http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/king%E2%80%99s_quest_7_8
Has anyone actually downloaded or bought a game off GOG? I'm wary of them being a scam.
They're a legit site. I haven't personally bought something from them, cause I mainly use Steam. However, I think Grand Old Games would have too much to lose if they were to put on a scam for their customers. Plus, I think people on these forums have commented on the other King's Quest packs that they have as being legit. Although I use Steam, their King's Quest packs are looking mighty tempting. :-\
Quote from: Fierce Deity on September 08, 2010, 02:26:17 AM
They're a legit site. I haven't personally bought something from them, cause I mainly use Steam. However, I think Grand Old Games would have too much to lose if they were to put on a scam for their customers. Plus, I think people on these forums have commented on the other King's Quest packs that they have as being legit. Although I use Steam, their King's Quest packs are looking mighty tempting. :-\
Alright cool. I use Steam too--another cool site.
It's nice to see these old games being preserved by people who love them--People like us, but with more technical skills :P
(Posted on: September 08, 2010, 04:33:33 AM)
Am playing it in Windows 7 64 bit and it works. Direct3D and DirectDraw (including Dynamic lighting) are supported.
That's good to hear. That means, GOG has the entire King's Quest series for sale and they all work with Windows 7 64 bit. With GOG, who needs DOSBox? :P
I told you GOG would be the ones to do it, if anyone would do it. They are have been quite good at fixing lots of obscure games.
It seems the only game missing from their collections is KQ1 remake.
BTW, GOG actually uses a version of Dosbox, but they always update to the latest version. So its quite handy.
BTW, I have bought many games from GOG. In many ways they are better than Steam, from the fact that they actually take the time to update the games with all the best fan technical patches available, if if a patch doesn't exist, they work to create patches themselves. They also strip out all DRM measures, there games are completely DRM free. What this also means is that their tech staff tends to stand behind their games, and works to fix any tech problems people might have. with the games. Steam doesn't do that for 3rd party games.
Edit: Ok bought and tested KQ8. It seems to work fine, only issue is that for some reason the title screen doesn't show the game's title (only a gold bar appears where the title should be, and sometimes glitched text on the edge of the bar), but the menus all work well (and can be read). On the plus side they fixed the cutscene video bug, so the ingame cutscenes work. Alot of people running on Linux and other places were having problems with that.
Additional technical detail... if you want to play the game with the best graphics possible make sure you have a copy of glide wrapper/emulator available and a powerful machine. Otherwise you'll be stuck playing the game in 640x480 mode, and either a basic software render or basic direct x mode.
Hopefully the title screen bug can be fixed, but otherwise its great to see the game working on modern machines.
Well, it sounds like it works for the most part. I may consider getting that one (since I can't get MoE to work on my PC and I never got the chance to play KQ7). I may get all three packs, but I'm not the biggest fan of the text adventures; I prefer point-and-click. Plus, I already have King's Quest 5 and 6, as well as DOSBox. Hmm, decisions. :-\
Well the game works in software render, it doesn't actually seem to detect directx on modern machines. Probably because alot of the earlier direct x calls were removed from DirectX 10.
But really, you'll definitely want to play it in 3dfx if your machine can handle it.
Quote from: Baggins on September 08, 2010, 05:11:18 AM
Well the game works in software render, it doesn't actually seem to detect directx on modern machines. Probably because alot of the earlier direct x calls were removed from DirectX 10.
But really, you'll definitely want to play it in 3dfx if your machine can handle it.
When I play the intro cutscene, its a little buggy and it says "window" and I see the bottom bar of the computer (the start bar at the bottom of your PC screen). The intro is continued in a window off to the right side of the screen.
Also, where can one get a glide wrapper, and would it allow the game to fully full screen? I mean it's almost full screen and looks good as it is but still?
turn off the "force into 640x480" mode in compatibility tab. That's what's causing the video to go into a window.
It's technically not a bug.
The bug I was referring to, was videos would crash the game on some systems in the previous versions of the game.
QuoteAlso, where can one get a glide wrapper, and would it allow the game to fully full screen? I mean it's almost full screen and looks good as it is but still?
I think there is a link to one in KQ 8 article in the omnipedia. Although that is an older one, and there are probably faster ones out there.
This makes me extremely happy - I don't really think of 7 and 8 as being quite the same as others (8 in particular is quite different), but they are both still loads of fun in their own ways.
It's good for the series as a whole.
Now if someone could figure out how GOG fixed KQ8, so that a patch could be presented to people that have the game already it would be great. Although I suspect part of it has to do with the fact that they completely replaced the "exe" with their own.
Edit: BTW, its good to see that TSL forums no longer censors and auto-corrects 'KQ8'. Especially considering this new version is marketed under KQ8 title.
I imagine that somebody who knew what they were doing (i.e. not me) could compare the GOG version with the regular CD install version and see what's different in the executable or other files.
Frankly though I didn't mind buying the game again. I actually prefer having my games in digital download. Saves space (I can delete them when I'm not using them), and I don't have to hunt for my cds (when I'm ready to reinstall) :).
