Best way to play Ultima Underworld?

[Bloodeyes]

So I wanna give Ultima Underworld a try. There's the GOG version, but I'd rather not deal with CD Projekt again if I don't have to. I'm thinking with a game this popular and influential there's likely a fan made upload in a preconfigured DOB Box. If there is, it's likely to be superior to the GOG version. Does anything like this exist? Or should I just go ahead and buy the overpriced GOG edition. Or should I just learn to use DOSbox myself? It's kind of overdue I do this but I'm busy and I don't want to.

 

[Whimper]

https://www.retrogames.cz/play_632-DOS.php?language=EN is that any good for you?

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Best way to play Ultima Underworld?

Be a kid in 1992.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

1. Install the game.
(Optional) 2. Set up MT32 emulation to avoid piano footsteps.
3. Play.

You're welcome.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Always helpful: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Ultima_Underworld:_The_Stygian_Abyss

 

[toro]

naked

 

[Efe]

play the spiritual successor underworld ascendant instead

 

[calgary.alberta]

I recommend looking into this for playing as it helps:

GitHub - JohnGlassmyer/UltimaHacks: Patches which add features to, and improve the usability of, the 1990s video games Ultima VII (BG and SI) and Ultima Underworld (I and II), along with a program to compile and apply these patches.

 

[Gargaune]

I recommend looking into this for playing as it helps:

GitHub - JohnGlassmyer/UltimaHacks: Patches which add features to, and improve the usability of, the 1990s video games Ultima VII (BG and SI) and Ultima Underworld (I and II), along with a program to compile and apply these patches.

Mouselook sounds great, but is there anything to remap movement to WASD? UW was before my time and I've been spoiled by the past twenty years.

 

[calgary.alberta]

That above link says:

A number of keys have been added or changed. The most important:

` (Backquote): toggle mouse-look
Alt+`: invert mouse-look axes (cycles through 4 states)
wasd: movement, typical of modern shooters
Space: attack (using last attack type, or slash)
Shift: jump
q: look at object in 3D view
e: use object in 3D view
z: display map
r: flip to rune-bag panel
f: flip to character panel

So, yeah wasd is there now.

 

[Gargaune]

That above link says:

A number of keys have been added or changed. The most important:

` (Backquote): toggle mouse-look
Alt+`: invert mouse-look axes (cycles through 4 states)
wasd: movement, typical of modern shooters
Space: attack (using last attack type, or slash)
Shift: jump
q: look at object in 3D view
e: use object in 3D view
z: display map
r: flip to rune-bag panel
f: flip to character panel

So, yeah wasd is there now.

Crap, sorry, I saw the list of keys but I skimmed over the WASD line. Thanks!

 

[octavius]

Last time I played it I used the mouse exclusively. It worked surprisingly well.

Oh, and definetely get MUNT to get the right sound FX.

 

[Sinatar]

Ultima Underworld was always WASD, well WASDX, but it was one of the earliest games to adopt that standard.

 

[calgary.alberta]

Dark Castle (1986) may be the first game to use WASD keys and mouse for control.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Dark Castle (1986) may be the first game to use WASD keys and mouse for control.

Actually, Wizardry used WASD (actually WAD, but that's beside the point) back in 1981. I'm not aware of any earlier example.

 

[slymer]

You get both games for $6 on GOG. How is that overpriced?

 

[Butter]

You get both games for $6 on GOG. How is that overpriced?

That's a month's salary in Serbia.

 

[Whimper]

You get both games for $6 on GOG. How is that overpriced?

It's not expensive but then again it is an almost 30 year old game and it's possible that you only want the Stygian abyss, so $6 does seem a bit steep for one of those games.

 

[Pechorin]

You get both games for $6 on GOG. How is that overpriced?

Why pay for abandonware?

 

[slymer]

You get both games for $6 on GOG. How is that overpriced?

Why pay for abandonware?

It's worth it for the convenience in my opinion.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

1. Install the game.
(Optional) 2. Set up MT32 emulation to avoid piano footsteps.
3. Play.

You're welcome.

Yeah.... that might get annoying after a while esp off key.

 

[hayst]

Trying to run Underworld but I'm getting an issue with sound. The introduction plays all the audio fine, but in-game there's nothing. Is this a known issue with a fix?

 

[octavius]

Yes.
You need to emulate the Roland to get the right sound effects. I used Munt (needs two Roland ROMs in addition), but there may be easier solution these days, if there's a new DosBox version with in-built Roland support.

 

[hayst]

Yes.
You need to emulate the Roland to get the right sound effects. I used Munt (needs two Roland ROMs in addition), but there may be easier solution these days, if there's a new DosBox version with in-built Roland support.

Okay thanks. I saw your other post mentioning this but was unsure if it was related.

 

[Dave the Druid]

Or alternatively you could just use Ultima Underworld Portable. Designed for the GOG release. Works with both games. Has DOSBox Staging and is properly set up so it doesn't have mouse or sound issues. Has the MT-32 roms pre-installed and set up so you get sexy MT-32 music. Has a slight brightness mod so the in-game resolution's a bit less murky. Let's you toggle on/off the wasd+mouselook mod in the launcher. And it lets you play the entire first game in Portuguese if you so wish.

I'd try it out and see if it fixes whatever issue you've got on your end.