SCUMM/Game Enhancements

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Introduction

ScummVM adds a number of little enhancements/workarounds to several SCUMM games, sometimes based on the behavior in other versions of the same game. Since some have expressed the desire to restore the original behavior, some games now have a number of settings for game-specific enhancements:

  • Fix original bugs
  • Audio-visual improvements
  • Restored content
  • Modern UI/UX adjustments

Note that disabling these options will still not necessarily make the game behave exactly like the original. Sometimes ScummVM's implementation of a feature always differed slightly from the original, sometimes workarounds are for game-breaking bugs, some workarounds are already optional, and some just aren't covered by the setting yet. That said, here is a list of the enhancements that it currently covers, indicating both when the enhancement was first added and when it was made optional.

Maniac Mansion

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.11.0 - All Subtitles can be skipped with the '.' key, like in later games.
unknown same V2 The V2 DOS release can use the Amiga render mode, if selected, in order to avoid the so-called "sunburnt effect" on characters' skin tones.
1.3.0 - All Fix a script oversight if the door bell rings while Ted captures the player entering his room, which would cause some strange, unexpected behavior.
2.0.0 - All Prevent Purple Tentacle from appearing again and staying in the lab, even though it has been chased out. This could be triggered when the player enters the lab within 45 minutes of first entering the mansion.
2.0.0 - All Force the power back on, if entering the lab while Dr. Fred has the power turned off to repair the Zom-B-Matic. Otherwise, the power could never return, bringing to an unintended dead-end.
2.5.0 2.9.0 cracked V2 Original bug Fix keypads so they do not accept incorrect input. This only happens in one particular cracked version that is now unfortunately sold on both GOG and Steam. (Speedrunners call this the "Lab Door Mod".)
2.6.0 2.6.0 NES Audio-visual Fix Wendy's music not being properly stopped. Her music could suddenly resume even though her CD player was turned off.
2.6.0 V1, V2 Fix a sudden and complete freeze of the cutscene where Purple Tentacle is bullying Sandy in the lab (French version only).
2.6.0 2.6.0 V1, V2 Restored content Make it possible to click on the sentence line to execute a command, like the manual says.
2.7.0 2.7.0 V1 Original bug Fix a typo ("tring" where it should be "trying") in Syd's biography in the English version. This typo does not appear in later - or earlier - versions.
2.8.0 2.8.0 V2 Original bug Let the "Unlock" verb appear as intended in the Italian version.

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.10.0 - All While going outside with an incomplete space suit on Mars, ignore a character turn animation which made it very difficult to quickly return to safety.
0.11.0 - All Subtitles can be skipped with the '.' key, like in later games.
unknown same V2 The V2 DOS release can use the Amiga render mode, if selected, in order to avoid the so-called "sunburnt effect" on characters' skin tones.
2.6.0 2.6.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Fix animation glitch that causes the bird in Lima to disappear once you're done using the blue crystal on it.
2.9.0 - V0, V1 Original bug Picking up the yellow shard in the Mexican Temple while playing as Annie was not possible. The fix is taken from Zak V2.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

"Macintosh" refers to the old 16-color version. "VGA" also includes the later Macintosh port, but not the FM Towns version.

