DarkSeed Floppy NTSC Fix Please

[Nibbler]

No need to rush things ross. Take youre Time. I will test the CD32 version tomorrow. Should only take 35 minutes I report back Ross

[ross]

Ok, new version in The Zone!.
If it's working through the end without glitch, in the next days i try to make a new WHDLoad slave.

Cheers,
ross

[Nibbler]

I just finished Darkseed ( the Floppy version ) !!!
Its flawless, BUT there is one spot in the game that "CAN" corrupt in the copperlist/blitterwait stuff.

Just use my Save game called TEST2.
Use the Condom ( sorry, but it looks like a unused Condome ) to become invisible.
Go into that door and turn on the "machine". Talk to the lady.

Leave the room.
I think its the combo of the moving sprite that "blinks" and the "cutscene" that causes those problems.

Like i said, "That Spot CAN LEAD TO Problems" .... just play a few minutes more to see it randomly.


BUT, it dosent have to happend. So, thats a tricky part.
Something can go wrong in that spot, but it could also be fine.
Hmmmm.

So, i want to play the game from Start to Finish without ever using the Save option.

Then i have to finish it a few times just to be sure.

The CD32 Version has still the same problem.
CRASH via Whdload or Corruption via DOs after the "Baby sequence".

But to be honest, i dont care for the Cd32 version. It pretty much trash.
The Amiga OCS Floppy version was so good as it could be in 1992 but the CD32 version 1994 was nothing special !!!!

CD32 is missing the higher resolution. (the just turned off interlace and got a different Font, THATS ALL, and i remember Giger talking especially about the higher resolution , HE WANTED THAT !!!)

CD32 is missing the Mouse Support !!! in an POINT AND CHLICK ADVENTURE ?? WTF !!


Nothing was done for the CD32. They just put the OCS version on a disc and add the HORRIBLE SPEECH from the PC CD-Rom version. It did not use AGA at all or the 256color version from the PC version)

And to hear Mike dawsons Thing pattern every screen..... always the same....
AWEFUL.

Sorry but the CD32 version is trash anyway
Floppy version all the way

Looking forward to a WHDLOAD fix for it.
Maybe something can be done about the Sound/Musik, that has sometimes little problems.

Anyway. I try to finish the game a few times witout ANY save (and even try other languages)


Wish me luck.
I report back, later

[Retro-Nerd]

Nah, you couldn't do a interlace CD32 version back then. Everbody would have complained about the flickering. Mouse controls would be nice, but it's the only version i would play on real hardware. I still need my eyes for the next years.

[ross]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

I just finished Darkseed ( the Floppy version ) !!!

Thanks for the beta testing.
Good that the floppy version is working till the end!

Its flawless, BUT there is one spot in the game that "CAN" corrupt in the copperlist/blitterwait stuff.

I'll check it.

The CD32 Version has still the same problem.
CRASH via Whdload or Corruption via DOs after the "Baby sequence".

What's the time stamp of the ISO file?
I've uploaded a new ISO this morning. Last night I was tired

But to be honest, i dont care for the Cd32 version. It pretty much trash.

Maybe someone wants to play the CD32 version
(and yes, the old floppy version is better!)

Looking forward to a WHDLOAD fix for it.

Next step, after all bugs cleared.

Bye and thanks!
ross

[Nibbler]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

Nah, you couldn't do a interlace CD32 version back then. Everbody would have complained about the flickering. Mouse controls would be nice, but it's the only version i would play on real hardware. I still need my eyes for the next years.

Yeah, i get what you are saying, but still, they didn´t use the 256 colours assets .. and that on the CD32 ?

Darkseed Interlaced in 60hz looks gorgeous on my Sony Wega Trinitron


@Ross

After this post i try to finish the floppy version witout any save/load.
All Languages.

Floppy Version First

Time Stamp on the CDiso ? i dont know. Downloaded today.
And sorry, if i talked trash about the CD32 version *hehe*

I play it after i am to all languages of the Floppy version.

So. Time to finish Darkseed, again.....and again.... and ...

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

Darkseed Interlaced in 60hz looks gorgeous on my Sony Wega Trinitron

Sure, but go try to watch it on a modern display. It'll be garbage.
I love CRTs but unfortunately I don''t have the space to have a huge Wega (awesome displays, congrats ) to display my old machines.

[Nibbler]

@Akira. Huge? My sony wega trinitron is not bigger than an original commodore monitor. But thanks @Ross. I just finished the real german and i have to say that the graphics corruption is random. Played the English version again, same results. Random graphics corruption. Even the title screen got corruption right after booting DS in WHDload. RANDOM is the word here. So strange. But i know that even some DoSBox version crapped out right before the baby scene. Maybe it was abug feast already Dont know for sure..

[ross]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

Just use my Save game called TEST2.
Use the Condom ( sorry, but it looks like a unused Condome ) to become invisible.
Go into that door and turn on the "machine". Talk to the lady.

Sorry cannot replicate: no TEST2 in savegame, so no "condom", machine and lady..

The CD32 Version has still the same problem.
CRASH via Whdload or Corruption via DOs after the "Baby sequence".

No problem here.
Tested on WinUAE->Quickstart->CD32 (i've to take away possible whdload overpatch).
Going after "Baby sequence", at Day2.
But like i've said i'm not a player of this game (maybe after all the patch).

