bkoopers wrote:

How can I change the DOSBox size (e.g., to 10x18)

If I'm not mistaken, you can scale up the size by changing some of the options in DOSBox.conf. Try output=ddraw and scaler=normal3x.

If you want to change the height of the screen in text mode, there's a trick for that: Mouse pointer does not move below 25 line in the 50-lines text mode. (SOLVED)

and the colors (text and background) (e.g., white text on blue background)?

The same way you do it in normal DOS: through ANSI sequences. See White screen .

Depending on your needs, you may find TameDOS to be more useful than DOSBox. Unfortunately, it is not free.
http://www.tamedos.com/

Thanks for your response.

I tried output=ddraw and scaler=normal3x but it had no effect.

To use ANSI sequences, it says

"To make your system ANSI compatible, you must install the ANSI.SYS. With ANSI.SYS in the DOSMISC directory, add the command: device=dosmisc\ansi.sys . (In the Windows GUI version, it will be found in either c:\windows\system or c:\windows\command), add this line to your Windows CONFIG.SYS file: device=d:\x\ansi.sys ("d" being the drive and "x" being the directory(ies) where the ANSI.SYS file was found)."

Where is the DOSBox equivalent of CONFIG.SYS where I would insert the device=ansi.sys command?

There is no config.sys in DOSBox; the only way to load device drivers is either by actually booting MS-DOS (or FreeDOS or whatever), or by using a device driver loader like devload.

But never mind that; you don't need to load ANSI.SYS, as DOSBox already has its own built-in ANSI support. That's why the test I posted in that other thread works. And to be quite clear, the CHGCOLOR utility posted therein is even more effective.

I tried the ANSI commands using the blue.bat file in the example give but it just echos those characters to the screen instead of changing the colors so I thought it needed the ANSI driver to be loaded.

If I use CHGCOLOR, what would be the command to change to "white on blue" color?

Did you see the CHGCOLOR.DOC in the zip file?

Yes, I read the CHGCOLOR.DOC file but I do not understand the syntax of the command. It would be helpful if the file included some examples.

What would be the command to change to "white on blue" color?

CHGCOLOR 0:63 7:0 is the only example you need.

If CHGCOLOR 0:63 7:0 changes the colors from light grey on black to black on white, then CHGCOLOR 0:xx 7:63 is going to change the color to white on something else.

And fortunately, a reference for the EGA color palette is not hard to find.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EGA_Table.PNG

Admittedly, I am a little confused as to why CHGCOLOR.DOC suggests valid EGA colors are 0 to 255 when that table lists colors from 0 to 63. Maybe it was a typo.

Jorpho:

Thanks. That is just what I needed to know to understand. The syntax is 7:xx (for foreground color) and 0:xx (for background color) and the colors range from 0 (black) to 63 (white). Executing this gives me the white on blue that I wanted:

CHGCOLOR 7:63 0:1

Where can I go to download Chgcolor.doc or Chgcolor.zip?
Every where I go they want me to download a ZIP extractor (WTF!) or sign up to buy it.
I have Ultima III Exodus and I want to change the trees and grass from cyan to green and the water from gray to blue.

You cannot change it through that.
And please don't crosspost your problem in more threads

I manged to get the Chgcolor.doc! YAY! No stupid ZIP extractor BS!
I copied a lot of the information you have posted above. I will try to get this the way I want it. If it does not I will ask for you expert advice.

Bakshara

Above this is three paragraphs of your information.

I copied CHGCOLOR.DOC into E:\Games\DOS\Ultima3 and E:\Games\DOS\DOSBox-0.74.
I double click on DOSBox.exe and then move the DOSBox Staus Window to the right.

