DOTT speech problems

[immanuel777]

Hello everybody,

of course I searched this forum (and several more), but I didn't find an answer for my problem. So.....

I have the english CD talkie version of DOTT. When I play in DosBox I can choose between either speech or subtitles. Great!

But in ScummVM I can just see the subtitles. No matter if I choose "Speech only" or "Speech and subtitles" or "Subtitles only".

So I have 2 questions:

1.) Can someone help me getting DOTT to run in ScummVM with subtitles AND speech?

2.) If you cannot help me with question 1. Is there a possibility to play DOTT in DosBox with both speech and subtitles?


Thank you in advance!

immanuel777

[eriktorbjorn]

But in ScummVM I can just see the subtitles. No matter if I choose "Speech only" or "Speech and subtitles" or "Subtitles only".

I assume you're talking about the DOS version of the game.

Did you run the installer and point ScummVM to the folder where the game was installed? In that case, you probably just got the main data files, tentacle.000 and tentacle.001, while the speech file, monster.sou, was left on the CD where ScummVM won't find it.

1.) Can someone help me getting DOTT to run in ScummVM with subtitles AND speech?

Sure. You'll just have to copy all three data files to a folder, and point ScummVM to it.

2.) If you cannot help me with question 1. Is there a possibility to play DOTT in DosBox with both speech and subtitles?

I imagine that should work, too.

[immanuel777]

Yes, I'm talking about the DOS version of the game.

The first time I started the game right off the CD with DosBox. In order to play it via ScummVM I just copied all of the files on the CD to my hard disk. From there I could start it with DosBox without any problems.

For playing in ScummVM I just used the folder 'DOTT' that I copied to the hard disk. In this folder are all the files you mention: tentacle.000, tentacle.001 and monster.sou and some more.

Anyway, speech works only in the cut-scene in the beginning. (I know this sounds as if it were the non-talike version, but in DosBox speech worked just fine. So this is definitely not the problem....)

[md5]

How big is your monster.sou file?

[immanuel777]

The monster.sou file is about 256mb, why?

[Raziel]

can you post the md5sum of your monster.sou file, please?

[immanuel777]

sorry, i can't. for two reasons.

i) i'm at work and the game is at home.
ii) how do i get the md5sum of the file and what is it good for?

btw: thanks for your help so far!

[immanuel777]

okay, i found out about the md5sum. i will try it at home. so what should this sum be for the unaltered monster.sou file?

i don't think that a corrupt file is the reason for my problem as it works fine in dosbox....

[eriktorbjorn]

Anyway, speech works only in the cut-scene in the beginning. (I know this sounds as if it were the non-talike version, but in DosBox speech worked just fine. So this is definitely not the problem....)

Strange. I can't think of any reason why the speech would stop after the intro, if the monster.sou file is intact. All my wild theories involve either a truncated sound file, or the floppy version of the game.

I don't have the floppy version myself (and from what I understand, neither do you), so I don't know how to tell them apart, other than by the sound. I'm told the floppy version uses some sort of manual copy protection, but not until some way into the game.

[oduverne]

Anyway, speech works only in the cut-scene in the beginning. (I know this sounds as if it were the non-talike version, but in DosBox speech worked just fine. So this is definitely not the problem....)

Strange. I can't think of any reason why the speech would stop after the intro, if the monster.sou file is intact. All my wild theories involve either a truncated sound file, or the floppy version of the game.

I don't have the floppy version myself (and from what I understand, neither do you), so I don't know how to tell them apart, other than by the sound. I'm told the floppy version uses some sort of manual copy protection, but not until some way into the game.

In the floppy version, the copy protection screen appears when you get the battery plan in the lab.

[immanuel777]

@eriktorbjorn: This looks quite strange to me too. Especially because it works in DosBox.... I will try to play around a bit with the sound settings in ScummVM this evening. Perhaps it is just a stupid mistake....

I will let you know tomorrow whether I figured out what was the problem....

Thank you all for your help so far!

[Cyphox]

hmmmm.... i really don't know for sure and it's just a theory, but uses the ingame speech part adlib-sound?

perhaps scummvm uses mt32/midi/whatever for music and mixed adlib/midi-mode is not activated?

[clem]

hmmmm.... i really don't know for sure and it's just a theory, but uses the ingame speech part adlib-sound?

perhaps scummvm uses mt32/midi/whatever for music and mixed adlib/midi-mode is not activated?

I don't think you can output speech through adlib.
Btw, is there any error message in the console window when playing DOTT? probably it has problems opening a sound device?

[eriktorbjorn]

I don't think you can output speech through adlib.

I've seen mention of a "speech synthesis mode" in this article, but whatever that is I think it's safe to say that ScummVM does not use it.

[eriktorbjorn]

okay, i found out about the md5sum. i will try it at home. so what should this sum be for the unaltered monster.sou file?

Mine (English DOS CD version) is "86ed80f36192937d9a38fa8e9fb48b84".