", C'O", while the Mandrake Root is found in a single patch of swamp at D'G", L'G". 5.1.10 Q: How do I know where I am? I have been given co-ordinates, but I can't tell where I am in relation to them. A: You need to obtain the Sextant from the guild shop in Vesper. It costs 900 gold, and is an unlisted item in their inventory. Ask for Item D and they will sell it to you. 5.1.11 Q: I'm stuck in a room in the Abyss, and I can't work out how to get through. A: There are collected screenshots showing the trigger locations in the rooms stored in the Ultima Web Archive. Those for levels 5 though 7 can be accessed through the Great Stygian Abyss page. <http://www.uo.com/archive/ultima4/dungeons/abyss.html> Those puzzling rooms on the 8th level are not linked to from the site. The URL's of the images are <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/maps/u4/abyssl8a.gif> <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/maps/u4/abyssl8b.gif> 5.1.12 Q: Why am I being ejected from the Abyss after fighting my way down to the Codex chamber? A: It has a number of possible explanations. First is that you have not got a full party of eight members (You have not proven your leadership in all eight virtues.) Alternately you may not be an Eight Parts Avatar, having lost an eighth due to running from a fight. Or you may have mistyped the answers to the questions once too often. 5.2 U4 Technical Problems: 5.2.1 Q: Is there any way to improve the graphics? A: Yes. Wiltshire Dragon and Aradindae Dragon have created a patch which makes considerable improvements in the EGA graphics tiles. <http://www.moongates.com/u4/upgrade/Upgrade.htm> 5.2.2 Q: How do I get the music to work? A: There is no music in the original version of U4 for the PC. The upgrade patch by Wiltshire Dragon and Aradindae Dragon corrects this omission. <http://www.moongates.com/u4/upgrade/Upgrade.htm> 5.2.3 Q: How do I set things up so I can export my character to Ultima 5 or Ultima 6? A: All you may need is to copy the U4 game into a directory named ULTIMA on your hard drive, so that the later game can find and transfer it. However you may also need to fun a fix to correct the game so it's readable. <http://unix.worldpath.net/~rlocke/ultima4.html>

  
  

• 6 Ultima V - Warriors of Destiny:

  6.1 U5 Gameplay Questions: 6.1.1 Q: How do I remove a party member? A: You need to take them to an inn and drop them off there. They also must be alive before you can remove them. 6.1.2 Q: Do I still need to hunt pirates in order to get a ship? A: No. Several townes now have shipwrights, who can sell Frigates or Skiffs for oceanic transport. If money is a problem however, you can still wait for one to appear then attack it as in previous games. 6.1.3 Q: How do I go up in levels? A: When you camp for an entire night, sometimes an apparition rises from the camp fire. This image heals the party and raises the party members to appropriate new levels. The final commentary gives you some idea how virtuous your gameplay has been to date. 6.1.4 Q: How do I play a Harpsichord? A: You stand (or sit) in front of the harpsichord and use the numbers on the main keyboard to play the notes. Faster computers may not be able to play the notes due to the excessive speed of modern computers as compared to the older models the game was designed for, but the correct keys on the correct harpsichord will still work regardless of whether you can hear the tune or not. 6.1.5 Q: How do I get rid of the purple barriers around a Shadowlord in combat? A: You can't. While a tool exists which can remove the ethereal wards, the Shadowlords will steal it before the combat begins if you actually obtain it before defeating them. The best way to handle the Shadowlord in combat is Xen Corp or a glass sword. 6.1.6 Q: Then how do I get rid of the barriers when I do encounter them in the absence of a Shadowlord? A: The Scepter of Lord British will destroy them. 6.1.7 Q: How do I get through the walls in the bottom room in Dungeon Deceit? A: From the north side you need to get the northern torch on the east wall and push east when standing where it was. This opens a gap in the wall. The other triggers are in the east and west walls of the chambers in the barrier. The final triggers are north and south to open the north and south walls respectively. From the south side, press north in the alcove in the west wall to open the first chamber in the barrier. There is a screenshot showing the trigger positions: [Information courtesy of Tierre Dragon] 6.1.8 Q: How do I get through the first room in Dungeon Shame? A: You need to have the Grapple. Walk over to the west wall, and then move south along it, Klimbing over the rocks until a section of wall blocks your way. Push south. Move one pace east, then one pace south and push south again. Once again move east then south and push south in order to finally reveal the exit. There is a screenshot showing which walls to push here. 6.1.9 Q: How do I determine my current location? A: You need to use the Sextant or cast the Locate spell. The Sextant can be obtained from David at Greyhaven Lighthouse south of Trinsic. 6.1.10 Q: So what does an Amulet of Turning do anyway? A: The Amulet of Turning, for sale in Bordermarche, gives some protection from energy attacks. 6.1.11 Q: Why doesn't the Clone spell mix correctly? A: There is a bug in the PC version (other releases are unavailable for checking) which leaves out one of the reagents listed in the manual. To mix the 'In Quas Xen' spell, you need Sulphurous Ash, Ginseng, Blood Moss, Spider Silk, and Mandrake Root. Nightshade is not required. 6.2 U5 Technical Problems: 6.2.1 Q: Why can I only use the number keys '5' and '0'? A: You have the Numlock key enabled. Turn it of and you should be able to use the other numbers. It is possible (although rare) that you will have to reload the game without the Numlock key enabled to use them. NB - Some laptops have an 'Arrowlock' key which can cause the same problem as Numlock. 6.2.2 Q: Is there a graphics patch for Ultima 5? A: Not at present. 6.2.3 Q: Why doesn't the music work? A: The only versions of U5 with varied music were the Apple and the C128 versions, while the Amiga version had only one tune. The PC version doesn't have more than speaker sound, and there is no patch to correct this at present. 6.3 U5 and Cheating: At present there are two known 'cheats' for Ultima V. 6.3.1 Karma, the measure of how virtuous you are, can be shown by pressing Ctrl-K. 6.3.2 In the C64 version, if you have between 11 and 15 of some reagents, then mix a spell using only those reagents, and mix 16 of the spell. You should get 16 of the spell you mixed and 90+ of the reagents. [Information courtesy of Thirith Dragon]

  
  

• 7 Ultima VI - The False Prophet:

