[ATMachine]

Hi, guys! I've been sort of busy lately, but I've just added quite a bit of new stuff to my adventure-gaming website, and I thought there might be some people interested here.

First, my page on Sierra's adventure game demos has been updated to feature the Quest for Glory 3 and 4 rolling demos.

A couple of weeks ago I posted screenshots comparing Hero's Quest I and the Quest for Glory I EGA re-release. As I discovered, however, the series had a lot more trouble with its names than just that, as documented here.

Finally, I've started a page to hold various odd screenshots from adventure game boxes that don't match the gameplay. It's only got stuff from MI1, KQ1 (SCI version), and KQ6 at the moment, but I plan to expand it over time.

[Tobbe]

I raise a glass for you, for all the work and effort you do researching these games! Really, it´s amazing!

[Richard]

There's a good one for the last if you can get it - Les Manley in Search For the King. The back of the box shows a tri-sected view of three locations, with a pole running down and the person playing typing 'slide down the pole' (or similar).

In game, it's completely different, and the parser is particularly obtuse. Until you type in the exact same thing as on the other screenshot, and it chirps 'You looked at the box, didn't you?'

[ATMachine]

Sorry for reviving a moribund thread, but I'd just like to point out that my page comparing Sierra demos and the respective games now has a section for Conquests of the Longbow.

Enjoy!

[Eivind]

That website is truly excellent! I could be sitting here for hours

[Dasilva]

Originally Posted by Eivind

That website is truly excellent! I could be sitting here for hours

Very true. You should try and get a professional site layout and turn that site into a more professional looking game history vault. Its amazing what we're able to find out about what never made it into the games we love. Truly interesting stuff.

[Cellardoor]

Hey ATM,

Excellent work as always. There's one thing that got me wondering...

Demo: As part of the title screen animation, lightning strikes the hero's sword, which then glows. The lightning was removed from the animation in the final game.

...in my version of QFG3, which is no demo, the sword does get struck by lightning, then glows, after which the light forms the "III" under "Quest for Glory".

[Junkface]

Yeah, same with me, I've got the Quest for Glory Anthology release. Maybe it's a compatibility issue with palette cycling that causes it not to show up for you, ATM. Although, I doubt you'd be running it in a way where there'd be any problems like that... your site's a really great resource, by the way.

[ATMachine]

I have the Quest for Glory Collection release of QfG3, but I don't see how that would be different.

However, I am using the NewRisingSun script code patch; maybe that makes a difference in the animation?

EDIT: I copied the unpatched game files from my CD to my hard drive and ran them in DOSbox, but there was still no difference. How odd, since the demo in DOSbox does show the lightning effect.

EDIT 2: Ah, the problem is DOSbox! Running the game without it does produce the lightning effect. I'll update my page accordingly.

EDIT 3: The site has been corrected.

[Aurebesh]

Originally Posted by ATMachine

EDIT 2: Ah, the problem is DOSbox! Running the game without it does produce the lightning effect. I'll update my page accordingly.

Well, if you set the CPU Cycles to about 9000 (using Ctrl-F11/F12), you can see the lightning in DOSBox, although just for a second (and if I remember correctly it's supposed to linger more than that). The NRS patch is irrelevant to this problem, as you may already know.
I guess this is a problem in DOSBox, and should be reported in the DOSBox forums so it can be fixed for 0.64.
Another interesting problem in DOSBox that affects Sierra games of this period is that when you load the game, the details will always be low (I noticed that when the willow tree in KQ5 (floppy version) was frozen; when I raised the details back up she started crying and playing her harp again). If you save the game the details level will be saved, but when you start a new game they will always be low...

BTW, where can I downlaod that Longbow demo? I never heard those voices!

[ATMachine]

Quest Studios has a link to download the demo right here.

Be sure to run the "Install" program and set the audio to "Sound Blaster," or the voices will cut off in mid-sentence, even in DOSbox.

[Aurebesh]

Thanks!

Hmm... it worked correctly only after I deleted the file RESOURCE.CFG and then ran INSTALL.EXE... but the new RESOURCE.CFG contains the same lines as the old faulty one! They differ in size though... very weird. Oh, well.

Anyway, all of the voices in the demo except one are of a promotional narration, and they couldn't have been used in a CD version of the game. Are you absolutely sure that such a version was planned?

[Dasilva]

I never knew there were 2 demos.

[ATMachine]

I'm pretty sure there was a talkie CD of Conquests of the Longbow planned; why would Sierra release a demo with speech of a game that was never intended to have voice acting?

Sierra was never known for the expense it spared on making demos (Freddy Pharkas, SQ6, and GK1 are the only Sierra games I can think of whose demos are even playable).

I'm due to receive a COTL hintbook in the mail soon; I suspect it may contain an ad for an "upcoming" CD version, as the SQ5 hintbook does. I'll check it out and tell you more when it arrives, likely next week.

And as far as I know, the talkie demo is the only COTL demo in existence.

[Bobske]

Ok I know this has nothing to do with the contents of this topic but since we're on the topic of demos...

How do I obtain a copy of The Beast Within Demo? Do you (or anybody else) know where to download it? I can only find download links to the shooter Vivisector: Beast Inside

[Aurebesh]

While we're at it, can anyone tell me where to find the QFG3 demo?

[Dasilva]

Originally Posted by Aurebesh

While we're at it, can anyone tell me where to find the QFG3 demo?

I dont know. I have all of Sierras demos and movies on a few CDs that I archived, but I cant find it right now, its in a box somewhere.

[ATMachine]

For the GK2 demo check out this thread and be sure to thank Hendroz next time he comes here.

For the QFG3 demo there's the skeleton of an old GeoCities QFG site that still has the demo for download.

By the way, my page about adventure game box scans vs. the full games now features 3 early screenshots from the original Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire box.

[Cellardoor]

Hey ATM,

Your info on QFG2's final scene and the moon reminded me of a rare Easter Egg I once encountered... Through some bug, it was possible to actually move through the balcony (or whatever it is Ad & Hero are on) and 'walk' outside in the air. I even could stand behind the moon, which after some time triggered the message "Gee, it sure is hot here behind the moon!"

Now, this was way back in the MS-DOS era, so I couldn't grab a screenshot. I'm positive I wasn't daydreaming, but I've never heard anyone mention this Egg... I was wondering if you'd happen to know anything about this?

[Bobske]

Originally Posted by ATMachine

For the GK2 demo check out this thread and be sure to thank Hendroz next time he comes here.

Ah thank you! And ofcourse two thumbs up for Hendroz, not just for the demo but also for the amazing patches!

Edit: typo's