faq.txt

Exult F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions)
last changed: 25 April 2024 (GMT)

The latest version of this document can be found at https://exult.info/faq.html


1. Introduction
1.1. Exult Version
1.2. Why is it called Exult - what is the meaning of this name?
1.3. Is Exult free ?
1.4. Do you accept donations?
1.5. Does Origin or EA support Exult?
1.6. Will Exult support other Ultima games?
1.7. But isn't Pentagram some kind of Exult for U8?
1.8. Will there be a multiplayer Exult?
1.9. Where do I find Exult?
1.10. What is a snapshot? Are these screenshots or what?
1.11. How do I compile a source code snapshot for my OS?
1.12. What is the latest version of Exult?
1.13. On what platform does Exult run?
1.14. Platforms Exult used to run on
1.15. Will there be a port of Exult for <insert platform here>?

2. Exult and Ultima VII
2.1. Do I need Ultima VII?
2.2. Does Exult work on all versions of the game?
2.3. Can you play the beta of Serpent Isle?
2.4. Can you play through Ultima VII yet?
2.5. How about Serpent Isle?
2.6. Do the Add-ons work?
2.7. Do save games from the original work in Exult?
2.8. Do Exult savegames work on all Operating Systems?
2.9. Where do I find Ultima VII on the net to download?

3. Miscellaneous
3.1. Where do I find a walkthrough?
3.2. Where do I find the configuration file?
3.3. I updated Exult to the new version. Where have my savegames gone?
3.4. Will you implement the extended intro for SI?
3.5. Why is the party formation different?
3.6. What should I do when Exult keeps crashing when I try to save?
3.7. Why does the game run so choppy?
3.8. Why can't I hear the Sound Effects?
3.9. Why can't I hear the speech in the intro?
3.10. What does the red crossed out speaker next to the gamename mean?
3.11. Why is the music so much louder/softer than the sfx/speech?
3.12. Why does my monitor stay black when I try to run Exult?
3.13. What are the improvements in Exult over the original Ultima VII?
3.14. Are there issues with the SI style paperdoll in BG?
3.15. How do I disable all improvements?
3.16. I heard that Exult is meant to be a game engine. Can I make my own game with Exult?
3.17. Are there patches or Mods for Exult

4. Bugs, known issues and not yet implemented features
4.1. Bugs
4.2. How do I submit a proper bug report?
4.3. Broken by Design
4.4. Known Issues
4.5. Known Compile Issues

5. Gameplay FAQ
5.1. Why is there a gameplay FAQ?
5.2. Why don't all NPCs have audible speech (BG+SI)?
5.3. Why do spells require different reagents than the manual lists (BG+SI)?
5.4. Why can't I see my location on the map (BG+SI)?
5.5. So why can't I sail a ship in BG?
5.6. Why can't I cast mark/recall on the Virtue Runes (BG)?
5.7. Why can't I get the sacrifice in Skara Brae to work (BG)?
5.8. Why can't I talk to the mayor of Skara Brae (BG)?
5.9. Why can't I talk to anyone in Skara Brae (BG)?
5.10. Multiple problems with the tetrahedron generator and prism (BG)?
5.11. Why is Alagnar not dead (BG)?
5.12. Where did my gem of the Demon vanish to (FoV)?
5.13. Attacking the Stone of Castambre doesn't work (FoV)
5.14. Where is the pikeman that lets you train in Monitor (SI)?
5.15. How to break the game by closing Capt. Hawk's gangplank (SI)?
5.16. How do I get the Mandrake Roots for Fedabiblio (SI)?
5.17. Why won't Pothos take the blood moss and talk about the mad mage (SI)?
5.18. Why can't I summon the Great Hierophant (SI)?
5.19. Why won't Xenka speak about sacrifice (SI)?
5.20. Where did XY disappear to (SI)?
5.21. Why can't I find Karnax, Xenka or the other monks (SI)?
5.22. Why can't I cure my friends of their madness (SI)?
5.23. An important note about the Serpent Staff (SI)
5.24. How to break the plot by double clicking some pillars (SI-SS)
5.25. Left or right on the Altar of Discipline (SI)
5.26. Why some NPCs are unable to open doors if their schedule requires it (SI-SS)

6. Questions and Answers
6.1. How can I get answers concerning Ultima VII/Exult?
6.2. How do I contact the author of this FAQ?

7. Important Links
7.1. Important Links

8. Changes to the FAQ
8.1. - 25 April 2024
8.2. - 23 April 2024
8.3. - 24 January 2022
8.4. - 03 October 2021
8.5. - 20 February 2021
8.6. older changes


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1. Introduction
1.1. Exult Version

These frequently asked questions are for the snapshot version of Exult. If you have another Exult version this FAQ can be found where you installed it.


1.2. Why is it called Exult - what is the meaning of this name?

Jeff wrote on the Boards:
I originally wrote it [Exult] solely for X-windows, so that's where the 'X' comes from. The "ult", of course, comes from Ultima. It was only about 6 months ago [02/29/2000] that I replaced the X code with SDL, which is multiplatform. Then Arthuris ported it to Win32 (and to BeOS). He had also ported the earlier version, but it was much harder to maintain that way.