OH SWEET
I did post before about KQ I - VI being available - SO glad to see KQVII there finally!
Oh, and MoE. Might give it a chance, at last.
It is also noteworthy that the shortcut created by the GOG installer just marks the game as King's Quest - Mask of Eternity.
Now that I have both of those downloaded and installed I plan to actually spend some time re-playing them probably sometime next month. Along with Kingdom Hearts which will likely remained unopened for several more weeks as well. I did finally play Dragon Quest 9 for like an hour last night though.
They also label KQ1 as "Point and Click" somethingorother. That name quickly changed!
I just noticed that GOG also have "additional content" in the form of wallpapers and avatars with their KQ downloads, which I think is quite nice!
Did you see the bonus wallpapers that gog included with the game? They all say King's Quest VIII as well.
Folder wise I think the game installs MOE into a King's Quest VIII - Mask of Eternity folder.
The loading graphic, is the classic King's Quest: Mask of Eternity box graphic. I would guess that if the title screen was working correctly would say "King's Quest: Mask of Eternity" as well. I don't think they physically modified any of the game files to change graphics or anything.
Ya they include lots of cool extras with their games, some of them come with developer videos or random other things like that.
Hmm, maybe this will convince me to actually PLAY MoE...::)
The only thing is I notice that the KQ7 in the pack has very messed up colors when I play it.
Same here--I never actually played MoE before, now I may actually do so. :)
Wow, as a team member I would have thought that you've played all eight games a few times. :o But hey, I don't really consider MoE as part of the series, so...
Quote from: TheReturnofDMD on September 08, 2010, 11:53:26 AM
The only thing is I notice that the KQ7 in the pack has very messed up colors when I play it.
I'm sure there's something more complex you could do to fix it, but if you just push Alt+Enter to resize the screen it should be fine. Ends up in a window but it works that way just fine for me.
Quote from: Haids1987 on September 08, 2010, 11:51:39 AM
Hmm, maybe this will convince me to actually PLAY MoE...::)
If you love King Arthur stories, for example the movie Excalibur, or any of the Medieval romances like "Parzival", you'll like Mask. It still is a great game, just different. It has a tone like one of those medieval epic poems.
Looked fine to me. Don't know what's wrong on your system.
They did have some KQVII ones though; quite nice ones at that!
I found that I was having problems with some of my KQ games at first; I just had to change the graphics settings to DDraw.. Whether that's the best thing or not to do, I don't know, and can't tell you for KQVII (since it's still downloading!), but it might work.
EDIT: To clarify, changing it to DDraw will fix the colour problem. There's also a "Bookmark" menu that comes up when you press Esc - was this on the original version? This might also be version 2.0, since I was able to change the character speed.
the bookmark is a 2.0 feature. You can also tell you are playing 2.0 since its a DOS game.
2.0 is a great version, except I didn't like how they got rid of the dragon tail death.
Quote from: MangoMercury on September 08, 2010, 12:07:45 PM
They did have some KQVII ones though; quite nice ones at that!
I found that I was having problems with some of my KQ games at first; I just had to change the graphics settings to DDraw.. Whether that's the best thing or not to do, I don't know, and can't tell you for KQVII (since it's still downloading!), but it might work.
EDIT: To clarify, changing it to DDraw will fix the colour problem. There's also a "Bookmark" menu that comes up when you press Esc - was this on the original version? This might also be version 2.0, since I was able to change the character speed.
How do you change KQ7 to direct draw?
Now all GOG needs to do is get the Windows version of KQ6 working with Vista/7.
Go to the graphics mode setup in the start menu folder for it and you should have that option.
That unfortunately probably won't happen. They usually take the easiest route to get a working copy of the game. They don't usually take it much beyond that. That why you probably won't see them adding extra features to MOE such as built in glide support, not unless a fan was to make patch to the game itself to add those features to the engine.
An example where they added an extra graphics patch was the de-interlace patch for the Gabriel Knight 2 videos (on one hand that particular patch kind of annoys me, it takes away one layer of authenticity from the game :p). I wouldn't mind a built in 3DFX emulation however.
With KQ6 the easiest route to get a working copy is the dos version. Also most modern copies of the game have the windows files completely gutted from them. So there is no easy "fix" if that is what GOG has to work with.
You can get windows version working by installing the game through vdmsound. I don't know if VDM sound works on vista/win7 however.
http://www.sierrahelp.com/Games/KingsQuest/KQ6AndXP.html
Worth a try. Be warned that there are some graphical bugs as mentioned on the page, as it doesn't have perfect screen refreshes..
But they did fix the firecracker glitch. So I can almost forgive forgoing a death.
Also, I still cannot get into Mask of Eternity. Anyone want to explain the charm of the game so I can try again?
Quote from: MangoMercury on September 08, 2010, 01:22:20 PM
But they did fix the firecracker glitch. So I can almost forgive forgoing a death.
