Loom TG16 will seemingly only run under Windows

[marzipan]

(Can't vouch for Mac or Linux, mind you).

This is sort of a follow-up to a previous thread relating to the matter, but I have now tried the TG16 version of Loom on the iPhone, NDS, PSP and Wiz versions of ScummVM (1.1.1, and 1.0.0 for Wiz) and all of them keel over and die when trying to load it. Curiously, the Windows port has no such problem loading it.

LordHoto mentioned that this game would need 16-bit graphics support in the backend - so is it basically true that none of the console/handheld ports carry such support?

[clone2727]

LordHoto mentioned that this game would need 16-bit graphics support in the backend - so is it basically true that none of the console/handheld ports carry such support?

Correct. Except, if I'm not mistaken, the PSP version now supports 16bpp in the daily builds.

[marzipan]

Forgot that the PSP is one of those platforms entitled to SVN builds. I'll go check one out.

Wonder if the latest DC builds support the game too?

[Red_Breast]

I got myself a copy of this game recently. It works fine with Linux and after reporting a crash when playing on a Wii that works as well.

[jvprat]

LordHoto mentioned that this game would need 16-bit graphics support in the backend - so is it basically true that none of the console/handheld ports carry such support?

Correct. Except, if I'm not mistaken, the PSP version now supports 16bpp in the daily builds.

You can view the features (16bit in this case) supported by each port on the Platforms page of our wiki. Please keep in mind this information currently isn't maintained by the porters, so it could be outdated or just wrong. Let us know if you find something that doesn't match the actual functionality.

[LordHoto]

Forgot that the PSP is one of those platforms entitled to SVN builds. I'll go check one out. :)

Wonder if the latest DC builds support the game too?

I think the DC port was even the first non desktop port, which supported 16bit color depths. (It should even have support for that in the 1.1.x release)

[marzipan]

Thanks for the link, jvprat! Tis' very helpful indeed.

As for reporting any inaccuracies, well so far I don't think there's anything conflicting in terms of information. Tested the game on two more ports (1.1.1)...

PS2: No dice.
Gamecube: Score!

Still waiting for my eBay-won DC to come through in the post, so I'll have to hold off DC testing for the time being. I may well just test it under nullDC however.


P.S. "pce.cdbios"? Been borrowing references off Mednafen by any chance?

[marzipan]

Actually, I felt the need to ask..... why does a PCE title expect 16-bit graphics? From what I could gather the console was not a proper 16-bit machine, not to mention that it's pretty confusing considering 256-colour games can be run on ScummVM without needing anything in particular - TG16 Loom (IIRC) uses something like 64 colours in total (compared to the more colourful PCCD and FM-Towns versions), does it not?

[eriktorbjorn]

Actually, I felt the need to ask..... why does a PCE title expect 16-bit graphics?

It was my impression that it has to do with how the graphics are stored in the game resource files. I don't know how it's used - not all at once, judging by how the game looks - but it appears to allocate memory for a 512-colour palette.

For a long time, before the game was properly supported, it did use 8-bit graphics. I have a vague, quite possibly wrong, memory of most things looking right, but the text colour being wrong.