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.6.0 - FM Towns Make the biplane controls usable again in the FM Towns version. This enhancement is always enabled, since this part of the game is almost unplayable, otherwise.
0.10.0 2.9.0 All Original bug Restore missing 'ß' characters in some dialogue lines at Castle Brunwald, in the German releases of the game.
0.11.0 - All Subtitles can be skipped with the '.' key, like in later games.
1.4.0 2.9.0 All Original bug Properly allocate IQ points for some puzzles where some original versions would get some conditions wrong.
1.4.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Fix Henry Sr. appearing as a giant, in the releases where it's supposedly possible to reach the front of Castle Brunwald again after freeing him from his room.
1.8.0 2.7.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Add missing music in Venice. The original had no CD audio music for this scene, but it had a Euphony track which wasn't properly enabled.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Macintosh Audio-visual All text is drawn using the font's defined character spacing. The original would sometimes add an extra pixel.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Macintosh Audio-visual Palette effects are emulated in black-and-white mode, and not just in color mode. This is visible in several scenes, perhaps most noticeably the lightning around Castle Brunwald.
2.6.0 2.6.0 VGA Original bug Fix some unusual cyan and magenta horizontal lines when Indy meets Elsa in Berlin. (This was already fixed in the FM Towns version, and ScummVM uses a similar fix. ScummVM 2.9.0 also fixes the issue in the VGA German release with its censored artwork.)
2.6.0 2.6.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Fix the color of the Nazis' uniforms while exploring the corridors of Castle Brunwald. They're green in the rest of the game, but the FM Towns version still had the EGA grey palette override in this part of the game. (The VGA version fixed this.)
2.6.0 2.6.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Fix Indy's subtitle color when he talks to his father before escaping from the zeppelin with the biplane.
2.6.0 2.6.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Clear some verb leftovers at the bottom of the screen in the same zeppelin cutscene.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Restored content Restore the missing first frame of animation when Indy makes a wise or poor choice for the Grail.
2.7.0 2.7.0 VGA, FM Towns Audio-visual Fix an original small glitch around the tapestry that's inside one of the first rooms of Castle Brunwald. An unusual vertical line was drawn in the middle of the room.
2.8.0 2.8.0 Macintosh UI/UX Macintosh list and scrollbar widgets can be scrolled with the mouse wheel.
2.8.0 2.8.0 Macintosh UI/UX Macintosh menus don't close if the mouse accidentally goes outside the menu area.
2.9.0 2.9.0 Macintosh UI/UX Ask before clearing the series IQ score, like the manual suggests should happen.
2.9.0 2.9.0 All(?) Audio-visual Restore the missing object description for one of the tunnels in the Venetian catacombs. The fix is taken from the Japanese FM-TOWNS release.

Loom

"Macintosh" refers to the old 16-color version. "VGA talkie" also includes the later Macintosh port, but not the FM Towns version.

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.5.0 2.7.0 All except VGA talkie Restored content Restore a missing line from the shepherds when trying to use the stealth draft on them.
0.6.0 - VGA talkie Fix a script error causing the lens workers' conversation to become very out of sync.
0.8.0 2.6.0 VGA talkie Original bug Chaos no longer introduces herself as "Choas".
0.11.0 - All Subtitles can be skipped with the '.' key, like in later games.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Macintosh Audio-visual Palette effects are emulated in black-and-white mode, and not just in color mode. This is visible in the scene where the dragon finds Rusty asleep.
2.6.0 2.6.0 EGA, Amiga, Atari ST Original bug Don't allow Bobbin to simply walk through the locked cell door when clicking just below it. This was fixed in later versions of the game, though not always in the same way. ScummVM imitates the behavior of the VGA talkie version.
2.6.0 2.6.0 EGA, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST Audio-visual If you use the Reflection draft on Rusty before examining him for the first time, show a close-up on him wearing Bobbin's cloak. This bug was fixed in later versions.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All except VGA talkie Audio-visual Trying to leave the plateau before encountering Rusty's ghost no longer causes the ghost to teleport.
2.6.0 2.6.0 VGA talkie Audio-visual Fix the timing when Bishop Mandible uses the distaff so that it lights up four times, just like in other versions.
2.6.0 2.6.0 VGA talkie Audio-visual Correct the subtitle color (from white to green) on one line in the scene where you first overhear Bishop Mandible.
2.6.0 2.6.0 VGA talkie Original bug After you exit the caves, you can go back by clicking on the cave opening, just like in the other versions. (It was still possible to go back, but you had to click on a thin sliver below the cave opening.)
2.6.0 2.6.0 All except VGA talkie Audio-visual The fire animation runs at the same speed throughout. Originally it sped up along with the rest of the game while the messenger nymph was flying. Strangely, this bug does not happen in the EGA demos, and in the VGA talkie the fire isn't animated at all.
2.7.0 2.7.0 EGA, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST Original bug Prevent Bobbin from walking through one of the staircases inside the dragon's cave, when he has entered the room from the other stairs in the ground. This issue was present in the earliest 16-color releases, but appears to have been fixed in the official v1.2 and later versions.
2.8.0 2.8.0 All UI/UX Show all discovered drafts with Ctrl+D. In the Macintosh version, this can also be accessed through the Apple menu.
2.8.0 2.8.0 Macintosh UI/UX Macintosh list and scrollbar widgets can be scrolled with the mouse wheel.
2.8.0 2.8.0 Macintosh UI/UX Macintosh menus don't close if the mouse accidentally goes outside the menu area.
2.8.0 2.8.0 Macintosh UI/UX In practice mode, the practice box can be dragged freely.

