rec.games.computer.ultima.* Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
Fortran Dragon
Posting-Frequency: Biweekly
Last-modified: November 29, 1998
Version: 2.03
URL: <http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/rgcudfaq.html>
Copyright: (c) 1998 Edward Franks. Portions copyright 1996, 1997 Andrew
Charlton
Maintainer: Edward Franks <for...@earthlink.net>
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rec.games.computer.ultima.* Frequently Asked Questions List (Part 1 of 3)
[Note: I'm posting this in three parts until I figure out why I'm having
a problem posting the whole thing at once. Please bear with me.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ was originally conceived, and written by Andrew Charlton
aka Erratic Dragon, aka Erraticus <char...@ihug.co.nz>. The original
FAQ may be found at
<http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/erratic.html>.
This FAQ is currently being maintained by Fortran Dragon
<for...@earthlink.net> and may be found at:
<http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/rgcudfaq.html>.
Unless otherwise stated, the use of "I" and "me" refers to the FAQ
maintainer. The exception to this is the questions which are written by
the archetypical newbie.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 0 Index/Legal Administrivia
+ 1 About This FAQ
+ 1.1 Purpose of this FAQ
+ 1.2 Revision History
+ 1.3 Latest Version
+ 1.4 Abbreviations
+ 2 The Dragons
+ 2.1 What are the Dragons?
+ 2.2 Why are you named the Ultima Dragons?
+ 2.3 What does UDIC stand for?
+ 2.4 Can I join the Dragons?
+ 2.5 How do I change my roster data?
+ 2.6 What does Dragon membership qualify me for?
+ 3 The Newsgroup
+ 3.1 History of the Newsgroups
+ 3.1.1 What about these old newsgroups?
+ 3.1.2 I can't get the new newsgroups
+ 3.2 Ultima Celebrities
+ 3.3 What can I discuss?
+ 3.3.1 rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons
+ 3.3.2 rec.games.computer.ultima.online
+ 3.3.3 rec.games.computer.ultima.series
+ 3.4 Should I post binaries?
+ 3.5 Can I ask for hints?
+ 3.6 How do I avoid getting flamed?
+ 3.7 Why don't you all stop fighting?
+ 4 Technical and Non-Gameplay Issues
+ 4.1 Availability of Ultimas and Ultima Related Merchandise
+ 4.2 Collections of Ultima games
+ 4.2.1 The Encore Ultima 1-6 CD
+ 4.2.1.1 Where can I find it?
+ 4.2.1.2 Problems with the Encore Ultima 1-6 CD
+ 4.2.2 The Ultima Collection
+ 4.2.2.1 Where can I find it?
+ 4.2.2.2 Problems with the Ultima Collection
+ 4.3 Missing Documentation
+ 4.4 Windows 95/98 Issues
+ 4.5 Lack of Memory
+ 4.5.1 How do I free up more memory?
+ 4.5.2 I still can't get enough!
+ 4.6 Ultimas Run Too Fast
+ 4.7 Ultima Game Problems
+ 4.7.1 Ultima 2 gives a Divide By Zero error! How do I fix it?
+ 4.7.2 Ultima 2 maps are wrong! How do I fix it?
+ 4.7.3 Ultima 2/3 colors are hideous. How do I fix them?
+ 4.7.4 Ultima 7 won't work with my Riva 128 video board. How do I
fix it?
+ 4.8 How do I get Ultimas to work with my AWE32/AWE64/SB32 sound
card?
+ 5 The Ultima Series
+ 5.1 What is Ultima?
+ 5.2 Where can I find hints and walkthroughs?
+ 5.3 Continuity
+ 5.3.1 Can you explain any plot inconsistencies?
+ 5.3.2 How should I pronounce Ultima names?
+ 5.3.3 What order do the Ultimas come in?
+ 5.4 Akalabeth
+ 5.4.1 Where can I find a copy of Akalabeth?
