''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' is the seventh installment of the ''
Ultima series
''Ultima'' is a series of open world fantasy role-playing video games from Origin Systems, created by Richard Garriott. Electronic Arts has owned the brand since 1992. The series had sold over 2 million copies by 1997.
A significant series in c ...
'' of
role-playing video game
Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
s, released in April 1992. In it, the player returns as The Avatar, a would-be paragon of moral virtue who faces down many dangers and deceptions in order to cleanse the
medieval fantasy
Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...
world of Britannia of assorted plots and schemes, monster infestations, and the undermining of crown authority.
''The Black Gate'' was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely lauded as a high point in the series and is also regarded as one of the
best video games ever created. In an interview with
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
,
Richard Garriott
Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux (''né'' Garriott; born 4 July 1961) is a British-born American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut.
Garriott, who is the son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, was originally a game designer ...
stated that ''Ultima VII'' "was the most masterfully executed of the ''Ultima'' series". He has also often stated that the game was, along with ''
Ultima IV
Ultima may refer to:
Places
* Ultima, Victoria, a town in Australia
* Pangaea Ultima, a supercontinent to occur in the future
* ''Ultima'', the larger lobe of the trans-Neptunian object 486958 Arrokoth, nicknamed ''Ultima Thule''
Companies and ...
'', his own favorite installment overall.
Gameplay
Game system
''Ultima VII'' introduced major changes in the ''Ultima'' series. The most serious alteration is that as far as the player is concerned, the world is no longer
tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...
and grid-based; tiles are still used internally (in a largely improved way where the tiles themselves are smaller and frequently grouped), but they no longer affect character and monster movement or the item placement the same way.
The maps are also more visibly multi-layered, and objects and things can be stacked on top of each other. This can also affect movement, and be part of puzzles; some places are inaccessible unless the player stacks items to form stairs. A striking visual change is that the gameworld now takes up the entire screen in its original DOS environment, while previous Ultimas used a substantial portion of the screen for text, dialogue, buttons, icons, and the like.
The game is the first in the series that is entirely
mouse
A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
-driven, with optional
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mus ...
hotkeys for some common actions. This is in contrast to earlier entries that are entirely keyboard-driven, and to ''
Ultima VI
''Ultima VI: The False Prophet'', released by Origin Systems in 1990, is the sixth part in the role-playing video game series of '' Ultima''. It is the third and final game in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy. ''Ultima VI'' sees the player ret ...
'', which supplements keyboard commands with on-screen command icons.
While in ''Ultima VI'', the player has to specifically use a "move" command to move an item from place to place, or "drop" to drop it on the ground, in ''Ultima VII'', items are simply dragged and dropped to their desired locations. While the game can be played entirely with a keyboard, doing so is very difficult, and in-game characters recommend the player use a mouse.
''Ultima VII'' introduces Graphical User Menu Pop-ups ("gumps"), which are on-screen representations of containers, later employed in ''
Ultima VIII
''Ultima VIII: Pagan'' is a role-playing video game, released as the eighth part of the ''Ultima'' series. Released in 1994, it is a DOS-only title and is also the first game in the series to be rated M in North America. It was not as well-recei ...
'', ''
Ultima IX
''Ultima IX: Ascension'' is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows. It is the ninth and final main installment of the '' Ultima'' series.
It takes place after the Avata ...
'' and ''
Ultima Online
''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems.
Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat syste ...
''. For example, clicking on a drawer or backpack will show the contents of the container on screen, allowing the items within arranged freely with the mouse. Gumps are also used for books, scrolls, the spellbook, the status display, maps, and character equipment management; double-clicking on the
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
opens his or her inventory, after which the inventories of other
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
characters can be opened by double-clicking them in turn. In ''
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle'', the inventory view uses a
paper doll
Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper or thin card, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the dolls by paper folding tabs. They may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object.
Paper dolls have been use ...
concept: equipping items will change the character inventory display to show the worn or held items in place.
Another major change from earlier entries is that the game is completely
real-time
Real-time, realtime, or real time may refer to:
Computing
* Real-time computing, hardware and software systems subject to a specified time constraint
* Real-time clock, a computer clock that keeps track of the current time
* Real-time Control Syst ...
, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat.
The combat system is altered accordingly: every party character is controlled by
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
(AI), and the desired behavior can be chosen for each character (for example, stronger characters can be ordered to autonomously waylay the toughest opponents, while more vulnerable characters will keep their distance), and there is also the option to choose manual targeting for the Avatar. Though the combat is real-time, the player can take their time in performing certain actionsfor example, the game pauses when the player prepares to use an item from their backpack. The AI occasionally executes some self-defeating moves (such as firing a triple crossbow into a crowd of allies), but it saves the player the need to micromanage up to eight different characters in battle. The AI can decide on its own to change what weapon a party member has been equipped with if there is a different weapon in their inventory. At times, the AI will make a party member drop their weapon to the ground before retreating.
''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' is the first game in the mainline ''Ultima'' series to use dialogue trees. The
first trilogy only allows simple interaction while the
second trilogy uses a keyword-based dialogue. ''Ultima VII'' retains the old keywords themselves, but uses a dialogue tree where dialogue options are picked with a mouse rather than entered on keyboard; in previous games, whether at random or due to having external knowledge about the game, the player can enter keywords and trigger dialog and events before they are intended to be. In ''Ultima VII'', the keywords only appear when they are actually learned beforehand in the game due to the plot – for example, "thief caught" dialogue option won't actually appear until a thief is actually caught.
Game world
The gameworld of ''Ultima VII'' is highly interactive: virtually everything not nailed to the ground and not excessively heavy can be moved, taken, or interacted with in some way. It is possible, for instance, to bake bread, to forge weapons, to play musical instruments, to paint a self-portrait, and to change a baby's swaddling by dragging and dropping things in the game world. The Avatar and his companions, if not fed regularly, will complain of hunger pangs and severe thirst, and will even perish if these matters are not attended to eventually. If they come across a disgusting or gruesome scene, they may groan and vomit; sufficient intake of strong alcoholic beverages will also result in visible nausea.
''Ultima VII'' allows
free exploration of the game world, featuring a main plot and several other major
subquests and tasks for the player to complete. It is a markedly open-ended game, where following the main plotline is inessential to the purposes of enjoyment, exploration, and character advancementonce the player is free from their starting location of Trinsic, a walled city. ''The Black Gate'' is highly nonlinear; although there is a linear storyline, this is complemented by the ability to explore the map in any order when coupled with the many subquests.
''Ultima VII'' features less emphasis on
behaving virtuously than other installments in the ''Ultima'' series. The Avatar can steal and murder to his heart's content, without making the game impossible to finish. However, the game simulates a society that sticks to some of the virtues:
NPCs
A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
either the
party members or the people of Britanniareact to killings of innocents and stealing whenever they became aware of it; party members may leave the group if they witness too much bloodshed and larceny and will refuse to join the party until the player redeems themself. They may even openly revolt and attack the Avatar if he goes about committing wanton crimes incessantly. The Guardian will sometimes appear and mock the player after they commit a criminal act. This makes sense in light of the
final installment's revelation that The Guardian is in fact the alter-ego, the subconscious mirror, to the Avatar himself.
''The Black Gate'' features a deed system, where the Avatar must purchase and carry a title to any horse-and-carriage or ship that he or she wishes to board. ''The Serpent Isle'' does not have this deed system; instead, ships, barges, and the Serpent Gates are all triggered by the plot.
Plot
The game begins with what appears to be the game introduction on
the Avatar's own computer screen. Suddenly, the screen is filled with static, and a red creature who calls himself The Guardian proclaims:
The Orb of the Moons glows, and the Avatar finds that a red moongate has appeared behind the house. The Avatar thus returns to Britannia through the moongate, and arrives in Trinsic, where he meets
Iolo Iolo is a diminutive of Iorwerth, a Welsh name. It may refer to:
*Iolo Goch (1320–1398), Welsh bard
*Iolo Morganwg (1747–1826), Welsh poet, antiquarian, and literary forger
* Iolo Ceredig Jones (born 1947), Welsh chess player
*Iolo Williams
...
. Iolo tells him that two centuries have passed since he left. The whole town is shocked due to a ritualistic murder that occurred the preceding night - the body of the blacksmith Christopher was found in the stable. Finnigan, Mayor of Trinsic, asks the Avatar to investigate the incident.