The Secret of Monkey Island

"Enhanced" refers to the 256-color version with icons for inventory. Most obviously the VGA CD version, but sometimes also the Macintosh, SEGA and FM Towns versions.

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.6.0 - Sega The original Sega CD release enabled so-called Shadow mode in its palette for all scenes, making the whole game extremely dark. ScummVM just ignores this, using a brightness setting that's similar to the other releases.
0.6.0 2.7.0 FM Towns Audio-visual Render the verb font with the same "3D" effect as the other releases. The original FM Towns interpreter had a bug which disabled that effect and made the font much thinner than intended.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Enhanced Audio-visual Add the animated cigar smoke present in earlier versions to the Captain Smirk close-up. In the VGA floppy version (I don't have the EGA version) the smoke was apparently only shown when playing the game from hard disk, not when playing it from the floppies. For whatever reason, the CD version only kept the latter behavior.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Enhanced Restored content Only change the description of the Mêlée Island clock tower between visits to the room, like in earlier versions. Not every time the clock is examined.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Enhanced Restored content Restore a few lines of Lemonhead dialog to the scene where he examines the small idol. These lines were present in earlier versions. This affects the English, German, Italian, and Spanish versions. The game is also available in French, but no version has been located with the old lines intact.
2.6.0 2.6.0 EGA, VGA Original bug Fix incorrect "à" character in the font that's used on the copy protection screen of the French floppy versions.
2.6.0 2.6.0 Enhanced Audio-visual Don't stop the background sound when showing the close-up of Captain Smirk. This imitates the behavior of the Special Edition.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Audio-visual Don't show the Jolly Roger during the Sea Monkey cutscenes, once Guybrush has picked it up from the crow's nest. (This continuity error was only fixed in some versions of the VGA floppy release.)
2.7.0 2.7.0 Enhanced Audio-visual Use the same subtitle color for all the lines said by the ghost priest when Guybrush enters the church in the last part of the game.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Enhanced Audio-visual Restore the intended color for the subtitles of the head of the navigator. It's supposed to be brown, as in all other editions, but the palette wasn't adjusted in this release.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Enhanced (DOS and Macintosh) Audio-visual Fix the green, yellow and gray colors at Stan's Previously Owned Vessels. The most obvious example was the "striking yellow color" of the flower from the forest being suddenly greenish in this scene.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Enhanced (DOS) Audio-visual Use approximately the same colors for the "important notice" about the sleeping dogs as in earlier versions. The new colors were hard to read, and probably not changed intentionally. (The sign is still using the same palette indexes as before, but the palette itself is different.) The SEGA version does not have this problem to begin with, and the FM Towns version solves the readability problem by adding an outline to the font. The original Macintosh interpreter also displayed a white background by default.
2.7.0 2.7.0 VGA Audio-visual Apply a similar background legibility fix for the Sierra-like "death" screen when Guybrush falls from the cliff on Monkey Island. It appears that the French VGA floppy release is the only version having this issue.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Enhanced Audio-visual In Mêlée Island, make sure that the storekeeper closes the door before walking away from it, when Guybrush rings the bell.
2.9.0 2.9.0 EGA, VGA Original bug Prevent looking at the map, when inside Meathook's house, or on Hook Isle Shore. This replicates what the later Enhanced releases did, since it could cause various animation issues, and even a fatal script error, if one tried to look at the map, instead of using one of the verbs on the parrot during Meathook's challenge.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.10.0 - All Disallow pulling the rope on Dinky Island, if it's already in the player's inventory, because of an original script bug. This is what the Macintosh release did to prevent some glitches and fatal errors with this object.
2.0.0 - All Fix several soundtracks playing at once if the player is moving faster than the scripts expect, in Scabb and Booty Island.
2.1.0 2.6.0 FM Towns Restored content Restore part of the Elaine map piece puzzle that was skipped in this version, and this version alone.
2.5.0 2.6.0 Macintosh Audio-visual When there is no Mac-specific music (most notably towards the end of the game), play the Roland MT-32 music instead. The Macintosh instruments are a sufficient subset for this to work well. (2.5.0 is where this behavior was formalized. It worked before that, but only with certain audio drivers.)
2.5.0 2.6.0 All Original bug Guybrush will speak when getting the map from Rapp Scallion. The game always printed the text, but since there is no delay between the messages you would only see the last one. The setting introduces a delay between them.
2.6.0 2.6.0 Amiga Original bug Fix Guybrush being drawn with the wrong colors when using the stick on the dog outside the Governor's mansion.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Original bug Fix Captain Dread's head animation when Guybrush tries giving him an object and then immediately talks to him.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Restored content Restore a missing reaction from Captain Dread when Guybrush has the four map pieces: Dread is actually meant to bring Guybrush back to Scabb Island, but an original script oversight prevented this from happening. This content restoration was already part of the Ultimate Talkie Edition, but ScummVM also fixes a dead-end in Regular Mode if you haven't picked up the model lighthouse lens before this.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Fix a small glitch with the door in Largo's room, if one closes it just before using the voodoo doll on Largo.
2.9.0 2.9.0 All Original bug Fix Guybrush appearing in the wrong position for a split second when arriving at the Mad Monkey.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.7.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Fix the wall sprite being drawn over Indy when he stands at a specific place at the center of Atlantis.
0.9.0 2.7.0 All Restored content When Indy finds orichalcum under some bones in Crete and he has already put some beads in the gold box, make sure that his first comment is not quickly interrupted by the second one.
0.10.0 2.7.0 Talkie Original bug Fix Ubermann strangely counting "pregod8" and "pregod9" beads instead of "18" and "19", in some releases and languages.
2.1.0 - Talkie Fix a distorted speech sample when Indy gets caught in the submarine. This enhancement is always enabled, since the original produces some aggressive noise. (The FM Towns and some Macintosh talkie releases work around this by reusing a different line, instead.)
2.5.0 2.6.0 All Original bug When skipping the intro, the window in Indy's office will be broken and Mr. Smith's coat will be on the desk, as if you had watched the whole thing.
2.6.0 2.6.0 Talkie Audio-visual When Kerner uses the phone booth in New York, one of his printed lines may be quite different from what he's actually saying, in most of the English talkie releases. The fixed text is taken from the Macintosh 1994 talkie release.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Talkie Audio-visual Fix Sophia speaking with Indy's voice when looking at him.
2.7.0 - All Prevent Indy from being stuck in the room with the gold box and the elevator in Crete, if one quickly clicks on the right when entering the room. Since one could get completely stuck there, this enhancement is always enabled.