Also, I still cannot get into Mask of Eternity. Anyone want to explain the charm of the game so I can try again?
It's like Malory meets King's Quest. At least, that's the charm for me.
QuoteBut they did fix the firecracker glitch. So I can almost forgive forgoing a death
I still encountered the firecracker glitch in 2.0 actually. Its a speed related issue, and its annoying scourge of the modern computer. Its also not particuarly bad, just keep on restoring until you get close enough to the tomb.
The reason they removed the tail death was probably because it was speed related too... Too bad though its actually one of my favorite lines in the game. As I recall its one of the only ones where Rosella makes a comment about her father.
I never encountered the firecracker glitch when I played KQ7. I was amused to see it crop up in a Let's Play, and yeah, that would've been frustrating!
Which is as close to Graham as they got when they removed his part from the game.
I heard the glitch wasn't there (or so bad) in 2.0; will need to try it for myself. Can't be worse than the 75 attempts I took to get to the tomb in the regular version.
Quote from: MangoMercury on September 08, 2010, 01:31:50 PM
Which is as close to Graham as they got when they removed his part from the game.
I heard the glitch wasn't there (or so bad) in 2.0; will need to try it for myself. Can't be worse than the 75 attempts I took to get to the tomb in the regular version.
Yeah that glitch was fun. Pick up the firecracker--BOOM!
Well, as I recall in 2.0, it does take longer for it to go boom. But it took 5 seconds instead of 1 on the last computer I mess around with.
As for MOE, if you don't like combat, play the game on easy, that was put in there as the "classic adventure mode" essentially. Enemies die in one or two hits, and there is less need for potions. Part of MOE also is also about the exploration, you aren't spoonfed the story, you have to discover it for yourself, and discover the quests and side quests. It starts pretty slow, but starts to build. It's almost a mystery story, and you have to discover the pieces. Infact, imo, because the game's story and suspense builds up so well... that's part of the reason why the ending ends up feeling so anti-climactic... You don't feel rewarded for all the good deeds you have fullfilled.
BTW, when I have time I think I'll go and try out other glide emulators and see if there are some that run faster, while still emulating all the glide features. You definitely see a hit withZeckensecs... It's still fairly playable if you have a good system though.
(Posted on: September 08, 2010, 03:39:06 PM)
Hmmm, btw, was reading through a forum apparently the KQ 4+5+6 collection comes with both dos and windows versions of KQ5 and KQ6.
KQ6 windows version will not work on Vista 64 though, but will apparently work on 32 bit version operating system. It will still require that you use VDM sound I think though.
There is apparently a way to get the enhanced version out of the VU 2006 collection but it misses the intro video.
More here;
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/king_s_quest_series/anyone_purchase_kq_iv_v_vi
So awesome! I already own both, but I may grab them again anyway if they work as well in Windows 7 as I hope.
By the way, it's Good Old Games, not Grand Old Games. ;)
Well I can vouch it works great in 32bit Vista and 64bit Vista. It should work in 7 as well (which is usually less finicky from what I've read).
Make sure you try to use a glide emulator though, or it looks like crap...
Sweet, thanks. :) Any suggestions for a good emulator?
I've always used "Zeckensecks's Glide Wrapper" (its not just a wrapper). But there might be faster ones out now.
Much appreciated. :)
Err...it's Good Old Games not Grand Old Games. And I heard the exe file was hex edited for compatibility on modern systems....I skimmed the thread so sorry if that was mentioned already. I'm sure Collector of The Sierra Help Pages (http://sierrahelp.com/) will make a patch/installer eventually of the new EXE for people who have the original game CD (like me).
Maybe its the hex editing that screwed up the title screen?
Hi everyone,
I have played Mask of Eternity before and liked it very much. Haven't played it in years, of course. But, when I saw that gog.com has a download version of it and KQ7, I thought it would be time to download it and play it again, since my original MoE CD disk is scratched and has problems.
I was wondering, has anyone else out there downloaded MoE from gog.com yet? If so, has it been altered to play directly from the Hard drive, and not load files "from the CD" when entering a new land? I remember when you finished one land, it would have to remove old files....then copy over new files. It never allowed you to copy all the land files to your hard drive to play it directly off the HD and thus not have such a slow down to erase, then copy over files.
Does my question make sense? I am just wondering if someone out there can tell me if it has been updated, fixed up from the CD original version.
Thank you in advance.
talk to returnofDMD.
he got that pack from GoG.
BTW, the insert CD can be easily fixed with a very small code mod.
I hear it works. you don't need a cd, so I don't think that would be a problem.
it should play right from the drive with nothing else needed.
try it!
I can vouch it works great.
Probably best to check the topic further down the first page on this forum; it'll probably have a lot of help in it!
Having personally tried it on my machine (Windows 7, 64 bit), I can tell you that it works perfectly fine. I've had a couple of visual glitches, mainly on the title screen, but then I guess as much can be expected for an older game.
