Start the game with cheats enabled, press F2 to enter the cheat menu and switch Hackmover to "Yes". Then you can move around every object like shut doors and drawbrdiges in the game

to enable cheats when starting the game find the CMD that calls ultima7.com and alter the line to read:

ultima7.com abcdÿ

Thanks. Dosbox launches from GOG that way, and it will seemingly let me start a new game, but if I try to select "Journey onward", it crashes out of dosbox. Any way to make a certain save file load with that mode enabled?

couldn't you just start a new game and then load the save file?

That was a fantastic idea....but just tried it and didn't work. After you select new game, create your name and select your sex , you have to click journey onward to proceed, at which point it crashes again.

PS, I got through the Cube issue (found out from someone else that there's a bug if you do Forge of Virtue, but don't have the Caddelite helms when you enter the cube. Getting the helm fixed it for me).

NOW my issue is a bug apparently caused by flying over the Isle of the Avatar with the carpet and/or landing there before you've properly opened the door. Bug causes a steel door in last dungeon that needs to be open to proceed, and is supposed to be open, to be closed and impassable.

if you need cheat mode but the cheat code on the command line doesn't work for you, you could install my UltimaHacks patch to your U7.EXE; it allows you to toggle cheats in-game by pressing Alt+Backslash.

https://github.com/JohnGlassmyer/UltimaHacks

Hilarious. I was just coming to tell you I found another thread where the patch was mentioned...worked like a charm. Finally beaten this game after my last attempt 20ish years ago. Thanks.

Does the patch work the same way in Serpent Isle? I got Exult working so now I have either option, but I'm now used to the Dosbox/OG game jank, and if your hack works I can get around any gamebreakers I accidentally trigger.

yeah it's mostly the same between BG and SI. just a few game-specific differences.

Cool, thanks. I'll assume it's implemented the same way (upload .exe file, hack, replace, rename).