Z:\>
Z:\>C:
C:\>cd ultima3
C:\ULTIMA3>
C:\>ultima.com
That brings up the very nice Exodus Ultima III screen.
I alt-enter to go full screen.
Then Press <Space> to get the menu to create characters, organize a party, and play.
Now under Z:\> If I do dir I get 11 .COM files and one .BAT file.
When I do:
Z:\>C:
C:\>cd ultima3
C:\ULTIMA3>dir I get 56 files and three Dirs. I can only see 21 of those files.
So I do:
dir *.exe I get GRAPHEDT.EXE and GRAPHE~1.EXE.*1
dir *.com I get ULTIMA.COM.
dir *.bat I get File *.bat not found.
*1 In the directory:
GRAPHEDT.EXE is graphedt.exe
GRAPHE~1.EXE is graphedt_x64.exe

C:\ULTIMA3>
I tryed:
CHGCOLOR.DOC 3 1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR 0:3 0:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC

C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphe~1
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt 1 3
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.

dosbox-0.74.conf
[dosbox]
language=
machine=svga_s3
captures=capture
memsize=16

What is your expert advice?

first of all my expert advice is that you cannot do what you want to do for Ultima 3 through this chgcolor utility. It's only for the dos prompt (and or text based things, whatever).

Then

I tryed: CHGCOLOR.DOC 3 1 Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC CHGCOLOR 0:3 0:1 Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1 Illegal co […]
Show full quote

I tryed:
CHGCOLOR.DOC 3 1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR 0:3 0:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC

judging from the output I'm pretty sure you didn't use the command "CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1" but "CHGCOLOR.DOC o:3 o:1"
Not to mention that CHGCOLOR.DOC is a *DOCument* for you to read on how to use the CHGCOLOR utility (it's either CHGCOLOR.exe or CHGCOLOR.com), so copying that into the ultima3 folder was useless.

C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt This progam cannot be run in DOS mode. C:\ULTIMA3>graphe~1 This progam cannot be run in DOS mode. C:\ULTIMA3 […]
Show full quote

C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphe~1
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt 1 3
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.{/quote]
my expert advice: don't run Windows programs in Dosbox.

Now seriously, google Ultima 3 graphics upgrade or similar combinations to get what you want....

As for:
“I tryed:
CHGCOLOR.DOC 3 1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR 0:3 0:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC
CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1
Illegal command CHGCOLOR.DOC”

I did a word replace. It replaced graphedt with CHGCOLOR.DOC.
I should have corrected that.

“Now seriously, google Ultima 3 graphics upgrade or similar combinations to get what you want.:
I will try that.

Bakshara

I downloaded:
U1patch.zip
u2mappr1.zip
u2upgrade-1.1.zip
u3-midi.zip
U3EGAtileset.zip
u3midi.zip
u3upgrade-3.0.zip
u4upgrad.zip
u5midi.zip
u5upgrade-1.0.zip
Ultimatrix1310.zip
UltimaPatcher153.rar

I have WinRAR and extracted them, under these folders.
I have them under:
E:\Games\DOS\DOSBox-0.74\
E:\Games\DOS\Ultima3\
I do not have them under:
E:\Games\DOS\
The Ultima3 colors are still the same.

Seriously? Try to bring order in what you are doing and THINK. Which of all these zips do you think are for Ultima 3?
Hint: Ultima is shorted to U and then the number of the Ultima game is added.

Once you sorted that out, read the readme.txt or similar that comes with the patch on how to install it.

The detailed information you asked for:
I just listed all that I downloaded.
I ONLY used these for Ultima3:
u3-midi.zip
U3EGAtileset.zip
u3upgrade-3.0.zip
Ultimatrix1310.zip
UltimaPatcher153.rar

**** The Exodus Project ****
* Ultima III Upgrade *
*
* MIDI Music *
****************************
The following files are included in this package:
Wander.mid
Castles.mid
Rule Britannia.mid
Towns.mid
Shopping.mid
Combat.mid
Dungeon.mid
Alive.mid
Fanfare.mid
Exodus.mid

