The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes - support?

[Nikioko]

I just rechecked my list at http://forums.scummvm.org/viewtopic.php?t=6810. Is there any chance that The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes 1 + 2 will be supported one day? They are not 3D, classical point and click and really, really good (especially in comparison to the current Sherlock Holmes adventure series).

[john_doe]

Yes, there is a chance.

[marzipan]

There are many adventure games which I can imagine are ScummVM-worthy - it's just a case of playing the waiting game really to see if those imaginations come true.

[LordHoto]

There are many adventure games which I can imagine are ScummVM-worthy - it's just a case of playing the waiting game really to see if those imaginations come true.

Or you start learning how to code and how to RE a game and implement an engine for it for ScummVM. ;-).

[MeddlingMonk]

I wouldn't much care about The Serrated Scalpel (because it's so generic a detective story) but I'd really like to be able to play The Rose Tattoo in ScummVM. I suppose they use the same engine. I imagine that's the only reason why darts is in both games ("Hey, we spent so much time coding that for the first game...!").

[Nikioko]

I wouldn't much care about The Serrated Scalpel (because it's so generic a detective story) but I'd really like to be able to play The Rose Tattoo in ScummVM. I suppose they use the same engine. I imagine that's the only reason why darts is in both games ("Hey, we spent so much time coding that for the first game...!").

Well, I would prefer The Rose Tattoo as well. It is the best and most complex crime story there ever was in an adventure game. And in this game you need to win the dart match against Jock (in opposite to the serrated scalpell where you just get useless information). But I would also care about the serrated scalpell for one reason: Both Lost Files games catch the atmosphere of the late 19th century in such a great manner that there is a high degree of immersion. The modern Holmes games by Frogwares have not half the congeniality of the EA Interactive Stories. Every little piece of Artwork is done with love and every item fits to the historic background.

There are many adventure games which I can imagine are ScummVM-worthy - it's just a case of playing the waiting game really to see if those imaginations come true.

Or you start learning how to code and how to RE a game and implement an engine for it for ScummVM. .

Well, I would if I could. But since I am a bit clumsy with that and have so many other hobbies that take away my time, I have to rely on you guys.

[MeddlingMonk]

Both Lost Files games catch the atmosphere of the late 19th century in such a great manner that there is a high degree of immersion.

I've never really thought that about Serrated Scalpel. It's atmosphere, I think, is mainly just vague impressions of late-Victorian Britain from a design team that didn't really know anything about the period. Rose Tattoo, on the other hand, shows a design team really to obsessive-nerd extremes of period research (like the offhand allusion to the Act of Eighty-eight).

On the other hand, the graphics are somewhat better in a way in Serrated Scalpel. One good thing that can be said about low-resolution graphics is that they can be almost painterly and Serrated Scalpel is graphically period perfect. It's Impressionistic in a good way. Rose Tattoo is more detailed graphically and better captures the actual look of the period (I especially love the photos displayed during the scene-switches) but it's a little too crisp, especially for the locations that are meant to be squalid. And the photographic sprites leave a lot to be desired, especially when they're going through a very small number of frames (the doorman/guard of Mycroft's resident in particular seems to be having a never-ending seizure).

It's unfortunate that the series stopped at two games. The improvement from the first to the second game was so great, it's a tragedy that there was never a third.

[Nikioko]

I fear that there will never be a third part.

[MeddlingMonk]

After, what, 12/13 years? I'm certain there won't be a third part.

[Nikioko]

After, what, 12/13 years? I'm certain there won't be a third part.

Me too. Though i wanted to know how the story with Major Misteray would go on. It is very much the same as with Return to Krondor.

[MeddlingMonk]

Oh, the future story of "the major" is well-established. He's Professor Moriarty, and The Rose Tattoo is meant to depict Holmes and Moriarty first crossing swords. Am I right in thinking you're not all that familiar with the original stories? If so, you've confirmed something that I've suspected--that anyone not well-versed in the Holmes canon would miss the significance of "the major". It's nice in a way to find out I'm right, but it's bad to finally know for certain that the game was being a little too cute for it's own good.

If you want to know more about Moriarty, you have to at least read The Final Problem, which is the only story in which Moriarty actually appears. He also has an important postmortem role in The Empty House and gets an important mention in the novel The Valley of Fear.