It does work great, if you set it to the DirectDraw mode it looks better than the default (can't remember right at the moment) you just get screwy colors on the menu but everything else is fine.
I didn't get screwy colours (I don't think...) with DirectDraw. Just the weird title screen glitch where the top part of the screen was filled with MoE font letters.
Just wanting to make sure do i still have to install the 1.3 patch? I am guessing that this version is already up to date and don't need to download the patch right?
probably not. if you need it, it's not easy to get anymore.
although you can get it from archive.org :)
actually NVM.
http://www.sierrahelp.com/Files/Patches/KingsQuest/KQMoE(MoE13fg).zip
I got it the hard way... haha. went through 10 different archives of the sierra website till I got one that actually HAD the patch downloadable.
wso if you do need it, it shouldn't be a problem, but it is doubtful you will need it.
HOLD THE PHONES.... MOE IS ON GOG? WHEN IN THE NAME OF ROBERTA WILLIAMS DID THIS HAPPEN?! I MUST DOWNLOAD IT!
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 02:55:48 PM
HOLD THE PHONES.... MOE IS ON GOG? WHEN IN THE NAME OF ROBERTA WILLIAMS DID THIS HAPPEN?! I MUST DOWNLOAD IT!
Do it! I will say that my one frustration with it is that you can't task in and out of the program via Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Esc, or the Windows key. Weird.
Quote from: KatieHal on September 08, 2010, 11:53:57 AM
Same here--I never actually played MoE before, now I may actually do so. :)
Me either, I'll have to remember to buy this one. I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn't play MOE on Windows 7. It is the only King's Quest that I have not yet played.
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 04:09:29 PM
I will say that my one frustration with it is that you can't task in and out of the program via Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Esc, or the Windows key. Weird.
You don't quit Mask of Eternity. Mask of Eternity quits YOU!!!! :suffer:
Sorry, I couldn't think of anything better to say. :P
Quote from: Fierce Deity on September 16, 2010, 05:44:16 PM
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 04:09:29 PM
I will say that my one frustration with it is that you can't task in and out of the program via Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Esc, or the Windows key. Weird.
You don't quit Mask of Eternity. Mask of Eternity quits YOU!!!! :suffer:
Sorry, I couldn't think of anything better to say. :P
XD ROFLOL No, that actually works really well! I am actually considering downloading from GOG because my disc of MoE doesn't actually work on Win 7 64 bit. So I may actually have to try downloading that... I just can't do it here at school, as the internet is absolutely terrible here...
(Posted on: September 16, 2010, 07:47:01 PM)
If I may have everyone's attention please! This thread has been merged with another. There were two threads pertaining to MoE being on Gog.com. We only need one. Please, make sure there is not already a thread for what you wish to post about. One thread of the same subject will suffice. That is all. And now, I must get my credit card ready to download MoE... I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! WHEN IN THE NAME OF SIERRA ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT DID THIS HAPPEN? :o
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 06:52:05 PM
And now, I must get my credit card ready to download MoE... I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! WHEN IN THE NAME OF SIERRA ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT DID THIS HAPPEN? :o
Fairly recently. You're not too far behind. By the way, it's good to see you're posting on the forums again. Welcome back. ;D
Quote from: Fierce Deity on September 16, 2010, 07:03:32 PM
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 06:52:05 PM
And now, I must get my credit card ready to download MoE... I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! WHEN IN THE NAME OF SIERRA ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT DID THIS HAPPEN? :o
Fairly recently. You're not too far behind. By the way, it's good to see you're posting on the forums again. Welcome back. ;D
Thank you. It's good to be back. My time here on the forums is going to be intermittent because of certain things occupying my time. (And no, those things are not TSL related, as you may believe). My preoccupations will be revealed somewhere down the line, when the time is right... Ok, so it's college. But I'll be getting more into detail about myself and of college later. I can't divulge anymore details than that though... And just so I stay on topic: I won't be able to download MoE for some time, as my college internet is horrible. I feel like I'm on dial-up. I don't miss those days.
Go to Burger King and use their Wi-Fi. All of the Burger Kings where I live have free wi-fi and it's typically quite fast, I used to do that all the time before I had my own internet. I'd just buy a meal and eat REALLY SLOWLY.
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 07:21:48 PM
Go to Burger King and use their Wi-Fi. All of the Burger Kings where I live have free wi-fi and it's typically quite fast, I used to do that all the time before I had my own internet. I'd just buy a meal and eat REALLY SLOWLY.
lol, there are no burger king's near me... But there are other wifi places I can go to... But, let's keep this on topic, shall we? I don't want to get sidetracked... Which happens a lot... So, let's keep this on MoE on gog, shall we?
Well, GoG has all of the King's Quest games now. I'm intrigued with the pack that contains MoE and KQVII, but I'm probably going to pick them all up eventually. Has anybody been able to confirm whether or not the Windows version of KQ6 can be played from GoG's pack?
Fierce, I understand it will work (in 32 bit versions of windows), but you may have to load it up with VDMSound. This is pretty much the situation with all windows versions of KQ6 nowadays.