U3EGAtileset.zip
readme.txt
What Is This?
-------------
Back in 1997, Clayton Steele (aka. Wiltshire Dragon) made an excellent
alternative EGA (16 colour) tileset for the PC version of Ultima IV.
After that, he went on and created a superior VGA (256 colour) tileset
which is the version most players who play Ultima IV today are familiar
with.
Then in 2000, Michael C. Maggio (aka. Voyager Dragon) created a patch
for Ultima III which converts the PC version of the game from CGA (4 colour)
to EGA and adds full midi support. A great patch, but he chose to use
the original Ultima IV EGA tileset for his version.
This file contains an alternate shapes.ega for Ultima III which uses the
alternative Ultima IV EGA tileset. I kind of made this on a whim because
I wanted to play with a hex editor for a few hours, and personally I think
this creates a graphically superior Ultima III experience.

How to use this file
--------------------
You MUST first successfully install the Ultima III EGA upgrade (available at
http://exodus.voyd.net) to be able to use this patch, else there will be no
shapes.ega to overwrite. I would recommend using DosBox (http://www.dosbox.com/)
for the installation process because Windows is just not DOS friendly as of
2011. Play Ultima III for a few minutes, and make sure it's 16-colour and not
4-colour.
Next, take the shapes.ega included with this file and copy it into the Ultima
III directory. You want to replace the existing shapes.ega, but make sure to
create a backup of the original file. Play Ultima III again, and enjoy!
Important Links
---------------
http://exodus.voyd.net/ - Home of the Ultima III EGA upgrade
http://www.moongates.com/ - Home of the Ultima IV VGA upgrade
http://www.ultimaaiera.com/ - WTF Dragon's Ultima news site, and host of
this file
http://codex.ultimaaiera.com/wiki/Main_Page - The Codex of Ultima Wisdom, an
Ultima Wiki where I spend a lot
of my time.
Questions/Comments
------------------
Contact me at jeffhoeksma@gmail.com with any questions you might have.

