tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post8390652457618604562..comments2024-03-29T10:25:11.915-04:00Comments on Nerdly Pleasures: Ask me about LOOMGreat Hierophanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-3721691899735715762020-11-28T03:36:37.467-05:002020-11-28T03:36:37.467-05:00Hi,
I recently noticed that the notes played on t...Hi,<br /><br />I recently noticed that the notes played on the distaff sound different in the FM Towns version. They are shorter and much less exciting.<br /><br />I tried both UNZ and ScummVM and they sound the same. I don't have access to an actual FM Towns machine so I don't know if it's an emulation problem.<br /><br />To compare, here's the distaff sound in the FM Towns: https://youtu.be/V5rfqoTrjJc?t=364<br />And the PC-CD version: https://youtu.be/u8AWWWGAGhM?t=407<br />Omer Morhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524751715995551821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-84793822347649225262020-10-13T14:16:57.319-04:002020-10-13T14:16:57.319-04:00The cassette has the full audio drama on both Side...The cassette has the full audio drama on both Side One an again on Side Two. Side One is encoded with Dolby B Noise Reduction, Side Two is encoded with Dolby S. Dolby S is two decades newer than Dolby B and with a supporting tape deck can exhibit much less noise than the Dolby B recording.Great Hierophanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-59288143904652649822020-10-02T04:26:27.810-04:002020-10-02T04:26:27.810-04:00Hi,
About the cassette, are there 2 versions? On...Hi, <br /><br />About the cassette, are there 2 versions? One with the audio drama on both sides, and one (later version?) that came with the audio drama on side A, and gameplay on side B? If so, wich one is the original and first Amiga version? Buzz Fledderjohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812253789158268444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-34446162625585661252015-11-24T18:41:50.634-05:002015-11-24T18:41:50.634-05:00I remember my EGA to sport huge scanlines in 200pi...I remember my EGA to sport huge scanlines in 200pix vertical modes. I guess it was because the monitor would spread 200 lines into a 350 lines suface, does anyone remember this visual thing ? was it on all EGA + colour EGA screens or just some of them ?<br />Otherwise in real 640x350x16 mode there would be no visible scanlines and picture was awesome, but yeah, close to no games used that.<br /><br />LOOM was one of the best looking EGA games and a real pleasure to play.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14164665874120978310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-40047023312573869722015-11-06T09:47:03.229-05:002015-11-06T09:47:03.229-05:00It makes little sense to tweak/change significant ...It makes little sense to tweak/change significant parts of the interpreter code but leave obvious unused command line parameters throughout the entire development cycle (especially since it was already working fine in the non-CD release), which heavily implies/suggests the removal/disabling of the sound card functionality was very near the end of development for the Loom PC CD version.<br /><br />They clearly were editing and revising the interpreter functionality for all games as they were being developed and were adding/removing sound/video/etc support as needed and weren't leaving unused command line parameters in every title as released. <br /><br />DOTT and Same & Max CD (released a year later or so) use all their command line parameters, etc (they also use compressed digitized file formatted audio).<br /><br />What's the list of all the other LucasArts/LucasFilm games with leftover/unused command line parameters for the release version? Right.<br /><br />And while its true that most people did not have both a sound card and a CDROM, if they had just one of either, it was a sound card, not a CD-ROM, as virtually all CD-ROM drives sold were part of "multimedia upgrade kits" which included both, almost always in the form of a sound card with a proprietary CDROM interface. And since getting CDROM audio almost always involved the analog output connected to/through the sound card (unless you were using the 3.5mm drive jack) you had to account for a sound card anyway. So it was pretty much guaranteed that if you had a CDROM drive, you had a sound card. <br /><br />I saw thousands of PCs during this era that had sound cards but no CD-ROM, but I can think of only one or two, both in a dedicated-task corporate environment, that had CDROM drives but no sound card.<br /><br />CDROM drives without sound cards were far more likely in the ATAPI era (94/95 onward), but at that point sound cards and/or motherboard integrated audio were baseline configurations.