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Save Game. Whenever you consider doing something you might regret later, it
is a good idea to save your game. “Saving the game” is like placing a
bookmark in something that you are reading, except that in this case it
causes the game to store your current position and status. Once this has been
saved, you can always go back and start again from the position you saved.
If, for example, you’re about to begin combat and there is a possibility
your foe will kill you, save the game and you can always start over from the
point at which you chose to fight. Then you can fight him again, hoping for
a better outcome, or this time make the decision to leave him alone!
To save your game, click with either mouse-button on the Options icon
(the uppermost icon). Click on the “Save Game” box, and new options will
appear in boxes: I, II, III or IV. Each of these is a possible save-game, or
bookmark, from which you can resume playing the game. The message
scroll provides a description of each of the save-games. (The description for
an unused saved game slot reads “<not used yet>.”
It makes no difference which save-game you select. Click on any empty
box (or a box representing a saved game you don’t mind replacing). Now
the game asks you to type a description of this save-game. You want to enter
something that will remind you where this bookmark is, and you can write
as much as there is room for in the message scroll. When you are done, click
either mouse-button (or press ENTER), and your game is saved.
Note that you can’t save a game when you have an item “in-hand,” or
you’re in the middle of some action (casting a spell, for example).
Restore Game. During the course of play, your character may die or you may
do something you wish you hadn’t. You may just want to pick up where you
left off in an earlier play session. This can be accomplished by restoring the
game to a point at which you saved it.
Do this by clicking the “Restore Game” box, then the roman numeral
which matches the save-game you wish to restore. When the game is ready,
a notice appears on the message scroll, and you can resume play.
You can also restore a game from the main menu by selecting “Journey
Onward” and then clicking on the name of the saved game you wish to play.
Music. This toggles music on and off, but has no effect unless you installed the
game with music and sound effects.
Sound. This toggles sound on and off, but also has no effect unless you installed
the game with music and sound effects.
Detail. The level of graphic detail in ULTIMA Underworld has a direct effect on
game speed. If your game seems to be running too slowly, click on the
Options icon and then on the Detail box. The default detail level is “Very
High.” To speed up game play, decrease that to “High,” “Medium” or
“Low.” The game won’t look quite as good, but it will run more smoothly,
and faster. Experiment with this option until you achieve a pleasing balance
of speed and graphic appeal.
Return to Game. When you click on the Options icon, the game pauses (combat
stops, creatures freeze, time stops). When you want to exit the Options
menu and restart the game, click on this box.
Quit Game. This returns you to DOS. Be sure to save your game before you do
this, or anything you accomplished after your last save will be lost.