  7.1 U6 Gameplay Questions: 7.1.1 Q: How do I cure poison? A: The spell 'Dispel Magic' is a generic fixit spell. It cures poison and wakes up party members. It can also be used to wake up people you need to talk to. 7.1.2 Q: How do I find out who killed Quenton? A: His killer was Michael, the fighter living on the road between Skara Brae and Britain, and eventually he will be executed for his crimes in Yew. Unfortunately you can't actually prove anything, but must wait for justice to take it's course. 7.1.3 Q: Can I cure Matt, the mute publican in Britain? A: No. 7.1.4 Q: What is the story of Dupre and the Tournament about? A: This story was posted by one of the U6 designers, Dr Cat, on the rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons newsgroup: <Quote Dr Cat> William Wueppelmann (willy@damnThatSpam.magma.ca) wrote: : Frenetic Dragon wrote: : > >Ever try putting Dupre in solo mode and sending him away and then : > >talking to Iolo again? : > I thought he just said something about not wanting to say anything : > because he promised Dupre he wouldn't... : Something like that. Possibly because they couldn't come up with a good : story. But I was really impressed at the time that Iolo said something : different at all. Since noramlly you wouldn't have cause to send Dupre : away (he was the only one who could comfortably carry a skiff around : with him), it was some nice attention to detail. Ah, nostalgia. I remember scripting that. Well here's the whole story, right "from the cat's mouth" so to speak. The story wasn't left out because there wasn't a good one to tell... But because it was a little too raunchy for the standards the game was being written for at the time. As it was, I put a bawdy ballad in the game that Mandrake had sung for me at the High Fantasy Society here in Austin, and Warren Spector made me remove one verse because it has the word piss in it. So this story never would have made it in anyway... It's based on one of Iolo's real life stories. Iolo is a terribly charming and entertaining fellow, and he welcomes people into his workshop while he's making crossbows, to keep him company and chat and listen to his stories. When I found out I was going to be head writer on Ultima VI, I went over with 'Manda (aka Penumbra, aka Talzhemir) who was also on my writing team (as well as doing art for the game) with a notepad and pencil to soak up some first rate Iolo anecdotes to use as inspiration for the game. This particular story wasn't really a Iolo and Dupre incident in real life, it was Iolo and Jeremy at a weekend SCA event/tournament. I changed it to Dupre in the game using my artistic license (which I make sure to renew annually.) Anyway the story went something like this... Saturday night, Jeremy's in the big tent with all the food and, more importantly, the wine. Drinking and carousing and womanizing - being a very good looking fellow and quite the ladies man. Iolo, having seen Jeremy behave similarly at many a previous event, reminds him that the tournament starts early on Sunday, and he has to be up even EARLIER to be ready for it, and not to stay out ridiculously late getting drunk so he won't be ready the next morning, as has apparently happened in the past... Jeremy repeatedly assures him everything's fine, he'll be up the next morning at 6 AM no problem. Comes the next morning. Iolo goes over to Jeremy's tent to rouse him up out of whatever state he might be in after the previous night's debauchery. He says "Jeremy, are you awake?" Silence. Iolo embelished the story here in ways I don't remember well enough to do justice to, but he went through several queries and remarks, and each time he portrays Jeremy's "response" with a more dramatic adjective in front of the word "silence". Leading up to something like "Total silence". So Iolo finally says, "Jeremy, if you're not out of there in 30 seconds, I'm going to pee on the side of your tent." And the response was... Stunned silence. So then there's the sound of fluid spattering against the side of the tent. And in a split second, Jeremy's rolled himself to the opening of the tent, unzipped it, stuck his head out the opening - to see Iolo standing there with a wineskin, squirting water out of it onto the side of his tent! And that's the story of how Iolo woke Don Jeremy up in time to fight in the tournament. </Quote Dr Cat> 7.2 U6 Technical Problems: 7.2.1 Q: Why is the Adlib/Soundblaster music messed up? A: The program has a time delay command in the music, which is not long enough for faster computers. There is a patch to fix it. Note that there is no true Soundblaster support in the game - the Adlib setting is required for Soundblaster owners. <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u16> 7.2.2 Q: Can I get the Roland MT-32 music running properly on a modern computer? A: Yes. There is a patch to get that working properly as well, providing that you have the card. <http://www.geocities.com/nodling/> 7.3 U6 and Cheating: 7.3.1 Q: How do I turn on the cheat mode? A: For the IBM PC and Commodore Amiga versions: Talk to Iolo. Say 'Spam', say 'Spam' again, repeat the word 'Spam', then say 'Humbug', with all six letters. This gives you the cheat menu. For the C64 version: Talk to yourself and say the following. i<enter> want to<enter> cheat<enter> [Information on c64 cheat from Tristan Miller] 7.3.2 Q: Is there a list of items anywhere? A: Yes. You can download a list from The Other Codex website. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/Items.zip> 7.3.3 Q: What are the Alt Keys good for? A: Alt-213 gives a string of numbers, the last 7 of which are the x (3 digits), y (3 digits) and z (1 digit) coordinates of your current location. Alt-214 allows teleportation to a set of coordinates you select. Alt-215 advances time one hour.

  
  

• 8 Worlds of Ultima I - The Savage Empire:

  8.1 SE Gameplay Questions: 8.1.1 Q: How do I free the Fabozz statue? A: Fabozz is a spirit dependant on light. Ordinary flame is not enough for it to use, but a bright flash, such as a magnesium flare from Rafkin's lab or Jimmy's camera flash will allow it to escape. 8.1.2 Q: How do I get up to the gorilla's ledge to free Halisa? A: Go down to the river, and throw a grenade to blast the large boulder over the waterfall. This allows you to enter the cave behind it, which leads up to the ledge. 8.2 SE and Cheating: 8.2.1 Q: How do I turn on the cheat options? A: There is no way to turn on the cheat mode without an external program. The application MDHACK created by F-15 Dragon for Martian Dreams will also activate the cheat keys for Savage Empire. <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/programs/mdhack.zip> 8.2.2 Q: Given that the Martian Dreams instructions don't work for SE, where do I find a list of the functions? A: There is a list compiled by myself. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/SavageHacks.txt> 8.2.3 Q: Can I just talk to Triolo, like in Ultima 6? A: According to the file 'TALK.LZC' there appears to be a cheat menu similar to that in U6. Unfortunately no-one has worked out how to activate it. Please let me know if you find out how.

  
  

• 9 Worlds of Ultima II - Martian Dreams:

  9.1 MD Gameplay Questions: 9.1.1 Q: I have been poisoned. How do I cure it? A: There are two methods to cure poison. The first is to visit Dr Blood at the 1895 landing site. The second is to eat a blue berry, but this results in symptoms of intoxication for a while. It is better to avoid poisoning by equipping tongs in the hand before manipulating radium, and keep it in a lead box in your inventory. 9.2 MD and Cheating: 9.2.1 Q: How do I turn on the cheat options? A: In order to use the cheat functions you need to first run F-15 Dragon's MDHack program. <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/programs/mdhack.zip> 9.2.2 Q: Is there a list of items to go with this? A: Yes. There is a list, compiled by Thanian Dragon and myself. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/martianitems.txt>

  
  

• 10 Ultima Underworld I - The Stygian Abyss:

  10.1 UW1 Gameplay Questions: 10.1.1 Q: How do I get the Ring of Humility? The switches don't work. A: The correct switch combination is indeed Northwest, Southeast, Northeast, Southeast. Your difficulty is not heeding the warning about staying out of the center of the room. In order to avoid the reset trap, you not only have to keep away from the center of the room, you actually have to hug the walls. The safest way is to walk diagonally into them, so you are forced along the wall in the direction you wish to go. Once all four switches have been used it is safe to retrieve the Ring form the center of the chamber. 10.1.2 Q: Where do I find Garamon's bones? There are so many. A: Once you have descended the stairs behind Tyball's chambers to Level 8, head west along the wide passage to the other side of the map. The passage turns north, and there is a branch west. Follow the branch and look for the pile of magic stuff. The bones are in the middle. There is an easy method of determining whether you have the correct bones. It is possible to stack bones like coins, but Garamon's bones will not do so. Thus you can test for them by trying to add them to a pile. 10.2 UW1 Technical Problems: 10.2.1 Q: Can the sound be upgraded for wavetable soundcards? A: Yes. Panzer Dragon has created a general midi upgrade patch. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> 10.2.2 Q: Why is my inventory duplicating items? A: This is a bug. Origin has a patch to solve the problem. Also avoid stacking too many similar items together. <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#uu1> 10.2.3 Q: How do I get UW1 working from a budget CD release? (EA Classics, Ultimate RPG Archives, or Manaccom versions) A: There is one simple method, provided you have around 15MB free on your hard drive. Copy the entire game directory (and subdirectories) from the CD to your hard drive. Then change the attributes of every file in all the subdirectories from Read Only to Read/Write, so you can make updates in configuration. This is important, as using Windows Explorer will not change the contents of selected sub-directories, just those selected in the main directory. Use the UINSTALL.EXE and UWSOUND.EXE to set the game up, then simply run it. 10.2.4 Q: How do I run UW from Windows 95/98? A: In the one case I have been able to examine, following the steps in the question above (10.2.3) solved the problem. [Thanks to Dracos Dragon for access to his computer to try to find a solution]

  
  

• 11 Ultima VII - The Black Gate:

