[RHDNBot]

Update By: Fox Cunning

When it was released in 1988, Ultima: Exodus was revolutionary, and proof that the RPGs that were already popular on microcomputers could be ported to home consoles.
However, the original game had its flaws, and the NES version added its own.


This patch not only fixes bugs and restores missing text and clues, but also updates the graphics, reintroduces enemies that were only found in the computer versions, and improves the gameplay without completely altering it.

Gone are the days of grinding low level monsters for 95% of a playthrough: now levelling up is actually rewarding and encouraged. Higher level characters receive buffs and special abilities, magic users become more powerful and their spells have better chances to succeed, and more dangerous monsters and dungeons also give the best loot.

Note that this isn't an "easy mode" patch: the game is still punishing, but not in an unfair and unfun way. The player will progress through their quest to defeat Exodus.


A partial list of what's on offer in Ultima: Exodus Remastered (see the Release Notes for an extensive list):

• Updated, more user-friendly UI
• Bug fixes
• Many Quality-Of-Life changes
• Improved "3D" dungeon view
• Graphics inspired to Ultima IV-VI
• NPC portraits in dialogues
• Lootable weapons/armour
• New enemy AI makes battles faster and more tactical
• Battle/magic systems rebalance
• More distinct Professions, each with their own stats and abilities
• Horses actually make map movement faster over certain terrain types and are not just cosmetic

Note that this hack does not alter sound/music and is aimed at being compatible with future sound/music hacks.

Have fun exploring Sosaria again!

RHDN Project Page

Relevant Link

[Special]

Been following your progress on this for quite some time, now super pumped and happy you're finally finished, and cannot wait to sit down and play this.

Great job!

[8.bit.fan]

Awesome work!
Playing it right now as we speak. Fantastic updates!!

Looking forward to a music patch(if it's still in the works) to import music from the computer versions!

Cheers!!
8-bit fan

[roney33]

congratulations on your fantastic work

[Wendell]

Wow, what an incredible idea!

[StratosVX]

I liked this game as a kid and I really look forward to playing this hack. Thank you!

[Googie]

I'm gonna give this a spin later on tonight. 

[Final Boss]

I cant wait to start playing this awesome-looking version, and I don't just mean because of the graphical updates, but rather everything else!

But the process of figuring out fucking filetypes has juso begunnnn. 

I'll probably end up needing to wait until I can access a laptop, since people refuse to use normal filetypes these days. 
Too bad it's not BPS or a regular .xdelta file or I'd already be playing it.

Thanks for the massive upgrade, and thanks for it being a huge tease too.

[xttx]

Great work on this! Is there an ips version? I cannot get the exe to run on my PC. i am using XP and it keeps saying it is not a valid win32 appication. 

EDIT: Also just tried this out on my gf's pc and it still has an error. This time where it patches the file and says it does not exist. 

[Fox Cunning]

I cannot get the exe to run on my PC. i am using XP and it keeps saying it is not a valid win32 appication. 

Ah, that's because I've included the 64-bit version: try replacing xdelta3.exe with the file found here: https://fossies.org/windows/misc/xdelta3-3.0.11-i686.exe.zip/
That's the 32-bit version and should work in windows XP as well.

EDIT: Also just tried this out on my gf's pc and it still has an error. This time where it patches the file and says it does not exist. 

You probably have the "alternative" ROM dump. I have updated my patch with a flag that should work with that too now: try downloading the hack again and it should work.
Also download it again before replacing xdelta3.exe as explained above.

Is there an ips version?

Because of extensive code/data relocation I didn't want to include copyrighted material in my patch, which an IPS would have done.
XDelta3 was the next best choice to avoid that.
Let me know if the above works!

[A.W. Laris Borromeo]

Good gob on reworking and improving Ultima III's console port, Fox!
Bu the way when I go to the main menu  and examine characters, I saw Paula, Ken, Milo, and Kate as the  last four characters in the last four slots.
Is that actually part of the hack's programming? I don't remember seeing them in the original release of the NES port or Ludmeister's one.

