Great idea! Ultima 7 3D!

[Max aka Moscow Dragon]

The idea:

- use the original U7CHUNKS/U7IFIX/U7IREG files. Yes, the same world with all item's coords. Just viewed by 3D engine.
- use the original usecode.
- use the original sounds.
- use the Exult's NPC/combat/missile tracker/collision detection logic.
The same 32 frames per NPC.
- use the original gumps and fonts and conversation engine.
- use the original SHAPES.VGA to draw items in container gumps.
- use the Exult's NPC scheduling/activity logic.
- allow the Avatar to turn his head but not move during game-controlled places like banquet at the Magelord's or trial in Fawn.

Just replace the RLE shapes with 3D objects and write the OpenGL (to be portable) drawing code.

The enormous effort here is 3D shapes. There are thousands of bitmaps in SHAPES.VGA. Maybe use some ones from U9? Will we be able of rev.eng. their format?

Legally it will require the person to have legal U7 and maybe legal U9.

The first step would be to create the OpenGL engine which will draw the whole U7 world in 3D using stupid prisms with numbers instead of real objects and stupid skeletons instead of NPCs. Yes, with all of the rest - borrowed from Exult. Neither usecode nor NPC schedules nor combat requires any knowlegde on real-world shapes of the objects.
The second step is decision on 3D item on-disk format.
The third - writing some kind of editor (maybe using some commodity one like 3DStudio or Inspire3D? Otherwise, such an editor can turn out to be more complex then Exult).

I think this can be a better game then U9.

[Belyaev Dragon]

Interesting idea... But there's one question -- how much will the download weigh? 50 Mb? You know, my average speed is 24000 b/s - on 56K modem (with proxy-server). And, with horrible phone lines in Russia, leaving the download for a night won't work -- it will most probably be stopped.

[Legomancer]

Am I the only person who thinks U7 is just fine without being multiplayer or 3D?

[XxVenomxX]

Man, this was the last thread to almost reach 100 again, hehe. There's a strong force of people who like U7 just as it is, and there's another strong force of people who want to do all this funky stuff to it.
Personally, I love it as it is, and probably wouldn't bother with a 3D version. Part of U7's charm, to me, is its graphical style and isometric view.
But, and I should have stressed this before the last huge war started, lol, that's just *my* opinion

[artaxerxes]

Belyaev Dragon,

Ever heard of Download Accelerator (Windows solution) or wget/curl?


"Download withouth a browser" article showing how to resume a download and get it in smaller chunks (what DA does):
http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue70/chung.html

Download Accelerator:
http://www.speedbit.com/Default.asp

Enjoy!

Artaxerxes

[Soul Harvester]

I personally love the graphics and engine of U7.

Multiplayer is however something that is a core part of all current day, and indeed most pre computer day role playing (ala D&D), and being able to share in perhaps the greatest CRPG ever made with another person is something I'd strike for.

[XxVenomxX]

er, Multiplayer isn't a core part of all current day RPGs, Gothic for example (can't stop the praise, hehe). That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy a multiplayer U7. But for most games, I don't like multiplaying at all, so I never use them.

[fliptw]

ultima 7 is fine the way it is.

making it 3d, using the existing map,tho as interesting as it sounds, would be an exercise in futility.

one would be better off doing it from sratch. unless one would think that Rise of the Triad-like graphics is a good thing.

[drcode]

Oh, it's doable, and sounds like a fun project if I had the time. Anyone (Max?) is free to volunteer:-)

[Andy]

Ya, it sounds like a good idea. If I had any skill, I'd help, but I have trouble viewing the shapes (using the plug-in) in photo shop (ha). Using such a scheme, you could also switch to first person view in dungeons (ala Underworld).... Otherwise in the outside world, I'd prefer isometric.

[Max aka Moscow Dragon]

Surely U7 is great "as is".
Anyway viewing _the same U7 world_ from 3D view would be a great experience.

[suraimu]

Then you ought to get cracking so we can all enjoy it, Max.

[Oblivious]

Ultima 7 as 3d? *shudders*

[K.I.L.E.R]

That would be AWESOME.
Ultima 7 3d.
Lets all pay DrCode to do it.
Lets sponsor him.
We'll even get companies like Nvidia to sponsor him and Micro$oft too.
I would love to see it in 3d.
How about normal opengl support in exult's current state?
Multilplayer in U7 is very possible just like in Snes9x and Zsnes it can be done very easily but u need to have the time to do it.
DrCode and his team are very hard at work as it is so I don't think either will come soon if it comes at all.

[DarkFistDragon]

Ultima 7 in 3D
Sounds really interresting, and I would like it. Too bad that I dont have ANY skills in programming or I would help, but whoever does it has at least my support in mind.

[Steve Wood]

Want a 3d RPG, wait for Never Winter Nights or go try Asheron's Call, Ever Quest, Dark Age of Camelot, etc. U7 was the best for it's time and is now a classic, maybe in another few years when it's truely dead and forgotten someone will recreate it in 3d.

[XxVenomxX]

Thanks to Exult, I don't think U7 will be truly dead or forgotten for *many* years, let alone a few, hehe.

[Belyaev Dragon]

Artarexes: I tried Download Accelerator. That version didn't support proxy server, so I can't use it. I tried other Download Managers -- they wrote
"Authentication required". I don't know, I set up my proxy number, login and password in the program's settings, but it still doesn't work. I know that authentication IS required and it IS present. Maybe my proxy server is an old version or something.

[Spam]

Belyaev Dragon - try Getright - It works quite well through proxy servers and I've never had a problem with it when connecting through a firewall or proxy that requires authentication.

[Nuclear Loser]

I can't believe some of these threads... OK, let's play.. first if a 3d version was done ... who would the camera follow? Second, you do realize that everything in ultima 7 is done in 2d tiles, right? Does anyone wanna have fun re-creating all of the objects with skins and model? What, no takers? I hate to always be a cynic... but @!#$. It really would be almost easier to completely create your own game, and since the download would contain at least 90% of the game.. I don't think Origin would to responsive about it. Pipedreams all. Sorry.

[K.I.L.E.R]

Okay fine I'll redo all the 3d modals and reprogram the entire thing for backward compatibility with Exult.

[Belyaev Dragon]

Heh... tried Getright too. Same problem .