In Trinsic, the Avatar gets to meet several members of a new religious organization called the Fellowship. Eventually, in Britain, he meets
Batlin
''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' is the seventh installment of the ''Ultima series'' of role-playing video games, released in April 1992. In it, the player returns as The Avatar, a would-be paragon of moral virtue who faces down many dangers and d ...
, one of the founders of the Fellowship. He also meets
Lord British
Lord British, or Lord Cantabrigian British, is the fictional ruler of Britannia, a kingdom in the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his video game series ''Ultima''.
Concept and creation
''Ultima'' series creator Richa ...
, who urges the Avatar to join the Fellowship, which, according to him, has done a lot of good things. It also turns out most of the mages of the realm have gone completely insane without any good explanation, and their magic doesn't work as it should.
Most of the game is composed of the Avatar's investigation of the Fellowship and the Trinsic murders. During the game, the Avatar finds more and more clues that implicate the Fellowship in shady dealings; more murders appear on the way, and the Avatar himself goes undercover by entering the Fellowship. His quest takes him to most of the cities and towns of Britannia, including Minoc, a destroyed Skara Brae run by a
lich
In fantasy fiction, a lich () is a type of undead creature with magical powers.
Various works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith's " The Empire of the Necromancers" (1932), had used ''lich'' as a general term for any corpse, animat ...
, Yew, Moonglow and Buccaneer's Den.
The Avatar eventually learns of an astronomical alignment of importance that is supposed to happen very soon, and about the three evil Generators that the Guardian has created, which have been causing most of the problems of the land. After destroying them, he and his companions follow several leads to the Isle of Avatar, where members of the Fellowship are waiting. The Fellowship has fashioned a black moongate out of blackrock on this island to allow the Guardian to enter Britannia when the astronomical alignment happens.
The Avatar confronts the Fellowship members and defeats them. As the astronomical alignment begins and the Guardian starts to loom behind the moongate, the Avatar destroys the gate just in time, preventing the Guardian from entering Britannia. As the moongates had been rendered useless by the destruction of one of the generators, the Avatar has to remain in Britannia, with no means to return to Earth.
Development
''Ultima VII'' was the first game where Richard Garriott did any sort of planning ahead for future games in the series, laying out a preplanned trilogy which would conclude with ''Ultima IX''.
Elements of ''Ultima VII'' were inspired by game developer
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres of video games ...
' conflicts with competitor (and later owner)
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
. Origin Systems'
corporate slogan was "We Create Worlds", while the main antagonist of the storythe Guardianis presented as a "Destroyer of Worlds". The three evil "Generators" created by the Guardian in the game take the physical shapes of the contemporary Electronic Arts logo: a cube, a sphere, and a tetrahedron. Elizabeth and Abraham, two apparently benevolent characters who later turn out to be murderers, have the initials "E" and "A". Electronic Arts would acquire Origin later that same year, on September 25, 1992.
The religious cult the Fellowship is inspired by
Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...
. Richard Garriott also said it was inspired by the
action role-playing game
An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres.
Definition
Action role-playing games empha ...
''
Times of Lore'' and the first-person role-playing game ''
Dungeon Master''. ''Ultima VII'' cost to develop.
The game
credits have been made to look as movie-like as possible, with all of the standard disclaimers and elements found in movie end credits. The credits, notoriously, also include the mention that a
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
CD is available from Origin, while it actually wasn't released until 1993 (as ''Origin Soundtrack Series volume 2''); in reference to this mistake, the credits of ''Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle'' say, "Soundtrack CD NOT available from Origin, so don't ask!"
''The Black Gate'' uses a custom
DOS extender
A DOS extender is a computer software program running under DOS that enables software to run in a protected mode environment even though the host operating system is only capable of operating in real mode.
DOS extenders were initially developed ...
called "Voodoo" which puts the CPU in an
unreal mode
In x86 computing, unreal mode, also big real mode, flat real mode, or voodoo mode is a variant of real mode, in which one or more segment descriptors has been loaded with non-standard values, like 32-bit limits allowing access to the entire memo ...
and is incompatible with other DOS extenders following the
DPMI standard.
