Broken Sword insert cd 2 screen question

[doomer]

Hi. First, I want to say that scummvm is an amazing project. I just bought Broken Sword I&II sold out pack and I am very happy. There is just one small question I would like to ask. It is a scummvm compilation and therefore it is on one dvd. It copies the whole data in one folder. My questions is as follows. Can scummvm display the original insert cd 2 screen like the original 2cd version when I reach that point or is that impossible? Is there something I could do to make it behave that way? Thanks a lot.

[eriktorbjorn]

Hi. First, I want to say that scummvm is an amazing project. I just bought Broken Sword I&II sold out pack and I am very happy. There is just one small question I would like to ask. It is a scummvm compilation and therefore it is on one dvd. It copies the whole data in one folder. My questions is as follows. Can scummvm display the original insert cd 2 screen like the original 2cd version when I reach that point or is that impossible? Is there something I could do to make it behave that way? Thanks a lot.

I'm a bit uncertain about what you mean, and I haven't played the game with the original interpreter.

The game engine assumes that some files are always available, that some are on CD 1, and that some are on CD 2. If a file that's supposed to always be available is missing, then that's a fatal error. If any other file is missing, it prompts the user to insert the CD for it.

CD swapping isn't supported - or at least not tested - but that message is just a boring white-text-on-black-background message.

There's one thing the original did, though, that we don't. The game is divided into different sections, with one data file for each. It would copy the data file for the current section from CD to hard disk, presumably to speed up the file access. While copying the file, it displayed an image and a progress meter. Could it be this image you're thinking of?

Some time ago I added a function, splashScreen(), to display this image and progress meter, but since I couldn't think of any good use for it, it's never called.

[doomer]

Yes, I meant the boring black-on-white cd change text. I think it is cool and it also gives one a sense of progress. Sorts of knowing one finished cd1. That was usual in the past when cd games didn't do a complete install on one's hard drive.

Concerning the progress meter, I think it is not at all visible even on the original version if you have a relatively fast pc.

So my question was about the black-on-white cd text. Is there a way to make scummvm display this "insert cd2" message, even if I only have to hit space to continue? I should also try myself what happens if only cd2 data is missing. Of course, it is perfectly okay if it is not possible, I just like that feature.

[eriktorbjorn]

So my question was about the black-on-white cd text. Is there a way to make scummvm display this "insert cd2" message, even if I only have to hit space to continue? I should also try myself what happens if only cd2 data is missing. Of course, it is perfectly okay if it is not possible, I just like that feature.

As I said, ScummVM only shows the "insert CD" message if it can't find the particular data file it's looking for (unless it's one of the files it assumes should always be available.

Always available: SCRIPTS.CLU, General.clu, Players.clu, TEXT.CLU
CD 1: Paris.clu, Docks.clu, Warehous.clu, Quaramon.clu
CD 2: Jungle.clu, Carib1.clu, Carib2.clu, Carib3.clu, Pyramid1.clu, Pyramid2.clu

The "always available" files are not present CD 2, which is why playing the game directly from CD doesn't work straight away. You may be able to get it to work by fiddling with the Extra Path setting, but I don't know how well the game runs from CD anyway, when we don't do the "copy to hard disk" trick.

I'm a bit short on savegames for Broken Sword 2 at the moment, but as an experiment I moved Jungle.clu out of the way and loaded a savegame where George was in the jungle. The game prompted me for CD 2, so I moved the file back and pressed a key. The game continued. It seems to work well enough for that, at least.

[Herrscher]

Concerning the progress meter, I think it is not at all visible even on the original version if you have a relatively fast pc.

Yes. I also don't remember anything like that eriktorbjorn mentioned...

But since I had BS1 with a usual PC back then ('96?) - Pentium 166 MHz, I bought BS2 as sold-out version years after it's appearance, and thatfor _had_ a very fast PC (for BS2 at least) then.


So you could make two batch files, SwapToCD1.bat and SwapToCD2.bat, which renames the CLU files to NOD (not-on-disc) or something and vice-versa.

[doomer]

Wonderful news!
Thank you both of you.

Thanks for the detailed info, eriktorbjorn. I will make a note of it.