Ibrahim Holtzmann:
I'd like to point out that "exult" is also an English verb that means "to rejoice, to exhibit great happiness".


1.3. Is Exult free ?

Exult is more than free: it's Free (notice the caps). Exult is released under the GNU GPL (General Public License). This means that the source code for Exult is freely available and you can do whatever you want with it. However, if you make modifications to any of Exults components and publicly redistribute your work you are required to make the source freely available in turn. Obviously the Exult team would be very grateful if any modifications you make are contributed back to the main code, so that everyone can benefit from them. If you want to work on Exult please contact us via our forum.
 More information on the GNU GPL at https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html.


1.4. Do you accept donations?

No, the Exult team will not accept donations. For us there are greater legal matters involved, which none of us particularly want to explore. We do not want to risk the wrath of EA for directly profiting off Exult.



1.5. Does Origin or EA support Exult?

First of all, Origin has been wiped from existence by EA a long time ago. Furthermore, Origin and/or people that worked for Origin have claimed that the source code for Ultima VII (BG/SI) has been lost for some time. So there is no chance for the Exult team to have a look at the actual code.
Also the team tried to contact some people from Origin years ago but received neither positive or negative response on the Exult project. So far it seems that EA has decided to ignore Exult.
On the other hand former Origin employees contacted the team and congratulated on their effort. Most noticeable are Lord British himself and Ken Demarest (Programming Manager of Ultima VII)(hint:spell his name backwards).


1.6. Will Exult support other Ultima games?

Exult supports only Ultima VII (BG/SI and the add-ons). It will never support any other Ultima nor do members of the team plan to develop something similar. The reasons for this are that no other Ultima is similar to Ultima VII in the internal workings and also the team used to be quite sick of reverse engineering a game already.


1.7. But isn't Pentagram some kind of Exult for U8?

Pentagram is a pet project by some members of the Exult team (currently mostly Willem, Colourless, Fingolfin and Darke). It is a map and shapes viewer and nothing more (although the team does indeed invest some time to disassemble the Usecode of U8). It isn't meant to be something similar to Exult. It is rather a clever plan to stir up interest in other coders to carry this basic work further.
 Any developer is welcome to take a look and contact us.
After years this plan has come to fruit and Pentagram has been merged into ScummVM. Even support for the two games Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret, which use the same engine, has been progressing in ScummVM's code.
On the official Pentagram homepage at http://pentagram.info/ you will find more information on this project of before the merge with ScummVM.


1.8. Will there be a multiplayer Exult?

No.

Jeff on the Forum:
The question is 'why?'. I continue working on Exult, in large part, because nobody makes games like Ultima VII anymore. While I think a multiplayer game would be technically interesting, I don't see the need. There are lots of them already, and many experienced people working on new ones.
Note however that Exult is open source. If you want a multiplayer Ultima VII no one holds you back to code it in.


1.9. Where do I find Exult?

The latest official version is found on https://exult.info/
 The source code of Exult is hosted on GitHub's Git server which you can browse and download at https://github.com/exult.
 Daily snapshots of the source code, Windows and macOS binaries can be found at https://exult.info/download.html.
 Paulo started a PPA for Ubuntu at https://launchpad.net/~exult-team/+archive/exult-daily.

To use the PPA for Ubuntu follow these steps in terminal:
$ sudo apt-add-repository ppa:exult-team/exult-daily
 #Adds the repository - you will be required to accept the key file. Just press 'Enter'
$ sudo apt-get update
 #Updates your cache.
$ sudo apt-get install exult exult-audiopack
 #Installs Exult itself and audio files


1.10. What is a snapshot? Are these screenshots or what?

Bugs and not yet implemented features in Exult get fixed almost daily in the code. A release is very time consuming that's why there are so few.
The snapshot is the newest source code of the program. It is updated every night if commits landed in our repository on that day. There is information on how to build your own binary in the source but there is also the newest pre-compiled Windows and macOS executables.
 If there is no new one this means that either there were no changes to the code or the source failed to compile.


1.11. How do I compile a source code snapshot for my OS?

The source code snapshots contain the files Readme.windows, Readme.MacOSX that explain everything. The instructions for Linux systems are traditionally in the file called INSTALL.


1.12. What is the latest version of Exult?

The current official release is 1.8.
 See also 1.9. to learn where to get the latest version.
To find out which version you are running, press 'v' while in game.
At the moment we recommend that people use the latest snapshot rather than our last official version since many critical bugs have been fixed since the last release.


1.13. On what platform does Exult run?

Exult should be able to be compiled (with minor modifications) on any platform that SDL2 supports. Right now the source can be compiled in Linux, macOS, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and Windows (XP/Vista/7, 10, 11).
* iOS (iPhone and iPad)
 After initial porting by our member Lanica Dragon, Chaoji Li (aka Litchie) successfully ported Exult to iOS. On the iPad Exult really shines and is very enjoyable. However Ultima VII's item management makes it much harder to use on the smaller iPhone screens.

* Android, Java
 Jeff, Dr.Code, is started porting Exult to Android by rewriting it in Java. Unfortunately this port has been abandoned but its former progress can be viewed in its old forum thread.
* Android, native
 KenC ported Exult directly to Android, without rewriting it in Java. After a long hiatus he continued his work on Github, before we merged it with Exult after our 1.8 release.



