Pinball Prelude CD: Can't run this through any Workbench/CLI.
 

(I'm not dead, people! Just so you know.)

Okay, so there's this official CD-ROM version of Pinball Prelude that's been floating around for years now. Under the latest WinUAE (3.2.2), it seems to run okay when loaded directly as a CD³² title under a CD³² setup, but there's some added benefit to using the CD within a WB environment as you can choose to run or install the OCS or AGA versions of the game. Only problem atm is that attempting to choose any table from the unique frontend (unique as in it's exclusive to the CD version and the floppy versions don't have it) just quits you back to WB with the following, somewhat unhelpful error:Now I'm aware that the HD-installer typically applies encryption to the data files it copies and ties it to the specified HD path, or even your specific hardware setup (I forget which), so you can't just copy the game to any Amiga you like and run it willy nilly. However, I'm seeing this error pop up literally within the same WB environment, without even resetting first.

It doesn't matter if I install the full game to HD, or just the executable (to run in conjunction with the CD). I can't even get it to run directly from the damn CD! I tried switching between AmiCDFS and CacheCDFS, and I've tried to run this game both from ClassicWB and from a quickly-made stock WB3.1 setup. It just ain't budging.

What's odd is that I swear I got this game to run from HD with no problem before, under a previous version of WinUAE. Can't quite remember how long ago now though, nor the specific WUAE build I was using at the time. At this stage it looks less like an encryption protection trip error and more like it just struggles to acknowledge the contents of the IMG file at the very least, from HD or CD.

Seeing as it's not on the File Server (only an unofficial Ninjaw-made ISO which is completely different), I'll just point to the very first googled link to the game in question so Toni et al can dissect the heck out of it. I did hack the installer program previously to disable all encryption attempts and install clean files, but it doesn't seem to make any difference in this case.

http://www.emuparadise.me/Amiga_CD32...32-PC%5D/57659

I´ve played this from time to time on my CD32 .... just for the interest : Where do you find any HD install option ???

When inserted to WB I can only start PRELUDE and then can do a choice of PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE ... no more options !

If you browse the CD through WB you should find a folder named "AMIGA". Inside there are the three "PRELUDE" folders relating to OCS, AGA and CD³² versions. Inside each folder is the "Pinball Prelude" executable and the "Install" executable.

You are using the same CD version as what I linked to, right?

It´s the same name I downloaded some time ago from ftp and burned to CD ...

But since there is no folder named AMIGA it seems to be different ...


//UPDATE :

This is odd, I downloaded your ISO and this cannot even be started on my CD32 or my A1200 ... Allways get NO AGA CHIPSET ????

And you can't even use the OCS version as it looks for present.hsc & past.hsc, which isn't even on the CD or on the HD Install.

Wait, you got further than the .img request? That's where it always goes pearshaped for me.

I copied the .hsc files from the WHDLoad version but now it's looking for Gamedata/gamedata.sel, which isn't anywhere to be found.

I tried as well. All three Games have their own CD-Path (text file) to set the location. I did not install it but simply dragged the amiga folder to my hd and renamed it pinballprelude.

When i checked with snoopdos the directories were recognized, and the menu screen worked. So the *.img file is loaded and displayed on screen, for all tables. the missing highscore files were no problem.
But if y try to start a table, the game aborts with the msg of the missing *.img file, which seems odd as this file is no longer needed. Having a closer look at the logfile created by snoopdos reveals some strange file accesss with no name (near the end), or the game tries to "load" the directory - which fails.:confused

Edit: I've now tried the installer as well. The files are indeed different after installation. i installed the AGA version to RAM: and also tried to start this installed game from HD, doesn't worked.

So, this sounds to me like a poorly compiled executable then? I'll try to look into the code one more time, but other than that we might need to enlist the help of Toni... that or StingRay, or Galahad, or anyone who's already familiar with the game from before really.

Like I said, it has no problem loading the tables in stock CD³² mode (under WinUAE anyway, it seems like SkulleateR is experiencing a different result). I attempted to use the CD³² executable with the AGA datafiles recently - well first off it expects the lowlevel and nonvolatile libraries to exist in Libs: (or from within the CD³²'s extended ROM, natch) or it'll guru before getting to the frontend. Aside from that, though, it too spits out the same error when attempting to load a table. Anyone who's more technologically experienced than I am may try to dissect the CD³² executable and see how it handles loading the data files without issue - it's probably a CD vs HD buffer issue, or something else from the extended ROM that it needs.

I did some tests and I found a very strange thing:

Pinball Prelude ISO starts without problems in CD emulation on CD32

Copy the entire contents of the ISO file on HardFile, the same volume name, same startup-sequence, Pinball Prelude on CD32 you do not start and you get the usual error File Reading

This shows that it is not an executable file problem or data files, with CD32 you get two different results if the game runs from CD or Hardfile; nothing changes if you use .iso instead of .cue

I am trying to get this to run from CD also. Not CD32.
Anyone have any progress on this issue?

Thanks,
Ron

I'll look into this.

Quick check result: Game first successfully reads the complete file (Using single dos/Read() call) and then for some unknown reason opens the "error reading file" requester.

Thanks, yes. The installer changes the files, maybe encoding/copy protection. So it is possible the files are being checked for this protection. Perhaps the location(path or starting block on hd) is encoded into the file.

I do not think so would otherwise not have an install?

Did a test booting the game from the Workbench "directly from the CD (no install)"

- A1200 + Floppy WB31 + ISO CD= Error

- A1200 + Floppy WB31 + ISO CD= Error

- CD32 + Floppy WB31 + ISO CD = Game works perfectly

- CD32 + HD (Only Workbench floppy 3.1 installed) + ISO CD (start to CD) = Game works perfectly

- CD32 + HD (Only Workbench floppy 3.1 installed) + ISO CD (start to Hardisk) = Error

- CD32 + HD (expanded) + ISO CD (start to CD) = Error

- CD32 + ISO CD = Game works perfectly

I did mention this in my opening post like so...Also from the same post...

So judging by this report, it looks like the game will only behave properly on a CD³² and only agree to load the data from the disc?

Man, I don't know what the hell's bells Effigy thought they were doing with all this difficult installation+protection conflict gubbins. From my memory the PC version is just as difficult to run correctly, as is Necromantics! :guru

@MethodGit
Yes, i know. I just wanted to confirm, as it happens in my experience too. I checked the files myself. Thanks! :-)

Is there a WHDLoad for the CD32 version? I see only OCS and AGA on the whdload site.

I'd love to play this but the original CD crashes on expanded hardware and the HDD installed version doesn't work and it's OCS/AGA-only anyway.