  11.1 U7 Gameplay Questions: 11.1.1 Q: How do I get into the Northeast tower in Castle Britannia to get that armour and musket? A: The lever opening the secret door is in the secret passage just to the east of the kitchen on the first floor. You need to move the storage containers to find it. 11.1.2 Q: Where do I buy ammunition for the Musket? A: You can't. Ammo can be found by using the giant skulls found around the land. 11.1.3 Q: How do I keep my party members from shooting me in the back? A: Only equip them with Magic Arrows and Magic Bolts, which do not hit anything but their intended target. The Enchant spell is invaluable for this. NEVER arm them with a Firedoom staff or other area effect magic weapons. 11.1.4 Q: Is it possible to follow the instructions given in books and scrolls and make a custom sword? A: Not in order to make a 'custom sword' as found in the game. However the creation of the Black Sword in the FoV addon follows them closely. 11.1.5 Q: Where is the key to get at the Hoe of Destruction? A: The key is in a dead fish under a bush on the shore of Loch Lake. There is only a part of the Body (it does NOT say trout or fish) visible, just to the left of a piece of garbage which is the same green colour as the fish. You need to double click on the fish to open it and get the key. Just to be more helpful, the fish is at 2N, 48E, or if you want to teleport or are just clicking the mouse at the top left of the screen, the Hex Coordinates are X 587, Y 458, Z 1. The fish is a couple of paces to the right of this point. The simplest way of getting the Hoe is to blow the door down with a cannon or powder keg. 11.1.6 Q: How do I stop the bodies in the Minoc Sawmill from vanishing? A: This must be the one of the more irritating bugs in the game. Reload a saved game from when you were in Britain, then walk to Minoc via the road from Britain. Go directly into the sawmill without talking to anyone. And pray, and repeat as necessary... Grimlock Dragon suggests making sure that you haven't accepted the errand from Batlin before going to Minoc the first time. In the event that you can't get the murder scene to remain, you aren't out of luck. Conversation options relating to it will still be available, regarding the Candelabra. With regard to the Serpentine Dagger, the person you need to discuss it with has one in his possessions, which serves as well as the once from the scene in getting a response. 11.1.7 Q: How do I get into the Tetrahedron? A: You have the Ether Ring in your possession or you would be dead, but you are not wearing it. In order to enter the Tetrahedron through the south face you need to wear the Ring. This means taking off any gauntlets and putting the Ether Ring into a finger slot, not just holding it in your hand. 11.1.8 Q: A key vanished out of my inventory. What happened and how do I get it back? A: It vanished due to a bug in the game, and cannot be retrieved. You need to restore a saved game to get the key back. There is a patch to correct this (and other) problems in the game. <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u7> 11.1.9 Q: How do I get through the Test of Truth in the FoV addon? A: You have found false talismans which disappear when you pick them up. The real talisman is found behind an illusionary wall. After entering the Test, walk through the room with the 'X' in the center, and look for the hood on the ground. The wall to the north of it is an illusion - just follow the passage to it's end and get the real Talisman of Truth. 11.1.10 Q: How do I get into Penumbra's house? A: The Plaque is the clue. For instance 'Pick item carefully' refers to a lockpick. Put the appropriate item on the ground in front of the plaque. All items required can be found somewhere in Moonglow. 11.1.11 Q: What's the secret of Alagnar's Storeroom? A: There are two important facts that must be remembered. The first is that the real entrance is through an illusion at the south end of the east wall. The second is that the north wall of the central chamber of the storehouse, with the furniture and the teleporter, is also an illusion which conceals the access to the metal door leading into the northern chamber. Once the door has been opened by use of the switch in the western chamber, teleport back to the beginning and head through the illusionary wall into the north chamber. The crates can then be stacked to reach the chamber with the book. 11.1.12 Q: How do I get into the room with the Hydra on Ambrosia? A: The middle of the north wall of the enclosure is a secret door. 11.1.13 Q: How do I get into the Tower or the pirate's cave on Ambrosia? A: The anti-magic field represented by the flickering dots shuts off for brief periods. At those intervals you can cast Unlock Magic or Dispel Field to get into the areas in question. 11.1.14 Q: How do I get through the metal door in the dungeons on the Isle of the Avatar? A: It depends on which side of the door you are on. If you have passed it, found a key and wish to leave, you need to move barrels to find a lever which opens another exit. If however you want to get past it for the first time, you have a larger problem. You have flown over the door on the magic carpet, so it has closed for good. You probably need to cheat to open it. Save, then quit and reload using the Ye Olde 'Ultima ABCD<Alt255>' spell. Then press F2, turn on the hackmover, and get rid of the door. Walk though, save the game, quit and reload without the cheat. 11.1.15 Q: What is the trick with the Throne of Changes? A: The Throne is a linked series of four teleporters. However you can only reach the fourth teleporter once you have sat upon the Throne of Virtue, which is behind an illusion in the north wall of one of the places the Throne of Change takes you to. The fourth teleporter will take you back to the beginning of the sequence, but there is another hidden teleporter there which will take you to the Black Gate. 11.2 U7 Technical Problems: 11.2.1 Q: How do I get enough memory to run Ultima 7? A: There are several points to remember. 1. Assuming you're using Windows, you will need to create custom versions of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files to run the game. They can be either on a boot disk or set up as part of a customised shortcut. 2. You absolutely cannot use EMM386 to run the game. The result is a crash back to Dos. Delete all references to it in your customised files. 3. If you're using Windows shortcuts, you need to use the line 'DOS=NOAUTO' in the CONFIG.SYS to stop it loading a whole bunch of unnecessary or conflicting drivers. 4. You need to chuck out any drivers for stuff you don't need to play the game, such as CD drives, printers and scanners. Delete their references from the AUTOEXEC.BAT you're using to run the game. 5. The installation guides recommend 'FILES=25' and 'BUFFERs=25' in the CONFIG.SYS, but the game setup works better with sound if you increase these values to 30 each. 6. The best place to go for a far better explanation of all this is Gaseous Dragon's 'Ultima VII for Beginners' page. <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/ultima7.html> The preceding points are now somewhat obsolete. They remain valid, but there is now a simpler alternative for those running Windows 95 or Windows 98. There is a program that effectively emulates the Voodoo memory manager, preventing Voodoo from detecting EMM386 and anything else about Windows that it doesn't like, and thus allowing U7/SI to run in Windows. The author of the program in question has approached Gaseous Dragon to distribute it for him, and it can be downloaded from his site. <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/U7inWindows.html> 11.2.2 Q: When there is an earthquake, the screen display falls off the bottom of the monitor. How do I fix it? A: Your video card is probably based on a Riva 128 chipset, which reacts badly to the U7/SI program. There is a patch for the problem which converts the vertical motion to horizontal. <http://www.hpaa.com/moslo/utils.html> 11.2.3 Q: How do I get my fancy new Soundblaster Live card working with U7? A: You can't. U7's Voodoo memory manager is incompatable with EMM386, which is required by the SB Live card's Dos drivers. The best solution to date is to have a second soundcard which is compatible with U7. This problem appears to occur with most modern PCI soundcards. Please let me know if you find one that works. 11.2.4 Q: So how do I improve the sound in Ultima 7 then? A: You can use Newton Dragon's general midi upgrade patch. <http://members.aol.com/mikenewt/ultima.htm> 11.2.5 Q: Is there _any_ good way to run U7 on a modern computer? A: Strangely enough, yes there is a project in the works that will allow you to do just that. Jeff Freedman's Exult project is not yet complete, but it already has most of the functions of Ultima 7 working on some level. It is a cross-platform program with ports for Linux, and Windows with versions for BeOS and the Mac also in development. It also needs the original game in order to work. If the current rate of progress continues, U7 should be updated for modern computers within the next few months. <http://exult.sourceforge.net/> 11.3 U7 and Cheating: 11.3.1 Q: How do I turn the Cheat mode on? A: When loading the game, use the following command: 'ULTIMA7 ABCD<ALT-255>', where '<ALT-255>' means to hold down the ALT key and type 255 on the numeric keypad. Once the game is loaded, press F1 for a list of cheat options.Using 'ULTIMA7 ABCD<ALT-255> S' makes the program display the 'eggs', items which have an effect on the game if you approach them. 11.3.2 Q: Where do I find lists of items for use with the cheat mode? A: There is a list of useful items on Blackshadow Dragon's site. <http://unix.worldpath.net/~rlocke/ultima7.html> 11.3.3 Q: Any combat tips? A: If you've got an open door in the area you are fighting in, you can get behind it. Your foes can't reach you, while you can stab at them right through the door. [Tailrace Dragon] 11.3.4 Q: How do I get a shortcut from Windows to turn on the cheat mode? I typed it in correctly, but it doesn't work. A: Go to the directory you installed Ultima 7 into, and create a new text file. Edit the text, and type in the command line to run the game in cheat mode: ULTIMA7 ABCD<ALT-255>, and save the file. Rename it, so the extension is now BAT, not TXT, and set the shortcut to open the new batch file, not to the game directly. This is required because Windows seems to interpret the <ALT-255> differently to Dos. 11.3.5 Q: Are there any more useful cheats or exploits? A: In the words of Boa Dragon who reminded me of this strength booster: "How to raise STR a lot: Save. It might turn out wrong, and then you'll be stuck with a STR of 3...which is absolutely no fun. Get some serpent venom. Use it until you reach 60, and then use some more (3 or 4 vials should be enough). Wait until the effect wears off. Now you should have a STR of something around 200-250. If it doesn't work, reload and use more venom. This is far better than what LB could possibly give you :)" Essentially it takes advantage of the fact that if you lower strength too far it rolls back to the highest possible value. [Thanks to Boa Dragon for reminding me of this bug.]

