Chopper Commando by Mark Currie was pretty good.. first thing that comes to my mind after Elder Scrolls. Much smaller scope, of course.
And maybe Dark Sun: Shattered Lands.

Thanks i got dark sun need to try it :)

Another open-world game from Origin (the developer of Ultima) would be Wing Commander: Privateer, a space shooter with a linear story but lots of freedom to play around in the world in your own way before and between story missions.

Take a look at the Eschalon series. First entry is free.

https://www.gog.com/game/eschalon_book_i

Oh, and if you want isometric gameplay with party members to develop and environments to explore and inventories to manage and a variety of combat techniques to experiment with... then check out the original X-COM games (UFO Defense, Terror From The Deep) if you haven't. They're pretty hardcore and you lose (ie the aliens ambush and kill your precious soldiers) a lot, but lots of freedom to customize your approach. From around the same time as Ultima VII and Dark Sun, and they use the same 320x200 VGA resolution, I believe.

I'm positively sure that there are no games out there like Ultima 7. It's a shame really.

There is no game like Ultima 7. The only game that gives me at least similar vibes is Baldur's Gate 1:

- The massive, practically open world is just brillant and there is so much to explore. Yes, it's broken in segments, but every segment fits to the next and the overall experience is that of one single, organic world. That's why I still prefer BG1 to its otherwise much more refined second part.

- The game is very non-linear. While there is the linear main storyline you can explore and solve quests as you like. The city of Baldur's Gate is closed until the story allows it to open, but other than that there are no restrictions from the beginning of the game.

- It's party based and has some memorable characters.

- The environment and the NPCs feel realistic and living and there is much more reactivity to your actions than in most RPGs. Ok, there are no elaborated schedules like in UVII, but at least there is a clear difference between day and night. Guards help fighting against enemies and people call the guards if they catch you stealing or murdering. And if you're really evil, mercenaries will try to hunt you down wherever you go.

- The peaceful, rural atmosphere reminds me strongly on Ultima VII: Like in UVII you can just leisurly stroll over meadows, wander along the shores of the northern Sword Coast, walk in the lonely forests and remote woods. Like in UVII there is the feeling of a breathing, living nature around you and like in UVII not everything is hostile: There are birds, squirels, cows and other animals that have no gameplay value but are there purely for the sake of atmosphere. The weather has no impact on gameplay but it further enhances the atmospheric experience.

The main differences for me are in the writing (BG1 tells a good story with interesting twists but it doesn't tell so many side stories as Ultima VII does) and in the combat system (BG1 has a properly working, party based combat system with much room for experimentation and tactics). These two games are my favourite RPGs.

Omg i play baldurs gate since im young ahah! Good recommendation and i love trying silly things like soloing

I didn't play them, but these two are built on the Ultima 6 engine:

Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire

Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams

:)

Spiderweb Software has several games inspired by the Ultima series. The Avernum (or Exile if you're really old school) series is pretty open world, with all kinds of interesting characters. They notably feature multiple victory conditions (at least the early ones) so you can decide if you want to save your new home, escape your horrible prison colony, or just get a bloody revenge on the tyrant who sent you there in the first game, for example. And there is tons of exploring and going wherever the heck your whimsy takes you along the way.

Note that Spiderweb tends to re-release their games with updated graphics and systems. The Avernum series is on its third release. You'll be looking for Avernum: Escape from the Pit for the first episode of the current release.

It occurred to me that the NES version of Ultima 5 fits your criterion, as the game's engine is similar to Ultima 6's, but worse. In other words, the game would answer the question you pose in the topic title.

Unfortunately, NES Ultima 5 would not qualify as a masterpiece; in fact, it's probably one of the worst games ever. I would actually compare it to games like ET, Superman 64, Arabian Nights (game available on GOG, not the Amiga game), Hoshi wo Miru Hito, and Big Rigs in terms of quality.

In other words, the NES version of Ultima 5 is like Ultima 6, except for the part about being good, so while Ultima 5 NES might fit your criteria, I don't recommend actually trying to play it. (Yes, I said "trying to play", as the game messes up basic things, like not being able to restore MP except by dying, and the game ignoring inputs for 5 frames out of every 60.)

(Note that this does not apply to other versions of Ultima 5, like the one available on GOG, which are at least decent games; if you haven't played Ultima 5, I would recommend it, just not the NES version.)

I've played a ton of Baldur's Gate 1 and I also vastly preferred it.

You are wrong about the weather having no affect.

I've been hit by lightning at least twice during thunder storms.