u3upgrade-3.0.zip
readme.txt
**** The Exodus Project ****
* Ultima III Upgrade *
*
* Release 3.0 *
****************************
Table of Contents:
1-Disclaimer
2-Project Scope
3-Current Features
4-Installation Instructions
5-More Information
6-Credits
7-Contact Info
8-Nifty Quote
1-Disclaimer:
Please note that Ultima is a registered trademark of Electronic
Arts, Inc (EA). This project is not affiliated with nor endoresed
by EA. You must own a legal copy of Ultima III: Exodus in order
to apply this patch.
2-Project Scope:
The goal of this project is to convert Ultima III: Exodus
for the PC up to newer standards.
The first phase of this project was to convert the legacy
CGA (4-color) graphics to lesser-legacy EGA (16-color)
graphics. Let's face it: magenta, cyan, and grey were not
exactly pleasing to the eye. I conformed loosely to the
C64 color scheme, and used some tiles from the PC versions
of U1 & U4. (As of v1.0, this phase is complete!)
The second phase added MIDI music to the game. Many
thanks go to Aradindae Dragon (co-author of the U4 MIDI
Upgrade) for supplying me with the MIDI package in the
first place. (As of v2.0, this phase is complete!)
The third phase of this project added VGA (256-color)
graphics to the game. Having a series of successes with
other upgrade projects, I had learned quite a bit more
about assembly language since I first started this hobby,
so I modified the architecture to be more driver-oriented.
This allows for easier maintenance and increased
extensibility in the future. It also enabled the addition
of a driver to simulate CGA Composite mode. (As of v3.0,
this phase is complete!)
Other goals that are not necessarily part of any particular
phase include adding Quit and Restore hot keys, slowing
down or controlling the game speed, and adding an
option to disable the annoying "AutoSave" feature. (As of
v2.1, all these features have been added!)
Future enhancements might entail modifying the sound effects
to be generated by WAV/MP3 data, looking at using SVGA DOS
libraries for higher-resolution graphics, and/or allowing others
to more easily customize the graphics and music. At the moment
though, I feel the U3 Upgrade is in a very good spot where it is,
so don't expect these things any time soon (or perhaps ever).
3-Current Features:
This is currently Release 3.0, which supports the following
features:
1) Fully colored VGA (256-color) tiles
2) Fully colored EGA (16-color) tiles
3) A Composite-mode CGA (16-color) simulation driver
that operates on the CGA data; see more info at:
https://sourceforge.net/p/ultima-exodus/wiki/ … GA%20Composite/
4) EGA/VGA/Composite dungeons are also in color
5) Peer Gems yield a multi-colored look at the world
map, versus only texture in the CGA, C64, and Apple
II versions
6) Restore (ALT-R), Exit (ALT-X), and Main Menu (ALT-M)
hotkeys have been added to the game. ALT-X is also
supported while at the Main Menu.
7) A Frame Limiter that eliminates the need for moslo
😎 Enhanced MIDI Music from the C64 and Apple II versions
9) Ability to Enable/Disable the AutoSave feature
10) Replaces the 0-7 moon phases with actual moon icons
4-Installation Instructions:
1. The PC version of Ultima 3 must already be installed on
your hard drive. If you have a previous version of the U3
Upgrade installed, please replace it with a fresh copy of
Ultima 3. (be sure to back up your savegame files ROSTER.ULT
and PARTY.ULT if you do)
2. Unzip the U3 Upgrade zip file into your Ultima 3 directory
on your hard drive. This step will not affect your current
installation or saved games.
3. Start your DOS emulator (e.g. DOSBox) and navigate to the
Ultima 3 directory.
4. Run BINPAT.EXE U3UP-30.PAT to apply the binary patch to the
game files.
5. Run U3CFG.EXE to configure the game options. If no prior
configuration exists, the game options will be initialized to
the default recommended options. Modify them if you wish then
press 7 to save the configuration and exit.
6. If you enabled MIDI music, run SETM.EXE from the Ultima 3
directory to configure your sound card.
7. Run ULTIMA3.COM from the Ultima 3 directory to start the
game.
8. Email me with suggestions and/or bugs.
Optional steps:
- You can run U3RESET.EXE to reset the game map if you want
your party to enter an uncharted Sosaria. Your party must
be dispersed in order to clear the map. This program will
not affect the Roster.
5-More Information:
Please read the following text files for more information on
this packge.
HISTORY.TXT- History of updates to U3 Upgrade
FILES.TXT- Describes files in U3 Upgrade package
6-Credits:
Thanks to all the people who have submitted comments, suggestions,
and bug reports thus far. Your comments are greatly appreciated,
and have helped to make this a better upgrade to a great game!
Thanks twofold to Aradindae Dragon (Ryan Wiener) for a) supplying
me with the Midpak drivers and b) helping me to get them working
properly.
Thanks also to Wiltshire Dragon for his beautiful VGA tileset
from the Ultima IV Upgrade, without which I would have to go
scouring the 'net for graphic artists willing to do this.
Thanks to NewRisingSun for posting Composite CGA screenshots to
MobyGames, inspiring me to return to the U3 Upgrade and write a
Composite CGA simulator.
Thanks to the Ultima Dragons of rgcud for, well, just being the
outspoken group that they are.
And thanks especially to Richard Garriot for creating Ultima III
in CGA and forcing us to play it on RGB monitors, thus inspiring
me to learn assembly. 😉
7-Contact Info:
Please email me with comments, rants, suggestions, bugs, etc. Do
NOT email me for pirate copies of Ultima III (or any game for that
matter). And say "NO!" to SPAM!
Michael C. Maggio
Voyager Dragon, -=(UDIC)=-
voyager@voyd.net
Project WebSite-http://exodus.voyd.net/
SourceForge-https://sourceforge.net/projects/ultima-exodus/
8-Nifty Quote:
"Truly great madness can not be achieved without significant intelligence."
-- Henrik Tikkanen