+ 5.5 Ultima/Ultima 1
+ 5.6 Ultima 2: The Revenge of the Enchantress
+ 5.6.1 Patches
+ 5.7 Ultima 3: Exodus
+ 5.7.1 Patches
+ 5.8 Ultima 4: The Quest of the Avatar
+ 5.8.1 Patches
+ 5.9 Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny
+ 5.9.1 Cheats
+ 5.10 Ultima 6: The False Prophet
+ 5.10.1 Patches
+ 5.10.2 Cheats
+ 5.10.3 Who Killed Quenton?
+ 5.11 Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire
+ 5.12 Ultima, Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams
+ 5.13 Ultima Underworld 1: The Stygian Abyss
+ 5.13.1 Patches
+ 5.14 Ultima 7: The Black Gate
+ 5.14.1 Patches
+ 5.14.2 Cheats
+ 5.14.3 How do I get past the Test of Truth in the Forge of
Virtue?
+ 5.14.4 How do I get past the Hydra on Ambrosia?
+ 5.15 Ultima Underworld: Labyrinth of Worlds
+ 5.15.1 Patches
+ 5.15.2 Cheats
+ 5.15.3 Weapon and Armor Ratings
+ 5.16 Ultima 7, part 2: Serpent Isle
+ 5.16.1 Patches
+ 5.16.2 Cheats
+ 5.16.3 Weapon and Armor Ratings
+ 5.16.4 Where is the Comb of Beauty?
+ 5.16.5 Director's Cut of Serpent Isle Intro
+ 5.17 Ultima 8: Pagan
+ 5.17.1 Patches
+ 5.17.2 Cheats
+ 5.17.3 Where is the Birthplace of Moriens?
+ 5.18 Console Ultimas
+ 5.19 Ultima Online
+ 5.19.1 What is Ultima Online?
+ 5.19.2 System requirements
+ 5.19.3 When is Ultima Online due out?
+ 5.19.4 Where can I sign up for the Ultima Online beta test?
+ 5.19.5 Where can I find out more about Ultima Online?
+ 5.20 Ultima: Ascension (Ultima 9)
+ 5.20.1 When will Ultima: Ascension come out?
+ 5.20.2 Why is it taking so long?
+ 5.20.3 Where can I find out more about Ultima: Ascension?
+ 5.21 Ultima Underworld 3
+ 5.21.1 Is an Ultima Underworld 3 planned?
+ 5.22 Ultima 10
+ 5.22.1 What do you know about Ultima 10?
+ 6 Ultima, the Dragons and The World Wide Web
+ 6.1 The Ring of Dragons
+ 6.2 Ultima Under Emulators
+ 6.3 Ultima Fan Fiction
+ 6.4 How can I put Ultima runes on my web pages?
+ 6.5 Is there an Ultima Windows 95/98 desktop theme?
+ 6.6 Ultima Levels for Games
+ 6.6.1 Civilization 2
+ 6.6.2 CivNet
+ 6.6.3 Warcraft 2
+ 6.6.4 Warlords 2
+ 6.6.5 Doom 2
+ 6.7 Ultima Maps
+ 7 Real Time Interactions
+ 7.1 The Weyrmount
+ 7.1.1 What is the Weyrmount?
+ 7.1.2 How do I get there?
+ 7.1.3 What do I do once I'm there?
+ 7.2 IRC
+ 7.2.1 What is IRC?
+ 7.2.2 How do I get there?
+ 7.2.3 What do I do once I'm there?
+ 7.2.3 What does "re" mean?
+ 8 Summary
+ 8.1 Pages
+ 8.2 Other Stuff
+ 8.3 Why isn't my page in here?
+ 9 Acknowledgments
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 Legal Administrivia
The maintainer disclaims all responsibility for inaccurate or
misleading information in this FAQ. This article is provided as-is,
without any express or implied warranties. The author nor any of the
contributors to this FAQ assume any responsibility for errors or
omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information
contained herein.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) About This FAQ
1.1) Purpose of this FAQ
This FAQ is not intended to replace the many other sources of Ultima
and Ultima Dragons information. Rather, it is intended to summarise,
supplement, and list them, for the purpose of regularly posting to
rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons, in order to cut down on some
unnecessary noise on the group. Most of the questions in this FAQ are
real questions which are asked in the rec.games.computer.ultima.* groups
(And their predecessors, rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons and
alt.games.ultima.dragons) reasonably frequently.