Reception
''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...
''s
Scorpia in 1992 praised ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate''s "first-class" graphics, sound, and realism, called the story "engrossing", and liked the mouse- and keyboard-based user interface, but criticized the slow performance ("I estimate that the slow speed of the game added about a week to my playing time"), several serious bugs, and combat ("one of the least fun aspects of the game"). She concluded that the game gives "me very mixed feelings ... Getting through this ''Ultima'' will require a certain amount of patience and forebearance".
In 1993 she wrote that "the game has its annoying aspects ... it is certainly worth playing".
Charles Ardai
Charles Ardai is an American businessman, and writer of crime fiction and mysteries. He is co-founder and editor of Hard Case Crime, a line of pulp-style paperback crime novels. He was also an early employee of D. E. Shaw & Co. and a managing di ...
acknowledged the widespread sentiment that after six installments the Ultima series had been done to death, but argued that "''Ultima VII'' is ''not'' more of the same. It is daring and unusual, has a sophisticated interface and story, takes full advantage of both its own history and the conventions of the genre, and manages to be at once grounded in tradition and unpredictable". Ardai praised the plot as the best in the series, stating that it is highly original, evokes genuine emotion, and serves as an allegory for problems in the real world. He also generally praised the game's puzzles, simple interface, and pacing.
''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' and ''Forge of Virtue'' were reviewed in 1993 in ''
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' #191 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Jim Trunzo reviewed ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' in ''
White Wolf
The Arctic wolf (''Canis lupus arctos''), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesme ...
'' #33 (Sept./Oct., 1992), rating it a 4.5 out of 5 and stated that "Overall, ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' continues to advance the series in every sense of the word. For most fantasy gamers, it will be a 'must experience' event. However, be sure that you have the system required to enjoy the product before you buy it."
''Computer Gaming World'' nominated ''Ultima VII'' for its 1992 "Role-Playing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to ''
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss''. They wrote that ''Ultima VII'' "pushed the technological envelope with its new AI routines for party movement, as well as its object-oriented approach to the game map.
''
GamePro
''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'' gave the Super NES version a mixed review. They praised the gameplay interface and controls, but criticized the fact that monsters and chests
respawn
Spawning in video games refers to the process by which entities, such as player characters, non-player characters, enemies or items, are generated and placed into the game world. Closely related concepts include respawning, which involves reint ...
whenever the player leaves an area, pointing out that this allows players to easily accumulate massive amounts of loot simply by repeatedly leaving and reentering a room with a chest. They rated the graphics and sounds as decent but unimpressive, and concluded the game to be "nicely crafted fun".
Accolades
''The Black Gate'' was listed as one of "The 50 Best Games Ever" in a 1997 issue of ''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'', and ranked number ten on the magazine's list of "The 100 Best PC Games of All Time" in a 2011 survey. In 1998, ''PC Gamer US'' declared it the 37th-best computer game ever released. The editors wrote, "If you're looking for the best of the greatest computer role-playing series ever, this is the game you want."
In 1994, ''
PC Gamer UK
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...
'' named ''The Black Gate'' and ''Serpent Isle'' collectively the 39th best computer game of all time. The editors called it "absolutely enormous—we are talking ''months'' of play here—with complex, absorbing and involving multiple sub-plots and storylines. Garriott's commitment to creating a complete fantasy world has been fully realised here."
In 1996,
GamesMaster
''GamesMaster'' was a British television programme which originally aired on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998. In 2021, it returned for a new series on YouTube and E4. It was the first UK television programme dedicated to video games.
Dominik Di ...
ranked the game 72nd on their "Top 100 Games of All Time."
''Forge of Virtue'' expansion
''Forge of Virtue'' was an
expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion, is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game, collectible card game or Miniature wargaming, miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules ...
that adds a quest to ''Ultima VII'' in which the Avatar must pass a series of tests to revalidate himself in the three principles of Truth, Love, and Courage, and destroy the last remnants of
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
.