Ultimatrix1310.zip
Ultimatrix.txt
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version Alpha 0.28 by Xenerkes Dragon (a.k.a LEMUET Christophe)
(10/13/2000) All rights reserved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xenerkes email : xenerkes@chez.com Ultimatrix Homepage : www.geocities.com/xenerkes/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Requirements :
--------------
* Windows 9x/NT (only tested on Windows 98)
* An OpenGL Compatible Video Card
Tested on my computer :
* Celeron 300A@450
* 128Mo of Ram
* Xentor 32 (Tnt2 Ultra)
What is Ultimatrix :
--------------------
Initially Ultimatrix was an Ultima Map Viewer which could display maps from Ultima 2 to 6.
But now you can immerge into Ultima Worlds like a real Ultima, you can move the Avatar around the World, enter each town.
In fact I don't know exactly what I want to do : an Ultima Map Editor ? an ultima Map Viewer ? much than that : act as you 're in a real Ultima ?
It's also a Map printer (because you can save maps in picture format).
It becomes a Ultima 1 to 6 Map viewer and printer and more (?)
Features of Ultimatrix in this Version :
----------------------------------------
Alpha Version 0.28 (10/12/2000) :
* Supported Ultima: Ultima 1,Ultima 2,Ultima 3, Ultima 4, Ultima 5, Ultima 6, Savage Empire, Martian Dreams
* You can go and enter almost everywhere (all the towns are supported,dungeons) (*)
* You can also wander in the Underworld (Ultima V) : you can access it by dungeons
* Townsfolk management (Ultima III,IV & V modes)
* You can enable or disable the visual management of obstacles
* You can choose between the Global View and Ultima View Mode which looks like a real Ultima
* Management of obstacles (on/off) : you can walk everywhere
* Initialization file to adjust some settings in each Ultima mode
* You can save maps in TGA format 256 colors:
1-Computerized maps
2-Tiled based maps
3-Peer at Gem maps (U3 to U5 Modes only)
* You can make screen dumps
* You can disable the Avatar display to see only map tiles on screen
* Enable and disable Day-Night transition (Ultima V and VI Modes)
* Enter, Ignite, Look, Klimb Talk, Peer at Gem keys enabled
* Open (partially : it won't change the tile when the door opens yet)
* Dialogue support: Ultima 3 to 5 (elementary for U5: NAME-LOOK-JOB-BYE)
* Music support (supports Televar's Midi Set)
* You can change the colors of U6 and clones TGA computer maps by changing *.act files
(*) except in Ultima II Mode
note : this is an alpha version , so there are many bugs.
I've some ideas of what to do next (in any order) :
* a windows GUI for the Ultimatrix Ini file
* a DirectDraw or SDL based version (compatible with every video cards)
* Elementary Battle Mode
* Dungeon with a kind of 3D view (not only 2D)
* Ultima 6 Map with objects on it (Soon I hope)
* Full Ultima 5 Dialogue support
If you have any suggestions, comments, or bugs reports please contact me at xenerkes@chez.com
Install :
---------
* If you have the InstallShield version, launch UltimatrixA028Setup.exe
* Otherwise, you should decompress all the files (from .zip) with full path
note : All the files (ownership of OSI) from Ultimas Directory directly come from the original games by Origin System Inc.
So you have to own the original games to use them.
Key Commands :
--------------
* First edit Ultima.ini ( and adjust the settings to your convenience, explanations in the ini file )
* Launch Ultimatrix
* Use Arrows keys to move the Avatar
* Other available keys in Ultimatrix:
* F1 Switch between Global and Ultima Views
* F2 Enable/Disable visual management of obstacles
* F3 Day Night Transition (Ultima 5 Mode Only)
* F4 make a bitmap (TGA) of the map (computer map)
If you want to change Ultima 6 and clones TGA map colors, you have to change the files *.act
each ACT file contain the RGB Colors for all the 256 tiles
* F5 Enable/Disable management of obstacles
* F6 Make a Bitmap (TGA) of the Map where you are, WITH the real TILES !!!
* F7 Disable Avatar and moving tiles
* F8 Makes a Screen Dump
* F9 Select how you'd like to save your maps: Gem view or Tile view
* F12 Help Screen
* + Decrease the scale of saved map
(to my mind, the best choices are:
1 or 2 for Tiled based maps
2 or 4 for 'Peer at Gem' maps )
*-Increase the scale of saved map
* E ENTER town,dungeon,shrine,castle,keep,...
* I IGNITE a torch
* K KLIMB a ladder, stairs
in dungeons ladders are represented by these icons:
U3 : Up-UDown-DDouble-Serpent
U2 : Up-UDown-DDouble-I
* L LOOK
* O OPEN
* Q QUIT a town,dungeon,...
