Game Breaking Bugs in Quest for Glory IV

[ArthurWalden]

(I couldn't find this with a search, so I'll need to post this.)

The standard (CD) version of Quest for Glory IV available today on places such as GOG, which uses DOSBox, has a number of game breaking bugs that have really never been fixed. Serious bugs that I am aware of include: a freeze in the dream where you see Erana's face (perhaps not absolutely "game-breaking" in the most literal sense, but still extremely disappointing to me, as I regard those dreams as very important to the game), one where throwing rocks at the trapped bonsai bush may result in a game crash (though that one may be easier worked around), and, worst of all, one where the appearance of the inn domovoi telling you to meet him the next night (to discuss Tanya) becomes an endless loop, resulting in you never being able to pick up the doll (which is truly game breaking). There are probably others I can't remember at the moment. (The only one I have personally experienced so far was the Erana's face freeze, but that deterred me from continuing with the game, although I would like to finish and replay.)

I am very grateful to Ashlancer for the patch he already did improving the game, but the bugs listed above have not yet been fixed. He has promised to work on them, but since I do not know when the next patch update will arrive (it has been a long time), I am looking into other possibilities.

Someone on GOG's boards kept trying to promote ScummVM as an alternative to fan patches. What I would like to know is: were QFG4's bugs (or at least some of them) ever fixed on ScummVM? I haven't any experience using ScummVM myself, but it seems possible to redirect the GOG version to use it and I'm wondering if I should try.

[Raziel]

@ArthurWalden

I'd say all known bugs have been fixed.

Take a look here

Scroll down and just read the comments of the massive amount of fixes Quest for Glory 4 has already received...

Of course, if you come across any oddities that have not been fixed yet, don't hesitate to report them to the tracker

[ArthurWalden]

So I could switch the GOG DOSBox version over ScummVM (how easy is it to do that, by the way?) if I understand correctly? I realize my save games in DOSBox will not work in ScummVM, so I will need to start the game over. Still, will a character imported from an earlier game in the series running under DOSBox work on the ScummVM version of QFG4?

Finally, Ashlancer says his patch will run with ScummVM, but that patch was released over two years ago. Is this still true?

[fibs]

Still, will a character imported from an earlier game in the series running under DOSBox work on the ScummVM version of QFG4?

I haven't tested it, but according to the game's Wiki entry it's possible to import characters from the previous games even if you played with DOSBox, provided you follow the instructions:
https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?titl ... cellaneous

[criezy]

So I could switch the GOG DOSBox version over ScummVM (how easy is it to do that, by the way?)

It should just be a matter of installing ScummVM on your computer (if that is not already done) and then pointing ScummVM to your game files. See https://docs.scummvm.org/en/v2.7.1/use_ ... games.html for more details on how to do that.

[ArthurWalden]

Okay. I wanted to tell everyone here how grateful I am that you answered my questions.

[ArthurWalden]

Okay, feel I have to necro this thread a bit. I finally read through the entire SCI bug fix log file, both Quest for Glory 4 and all other such games. Aside from reinforcing my suspicion, that QFG4 may have been the most buggy game Sierra ever released, in all versions apparently (at least prior to the late Windows 98 games), I was very happy to see the infamous domovoi bug had been fixed, along with many other bugs. However, my one main concern is that there was no mention at all of the Erana's face freeze bug, the one that derailed my last playthrough. Is the bug list comprehensive or might there be other bug fixes not included?

Incidentally, if anyone knows of a workaround for the Erana's face bug, I would greatly appreciate knowing it. Someone said I might try sleeping at the inn instead of the staff or garden for one night if encountering the bug and then go back to sleep at the staff or garden to have the dream without the freeze. I can't remember if I tried it so I don't know if it works or not.

[fibs]

I don't have a great memory of everything, but I was able to complete all QFG and PQ games with ScummVM at some point. Those listed in the code are bugs whose fix required patching the game scripts. There may be other issues that were automatically resolved by rewriting the engine that don't stem from bugs in the script. For SCI games, ScummVM is typically superior to the original executable in DOSBox.

If you discover any issue, game-breaking or otherwise, you should report it - perhaps with the error message and/or instructions to reproduce and, if you have one, a recent savegame. Here is the bug reporting site: https://bugs.scummvm.org/ There's an active developer, sluicebox, and he's quick to fix stuff. For my part, I just grind games and my brain ignores any unimportant issues. By contrast, given your recall you seem you'd be excellent for the effort of identifying and eliminating all bugs. They must still be reported, though. So just try out ScummVM.

Here is the relevant page for bugs, including closed, for QFG4. You can swap the game and update the listing, since you seem to be interested in historical bugs. If a bug you wish to avoid got recently fixed, I recommend a daily build or the upcoming v.2.8.0 stable build likely to be released by the end of the year.