Ultima VII: The Black Gate (aka 創世紀7：黑月之門, Ultima VII: La Porte Noire, Ultima VII - Die schwarze Pforte, Ultima 7), a really nice role-playing (rpg) game sold in 1992 for DOS, is available and ready to be played again! Time to play a fantasy, real-time and puzzle elements video game title.

This article needs cleanup. (Specific reason: there are several editorial opinions which may or may not be appropriate. See the )Game Box ArtTitle Screen (PC-EGA)The Wilderness (PC-VGA)Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is the fourth game in the series and the first installment of the ' trilogy. It was published and released in 1985 by Origin for the Apple II, C64, IBM-PC and Atari 8-bit. Ports for the Amiga and Atari ST with some enhanced graphics followed 1988, for the NES and Sega Master System ports were released in 1990.

In 2013, the game was made available on the iOS.

'Ultima VII' and 'Ultima 7' redirect here. For the second part of Ultima VII, see. Ultima VII: The Black GateOrigin Systems (DOS)/ (SNES)Herman MillerSeriesReleaseDOS16 April 1992Super NES18 November 1994Mode(s)Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the of, released on April 16, 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 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 as one of the best RPGs ever created.

In an interview with, stated that Ultima VII 'was the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series'. He has also often stated that the game was, along with, his own favorite installment overall. Contents.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 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 -driven, with optional for some common actions. This is in contrast to earlier parts that were entirely keyboard-driven, and to which supplemented 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 in their desired locations.

While the game could be played entirely with a keyboard, doing so is very difficult, and in-game characters would 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. 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 opens his or her inventory, after which the inventories of other party characters can be opened by double-clicking them in turn. In, the inventory view uses a concept: equipping items will change the character inventory display to show the worn or held items in place.Another major change is that the game is now completely real-time, and only pauses when the inventory, the menu, or a dialogue is open, significantly affecting combat. The combat system was changed accordingly: every party character is controlled by (AI), and the desired behavior can be chosen for each character (for example, stronger characters can be ordered to autonomously waylay your toughest opponents, while more vulnerable characters will keep their distance), and there is also the option to choose manual targeting for the Avatar. Even when the combat is real-time and AI-controlled, using items is still possible; for example, the game pauses while 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 you have decided to equip the party member 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. Dialogue in Ultima VII, taken inUltima VII: The Black Gate is the first game in the mainline Ultima series to use dialogue trees. The first trilogy only allowed simple interaction while the second trilogy used 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; previously, the players had to enter a keyword which instead of getting through dialogue they could just guess by randomly entering words to see which got the result they wanted.

Buzz bombers. Now, 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 renowned for its interactivity: 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.

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 advancement — once 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 countered by the ability to explore the map in any order when coupled with the many sub-quests, including one that parodies, which was in wide syndication when The Black Gate was released.Ultima VII features less emphasis on 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 simulated a society that sticks to some of the virtues: NPCs — either the or the people of Britannia — react 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 himself. 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 '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 's own computer screen.

Suddenly, the screen is filled with static, and a red creature who calls himself The Guardian proclaims:Avatar! Know that Britannia has entered into a new age of enlightenment! Know that the time has finally come for the one true Lord of Britannia to take His place at the head of His people! Under my guidance, Britannia will flourish.

And all the people shall rejoice and pay homage to their new. Know that you, too, shall kneel before me, Avatar.

You, too, shall soon acknowledge my authority - for I shall be your companion. Your provider. And your master!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 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, one of the founders of the Fellowship. He also meets, 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, 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 Garriot 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 are inspired by game creator ' conflicts with competitor (and later owner). Origin Systems' was 'We Create Worlds', while the main antagonist of the story - The Guardian - is presented as a 'Destroyer of Worlds'. The three evil 'Generators' created by The Guardian in the game took 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'. The religious cult the Fellowship is inspired by Scientology. Richard Garriot also said it was inspired by the and the first-person role-playing game. Ultima VII cost $1 million 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 included the mention that a CD is available from Origin, while it actually wasn't until 1993 (as Origin Soundtrack Series volume 2 ); Ultima VII Part 2: Serpent Isle credits actually said 'Soundtrack CD NOT available from Origin, so don't ask!' Reception ReceptionReview scoresPublicationScore19 / 253.5 / 5AwardPublicationAwardRole-Playing Game of the Year (Nomination)'s 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'. 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 #191 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in 'The Role of Computers' column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.Computer Gaming World nominated Ultima VII for its 1992 'Role-Playing Game of the Year' award, which ultimately went to. 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.gave the Super NES version a mixed review. They praised the gameplay interface and controls, but criticized the fact that monsters and chests 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'.The Black Gate was listed as one of 'The 50 Best Games Ever' in a 1997 issue of, 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, 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.' Forge of Virtue expansion. Box cover for Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue expansion, depicting The Black SwordForge of Virtue was an 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.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, 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 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, 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. Making a 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, 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. (1993) The original release, available on 5.25' and 3.5' floppies. (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.

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Collectible Ultima. Retrieved 2006-10-02. Hunt, Drew (2014-11-14). Archived from on November 14, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-11. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia & Lesser, Kirk (March 1993). 'The Role of Computers'.

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Retrieved 2007-08-25. ^ Wen, Howard (2003-04-24). Retrieved 2016-01-19. Exult replaces Ultima VII's engine so that the game can be played on other operating systems and platforms. It also expands the graphics capabilities of the game and adds features not present under the original engine. (A legal copy of Ultima VII is required in order to use Exult.) Lord British (aka Richard Garriott) himself, the creator of the entire Ultima franchise, has given the Exult team his unofficial blessing.

Retrieved 2016-01-19. On Thursday 02 August 2001 15:51, Richard Garriott wrote: Just so that you know. On a personal level I am very excited to see you doing this.

Its tough to see games fade out, when the computers or operating systems required to play them go away. Richard Lord British Garriott. onExternal links. and on Origin/EA's Ultima Web Archive via. at. at MobyGames.