1.2) Revision History
Only the most recent revisions are listed here. The complete history
can be found at <http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/revision.html>.
[November 29, 1998]
I added an entry for QFix which deals with the problem Ultima 7 has
with the Riva 128 video boards.
I added the Ultima map entries and the Director's Cut of Serpent
Isle Intro.
[October 31 - November 3, 1998]
I changed the URL for the U2/3 CGA Color Fix, added the General MIDI
Patch for Ultima Underworlds 1/2, and corrected a typo in section
5.17.2. Thanks to Paulon Dragon for pointing these things out.
I made sure all of the URLs mentioned in the body of the FAQ are now
in the Summary (Section 8).
[October 29 - 30, 1998]
I added the angle brackets to all URLs and email addresses. I have
corrected Vulcan Dragon's email address. I've also made some minor
changes suggested by the moderators of the *.answers newsgroups.
I've also decided against posting the FAQ in multiple parts now that
I have seen what it looks like and after deciding that I would rather
see the whole FAQ propagated instead just parts of it. Oh, the joys of
experimenting. ;)
[October 10 - 28, 1998]
I have updated the FAQ to include all of the changes since
Erratic's late update (October 15, 1997). This mainly includes the
release of the Ultima Collection, Ultima Online - The Second Age, the
new Weyrmount, Ultima 4 availability, and the official sites for
information on Ultima: Ascension (nee Ultima 9).
I have also reformatted the posted FAQ to make it fit (where
possible) within 72 columns and checked out all of the URLs to make sure
they are still working.
1.3) Latest Version
This FAQ can now be found at
<http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/rgcudfaq.html>. Also, it is
posted biweekly to rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons,
rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons, rec.games.computer.ultima.series,
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg, rec.answers, comp.answers, news.answers. As
a result of crossposting to news.anwsers, a text version of the FAQ is
available at <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/games/ultima>
and its many mirrors.
The web version is likely to be slightly more up-to-date than the
newsgroup version.
1.4) Abbreviations
The following abbreviations may be found in this FAQ and also in the
newsgroup, IRC etc.
+ U1 - U9: Main sequence Ultimas, Ultima 1, Ultima 2 etc.
+ U:A or UA: Ultima: Ascension (Ultima 9)
+ U7 or BG: Ultima 7: The Black Gate
+ U7.5, U7.2, or SI: Ultima 7, part 2: Serpent Isle
+ UC: Ultima Collection
+ UW1 or UUW1: Ultima Underworld 1
+ UW2 or UUW2: Ultima Underworld 2
+ SE: Worlds of Ultima 1: Savage Empire
+ MD: Ultima, Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams
+ AK or U0 (zero): Akalabeth
+ UO or UOL: Ultima Online (With the note that the designers
themselves prefer UO)
+ UO: T2A: Ultima Online: The Second Age
+ FoV: Forge of Virtue
+ SS: Silver Seed
+ rgcud: rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons and/or -dragons
+ rgcu.d: rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons
+ rgcu-d: rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons
+ rgcus: rec.games.computer.ultima.series
+ rgcuo: rec.games.computer.ultima.online
+ agud: alt.games.ultima.dragons
+ aguo: alt.games.ultima.online
Note: It's probably best not to use U0 (zero) for Akalabeth,
because it can look the same as UO - Ultima Online.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) The Dragons
2.1) What are the Dragons?
The Ultima Dragons is a group of people who simply love Ultima, a
long running series of computer role playing games (CRPGs). You can
find more information about the Dragons, and their long, and sordid
history in the Official UDIC FAQ at <http://www.udic.org/faq.html>,
maintained by Monomolecular Dragon.