<br /><br />Clearly, there was a much larger intalled base of sound cards than of CDROM drives (especially in 1992 - and ever for that matter).<br /><br />Perhaps the compressed digitized "monster.sou" file technique, while clearly in development, was not going to be ready to, as you pointed out, "get it out by Christmas" and so sound/audio timing/iMuse editing/QAing for the slight difference of the CD version compared to the original floppy was abandoned very near release with a "dirty quick edit/rip".<br /><br />What other LucasArts CD title uses CD Audio this way?<br /><br />There is no way they were designing the CDROM version of the game without sound card support as a backup/enhancement from the beginning, especially considering all the support and content already existed. Of course they were. Which is why that support was there to begin with (and never properly removed).<br /><br />You said it yourself: "The PC CD version has an unfinished feel to it." and "get it out by Christmas" - that's because it WAS unfinished - and one of the features that was clearly deep-sixed near the very end of the development cycle was sound card audio/music support - and they simply didn't have time to fully remove interpreter support.<br /><br />-----------------<br /><br />DOSBox double-scanning 640x200 in VGA mode might make compatibility sense - but what explains DOSBox double-scanning 640x200 in EGA mode? (aside from bug/flaw/design oversight)? This probably argues for why DOSBox needs a CRT Mode setting (once again).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-90842585123956889792015-10-25T19:45:31.783-04:002015-10-25T19:45:31.783-04:00Hubz,
I have some philosophical differences with ...Hubz,<br /><br />I have some philosophical differences with SCUMMVM. The audio emulation is not particularly accurate in every instance.<br /><br />Anonymous,<br /><br />I believe the audio parameters are leftovers from the interpreter's parameters listing. These parameters are typically shared across a wide variety of interpreters for many SCUMM games. They do nothing, the CD audio does everything. Adding sound card support means adding work and more things to debug. <br /><br />EGA in this instance is really 640x200x16, which is true EGA. It appears as 640x400 because DOSBox and real VGA cards double scan the image vertically. Otherwise, it would appear ridiculously squashed. 200 lines on a real EGA card and monitor will have no difficulty filling up the screen. It is really a 240p mode. Great Hierophanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04409413307024477304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-52284671758211684522015-10-25T07:42:29.072-04:002015-10-25T07:42:29.072-04:00I'm curious, has anyone ever figured out if an...I'm curious, has anyone ever figured out if any of the music/sound related command line parameters of the CD version (5.1.42) have any effect at all?<br /><br />The video and input mode related parameters do in fact work to some degree. EGA ("e") sets the video output to 640x400x16 (not exactly standard EGA which is curious, so its really just setting a 16 color VGA mode). "j" sets joystick mode "k" sets keyboard mode, etc<br /><br />But audio/music output parameters (i, ts, g, a) don't seem to have any effect at all. <br /><br />Granted, its the CD version and uses Redbook Audio by default, but if the audio parameters have no effect, why include them in the modified-developed for-CD executable at all? And for that matter, if they are including audio/sound parameters, why is there no Roland parameter at all, considering it was obviously developed after/from the EGA version which had a roland update years prior?<br /><br />Makes you wonder if it was yet another mid-course correction of the PC CD version which was planned to allow either the CD soundtrack and/or soundcard/MIDI output, but at some late(r) stage the planned soundcard/MIDI support was hastily removed/disabled.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-33161922304573808192015-10-22T10:43:55.869-04:002015-10-22T10:43:55.869-04:00Love the blog, read it at least weekly. The detail...Love the blog, read it at least weekly. The detail you go into is great!<br /><br />Why do abhor SCUMMVM? Just curious. Is it not accurate emulation?Hubzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17922601109497937157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993165553021868648.post-72336626789728744142015-10-18T08:22:36.882-04:002015-10-18T08:22:36.882-04:00My favorite games of all time!My favorite games of all time!John Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04984047807703754968noreply@blogger.com