Exult Updated
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After almost two years of no news (and infrequent snapshot updates), the Exult team have announced the release of Exult 1.4.9 RC1 for Windows and Mac, their latest build and the precursor to Exult 1.5.
Exult running, showing inventory gumps.
If you’ve been following the development of Exult regularly, Dragons and Dragonettes, then a lot of what follows will be known to you already. If, like me, you haven’t actually downloaded and played with Exult as it has progressed through its version 1.4 stage, then you will find these snazzy “new” features in this latest release:
- Compatibility with the stricter permissions of Windows Vista and Windows 7
- A rewritten Graphics system to allow switching to full screen on modern systems
- Better integration into Mac OS X with default location for the supported games
- Smooth scrolling (disabled by default, though)
- Aspect correction support
- Improved gameplay and combat
- In-game Notebook with support for automatic notes (notes created by usecode)
- Integration of Pentagram’s audio system, which means support for real Roland MT-32 devices, Roland MT-32 emulation and FluidSynth
- No more dependency of the audio system on SDL_Mixer
- New shapes for the paperdolls
- Tons of bugfixes
Congratulations to the Exult team on this exciting new release, and for all the hard work they have put in over the last decade (yes, really…there’s devotion for you) bringing Ultima 7 to new and modern operating systems. If you want to grab this updated version of the engine, Dragons and Dragonettes, head on over to the Exult downloads page, or hit up the project entry here.
Holding the torch of hope high in the air! Ultima still lives, and the day shall come again!
Niiice…
Still no HD graphics ?
Not yet, not as such. That was an addon that someone not on the Exult dev team was working on, and I don’t know whether the project is still progressing.
That said, Sergorn tells me that the HQ3X filter makes things look pretty darn good; maybe try that?
Actually the HD graphics was an addon Marzo of the Exult team proposed http://exult.sourceforge.net/forum/read.php?f=1&i=335937&t=276792
Yeah, already saw it, but it is just a samples for now! Darn, Doom already have HD, Duke already in HD… and thaht lousy Marathon in HD too!!! 5 and 6 already there, where is 7 ??!!! Why only Japanese companies remake their RPGs ?!!! Why industry, WHA-A-A-Y ???!!! (just kidding, do not count my post seriously though, Exult team did a great job and we are all appreciate it 🙂 )
Oy! “Lousy” Marathon?
You, good sir, will take that back! I will accept no such slander against so seminal and inspirational an FPS.
“Lousy” Marathon indeed. 😉
What’s this about an HD version of it, BTW? Did they add that to Aleph One?
I mean hi-res textures pack for Aleph One and full remake of the first part on UT1 engine ( http://resurrection.bungie.org ). I also saw Pathways-into-Darkness-ispired mod on DooM3-engine ( http://www.moddb.com/mods/pathways-redux ), but never played it though. Yeah, surely Marathon is an excellent series, a wa-a-a-ay better than thaht silly Holy… I mean, Hello… Oh, nevermind 😉
Halo was not as good as Marathon, admittedly, though it did try continue the experiment Bungie began with the Marathon games (namely: sci-fi FPS as a vehicle for a large, multi-faceted, deep story).
I really need to see where Aleph One is at these days. I loved Marathon when I was younger, and even now I find myself occasionally poring over its plot points.
Halo and deep story in a same sentence?
Does… not… compute…
Oh, be kind. Halo tells a pretty good story, and the backstory is also quite delightful to immerse oneself in.
If Halo has a problem, it is that it is oversold and overhyped. It got Lord of the Rings-level marketing, but obviously didn’t deliver a Lord of the Rings-level plot. That said, its story is both entertaining and well-thought-out, and not particularly shallow.
Marathon‘s story was better, of course.
just posting it here… Jeff, Exult’s team leader, aka Dr. Code has begun porting Exult to Android. A snapshot of his work so far can be downloaded from the Exult download page.
As it is a “real” port to Java, not just adding some ifdefs for Android, it doesn’t match current Exult status.
Discussion about it at http://exult.sourceforge.net/forum/read.php?f=1&i=337315&t=337315
Might be worth reporting for Android users…
I’ll confirm with Jeff whether he’d like this to go live on Aiera. Last I spoke with him, he asked me to hold off adding a project entry…but if he now has a download ready to go on Exult’s site, he may think differently.