  
  

• 12 Ultima Underworld II - Labyrinth of Worlds:

  12.1 UW2 Gameplay Questions: 12.1.1 Q: How do I get into the chests in Nystul and Lord British's chambers? A: First make sure that the doorways between the passages around the castle and the rooms in question are open. Next go down to the Gem and enter another world (avoid Talorus). Save the game. Cast the Open (Ex Ylem) spell, but don't use it on anything. Go back though the Gem and ascend to the Castle and go to the chest you wish to open. Use the unreleased spell on the chest to unlock it. This _usually_ works, but not always, hence the Save to avoid repeated trips downwards. 12.1.2 Q: How do I deal with the Servant Strike? They won't talk to anyone. A: This is a bug, which can be fixed by using a patch from Origin. <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#uu2> 12.1.3 Q: Who can I talk to about the Trilkhai? A: The Wisps (Xorinia) can provide that information, in exchange for data about the current status of Bishop. They are found in the Blue Region of the Ethereal Void. 12.1.4 Q: Are the Trilkhai connected to the Kilrathi? A: Given the anagrams of their names, the history revealed by the Wisps, and the Kilrathi fighter craft found in U7, the answer is probably yes. 12.1.5 Q: In Serpent Isle Lord British's scroll says the Avatar got a Blackrock Serpent in his previous adventure. Where do I find it in Underworld 2? A: On the second level of the sewers beneath Castle Britannia lurk three peaceful goblins. One of them is Rogwump, the second is The Dripper, and the third has no name. You need to talk to the Goblin with no name. First pick the option "These are Britannia's sewers. Explain your presence here." Then respond "Thou shouldst not be here - you are trespassers!" Your next reply should be "What dost thou live on, living underground?" Then ask him to teach you tracking. Finally end the conversation and then talk to him again. There is an action somewhere in the game which must be done before the following occurs. It is after the Gem is entered for the first time, and before the endgame sequence, but other than that broad gap it hasn't been isolated. Once the event occurs talking to the nameless goblin will result in him giving you the 'Perfect Serpent Statue'. 12.1.6 Q: Why won't Mors Gotha appear after I've done everything? I've checked walkthroughs and as far as I can tell, every quest requirement has been met. A: You've run into a bug. The cause is apparently that you misplaced the Djinni Bottle in the Pentagram, so the end game triggers are not set. The solution is to do it again, getting another Bottle (either from Zoranthus or from the Purple Treasure Room in the Ethereal Void) and this time place the Bottle in the center of the Pentagram before releasing the Air Daemon. [Information courtesy of X-ray Dragon] 12.2 UW2 Technical Problems: 12.2.1 Q: Can the music be upgraded? A: Yes. Panzer Dragon has created a general midi upgrade patch. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> 12.2.2 Q: How do I get UW2 working from a budget CD release?(EA Classics, Ultimate RPG Archives, or Manaccom versions) A: There is one simple method, provided you have around 15MB free on your hard drive. Copy the entire game directory (and subdirectories) from the CD to your hard drive. Then change the attributes of every file in all the directories from Read Only to Read/Write, so you can make updates in configuration. Remember to do this individually for each directory and subdirectory, use the UINSTALL.EXE and UWSOUND.EXE to set the game up, then simply run it. 12.2.3 Q: How do I get UW2 working in Windows 95/98? A: In the sole case that I have been able to examine, following the instructions above (Q. 12.2.2) allowed the game to run. [Thanks to Dracos Dragon for access to his computer to try to find a solution] 12.3 UW2 and Cheating: 12.3.1 Potion Cheat: If a potion is thrown against the wall until it breaks and becomes debris, then the debris retains the power of the potion, with infinite charges. This also works with scrolls, but not wands. [Info thanks to Thirith Dragon]

  
  

• Ultima VII Part 2 - The Serpent Isle:

  13.1 SI Gameplay Questions: 13.1.1 Q: How do I get into the List Field to fight or train? A: You need to go up the stairs and talk to the pikeman at the desk. There is a bug which makes him vanish, and the only recommendations in this case are to either try visiting another city for a while and then return to Monitor, or load an earlier saved game. 13.1.2 Q: I've been given a magic chant, "I Re-Ten Bentas Juxark I! Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I" and heard that the Avatar learned the language during the time of the False Prophet. But what does it actually mean? A: A rough translation is "I have Virtue, protect me. Ancient wisdom of the Sea shall move me." The Ultima Web Archive has a chart with the Gargoyle/Britannian translations. <http://www.uo.com/archive/gargoyle/index.html> 13.1.3 Q: How do I use the Serpent Jawbone to teleport? Using it just brings up a picture of it. A: You need to have at least one Serpent Tooth. You open the picture of the Jawbone, and move the teeth into it. Close the picture and then use the Serpent Gate in order to teleport. The doors of the Dark Path you will be taken to only open if you have the appropriate Tooth in the Jawbone. 13.1.4 Q: How do I get past the magic barrier into Shamino's Castle? A: The barrier will vanish if you have asked the Hound of Doskar to track Cantra's practice sword. 13.1.5 Q: How do I get into Skullcrusher? A: You need to put the runes onto the correct pedestals and use them in the correct order. You also need to have asked the Hound of Doskar to track Batlin's Fellowship Medallion and then obtained the password from the Gwani. 13.1.6 Q: Where has Columna hidden the Comb of Beauty? A: It's hidden in a chest under a tree in her garden, south of her house. The key to the chest is in her cellar. The secret door allowing access to the garden is in the north wall of the house. 13.1.7 Q: How do I get cast the Summon Shade spell to talk to the Great Heirophant? A: You need to have at least one item of his ceremonial regalia - the Serpent Staff, Serpent Crown, or Serpent Armour. 13.1.8 Q: Can Cantra be cured? A: No. The cure was programmed into the game, but in the rush to release SI setting it to work was missed. The following text is from the SI usecode file, and seems to relate to a cure: "I feel tired, but I am all right! My mind was full of awful dreams. Thou hast saved me! I shall remember thee always!" 13.1.9 Q: How do I blast my way through the debris in the Abandoned Outpost (SS)? A: You can't easily. You attack the debris until it vanishes with melee weapons instead. Apparently it is possible to remove it with powder kegs, but it is extremely difficult to get the positioning correct. [Powder Keg comment from Helgraf Dragon] 13.1.10 Q: In Aram Dol's Lair I'm stuck without a key, in a set of chambers with two stairs down. One leads to a lever, and the other to a locked door. How do I continue (SS)? A: In the northern chamber where the stairs lead to the locked door, there is a large boulder in the northwest corner of the room. Behind it there is an invisible passageway, which leads to a small chamber with the key to the locked door on an altar. 13.2 SI Technical Problems: 13.2.1 Q: How do I get enough memory to run the game? A: There are several points to remember. 1. Assuming you're using Windows, you will need to create custom versions of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files to run the game. They can be either on a boot disk or set up as part of a customised shortcut. 2. You absolutely cannot use EMM386 to run the game. The result is a crash back to Dos. Delete all references to it in your customised files. 3. If you're using Windows shortcuts, you need to use the line 'DOS=NOAUTO' in the CONFIG.SYS to stop it loading a whole bunch of unnecessary or conflicting drivers. 4. You need to chuck out any drivers for stuff you don't need to play the game, such as CD drives, printers and scanners. Delete their references from the AUTOEXEC.BAT you're using to run the game. 5. The installation guides recommend 'FILES=25' and 'BUFFERs=25' in the CONFIG.SYS, but the game setup works better with sound if you increase these values to 30 each. 6. If you're using Doublespace, you probably can't run the game at all. You need to put it in an uncompressed drive partition and delete the Doublespace drivers from the startup instructions. 7. The best place to go for a far better explanation of all this is Gaseous Dragon's 'Ultima VII for Beginners' page. <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/ultima7.html> The preceding points are now somewhat obsolete. They remain valid, but there is now a simpler alternative for those running Windows 95 or Windows 98. There is a program that effectively emulates the Voodoo memory manager, preventing Voodoo from detecting EMM386 and anything else about Windows that it doesn't like, and thus allowing U7/SI to run in Windows. The author of the program in question has approached Gaseous Dragon to distribute it for him, and it can be downloaded from his site. <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/U7inWindows.html> 13.2.2 Q: When there is an earthquake, the screen display falls off the bottom of the monitor. How do I fix it? A: T Your video card is probably based on a Riva 128 chipset, which reacts badly to the U7/SI program. There is a patch for the problem which converts the vertical motion to horizontal. <http://www.hpaa.com/moslo/utils.html> 13.2.3 Q: How do I get my Soundblaster Live card working with Serpent Isle? A: You can't. SI's Voodoo memory manager is incompatable with EMM386, which is required by the SB Live card's Dos drivers. To date the best solution is to have a second soundcard installed, one which is compatable with SI. This problem appears to occur with most modern PCI soundcards. Please let me know if you find one that works. 13.2.4 Q: Then is there any way to get really good sound in SI? A: Newton Dragon has a general midi patch which upgrades the sound for general midi soundcards. <http://members.aol.com/mikenewt/ultima.htm> 13.2.5 Q: What is the 'Muppet Intro'? A: If you set the game options to 'No sound' or Adlib and type 'INTRO HISSS JIVE' while in the SI directory, an alternate speech by the Guardian will be revealed. [Use of Adlib pointed out by Neutronium Dragon] 13.2.6 Q: What is the 'Director's Cut Intro'? A: The original introduction for Serpent Isle was longer and contained more animation than the version released with the game. The cuts occurred because the intro alone would have taken 7 disks, almost as many as the game proper. Denis Loubet has AVI versions of the unedited original intro available on his site. <http://www.io.com/~dloubet/serpisle.htm> 13.3 SI and Cheating: 13.3.1 Q: How do I turn on the Cheat mode A: If you have SI without the Silver Seed addon, you type 'SERPENT PASS'. If you have the Silver Seed addon or a recent release on SI on CD, you type 'SERPENT MANIMAL' instead. Adding an 'S' (for example 'SERPENT PASS S') also allows you to see the egg points which trigger ingame events if you walk near them, such as weather, music changes or traps. Once the game is loaded the function keys give various cheat options. 13.3.2 Q: Where do I find lists of items or people for use with the cheat options? A: Lumina Dragon has the Master Cheater's List for SI. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/1959/serpent_cheat.html> 13.3.3 Q: Any combat tips? A: If you've got an open door in the area you are fighting in, you can get behind it. Your foes can't reach you, while you can stab at them right through the door. [Tailrace Dragon] 13.3.4 Q: Can I save all that neat stuff I find in the Dream Realm? A: Yes, if you want to cheat just a little... Cast Serpent Bond to turn into a snake, and then enter Gorlab Swamp. You will fall asleep and enter the realm as a snake. When you turn back human, your companions will run back to join you. Any items you give to them will be preserved after you exit the realm. You can also bring in items for the Avatar (such as a spellbook), but make sure you give them back to your companions before you leave or they will be lost. [Added at the suggestion of Ackalabar Dragon]

