Ultima The Ultima Underworld I & II Thread

[octavius]

I recommend installing Munt instead and set Windows to use MT-32 as default Midi device. Then all games that are configured to use Roland sound will use it automatically, without having to edit individual DosBox .CONF files, or use "exotic" DosBox versions.
You will probably need the Putzlowitch's Vista MIDIMapper to enable the change in Windows Control Panel.

 

[Sceptic]

I started the game and found that I have the "piano steps" problem, so I'm hunting down the General MIDI patch.

You didn't setup DOSBox to use the Roland emulator. See Excidium's post.

The General MIDI patch is shit because it cannot use any of the custom MT-32 patches so all sound effects will be terrible.

 

[Sceptic]

I recommend installing Munt instead and set Windows to use MT-32 as default Midi device. Then all games that are configured to use Roland sound will use it automatically, without having to edit individual DosBox .CONF files, or use "exotic" DosBox versions.

And then all games that use GM will be using the default MIDI device (ie Munt) and will sound like shit...

With ykhwong's build you don't need to edit the conf, just use the drop down menus to change the MIDI device.

 

[mindx2]

I recommend installing Munt instead and set Windows to use MT-32 as default Midi device. Then all games that are configured to use Roland sound will use it automatically, without having to edit individual DosBox .CONF files, or use "exotic" DosBox versions.
You will probably need the Putzlowitch's Vista MIDIMapper to enable the change in Windows Control Panel.

I found using Taewoong's DosBox build to be extremely easy. Even though it is an "exotic" build, as you call it, It works just like the regular DosBox build. I just plopped the Roland ROMs into the DosBox folder and that's all I needed to do. Loaded up UW1 and selected MT-32 in the setup and was done. Didn't need a MIDIMapper or edit any DosBox.conf files. Not sure why you would want him to do all that other stuff when using Taewoong's DosBox is so much easier.

 

[Excidium]

I recommend installing Munt instead and set Windows to use MT-32 as default Midi device. Then all games that are configured to use Roland sound will use it automatically, without having to edit individual DosBox .CONF files, or use "exotic" DosBox versions.

And then all games that use GM will be using the default MIDI device (ie Munt) and will sound like shit...

Oh I didn't know that.

 

[octavius]

Well, Taewoong's DosBox didn't work for me, but Munt did.

 

[Great Deceiver]

ykhwong's build is awesome for a number of reasons, can't recommend it enough really. The drop-down on-the-fly options are just superb. Also there's a pretty good direct3d blitter there (CRT.D3D.fx), it's surprisingly great - and I usually hate filters/blitters.

 

[SCO]

This build (for ubuntu):
https://code.launchpad.net/~i30817/+recipe/dosbox-daily

has the latest munt, and doesn't need configuration to use (just drop roms in ~/.dosbox).

 

[Great Deceiver]

I`m having a small problem (using CM32L ROMs) - the sound effects (footsteps, water, etc.) are way too low. I can hear them when I disable the music, but otherwise they're almost inaudible. Is there a way to adjust volume individually for sound effects in UW? Is this a Munt characteristic?

 

[Sceptic]

Nope it's the way the CM-32L works: you have no way of adjusting the volume of individual parts, therefore you can't individually adjust the volumes of music and sound effects. You're just going to have to live with it unfortunately.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I see, thanks. The music is still brilliant, it`s a very minor issue.

 

[octavius]

This will hurt music lovers Sceptic and Jaesun,

but I prefer playing the UU games with music turned off. Would have prefered some ambient sound fx for extra immersion instead.

 

[Excidium]

I see, thanks. The music is still brilliant, it`s a very minor issue.

Unless you have some other issue, it's only the title screen that is really loud. Go in and out of combat mode to get rid of it.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Got myself a black sword and just killed me an evil wizard that badly needed dying. Now I'm pulling a Conan and slaying every single thing I'm finding on the 8th level. "Crom, Count the Dead!"

