SCI/Bugs
Bugs Found in the Original Games
Missing Resources
- KQ6: Missing sync resource. Right at the beginning, go to bookshop and get the book that's on the table. 2nd portrait has no sync resource but audio. Windows version uses the appended sort of "raw data" for lip-sync, that's why its working there (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD6EM7v6R8Y#t=2m23s). We may possibly even create virtual sync resources out of that data, so the scripts will get it and even DOS version could work with full lip-sync. Further investigation required
Script bugs
- LSL1: Priority issues in bathroom right at the start
- LSL5: During first flight Larry dreams about Patti: she is playing the piano. Strangely this isn't animated, but it is if you save/reload your game
- LSL5: Almost at the end during last flight, one text box in the Patti conversation gets overdrawn with Patti. Happens only in German version and I guess this also happens with original interpreter. I am unable to test this easily because I would need to play through the whole game again
- LSL6: Sometimes the tram doesn't stop after talking to char. To fix this you need to revert to an earlier save, where you have not talked to char yet - now grab matches in the bar, THEN talk to char and immediately go to the tram
- PQ3: day 4 at crime scene - after examining the victim Sonny's head disappears for around 0.5 seconds
Timer issues
Codename: ICEMAN
- Submarine control room is too fast using normal speed throttler, special code is in place to further delay that room
- After placing explosive at oil rig, sometimes (?) it's going off too soon, killing you in the process - didn't happen twice in a row for me
Freddy Pharkas
- When watching prologue, music fading completes till the actual prologue graphic is shown - this doesn't happen in our sci, because we load resources too fast - if you switch dos-box to max cycles and try again, you will get the same issues
- Title should scale up, in that case the scripts call kAnimate in a loop and nothing else. In our sci it seems like it wouldn't do that, where in fact we just don't display those changes because of that tight loop
Gabriel Knight 1 demo
- When going from some rooms to others music fading completes till the next room is shown - this doesn't happen in our sci, because we load resources too fast - if you switch DOSBox to max cycles and try again, you will get the same issues
Larry 3
Still Occur in ScummVM
- Points accumulation won't get shown on too slow machines, our sci gets detected in lsl3 as slower than pc at, so it's also not shown there
Do Not Occur in ScummVM
- Push ups (room 380) are machine speed dependent. That one is calculated after the ranchy questions (room 290). Machine speed is calculated by counting cycles for 60 ticks (1 second) - working in our sci because of a workaround inside speed throttler for room 290
Larry 5
These issues do not occur in ScummVM.
- Intro is timer dependent (typing of the title while patty walks by) - note that the "mistyping" should be noticeable
- Wrestling is timer dependent (room 740)
Police Quest 1
It is currently unknown if any of those occur in ScummVM.
- The game freezes after arresting kid (Victor Simms) for possession of narcotics and escorting him out of Bert's Park.
- The game locks up after the drug deal in the park.
Police Quest 3
These issues do not occur in ScummVM.
- Police car is moving too fast even for 5 mph
- No exit/exit signs for police station, mall or freeway
Quest For Glory 1 (VGA)
It is currently unknown if any of those occur in ScummVM.
- Healer's bird
- Weapons master fights end far too quickly
- Erasmus conversation
- Archers on cliffs
- In Yorick's maze, the rear door that you open may close too soon for you to get through it.
Space Quest 1
Still Occur in ScummVM
- After entering the ship with your robot, you will see the timepod shortly fully and then it will start appearing - it's a script issue that seems to occur on faster machines even in dos-box - setting a breakpoint on robotIntoShip::changeState "solves" it. (Timing is controlled by cycleCnt in Beg::init and Beg::nextCel)
Do Not Occur in ScummVM
- In the Arcada, you'll notice the screen is shaking and shaking. And it should (every once in a while). Your ship is under attack, remember?!? But on faster computers, it just won't stop. And that's incredibly annoying.
- You will dehydrate in the desert way too soon. A message will pop up almost immediately when you've landed, telling you you need to drink. You'll die of thirst before you can even think of exploring the planet.
- The spider droid will come too soon. Thus giving you little chance to explore the planet.
- You will be unable to get past the falling acid drops in the cave on Kerona because the drops fall very rapidly. A tropical rainstorm is nothing compared to it!
- Some animations in the game are too fast. The droid that passes Roger in the hallway at the start of the game rushes by at the speed of light. Roger looks like he's headbanging or something. But in fact, on slower computers he looks around every now and then. Also, the cartridge retrieval droid moves way too fast. There are perhaps more of these small, but annoying, animation problems.
Space Quest 4
These issues do not occur in ScummVM.
- When Roger enters a screen where the "droid-0-death" can/will appear, it will come almost immediately. It will be very hard to get the rope, the unstable ordinance, the PocketPal and to hide yourself from this droid, not to mention successfully entering the sewer grate. The biggest problem is, of course, that the game doesn't give you any time to explore and look around carefully because you're too occupied escaping the droid. The droid should not appear for at least a full minute.
- Boarding the transport shuttle on the streets of Xenon is almost impossible. The Sequel Police are already standing there, waiting to kill you. When playing the game on a slower computer, the Sequel Police will only appear after some seconds, giving you enough time to examine the shuttle and to enter the landing gear compartment.
- The same goes for entering one of the time pods on the Sequel Police dispatch. They will kill you almost immediately after they finished talking. You won't have time to do anything, how frustrating! Normally, you have at least some seconds to move. If you move downwards towards the time pods, the game will give you even more time to solve the puzzle. With a faster machine, you virtually don't have any time at all.
- On Estros, the timepod of the Sequel Policemen will almost come immediately after you've landed. You will never have the time to "trigger" the pterodactyl to pick you up. And, you just don't have time to walk around and explore the planet... You'll think you are stuck (that is, if you have the time to think that at all, you might be dead already), and will run to the nearest walk through paradise. While in fact, it's a timer related problem.
- And of course the Skate-O-Rama scene. The Sequel Policemen won't give you any time to make your move.
- Near the end of the game you're supposed to use the Super Computer to "flush" the droid and the brain icon. When you've flushed the brain icon, the countdown will begin and you're supposed to make your way to Vohaul's room. On today's computers, the countdown will happen so fast that you won't have the chance to leave the room and go back out to the maze.
- Some animations go too fast, scrolling screens don't look like they are scrolling (because of the speed), the pterodactyl that moves even faster and so on.
Space Quest 5
It is currently unknown if any of those occur in ScummVM.
- As far as I know, the only timer problem in Space Quest 5 is the EVA scene were you need to rescue Cliffy with the pod. The controls are very hard to handle because the ship moves too fast. Normally, this puzzle is already very hard. Not only is it already fast, but you have little fuel. This puzzle requires some mouse skills, so don't whine if it doesn't work right from the start.
- I've spotted some small animation problems, most notably the GradeMaster 2000 sequence. Maybe some scrolling screens effects are eliminated by timer problems, but so far I haven't found any.
Note: SQ1/SQ4/SQ5 were taken from spacequest.net and can also be found at the Space Quest wiki, PQ1, PQ3 and QfG1VGA were taken from sierrahelp.com.