1.14. Platforms Exult used to run on

Exult used to run on many more platforms but these are mostly devices and operating systems that have not been in use for ages now. Support for these has been removed from the Exult source to streamline our code. Or the 3rd party ports have been inactive for years.
* Windows 9X, 2k, XP
 Since we needed to go forward with our code we decided to no longer support the old Windows versions.
* Zaurus
 Artaxerxes developed the port to Zaurus, a Linux/ARM based PDA. It is already fully playable (Artaxerxes played through SI). Pictures of the Zaurus running SI can be found at https://exult.info/images/screenshots/zaurus/.
* PocketPC
 Lanica Dragon successfully ported Exult to the PocketPC.
* Amiga/MorphOS
 Ruediger Hanke ported Exult to MorphOS and AmigaOS. Unfortunately the port has been abandoned for quite some time now. But you can only find the archived homepage for this port at https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190600/http://www.muenster.de/~tomjoad/exult.html. Unfortunately the download is no longer available.
* Dingoo
Exult has been ported to Dingoo (see this Announcement) by SiENcE.
* Sony PSP
 Phantom Fighter ported Exult 1.2 to Sony PSP
* Xbox 360
 And Cancerous1 is in the progress of porting Exult to Xbox 360.

A long time ago Exult used to compile on MacOS 8.5 (or higher), Solaris and BeOS.


1.15. Will there be a port of Exult for <insert platform here>?

That depends on a great many things. For one, it requires a developer that (1) has the necessary free time, (2) the necessary knowledge about programming for the platform in question, (3) the necessary motivation to do the port and (4) access to the platform in question. Any of the Exult developers may lack one or more of the items above, but it will probably the fourth (and, by consequence, the third) item. This is likely fatal for the port: programming using an emulator (if one is even available) may result in a port that works on the emulator but not on the original (unless the emulator is that good), and programming without any access at all to the platform in question is a pointless and frustrating exercise in futility.
Moreover, some platforms might require BG and/or SI to come bundled with Exult; that alone would disqualify any official builds for legal reasons.



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2. Exult and Ultima VII
2.1. Do I need Ultima VII?

Yes. Exult won't work without the original files.


2.2. Does Exult work on all versions of the game?

It seems to run most of the available versions of the game. The most common ones nowadays with the included Add-ons (Forge of Virtue and Silver Seed) run for sure.
In the past there were reported problems with the localized versions of the game (French, German and Spanish) but these should not be a problem anymore. The reported problems were that conversation threads didn't seem to skip to the next line in the proper places and therefore were unreadable in some cases.
 SI was published in English and Spanish (to our surprise) but we seem to have fixed the main problem with the Spanish version.
If you are running a localized version of BG or SI and you notice any problems please contact us.


2.3. Can you play the beta of Serpent Isle?

We added support for the beta version of Serpent Isle that surfaced at some point.
 It's interesting to see how SI changed from this beta but it's not stable enough to play through the game.


2.4. Can you play through Ultima VII yet?

You can play through the BG, FoV, SI and SS without cheating and plot holes.


2.5. How about Serpent Isle?

Serpent Isle has been playable without cheating and plot holes for a long time now.
Old quotes on this topic from the time when SI wasn't playable at all in Exult.

Colourless:
I can't say much about the what will happen except that a completely working Serpent Isle will be an annoying task to complete. It is close to BG in some ways, but very different in others.

Jeff:
My feelings about SI are the same as Colourless, who has done all the work so far on it. I'd much prefer to add enhancements to BG (which would apply to SI as well), and perhaps write a new RPG. Now, if EA would provide us with information about SI's internals, that would change things. And also, since Exult is open-source, it would be fine if anyone wants to volunteer to work on SI.


2.6. Do the Add-ons work?

"Forge of Virtue" (Add-on to Black Gate) and the "The Silver Seed" (Add-on to Serpent Isle) are bug-free.


2.7. Do save games from the original work in Exult?

Save games that were made with the original Ultima VII or U7Run don't work with Exult. You have to start a new game when you begin playing with Exult. Sorry!


2.8. Do Exult savegames work on all Operating Systems?

Exult savegames are compatible on all supported Operating Systems. For example a saved game of the macOS port of Exult works on Windows 10 as well.
However it is not advisable to continue playing with savegames of games started with old versions of Exult.


2.9. Where do I find Ultima VII on the net to download?

If you are looking for a legitimate copy of the games, go to GOG.com. They are offering the complete Ultima VII since November 2011 for a decent price.
Don't ask the team for copies. And please don't ask for the answers to the copyright questions.



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3. Miscellaneous
3.1. Where do I find a walkthrough?

If you need help with the game itself, like walkthroughs, hints, location of NPCs items, take a look at the following sites:
* Paulon Dragons selection of notes and information on Ultima VII
* The Ultima VII section of Paulon Dragons Ultima games FAQ
* The Ultima VII section of the more detailed Ultima Gameplay FAQ

Please be aware that if you play by using a walkthrough you may accidentally skip important parts of the game, especially when playing SI you have to be careful since SI is much more linear than BG.
 Please see 5.1. for more information.