I went back to level 5, but didn't find much else except for a secret door I missed leading the the golden plate. I turned that in so I could become a knight. I also rescued the princess. Mario and Luigi would be proud.

However, I still only have the Sword, Shield, Candle, Book, Banner and Bottle for artifacts.

Never did figure out how to do the Bullfrog puzzle at the same level with the two dials and two buttons, nor did I ever find the four dials leading to the Ring. I still don't know what the last artifact is.

I'm level 16 right now and maxed out in sword, defense and attack. I have some magic to boost my defense. Do I really need the last two artifacts or can I finish the game as is?

 

[octavius]

You definitely need the last two artifacts.

As for the Bullfrog puzzle, try the levers and see what happens. It's all quite logical and safe, and you can reset the puzzle with a wand. When you have figured it out, a new path will be available to you.

What are your clues to the wherabouts of the Cup of Wonder? It is the hardest to find of the eight artifacts.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I didn't even know what the 8th artifact even was until you mentioned it, so I have no notes on it. The only thing I have a lead on are two hints I haven't pursued from prisoners on level 7. One discussing something he had hidden along the lava flows and the other who showed me a secret passage he had dug out which lead to locked doors I haven't tried my new key out on yet. Oh, and the lizard men have something hidden on a corner of their level. One knight told me to ask them about a pool, but when I talk to the gray lizards and ask about pool and pools under the 'Other...' option, I don't get a working answer.

 

[octavius]

Hmm...haven't your read any of the included documentation? I'm pretty sure all the artifacts are listed there.
Have you found any incense or anyone who uses incense? Try and see if burning it is enlightening.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I tried using the incense from the wizard's body earlier, but nothing happened. Someone had mentioned using a torch with the incense, so I am keeping my eyes open. I thought doing so would only show me the BBEG, so I wasn't in a rush.

 

[Gord]

It might be that burning alone is not enough, I'm not sure about it as it's been a while, but you probably have to "meditate" as well, i.e. sleep.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Use incense on torch, you'll have a piece of incense with smoke coming from it.
Use lit incense.
If nothing happens, then sleep.
Regardless of that, you should sleep after having slain the evil wizard, if you haven't already.

As for the Bullfrog puzzle... you don't have to complete it properly. It's just a means to an end. You can use any other means of expedited movement available. But what you're looking for on Level 5 is easily accessible from whereever on that level.

In other news, with the added info provided here, I was finally able to get both games running with MT-32 music. And with the SVN Daum build, I even get them in fullscreen on a 16:10 screen! Thanks again, everyone!

There's only one problem... I don't like having Roland sound in UUW1.

The music sounds brilliant, but as many have pointed out, there's no volume control on it, so it drowns out the effect sounds. And turning off the music in UUW1 is not only robbing you of one of the best soundtracks ever made for a RPG, it also left me with the realization that the MT-32 sounds, while better than the Sound Blaster/Adlib noises I had grown up with, are also too loud. I ran down the first hallway, stopped, listened, and could hear the rat moving about in its room to the west. Through a closed door. And 5 feet of stone. I re-installed UW1 from scratch, and am now playing the game with the standard Sound Blaster/Adlib configuration that I had all those years ago. I'll download the soundtrack in MT-32 format from somewhere for my own enjoyment later on. But right now I'm about halfway through the first floor and I'm already at Level 5. I gained a level just by walking close to the Green Goblin King. Weird. IIRC, I was Level 9 by the time I finally descended to the second floor the last time I played.

Meanwhile UUW2 works brilliantly, with the digital samples complementing the MT-32 soundtrack wonderfully. I rolled a high Strength Druid and named him Garrett, because I was suddenly reminded of one very interesting fact: All those items in the castle that do not belong to you, are being left unattended at the start of the game, because almost everyone has gathered in the throneroom for a meeting. I'm gonna play this game with the notion that every item that isn't "belonging to a XXX" belongs to me, and the other items will soon belong to me. I'm gonna raid the other worlds for everything of value and fix the Britannian economy all by myself!