Just so you know that I'm not talking crap here, there are several things that give away "the major's" real identity. First is his appearance. The person photographed for "the major's" sprite was made up to closely resemble the Sidney Paget illustration of Moriarty in The Final Problem. Then there's "the major's" oscillating head movements: Holmes describes this physical tick to Watson in TFP. On the wall of the office in the game is a portrait of Napoleon. Holmes called Moriarty the Napoleon of crime. The office in the game also has a bookshelf full of mathematical and astronomical texts. Moriarty was a professor of mathematics before turning to crime and, in The Valley of Fear, Holmes remarks that one of Moriarty's books was called The Dynamics of an Asteroid. "The major's" MO is exactly the same as what is described by Holmes in TFP. And, finally, in the final scene in the game Holmes tells Watson that (in essence) he would lay down his life if it would bring "the major" to justice, which is the sentiment he expresses about Moriarty in TFP.

So to make a long story short (too late), read The Final Problem (or watch the TV version starring Jeremy Brett) and you'll know exactly what happens next and have some personal compensation for the lack of the third game.

[ricksauer]

Or you start learning how to code and how to RE a game and implement an engine for it for ScummVM. .

Would love to learn, but wouldn't know where to start.

[sirlemonhead]

I'd love to work on this, If I had the spare..

I've never done any reverse engineering before, so i'd need to start from scratch.

as far as I can recall, it was the first point and click adventure game I played, back even before I played Monkey Island 1 etc. I remember the family crowding around the old Dell Intel 386 pc, trying to work out the puzzles together. I have fond memories of it, but I don't think I've actually ever completed it ( I think one of the floppies for it got a virus or got wiped. I still have them, and the big box though). I'll finish it someday, hopefully

[Nikioko]

Oh, the future story of "the major" is well-established. He's Professor Moriarty, and The Rose Tattoo is meant to depict Holmes and Moriarty first crossing swords. Am I right in thinking you're not all that familiar with the original stories? If so, you've confirmed something that I've suspected--that anyone not well-versed in the Holmes canon would miss the significance of "the major". It's nice in a way to find out I'm right, but it's bad to finally know for certain that the game was being a little too cute for it's own good.

Well, the major has a very close resemblence to Prof. Moriarty, but I never thought the both were actually the same person. I cannot remember that Prof. Moriarty ever used the pseudonyms Major Misteray oder Mr. Spacemaker. Of course, if you listen carefully to the dialogues, you could make such a conclusion, but it is not obvious nor is it even confirmed.

Just so you know that I'm not talking crap here, there are several things that give away "the major's" real identity. First is his appearance. The person photographed for "the major's" sprite was made up to closely resemble the Sidney Paget illustration of Moriarty in The Final Problem.

What makes you think the Major resembles Sidney Paget, except for the lack of hair?

Then there's "the major's" oscillating head movements: Holmes describes this physical tick to Watson in TFP.

Well, I didn't realise that in the game, but I am definetely not such a good observer as Holmes is.

On the wall of the office in the game is a portrait of Napoleon. Holmes called Moriarty the Napoleon of crime.

Is there? The picture in the offeice doesn't look like any portrait picture of Napoléon I know, and that are quite some.

The major's" MO is exactly the same as what is described by Holmes in TFP. And, finally, in the final scene in the game Holmes tells Watson that (in essence) he would lay down his life if it would bring "the major" to justice, which is the sentiment he expresses about Moriarty in TFP.

You are probably right. But to me, the IDENTITY of Major Misteray and Prof. Moriarty wasn't confirmed. Though I saw strong parallels, too, I thought that they were two different criminals.

So to make a long story short (too late), read The Final Problem (or watch the TV version starring Jeremy Brett) and you'll know exactly what happens next and have some personal compensation for the lack of the third game.

Well, I'd rather like to play a real good Holmes game again. The current Frogwares series is quite crappy...

[DrMcCoy]

Would love to learn, but wouldn't know where to start.

Well, for a start

• Set up a compile chain (ideally C or C++) and IDE, if you haven't already
• Grab either the IDA Pro 4.9 freeware or IDA Pro 5.5 demo
• Build some simple programs
• Take them apart in IDA
• Note how different control structure look in disassembly
• If your assembly knowledge is a bit weak (or non-existant), read, for example, The Art of Assembly (freely available)
• If you want to quickly deepen your IDA Pro knowledge, I'm told The IDA Pro Book is a good resource
• Write more complex examples, until you feel comfortable looking at disassembly, mapping out structures in IDA and finally transforming it back into a higher-level language