xu4

About

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is a 1985 role-playing game and the fourth in the Ultima series, notable for shifting the franchise toward an ethically driven, story-focused design with a world sixteen times larger than its predecessor's. XU4 is a faithful remake of Ultima IV for modern operating systems, primarily developed on Linux with regular Windows builds; it aims to reproduce the original game — including its original graphics — rather than modernize it. The game is fully playable using either the original DOS EGA or upgraded VGA graphics, and savegames are meant to be interchangeable with the original.

How it differs from the original

A handful of optional additions beyond the 1985 original have been added, including reagent-mixing mechanics similar to Ultima V, spoken lines for non-player characters, and unique spell sound effects; a debug/cheat mode is also built in.

Getting started

Requires a legitimately obtained copy of the original Ultima IV DOS data files, which are sold as closed-source freeware on GOG; XU4 loads them at runtime from the current directory or a platform-specific data folder. A configuration menu accessible from the title screen (press 'c') lets players adjust screen scale, filters, and volume.

Media

Additional notes

Debug mode

A hidden debug/cheat mode can be enabled from the options menu, offering teleportation, full stats, item grants, and other cheats for testing or casual play.