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I gave up on looking for more artifacts and focused on clearing out levels 7 and 8. I would attack some creatures, run low on hit points, and then shift to puzzle solving while my mana restored itself so I could heal, then I'd go back to killing. Level 7 is now free of those damned fire elementals. Can you wear necklaces? I found ankh pendant on level 8 that I tried to click onto my character's neck, but it didn't take. Now that I am proficient in magic, travel to hard to reach areas full of treasure is a lot easier. Too bad there's not much of an economy in game for all the golem treasure I found and had to leave due to weight concerns.

I made some pretty good progress and freed some prisoners who told me about three important keys I needed to collect. These puzzles were not too tough, though I had to put together two different hints to figure out how to get the one Imolo guides you to. I feel kind of clever that I figured that one out in only a couple of minutes of sorting through my notes. I solved these puzzles before I found the ring and the cup.

I couldn't solve the Bullfrog puzzle, so I took the above hint and tried some magic to bypass it, and it worked! Funnily enough, I did try this solution earlier, but you have to be precise when trying to circumvent the puzzle, and so I missed out until I tried again. Triumphantly I walked in to the hidden area and... didn't find the Ring of Humility as I had hoped. I got a little frustrated, and went through my list of notes and puzzles I hadn't solved. Then I realized I was in the wrong location entirely. I discovered I was misinterpreting my own notes and went to the correct spot. A few trials and errors later, and I got the puzzle right and had the ring. I immediately tried some incense with a torch I discovered along the way, and received the image of a cup. So the cup is my last objective before heading back down to level 8. The problem is I have no idea where to look. Here are the puzzles I have yet to solve, which might help:

- Get four emeralds for the VAS rune. I have two, and need two more, but I already found all the possible runes in my rune bag.

- Get a flute to a ghoul. I still haven't found a flute. I have no idea where to look.

- Ask gray lizards about a pool. There's a gray lizard on the fourth floor, and the rest are on the third. When I talk to them I have an 'other' option, but they don't respond to pool or pools. I tried ring much earlier, just for kicks, but that gave no useful response either.

- Find a golden suit of armor. I forgot who told me this one, but I haven't found anything.

- Find what the crazy wizard prisoner had hid in the lava flows. If this isn't the small orbs I used earlier to destroy an artifact or the golden armor, then I don't know what this is. Maybe the cup on level 7?

- Get inside the undead area of level 7. Again, maybe cup is here.

- Use the Kill Everyone spell. I'm not doing this.

- Find the bones of the ghost that brought me here and bury him properly. Haven't found bones.

This game is huge. I can't believe how many hours I put into it and have yet to find all the secrets and locations. I doubt I could finish without the hints everyone has helped me out with, but I'm also pretty proud of the solutions I have figured out on my own, especially when I figure them out quickly.

 

[Gord]

The cup is maybe a bit tricky.
You need some "information" to point you in the right direction and to then retrieve the cup.

I will give you some more hints, it's no solution, don't worry, but don't click it if you don't want to read them:

Spoiler

Solving the riddle of the cup requires at least two things - first you should check out what happens when using the incense again. Remember what you have seen there.
And secondly, you have to remember some special clue you should have got already, but maybe you haven't connected it to the cup. The name of the cup may be taken as a hint there.

 

[octavius]

I gave up on looking for more artifacts and focused on clearing out levels 7 and 8. I would attack some creatures, run low on hit points, and then shift to puzzle solving while my mana restored itself so I could heal, then I'd go back to killing. Level 7 is now free of those damned fire elementals.

I hope you used the resist fire spell when dealing with the fire elementals?

Can you wear necklaces? I found ankh pendant on level 8 that I tried to click onto my character's neck, but it didn't take.

I checked all my saves and my character has no necklases at all. But it's possible it has some effect if placed in one of the shoulder slots.

