HunterZ wrote:

Did this thread ever culminate in a better way of running the early Ultima games in CGA composite mode than via the TSRs that ripsaw8080 posted near the beginning?

Yeah, they work fine with the lastest patches. The build I compiled in this thread can be used for easy testing :
Compiling Issue : Cannot find SVN

Use F12 to switch composite on/off

Great Hierophant wrote:

Yeah, they work fine with the lastest patches. The build I compiled in this thread can be used for easy testing :
Compiling Issue : Cannot find SVN

Use F12 to switch composite on/off

Seems like your build is based on a slightly older version of the patch - I posted a later build (link here) with some updates, such as proper removal of the 7.5% NTSC black level setup (visible in BurgerTime's monitor selection screen, where the "R" should be completely invisible on a composite display).

I want to get back to this patch soon and perhaps create a "lite" version (without any new config settings - just 1-2 extra mapper keys compared to current DOSBox). Not as flexible, but maybe Qbix would be more willing to commit that version.

Thanks. I also found a link on the Ultima forum on GOG.com to some fan patches that "upgrade" Ultima 2-5 to use EGA and/or VGA, as well as adding music from the C64 versions.

HunterZ wrote:

Thanks. I also found a link on the Ultima forum on GOG.com to some fan patches that "upgrade" Ultima 2-5 to use EGA and/or VGA, as well as adding music from the C64 versions.

The trouble I had with those patches, especially 3-5, is that the system speed has to be far greater than the speeds which the underlying games were intended to be played upon for the music to run at an appropriate tempo, which means that the sound effects are virtually eliminated. The music player use DPMI, which to me signifies lazy coding practices of the late 90s, early 2000s. You shouldn't need a midrange 386 or equivalent to run these games with Adlib music.

What would you recommend as the best way to play? Are the non-DOS versions better?

The music patch for U5 is ok. I get it playing fine with the speaker sounds close to accurate with cycles set to 700. U4 works ok with the music patch and cycles set to 350. The problem, and I don't really understand this, is that U4 only works right if I install the graphics and the music patch together. I would prefer just the music patch with the old graphics, but when I tried using the straight music patch it played extremely slow (as Great Hierophant noted.) U3 with the music patch or the music+graphics patch has the same problem. So, I cannot have music with U3 and get accurate speaker sounds. Since I prefer original graphics, I have to make a choice with U4, and finally decided to just take the upgraded graphics.

As for my suggestion, U1-4 I would suggest on a C64 or emulator, U5 on the C128 (or emulator,) and U6+ on the PC. Others would suggest Apple for U1-6 (7+ was only on the PC,) but that is a matter of personal choice. If you really want to stretch your Ultima muscle, try getting the original Ultima 1 (just Ultima) for the Apple only. You would pretty much have to settle for a copy though, I've never been able to find it for sale anywhere.

p.s. I tried contacting the writer of the U4 patch, but all my e-mails bounce 🙁

I disliked the U3-5 patches for the reasons already mentioned, and once actually started out to rewrite the patches into a "contemporary computer friendly" manner. I more-or-less finished one for Ultima III but then lost interest... 😀

I don't like to use the C64/Apple versions for playing because I don't like changing the disk all the time.

While this Ultima discussion is very interesting, I suggest splitting it off into a separate thread, as the music patches have nothing to do with composite video emulation.

I was thinking of splitting it off as well, so I'll go ahead and do so.

Edit: Done. Cleverly linked back to the original thread from my first post.

The novelty of the music for 3 & 4 and to a lesser extent 5 wears off soon enough.

Well, I originally started playing Ultima on the C64 with U3 then U2 (yeah, I did it backwards, but that is the order I found them in.) At that point I was hooked, and went on to get Ultima 1, 4, & 5. When I got 5, I had already upgraded to the C128, so it wasn't until much later that I discovered that U5 didn't have music on the C64, only the C128. I had just purchased U6 and hadn't even opened the package yet when I fried my 128. At that point I had an A2000 and a PC (486.)

So, to me, music was an integral part of Ultima, and it just doesn't feel the same without it. Imagine my shock when I discovered that U1-5 never had music on the PC. It just doesn't feel right. That's why I like the music patches. I just wish I could get the music working on all of them while maintaining the original graphics, and accurate PC speaker sounds.

I'm not really a fan of disk swapping myself, but for the most "complete" Ultima experience (mixing graphics, sound, and music,) you might have to make a choice. U1 never had any disk swaps on any of the machines. U3 had the next least at 1 disk to load, then 1 disk to play on. U2 was next with 3 disks.1 to load, one to play on, then 1 when you went into space. From there it went on up, though U4 & 5 were set up to allow multiple drives reducing the disk swaps. Don't know about 6, never played it except on the PC.