Cheers,
ross

[EDIT: and some volunteer can test CD32 version (real machine or quickstart in WinUAE) ]

[ross]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

@Akira. Huge? My sony wega trinitron is not bigger than an original commodore monitor. But thanks @Ross. I just finished the real german and i have to say that the graphics corruption is random. Played the English version again, same results. Random graphics corruption. Even the title screen got corruption right after booting DS in WHDload. RANDOM is the word here. So strange. But i know that even some DoSBox version crapped out right before the baby scene. Maybe it was abug feast already Dont know for sure..

Hi Nibbler, i've to understand what this "random corruption" is.
I've never got it... Can you please give me your WinUAE config file?
[EDIT: or upload an image]
I need to clear up the cases (can be a erroneus setup).

Maybe later I try a floppy session (whit bare A500 config).

Bye,
ross

[Nibbler]

Sorry for the wrong savegame. I did not exit whdload, so it was not actually written to the"Disc" , silly me. I test it on an amiga 600 furia. There are Graphics glitches sometimes. It can happen anytime. My maxtranfer is alright. Played and copyed full 600mb cdxl videos, so no problem there. I have to borrow a "Smart phone" to get some photos of those glitches. Music has problems too.... A bug hunt indeed

[ross]

Floppy version, near end of day 2, WinUAE, A600 accelerated (8x), crushed by an alien , no glitch so far, nor video nor audio.

All is perfectly stable...

Bye,
ross

[Nibbler]

Whdload or Dos? I use Whdload,because via normal Dos the Interlace wont work in Whdload the glitches are random. Very odd.

[ross]

All my tests is without WHDLoad (both floppy and CD32).
For the interlace you need KS <=2.05.

Cheers,
ross

[DrBong]

Originally Posted by DrBong

Awesome work mate! Can you share any of the technical details of how you did it?!

Originally Posted by ross

Surely.

- patch copper list (window start / ntsc);
- find unused space in executable for code that recalculate sprite position control word that comply NTSC video shift
(for normal version -> part of protection print, for CD32 ->'elsewhere')
- inject the code, like all the 'live' patch

So all the *fixed* calculation was in a PAL space, only the display is faked.

It's a fast patch, the most complicated part was to understand/find the point of injection.
I wasn't in this 'things' for more than two decades..

Interesting, thanks for sharing Ross! I have to say, I admire your persistence in trying to make the DarkSeed patch 100% for Nibbler and others here......and for all Amiga and language versions released too!!

[Nibbler]

Another Day, another Darkseed Playthrough

I had only one graphics glitch (delberts Dog ), that was all.
NOW, i think i know the Root of those sound/graphics corruptions.

24bit DMA Memory !!!!! (or is it 32 bit?)

(If i remember correctly, Darkseed had sound issues back then with my Blizzard Cards)

Anyway. The Thing is. The FURIA hast super fast Mem and Darkseed dosent like that. If i use the option ExpLocal in WHDLOAD the games music is 100% spot on, BUT the game is really slow then. But i would bet my balls that the Memory stuff is the root for the sound/graphics corruption.

On another note. I use the NTSC ToolType With Darkseed. Otherwise the music plays to fast.

[ross]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

Another Day, another Darkseed Playthrough

I had only one graphics glitch (delberts Dog ), that was all.
NOW, i think i know the Root of those sound/graphics corruptions.

24bit DMA Memory !!!!!

(If i remember correctly, Darkseed had sound issues back then with my Blizzard Cards)

Anyway. The Thing is. The FURIA hast super fast 24Bit Mem and Darkseed dosent like that. If i use the option ExpLocal in WHDLOAD the games music is 100% spot on, BUT the game is really slow then. But i would bet my balls that the 24Bit Mem is the root for the sound/graphics corruption.

This is a good news!
Like i've guessed the problem is no more the patch but the machine config.
I don't know the Furia accelerator but there is a Furiatune utility that can be useful. (i do not know if in your case it's the memory or the processor cache, so more tests)
I can send you an ADF whit Furiatune and a Lacer so You can test the floppy version in your pumped A600 (KS>=3.0).

On another note. I use the NTSC ToolType With Darkseed. Otherwise the music plays to fast.

Yes, like i've written in some message in this thread, for now NTSC ToolType is mandatory.

Thanks for the tests .
(apologize to everyone else for this public beta writing...)

Cheers,
ross

[Nibbler]

Yupp, i know furiatune. I have the 33mhz furia version with fpu and 10 mb FAST ram Played the game in PAL before .hmmmm .i do more testing.

[ross]

Originally Posted by Nibbler

Yupp, i know furiatune. I have the 33mhz furia version with fpu and 10 mb FAST ram Played the game in PAL before .hmmmm .i do more testing.

Hi Nibbler, Disk 1 in The Zone!
Boot from floppy.
Do not change anything the first time: check glitch audio/video (and speed audio/video).
If something goes wrong then use furiatune..

Bye!
ross

[Nibbler]

I turned off every Feature of Furia .. played 3x Darkseed from Start to finish, still minor graphic glitches.

NOW,i have to say that i use WHDLOAD and it maybe the slave that is buggy because
Whdload ends with a error message "LINE 1010 Emulator" ( $28 ) at $97ADEA (Expmem $44DEA) when you FINISH the game or using the Quit Game option.

That happends even with the ORIGINAL DS execute.
But the orginal works with 16.9 WHDLOAD without this error.

With the patch, every Whdload version brings up that error message when you finish the game OR want to exit the game via the in game option. Weird.

So, TODAY, i test on another RIG !!!!
On my CD32 Pro with 8 MB Fast-Ram. Then we see .......

I report back... later .
Will be a busy day, today
greetings, nibbler.


PS:I try it via Normal Dos too, i hope this "lacer tool" thing gives me interlace on KS3.1