With the expansion, an earthquake takes place at the beginning of the game. After speaking to Lord British about the tremors, the player will be given free use of a ship called ''The Golden Ankh'', and can visit the Isle of Fire to begin the expansion subquests. The Isle of Fire was previously the site of Castle Exodus in ''
Ultima III
''Ultima III: Exodus'' (originally released as ''Exodus: Ultima III'') is the third game in the series of ''Ultima'' role-playing video games. Exodus is also the name of the game's principal antagonist. It is the final installment in the "Age of ...
'', and reappears only during this game.
The main plot of the subquests involves destroying the Dark Core, which contains the last remnants of Exodus. In order to do so, the Avatar must obtain three talismans of Truth, Love and Courage, by passing their respective tests. The concave and convex lenses from ''
Ultima VI
''Ultima VI: The False Prophet'', released by Origin Systems in 1990, is the sixth part in the role-playing video game series of '' Ultima''. It is the third and final game in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy. ''Ultima VI'' sees the player ret ...
'' are also required to complete the quest.
The player is rewarded with a powerful weapon, the Black Sword, during the test of Courage. The Avatar also gains maximum strength, intelligence, and dexterity in the course of the tests, and after completing the quest,
Lord British
Lord British, or Lord Cantabrigian British, is the fictional ruler of Britannia, a kingdom in the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his video game series ''Ultima''.
Concept and creation
''Ultima'' series creator Richa ...
grants the player double strength on top of that. The Golden Ankh contains many extra supplies and the Avatar can use it for the rest of the game, making it unnecessary to purchase deeds from shipwrights.
In later releases of ''Ultima VII'', this add-on was always included.
Reception
''Computer Gaming World'' stated that the expansion improved combat and other aspects of gameplay. As it only added a few hours of time to ''Ultima VII''s estimated more than 200 hours, the magazine described it as "sort of a 'cheat' program ... mak
nga great game even better" that made completing the main plot easier by giving players higher stats and powerful new gear.
Versions and releases
The various parts of ''Ultima VII'' have been published in at least the following forms:
Original release:
* ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' (1992) The original release, available on 5.25" and 3.5" floppies. This release predates the
ESRB
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Softw ...
, and as such, was not rated by them. The game credits do include the warning "Voluntarily rated MP-13 (For Mature Players)".
* ''Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue'' (1992) The original release, available on 5.25" and 3.5" floppies.
* ''
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle'' (1993) The original release, available on 5.25" and 3.5" floppies.
* ''
Ultima VII Part Two: The Silver Seed'' (1993) The original release, available on 5.25" and 3.5" floppies.
Re-releases:
* ''Ultima VII: Complete Edition'' (1993) has both games and both expansion disks, available on 3.5" floppies only.
* ''The Complete Ultima VII'' (1994) has both games and both expansion disks, on CD-ROM. Rated T for Teen by the ESRB for "Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence".
* ''Ultima: The Black Gate'' (1994): the original SNES action-adventure remake.
* ''Electronic Arts CD-ROM Classics: The Complete Ultima VII'' (1994): budget release that has both games and both expansion disks, on CD-ROM. Aside of a brief installation and quick-start guide, no printed documentation or trinkets; all documentation is on CD-ROM in
PDF
Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...
format.
* ''Electronic Arts CD-ROM Classics: The Complete Ultima VII: Gold Edition'' (1996): same as the 1994 release, but with gold-edged box.
In addition, it has been published as part of collections:
* ''Origin Top Ten Pack'' Includes ''Ultima VII: The Black Gate'' (pre EA buyout).
* ''EA Compilation'', bundled with some
Creative Labs
Creative Technology Ltd., or Creative Labs Pte Ltd., is a Singaporean multinational electronics company mainly dealing with audio technologies and products such as speakers, headphones, sound cards and other digital media. Founded by Sim Wong ...
sound cards.
* ''
Ultima Collection'' (1996) Contains all cardinal Ultima games between ''Ultima I'' and ''Ultima VIII'', and also ''Akalabeth''.
''The Black Gate'' was released in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
,
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
.
Included in the box
Like other ''Ultima'' games, ''Ultima VII'' came with a trinket, a cloth map, and in-universe manuals. The trinket was a triangle-shaped Fellowship medallion. The cloth map was of Britannia. It included the Fellowship book. It also included a demo-disk for ''
Ultima Underworld
''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' is a 1992 action role-playing game developed by Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by Origin Systems. Set in the fantasy world of the ''Ultima'' series the story takes pla ...