It may have problems with 64 bit windows, however.
Personally I liked the lower res KQ6 better.
Sure, the portraits were higher resolution, but the colors were actually poorer. I mean everyone who was dark skinned had a red skin tone, like Hakim for example. Graham looked like he was sunburnt in the High Res portrait.
Quote from: Baggins on September 16, 2010, 11:53:22 PM
Fierce, I understand it will work (in 32 bit versions of windows), but you may have to load it up with VDMSound. This is pretty much the situation with all windows versions of KQ6 nowadays.
It may have problems with 64 bit windows, however.
Understandable. I'm just wondering if anyone has done it yet, and have done it successfully. I'd be sold completely on that middle pack (IV, V, and VI) if KQ6 can be played in the Windows mode.
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 04:09:29 PM
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 02:55:48 PM
HOLD THE PHONES.... MOE IS ON GOG? WHEN IN THE NAME OF ROBERTA WILLIAMS DID THIS HAPPEN?! I MUST DOWNLOAD IT!
Do it! I will say that my one frustration with it is that you can't task in and out of the program via Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Esc, or the Windows key. Weird.
Odd. I was able to do so with the other 7 games, although it won't open up in a full window again. Didn't try with MoE.
Quote from: TheReturnofDMD on September 17, 2010, 12:08:23 AM
Personally I liked the lower res KQ6 better.
Sure, the portraits were higher resolution, but the colors were actually poorer. I mean everyone who was dark skinned had a red skin tone, like Hakim for example. Graham looked like he was sunburnt in the High Res portrait.
You mean the DOS version?
I like the Windows version better because I prefer the walking icons and it is the version I used to always play on my windows 98 system... I played the DOS version for a few years but now I play the windows version in virtual windows 3.1 on dosbox and I prefer it.
When I first played KQ6 I had no idea there was a version with lower res portraits. When I did find out, I was glad I'd gotten the Windows version--I thought the portraits were fantastic!
Quote from: KatieHal on September 17, 2010, 07:21:03 AM
When I first played KQ6 I had no idea there was a version with lower res portraits. When I did find out, I was glad I'd gotten the Windows version--I thought the portraits were fantastic!
yeah. I like it much better. Also the icons are better. the huge pixelated icons in the dos version are distracting. same goes for KQV.
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 07:28:22 PM
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 07:21:48 PM
Go to Burger King and use their Wi-Fi. All of the Burger Kings where I live have free wi-fi and it's typically quite fast, I used to do that all the time before I had my own internet. I'd just buy a meal and eat REALLY SLOWLY.
lol, there are no burger king's near me... But there are other wifi places I can go to... But, let's keep this on topic, shall we? I don't want to get sidetracked... Which happens a lot... So, let's keep this on MoE on gog, shall we?
Ok. Go to Burger King and download MoE from GOG. :P
Quote from: snabbott on September 17, 2010, 08:38:54 AM
Quote from: dark-daventry on September 16, 2010, 07:28:22 PM
Quote from: wilco64256 on September 16, 2010, 07:21:48 PM
Go to Burger King and use their Wi-Fi. All of the Burger Kings where I live have free wi-fi and it's typically quite fast, I used to do that all the time before I had my own internet. I'd just buy a meal and eat REALLY SLOWLY.
lol, there are no burger king's near me... But there are other wifi places I can go to... But, let's keep this on topic, shall we? I don't want to get sidetracked... Which happens a lot... So, let's keep this on MoE on gog, shall we?
Ok. Go to Burger King and download MoE from GOG. :P
Lol, when/if I find one near me, perhaps I will... I have no idea what version of KQ6 I've been playing really lol...
I'm sure there are a number of places nearby that offer free wifi. Granted, using it for such large downloads might cause some issues for you, but I'm still sure it's out there!
use a download manager. that way if you lose the connection for a bit you can continue the download when it comes back. useful for crappy connections too.
I'm using Firefox, so a download manager isn't an issue for me. I'll figure it out eventually...
Does anyone know how to play GOG's version of MoE in either windowed mode, or of a way one can minimize it during gameplay? I know it can essentially minimize with alt+ctrl+delete, but then the window crashes :(
Not that I've found - it's really uncooperative with switching tasks.
yesterday I finished MoE for the very very first time, and the unability to minimize the window bugged me. I would use the level maps from sierra planet, and I would have to save and quit to refer to them
I had posted on the forum on GOG and so far there was only one reply, which rather confused me
Did you try adding -window to the end of the command line?
Try the "Minimized Screen" code from this page to allow Alt-Enter:
http://www.gamewinners.com/DOSWIN/blkingsquest8.htm
think of me as a newbie to the codes, but how many times in the console should I type it?
I pulled up the game and opened the console and typed set allowaltenter True like that link said then hit enter, but a new password field popped up and after I closed the console mode, it did nothing when I hit alt+enter
Quote from: jen on September 07, 2011, 04:19:53 PM
think of me as a newbie to the codes, but how many times in the console should I type it?
