IPF support

Is it possible to install U3 to hard disk and run from there? If so, could you then just copy the install folder off of the hard disk and archive it?

edit: it seems from googling around that U3 only runs from floppies, cannot be installed to HDD. You can buy Ultima III on GOG.com, install it to your modern Windows PC, then copy the files over to your DOS computer (assuming you have a HDD in your turbo XT). It's not the same as a backup of your 5 1/4" floppy, but maybe you can use the files to reconstruct alternate floppies to install or run from?

Ultima IX, but you made me think of this 😁
https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/1999/12/01

Depending on the protection type, Teledisk may do the job. I believe it can copy bad-sector based protection but not weak-bit protection.
Otherwise yes, a Kryoflux will do it.

Unless you really want to do anything with the copy, just grab the game from GOG. This will be much cheaper than getting a kryoflux.

The flippy disk versions of PC Ultima III are protected with Formaster Advanced Copylock. TeleDisk cannot copy that, though Copy2PC can (the program, not the Option Board).

The GOG versions to my knowledge are based on the CD-ROM versions and are thus somewhat unsuitable for floppy disk use, as the Insert Scenario Disk prompt was removed. If the original poster has a 1984 rather than a 1985 or later version, he would also encounter subtle gameplay changes, as e.g. the enemy generation rate was altered between the 1984 and 1985+ versions.

OTOH you can easily apply the upgrade patch http://exodus.voyd.net/ultima3.html

I made a utility somewhere called uload123.com that let you load ultima 1/2/3 off harddisk and give you a quite key back to dos, and avoids the floppies. that might help run it off hd.

Thanks for all the replies. I really want to keep it on bootable floppy so if none of the ways suggested works I will just purchase a Kyroflux. I have always been interested in preserving floppy data and I have many boxed original games so may be I can supply some data dumps to add a little to the preservation of old games.

I find it interesting the original game has subtle differences. How can I find out when my copy was made@

Tommaso72

File dates, perhaps 😉

U3 is my fav game.

there was some differences in map printing but the game I dont recall the game itself having any changes between say pc + c64 + apple ii

some differences in the 'big box' types, but no difference in game play.

there were also a couple of variations of the clue book (very very minor).

this is mine 😀

This is the heavy version of the map, from a 1983 apple 2 release, its the 19” wide version. Its the 1st version of the map.

Thanks for sharing your map. 😀 Brings back a lot of memories...why did I throw all these things out back in the day?? 🙁

Here is my changelog for the PC version of Ultima III. The date of each version refers to the date of EXODUS.COM (later renamed to EXODUS.BIN), which always has the latest date.

1Ultima III: Exodus, version for IBM PC --- changelog by NewRisingSun, as of 2016-05-15
2======================================================================================
3
4Version dated May 22nd, 1984
5----------------------------
6- First known version.
7- Both COMMAND.COM and BOOTUP.COM are protected with Formaster Advanced Copylock key disk copy protection.
8- Comes on a double-sided 5.25 inch diskette with each side holding a separate (160K) file system (for compatibility with the single-side diskette drives of early PCs).
9  The "label up" side is the copy-protected "Program" side; the flip side is the Player Master. A scenario disk is created by DISKCOPYing the Player Master side.
10- Contains IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM both with filler (0xC3) bytes. Reference card recommends using the SYS command to transfer the DOS system files to the original disk to make it bootable.
11- Title screen loader is called COMMAND.COM. This is presumably for users who make their disk bootable with DOS 1.1 (which knows no CONFIG.SYS with its SHELL command) to save memory by not loading
12  DOS' original COMMAND.COM. Includes a CONFIG.SYS file for DOS 2.0+ specifying "Buffers=1" and "Files=1", presumably to reduce memory requirements.
13- Other executables are named BOOTUP.COM and EXODUS.COM, but cannot be called from the command line (BOOTUP runs but does not switch itself to graphics mode, EXODUS.COM will freeze).
14- *.ULT data files have dashes in them, i.e. MONTOR-E.ULT.
15
16Version dated January 22nd, 1985
17--------------------------------
18- On Sosaria map, monster generation probability changed from 17/128 to 7/128 per step.
19- Yelling "EVOCARE" now tests whether player has the Mark of the Snake. Previously it mistakenly tested for Sol and Moon cards (wrong code: "AND AL, 06", correct code: "AND AL, 1 SHL 6").
20- Flipped the condition leading to Gas Trap versus Bomb Trap when opening a trapped chest. Since the trap type is randomly determined and both have equal (1/4) probability, this makes no difference.
21
22Version dated March 8th, 1985
23-----------------------------
24- COMMAND.COM: sequence clearing high byte of word variable, then clearing both bytes of the word variable changed to clearing both bytes of the variable only (in other words, makes no difference.)
25- Different initialization in the buffers for PARTY.ULT (in EXODUS.COM) and PARTY.ULT/ROSTER.ULT (in BOOTUP.COM).
26  Since they are immediately overwritten with the actual files' contents, this makes no difference.
27- When decreasing Health Points, update the character panel immediately.
28- After poisoning player, update the character panel immediately.
29- Fixes a bug where Handing Equipment (gems/keys/powders/torches) fails to increase the receiving character's inventory even as the items are removed from the giving character's inventory.
30- Added a line feed to the beginning of the "Leave my shop!" line and a corresponding Scroll Window call.
31- Added a line feed to the beginning of the "What? Can't pay!" line and a corresponding Scroll Window call.
32- Added a line feed to the beginning of the "I'm sorry, but you don't have the funds" line and a corresponding Scroll Window call.
33- Removed doubled Scroll Window call before paying bartender.
34- Removed one (unused?) box drawing definition from DUNGEON.DAT.
35- ANIMATE.DAT has a new date stamp, but its content is unchanged.
36
37Version dated March 3rd, 1987 (also included in Ultima I-III trilogy)
38---------------------------------------------------------------------
39- COMMAND.COM renamed to ULTIMA.COM.
40- Replaced the Formaster Advanced Copylock protection with Xidex Magnetics (XEMAG)' XELOK.
41- Added two additional NOPs to the Clear Keyboard Buffer routine, leaving more time for Keyboard Interrupts (IRQ1) to occur on ATs.
42- NAME.DAT is padded with zero bytes from 533 to 640 bytes size.
43- Now comes on a double-sided 360K diskette, dropping compatibility with single-sided diskette drives of early PCs.
44- Since this means a scenario diskette can no longer be created simply by using DISKCOPY with the "Player Master" side, MKPLAY.EXE utility for creating a play disk has been added.
45
46Version dated September 30th, 1991 (Ultima I-VI and Ultima Collection CD-ROMs)
47------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48- BOOTUP.COM and EXODUS.COM renamed to BOOTUP.BIN and EXODUS.BIN (since they cannot be run from the command line anyway).
49- All dashes in file names changed to underscores (because ISO 9660 does not allow dashes in file names), i.e. MONTOR-E.ULT becomes MONTOR_E.ULT.
50- XELOK key disk checking routine "patched" out (apparently source code for proper reassembling and linking was not available).
51- "Insert scenario disk" prompt patched out.