3.2. Where do I find the configuration file?

You can find exult.cfg in specific directories:
* On Linux systems you can expect to find it in $HOME/.exult.cfg
* macOS saves it to ~/Library/Preferences/exult.cfg
* Windows (7, 8, 10, 11) save exult.cfg to LOCAL_APPDATA\Exult, but on these this translates to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Exult
* On all supported Windows versions you can quickly access this folder by executing
shell:Local AppData\Exult
 in the 'Quick Access' of Explorer.



3.3. I updated Exult to the new version. Where have my savegames gone?

With version 1.4.9rc1 we changed the location where Exult saves its savegames to. The new location differs depending on your operating system, for details see Path-Settings.
 Your old savegames are probably still in the folder of the original games as we used to save them there.
 Just copy them from the old location to the new location.
However it is not advisable to continue playing with savegames of games started with old versions of Exult.


3.4. Will you implement the extended intro for SI?

In February 2021 we did implement the extended intro in Exult and it is now the default intro played when you start a SI game in Exult.
 Below you can find our old view on implementing it.
Information on the extended intro for Serpent Isle can be found at https://ultimacodex.com/2011/11/the-original-serpent-isle-introduction/. At this moment we don't even think about implementing this extended intro.
 Why not?
 It sure would be nice to use it. But you may have noticed some effects missing from the intro. You may have noticed that there is no sound. You may have noticed that there is neither speech nor subtitles.
 All that would have to be addressed and add to that the longer running time and that you have to synchronize the music with it. Then what about the size of it? You would need to compress it and make sure all our supported platforms make use of it.
Everyone volunteering to do it is welcome to.


3.5. Why is the party formation different?

In Exult the party (the Avatar and his companions) move quite differently than they do in the original. The problem is that this was controlled by the original executable. Changing the formation now is not as easy as it sounds as the party formation has effects on other game internals. Changing it to be more like the original may force us to replay the whole game to make sure we didn't introduce new bugs.
Some time ago Jeff added an optional formation that behaves way more like in the original game and it has become the default formation now.
 This can be changed in the exult.cfg.

Jeff:
It's not a bug, it's a feature! I like it that way. Everyone is sensitive to different things, and I always though the formation-walking in the original Ultima VII looked really stupid. Eventually, someone may add the original type of walking to Exult, probably as an option.


3.6. What should I do when Exult keeps crashing when I try to save?

This is not normal behavior for Exult. Normally when you restart and "Journey Onward" Exult will actually restore to the point you saved.
Please do not play further at this point. You should restore to an earlier save game, no matter how much game time you loose. Your game must have gotten corrupted and when you play on with it you will most likely experience even more serious problems.
Please also avoid saving when a scripted sequence is running. Whenever you can't control the Avatar on your own a scripted scene is running and saving at this time may break the game on reloading.


3.7. Why does the game run so choppy?

Well, every Ultima required a fast computer. Even though Exult is just an engine that runs the ancient Ultima VII it still requires a fast computer.
Seriously, if the game runs choppy for you, try the speed setting in the Game Options menu and if that doesn't help also play with the original resolution (320x200), try a different scaler or disable scaling altogether.


3.8. Why can't I hear the Sound Effects?

Please read the Audio section of our ReadMe.txt.


3.9. Why can't I hear the speech in the intro?

We've been made aware that if your introsnd.dat file becomes corrupt you might lose speech in the intro. The file is located in your games static folder. So if you hit this problem you need to restore this file.


3.10. What does the red crossed out speaker next to the gamename mean?

It means that you have not configured the sound effects yet or correctly.
 Please read the Audio section of our ReadMe.txt.


3.11. Why is the music so much louder/softer than the sfx/speech?

Some music is played via midi but the sfx (sound effects) and speech are played via wave. Midi and wave volume are set up separately in the settings of your Operating System and not by Exult.
 However music playback through the digital music files or FMOpl are not using the system's midi volume setting and are controlled similar to the SFX.


3.12. Why does my monitor stay black when I try to run Exult?

The most common reason for this is that you try to run Exult full screen in a resolution that isn't supported by either your monitor or your graphics card. Edit your exult.cfg (see ReadMe.txt) to disable full screen. If Exult now runs fine in a window you have to select a different resolution (also editable in exult.cfg) to run it full screen.
 If it still doesn't run please contact us.