I pulled up the game and opened the console and typed set allowaltenter True like that link said then hit enter, but a new password field popped up and after I closed the console mode, it did nothing when I hit alt+enter
Yeah, I know. I just spent about an hour trying to change the resolution settings in the game. Using the "Restored" window mode for MoE is proving to be quite a problem. I may have to decompile the game to see why it doesn't work. I recommend checking the Properties on your MoE icon to see if you can change anything from there. My laptop (with Win 7 64-bit) isn't any good with windowed programs.
Heh, while decompiling the game, maybe you'll figure out a way to patch custom resolutions into the game for good!
BTW, if you figure a way to play the sound files, and look at textures and artwork, outside of the game let me know?
Quote from: Baggins on September 07, 2011, 08:34:52 PM
Heh, while decompiling the game, maybe you'll figure out a way to patch custom resolutions into the game for good!
BTW, if you figure a way to play the sound files, and look at textures and artwork, outside of the game let me know?
I'm not sure about a standard type of patch, but maybe replacing a file. As far as the sound and graphics files, they're not compiled into a resource file, like previous games. Most sounds are .aud files - possibly just renamed wave files, I'll check. The images are primarily pbm files. The media files are as exposed as can be. Just check all of the folders in Program Files\GOG.com\KQ78\KQ8, if you have the GOG version. I pulled the folder names from memory, so they may not be exact. The Start Menu icon for 8 can lead you to the right place. I'll get my Visual Studio reinstalled tonight and see what I'll need to decompile C#.
I couldn't get anything to read the .aud files correctly. I just get 'corrupted' or unknown file type errors.
I've never changed game icon settings in such a way, so I'm not sure what to be looking for (or even if something's there) I've had some games, like IA's KQ3 remake, for instance, that, has a "run in a window" like setting, but I'm not seeing anything like that here. I screencapped the compatibilty screen
http://i55.tinypic.com/334st3p.jpg
Quote from: Baggins on September 07, 2011, 09:17:33 PM
I couldn't get anything to read the .aud files correctly. I just get 'corrupted' or unknown file type errors.
Isn't there a Sierra media player? I've read about something like that before. How did your read the compilation files (resource.aud) in the past? Or is that the program that's complaining?
A thought came to me, changing the Graphic mode in the Graphic Mode Setup wouldn't change anything would it? Mine's on Surface right now.
Quote from: jen on September 07, 2011, 10:49:09 PM
I've never changed game icon settings in such a way, so I'm not sure what to be looking for (or even if something's there) I've had some games, like IA's KQ3 remake, for instance, that, has a "run in a window" like setting, but I'm not seeing anything like that here. I screencapped the compatibilty screen
http://i55.tinypic.com/334st3p.jpg
Ok. Win7 isn't the most friendly OS, despite what the commercials try to say. I'm in the process of digging deeper into KQ8's graphics settings, so I'll look into the "Windowed" options. It may not work well, since it's apparently a 256-color app.
The Graphic Mode Setup shouldn't make a difference regarding windowing, but it may make the game look better.
It was just a thought I'd had, like I said, I've never monkeyed with a game's settings in such a way before. If you can find a way, that'd be totally amazing, if not, I'll have to resort to saving, quitting, looking at the land maps and restarting the game
Quote from: jen on September 07, 2011, 11:29:09 PM
It was just a thought I'd had, like I said, I've never monkeyed with a game's settings in such a way before. If you can find a way, that'd be totally amazing, if not, I'll have to resort to saving, quitting, looking at the land maps and restarting the game
I'm currently in the process of downloading and installing 2.4 gigs of Help files to give me some support in this project. So, hopefully I'll be able to improve my C-Sharp enough to figure this game out.
QuoteIsn't there a Sierra media player? I've read about something like that before. How did your read the compilation files (resource.aud) in the past? Or is that the program that's complaining?
I don't know how to open the resource.aud file in KQ8.
There are specific '.aud' which appear to be sound files in various directories for each land. They are given titles, like "skeleton1.aud", "wizard1.aud", etc. I guess they are sounds, but they could be individual resources for that character? I tried programs that can play ".aud" audio files, but it didn't like those files.
QuoteIt was just a thought I'd had, like I said, I've never monkeyed with a game's settings in such a way before. If you can find a way, that'd be totally amazing, if not, I'll have to resort to saving, quitting, looking at the land maps and restarting the game
Smart phone (something like iphone) or another internet capable device? DSi, PSP, or a 3DS?
Quote from: Baggins on September 07, 2011, 11:40:52 PM
QuoteIsn't there a Sierra media player? I've read about something like that before. How did your read the compilation files (resource.aud) in the past? Or is that the program that's complaining?
I don't know how to open the resource.aud file in KQ8.
There are specific '.aud' which appear to be sound files in various directories for each land. They are given titles, like "skeleton1.aud", "wizard1.aud", etc. I guess they are sounds, but they could be individual resources for that character? I tried programs that can play ".aud" audio files, but it didn't like those files.
