Thanks a ton for the SQ5 fix. I didn't want to goof the drum program #s.

Could someone please provide an overview of all the versions and patches to this silly game? The websites on this game are confusing as hell, why with the "free" version not really being free and supposedly bugged, and some patch originally being an update to a floppy version but also fixing bugs in the free version, and similar incomprehensible gibberish.

Floppy 1.0 = original game
- Has bugs. Logic bugs. Scripting bugs. Combat bugs. Spell bugs. Quest bugs.
- Possibly corrupts memory (meaning save games)

Floppy 1.01 = next version
Free 1.01 = online only
- Sierra released this game as free for awhile. To promote their spiritiual sequel "Betrayal at Antara". They later pulled this release and distributed it only with Antara and "Return to Krondor" (I think).
- This version fixed some bugs (memory corruption), some quest bugs
- Added new bugs (Nalar's Rib and some other bunch, spell bugs)

Patch 1.02
https://notendur.hi.is/eybjorn/krondor/krondor.html
- This one is made to update 1.00 and 1.01. It checks the EXE date, so it may fail (you need to edit the batch file). Takes some time to run in dosbox when working.
- This one fixes most of the bugs. Maybe adds a new spell bug. And possibly still has the combat bug (if you hit the enemy too hard, they gain HP).

CDROM 1.02
- The version that sold the most in stores: has redbook audio being the notable addition
- There's going to be enough versions floating around (problems with CDDA track playing, duplicate tracks, stops early, misc). They've sent out multiple discs I've heard.
- Seems to fix everything I've encountered (especially scripting bugs). Combat does not look to have overflow HP bug. Didn't have a problem with Guarda Revanche or spells.
- Bug: there's 2 narrative points where the text doesn't pause and just goes. Really minor.
- Pseudo-bug: Redbook doesn't loop, doesn't fade-out, pretty sure some tracks were cut short compared to MIDI

NRS, not going to go all out crazy, but there just may be an embarrassing featurette in your honour as part of my site's 10th anniversary. Sorry, but you deserve it too much.. 😜

Just want to chime in here an say that this is an amazing thread. And NRS, you are a legend as always. Appreciate your contributions to the SCI scene so much!

NewRisingSun wrote:

The MTBLAST patch for Willy CD was never finished because Cloudschatze mentioned that although most things work, some sound effects were missing. I can't find anything wrong from listening to the introduction, so here goes. Report if you find something missing.

The original issue persists, I'm afraid, where MIDI notes might be played (without an appropriate timbre), either in lieu of, or in combination with, a PCM sound-effect.

Here are a just a few early instances where this can be heard:
- the animation sequence after leaving the school (single, short note)
- pushing Brianna too high on the swing (single note, held for the duration of the PCM sample)
- pouring the cereal at breakfast (animation sequence)
- pouring the dog food (animation sequence)

I think I now know what the issue was. I have uploaded a new version of the WILLYCD patch in the previous post. Try again.

New compared to the version I sent out privately is automatic remapping of illegal drum map numbers to the ones recognized by GS level 1, which is required to get them to sound right on later Sound Canvases.

Thanks for taking the time to put this in. I saw Magic Carpet Plus send out GS percussion + illegal drum programs (MT-32 + General MIDI; maybe Adlib). Now I know what to do after I probe this game some more (TBD in a separate thread)

Putting the SC-55 drum map here in case someone needs it in the far future:

src: NewRisingSun […]
Show full quote

src: NewRisingSun

1-8 = Standard
9-16 = Room
17-24 = Power
25 = Electronic
26 = TR-808
27-32 = Electronic
33-40 = Jazz
41-48 = Brush
49-56 = Orchestra
57-63 = SFX

Warning! Not valid on mkII or higher!

Continuing the immeasurably popular craze of fixing the mistakes of the most crapped-in-the-brain programmers ever to defile a floppy disk, please now accept an MT-32 plus Sound Blaster patch for "Rise of the Dragon". The only digitized novelty is speech in the intro. Select Roland MT-32 for sound as usual, because adding another selectable sound option would be way too much trouble with that crackpot installer program.

I should probably edit my first post in this thread into an index, unless collector wants to put them on sierrahelp.com (I think that's his site?) or something.

HunterZ wrote:

I should probably edit my first post in this thread into an index, unless collector wants to put them on sierrahelp.com (I think that's his site?) or something.

Yes please. I haven't been following this thread very much, and I've lost overview of what have been posted here and whatnot.

We have been given the honor of partaking in simultaneous General MIDI/Roland MT-32 and Sound Blaster sound whilst playing Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science. Don't tell me you've never heard of this blockbuster game, which has the added benefit of being completely silent with the "General MIDI" selection, because the dumbass programmers forgot a "break" in a "switch" statement. That has been fixed as well. To get digital sound with General MIDI or MT-32, first select General MIDI or MT-32 in the crackpot installer, then run SETBLAST.COM which will modify the RESOURCE.CFG to make the programme call up AUDBLAST.DRV. It's so simple even a Dynamix programmer could do it.

I suppose the bastard child of the "Sierra family" has polluted my world with yet more product, which means there's more patches to come. Just listen to this message in the bottle: the only bottle is you.