3.13. What are the improvements in Exult over the original Ultima VII?

* Many more keyboard shortcuts than the original had. Including in BG the 'k' key that checks if you have the right key for a lock in your inventory. The list of keys can be found in the Documentation.
* A new worked over Game Options menu. This menu is explained in detail in the Documentation and many of the following improvements and Video/Audio options can be accessed via this menu. Open this Game Options Menu by pressing 'Esc' in the game.
* SI style paperdoll (inventory screen) in BG. Very impressive. For this you need to have Serpent Isle installed on your hard drive and you must set the path to it in exult.cfg (see the Documentation) and activate it in the Gameplay Options.
 This new inventory screen acts sometimes a little buggy, so if an item seems to have disappeared disable the paperdolls in the Gameplay Options.
* A beautiful new save game box. This allows you much more save games than the original (you should run out of disc space before you run out of save game slots), shows a screenshot of the location you saved at, the members of your party, your stats, game time and the date you actually saved. The save game box is opened either via the game menu or the 's' key.
* Face status bars at the bottom of the screen that show your health (and that of your party members) as well as your mana. Double-clicking on the face opens the inventory and double-clicking on the bars shows the status screen.
* Middle mouse button support. In the normal game, the middle mouse button activates the target-function (which could also be accomplished by pressing 't'). for modal gumps, the middle mouse acts as 'return', the right button as 'escape', so you can now for example accept the default slider value by just pressing the middle button. The escape function is also available during most other actions like selecting a target or conversations.
* Wheel mouse support. If you have a wheel mouse some features are auto-enabled in Exult.
 In slider gumps (e.g. how much gold you want to drop), scrolling the mouse up/down, moves the slider either left or right. Holding down 'Alt' while using the wheel scrolls 10 steps.
 The save game menu scrolls one line, while pressing 'Alt' it scrolls pages.
 You can also scroll the map of the game up or down and while pressing 'Alt' you scroll left or right.
* Fast Mouse which makes the mouse cursor move faster in full screen mode.
* Multiracial Avatar in BG. As with the paperdoll support you need to have SI installed and the path set in exult.cfg.
* Higher resolutions than the original. You can set the resolution as high as your computer supports. But there are some issues with it and it is considered cheating.
* Compressed save games. Exult compresses save games by default as zip files. They are still labeled *.sav and have the save game name in the zip comment.
* A notebook for making notes and the possibility to automatically add notes.
* Shortcut bar on top of the screen with many useful shortcuts. This is especially useful for touch devices without a physical keyboard (.e.g. iOS devices).
* The Serpent Isle extended intro. This was slimmed down in the original to save floppy disk space but we restored it from material posted online by the artist Denis Loubet.



3.14. Are there issues with the SI style paperdoll in BG?

There are some issues. The paperdoll in BG is still limited to the slots it had originally.
 That means:
* You can either equip a pair of gauntlets or one/two rings.
* The 'shield behind back', 'weapon behind back' and 'belt' slots are one and the same in BG. (So if you have a weapon on your back, you can't use your belt slot)
* If an item seems to have disappeared disable the paperdolls in the Game Options, retrieve the item and enable the paperdolls again.

Sparks paperdoll looks very odd (Spark on steroids) as there is no paperdoll for kids in SI and we have to use the adult paperdoll. For this to change we'd need a volunteer to recreate a lot of paperdoll art for a smaller paperdoll.


3.15. How do I disable all improvements?

To get an Ultima VII that looks and behaves as close to the original as possible there are several things to do (though I wonder why you'd want to do that):
* make custom key bindings files (see Documentation) in which you disable all the keys that were not in the original for Black Gate and Serpents Isle.
 To enable the old save game menu you have to assign 's' to old_file_gump (the line in your custom key bindings file should look like: S old_file_gump)
* Edit the exult.cfg file to point to those custom keys.
* Disable SI-style paperdolls for BG in exult.cfg (see the documentation for that).
* Alternatively click on the disk icon and disable the paperdolls in the Gameplay Display options.
* Edit the exult.cfg to use the resolution of 320x200, to run in full screen and disable scalers.
* The disc icon in the Avatar paperdoll opens the new game menu. As of now this cannot be altered. Sorry!



3.16. I heard that Exult is meant to be a game engine. Can I make my own game with Exult?

We've been working on "Exult Studio" which is aimed to be an editor for all kinds of files that are used by Ultima VII and it is coming along nicely.
For much more information "Exult Studio" see exult_studio.txt.

Jeff:
As for the future, my main plan is to add editing capabilities, with the long-range goal of writing an original RPG.


3.17. Are there patches or Mods for Exult

With Exult Studio advancing more and more, there are actually now a couple of patches and Mods (modifications) for Exult.
 A nice collection can be found at Seven Towers, Marzo's Mods and his documentation of Ultima VII/Exult Usecode. Other patches/mods can be found at:
A list of all known mods can be found on our Github with most being available on our download page.
All the patches and mods require that you install the latest snapshot. They are not likely to work with the last official release.
The ReadMe.txt gives detailed instructions on how to install mods and patches in Exult.



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4. Bugs, known issues and not yet implemented features
4.1. Bugs

To see a list of open bug reports go to https://github.com/exult/exult/issues and our old bugtracker at https://sourceforge.net/p/exult/bugs/.


4.2. How do I submit a proper bug report?

1. Read the Documentation and this FAQ to see if that is not already covered and you have all set up correctly.
2. Before you report a bug to the bug tracker please try the latest snapshot. If the bug still occurs make sure that no one else has already reported the bug (in the bug tracker).
3. You can only submit a bug report in our tracker if you are a GitHub member.
4. Make sense in the topic! For example, if the problem is with Rowenna in Skara Brae don't just write "Skara Brae" in the topic. "BG: Rowenna crashes game" makes more sense.
5. Include information on what version of Exult you are using. You should have used the latest snapshot but please tell us the date of the snapshot.
6. State which Operating System you use (Windows 11, Ubuntu, macOS 14.4,...).
7. Please include a save game (use common sense if it is really needed). You will find those in the game directories you put in the exult.cfg. They are called exult**bg.sav (** is a number) for BG and exult**si.sav for SI. You can look up the filename in the save game dialog as well (to the right, above the party members). As some parts of the game may require you to complete other quests or stuff before you get to the bug you want to report it's much easier for the team to look at the problem (speeds the process up a bit as they are much more likely you take a look at the problem this way).
8. You may be asked to provide the log files of Exult. These are named stdout.txt and stderr.txt and can be found where exult.cfg is saved to, see 3.2. Where do I find the configuration file? .
9. You may be asked to provide the log files of Exult Studio. These are named studio_out.txt and studio_err.txt and can also be found where exult.cfg is saved to, see 3.2. Where do I find the configuration file? .
10. One bug per subject please. It's easier to track what has been fixed if you follow this.