  
  

• 14 Ultima VIII - Pagan:

  14.1 U8 Gameplay Questions: 14.1.1 Q: Which of the levers over the bridge do I pull to open the gate in the cave leading to the Plateau? A: The correct levers are the ones without bones in front. Pull them then pull the lever in the ruins in front of the large gate. 14.1.2 Q: Where does Mordea keep the ceremonial dagger? A: It's locked in a chest in her chambers. You can get the key to the chest from Aramina, if you visit her at Bloodwatch in her house in eastern Tenebrae. 14.1.3 Q: Is there any way to make all this jumping easier? A: If you have the patch installed or the version from the Ultima Collection, then no. If you have a disk version of U8 then there is a patch which makes the jumping far easier. <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u8> 14.1.4 Q: Where is the Birthplace of Moriens? A: The consensus is that it is behind the door marked 'Towards Fate do you travel' in the catacombs. If you have the patch installed then the sign instead reads 'The Birthplace of Moriens'. 14.1.5 Q: I'm stuck in the Hall of the Mountain King. I've crossed the river, but there doesn't seem to be anywhere else to go. A: There are some very narrow passages, leading west from the area north of the second river you cross. The southern one has a key you need at the end, while the next has a larger area to explore beyond it. It is difficult to tell that the passage is present, as it is only just wide enough for transit and resembles a fissure in the rock. 14.1.6 Q: How do I open the gate with marbles in front in the Tomb of the Ancient Ones? A: You need to throw one of the marbles onto the raised platform on the other side. Standing on the Skull helps. 14.1.7 Q: How do I open the large doors in the cave on the Plateau? A: You can't without using the cheat mode's hack mover to remove the doors. It is thought that this was intended to be a point of entry to the Lost Vale, but when the addon was canned the doors became meaningless. 14.2 U8 Technical Problems: 14.2.1 Q: How do I get this game to run? A: The game is actually quite easy to run, although it needs to have a real DOS environment, not a DOS box in Windows. A custom shortcut can be set up to simplify restarting the computer to run the game. You need to have a mouse driver loaded in the custom AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and to get sound your soundcard configuration needs to have IRQ 3, 5, or 7, and DMA 0 or 1. A much more detailed explanation is available on Gaseous Dragon's Ultima 8 for Beginners site, as well as a selection of small DOS mouse drivers. <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/ultima8.html> Note that there is one potentially major problem with running Ultima 8 on a modern computer. If you have more than 128 megabytes of RAM, the game will not work. At present I know of no workaround other than physically removing the RAM chips to reduce the available memory below this level. 14.2.2 Q: Is there an addon for Ultima 8? A: No. Plans for The Lost Vale were shelved due to poor sales of Ultima 8 before passing the stage of creating mockup screenshots. These were released to the public, but few other details are known. <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/graphics/ultima8/lostvale.zip> 14.3 U8 and Cheating: 14.3.1 Q: How do I turn on the U8 cheat mode? A: Use the Ultima 8 Cheat Enabler program to give the cheat options. <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.htmll>

  
  