* T TALK (to end a dialogue, enter 'bye' )
* V PEER AT GEM
* X give coordinates of Avatar
Notes on each Ultima Modes:
---------------------------
Ultima II :
* You can only move on the map called "Earth AD" because I don't know what are the relations between each map (I've never played it).
But I'll try to see how it works, or if someone can tell me...
Ultima V :
* I use now the original compressed Britannia Map file and adjusted the location of Jhelom and the north-eastern island...
Ultima VI (and clones):
* I've no set the coordinates of each dungeon. If you want go to these dungeons and ambrosia, launch Ultimatrix, then don't move and press 'E' you enter the first dungeon, then exit and make one right move , press 'E' to enter the second dungeon, exit make one right move ... etc.
* I use Andrew Jenner's Colors (http://homepages.enterprise.net/berrypark/andrew/u6maps/) for Worlds of Ultima BMP Maps (Savage Empire and Martian Dreams)
Alpha Version 0.28 (10/13/2000) :
---------------------------------
* Added : Path selection for Ultima games (INI File)
* Added : Peer at Gem Key (V) (U3 to U5)
* Added : Moongates locations (U2 to U5)
* Added : Townes and Castle on Earth BC (U2 mode) available
* Added : *VERY elementary* dungeon support in U2 mode (on Earth BC)
* Added : Static Monsters in U4 dungeons Scenes
* Fix: 2D Dungeon view is now like a Peer at Gem view (U4 & U5)
* Fix: bugs in Ultima 3 Dialogue Mode
* Fix people who don't say anything (U5 Dialogue Mode still incomplete and buggy)
* Fix: Adjust music with location
* Fix: All maps are now saved in TGA 256 Colors (it makes smaller files)
* Fix: Tiles around townes (in towne view) are now correct
* Fix: Ultima 1 Tile Map at scale 1:1 can now be saved, and also Ultima 1 Townes
* Fix: Ultima 6 Tile Map at scale 1:2 can now be saved
* Change: Make one Big Dat file from Ultimatrix data files (No Misc directory required now).
* Change: Speed Up a bit my tile display code (in general view mode)
Thanks to :
-----------
* Origin System Inc. and Richard Garriot for all the great Ultima(s) they have made during the past twenty years.
* jcsteele@moongates.com for his Ultima 4 Vga tiles http://www.moongates.com/u4
* Voyager Dragon for his Ultima 3 Ega tiles http://ultima3.voyd.net/
* Telavar for his Midi Musics http://www.surfing.net/ultima/
Credits:
--------
* Cedric Dubois for his regular bug reports
* Bartholomew Melnicki aka Overhead Dragon for his help for objblk files in Ultima 6 and clones
===============================================================================
Contact:
===============================================================================
Xenerkes Dragon(a.k.a LEMUET Christophe)
--=(UDIC)=--
E-Mail:
xenerkes@chez.com
Webpage :
http://www.geocities.com/xenerkes/
PS:Sorry for my english, I'm french
The author cannot be held responsible for any damage or other consequences of using this software.
Naturally this comes entirely without any warranty so you use it at your own risk.
Also, various words such as 'Ultima' and 'Avatar' are trademarks of Origin Inc.
===============================================================================
UltimaPatcher153.rar
readme.txt
**** The Exodus Project ****
* Ultima III Upgrade *
*
* Release 3.0 *
****************************
Table of Contents:
1-Disclaimer
2-Project Scope
3-Current Features
4-Installation Instructions
5-More Information
6-Credits
7-Contact Info
8-Nifty Quote
1-Disclaimer:
Please note that Ultima is a registered trademark of Electronic
Arts, Inc (EA). This project is not affiliated with nor endoresed
by EA. You must own a legal copy of Ultima III: Exodus in order
to apply this patch.
2-Project Scope:
The goal of this project is to convert Ultima III: Exodus
for the PC up to newer standards.
The first phase of this project was to convert the legacy
CGA (4-color) graphics to lesser-legacy EGA (16-color)
graphics. Let's face it: magenta, cyan, and grey were not
exactly pleasing to the eye. I conformed loosely to the
C64 color scheme, and used some tiles from the PC versions
of U1 & U4. (As of v1.0, this phase is complete!)
The second phase added MIDI music to the game. Many
thanks go to Aradindae Dragon (co-author of the U4 MIDI
Upgrade) for supplying me with the MIDI package in the
first place. (As of v2.0, this phase is complete!)
The third phase of this project added VGA (256-color)
graphics to the game. Having a series of successes with
other upgrade projects, I had learned quite a bit more
about assembly language since I first started this hobby,
