Gadget - Past as Future

stevenh · Post by **stevenh** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:08 am

Too all of ScummVM,

I was very impressed when I found out that the Groovie engine had been ported to your application. I have always loved T7G and 11H and was trying to get it running on my Windows 7 PC 2 days ago when, whilst googl'ing, I found 101 ScummVM references that indicated it was all I needed.

After playing for a bit, I felt that there were a few other 'game-changing' titles that needed to be available to everyone on modern machines. One of these is 'Gadget'. I had the original single-cd version and also the later released 4-CD version.

After trying today to get it to run, I've realised that it really is built for Win 3.11. I've just coaxed it into running on Windows XP SP3 after an IDAFree debugging session and using OllyDBG to hack a jle to jmp.

So, from this point on... I'm thinking an engine for this 'Macromedia Projector' base might be an idea? I'd imagine the projector executable is a lot of Macromedia proprietary code which was published from whatever authoring software was used in 1993.

The main benefits of doing this would be to use proper scaling to get the game fullscreen and also to not have bugs when trying to load. Of course it would then become multi-platform.

Does anyone have any suggestions, pointers or advice as to whether or not it's a good idea to dig in to this? If anything, I'm concerned that all the hard work will go to getting a single game running, rather than multiple that use the same engine... I don't know of any others that do.

I'm speaking out loud here because I would've though the same with T7G/11H and I also thought that they wouldn't've fitted in to the ideals of ScummVM? Which I thought was always meant for the old-school King's/Queen's/Space/Police Quests, Sam'n'Max and the like.

Steven.

bobdevis · Post by **bobdevis** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:27 am

Hi.

To run Win3.x stuff the best solution is usually to install DosBox and install Win3.1 inside of that. Doing terrible hacks in WinXP should be your last resort

Whether something gets supported in ScummVM mostly depends on someone being 'crazy' enough to devote enough to it.

Inquiries about future game belong in The Junkyard and specifically in this thread.

stevenh · Post by **stevenh** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:32 am

Understood, but I'm more putting my hand up to code it in... not asking someone to do it for me...

It's more of a "If I spend the time to do this, then will you guys accept it and include it?"

Note that the 'terrible hack' was just a skip of the "check available memory" code... it wanted more than 3MB of ram and couldn't handle free gigabytes.

Also, the requirement to install Dosbox and then a version of Windows on top of that is a killer and prompts me more to write an engine for this.

clone2727 · Post by **clone2727** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:53 am

stevenh wrote:So, from this point on... I'm thinking an engine for this 'Macromedia Projector' base might be an idea? I'd imagine the projector executable is a lot of Macromedia proprietary code which was published from whatever authoring software was used in 1993.

Does anyone have any suggestions, pointers or advice as to whether or not it's a good idea to dig in to this? If anything, I'm concerned that all the hard work will go to getting a single game running, rather than multiple that use the same engine... I don't know of any others that do.

I know I'd definitely love to see a Macromedia Director engine in here. I have several games that use the engine myself (Majestic, Journeyman Project (Mac version only), Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time (Mac version only), etc) that could use the code.

stevenh · Post by **stevenh** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 4:54 am

The Journeyman Project... I had forgotten all about it! I still have the original CD around somewhere.

Meanwhile.. It seems that the assets are available in the datafiles, but the actual scripting/game code is all compile from 'Lingo' into actual byte-code in the executable.

I see that some games require the executables to be available to ScummVM to run... so I assume there are no issues with doing it this way and actually loading the executable as the 'script'.

clone2727 · Post by **clone2727** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 4:57 am

stevenh wrote:Meanwhile.. It seems that the assets are available in the datafiles, but the actual scripting/game code is all compile from 'Lingo' into actual byte-code in the executable.

I see that some games require the executables to be available to ScummVM to run... so I assume there are no issues with doing it this way and actually loading the executable as the 'script'.

We support NE EXE resources already, so this shouldn't be a problem.

DrMcCoy · Post by **DrMcCoy** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:48 pm

clone2727 wrote:I know I'd definitely love to see a Macromedia Director engine in here.

Ditto, for The Dark Eye.

Post by **Strangerke** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:56 pm

Same for Pyst

clone2727 · Post by **clone2727** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:22 pm

Strangerke wrote:Same for Pyst

Heh. Should have figured it used Director.

Post by **Strangerke** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:35 pm

Yep, it seems you "myst" it

bobdevis · Post by **bobdevis** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:37 pm

stevenh wrote: Also, the requirement to install Dosbox and then a version of Windows on top of that is a killer and prompts me more to write an engine for this.

The platform independently of Doxbox is really nice.

Anyway, I hope you can get some useful info from the Gnash project. Their experience reversing Macromedia stuff might yield some pointers for you.

Good luck.

clone2727 · Post by **clone2727** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:58 pm

bobdevis wrote:Anyway, I hope you can get some useful info from the Gnash project. Their experience reversing Macromedia stuff might yield some pointers for you.

Director isn't related to flash at all, so Gnash is useless here.

bobdevis · Post by **bobdevis** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:28 pm

clone2727 wrote:Director isn't related to flash at all, so Gnash is useless here.

I guess, If you say so.
I never touched Flash but I did make some Shockwave stuff in 2001 (or so) with Director. It offered you all the tools you needed to make Flash-like interactive stuff but had some extra features like networking.
Since it's all from the same company and you could so similar things I assumed there was at least SOME code- or data-formatting share.

LordHoto · Post by **LordHoto** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 2:57 am

bobdevis wrote:
clone2727 wrote:Director isn't related to flash at all, so Gnash is useless here.
I guess, If you say so.
I never touched Flash but I did make some Shockwave stuff in 2001 (or so) with Director. It offered you all the tools you needed to make Flash-like interactive stuff but had some extra features like networking.
Since it's all from the same company and you could so similar things I assumed there was at least SOME code- or data-formatting share.

I doubt they are talking about the "Director" you talk about...

bobdevis · Post by **bobdevis** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:21 am

There is an other Director from Macromedia then this one?

Gadget - Past as Future

Gadget - Past as Future

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