Huh?

[Old North]

I bought the Ultima VII complete package from GOG. I have installed everything from BG and SI using their website. I have not yet played the game at all, as I understand that the installation of Exult would wipe clean any saved files. I am dying to play this game, to see if it can surpass the Original Wasteland as my top game of all time. Underworld I and II occupy my 3rd and forth slots (following WL then BG1 and BG2). All the reviews indicate that this is the top Ultima and that there is the very reak possibility that it might beat even The Deity which is WL1.
At this time, I've yet to start-up the game, and have only read the game's manual. My understanding is that the Game is Vastly improved by using Exult, in particular, combat goes too fast without it.
So, I go to the download section and assume I will see a "latest zipped patch, to download unzip and run as usual and Hooray - Exult Ultima 7 ready to play! Instead I am confronted with a list of 34 "downloadable links". things called Snapshots and audio packs and separate sound packs, mods, patch mod archives...etc
I do not have a degree in computer science, and have no plans to take any audited courses on the subject. I have no idea what I am even looking at, and I no idea what to do with all the disparate material, even if I did.
So, the subject of this post is indeed my general question. Is Exult accessible to a layman and I have simply overlooked the obvious? I have looked for step-by step installation videos, to no avail.
Can anyone explain in layman's terms what I am dealing with here, how to install - ideally a comprehensive version of Exult, or, failing that, the most basic-bare-bones steps needed to get the basics to improve Ultima VII game-play? I know nothing about altering source-code. I do not know how to even access source-code. I took a class in Fortran in '97, for godssakes - do you see what I am saying? I am not a stupid man, simply one who is uninformed and uninterested in software programming.
Referring me to the faq, which, indeed appears comprehensive to the computer-literate, is indecipherable hieroglyphics to me. I must have read the definition of what is a snapshot ten times now without comprehending what I am dealing with. If read each line of text on this site's pages. I might as well have been reading the gospels in Aramaic, for the good it did me.
Furthermore, Help discussions, which begin with a general request for help quickly deteriorate into specific issues which do not help me with installing and using Exult. If no one can simply guide me through an exult installation, perhaps they could atleast tell me how to briefly modify the game to have slower combat.
I am not unappreciative of the Monumental Work this site represents and am further impressed by the reported daily updates which are done here, The amount of devotion to this game must be incomparable to spawn such efforts. Please, help an old time gamer, a CRPG fanatic from the C64 386 IIGs days, that just want to be able to play the damn game properly patched. I am just a layman, and would like to simply download a patch that updates my GOG Ultima 7 to Exult.
Thanks Most Sincerely for taking the time to read my request and for any useful responses you guys might be able to afford me,
Old North

[Knight Captain]

It doesn't delete existing saves, it simply doesn't use the DOS-era save format.

Windows or Mac?

[Dominus]

If you are on Windows use the Windows binary snapshot. If on OS X the OS X binary snapshot.
Same goes for the All-in-one Audio pack.

Exult is in ongoing development so the source code might change a lot. A snapshot is the state of the source code at the given date. Binary snapshot means that the source code is compiled for a platform (traditionally Exult is compiled for Windows and OS X).
If you don't know what source code or compile or binary or... means, please use google. There are people that explained all this much better than I ever could, or judging from your words, the documentation and FAQ I wrote don't help at all.
Or you don't worry your head and just download the Windows binary and the all-in-one audio pack and install them.

[Joseph]

Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10 binary snapshot: http://exult.info/snapshots/Exultwin32.exe
and
All-In-One Audio Data packs - Installer for Windows:
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/exul ... taller.exe

Enjoy!!