The Dragons' home page and membership roster is at
<http://www.udic.org/> maintained by Fallible Dragon, Unicorn Dragon,
and the UDIC greeting team.
The Dragons' FTP site is at <ftp://ftp.udic.org/pub/ud/>.
2.2) Why are you named the Ultima Dragons?
When the club was first formed on Prodigy, there was already a club
called the Evil Avatars, the new club was therefore called "Players of
Ultima for Fun" or PUFF. This lead to inevitable references to Puff the
Magic Dragon, and the club was soon renamed the Ultima Dragons.
2.3) What does UDIC stand for?
The original club was on the Prodigy online service, but the club
later moved to the Internet in late 1994 with the creation of the
newsgroup alt.games.ultima.dragons (AGUD), forming the Ultima Dragons
Internet Chapter or UDIC.
2.4) Can I join the Dragons?
You certainly can, provided you meet the entrance requirement - to
have played an Ultima. There are several ways to join:
+ The easiest, and preferred way is to use your web browser and go
to <http://www.udic.org/join.html>. It is recommended that you at least
read the UDIC FAQ before joining, see section 2.1.
+ If you do not have access to the World Wide Web, you can email
to <jo...@udic.org> include the following information in the message:
+ Your real name,
+ Your email address,
+ Your proposed Dragon Name, (subject to checking to see if it
has already been taken),
+ Ultimas you may have played and/or completed, and
+ A little about yourself, so the greeters know who they are
talking to. This information is mainly used to help you select an
alternative Dragon name in case your first selection is taken.
Whichever method you use, one of the dedicated team of greeters will
process your application and get back to you.
2.5) How do I change my roster data?
If you remember the password you entered when you joined, then you
can go to <http://www.udic.org/members/> and sign on. If you don't
remember your password, or you want to change your Dragon name or email
address, then email <jo...@udic.org> and one of the greeting team will
handle your request.
2.6) What does Dragon membership qualify me for?
Like most things in life, you will get out of the Dragons what you
put in. If you make the effort to participate, the club can be very
rewarding, but don't expect to sit back and watch the benefits accrue.
Once you are a Dragon, you can register your homepage for the
Dragons' Homepage list at:
+ <http://www.biochem.mpg.de/~brenner/udic/homes.html> (original
European site from Minstrel Dragon).
+ <http://www.inficad.com/~geo/udic/pages.htm> (Geomorphic
Dragon's US mirror site).
To register your homepage, go to:
+ <http://www.biochem.mpg.de/~brenner/udic/homes/homeform.html>.
It is strongly recommended that pages submitted include at least *some*
reference to Ultima and the Ultima Dragons.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) The Newsgroup
3.1) History of the Newsgroups
The newsgroups rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons (rgcud),
rec.games.computer.ultima.online (rgcuo), and
rec.games.computer.ultima.series (rgcus) supercede the old newsgroups
alt.games.ultima.dragons (agud), alt.games.ultima-online (aguo), and
rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons. The new groups were created on July
7, 1997 as a reorganization of rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons.
rec.games.computer.ultima-dragons was created on the 19th of March 1996,
five days after the vote for its creation was passed 421:130. It was
deleted on September 8th 1997.
Prior to the creation of RGCU-D, the Ultima Dragons' newsgroup was
alt.games.ultima.dragons, this was deleted 60 days after the new group
was created (May 19th 1996). alt.games.ultima-online was a short-lived
group, the creation of which prompted the reorg. It has been deleted in
favour of the rec group. The details of the creation (And deletion) of
these newsgroups are available at
<ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/rec/rec.games.computer.u
ltima-dragons>
and
<ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/rec/rec.games.computer.u
ltima-reorg>.
3.1.1) What about these old newsgroups?
Some of the old newsgroups still exist on many servers, which can be
confusing when people read the groups only to find they are empty, or
mostly empty. If your local news server is one of these, you can drop a
line to your news administrator (usually newsmaster@*<yourdomain>*)
telling them about the problem, and directing them to the above URL.