Any bug report that requires a save game will most likely be tagged invalid if we don't receive a save game after we requested it.
So if you want to have a bug fixed, please follow these steps!


4.3. Broken by Design

Exult often behaves and works differently than the original Ultima VII. These behaviors are sometimes features that just differ from the way the original worked.
 Some are bugs that the development team consider to have almost no detrimental effect to the enjoyment/running of the game, but would require a large amount of time and effort to fix.
 Please don't bother the team about those as some of these will be fixed in the future, others will only be fixed when someone who thinks it should be done differently sits down and codes it.
 The following are such 'features' of Exult:
* Birds and animals open doors and such, like the human and sentient creatures of Britannia do. You should rarely encounter this anymore since there are better intelligence checks, but it can still happen.
* The way the Avatar and the companions walk. Is it 2 frames or 3 frames? This has been changed a lot as this was disputed almost every four weeks. Finally it works like the original and the Avatar uses two frames and the companions use three frames.
* Some music loops endlessly in Exult. This is actually a correction of a bug in the original. We respects the midi looping flag as set by Ultima VII's original data files but the original didn't. Users who prefer the original (broken) are able to choose so in the Game menu.
* Some sound effects (sfx) are missing. While we still haven't implemented some sfx, most are playing and we have improved upon the original by allowing more sound effects to play at the same time and also balance the effect when it is a continuous one, meaning its volume is affected how near you are the sfx playing object and also differs between left and right. However we found the fire effects to be terrible in quality and have disabled these. So no crackling fire for the flaming sword, campfires, etc.



4.4. Known Issues

* There might be a bug when you have any of the games installed in a path with spaces in it (see ReadMe.txt).
* Stealing and killing innocent NPCs doesn't work yet like it does in the original.
* Movement is sometimes jerky or slow.
* If you run a resolution higher than the original (320x200) some NPCs that are further away from the Avatar may seem to disappear and reappear when you get away or closer to them.



4.5. Known Compile Issues

* After compiling, remember to copy the exult*.flx files from the data folder in the source to the Exult data folder you chose in exult.cfg. This applies only if you don't use make install.




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5. Gameplay FAQ
5.1. Why is there a gameplay FAQ?

Although you can find many useful gameplay FAQs on the internet we do get asked some questions quite frequently as people think these are bugs with Exult.
Most of the times the problem is that people don't play the game regularly but depend overly on walkthroughs and don't read what NPCs in the game tell you to do.
Note that this section contains text that may spoil your game. Caution is advised.
We added a mark to the question (BG/FoV/SI/SS) to show which Ultima VII game is affected by this. See ReadMe.txt to learn which game these marks point to.


5.2. Why don't all NPCs have audible speech (BG+SI)?

The documentation and installation files of the original may be a bit misleading. There are only a few NPCs in the games that have audible speech. In BG only the Guardian can be heard during the game.
 Apart from the Intro you can only hear the Guardian and the Great Earth Serpent in SI.


5.3. Why do spells require different reagents than the manual lists (BG+SI)?

The manuals of both BG and SI listed different requirements for two spells than what was actually required in the original game and Exult.
* BG Restoration
 The original game and Exult use garlic, ginseng, mandrake root, spider silk.
 Manual lists garlic, ginseng, mandrake root, sulfurous ash.
* SI Imbalance
 The original game and Exult use bloodspawn, nightshade, serpent scale, sulfurous ash, worm heart,
 while the Manual lists nightshade, serpent scale, sulfurous ash, worm heart.

Unfortunately very old Exult versions were also wrong in more spell requirements and reagent costs. This has since been corrected.


5.4. Why can't I see my location on the map (BG+SI)?

To see your location marked on the map with a yellow cross you need to have sextant in your inventory. And you need to be in the open. Since you can't use a sextant under a roof, in a cave or in a dungeon you will not see your position marked there.


5.5. So why can't I sail a ship in BG?

To sail a ship in BG you naturally need to have the deed to this ship in your party. Then double-click on the sail of the ship and your party moves aboard it and sits down. Once they are all seated, double-click the gangplank to close it. Now double-click on the sail once more to have it unfold. You should be able to move the ship then.


5.6. Why can't I cast mark/recall on the Virtue Runes (BG)?

You never could do this in the original as well. You have to use the Virtue Stones that you find in the same building as the runes.