I immediately tried some incense with a torch I discovered along the way, and received the image of a cup. So the cup is my last objective before heading back down to level 8. The problem is I have no idea where to look.

Maybe meditating at at a shrine will help, if you know the right mantra? Hint: check the image of that cup carefully.

Here are the puzzles I have yet to solve, which might help:

- Get four emeralds for the VAS rune. I have two, and need two more, but I already found all the possible runes in my rune bag.

Hmm...can't remember anything about that one.

- Get a flute to a ghoul. I still haven't found a flute. I have no idea where to look.

There should be several flutes in the Abyss. Isn't there one already on the first level, in the human colony?
EDIT: on second thought, that may have been a mandolin. But I checked my screenshots of the game, and I had a flute when talking to Derek the Knight on lvl 4.

- Ask gray lizards about a pool. There's a gray lizard on the fourth floor, and the rest are on the third. When I talk to them I have an 'other' option, but they don't respond to pool or pools. I tried ring much earlier, just for kicks, but that gave no useful response either.

Can't recall this one either, but did you ask in ye olde English or in lizardman language?
Did you find the remains of one of the tribes' previous leader, and the quest to find him?

- Find a golden suit of armor. I forgot who told me this one, but I haven't found anything.

Heh, the Golden Plate? That is not a suit of armor, but a gold dish. You have probably already found it and returned it to the Knights.

- Find the bones of the ghost that brought me here and bury him properly. Haven't found bones.

Just keep searching. It's not in a hidden area.

 

[Excidium]

Stop checking this thread until you finish the game FFS

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Get four emeralds for the VAS rune. I have two, and need two more, but I already found all the possible runes in my rune bag.

Then you can safely skip this puzzle, as the only reward is the Vas rune. (On a related note, if you can remember where you found the other Vas rune, you might want to revisit that location now.)

Get a flute to a ghoul. I still haven't found a flute. I have no idea where to look.

Level 2, King Goldthirst's bedroom, just in front of the bed, on your left when you enter. He won't miss it.

Ask gray lizards about a pool. There's a gray lizard on the fourth floor, and the rest are on the third. When I talk to them I have an 'other' option, but they don't respond to pool or pools. I tried ring much earlier, just for kicks, but that gave no useful response either.

That pool is probably only intended as a source of fish. A quest requires you to give 10 fish to someone, but odds are pretty good you've completed that quest by now.

Find what the crazy wizard prisoner had hid in the lava flows. If this isn't the small orbs I used earlier to destroy an artifact or the golden armor, then I don't know what this is. Maybe the cup on level 7?

Not sure of this one, but I don't remember there being anything of note there except the locked door leading up.

If you hadn't solved the puzzle with the golden plate on level 4, two hints: There are three secret doors in the NW cemetery, and one of them requires a key that Sir Roderick was carrying.

Get inside the undead area of level 7. Again, maybe cup is here.

Kallistan, one of the prisoners in the prison, mentioned an object and its bizarre properties. If you have this item, take a cruise around level 7 again and see if anything happens. If you do get in there, watch your back...

Use the Kill Everyone spell. I'm not doing this.

Save, try it. Reload. Try casting it in the center of Level 8. Tell me if it 'worked'.

Find the bones of the ghost that brought me here and bury him properly. Haven't found bones.

The Abyss's loneliest individual can give you clues on this. I'll give you another clue based on game mechanics: Garamon's bones don't stack with other bones.

This game is huge. I can't believe how many hours I put into it and have yet to find all the secrets and locations. I doubt I could finish without the hints everyone has helped me out with, but I'm also pretty proud of the solutions I have figured out on my own, especially when I figure them out quickly.

I'm replaying it now for the first time in roughly 10 years and I'm working on maxing out Lore. It's such fun to pick up half-battered pieces of junk, only to find out that they're magical. I butchered some bandits by the lizardman area, for example, and one of them dropped a ring that my Lore skill identified instantly.