Day of the Tentacle

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.9.0 - All Make sure that Bernard can always pick up the chattering teeth when they're stuck in the grating, even if one has left the room quickly after trapping them there. This matches the behavior of the 2016 remaster.
1.0.0 2.6.0 Talkie Original bug Fix occasional bug where Bernard would use Laverne's voice when interacting with the chewing gum on the floor.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Original bug Fix some small graphical glitches with Bernard's Chron-O-John during the intro. The lid was slightly misaligned, and sometimes drawn mirrored.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Restored content Restore a missing line from Dr. Fred when he receives a new diamond but Hoagie and/or Laverne haven't powered their units yet.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Audio-visual Make George Washington wear his chattering teeth in the cutscene where he comes back after Hoagie picks up the gold-plated quill pen, since he's always wearing them at this point of the game.
2.7.0 2.7.0 Talkie Original bug Bring some Sam & Max localized menu strings into DOTT CD, when pressing F5 with the original SCUMM interface. The LucasArts Windows interpreter from 2002 used hardcoded English strings for some of the settings, but translations were included in Sam & Max (which uses the same menu) and later titles.
2.8.0 2.8.0 All Restored content Make it possible for Hoagie to always interact with the fire once it's been lit by Jefferson. A script would set its state to an invalid value most of the time, meaning that Hoagie couldn't even reach it.