''.
Its expansion pack, ''Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue'', included the ''Guide to the Isle of Fire'' pamphlet.
Super NES
FCI /
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...
published the
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...
version of ''Ultima VII'', simply titled ''Ultima: The Black Gate'', which was created by a small team inside Origin Systems. The game producer and part of that team previously took part into the development of ''Ultima: Runes of Virtue II''.
This version is largely different from the original, since the PC version of the game was a then-huge 20
megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is MB. The unit prefix ''mega'' is a multiplier of (106) in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes ...
s, yet this translation could use only one megabyte of memory for all of the game data and program. The game is largely real-time action, bearing many similarities to ''Ultima: Runes of Virtue I & II''.
The maps and many usable items and plotlines had to be redesigned from scratch, and the game program had to be rewritten entirely in assembly language. The 'party' system was scrapped; instead, the Avatar journeys alone. Also, the story was largely changed in accordance with Nintendo's content guidelines: instead of murders, the Avatar is asked to investigate kidnappings.
PlayStation Portable
In August 2006,
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
reported that
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
would be porting ''Ultima: The Black Gate'' (the SNES version of ''Ultima VII'') to the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
as part of ''
EA Replay''. It was released in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on November 14, 2006.
Compatibility with modern systems and fan projects
Both parts of ''Ultima VII'' used a non-standard
DOS
DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...
memory management
Memory management (also dynamic memory management, dynamic storage allocation, or dynamic memory allocation) is a form of Resource management (computing), resource management applied to computer memory. The essential requirement of memory manag ...
extension called
Voodoo Memory Manager. This was not a typical
DOS extender
A DOS extender is a computer software program running under DOS that enables software to run in a protected mode environment even though the host operating system is only capable of operating in real mode.
DOS extenders were initially developed ...
; therefore,
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft and the first of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged ...
and later are completely incompatible with the game in its original form, unless rebooted into DOS mode. The game can be run with
fan patch
An unofficial patch, sometimes alternatively called a community patch, is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alle ...
es in modern operating systems. The game is also playable in
x86
x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. Th ...
DOS
DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...
emulator
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run sof ...
s such as
DOSBox
DOSBox is a free and open-source MS-DOS emulator. It supports running programs primarily video games that are otherwise inaccessible since hardware for running a compatible disk operating system (DOS) is obsolete and generally unavailab ...
.
''Exult'' is a cross-platform
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...
of the ''Ultima VII'' engine, licensed under the
GNU GPL-2.0-or-later, which allows the game to be played on modern machines and across different operating systems.
Exult's array of tools have enabled fans to take the game apart and modify it, for instance for
fan translation
Fan translation (or user-generated translation) refers to the unofficial translation of various forms of written or multimedia products made by fans (fan labor), often into a language in which an official translated version is not yet availabl ...
projects. Exult contributors have also expanded the game by enabling ''Serpent Isle''
paper doll
Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper or thin card, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the dolls by paper folding tabs. They may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object.
Paper dolls have been use ...
graphics in ''Black Gate'', and fixed some of the bugs and design flaws found in ''Serpent Isle'', which were originally left in due to the rushed release. There are some features of the original game still to be implemented (for example, the way NPCs interact with the game world is not fully recreated) and some extra features added by the Exult team. The Exult project was noticed and positively commented upon by
Richard Garriott
Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux (''né'' Garriott; born 4 July 1961) is a British-born American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut.
Garriott, who is the son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, was originally a game designer ...
.
There have been a few projects to make ''Ultima VII'' fan remakes in other game engines, but so far the majority of these projects have not been successful.
GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt, based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through i ...
has made the game available in a manner that allows it to work on modern operating systems, through a custom DOSBox installation.
The Complete Ultima 7
on Good Old Games
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt, based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through ...
References
External links
''Ultima VII''
an
''Ultima VII Part Two''
on Origin/EA's Ultima Web Archive via Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
''Ultima VII: The Black Gate''
at MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
''Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue''
at MobyGames
''Ultima VII: The Black Gate''
at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom wiki
{{Origin Systems
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