QuoteIt was just a thought I'd had, like I said, I've never monkeyed with a game's settings in such a way before. If you can find a way, that'd be totally amazing, if not, I'll have to resort to saving, quitting, looking at the land maps and restarting the game
Smart phone (something like iphone) or another internet capable device? DSi, PSP, or a 3DS?
I don't have anything like that, but I had thought of saving the maps to my bookreader. It's just a simple ereader by borders)
Ahh, too bad. Kindle I know has built in internet capabilities. Don't know about the Boarders ebook reader.
Is it a Kobo? I did a search, and it seems you can get a internet browser app for it. But I suppose the device would have to be wifi enabled at least.
mine can't do any apps, which is bad because, see I work at Big Lots and it's one we had gotten in this past spring for 89.99 and not too long ago we got one in, the same friggen thing except it can run apps (such as a browser) and is android based (same price too)
In a pinch, I could put those maps onto the reader as a psd, though it might be slightly blotchy
This is the ereader I have: http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2010/12/10/big-lots-now-sell-the-slick-e-reader/
Ahh too bad, no way to update firmware or such?
Baggins, .aud files are actually sounds, but they must be different in format than the Resource.aud files. A while ago, I used the console to test sounds, and it showed the file name as it played. It's just a matter of testing it in other players, I think. I'll check that out soon. Any success with the .pbm image files?
Quote from: Baggins on September 08, 2011, 12:07:39 AM
Ahh too bad, no way to update firmware or such?
I honestly don't know. how would I go about something like that?
QuoteAny success with the .pbm image files?
I haven't found a program to check those out.
QuoteI honestly don't know. how would I go about something like that?
http://www.southerntelecom.com/slicksupport_er700firmware138.html
I have two options for playing the .AUD files. I just have to set up the programs and see if either actually works! Stupid SOL header. (Where's a good RIFF WAVE header when you need one?)
QuoteI honestly don't know. how would I go about something like that?
http://www.southerntelecom.com/slicksupport_er700firmware138.html
[/quote]
I went to update the firmware and the blasted thing seams like it can't locate the device, and the reader won't even turn on or charge, but I found one on amazon that's touchscreen and can do wifi that I should have the money to send for soon
since I showed you the one I have, this is the one I'm gonna order: http://www.amazon.com/Velocity-Micro-Reader-Black-R101/dp/B00413PEZS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1315517271&sr=8-4
Hmm, hope nothing is wrong with your older one.
The new one looks pretty cool.
Personally I went with Kindle myself, I like how it mimics paper and is easy on the eyes.
I never could get used to reading off LCD screens.
I have no idea what's up with the old one, but I always wished it'd been wi-fi capable and touchscreen, and it the other one I showed you will be, so all shall be good :)
Quote from: jen on September 07, 2011, 11:29:09 PM
It was just a thought I'd had, like I said, I've never monkeyed with a game's settings in such a way before. If you can find a way, that'd be totally amazing, if not, I'll have to resort to saving, quitting, looking at the land maps and restarting the game
Ok, I figured out the allowAltEnter code:
In the game's root folder, "KQ8," open the mask.cs file with notepad. In Vista or Win7, go to the Start Menu-> Accessories-> Notepad (right-click on Notepad and choose "Run as Administrator").
At the beginning of the file, you'll see a line that says:
if test $2 == Init
Add the following (middle) line, so it looks like this:
if test $2 == Init
set allowAltEnter true
set KQWorld::SaveGameName Game1Save
Thank you DawsonJ! You're an absolute genius :highfive:
One step closer to more MOE upgrades!
I wish I could figure out why the game is trying to play in a tiny box surrounded by black borders in the 800x600 mode on my Alienware M11X laptop, instead of stretching to full screen...
That would either be a function of your laptop or your laptop's graphics drivers. Usually there's a toggle to choose how it displays the display output. A keyboard shortcut combination with the Function (Fn) key for the former or a toggle in the graphics drivers for the latter. It either displays in its native resolution (perfect pixel, ie- small box black borders all around), stretched to full screen (black borders on left and right), or stretched to fill the screen (stretches horizontally so it's "widescreen", no black borders).
In any case it's not a game setting issue.
the thing is I'm not having the problem with any other game, strangely. 800x600 functions fine (widescreen) on other programs.
640x480 mode is also stretching to full screen fine.
Baggins, I may have found the in-game, console, way of testing the .aud files. I'm checking into it now.
Anyway, the Alt-Enter info came from this website, which is quite useful:
http://WWW.sierraplanet.com/kingsquest8/goodies.html
Also, world.cs files, where available, have variables for MaxMonsters (awake at one time) - IceWorld has 10 by default.
Edit:
Using the in-game console, type the following:
KQSound::play icebrak3.aud
For any other .aud files, just change "icebrak3" to the file you want to hear.
QuoteAlso, world.cs files, where available, have variables for MaxMonsters (awake at one time) - IceWorld has 10 by default.