Sam & Max Hit the Road

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.3.0 2.9.0 All In the original, the "film noir" mode sometimes still draw things in color. ScummVM implements this differently, keeping everything always in black and white.
0.5.0 2.6.0 All Original bug Adjust the position of the green goop inside the tank in the Hall of Oddities. It was off by one pixel, allowing a few pixels of objects behind to be seen without having their color changed.
0.7.0 2.6.0 All UI/UX The "Loading Sounds...Please Wait" screen when starting the game is skipped.
0.7.0 2.7.0 All Restored content At Dino Bungee National Memorial, pushing the button while the Wally and Rex dinosaurs were speaking restarted their speech instead of stopping it, and it also prevented Sam's reaction from being triggered.
0.8.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Fix an original animation glitch when Max grabs the fishing line at World of Fish, when both subtitles and voice are enabled, and a low subtitle speed value is used.
1.0.0 - All Prevent a complete scene hang, if one talks to the guard and ends the conversation at the bigfoot party, after he's let Sam & Max inside. Since the game would completely hang, this enhancement is always enabled.
2.6.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Restore the missing animation where Bumpus threatens Sam with his taser near the end of the game, in the German releases.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Audio-visual Fix some intro animation speed issues in the German and Italian talkie versions, and adjust the timing of some intro subtitles to sync up better with the voices for all known versions.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Original bug When Bruno leaves Bumpusville, make sure he is properly erased from the screen. In the original, his heel gets stuck in the door.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Fix two lines said by Sam but being misattributed to Max, while both characters wear the bigfoot costume and talk to Evelyn Morrison. (It appears that the English release was the only one not having this bug.)
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Restored content Fix Max's comment being cut way too early, if one tries buying the pecan-flavored candies at Snuckey's while having no money.
2.7.0 - Talkie Display the official translations for some of the settings which are displayed in the F5 menu when the original SCUMM interface is enabled. Those translations were part of the original CD release, but the original Windows interpreter from 2002 would just override them with English strings.

Full Throttle

Added Optional Version Type Description
2.6.0 2.7.0 All Audio-visual Fix the music temporarily stopping when going in and out of the bar a couple of times, at the beginning of the game. The 2017 remaster has a similar fix.
2.7.0 2.7.0 All Original bug Remove a placeholder string from the subtitles, when Ben looks at one of the small pictures above the piano in the Kickstand bar. French release only. The 2017 remaster has a similar fix.

The Dig

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.11.0 2.7.0 All Restored content Restore some missing subtitles in some conversations between Low and Brink.
1.5.0 2.7.0 All Audio-visual Fix the sound of trickling water in the spider lair not being properly stopped.
2.5.0 2.7.0 All Restored content Restore a missing subtitle when Low finds the purpose of the crypt inside the tomb.

The Curse of Monkey Island

Added Optional Version Type Description
0.9.0 - All Fix a brief game hang when you meet Murray for the first time at the beginning of the game. (This could even cause the game to completely lock up on some platforms.)
2.5.0 2.7.0 All Audio-visual In the Plunder Town theater, fix the music not being changed as it should when moving from backstage to the stage, after greasing the cannonballs.
2.6.0 2.6.0 All Audio-visual Fix the music indefinitely playing if the ESC key is pressed early, when Guybrush gets on the Sea Cucumber for the first time.

Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell

Added Optional Version Type Description
2.8.0 2.8.0 US Audio-visual Fix flashing line at the bottom of the screen when Luther's commenting about the tied fish (Freddi's eye will be drawn slightly below its original position)

Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch

Added Optional Version Type Description
2.7.0 2.8.0 All Audio-visual Change subtitles color of Moray and Goby from black to purple in final scene to make them more readable.