NewRisingSun wrote:

Here is my changelog for the PC version of Ultima III.

wow! thanks for that, I never new the gameplay had subtle changes/fixes.

BloodyCactus, I have the same map for my C64 game, it is of much better quality than the PC version I have which is much thinner and smaller.

NewRisingSun, thanks for that info, greatly appreciated.

Tommaso72

NewRisingSun wrote:

Here is my changelog for the PC version of Ultima III. The date of each version refers to the date of EXODUS.COM (later renamed to EXODUS.BIN), which always has the latest date

Amazing work! Now we know more about Ultima III for the PC than anyone ever thought could be known!

If you don't already have a fix for it....

With my version of Ultima 3 (exodus.com dated 2/10/87,) the copy protection is a simple long track format of the key track (track 9 side 0,) on the disk. The key track is 16 sectors long instead of 8. So, copying to a 3.5" disk was all it took to get it to run just fine for me. I don't remember the exact method I used to convert it though. I'm thinking I used teledisk or some such and a conversion filter of some sort. My compatibility system (with DOS & 3.5" & 5.25" drives,) is currently packed away and I haven't had a chance (due to other issues I'm dealing with,) to find it and set it back up. Trying to get my backup image file (which runs just fine in DOSBox,) to boot doesn't work though. The disk has IBM DOS files, so maybe it is supposed to boot. Would have to try the original disks on my physical system to test it out though.

FeedingDragon wrote:

If you don't already have a fix for it....

With my version of Ultima 3 (exodus.com dated 2/10/87,) the copy protection is a simple long track format of the key track (track 9 side 0,) on the disk. The key track is 16 sectors long instead of 8. So, copying to a 3.5" disk was all it took to get it to run just fine for me. I don't remember the exact method I used to convert it though. I'm thinking I used teledisk or some such and a conversion filter of some sort. My compatibility system (with DOS & 3.5" & 5.25" drives,) is currently packed away and I haven't had a chance (due to other issues I'm dealing with,) to find it and set it back up. Trying to get my backup image file (which runs just fine in DOSBox,) to boot doesn't work though. The disk has IBM DOS files, so maybe it is supposed to boot. Would have to try the original disks on my physical system to test it out though.

This will be the next thing I try before buying the copy hardware. Everything copies fine with the exception of one file which DOS states it cannot copy. The exact wording I cannot remember. I just copied it using the copy command in DOS and copied each file separately. If all it takes is copying to 3.5 inch I will be very happy. I have to acquire the proper cables for my 3.5 and 5.25 disk drives, but when I set them up on one system I will report back if it worked. I hope you are correct, thanks.

Tommaso72

If your U3 disk is a flippy disk, then you don't have the 1987 version, and thus copying to 3.5 inch won't help you. You also would need to use a HD 3.5 inch disk, which XT floppy controllers normally don't support.

I suppose it's apparently too much to ask that you try the FORM-CL utility I have already sent you ten days ago?

NewRisingSun wrote:

If your U3 disk is a flippy disk, then you don't have the 1987 version, and thus copying to 3.5 inch won't help you. You also would need to use a HD 3.5 inch disk, which XT floppy controllers normally don't support.

I suppose it's apparently too much to ask that you try the FORM-CL utility I have already sent you ten days ago?

Yes it is the flippy disk so I guess I am out of luck there. I did try the FORM-CL utility and it did not work, should have mentioned that. I have a few other suggestions I have not tried yet, so when I try them I will report if they worked or not and list the method used. Thanks for all the ideas.

Tommaso72