so I modified the architecture to be more driver-oriented.
This allows for easier maintenance and increased
extensibility in the future. It also enabled the addition
of a driver to simulate CGA Composite mode. (As of v3.0,
this phase is complete!)
Other goals that are not necessarily part of any particular
phase include adding Quit and Restore hot keys, slowing
down or controlling the game speed, and adding an
option to disable the annoying "AutoSave" feature. (As of
v2.1, all these features have been added!)
Future enhancements might entail modifying the sound effects
to be generated by WAV/MP3 data, looking at using SVGA DOS
libraries for higher-resolution graphics, and/or allowing others
to more easily customize the graphics and music. At the moment
though, I feel the U3 Upgrade is in a very good spot where it is,
so don't expect these things any time soon (or perhaps ever).
3-Current Features:
This is currently Release 3.0, which supports the following
features:
1) Fully colored VGA (256-color) tiles
2) Fully colored EGA (16-color) tiles
3) A Composite-mode CGA (16-color) simulation driver
that operates on the CGA data; see more info at:
https://sourceforge.net/p/ultima-exodus/wiki/ … GA%20Composite/
4) EGA/VGA/Composite dungeons are also in color
5) Peer Gems yield a multi-colored look at the world
map, versus only texture in the CGA, C64, and Apple
II versions
6) Restore (ALT-R), Exit (ALT-X), and Main Menu (ALT-M)
hotkeys have been added to the game. ALT-X is also
supported while at the Main Menu.
7) A Frame Limiter that eliminates the need for moslo
😎 Enhanced MIDI Music from the C64 and Apple II versions
9) Ability to Enable/Disable the AutoSave feature
10) Replaces the 0-7 moon phases with actual moon icons
4-Installation Instructions:
1. The PC version of Ultima 3 must already be installed on
your hard drive. If you have a previous version of the U3
Upgrade installed, please replace it with a fresh copy of
Ultima 3. (be sure to back up your savegame files ROSTER.ULT
and PARTY.ULT if you do)
2. Unzip the U3 Upgrade zip file into your Ultima 3 directory
on your hard drive. This step will not affect your current
installation or saved games.
3. Start your DOS emulator (e.g. DOSBox) and navigate to the
Ultima 3 directory.
4. Run BINPAT.EXE U3UP-30.PAT to apply the binary patch to the
game files.
5. Run U3CFG.EXE to configure the game options. If no prior
configuration exists, the game options will be initialized to
the default recommended options. Modify them if you wish then
press 7 to save the configuration and exit.
6. If you enabled MIDI music, run SETM.EXE from the Ultima 3
directory to configure your sound card.
7. Run ULTIMA3.COM from the Ultima 3 directory to start the
game.
8. Email me with suggestions and/or bugs.
Optional steps:
* You can run U3RESET.EXE to reset the game map if you want
your party to enter an uncharted Sosaria. Your party must
be dispersed in order to clear the map. This program will
not affect the Roster.
5-More Information:
Please read the following text files for more information on
this packge.
HISTORY.TXT- History of updates to U3 Upgrade
FILES.TXT- Describes files in U3 Upgrade package
6-Credits:
Thanks to all the people who have submitted comments, suggestions,
and bug reports thus far. Your comments are greatly appreciated,
and have helped to make this a better upgrade to a great game!
Thanks twofold to Aradindae Dragon (Ryan Wiener) for a) supplying
me with the Midpak drivers and b) helping me to get them working properly.
Thanks also to Wiltshire Dragon for his beautiful VGA tileset
from the Ultima IV Upgrade, without which I would have to go
scouring the 'net for graphic artists willing to do this.
Thanks to NewRisingSun for posting Composite CGA screenshots to
MobyGames, inspiring me to return to the U3 Upgrade and write a Composite CGA simulator.
Thanks to the Ultima Dragons of rgcud for, well, just being the outspoken group that they are.
And thanks especially to Richard Garriot for creating Ultima III
in CGA and forcing us to play it on RGB monitors, thus inspiring
me to learn assembly. 😉
7-Contact Info:
Please email me with comments, rants, suggestions, bugs, etc. Do
NOT email me for pirate copies of Ultima III (or any game for that
matter). And say "NO!" to SPAM!
Michael C. Maggio
Voyager Dragon, -=(UDIC)=-
voyager@voyd.net
Project WebSite-http://exodus.voyd.net/
SourceForge-https://sourceforge.net/projects/ultima-exodus/
8-Nifty Quote:
"Truly great madness can not be achieved without significant intelligence."
*- Henrik Tikkanen

