EcoQuest: is the CD version talkie?

[tecate]

Hi, all.

I want to buy a copy of EcoQuest, the Search for Cetus from eBay. This would be a Sierra Originals edition. Is it talkie? Are all CD versions of EcoQuest talkie? The seller doesn't know.

I know there exists a talkie version of EcoQuest, but I'm asking because there are CD versions (usually cheap reeditions) of talkie games that are basically the non-talkie floppy version of the game burnt into a CD. For instance, there's a CD version of Kyrandia 1 that is just the installation files that came with the floppy version but in a CD instead. Also, in Europe they sold a CD version of The Fate of Atlantis that could be played from the CD, but had no voices. This is the US version of the Sierra Originals edition of EcoQuest. Is it talkie? Thanks.

[eriktorbjorn]

I want to buy a copy of EcoQuest, the Search for Cetus from eBay. This would be a Sierra Originals edition. Is it talkie? Are all CD versions of EcoQuest talkie? The seller doesn't know.

I only have a loose CD, and I haven't played it much. But it says "Sierra Originals" on the back, there's almost 300 MB of files on the disc, and what I've seen of it appears to be fully voiced.

[TrivialBalderdash]

I can provide a partial answer.

I'll start by saying that I don't own the Sierra Originals version, but I do own two others.

The CD version of EcoQuest, labeled with the Multimedia PC branding, is a talkie version. It's about 318MB, with the RESOURCE.AUD file accounting for 305MB.

Another CD version, on Sierra's School House Science, is the non-talkie version. That version is only 4MB. (These CDs also have full versions of EcoQuest 2, Pepper's Adventure in Time, Goblins 1, and the Mac version of the Castle of Dr. Brain)

ScummVM detects both the talkie and non-talkie from these CDs as a CD version, having the same RESOURCE.000 and RESOURCE.MAP file.

I think eriktorbjorn's answer is what you were looking for. You could ask the seller to see if there's a 300MB RESOURCE.AUD or what the total size of the disc is.

Hope this helps!

[LogicDeLuxe]

or what the total size of the disc is.

I wouldn't rely on that alone. Some game CDs come filled with a lot of demos for other games.
Asking the seller for specific files certainly is the way to go. And hope he has a drive handy to check that, which is not that common anymore, unfortunately.

[tecate]

I only have a loose CD, and I haven't played it much. But it says "Sierra Originals" on the back, there's almost 300 MB of files on the disc, and what I've seen of it appears to be fully voiced.

TrivialBalderdash is saying that the Talkie version has a RESOURCE.AUD file that is 305MB and the total of the game is 318MB... You're saying yours is almost 300MB?

Is yours this one: https://ibb.co/vkrW3xP?

[tecate]

The CD version of EcoQuest, labeled with the Multimedia PC branding, is a talkie version. It's about 318MB, with the RESOURCE.AUD file accounting for 305MB.

I found an MPC version for sale. The background is see-through instead of blue, but otherwise looks like the one you linked: https://ibb.co/vxRrbP1. The only problem is that's $30 more expensive than the Sierra Originals.

Another CD version, on Sierra's School House Science, is the non-talkie version. That version is only 4MB. (These CDs also have full versions of EcoQuest 2, Pepper's Adventure in Time, Goblins 1, and the Mac version of the Castle of Dr. Brain)

A-ha! I knew there could be different CD versions both talkie and non-talkie!

[tecate]

I wouldn't rely on that alone. Some game CDs come filled with a lot of demos for other games.
Asking the seller for specific files certainly is the way to go. And hope he has a drive handy to check that, which is not that common anymore, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, they don't have a CD drive.

[eriktorbjorn]

TrivialBalderdash is saying that the Talkie version has a RESOURCE.AUD file that is 305MB and the total of the game is 318MB... You're saying yours is almost 300MB?

Is yours this one: https://ibb.co/vkrW3xP?

The "du" command says 298 MB. The resource.aud file is 292 MB, or 305,187,924 bytes. Maybe that's what TrivialBalderdash meant by 305 MB? That looks like the exact same disc as mine in the picture. I was in too much in a hurry when I wrote my first post to even reflect that it says "Sierra Originals" there too.

[TrivialBalderdash]

The "du" command says 298 MB. The resource.aud file is 292 MB, or 305,187,924 bytes. Maybe that's what TrivialBalderdash meant by 305 MB? That looks like the exact same disc as mine in the picture. I was in too much in a hurry when I wrote my first post to even reflect that it says "Sierra Originals" there too.

Yes, I'm seeing the same value in bytes on the copy I have (305,187,924 bytes). MacOS also reports "305.2 MB on disk", so I'm sure that's where I got the (incorrect) number in my last post. Thanks for the additional detail!