tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post2559977617770521908..comments2024-03-27T05:39:24.505-04:00Comments on Nerdly Pleasures: Alley Cat - Epitome of a Timeless Early PC ClassicGreat Hierophanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-19533591355782053632017-07-08T13:57:20.505-04:002017-07-08T13:57:20.505-04:00Hello,
I am looking for physical copies of "...Hello,<br /><br />I am looking for physical copies of "Troll's Tale" and "Dragon's Keep" for the IBM PC/PCjr. If anybody knows of anyone who has these, and wouldn't mind selling them, please let me know. Thank you.Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00739265882091927386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-52643968636645361382017-03-27T15:06:24.891-04:002017-03-27T15:06:24.891-04:00Hello,
Your suggestion worked perfectly! I went ...Hello,<br /><br />Your suggestion worked perfectly! I went down the stairs from the castle entrance, and then once I got to the dungeon hallway, I had no choice but to be captured by the henchman. No worries about that though, because the Princess helps you to escape down to the basement. From there, I got the sword and returned to the dungeon hallway. From there, just like last time, I turned left to enter the stair case room. No bug was triggered, and I realized that entering the basement from the garbage chute is what started that whole mess. I started doing a bunch of saving after that. I triggered one more bug while exploring the castle. Since I was a prisoner, and my possessions were taken from me, I had to climb the stairs up to the middle section, and retrieve my possessions one screen to the east. I decided I wanted to go back to the stairs and explore the top of the castle. The game didn't like that. The moment I got my possessions and walked one screen back to the west (where the middle section of the stairs are) the game showed me that same error message. I thought to myself no problem. All I have to do is explore the top of the castle "before" I retrieve my possessions. I made sure I was saving because I was dying of thirst. After I was satisfied with exploring the top floor, I restored my game back to climbing the stairs. Also, just for fun, I recorded jumping off of the left outdoor balcony to escape the henchman, and then restored my game to the stairs again. Those two bugs were the only bugs I encountered so far. I saved the garbage chute for last, only when I was ready to deal with the Horned King. Thanks to the alternate route you suggested, I was able to get the sword and harp, and then actually get out of the castle this time. I learned in a walkthrough that if you get the sword and harp, and then go back home, there are some interesting things you can do before going back to the castle. You can show off your sword to Dallben and he tells you what he thinks of it. You can also give, not only the lute, but the harp to the King of the Fairy Folk, and score extra points. Thanks again for your thoughts! It worked out very nicely and I finished the game with ten extra points than I should have gotten. I brought Hen Wen to safety in this game. Next time I will play and record the version where Hen Wen gets captured. Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00739265882091927386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-75959439105842507242017-03-24T22:09:59.130-04:002017-03-24T22:09:59.130-04:00Hi Ray,
Your version is a "PC Booter". ...Hi Ray,<br /><br />Your version is a "PC Booter". PC Booter programs do not need DOS to boot or to run the software. They may need DOS indirectly because they require a formatted disk or to copy a disk. You insert the disk into the drive, turn on your PC and wait for the program to load. DOS itself is a PC Booter program. <br /><br />Your software version is 1.1K. It comes with and without the text "Licensed to Tandy Corporation Version 01.00.00" You can find the game version of the Black Cauldron and later games using Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI) by pressing Alt + D during the game. <br /><br />There could be many reasons why the game crashes at this point. The reason is apparently not memory based, since Sierra booters do not recognize more than 128KB in a PCjr, otherwise they would run faster. Unfortunately, while I have all known versions of The Black Cauldron, most of my booters have been cracked to run on the PC but not the PCjr. or Tandy, including the version you have. <br /><br />The video you posted helped me pinpoint your issue. I was able to replicate the crash in DOSBox by following your game path, more or less. The good news is that the bug is not an issue with your disks or your PCjr., as DOSBox was emulating a PC with a CGA card. The bad news is that you must figure out a path that will bypass the bug. What would happen if, instead of getting to the basement via the wine cellar's secret tunnel, you went through the castle and down the stairs? This bug may have been fixed in v1.1m, v2.0 or v2.1, but the latter two versions require DOS. Great Hierophanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-78279843700220662732017-03-24T11:55:59.247-04:002017-03-24T11:55:59.247-04:00Hello,
I posted in multiple areas on purpose. I ...Hello,<br /><br />I posted in multiple areas on purpose. I wanted to be absolutely sure people would notice. I don't know how much it has to do with the memory. I tried on both my 256k PCjr and my 128k PCjr, and the same thing happens. It says on the title screen version 1.00.00 which I think means it is what you call a PC booter. It is a PCjr original, it does not need DOS in order to run. If I set up DOS first, will a booter game run on DOS? I was afraid to try that because I figured that if something was not meant to run on DOS, then DOS would not except it. The sticker on the game box says "IBM PC, PCjr Compatibles" and does not mention DOS at all. I prefer the original booter game because it contains nuances that the later versions don't. If you'd like, you can watch a youtube video I posted where the error occurs. The video is called "The Black Cauldron Part 8" and my youtube name is "barth82." The Error happens at the end of the video. Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00739265882091927386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-1250840729891321272017-03-24T01:29:51.551-04:002017-03-24T01:29:51.551-04:00I think you posted your question on five different...I think you posted your question on five different blog entries, only one is sufficient. <br /><br />The Black Cauldron came in several versions, which is yours? I know of version 1.1J, 1.1K, 1.1K Tandy, 1.1M, 2.00 and 2.10. The 2.xx versions are hard drive installable, the 1.x versions are PC Booters. Are both of your disk sets identical? <br /><br />If you have a booter version, I wonder if removing your PCjr.'s memory upgrade sidecar will make any difference. If you have a hard drive-installable version, the Reference Card for AGI games suggests booting with regular DOS without the memory manager loaded. The game's executable can set up the extra memory for you. Great Hierophanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-44730147179466775542017-03-23T20:50:01.096-04:002017-03-23T20:50:01.096-04:00Hello,
This is not a comment. I am looking for h...Hello,<br /><br />This is not a comment. I am looking for help on a problem I'm have with my IBM PCjr. I have noticed blogs being posted about the IBM PCjr on Nerdy Pleasures and I am hoping someone will know the answer to the mystery I am going through. I am playing "The Black Cauldron" on my 256k PCjr, and the game runs just fine until I try to enter the stair case room at the enemy's castle. Before the character gets to move I get this message "Error #16: 208 Press Esc To Exit." The game comes in a two disc set. I bought and tried two other sets of discs and the exact same thing happens in the exact same area of the game. I am looking for someone who can shed some light on this issue. Thank you.Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00739265882091927386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-50509315458636675912016-01-04T05:56:28.261-05:002016-01-04T05:56:28.261-05:00Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I loved thi...Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I loved this game even though I didn't understand how to play it.Joel Reyes Nochehttps://joelreyesnoche.wordpress.com/category/retrocomputing/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-41340954337962352212015-12-15T04:01:08.802-05:002015-12-15T04:01:08.802-05:00Great game! i loved it!Great game! i loved it!anormalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-6806640441062018622015-12-14T12:45:13.633-05:002015-12-14T12:45:13.633-05:00i played this on my tandy.
was NOT copy protecte...i played this on my tandy.<br /><br /><br />was NOT copy protected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com