• 15 Ultima IX: Ascension

  15.1 U9 General Questions: 15.1.1 Q: When will this game be out? A: It has already been released in the United States, and has made it to many other nations. If it hasn't made it to your location by now, it probably won't be available there. 15.1.2 Q: Where do I find more information about UA? A: The official Ultima Ascension website isn't updated often, but has a little information. <http://www.ultima-ascension.com/> At present it would be better to check for current information on the Ultima Ascension Online Community web boards. There is still some information there although Origin shut down the boards just before they planned on releasing the European version. <http://boards.owo.com/> For some years the best source of information about Ultima IX: Ascension was the FAQ originally compiled by Sagacious Dragon, and later by Sith Dragon. Now Terilem Dragon has gained permission to maintain it. This is the first place to look for any U9 information. <http://www.powerup.com.au/~gjdanger/Terilem/faqindex.html> A good news site is Ultima Horizons, updated on a regular basis. <http://www.allgaming.com/ultimaix/> Another good news site is Terilem Dragon's site. It also has the screenshot archive that was formerly on Sith Dragon's site. <http://www.powerup.com.au/~gjdanger/Terilem/> 15.1.3 Q: Is there going to be a special edition? A: Yes. The Dragon Edition is available via internet ordering. It's also available in shops in North America, contrary to the information available before release. The Dragon Edition may or may not be available for retail purchase in other countries - it depends on the local distributers, who may cut down on the contents to save costs. Note: There is an Asia-Pacific version of the Dragon Edition, featuring a silver Ankh but only having a paper map, not a cloth one. 15.1.4 Q: Where can I order a copy, either of the regular release or of the Dragon Edition of Ultima Ascension? A: There is a list of online stores put together by Neocryte. <http://ultima9.8m.com/preorder.html> Note that it is possible to make international purchases from the Electronic Arts store, but you have to email them for details. 15.1.5 Q: Where are some good sites relating to this game? A: Spanky's Ultima Ascension Spoiler Ho-down has a walkthrough and a lot of other information. <http://www.jackchaos.com/pfeatures/ascension/spoilers.html> The Ultima IX: Ascension Universe also has a lot of useful stuff. <http://gameznet.com/ua/> 15.1.6 Q: I've heard about replacement CDs being sent out. When do they arrive? A: Origin has promised that those who register the game before March 21, 2000 will be sent replacement CDs with the latest patch and a debugged installer. As of the 17th of March people were reporting that they had received their CD, along with a free copy of Ultima Online: The Second Age. I would expect international shipping to take longer though. 15.1.7 Q: I did register before March 31, and still haven't got a new CD. How do I get EA to respond to me? A: By this point you should have if you were going to get one without making a fuss to Electronic Arts about the matter. So it's time to do that. Start by emailing them at support@ea.com with a short note about your problem. This will get you a form letter back with a whole lot of useful tips for getting the game to run and about bugs and other problems. This is where the fun begins. Reply to the message you got back. Snip everything except the stuff about what to do if you haven't got the replacement CD, and describe your problem. Be sure to note that you did register before the March 31 time limit as well as the fact that you haven't got the CD yet. Now wait for a few days for any response. You might actually get one saying that the CD is on its way. Or you might not. In that case send another reply to the original tech support response back to Electronic Arts. Once again only put the relevant info in, making sure that the fact you registered is noted. However also send a copy to the Electronic Arts Warranty Department at cswarranty@ea.com along with a note saying that you did not receive a response the last time you emailed the Support Department. This should get a reply fairly quickly, from one or the other of the two departments. 15.2 U9 Gameplay Questions: 15.2.1 Q: How can I buy and sell items? A: When the screen showing the items to be included in the transaction appears, click on the small '+' and '-' signs near the prices to alter the numbers of each item included in the transaction. When you are finished click on the red seal to make the trade. 15.2.2 Q: How do I get through the second locked door in Despise? A: Cast the Ignite spell on the torch that isn't lit. 15.2.3 Q: How do I get the key behind a locked portcullis? A: Look in the room opposite at the Attractor. Walk around the back of it, then turn it on. 15.2.4 Q: Where is the Red Kiran Stone? A: Read the book in the chamber where the stones are to be placed. This opens a passage leading past a fountain into an underground lake. In the lake there is a lever underwater near a waterfall. Pull the lever and the Stone will be revealed. 15.2.5 Q: I have the Glyph, so why won't Raven accept it? A: Raven requires the Rune, not the Glyph, While the Glyph was the Rune once, you have to restore it. That means you need to cleanse the Shrine, using the Sigil and the Glyph, then take the newly reformed Rune to Raven. 15.2.6 Q: How do I bind spells? A: There is a mage outside the magic shop in Britain who can help. The procedure is simple. Put the Scroll with the spell into the center of a binding pentagram. Put the correct reagents down with the scroll (note that the printed manuals have the odd typo, but the ingame spellbook has the correct listings) then cast Ignite on the pentagram, not the individual candles. If all is correct you will be asked to type in the words of the spell. Do so and you will bind the spell. If you get the response that the 'Circle is not open' then you are trying to bind a spell from a higher level than you are allowed to use currently. The level of spells you can bind is equal to the number of Shrines you have cleansed. 15.2.7 Q: How do I deal with the New Magincia quest to get the Sigil from Katrina? A: There are multiple problems with this quest. The Alpha Wolf is in a dome on the southern island. It's bigger than the other wolves. The Vulture's nest is found by climbing onto then ascending a leaning pillar near where you meet Katrina. The 'campfire' at the top is actually the nest. You need to cast Ignite on it to get rid of the vultures. Sometimes the Ignite spell will not work, so you need to try it again. If you have done both these things then Katrina should give you the Sigil. However a bug corrected only in the 1.07 patch means that quite often she will not realise the quest is done. To avoid it you should do the following: 1) Kill the Alpha Wolf. 2) Ignite the Vulture's Nest. 3) Go to the Shrine of Humility and meditate. This sends you to a new quest area. 15.2.8 Q: Where is the Green Statue in Hythloth? A: After entering the dungeon proper from the cavern you appear in, take the first passage to the right. On the far wall is a slider which you use. This opens a door into another passage, at the end of which is a chest. The green Statue is in the chest, but look carefully as it blends into the bottom very well. 15.2.9 Q: I've just appeared in prison after heading back to see Samhayne. My stuff's all gone too. What happened? A: You've missed a cutscene, something that seems to occur a fair bit with this particular scene. After you returned to Samhayne, Blackthorn appeared, captured you with spells, and stole the Codex as well. You've been thrown into his dungeon, Deceit. For more info on how to get the scene working, check out Question 15.3.3: How do I get the videos to play? 15.2.10 Q: So how do I get my stuff back after Blackthorn got me? A: When you have escaped Deceit and cleansed the Shrine of Honesty, Raven will meet you at the docks to return your stuff. 15.2.11 Q: Where is the Staff of Wisdom? I've searched the cave where Tydus sent me, but can't find it. A: Remember who sent Duncan to kill you? Do you really trust any mage in Moonglow to tell the whole truth? Go back to Tydus and he will send you to another cave. The inhabitant is quite a bit more honest than Tydus... 15.2.12 Q: I fell out of the moving boat. Now what? A: It has been reported that firing arrows at the boat can sometimes get it moving again. Then you can get ahead of it on it's circuit of Moonglow and jump back on. Otherwise I hope you have a recently saved game. 15.2.13 Q: Where is the Sigil of Justice? I can't find anything NE of Yew. A: It's a case of bad instructions. :-( The Sigil is found a long way EAST of Yew. Follow the long path leading from Yew to Wrong. Near the eastern end you will see a signpost with a green Justice banner on it. Follow the path behind the banner up the mountain to the one who can give you the Sigil. 15.2.14 Q: Where is Vasagralem? I've looked under every bridge near Yew. A: Origin's badly vague instructions strike again. Vasagralem can be found under the bridge between the mainland and the Dungeon Wrong. That is a long way east of Yew... 15.2.15 Q: Where is Gringolet? A: Take a swim in the lake with the waterfall by the Gypsy encampment. There is a cave in the water, which you can swim through. Near the far end, on a ledge above the water is the Gringolet. 15.2.16 Q: Why won't Dupre appear at the Shrine of Honor? I've put the Ashes on the altar, but nothing happens. A: Some people have reported that it takes a long time for him to appear. A little patience may be in order. Unfortunately people have also reported that if you get the Ashes before being told you need to place them on the Altar then Dupre will not appear. In this case an earlier saved game might be required. 15.2.17 Q: Where is the back entrance of Destard? A: It's up in the mountains behind the village of Dawn, near the Column. The area is covered in snow and protected by ice hounds. The actual entrance is a white square formation on the ground at 25°45' South, 44° 47' West. You can open it with repeated fireball spells directed at it's center. 15.2.18 Q: Where is the shipwreck mentioned in Jordan's journal? A: The shipwreck is on the outer reef, just south of the palisade protecting the entrance to Valoria. The exact coordinates are 80°'40 S, 53°0' W. However there is an unusual problem here. When tested, the shipwreck was not present until after the Avatar had been to Destard. Before then the beach was empty, but afterwards the ship was there. 15.2.19 Q: How do I get into the altar room in Destard? A: You have undoubtedly pressed the buttons on the pillars to each side of the blocked doorway. Now go into the small chambers to each side of the entrance and push the buttons that are above the doorway. 15.2.20 Q: Where is the Sigil of Valor? I've killed the daemon, but it isn't there. A: Did you find the Book of Demonology and recruit assistance to deal with the three daemons? If not then you've hit a bug. The daemon should be invulnerable until you get help, but in the unpatched game it is possible to kill it, so the Dagger of Valor can't be retrieved. You need to reload a saved game... 15.2.21 Q: OK. Now how do I kill the daemon at the Shrine of Valor? Now it's invulnerable even when I've got help. A: This is a bug in one of the patches (1.07). In contrast to the previous problem where the Daemon could be killed before the plot dictated, the daemon now can not be killed by most players. You can either install the v1.18 patch which is supposed to fix the problem or deinstall U9, reinstall the game without the patch then play out the scene. 