Difference between revisions of "Ultima VII: The Black Gate (DOS)"

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==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-the-black-gate mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-the-black-gate] - Moby Games
+
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-the-black-gate mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-the-black-gate] - MobyGames
 
* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/520848-ultima-vii-the-black-gate gamefaqs.com/pc/520848-ultima-vii-the-black-gate] - GameFAQs.
 
* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/520848-ultima-vii-the-black-gate gamefaqs.com/pc/520848-ultima-vii-the-black-gate] - GameFAQs.
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate] - Wikipedia.
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate] - Wikipedia.

Revision as of 23:07, 5 December 2016

Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Ultima 7 - DOS - USA.jpg
Platform: DOS
Year: 1992
Developer: Origin Systems, Inc.
Buy: Amazon
For other games in the series see Ultima.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is a fantasy role-playing game and the seventh in main series of Ultima. You play the role of the Avatar, a hero who enters the world of Britannia from your home on Earth. As the Avatar, it is your task to embody the virtues of goodness and set right the problems of the land. At the time of its release, Ultima 7 had one of the most realistic sand-box environments, allowing the player to interact with a wide variety of the objects in the game world.

In the opening scene of the game, you're sitting at your computer when a demon-faced entity known as The Guardian pushes through the monitor and taunts you with his infiltration of Britannia. An unusually-colored red moongate teleports you to Britannia and you find yourself at the scene of a ritualistic murder. Upon investigating it, you learn that a new religion called the Fellowship has been growing in the land and they are not the helpful group they claim to be. As you track the murderers, you are faced with dozens of side-quests, and must collect a party of fellow adventurers like Iolo, Shamino, and Dupre. As the story progresses, you delve into the complex problems that face the lives of the Britannians including partisan politics, taxation destroying the middle-class, racism and immigration, drug abuse, religious pressure, and more.

Screenshots

Ultima 7 - DOS - Start.png

The introduction is a little creepy.

Ultima 7 - DOS - Ultima VII Theme.png

The main menu with the expansion installed.

Ultima 7 - DOS - Opening.png

You've been gone for a long time!

Ultima 7 - DOS - Investigating.png

Investigating the murder of the blacksmith.

Ultima 7 - DOS - Runic Signs.png

It's the little touches like the runic alphabet that give the game class.

Ultima 7 - DOS - Lord British.png

Speaking with Lord British.

Music

VGMPF Album Art       Icon-Help.png

Ultima 7 - DOS - Album Art.jpg

The soundtrack of Ultima 7 is professionally scored and quite expansive for a DOS game of the time. The music spans several genres including brass fanfares, Renaissance-era chamber music, modern orchestration, ambient mood music, and more.

Despite having a large base of popular Ultima themes available, the game's composer Dana Glover decided to write a mostly new soundtrack; only Rule, Britannia! and Stones make reappearances. Glover had to create several new themes like the organ-rich Fellowship Theme which plays whenever you enter one of its branches or secondary buildings, the Shrine themes which are all similar, but unique, or Avatar's love interest, Nastassia, whose theme plays whenever the story involves her. The game also features various instruments which, when activated, play their own theme; harpsichords, panpipes, lutes, xylophones, and the like.

One of the more impressive features of Ultima's music is that it changes dynamically according to the player's actions. Combat music is particularly varied, and there are different themes for when monsters approach, when you engage them in combat, when they flee, and when you finally defeat them. Music also changes in taverns depending on how crowded the establishments are.

There are a few unused songs in the game, including the two Orchestral tunes. There is also an empty track for the Shrine of Spirituality.

The music can be played on an MT-32 or any OPL2 compatible sound card, but currently only the Roland recording has been made.

