Ultima VII - Definition and Overview

Ultima VII is the seventh part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. It was the beginning of the third Ultima trilogy, and it was released in two parts and two expansion packs in 1992 and 1993. The two Ultima VII games are seen by many players as the high-point of the series, with their incredibly detailed worlds and their many memorable NPCs.

Part One: The Black Gate

In Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992), two centuries have passed since the Gargoyle threat was solved and the Avatar is suddenly whisked into Britannia by a red moongate. The Avatar is asked to solve a ritualistic murder that occurred the night before. Along the way, he learns that "The Fellowship", a new "religious philosophy" led by a man called Batlin, is tied up with the murders and is attempting to bring an evil force that is named "The Guardian" into Britannia.

"The Fellowship" is most likely inspired by scientology and similar "personal improvement" groups and faiths; the game can be said to satirize "psycho babble".

This game introduced a major change; turn-based gameplay was abandoned for real-time gameplay, and the whole screen was now devoted to the map, with anything else being overlayed whenever the need arises. This way, larger, much more detailed, and no longer visibly tile-based graphics were possible. Also, the game was the first in the series that was entirely mouse-driven; in theory it could be played without ever touching the keyboard.

In Ultima VII, the virtue system was not enforced as strictly as it was in Ultima IV. Instead, the game simulated a society that sticks to some of the virtues: the NPCs — either the party members or the people of Britannia — reacted to killings of innocents and stealing whenever they got aware of it. Also the combat system was changed due to the change to real-time gameplay. The new AI system allowed the player to choose general tactics for party members. The AI was not perfect, but it saved the player the need to micromanage up to eight different characters in battle.

Forge of Virtue expansion

Forge of Virtue was an expansion pack 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. The player is rewarded with a powerful weapon, the Blackrock Sword, also known as the Black Sword or the Shade Blade. The Avatar also gains maximum strength, intelligence, and dexterity in the course of the tests, and Lord British grants the player double strength on top of that.

In later releases of Ultima VII this add-on was always included.

Part Two: Serpent Isle

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle was released in 1993. While the Avatar destroys the Black Moongate that the Guardian was coming through, Batlin flees to Serpent Isle. The Warriors of Destiny pursue the rogue fanatic and find a strange land that has many very different customs than Britannia: a large, icy island, only lately recolonized by men, with many remains of an ancient culture where serpents played a central role.

This is the first game in the series to take place outside Britannia as it has been known since Ultima IV. It is also more linear than the earlier parts — unlike the earlier games where the order in which sub-quests were completed was of little concern; the new approach makes it possible to give the game a more carefully plotted storyline, while at the same time somewhat limiting the players choice.

Since most of the game's code was recycled from The Black Gate, it was decided not to call it Ultima VIII; Richard Garriott had stated in interviews around 1988 that no two Ultimas shared the same source code, unlike the then-competing The Bard's Tale series, and he probably felt bound by this statement.

The Silver Seed expansion

The Silver Seed expansion adds the Silver Seed story arc to the game, in which the party visits a subterranean keep in the ancient civilization of Serpent Isle (probably at some time in the past, but this is not known for sure). Powerful magic items, including a keyring, a ring of unlimited reagents, and a strength increasing belt can be found in this area and in nearby dungeons. In later releases of the game, the expansion pack was always included.

Technical issues

Unfortunately, Ultima VII (both parts) contained a proprietary MS-DOS-based memory management system named "Voodoo" which severely impedes their compatibility with modern Windows-based PCs. However, fans have released some patches to address this problem, while others have taken the task of rewriting the engine. A third possibility is the use of a DOS emulator such as DOSBox.

The Exult project is a complete, free reimplementation of the original Ultima VII game engine under which the games can be played on modern computer systems.