Herrscher, making two swap bat files is a nice idea.

I will now I have a truly unique Broken Sword experience.

Thanks again. It's great to know that scummvm's support is outstanding, just like scummvm itself.

*Update*:
I ran Broken Sword I, had a lot of fun playing it, reached cd2 point and decided to experiment with the settings to get that cd change screen function. I could make the game run in cd mode and recognize only cd1 and from that point I could rename the files accordingly and swap between cd1 and cd2 with two .bat files. Unfortunately, if I start the game with cd2 only (including the essential files which are always needed) scummvm always selects hdd mode and requests all files from cd1 and cd2 to be present which automatically disables the cd change screen. If there was an always-use-cd-mode option it could work, but now it is just a hassle.

So I decided to use the hdd option and also realized that I was going a bit too far with requesting that cd swap feature. Playing in hdd mode has its advantages and I like my bsI&II pack as it is. Nevertheless, I will not forget that the team decided to help me even with this seemingly strange request of mine. Thank you.

[Herrscher]

Unfortunately, if I start the game with cd2 only (including the essential files which are always needed) scummvm always selects hdd mode and requests all files from cd1 and cd2 to be present which automatically disables the cd change screen.

Hmm... you could point your desktop link to another scummvm.bat file:

@ECHO OFF
REM change drive and path
CALL SwapToCD1.bat
scummvm.exe


Wouldn't that work?!

So I [..] realized that I was going a bit too far with requesting that cd swap feature. Playing in hdd mode has its advantages and I like my bsI&II pack as it is. Nevertheless, I will not forget that the team decided to help me even with this seemingly strange request of mine.

It is, indeed, a bit strange to request a "feature" that everybody hated back then (loading screens - and, even worse: disc changing stuff).

The only loading screens I like are the ones from Psychonauts and XIII.

[jaapdaniels]

if you copy all data to one directory on your hard-drive it will fail one thing if you'll listen to the speech spoken it will make mistakes while you change disks or it takes the speech from disk 2 on the time in paris, or it takes the speech of disk 1 in all other countries... it's no big deal but these files ar on both disks called the same... but you get strange effects.
i di'dn't dislike the change disk future however of all the games and there are more games with this kind of failure in this product... i've got almost ol thwe games so i know about now how it supposed to look or work... i'm no programmer, so i don't know how to fix those things... pleas help.

Thank, Jaap

[doomer]

if you copy all data to one directory on your hard-drive it will fail one thing if you'll listen to the speech spoken it will make mistakes while you change disks or it takes the speech from disk 2 on the time in paris, or it takes the speech of disk 1 in all other countries... it's no big deal but these files ar on both disks called the same... but you get strange effects.
i di'dn't dislike the change disk future however of all the games and there are more games with this kind of failure in this product... i've got almost ol thwe games so i know about now how it supposed to look or work... i'm no programmer, so i don't know how to fix those things... pleas help.

Thank, Jaap

There should be no such problems. How did you copy all data to your hard drive?

Here are the official instructions. I've got no problems
when following them.

Copy these files from both cds.

*.clu
swordres.rif
MUSIC folder
SPEECH folder
Rename speech.clu on CD1 to speech1.clu
Rename speech.clu on CD2 to speech2.clu

You have got wrong speech in the game because you didn't rename the speech.clu file. For scummvm to work properly you need to rename the speech.clu file from cd1 to speech1.clu and speech.clu file from cd2 to speech2.clu.

____________________________________________________

@Herrscher

Yay, I made it.
I needed to recompile scummvm. I must admit that I enjoyed it though.
I only edited sword1.cpp and made the runfromcd variable always true. This way I only need two bat files that create/delete CD1.ID or CD2.ID respectively for each cd. All other files remain intact. Thus if cd2.id is present scummvm acknowledges that cd2 is present and the same is true for cd1. Now it displays the insert cd message at the proper points and I can 'swap' cds too. Wow, I can't believe that this feature finally works. I can always have a copy of the original scummvm.exe if I need the hdd mode functionality. Great stuff indeed.

[jaapdaniels]

thanks for helping, it works almost fine now, vista ultimate 64 bits edition has his bugs so those troubles i've got now are not from scummvm.