ScummDC golden age

[kremiso]

I got some ideas about ScummVM and Dreamcast
the thread name give more than a hint

so, apart Curse of Monkey Island, Riven, Neverhood and Gabriel Knight SVGA
something RARE will pop up randomly in the SCUMM download section, here on DC-Talk

check that one sometimes, in the next hours/days

[kremiso]

Chapter zero, redo from start

i want to share with you how good (and differents) were the early releases of ScummDC
using the first gold games as a new attempts workbench, impossible to do at time without waste a lot of cds; already found a couple of interesting surprises.

saying early releases i mean from the beginning (2002) until the 0.7 release (2005), the first one that introduced the engine plugins, used also in the latest ones.

what i like mostly in these releases, is the fact that, normally or with some little tricks of course, they can run the original files (each release in a little different way) without the need of convert/compress anything before, audio-talking expecially, so...


Chapter 1 : DAY OF THE TENTACLE - CD talkie version

i put 7 releases of ScummDC in the pack :

0.0.2 release, this is the first one that can run a couple of games, it was a prototype (so the save was not implemented yet), and was the only based on KALLISTIOS, changed with LIBRONIN in the following releases - this is RARE
0.2, 0.3b, 0.41, 0.5, 0.61b and 0.7 are the other, all with little differences, also in running, good to discover
watch out for the savefiles, are incompatibles between releases, and also have the same name, so choose the version and play entirely that one (if possible lol)

the game, needless to say, untouched files

added to the download section :

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 43&t=13179

[Ian Micheal]

I do wish the Kos version he kept doing much more user freindly to me seems to be much lighter might been able to load bigger games if it got development more.. thanks for this i posted about the kos version few weeks back tested it ... I liked the interface course it not being SDL based was nice as well..

[kremiso]

I do wish the Kos version he kept doing much more user freindly to me seems to be much lighter might been able to load bigger games if it got development more.. thanks for this i posted about the kos version few weeks back tested it ... I liked the interface course it not being SDL based was nice as well..

agree, damn if you look how well the 0.0.2 release works, despite being a prototype... a shame
if you want take a closer look, iirc i have also the sourcecode, despite the programmer said it was made with feet

[Ian Micheal]

I have the src i was taking a look at it he must of or she had some great feet lol.. coding style is very nice when i looked at it.. might try and compile it one time..

[kremiso]

I have the src i was taking a look at it he must of or she had some great feet lol.. coding style is very nice when i looked at it.. might try and compile it one time..

oh, it would be great, the only file is 304KB ! yet, it works so good
you're right, great feet

taken from the original readme :

'When the SCUMMVM team fix a load of these, I will integrate the two branches.
If they make their code pretty, then I will do the same to mine and the two forks can merge, but the spaghettification that I've had to do to get this to work is not pretty.
(Take a look at my code: I warn you, you may need a bucket).'

[kremiso]

Chapter 2

INDIANA JONES and the Fate of Atlantis - FM Towns version

this game has some gfx bugs using ScummDC, nevertheless it is little better than the PC counterpart
some gfx corrections have been added starting from the ScummDC 1.6.0 release,
but strangely the audio has turned into sh.t ...

in the pack you'll find the same 7 scummDC releases, from 0.0.2 until the 0.7 one
untouched files, original audio

my fave setting is to play this one with the 0.4.1 or 0.5 release, let me know yours

added to the download section :

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 43&t=13197

[kremiso]

Chapter 3

LOOM - FM TOWNS version

tough discover the perfect ScummDC release to make run this decently/flawlessly
due also the very particual approach of ScummDC in playing the cdda tracks;
imo 0.7 or 0.8 are the better ones (also for the PC version)

i've tried to make an all-in-one release, ScummDC0.7 + game + cdda audio tracks
on emulators (NullDC and Demul) it works flawless, curious about real hardware, let me know

added on the download section :

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 43&t=13213

[kremiso]

Chapter 4

--- FULL THROTTLE ---

this one has become playable on ScummDC a bit later, so i prepared a new MultiScumm set :

inside, 7 ScummDC releases that cover 2006/2009 years
not easy, due the plugins, but with a little trick, all seems ok

added to the download section :

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 43&t=13219


--- EDIT ---
forgot to say : the ScummDC autosave feature is enabled in all these releases, let me know if you don't like it

[kremiso]

A quick infos for all the other good Scumm games variants that work great on DC too :

- Indiana Jones and the last crusade (Indy3) -
better release to try : FM TOWNS
better way to try it, using the ScummDC only as a boot disc, and swapping it with the original disc;
in this way you'll gain the power of cdda audio tracks

^^^ note that you can use all the previous uploads as a boot disc, and also they are interchangable ^^^

- Zack McKracken -
also with this one, the FM TOWNS colorful version REQUIRE a longplay
and also here, swapping method to listen the original audio tracks in all their beauty

- Sam & Max -
this one seems works flawlessly also in the latest ScummDC release (as the previous two too),
so no particular hints, apart the advice to play it at least one time

- Loom (PC version) -
little different than the FM TOWNS one, graphically closer but little worse imo, but it has the speech in add;
this has a big single audio track in (> 500MB), tough to manage this
the swapping method is ok also with this one

- The DIG -
this seems working fine again in the latest ScummDC releases, don't know if can be completed,
in past surely (don't remember atm the correct release, 0.13.1 or 1.0.0 perhaps)
let me know about this one, i can do the same Full Throttle treatment here