Ultima on Linux

Mortimer.CA writes "O'Reilly has a story about someone hacking Ultima VII so that it's multiplatform. Exult is replacing the the rendering engine so the game can be played on more than just DOS. A legal copy of Ultima VII is needed to play Exult. I have 'wasted' so many hours on the Ultima series that it's not funny: now I can waste them again on my Unix box." I might have to see if I still have Ultima VII kicking around. I haven't played it since my college days.

Comments

Legality?

[kruetz]

Just a question, but is this legal? I have no idea what license Ultima VII is available under (is it even still available comercially?), but unless the source has been released, couldn't this be considered illegal under the DMCA? Or are they able to do this without any 'reverse-engineering'?

As the FAQ says ... "So there is no chance for the Exult team to have a look at the actual code"

I guess that Origin probably wouldn't feel a strong desire to take Exult to court, but if they did, would they have a case?

BTW, FP!!

Follow id's example

[jvmatthe]

I'd like to see more game companies follow the example set by John Carmack and id Software: after the period of greatest commerical gain has expired, release the source to your game, but require it be used with legally obtained data files.

Benefits:
- Your game lives forever. When everyone upgrades to the newest Windows and your game doesn't work, someone can fix it. When a new platform arises, someone can port your game for that community of users.
- Your game can be extended by any inventive, industrious fans.
- You gain a lot of good will with the community of gamers.
- Generates interest in your older products, which leads to interest in newer ones.

Potential harms:
- Increased potential for piracy.
- Increased potentially cheating if an online game (although having the source can mean that anti-cheating measures are easier to implement)
- Ugly coding exposed. ;^)

Anyway, when I see things like Exult and ScummVM which reverse-engineer game engines, I'm struck by how much easier life would be for all involved if the company simply realized that releasing the source could be a great idea, both for them and their customers.

Ok, I admit it, I just want Lucasarts to release the source to Grim Fandango. So sue me. :^D

Ultima Copy Protection Warning

[fm6]

Danger Will Robinson!

You can easily obtain all the Ultima games by downloading them from an abandonware site or (more legitimately) buying an "oldies" CD. One little problem: Lord British was fond of document based copy protection. And he was very creative about it.

I used to think this was pretty cool. Unlike games where you have to find the 3rd word on line 5 of page 23 of the manual to play the game, some Ultima games came with fancy maps (printed on cloth!) or lengthy treatises that you just had to read in order to solve some of the puzzles. And unfortunately these are not provided with most CD re-releases (and not at all with downloads of course). Some fans have provided online versions, but coverage is spotty. Make sure you have Googled all this info before you start the game, or you may find youself stuck in the middle of a game -- forever!

Ultima for NWN?

[drinkypoo]

Am I imagining things, or have I seen someone recreating at least one Ultima game in the Neverwinter Nights engine?

On a very related note, there is an implementation of Pool of Radiance for NWN, more or less using 1st edition D&D rules. Like the original, walk around town with weapons equipped and people get upset... It's very cool.

Works great, less filling

[Jahf]

I used Exult a few months ago ... was able to run U7 and U7.5 with the expansion packs for both.

I bought and played these on the PC a long time ago, but had tossed the boxes so I downloaded them again from an abandonware site in France (I don't remember the URL). Technically illegal, but since I'd paid in full for the games back then I feel morally sound :)

It was quite interesting to play Exult not only in 1024x768 on my Linux PC, but to then copy my saves to my Zaurus and play on the road on the Zaurus (though with less enjoyment than the PC just due to speed and interface issues).

Quite a piece of work. Highly recommended if you're into that sort of thing ... my latest romp down memory lane has been to play Eye of the Beholder on my GBA. Wahoo! :)