5.7. Why can't I get the sacrifice in Skara Brae to work (BG)?

"I'm trying to get Forsythe in Skara Brae to sacrifice himself to destroy the well of souls. But I can't seem to get Rowenna or Trent to talk to me about sacrifice."
 The solution to this is that Rowenna and Trent are standing too far apart. When you reunited the pair you initiated the conversation with Trent from too far away (this happens when you run at a higher resolution than the original one).
 Now you can either reload a game from before you reunited them or you have to hackmove Rowenna closer to Trent. After that the two will talk to you about sacrifice.
Stuart Hillman told us of another way around this bug: Stand next to Trent when talking to Rowenna and next to her when talking to Trent.


5.8. Why can't I talk to the mayor of Skara Brae (BG)?

You might be talking to "The Other Forsythe"(TM). There's a ghost in the Skara Brae town hall that looks like Forsythe, but isn't.
 This was fixed in more recent versions of Exult but with games started with earlier versions this bug is still present. You need to start a new game of Exult to fix this. But this bug poses no problem, so if you don't want to start a new game, just ignore that clone and search for the real Forsythe.


5.9. Why can't I talk to anyone in Skara Brae (BG)?

To talk to the ghosts in Skara Brae you need to cast Seance. But this spell has a time limit so you might need to cast it again when the ghosts ignore you.


5.10. Multiple problems with the tetrahedron generator and prism (BG)?

Some of our users have problems entering the generator and finding the prism afterwards.
To enter the tetrahedron generator you have to wear the ethereal ring (enchanted by Penumbra). It is important to wear the ring on a finger and not just hold it like a weapon.
After you defeated the enemy you have to double click the prism to destroy the generator. You will then find the black prism (without the yellow outline) to your feet. Look closely and take it with you.


5.11. Why is Alagnar not dead (BG)?

At a certain point in the game Alagnar is supposed to be murdered. Unfortunately there is a bug in the original game data, that lets him walk around alive in his own murder scene. To avoid this bug you have to enter his house through the south door.


5.12. Where did my gem of the Demon vanish to (FoV)?

For forging the black sword you need to bind the demon to the gem you got from that invincible dragon you met in the test of courage. Some people mistake that little dark-blue gem with the glowing gem you received from Lord British.
 If you use the glowing gem on the isle of fire it just vanishes with a shattering sound.


5.13. Attacking the Stone of Castambre doesn't work (FoV)

You need to use (double-click) the pick while it's in your hands instead of attacking with it. After that, select the tree with the resulting crosshairs.


5.14. Where is the pikeman that lets you train in Monitor (SI)?

The pikeman that lets you enter the list field in Monitor sometimes disappears due to a bug in the game (even the original).
 This bug occurs when you enter the banquet scene of Monitor. To avoid this bug, we recommend, that you approach the banquet hall from the right and/or double-click the entrance door to the hall when the party is standing very close to it.


5.15. How to break the game by closing Capt. Hawk's gangplank (SI)?

When you are at the Sleeping Bull, do NOT close the gangplank to Captain Hawk's ship. After you've got him out of Jail and you are ready for him to take you to Moonshade, he will not be able to do so when the gangplank is closed. If you have accidentally done that you will have to resort to cheating (enable hackmover) for fixing that.


5.16. How do I get the Mandrake Roots for Fedabiblio (SI)?

Fedabiblio in Moonshade sends you on a quest to find fresh Mandrake Roots. You get to Monk Island but can't find the any fresh roots.
 The problem is that fresh roots only appear depending on the tide. One of the nameless monks of the island tells you to ask him when the tide is right. Keep coming back to him and when he tells you the tide is right walk to the northern shore of the island to find fresh roots.


5.17. Why won't Pothos take the blood moss and talk about the mad mage (SI)?

Pothos won't take the moss if he hasn't sent you to fetch it for him. If you want him to tell you about the mad mage and how to get to him you first have to talk with Bucia (also in Moonshade) about Pothos. Then you can talk to Pothos about it and he will sent you off to fetch him fresh blood moss. Read what he says because it is important to get fresh blood moss.


5.18. Why can't I summon the Great Hierophant (SI)?

If you follow some walkthrough you might find that your summoning of the Great Hierophant doesn't work. This is a problem with the walkthrough. You need to have a personal item of the Great Hierophant in your inventory, namely the Serpent Staff.
If possible don't just play following the walkthrough, but go out and explore Serpent Isle. It's hard to imagine someone could miss the cave to the east of Monitor.


5.19. Why won't Xenka speak about sacrifice (SI)?

For Xenka to speak about sacrifice some parts of the game need to have been played correctly. The sacrifice conversation option will only turn up if:
* you have returned the amulet to the Gwani AND
* you have spoken with the Chaos Hierophant AND
* you have picked up the Serpent Staff from its proper location (see 5.23.) AND
* you have not yet healed the Chaos Serpent



5.20. Where did XY disappear to (SI)?

SI is very plot driven, so to stop people from breaking the plot, certain NPCs stay in a unaccessible spot on the map until you meet them by following the plot, or disappear from the map until they are needed again. If you cheat by teleporting to them before the scripted meeting you are bound to break the plot and most likely forced to reload an earlier savegame or start the whole game again.
 So please take care when teleporting around the map.


5.21. Why can't I find Karnax, Xenka or the other monks (SI)?

See the above question. You have to use the Dark Path to make the monks appear on Monk Island. If you just use the teleport cheat they won't show up.
The same applies to Xenka. Even though Xenka returns to Monk Island while you are there, next time you return to the island you will need to go through the Dark Path. Otherwise she will not be found there.


