KQ4

[lukeman3000]

Hi Collector - I couldn't find a King's Quest thread so I'm hoping this is the right place to post my question. If not, please direct me elsewhere and I will be happy to fix it.

After using your Ultimate KQ4 installer (for Amiga sounds) I am having a problem wherein running it directly from DOSBox (without using the exe that is generated by the installer) results in DOSBox simply giving me a black screen. If I run the exe that is generated, it works fine and I get to hear the awesome ambient ocean sound effects as soon as I start. I would very much like to be able to run it directly from DOSBox in order for it to work with my portable D-Fend Reloaded frontend that I'm putting together.

Additionally, when I run the install file it gives me a black screen that looks like this:



And I cannot change any settings because pressing any key causes DOSBox to close. I am a little confused because I thought one of the points of this patch was to utilize MT32 sound but in resource.cfg it looks like the sound driver is set to gravis ultrasound? No doubt this is my ignorance speaking, but it was something I was wondering about.

[Collector]

Moved.

Just use the included launcher or it will not use the right configuration.

[lukeman3000]

Wow, sorry. I didn't back all the way out to the board index to be able to see the other forums.

Well, I figured out what was going on, I think. GUS wasn't enabled in DOSBox even though it is in my dosbox.conf. However, it seems that D-Fend Reloaded essentially ignores whatever dosbox.conf already exists as it seems to make its own each time you launch a game with whatever settings you have chosen for that game. So I just ticked the "enable gus" checkbox and it worked.

That leads me to a question - How is it that I'm able to use GUS when I haven't specifically downloaded any drivers? My dosbox.conf is pointing to a C:\ULTRASND for GUS drivers, but no such directory exists and yet it seems to work -- or am I missing something here?

[Collector]

GUS is more complicated than that. You have to install it, not just change a couple of settings in the conf. There is a guide for it on VOGONS if you want to try it, but note that while the SCI0-SCI1 game soundtracks were written for Roland MT-32 and supported AdLib/SB, SCI1.1 and later for Roland Sound Canvas. GUS is not the best solution for SCI. Also note that there were a couple aftermarket GUS drivers that Sierra released for a few of its SCI games, but again it is not what the sound tracks were written for.

[lukeman3000]

But that still leaves me wondering why it looks like your KQ4 with Amiga sounds has DOSBox using a GUS driver? I don't remember seeing anything about needing to download and install GUS drivers for your KQ4 with Amiga sounds version to work properly.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is do I need to download and install GUS drivers for KQ4 with Amiga sounds? If it, how then does it work when resource.cfg sound driver is set to MTSBGUS
DRV?

[Collector]

This version of KQ4 is different. It has the Amiga resources hacked into it. Additionally the "MTSBGUS.DRV" is a hacked driver by NRS to add the Amiga sounds to the MT-32 music. It cannot be used for any other game. If you have used the Ultimate installer you need not do anything else for the game. Just start it with the included launcher.

[lukeman3000]

Thank you.

[lukeman3000]

With regards to the background image detail, NRS states that the original releases had the more detailed backgrounds. Why does the witches' cave look markedly less detailed in the early version (on the left) versus the 1.006.004 version on the right? While it seems that the rocks surrounding the cave may be more detailed in the early version, I find myself preferring almost everything else in the 1.006.004, from the additional detail of the skull to the shadows on the ground. Just wondering if you can speak to this in terms of why the early version is preferred?

Also, is it possible to use the ultimate installer and somehow keep the 1.006.004 backgrounds if desired?

[Tawmis]

The Witch's Cave, of those, is the only one that looks better with the other version (1.006).

[lukeman3000]

This is of course just my opinion but I personally prefer less flowers and stuff on the ground as well as the less-detailed trees in the background. I also like how some of the trees in the later version are kind of blue and have somewhat of a "transparency" over the completely black background trees of the earlier version. Also, the Ogre's house in the newer version looks more pleasing to me; I think in general the newer version has more contrast in the image.

But anyways, that's just my preference. I am currently reading up on editing SCI games if this is even possible... Would appreciate some help if anyone cares to offer. If it's too involved I'll just abandon the idea, but it's worth spending an hour or two googling about, to me.

[Collector]

You could try to extract the PICs from the earlier game with the Sierra Resource Viewer and dropping the PICs into the hacked game's folder.

[lukeman3000]

If I wanted to find and purchase a version of KQ4 AGI, what would I want to look for to make sure I was getting the AGI version?

[Collector]

Look at the requirements label. The AGI release is 256K

King's Quest IV AGI Requirements label

And the SCI is 512K.

King's Quest IV SCI Requirements label

Otherwise the boxes are identical.

You can also determine from the disks. The AGI has 3 x 3.5" diskettes or 6 x 5.25" diskettes. The interpreter version is printed on the label (Int#3.xxx.xxx):

The SCI has 4 x 3.5" diskettes or 9 x 5.25" diskettes. The interpreter version is printed on the label (Int. #0.xxx.xxx):

Note that only the v2.0 AGI release has the 'Pirate', 'Beam Me' and 'Rap' Easter eggs. Version info can be found on the diskette label:

[lukeman3000]

This version IS rare. I have yet to find it.