[Fox Cunning]

when I go to the main menu  and examine characters, I saw Paula, Ken, Milo, and Kate as the  last four characters in the last four slots.
Is that actually part of the hack's programming? I don't remember seeing them in the original release of the NES port or Ludmeister's one.

Aye! Every time a new game is created, four characters are chosen from a roster of pre-made ones in a semi-random fashion (the game actually tries to make a balanced party for you).

This replaces the original "pre-made" character selection.

And for the curious, there are a few reasons why I made that change:
- The previous functionality took way too much room for little return.
- Some of the pre-made characters were not the best choices.
- The process of selecting four random characters was about as long as manually creating them, and sometimes longer if the RNG kept presenting you the same two you didn't want.
- If one was new to the game and knew nothing about professions, races, ability bonuses etc. presenting them with that kind of choice was not effective.
- If one was not new, but just wanted to start the game quickly with pre-made characters, this was also useless since as stated before the random selection took longer than manual generation.
- With this system you can just start a new game and immediately form a part using the last four slots, and you will have a balanced, usable combination of professions with decent stats.

Cheers!

[cospefogo]

Seriously.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
I really can't!

It's astonishing!
It's amazing!

One of my favorite games of all time — mervelously remastered.
Thank you SO much for this.
Definetely I will play it as soon as possible.

Still remember how arduous was my first playthrough back in the 90's. Leveling up was reall a pain, and made me gave it up from the game so many times. But I was able to beat it after all... Eager to replay EXODUS now! (Albeit I found a way to cheat on the original NES cartridge: If you simply pull off the cart with console power ON and push it back, the sram memory gets crazy and you end with a lot fo money and crazy items on you invetory... pretty insane! [Used to cheat on Genesis games this way as well]).

Regards,
Cospefogo.

[Jorpho]

Sounds pretty neat, for sure, but I can't be the only one who finds that new font to be kinda hard to read, can I?

[cospefogo]

Sounds pretty neat, for sure, but I can't be the only one who finds that new font to be kinda hard to read, can I?

The font is beautiful, but kind too fancy to be reading all the time. I would suggest a small patch with a mor traditional font... like Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior font!

[Fox Cunning]

The font is beautiful, but kind too fancy to be reading all the time. I would suggest a small patch with a mor traditional font... like Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior font!

I am trialling a v1.01 patch with an option to use an alternative font. I'll send you a link if you are interested in testing it before release.

[cospefogo]

I am trialling a v1.01 patch with an option to use an alternative font. I'll send you a link if you are interested in testing it before release.

Oh, thanks Fox!
I will be glad to help.

In time: What do you think of keeping the original "wall tops" with the same design, perhaps "remastered"? I don't know if it's only me %u2014 but the current top of the walls is similar to a floor tile. The original, shaped like a trapezoid matches better the "wall" idea.
Only a suggestion, of course!

Thanks for everything!!!
February 25, 2020, 04:16:59 pm - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)For those interested to see images
from the official EXODUS NO KYOFU hintbook, follows:





















- - -

Also, some pics from Quest of Avatar hintbook:

[ZForceFFC]

This is an awesome hack so far, I wanted to report a potential bug I found (I am not sure if this is an emulation glitch) but whenever I'm in one of the four shrines in Ambrosia, and I try to cast a "Heal" spell, the game resets.  I am playing the game on a Raspberry/Retro Pi. 

[Fox Cunning]

This is an awesome hack so far, I wanted to report a potential bug I found (I am not sure if this is an emulation glitch) but whenever I'm in one of the four shrines in Ambrosia, and I try to cast a "Heal" spell, the game resets.  I am playing the game on a Raspberry/Retro Pi.

Thanks for the report, I will investigate this ASAP.

Update

I've found where the bug is. The game resets if you cast Heal, Heal2 or Raise after talking to the priest. If you do that before talking to the priest, the dialogue will be messed up and the priest will become a woman

I hope I'll get this fixed and tested tonight, and then an update published tomorrow

Update 2All done! Version 1.02 is up with bugfixes.

[Special]

Just wanted to say that the new alternative font included takes this from a 9.9/10 to an 11/10.

BTW I patched both versions just to compare old vs. new font on my end to 1.01, and for the old, the CRC32 didn't match the readme's, was that correct or a problem on my end?