5.22. Why can't I cure my friends of their madness (SI)?

After defeating the Banes in the White Dragon Castle, your friends are dead and need to be revived and subsequently cured of their madness. Instead of reviving them through the hourglass, take the bodies to Monk Island monastery. Ask Karnax to revive them and then cure them with the respective waters. If you revive and cure them elsewhere, you will not be able to cure the last of them because you need to be on Monk Island.


5.23. An important note about the Serpent Staff (SI)

The Serpent Staff in SI is a very important item. It doesn't seem like it but it is crucial to some major plot elements that you have the staff in your possession.
 Unfortunately the game also demands that you get the staff properly. For that I recommend to get it without cheating and to stand right next to it.
Just picking it up and not transferring it to the inventory at once, but instead putting it on the ground again could break later plot. Willem coded a workaround in Exult so the problem might disappear.


5.24. How to break the plot by double clicking some pillars (SI-SS)

In the dining hall of the fort in the add-on Silver Seed you can double click the pillars. This teleports you to the test in the gargoyle city. If you haven't done this test yet this breaks that plot later on and if you already have it is still a nuisance. So better don't do it.
Obviously a slight oversight of the add-on designers. Could be fixed by changing the usecode and the map slightly.


5.25. Left or right on the Altar of Discipline (SI)

In the Temple of Discipline you need to place a quartz and obsidian symbol (Y-shape) onto the altar to disable the trap and to call a bridge into being.
 The book "The Symbol of Discipline" you find in the upper floor states:

The Symbol of Discipline by Sharless:
The altar before the serpent statue doth have upon it two slots ... bolts of lightning fire from the altar unless the quartz symbol is placed in the slot on the left side. A bridge ... is called into being if the obsidian symbol is placed in the right slot...
This is highly confusing as the player looks at the screen and associates west in the game with left and east with right. Whoever wrote this originally must have imagined the Avatar standing to the north of the altar and facing the temple entrance.
 So you need to place the quartz symbol onto the east depression of the altar and the obsidian symbol onto the west depression.


5.26. Why some NPCs are unable to open doors if their schedule requires it (SI-SS)

Cantra, Lydia, Frigidazzi, Frigidazzi's Messenger (Goblin Woman) and skinless Yelinda are unable to open/close doors. This is apparent when their schedules change and you try to observe them by following them around.
The original and Exult determine the ability to open doors by the intelligence assigned to the shape of an NPC and not the intelligence the NPCs have in the game.



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6. Questions and Answers
6.1. How can I get answers concerning Ultima VII/Exult?

The best way to get answers to questions about Exult is to go to our discussion forum at:
https://github.com/exult/exult/discussions
To get answers concerning Ultima VII in general go to the Ultima Dragons group on FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UltimaDragons
Some Exult developers like to hang out on IRC on irc.libera.chat, channel #exult.



6.2. How do I contact the author of this FAQ?

This FAQ is maintained by Dominus Dragon of the UDIC AKA Dominik Reichardt. Feel free to contact me with improvements or complaints regarding the FAQ.
 Best way to contact me is through our forum at https://github.com/exult/exult/discussions.



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7. Important Links
7.1. Important Links

* Exult homepage at https://exult.info/
* Code snapshot at https://exult.info/download.html
* Our forum at https://github.com/exult/exult/discussions
* Bug reports to https://github.com/exult/exult/issues




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8. Changes to the FAQ
8.1. - 25 April 2024

* A lot of small fixes.
* 5.9. Why can't I talk to anyone in Skara Brae (BG)? you need to cast Seance.



8.2. - 23 April 2024

* 1.4. Do you accept donations? SF hasn't been accepting donations for a while now.
* 1.13. On what platform does Exult run? Android port is now part of Exult.
* 2.3. Can you play the beta of Serpent Isle? mentioning the SI beta.
* 3.11. Why is the music so much louder/softer than the sfx/speech? differentiated a bit.
* 4.3. Broken by Design fire sfx are disabled by design.
* 5.26. Why some NPCs are unable to open doors if their schedule requires it (SI-SS) added to gameplay FAQ.



8.3. - 24 January 2022

* 1.10. What is a snapshot? Are these screenshots or what? Snapshots are done every night if there were code changes.
* 1.13. On what platform does Exult run? The Android port lives again.
* 3.4. Will you implement the extended intro for SI? We did implement the extended intro.



8.4. - 03 October 2021

* 6.1. How can I get answers concerning Ultima VII/Exult? we are now using irc.libera.chat and exultbot went missing.



8.5. - 20 February 2021

* Changed links to our homepage to exult.info, SDL to SDL2, Mac OS X to macOS.
* Removed references to Windows CE/Pocket PC.
* Many little changes to wordings and indentation.
* 1.7. But isn't Pentagram some kind of Exult for U8? merged with ScummVM.
* 1.9. Where do I find Exult? Kirben no longer handles the snapshots and there are also macOS ones, following sections changed accordingly as well.
* 3.13. What are the improvements in Exult over the original Ultima VII? Shortcut bar and extended SI intro added.
* 4.2. How do I submit a proper bug report? bug tracker is now on Github.



8.6. older changes

For older changes of the documentation, please see its git history.