Recording

# Title ComposerArranger Length Listen Download
101 Introduction Dana GloverDana Glover 0:31
Download
102 Guardian Intro Dana GloverDana Glover 1:44
Download
103 Start Dana GloverDana Glover 0:35
Download
104 Ultima VII Theme Dana GloverDana Glover 0:48
Download
105 Stones David WatsonDana Glover 2:10
Download
106 Dead Bodies Dana GloverDana Glover 0:47
Download
107 Fellowship Theme Dana GloverDana Glover 0:57
Download
108 Passion Play Dana GloverDana Glover 1:00
Download
109 Rule, Britannia! Thomas ArneDana Glover 1:16
Download
110 Fanfare of Lord British Dana GloverDana Glover 0:19
Download
111 Chamber Music Dana GloverDana Glover 1:14
Download
112 Harpsichord Dana GloverDana Glover 0:22
Download
113 Market Place Dana GloverDana Glover 0:38
Download
114 Prince Thrakhath's Theme Dana Glover, Martin GalwayDana Glover 1:41
Download
115 Shrine of Compassion Dana GloverDana Glover 0:19
Download
116 Love Theme Raymond BensonDana Glover 1:00
Download
117 Fortune Teller Dana GloverDana Glover 0:47
Download
118 Camping Dana GloverDana Glover 0:57
Download
119 Seedy Tavern Kirk WinterrowdDana Glover 0:32
Download
120 Shrine of Valor Dana GloverDana Glover 0:19
Download
121 Cave Dana GloverDana Glover 5:08
Download
122 Danger Dana GloverDana Glover 1:02
Download
123 Combat Dana GloverDana Glover 1:04
Download
124 Victory Dana GloverDana Glover 0:10
Download
125 Xylophone Dana GloverDana Glover 0:10
Download
126 Shrine of Honesty Dana GloverDana Glover 0:20
Download
127 Harp Dana GloverDana Glover 0:07
Download
128 The Beauty Dana GloverDana Glover 0:24
Download
129 Lute Dana GloverDana Glover 0:12
Download
130 Wilderness Dana GloverDana Glover 0:35
Download
131 Emp Theme Dana GloverDana Glover 1:12
Download
132 Flight of the Bumblebee Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovDana Glover 1:22
Download
133 Wisp Call Herman MillerDana Glover 1:03
Download
134 Shrine of Justice Dana GloverDana Glover 0:20
Download
135 Love (A Virtue) Dana GloverDana Glover 0:23
Download
136 Fanfare of Courage Dana GloverDana Glover 0:25
Download
137 Shrine of Honor Dana GloverDana Glover 0:20
Download
138 Ghosts Dana GloverDana Glover 0:45
Download
139 Musicbox Dana GloverDana Glover 0:36
Download
140 Magic Tricks Dana GloverDana Glover 0:48
Download
141 Dragon's Flight Dana GloverDana Glover 0:46
Download
142 Hidden Danger Dana GloverDana Glover 0:30
Download
143 Battle Dana GloverDana Glover 0:46
Download
144 Flight Dana GloverDana Glover 0:25
Download
145 Winner Dana GloverDana Glover 0:06
Download
146 Shrine of Spirituality Dana GloverDana Glover 0:20
Download
147 Sea Shanty Kirk WinterrowdDana Glover 0:30
Download
148 Torture Dana GloverDana Glover 0:41
Download
149 Shrine of Humility Dana GloverDana Glover 0:20
Download
150 Fanfare of Truth Dana GloverDana Glover 0:11
Download
151 Orchestral I Dana GloverDana Glover 0:08
Download
152 Orchestral II Dana GloverDana Glover 0:08
Download
153 Arrival of the Guardian Dana GloverDana Glover 0:34
Download
154 Destruction of the Black Gate Dana GloverDana Glover 0:59
Download
155 Credits Dana GloverDana Glover 5:45
Download
156 Quotes Dana GloverDana Glover 2:51
Download

Credits

(Source: Audio Direction, Audio Team - 1, Audio Team - 2, Sound Coding, Soundtrack)

In the game's credits, the developers claimed the game's soundtrack was available for purchase. While this was intended as a joke, it lead to the studio being inundated with requests to purchase the soundtrack. This lead them to add a message into the game's sequel, that the soundtrack was NOT available, so don't ask!

Albums

Game Rip

Format

Download

MIDI.png XMI.png

Download

(Info)


The music is compressed and encoded in various DAT files including IntroRDM.DAT, and MT32Mus.DAT. The ending music comes from EndScore.XMI. The MT-32 recording was made playing the MIDI music through Winamp to a real MT-32 and recording the output.

The Guardian's voice files are stored in VOC format.

Currently, some of the songs are missing from the rip.


Issue - Incomplete.svg

This rip is missing songs.

Icon-Help.png

Audio Devices

Music

Icon - AdLib.png Icon - LAPC-I.png Icon - MT-32.png Icon - Sound Blaster.png Icon - Sound Blaster Pro.png

Sound

Icon - AdLib.png Icon - LAPC-I.png Icon - MT-32.png Icon - Sound Blaster.png Icon - Sound Blaster Pro.png

(Sources: Music & Sound, Speech)

Ultima 7 took an interesting approach with its sound effects. Aside from speech, all sound effects are synthesized on an OPL2 or LA32 sound device. Speech requires a DAC, so only the Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro can support it.

The game does not take advantage of the two stereo OPL2 chips on the Sound Blaster Pro, and downgrades the music to use a single OPL2 chip. It does support the various functions of the Roland synthesizers which produce vastly superior audio.

Releases

  USA.svg   USA
Ultima 7 - DOS - USA.jpg
Title: Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Platform: DOS
Released: 1992-04-16
Publisher: Origin Systems, Inc.
  Germany.svg   Germany
Ultima 7 - DOS - Germany.jpg
Title: Ultima VII: Die Schwarze Pforte (Ultima VII: The Black Gate)
Platform: DOS
Released: 1992-??-??
Publisher: Origin Systems, Inc., Mindscape International, Ltd.
  Spain.svg   Spain
BoxMissing.png
Title: Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Platform: DOS
Released: 1992-??-??
Publisher: Origin Systems, Inc., Electronic Arts Software, S.L.

Links