The joining of the club was just a figure of speech.

But I do remember getting free games, when registering here. Granted, that was ages ago.

But then again, take a look at those games:

http://www.gog.com/game/worlds_of_ultima_the_savage_empire
http://www.gog.com/game/ultima_worlds_of_adventure_2_martian_dreams
http://www.gog.com/game/ultima_4
http://www.gog.com/game/beneath_a_steel_sky
http://www.gog.com/game/lure_of_the_temptress
http://www.gog.com/game/teenagent
http://www.gog.com/game/tyrian_2000
http://www.gog.com/game/dragonsphere
http://www.gog.com/game/treasure_adventure_game
http://www.gog.com/game/warsow

They are all free and if they are not already part of your library, you should be able to claim them.

Nice! I'll look into that.
Meanwhile, I have downloaded separately to my C: drive (but not the program files area) and then onto a flash drive. Game installs and launches fine, but I get the same outcome as all the other variations -- no keyboard control.

I'm out of ideas and hope the support team has one.
Thanks again for all you have done to help. Maybe if I find one of the freebies that also run on DOSBox I'll get closer to the truth.

Cheers,
Glenn

It would be odd, if that was the case.

What keyboard are you using?

Thanks for joining in, Wolfram.
if I can't get sufficient help from GOG support, then I'll try your way.

Now, I wonder if I am the ultimate idiot: I did not have DOSBox on my machine before ordering from GOG.
As I read the FAQ there, it would not be necessary to add any launchers or other programs to play the GOG games. I saw no reference to DOSBox in the FAQs or elsewhere ... When I launch U7, the first thing I see is a DOSBox screen, so I am assuming -- always dangerous, that -- that GOG has packaged in its .bin file everything needed to run his through DOSBox.

The clincher question: Should I have installed DOSBox on my own to play GOG games that use DOSBox?
If so, does that explain why I can do everything else with U7 except use my keyboard?

Thanks again,
Glenn

No. The install file, that you downloaded from GOG, contains everything you'll need.

The laptop keyboard where the game appears on screen.

I have a second keyboard that I prefer and it doesn't respond, either. I have also taken GOG's suggestion to disable the second keyboard and that doesn't help. So, no luck whether it's laptop only, or either keyboard with both engaged.

Does your U4 game that uses DOSBox download into program files(x86) or somewhere else? That's where my U7 and U9 defaulted to.

GG

But you're not using a virtual keyboard on a touch screen, right?

I never install my games into "program files(x86)", because the user rights management can mess things up in there. I always change the directory manually during the installation process. I have a separate hard drive for my games, but if you only have one hard drive, I suggest a directory like c:\games\gog\. All future GOG installers should then default to that and create subdirectories for every GOG game in that directory.

No touch screen.

Hi,
No, you don't have to install Dosbox, the GOG-installer should do everything necessary. Unfortunately, the configurations are sometimes far from ideal. If I have a problem with a game, I make my own little "ready to play"-package.

One thing: Is there a difference if you start the game windowed instead of fullscreen? Just press Alt + Enter when you are in the game and try if the keyboard works that way.

@ stryx
Yes, it is strange - but I saw the same "DJ" in "Redguard" for example - the same day, the game appeared in GOG, it wasn't available for download at djoldgames anymore - so I really think there is a connection.

Alas, keyboard does not respond to ALT+ENTER.- not in introduction, not at START NEW GAME screen, and not in the game.

It does respond to ALT+TAB, which frees my cursor to go to second monitor and also shrinks my game screen. But if I thenk try ALT+ENTER, I still have no keyboard control. And after hitting ALT+TAB, the windowed screen will allow me to minimize or close, but not to maximize to get back to full screen. It also responds to ALT+CTL+DEL so that I can close out the game through Task Manager.

Do you make anything of these circumstances:
-- In Library, when I click MODE / SINGLE-PLAYER, my two icons for U7 (the second is for Serpent Isle) disappear, but my icons for U9 and U4 remain. When I deselect SINGLE-PLAYER, the U7 icons return.

-- In the U7 game, when I try unsuccessfully to save by using the mouse to go to inventory, then the disk icon, I get the save screen, but do not see a) Empty Slot on the first line or b) Quick Save on the second -- which is what I have seen on YouTube walk-throughs. All my lines are blank. Mousing to them, I get the cursor on any line, but cannot type into them and ENTER doesn't respond to save anything.

Do these these differ from your experience and what I should expect?

AND NOW, I downloaded U4 to try another DOSBox game. Launches to the main screen, but in that game I have NEITHER keyboard or mouse control.

I wish I had your talent for making "ready-to-play" packages. May be time to get smarter.

Thanks again,

Glenn

Sounds like ye old SDL bug.

Oh it doesn't need much "talent" to throw these things together, follow the little guide and everything should work. ;) However it seems that your laptop doesn't like Dosbox for some reason...

The problem you describe from your account/library isn't connected to the problem we face here I think.
The save-issue you describe is normal: I guess you've seen walkthroughs where they used Exult - only in Exult a quicksave-option is available. In the DOS-version, the lines are blank, that's normal.

I would like to encourage you again to try Exult - it's the best and easiest way to play this wonderful game imho and I'm absolutely sure your problem with the keyboard will be gone there. To set it up is very easy as well and if you wish, you'll be able to choose the best possible music the game was designed for back in the days (Roland MT-32 instead of Sound Blaster).

Thanks for everything. It's very valuable to learn more and eliminate some variables.
You must be right about my laptop and DOSBox.

I will give GOG support through Tuesday -- that's a week since I first wrote -- to save the day, so to speak. It may be beyond anyone not sitting at my computer to do that. Then I go to Exult.

When you run Exult, where do your U7 files reside? in C:`program files (x86), elsewhere in C: or on an external drive?

I completed U5 and U6 with the original software back in the day and by all accounts U7 is even better, so I don't want to miss out on that.

Cheers,
Glenn

Personally, I also like the games in their "original" version, but Ultima 7 is so terribly laggy in Dosbox, sometimes around 2fps if you don't cycle-up dosbox manually (with ctrl + F12, but that messes up the animations). That was the reason, why I used Exult the first time - but as it features many additional options and irons out many bugs of the original DOS-version of the game, I really enjoy it.

Exult is an external program that installs automatically - all you have to do is to show the installation routine the location, where your "Ultima7" (and "Serpent", if you want to play Serpent Isle too)-folder is (that's where the GOG-installer installed the game to, in my case it's under c:\GOGgames\Ultima 7\). Everything else works automatically. Just make sure to download the latest (inofficial) snapshot, as it's lightyears more stable than the last "official" version (that dates back some years):

=> http://exult.sourceforge.net/snapshots/Exultwin32.exe

That's all you need to play the game. But additionally, I'd strongly suggest to download the "keyring-mod" - that adds another interesting questline, solves some problems and bugs of the Dosversion and brings a very useful item (guess what... ;) ).

=> http://exult.sourceforge.net/snapshots/Keyring.zip

And, if you like the music as it was meant to be enjoyed, download the "all-in-one soundpack" (you can change the music output in the gamemenu)

=> http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/exult/Exult_Audio_Installer.exe