15.2.22 Q: How do I retrieve the Book of Truth? I gave the wrong answer the first time. A: Enter the Well of Souls and talk to the spirit standing just outside the Temple exit in the spirit world. This is a former thief named Calan, and if you can convince him of the error of his ways he will tell you of the Book of Truth at the Lycaeum, and warn you that you need to face unpleasant truths about yourself in order to read it. After he vanishes you should be able to go back to the Lycaeum and give the correct answer of 'I am responsible' to the Oracle in order to get the Book. If this does not work you have a bug, and either need to reload from before you answered the question, or find a saved game where the Book has been retrieved. 15.2.23 Q: Where exactly is Serpent's Hold? A: There is a small island marked on the map southeast of Trinsic, at 75° 58' south, 7° 1' east. Note that a bug with the sextant is likely to result in it saying North instead of South. The island is also distinguished by being only sand with a ruined wall on it, and being guarded by a hostile ghost. Standing on the island, look southwest into the water to see a ruined tower below the surface. The entrance to Serpent's Hold is a hole in the former roof of the tower. Once in the passage, you need to swim down it and get through the force field quickly before you run out of breath. A blue potion or the Mana Breath spell helps here. The force field only blocks the passage of air and water, not the Avatar. 15.2.24 Q: How do I free Shamino? I've done what he's told me, but nothing happens. A: There are two possible causes of this problem. The first is that you have placed the three items around the statue on Skara Brae, rather than around Shamino's real body in the Well of Souls. The dialogue is a bit ambiguous there. If you have placed the items correctly around Shamino's real body then you probably haven't ignited all the braziers in the cavern beforehand. This is supposed to be mentioned in his Journal on the table in the room, but it has been reported that the instruction was omitted from the German translation of the game. 15.2.25 Q: How do I get to the Isle of the Avatar to summon Pyros? A: After you release Shamino, he is supposed to tell you that you need to go to the Isle to cast the ritual to summon Pyros. Unfortunately there is a bad bug. While some people have found that if they avoid speaking to people inside the Well of Souls they can avoid it, others have been forced to use other means to get around the problem. Some have sailed to the Isle of the Avatar manually, then used the Teleport spell to get past the force field preventing access. Others have used the Fly cheat (see 15.4.1). Origin representatives suggested the latter course until the final patch (v1.18) was released. Reports suggest it is at least partially caused by the 1.07 Patch. Some people have found that by reinstalling the game, then replaying the Well of Souls sequence with the unpatched game they can avoid the bug. The v1.18 patch fixes the problem for most people, under certain circumstances. Provided that the Avatar has not entered the Well of Souls, then the patch is supposed to prevent the problem occuring. This seems to be the case for most people, but not all... Good luck. 15.2.26 Q: Where do I get a red candle for the Summon Pyros ritual? A: If you missed the one in Dungeon Destard, there is a candle on the Isle of the Avatar. It is in a small box just underwater near the south end of the beach down the east side of the Isle, at 87° 18'S, 57° 41'E. 15.2.27 Q: I'm at the end, but where's the Crook of Humility gone? A: A number of people have asked this question, uncertain just what they did with the Crook. There have been enough similar questions to give cause to suspect the operation of a bug in the vanishing of the essential item. If you have lost the Crook and don't know where to start looking for it, there is a set of cheats which can help. Open up the 'default.kmp' file in your U9 directory, and under cheat commands add the lines 'ctrl+1 = spells_0-2', 'ctrl+2 = spells_3-5', and 'ctrl+3 = spells_6-8'. Save the file then run the game. Your next task is to drop everything you are carrying, from within the backpack, on your toolbelt, and being worn. Then use any one of the new commands, drop any of the new equipment that you feel you don't need, and pick up your old items. You should of course have kept the new Crook of Humility. 15.2.28 Q: What are the weapons damage values and the armour protection values? A: There is a list compiled from the Official Guide online. <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/U9Statistics.txt> [Thanks to MizzTV and Henri Enkleweis for posting the data to rgcus.] 15.3 U9 Technical Problems: 15.3.1 Q: How do I get this game to run? A: Good question. I had to manually shut down most processes to get the game going, notably including the virus checkers. There is an unofficial technical FAQ at <http://www.gulbsoft.de/faq.latest.html> There is also Origin's own official site, which may also be of some assistance. <http://www.ultima9.com/support.html> Make sure you have set the game's colour depth and resolution to match those of your desktop. Cancel all processes running in the background, especially virus checkers. Use CTRL-ALT-DELETE to bring up the 'Close Program' dialogue box and cancel everything except 'Systray' and 'Explorer'. This gives more memory for the game to play with. If you're using a D3D card, download and install the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft. <http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp> 15.3.2 Q: What do I do about an 'Invalid Pixel Format Error'? A: The usual cause is that you are using texture files incompatible with your video card, Make sure you are using 16 bit uncompressed textures. The compressed textures appear to be designed for only a very small range of cards, not including (for example) the GeForce. 15.3.3 Q: How do I get the videos to play? A: The first thing to do if the video clips aren't playing is to open the file 'options.ini' in the Ultima 9 directory, and check the line 'MoviePath=C:\Ultima9\Movies' and check that the directory given is the correct one where the movies have been stored. The next thing to check if you are playing them off the CD is that you have the correct U9 CD in the drive. The game just doesn't play them and gives no other error if you have put in the installation CD instead of the game CD. Make sure you have the latest version of the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. Older versions don't always have the correct codecs to play the more recent format used in the U9 movies. <http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/Download/default.asp> If you have a DVD player, try removing the software and drivers for it. In some cases incompatibilities result in the game crashing instead of movies playing. 15.3.4 Q: Is there an addon for Ultima 9? A: No. It seems likely that there won't be an addon, as Origin has stated that U9 will be their last single player game for some time, and since the release of the last patch the team has been assigned to other projects. 15.3.5 Q: Are there any patches for this game? A: Yes. Origin has released three patches to date. The first one is v1.05. It fixed some bugs and improved D3D support. The second was v1.07. It fixed more bugs, but went out of it's way to create new problems in the plot. The third (and final?) patch is v1.18. It is supposed to fix still more problems and finish the D3D optimisation. However many people are finding that bugs (including plot ones) are not fixed, or graphics displayed in D3D mode are worse than in the unpatched game. Game speed results range from no improvement to significant improvements. Good luck with it. Also note that games saved using the latest patch are somewhat incompatible with the unpatched game, although there are no problems loading older saved games after the most recent patch. Patch 1.18 <ftp://ftp.owo.com/pub/ua/patch/u9patch118.exe> Some people have graphics problems caused by the later patches. If you have not got the latest patched version on CD (v1.18) you could try using the earlier patch versions to see if they make the game run better. While Origin has removed them, they are still available from sites such as GameSpot. <http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/filters/products/downloads/0,11095,53709,00.html> 15.3.6 Q: How do I check the framerates I'm getting? A: You can open up the file 'options.ini' in your U9 directory, and find the line that says 'DisplayMetrics=0'. Change the line to read 'DisplayMetrics=1' and save the file. When you next load the game you will have a framerate display at the top of the screen. This overwrites the weapon and armour display bars at the top, so is best used simply for testing. There is also a saved game set up as a standardised test for framerates. Instructions are in the zip file. <http://dl.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?RPGPlanet/ultima9/fpstest501.zip> 15.3.7 Q: I've installed the game, but now the CD isn't recognized. A: Welcome to the wonderful world of CD copy protection schemes. Some people's drives just won't work with SafeDisk or other copy protection methods, even if they do have a legal copy of the game. There are NoCD cracks for U9 on the GameCopyWorld site. The game actually seems to run faster using a cracked version for many people. <http://www.gamecopyworld.com/> 15.3.8 Q: Where did the status bars go? A: There are keys set in the default keymap to toggle them on and off for the purpose of taking screenshots. Shift E toggles the weapons and armour bars at the top of the screen, and Shift Q toggles the interface tools and health/mana status bars at the bottom. If you have altered the keymap file to reassign these functions, you need to use the new keys to toggle the displays. 15.4 U9 and Cheating: 15.4.1 Q: How do I use cheats? A: The cheats that are currently known are all keyboard initiated. You bind them to specific key combinations in the file 'default.kmp' as you do any other command. The known functions are listed: toggle_avatar_fly toggle_avatar_invulnerable pass_one_hour unpass_one_hour sunrise_sunset pass_one_minute unpass_one_minute toggle_sun toggle_wind toggle_storms toggle_avatar_fast recharge_mana fill_spellbook The following functions are noted as doing unpleasant things to the inventory when used. They reset it back to the beginning of the game, then add quest items. spells_0-2 spells_3-5 spells_6-8 [Some of these cheats were found on Spanky's Ascension Spoiler Ho-down site.] <http://www.jackchaos.com/pfeatures/ascension/spoilers.html> 15.4.2 Q: Are there any other useful tips? A: Yes. When binding spells, once the candles are ignited you can remove the reagents and the scroll and put them back into your backpack for later use. Don't just move them onto the floor or they might still disappear. Also if you are training at the arena in Bucanneer's Den or are captured by the guards in Wrong while you have a full inventory you get given an extra bag so that your weapon (and shield) will fit. This bug is infinitely exploitable.