I remember the artwork for that game. Creative masterpiece - gotta get that for my niece. Recently ordered Mother Goose Deluxe. 😀

Was checking out Mark Seibert
http://www.markseibert.com
http://www.markseibert.com/Sierra.htm (picture included!)
http://www.markseibert.com/music.htm (sheet music!)
http://www.markseibert.com/the_full_game.htm (Pepper's Adventures in Time)

That one I don't remember. Oils Well is new to me.

Lots of cute stuff on his website. 😀

edit:

the added benefit of being completely silent with the "General MIDI" selection

Ouch.

HunterZ wrote:

I should probably edit my first post in this thread into an index, unless collector wants to put them on sierrahelp.com (I think that's his site?) or something.

I'd be happy to add a page for them.

Don't tell me you've never heard of this blockbuster game, which has the added benefit of being completely silent with the "General MIDI" selection

Doesn't one of the Dynamix TIM games have the same problem? Tim 1 or EM maybe?

Thanks for all the patches, NRS. As usual, you've been a real pantload. But don't take my word for it; here's Gary Owens reading some text I sent in:
http://www.sierramusiccentral.com/assorted/GOPantload.mp3

Spikey wrote:

Doesn't one of the Dynamix TIM games have the same problem? Tim 1 or EM maybe?

TIM has no sound if you select GM, TemIM's GENMIDI.DRV does allow music, but unsurprisingly, no digital effects.

You people are so bright! You truly deserve this patch for The Incredible Machine, which does five things:

• Sound Blaster initializes on fast systems/at high "cycle" settings.
• Stereo FM sound.
• Selecting "General MIDI" now actually produces General MIDI music and sounds.
• Selecting "Roland MT-32" no longer plays music on channels 11-16 that the MT-32 ignores, but on channels 2-10 instead.
• Added the option to hear PCM sound effects (four of them, including the essential "whew!") even when hearing General MIDI or Roland MT-32 music. Since I won't touch the dreaded INSTALL.COM with a ten-foot pole, as mentioned, you need to run SETBLAST.COM after selecting General MIDI or Roland MT-32 using INSTALL.COM before running TIM.EXE.

The patch is available for English, French and German versions of the game. Note that if you have been naughty by downloading a "cracked" version of the game from the internets, you will find that the patch reenables the copy protection, so beware.

Whew! Dynamix! 😁

Thanks NRS, you're on fire this week. Now.. what else can we get you to do.. 😉
Hey, doesn't PQ1VGA have some broken sound driver in a weird install program?

I've added a bit of a goodie index to the first post of the thread. It needs to be reorganized by subject, though, because it's pretty much unusable in its current state. Sorry about that - this is what happens when I only get a few minutes to work on it here and there over the course of the day, then finish right before bedtime 😜

Edit: Organized it a bit better now.

NewRisingSun wrote:

I think I now know what the issue was. I have uploaded a new version of the WILLYCD patch in the previous post. Try again.

Thanks-much for working on this again. It's certainly one of the most egregious examples of Dynamix lameness that I can think of. (Well, other than "Smart Start"...) 😀

The MT-32 sound-effects now play correctly, however, there is still simultaneous MT-32/PCM sound-effect playback for the instances where both exist (as is the case with that pesky, "push-Brianna-off-of-the-swing" scream). This seems like a pretty acceptable issue though, in the event that it can't be resolved.

So... Speaking of Smart Start... Is there a way to either get it to display all options, or disable it entirely?

HunterZ wrote:

I've added a bit of a goodie index to the first post of the thread.

Turbo Science also supports GM+PCM.

Cloudschatze wrote:

however, there is still simultaneous MT-32/PCM sound-effect playback for the instances where both exist (as is the case with that pesky, "push-Brianna-off-of-the-swing" scream)

I think it's that way with the Sound Blaster selection as well. You just don't notice it because the FM sound effects are not as, uh, "distinctive"...

Cloudschatze wrote:

The MT-32 sound-effects now play correctly,

You know why they didn't play properly before? Because for the CD-ROM version, Dynamix deleted all custom timbres from 1.PAT that were only used by sound effects. Well, "deleted" is too strong a word, they actually just replaced them with an empty timbre. Hence the strange sound. 😜 Apparently they thought they would replace all sound effects with PCM ones, but ended up not doing that. The solution was simply to take the 1.PAT from the floppy version, which is guaranteed to work because the MIDI files both for music and sound effects are identical between the floppy and CD-ROM versions.

Cloudschatze wrote:

Speaking of Smart Start... Is there a way to either get it to display all options, or disable it entirely?

I haven't debugged it, and don't plan to... what I do plan however is to add my own little setup program, which might even look exactly like Smart Start, but allow the additional selections. Given the simplistic look, that description sounds like more trouble that it actually is.

Edit: The command line option m (without dash or slash) skips auto-detection and allows all available options to be selected. It doesn't change the problem that there is no selection for simultaneous GM and PCM though.

NewRisingSun wrote:

HunterZ wrote:

I've added a bit of a goodie index to the first post of the thread.

Turbo Science also supports GM+PCM.

Fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.