3.1.2) I can't get the new newsgroups
If your news administrator is not willing to add the new groups you
might try searching the following websites for a public/free news server
at (original information provided by F-15 Dragon):
+
<http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/Usenet/Public_Acces
s_Usenet_Sites/>
+ <http://www.muenz.com/sdienst/html/sgroup_e.html>
+ <http://news.fu-berlin.de/en/register.html>
Web-based sites include:
+ DejaNews at <http://www.dejanews.com>
+ NewsReader.com at <http://www.newsreader.com/> (subscription)
+ Reference.com at <http://www.reference.com/>
If none of the above work you can email me, Fortran Dragon,
<for...@earthlink.net> and ask to be put on his digest. I make a
daily email of all posts made to rgcu.d since the last mailing.
3.2) Ultima Celebrities
A handful of current and former Origin staff participate from time
to time, including:
+ Dr. Cat - worked on several Ultimas, including Ultima 6 and the
Runes of Virtue games. Dr. Cat has an online game in the works called
Furcadia at <http://www.bga.com/furcadia/>.
+ Brian Martin, design coordinator for Ultima 9, and also working
on Ultima Online, pops in from time-to-time.
+ Bill Armintrout, who worked on Serpent Isle sometimes posts to
fess up to the bugs in the game :-)
+ Richard Steinberg is the former online PR guy for Origin. He
goes by the name "Mr. Smarty Pants" (or simply "mrpants") because he
writes the Mr. Smarty Pants Knows column for The Austin Chronicle.
Although he no longer works for Origin, he's bound to have an opinion
here and there.
+ Mike McShaffry, aka Mr. Mike, Director and part of the
programming team for Ultima 8.
+ Mike McCoy aka Boomer, who is Origin's online PR person, though
he specializes in Ultima Online and the Janes product group.
+ Chris McCubbin, the writer of a number of hints books for
Origin/Prima.
+ Carly Staehlin-Taylor aka Lady MOI, who is Origin's Answer Lady
for Ultima: Ascension.
+ And several people have posted to tell us they had their
portrait used in Serpent Isle.
3.3) What can I discuss?
The topic of a newsgroup is defined by its charter. Each of the
Ultima newsgroups has its own charter, plus the common charter which
applies to all of them.
CHARTER: all groups
Cross-posting or multiple posting among Ultima groups is not
recommended. However, it is likely that cross-posting of certain
articles may become necessary. Authors should select the most
appropriate group, whenever possible, when posting their articles.
Posting or cross-posting articles which do not consist mainly of
text easily readable by humans (i.e. binary files or encrypted text) is
prohibited. If it is necessary to transfer binaries, posters should
include a pointer to an appropriate FTP/WWW site, or use an appropriate
binaries newsgroup. Posting commercial solicitations or inquiries which
are not directly related to Ultima is prohibited. Frequent posting of
the same advertisement, even Ultima-specific, is also prohibited.
END CHARTER.
3.3.1) rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons
CHARTER: rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons
rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons an unmoderated forum for
discussion of issues of interest to members of the Ultima Dragons
Internet Chapter and all fans of the Ultima games. Topics will include
discussion of current games, news and rumors, tips and advice from
members of the Ultima Dragons, talk about organizational matters of the
UDIC, discussions about the UDIC's facilities like the Weyrmount MOO as
well as the WWW and FTP sites, story authoring, and other club related
issues of interest to members of the Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter and
other participants in the newsgroup.
END CHARTER.
Note: This group can be considered a meeting hall for members of the
Ultima Dragons club, and all other interested parties. Ultima talk is
welcomed, but is not mandatory. The subject matter in the group has
ranged between serious topics like history, religion and cinnabons, to
plot ("in character") threads, to outright silliness. Those looking for
a more concentrated dose of Ultima, without all the extra "chat" are
advised to read rec.games.computer.ultima.series
3.3.2) rec.games.computer.ultima.online
CHARTER: rec.games.computer.ultima.online
rec.games.computer.ultima.online is an unmoderated forum for
discussion of all aspects of the online multi-player game Ultima Online,
as well as its sequels and other multi-player versions of Ultima. Topics
specific to the online version of the game are welcome here, including
but not limited to features, events within the game world, guilds within
the game, and real-world issues with the game (e.g. pricing, latency,
etc.).