  
  

• 16 Summary:

  16.1 List of URLs: This FAQ in HTML: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/ultimafaqs.htm> This FAQ in Text: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/ultimafaqs.txt> Fortran Dragon's rec.games.computer.ultima.* FAQ: <http://home.kc.rr.com/hidalgo/faq/rgcudfaq.html> New PC Slowdown Page: <http://home.att.net/~pc_slowdown/> Micro Dragon's Ultima Documentation: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/dindx.html> Trigon Dragon's Ultima Dox: <http://members.aol.com/trigonman3/intro.html> Xe Dragon's HRUMP page (large maps): <http://www.dengler.net/xedragon/hrump/index.htm> Paulon Dragon's Scanned Maps: <http://members.xoom.com/PaulonDragon/Maps/Maps.htm> Micro Dragon's Maps: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/mindx.html> Backpacker's Guide to Britannia (Cheats): <http://mypage.direct.ca/k/kbutt/index.htm> Ultima Web Archive (Solutions): <http://www.uo.com/archive/> Televar Dragon's Mysterious Sosaria (Music): <http://www.surfing.net/ultima/> Contrapuntal Dragon's The Avatar and the AWE FAQ: <http://www.zip.com.au/~mfleming/ultima/ult-awe32.html> Ultima I video patch: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> Ultima II 'Divide by Zero' patch: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> Moonstone Dragon's Ultima II Planet maps patch: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> Arthuris Dragon's Ultima II Slowdown/New Command Patch: <http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~palenstn/> Ultima II/III Colour patch: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> Ultima II for Windows: <http://ultima2.voyd.net/> Voyager Dragon's Exodus Upgrade Project (Ultima 3 patch): <http://ultima3.voyd.net/> Download Ultima IV - Legally: <http://home.kc.rr.com/hidalgo/u4.html> <http://www.zip.com.au/~mfleming/ultima/u4download.html> Ultima IV Dungeon Despise picture: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/Pictures/U4Despise.gif> Ultima IV Dungeon Abyss Maps: <http://www.uo.com/archive/ultima4/dungeons/abyss.html> <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/maps/u4/abyssl8a.gif> <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/maps/u4/abyssl8b.gif> Ultima IV Upgrade Patch patch: <http://www.moongates.com/u4/upgrade/Upgrade.htm> Ultima IV Character Transfer Fix: <http://unix.worldpath.net/~rlocke/ultima4.html> Ultima V Dungeon Deceit picture: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/Pictures/U5Deceit.gif> Ultima V Dungeon Shame picture: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/FAQ/Pictures/U5Shame.gif> Ultima VI Adlib Sound Patch: <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u16> Ultima VI MT-32 Sound Patch: <http://www.geocities.com/nodling/> Ultima VI Items List: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/Items.zip> F-15 Dragon's Martian Dreams Hacker: <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/programs/mdhack.zip> Savage Empire Cheat Command List: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/SavageHacks.txt> Martian Dreams Item List: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/martianitems.txt> Ultima VII General Upgrade Patch: <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u7> Gaseous Dragon's Ultima 7 for Beginners page: <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/ultima7.html> The Ultima 7 in Windows page: <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/U7inWindows.html> Ultima VII Items: <http://unix.worldpath.net/~rlocke/ultima7.html> Ultima VII/Serpent Isle Riva 128 Patch: <http://www.hpaa.com/moslo/utils.html> Newton Dragon's Ultima VII/Serpent Isle General Midi patches: <http://members.aol.com/mikenewt/ultima.htm> Jeff Freedman's Exult, Ultima VII remake: <http://exult.sourceforge.net/> Underworld I/II General Midi Patches: <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Ultima/Downloads.htm> Underworld General Fix Patch: <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#uu1> Underworld II General Fix Patch: <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#uu2> Lumina Dragon's Master Cheater's List for Serpent Isle: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/1959/serpent_cheat.html> Serpent Isle 'Director's Cut' Intro: <http://www.io.com/~dloubet/serpisle.htm> Ultima VIII Upgrade Patch: <http://www.ea.com/techsupp/origin/patches.htm#u8> Gaseous Dragon's Ultima 8 for Beginners Page: <http://members.iinet.net.au/~rsd/ultima8.html> Ultima VIII Cheat Activator: <http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1769/findx.html> Ultima VIII Lost Vale Screenshots: <http://www.uo.com/archive/ftp/graphics/ultima8/lostvale.zip> Ultima Ascension Official Site: <http://www.ultima-ascension.com/> Ultima Ascension Online Community: <http://boards.owo.com/> Current Ultima IX Ascension FAQ (on Terilem's Site): <http://www.powerup.com.au/~gjdanger/Terilem/faqindex.html> Ultima Horizons U9 News Site: <http://www.allgaming.com/ultimaix/> Terilem Dragon's U9 News Site: <http://www.powerup.com.au/~gjdanger/Terilem/> Neocryte's UA Preorder Sites List: <http://ultima9.8m.com/preorder.html> The unofficial U9 technical FAQ: <http://www.gulbsoft.de/faq.latest.html> Origin's Technical Support page: <http://www.ultima9.com/support.html> Microsoft DirectX Download Page: <http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp> Microsoft Media Player Download Page: <http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/Download/default.asp> Ultima 9 Patch v1.18: <ftp://ftp.owo.com/pub/ua/patch/u9patch118.exe> GameSpot's U9 Downloads Page (earlier patches): <http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/filters/products/downloads/0,11095,53709,00.html> U9 Speed Test Saved Game: <http://dl.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?RPGPlanet/ultima9/fpstest501.zip> GameCopyWorld, for the U9 NoCD Crack: <http://www.gamecopyworld.com/> The Ultima IX: Ascension Universe: <http://gameznet.com/ua/> Spanky's Ascension Spoiler Ho-down: <http://www.jackchaos.com/pfeatures/ascension/spoilers.html> Ultima IX Weapons and Armour Statistics <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~paulryan/Downloads/U9Statistics.txt> Gargoyle Language: <http://www.uo.com/archive/gargoyle/index.html> Ebay Auction Site: <http://www.ebay.com> Electronic Arts Store (Ultima Collection): <http://www.eastore.ea.com/cgi-bin/eastore.storefront> CDAccess.com (Ultima I & II CD): <http://www.cdaccess.com/html/quick/ultimauwpr.htm> 16.2 End Notes: In closing, be warned that not every question has been answered here, just those which either have been commonly asked in my experience on usenet or web boards, or those relating to problems for which a patch is available. Feel free to make contributions, suggestions, or corrections to me at <paulryan@ihug.co.nz>

  
  

• 17 Acknowledgements:

  My heartfelt thanks to all those who have answered questions on newsgroups and web boards, to those whose work is referenced herein at the various links, to Fortran Dragon, whose rgcu.* FAQ was shamelessly copied for the format and layout (which I then modified), and to Dracos Dragon, who was kind enough to allow me to molest his computer in order to attempt the solution to the Underworlds vs Windows problem that is a regular query.

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Copyright (c) 1999, 2000 Paul Ryan. All rights are reserved.

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