This may be related to the difficulty modes, not sure... I think hard had more enemies at once than if you play on easy.
QuoteUsing the in-game console, type the following:
KQSound::play icebrak3.aud
For any other .aud files, just change "icebrak3" to the file you want to hear.
I tried this but it isn't working for me, its saying "*.aud' not found.
* = name of file. Maybe this has to do with it not knowing which folder to look into for the specific sound file? I find the aud files are buried several layers deep within Data/(level name)/Sounds for example.
Edit: I think I figured it out, but still not finding where the various speech files are hidden...?
Unfortunately, not all .aud files work through the console. But the example I gave works, along with ICEBRAK1 & ICEBRAK2... along with various other files. It may have a buffering issue with larger files.
Regarding voices, you can see how complicated the code is if you walk up to an NPC, bring up the console, and click on the NPC. They'll talk, maybe Connor talks, and it's clearly a different set of codes. Connor's comments are even harder to index - they come up as a specific set of codes.
Sure would be nice if we could find the text script for the game used in the subtitles...
Quote from: Baggins on September 09, 2011, 08:43:34 PM
Sure would be nice if we could find the text script for the game used in the subtitles...
Just to read the script, or for the audio 'Coordinates,' so to speak?
I've been limited for the last couple days because of my back, but either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning I should be able to focus more on analyzing the game.
My programming history has primarily been based on Batch programming and hex editing, so I'm still figuring out C#. It's pretty easy to read, but a little tough when you can't see what's calling the Scripts (.cs files.) Fortunately, this is the most 'naked' game I've seen in quite a while, meaning it's not compiled into a handful of files, like most apps. (Although Gorilla BASIC would be easier. ;) Antiquated joke. Sorry.)
Well, just to read the script outside the game, and also to see if there are any bits that didn't make it into the final game... Sounds, conversations, etc...
Cutting room stuff like was found in KQ7 files, and lesser extent KQ6 files (I understand there are also some unused textures hidden in the files as well)...
One of the more interesting files I came across was one that had all the statistics for the enemeis in the game... The amount of HP they apparently have, and the amount of EXP they give... I'm curious if this relates to the amount of 'points' they give as well, for the end game score...
I'm still very curious how the game calculates the score, and if there would be a way to somehow work it all out!
I discuss some of the information I have discovered here;
http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/Mask_of_Eternity_Point_List
Basically the game calculates a total points earned in the game out of 6631364 points. Similar to the point systems in the early king's quest, but much larger number. It's possible to actually earn more than those points presumably due to a glitch... but it would still be interesting to know how the points are calculated, and what each action in the game gives you.
If you want some info on EXP, run the Console, and type god. It shows some stats. And if you then type ungod, it reveals the stats you've actually earned. (Take note of the level # when you type god - it looks incomplete, but maybe that's all you can earn with the total number of enemies you can defeat.)
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!
Here's a gift... KQ8\GAME\KQ\Invinfo.itl
Open it in Excel or Excel-compatible software (I.e. www.OpenOffice.org) for clear listings.
Edit: The same rules apply to the Monstats.mtl file, in the same folder.
I think Monstats is the file where I got the exp statistics...
Ok. If you can find the SCI Message Editor mentioned in KQ8\GAME\ENGLISH\TALKERS.SH and VERBS.SH, you may be able to figure out where the Script is hidden. I searched Yahoo.com, but found... Nothing of interest.
Apparently, each character has a number associated with their speech. If you talk with the Queen of the Snow Nymphs with the Console up - when she explains that you need the Crystal Sceptre - you'll get an idea of how the script and gestures are done... And a Beavis and Butthead comment.
Ok, turns out, if you turn on the console... and do an action... the game will then pop up the exp information...
For example, start a new level... start the console... Then click on the raven, and you will get 5/10 expr.
This makes it very convenient if you want to know how much exp it takes between each level as well!
There are also some amusing messages that come up, when you do certain actions. Like I think near the point you punch Hay Target, it states that "Mighty Ben punches the target" or such... If you open your door, or something, it says, Ben is smart, S-M-R-T.
http://www.eeggs.com/items/5391.html
These hidden messages may be quite funny to discover!
When you read the .cs and .KQ files, you can see that a certain comment is either ignored by the game (if the line starts out with a semicolon ";") or a comment is ECHOed into the Console. I need to pull out my ZTreeWin so I can view file contents more easily... And, maybe, I'll be able to see the script by searching for one of those ECHO lines.
I like how you can attack inanimate objects, then switch to the debug console, to get a description of the object you attacked...
It's kinda like get descriptions of things back in the old games, although its not as detailed...
And it's fun to start a conversation with an NPC in Console mode - the programmers made some strange references, besides revealing some code. With the Queen of the Snow Nymphs, it's funny to get any comment from her and read what the ECHO lines say.
Edit: I now have some decrypted Scripts for MoE in .txt format. If anyone's interested, feel free to PM me an email address where I can send them. They include directions for programmers and for the voice of Connor. (No, they're not from the game's .CS files.)