END CHARTER.
3.3.3) rec.games.computer.ultima.series
CHARTER: rec.games.computer.ultima.series
rec.games.computer.ultima.series is an unmoderated forum for
discussion of any topic related to the Ultima series of games which
would not be more appropriate in another group. These topics include,
but are not limited to, questions and answers about the games, hints and
tips, comparisons of the various versions of Ultima or similar games,
news and rumors, etc.
Note: this group is intended to provide a place in which people can
easily find informations about the Ultima games without having to go
through unrelated traffic. As such, if a discussion drifts away from the
original topic, it is recommended to direct it to a more appropriate
group, although some tolerance is required.
END CHARTER.
3.4) Should I post binaries?
No.
Binaries should only be posted in binaries groups (alt.binaries.*,
plus a few others). There are a few reasons for this. Probably the
most important is so people can avoid downloading large binaries that
they may not want. If you want to post some Ultima related binaries,
post them to an appropriate alt.binaries.* group, or put it on a web or
FTP site, then post a note in rec.games.computer.ultima.dragons telling
the readers there where they can find it.
3.5) Can I ask for hints?
Yes, it is one of the groups primary functions. We only ask that
you follow a few guidelines:
+ Choose the appropriate newsgroup for your query, i.e. don't ask
about Ultima 4 in rgcuo.
+ A good, descriptive subject line, including the name of the
Ultima you are having problems with (see also, section 1.4 for some
abbreviations; it might be nice to use square brackets around these),
and a brief description of the problem. e.g. "[U1] How do I kill Lord
British?" This allows people to zero in on questions they know the
answer to.
+ If you are asking a technical question, try to include some info
about your system. In particular, what you are loading in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS. Drivespace, for example, can take up lots
of memory, and would be significant.
3.6) How do I avoid getting flamed?
You're reading this FAQ, which is a good start. Before asking a
question, see if the answer is in here, or the other resources mentioned
here. When you first point your newsreader at the newsgroups, there
will probably be a few days worth of messages waiting for you. Just read
through some of them to get an idea of the way the groups operate.
For an overview of Usenet etiquette, please read the newsgroup
news.announce.newusers, which contains a number of documents with useful
information in them.
3.7) Why don't you all stop fighting?
Most of the time, we aren't fighting at all, simply debating. We
manage to discuss some pretty touchy issues without degenerating into a
flamewar. Occasionally, flamewars will spring up, but usually, there
are only a few participating. Please don't avoid posting for fear of
being flamed. Follow the guidelines in Section 3.6 and you will be
fine. Participating is a lot of fun.
My experience is that flamewars have to run their course. Calling
for people to stop doesn't work, it just adds fuel to the fire, and
spreads the flamewar to new threads.
The best way to deal with flamewars is to ignore them. Many
newsreaders have functions to ignore ("Kill") either people or threads.
If you see a flamewar spring up, you may want to simply ignore it by
putting the threads or participants in your "Killfile". You can do the
same for topics you aren't personally interested in. Consult the
documentation for your newsreader for details.
Two recommended Windows-based newsreaders that support killfiles are
Forte Agent (<http://www.forteinc.com/>) or Microplanet Gravity
(<http://www.microplanet.com/>). Other quality newsreaders may be found
at the home of the Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
(<http://www.xs4all.nl/~js/gnksa/>).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1998 Edward Franks. All rights reserved.
Portions Copyright 1996, 1997 Andrew Charlton. All rights reserved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Fortran Dragon -==(UDIC)==- | "There isn't enough darkness in the world
-=[MT]=- | to quench the light of one small candle."
Hidalgo Trading Company: <http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/index.html>
rgcud FAQ: <http://home.earthlink.net/~fortran/faq/rgcudfaq.html>