So I just bought the Ultima 7: complete edition here as everyone was saying this a such a great game. After I bought it i was eager to get it downloaded and jump into the fantasy world.

One problem though I don't know how to do this, I figured I just click on the windows installer bought in 'my account' but I don't see where the game is at, just two icons for black gate and serpant isles and they are just cut scenes.

Please give me some help as I am new to GoG. Thank you.


edit: I think I have figured it out now, I ran black gate as admin and it started up, so is this the game ultima 7 or am I missing something?

Ultima 7 is actually two games: Ultima VII - The Black Gate and Ultima VII Party Two - Serpent Isle. They were technically two different game released one after the other but GoG is selling them together as the complete edition. So yes, Black Gate ist the first Ultima VII game. If you are wondering why Serpent Isle is called Ultima VII Part Two instead of Ultima VIII, that's because it uses the same engine as Ultima VII and Richard Garriot wanted each main entry to have a new engine.

EDIT: While you're at it, I would recommend the Exult Source Port:
http://exult.sourceforge.net
It's a complete replacement for the original engine and it adds some nice modern improvements. make sure you read the instruction of how to install it. If you don't want to use Exult, that's fine, GoG is selling the games the way they were meant to be played back in the day, it's just that that is not necessarily the best way anymore, but it's perfectly playable.

Thank you for that in depth post, that has helped me quite a bit understand better, and I will give that excult a look

but does using exult change the gameplay what so ever? because I want to experience the game in its full glory

It stays true to the original with some obvious technical improvements like more responsive window panels, but the game itself stays intact. There are also some optional settings like graphics filters, sound packs, smoother walking instead of teleporting all over the place or higher resolutions.

Play the game on Exult, it provides smoother gameplay then DOSBox on most systems.
And if you really want to experience the game like back then, I think you can turn of every improvement the made. But most of it is stuff Origin did themselves in Serpent Isle like the paper doll inventory.

Thank you guys all your feed back was great, I'm finding myself not able to get into it though :/
I've tried playing for a few hours but its just not drawing me in like people say about the game. Kind of a shame :( but everyone has different taste right?

Any reasons why I might not be able to get into it? Am I not far enough yet? But I did go on to buy baldurs gate 2 and am loving it.

I guess the lack of character development and a few key things in rpg's was missing from it for me.

I'm not you obviously, but the thing for me was just how vast everything was and how you were dumped into this world where people apparently knew you but I had no idea who or what anything was. The thing you must keep in mind is that thi is the seventh Ultima game and the fourth in a running continuity, so players were already used to the world of Brittania. That's why I decided to play the games in the order of release instead, I've come to Ultima V so far.

Another thing is that Ultima is not Baldur's Gate or Diablo. First of all, you *must* read the manual in order to have any idea of what's going on. The manual was written like a book from the world itself nstead of just a manual. The game doesn't tell you anything, because if you were in Britannia for real then there wouldn't be textboxes and obvious helper NPCs either. Ulima games (after the first trilogy) are more about about role-playing, you are thrown into the world and you need to find your way. Baldur's Gate is More like a ride, NPC are just standing there waiting for you to come by so they can give your quest, it's holding your hand more. (there is nothing wrng with that, it's just different)

Of course there is also the possibility that this just isn't your type of game, I don't know. For me it was Ultima IV and Underworld where I started to like the series, mostly because those games don't expect you to know their worlds (because it was the first time they appeared) and they were quite simple games. Every other game used the previous one and introduced a new layer of complexity. Ultima VII is considered the pinnacle of this development.

You do have a point, I know nothing of the Ultima world and like you said I felt just thrown into the world. It was interesting though that you are a human from earth that goes through a portal to their world. All the NPC's all seem to have their own personality and 'soul' to them. All that drew me in and that aspect of the game I was really enjoying.

After thinking a little more why I didn't like it I think it was because I felt lost and didn't know what to do or where to go. This was a first for me, I guess I should follow the order for this type of game.

Cause like with baldurs gate 2 I don't feel lost even though I didn't play number 1 through (played a little bit of it) to me the story is very intriguing and keeps me wanting more, the characters interact with each other and tell each other what they think about them, and there are just random twist and one quest leads right into a other quest when I would have thought it would have ended right there. Ex. I saved a lady that was poisoned and when I thought that would have been done by just taking her to someone who could save her a stranger appears and tells me somethings about the people I just helped and ask me to do something. Very cool :)
And it has weird occurances that hapen, like one time I rested and while resting I have a dream, It all drags me into the game and makes it a experience like no other game has gave me.
And then you have the strategic combat along with everything else.


Sorry about the long text and might seem 'off topic' but I thought I would explain as best as I could why I couldn't get into Ultima 7 but could with baldur's gate 2