Simon1 : how come the music sounds so different in...?

[Lucifiel]

Simon1 : how come the music sounds so different when I launch the game straight from Windows shortcut and when I try to run it in Scummvm? In the former, the music doesn't sound as bassy as the latter. In the latter, everyone sounds like an old man!

Is there any way I can get the music to sound like it does via Windows?

Err... oops, I should've listed the steps I've tried:

a) tried different music drivers like Adlib, MT-32, Midi, etc.

b) even tried altering the output rate.

[eriktorbjorn]

Simon1 : how come the music sounds so different when I launch the game straight from Windows shortcut and when I try to run it in Scummvm? In the former, the music doesn't sound as bassy as the latter. In the latter, everyone sounds like an old man!

Is there any way I can get the music to sound like it does via Windows?

I have no idea what the music sounds like in Windows. I think the Simon 1 music is written for the Roland MT-32, so when you play it through the standard MIDI driver (e.g. "Windows MIDI") ScummVM re-maps the MT-32 instruments to sensible General MIDI equivalents. (I haven't heard the MT-32 music, so I don't know how good the re-mapping is.)

If the original interpreter doesn't re-map the instruments at all, you can probably get the same music in ScummVM by checking the True Roland MT-32 (disable GM emulation) setting on the MIDI tab. If the original interpreter does re-map the instruments, but uses a different mapping, I don't think there's any way.

I have no idea why the digitized sounds would sound different in ScummVM.

[Collector]

If this is the DOS version in Windows XP, the soundcard emulation in the NTVDM is very bad. Best to play it in DOSBox or at the very least with VDMSound, but why bother when it is supported by ScummVM? consider the old adage "The best tool for the job".

[Lucifiel]

Hmmm... my version says that it's for WinXP?

Anyways the reason why I tried to use Scummvm was 'cos I need the subtitles. I generally understood about 60 to 70++% of the dialogues in the credits but what if some of those dialogues refer to critical puzzle clues in the game? (You know how insidious some of those older games could be.)

Thanks for the info, folks... will try and figure it out.

[eriktorbjorn]

Anyways the reason why I tried to use Scummvm was 'cos I need the subtitles. I generally understood about 60 to 70++% of the dialogues in the credits but what if some of those dialogues refer to critical puzzle clues in the game? (You know how insidious some of those older games could be.)

Unfortunately, I don't think the English talkie version of Simon the Sorcerer 1 has any subtitles for ScummVM to display.

[Lucifiel]

Anyways the reason why I tried to use Scummvm was 'cos I need the subtitles. I generally understood about 60 to 70++% of the dialogues in the credits but what if some of those dialogues refer to critical puzzle clues in the game? (You know how insidious some of those older games could be.)

Unfortunately, I don't think the English talkie version of Simon the Sorcerer 1 has any subtitles for ScummVM to display.

That really, really is a huge downer since the games looked so fun. Oh well... I'll play some other game series then 'cos it's really hard to try and understand an accent without subtitles. *shrugs*

[samwise]

If you can find the original 1993 big box (purple edging) 3 x 3.5" floppy disk version, that has subtitles but no talkie soundtrack.

If you do look for that version, make sure it comes complete with the original manual, as that version has copy protection built-in which will need you to look up some compass pictures in it.

Sam.