*I* didn't ask for you to copy/paste this here. I asked you to think and read this stuff and follow the readmes. And then when you have problems with that ask in a new thread in Milliways or so. Not in dosbox forums...

Dominus: 2013-12-27 @ 23:11
first of all my expert advice is that you cannot do what you want to do for Ultima 3
through this chgcolor utility. It's only for the dos prompt (and or text based things,
whatever).
<->
judging from the output I'm pretty sure you didn't use the command "CHGCOLOR o:3 o:1" but
"CHGCOLOR.DOC o:3 o:1"
Not to mention that CHGCOLOR.DOC is a *DOCument* for you to read on how to use the
CHGCOLOR utility (it's either CHGCOLOR.exe or CHGCOLOR.com), so copying that into the
ultima3 folder was useless.
[quote]C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphe~1
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.
C:\ULTIMA3>graphedt 1 3
This progam cannot be run in DOS mode.{/quote]
my expert advice: don't run Windows programs in Dosbox.
How can I run graphedt 1 3 or graphedt o:1 o:3 in E:\Games\DOS?

I apologized and what did I get,
"Dominus: 2013-12-30 @ 05:29
"Seriously? Try to bring order in what you are doing and THINK. Which of all these zips
do you think are for Ultima 3?
Hint: Ultima is shorted to U and then the number of the Ultima game is added.
Once you sorted that out, read the readme.txt or similar that comes with the patch on how to install it."

Bakshara: 2013-12-30 @ 20:03
The detailed information you asked for:
I just listed all that I downloaded.
I ONLY used these for Ultima3:
u3-midi.zip
U3EGAtileset.zip
u3upgrade-3.0.zip
Ultimatrix1310.zip
UltimaPatcher153.rar
<->
Dominus: 2013-12-30 @ 20:14,
"*I* didn't ask for you to copy/paste this here. I asked you to think and read this stuff
and follow the readmes. And then when you have problems with that ask in a new thread in
Milliways or so. Not in dosbox forums..."

I'm sorry that you do not want information.
Now I have a question for you. What is the point of me asking for advice and help it I am going to just get berated?

Bakshara