SEntrySAFE wrote:

So ya, here i am with my QFG4 cd in my drive, all is well. get that game kickin, the sound is skippy. not like chopping as fast as a chef could, but u know, a skip every.. whole second or so. this was happening in 3 as well i think, but it became clearly obvious in 4 because there was some speech at the title screen (which skipped and confirmed my suspicions)

... some time between the first screen where it says Sierra, and the title screen, the game crashes, first leaving trails of numbers down the screen and then closing.

Don't know the answers here, but I will tell you this: "Quest for Glory" 3 and 4 are apparently share in the honor of "most difficult/impossible to run on a modern PC". This is especially true of 4.

Learned much of this from the kind people at Tierra's message board:
http://pub57.ezboard.com/broyalquestforums

It appears that the consensus was that QFG4 was the most buggy game Sierra released.

Thank you sir 😀 yes i did visit tierra and several other sites after posting, and was already aware of the problems the two share. 3 gave me no problems im happy to announce, except for a couple crashes, but those only happened when i misclicked like both at the same time or something.. with the apothecary. but that crash i can make again, and know that the only way to do it really is if i am screwing with the mouse, so other than those (which are more my fault than actual bugs) i think qfg3 came clean on my system.

what im trying to impress is i KNOW the answer to my problem i just dont know how to change it! in this qfg 4 1/2 setup, there is an option to change resolution to 320x200, 240x400, 960x600.. the same crash occurs with it if i have the resolution set to anything but 320x200. ITS THE SAME!! so if i might find out how to force qfg4 to play in this 320x200 resolution, which i know is possible as the two game are.. the same.. then i would be a happy puppy for the rest of my days. perhaps i could send someone the qfg4 folder? or have a chat on AIM to speedily troubleshoot? well thanks for your attention nicht, 😀 and ill try out ah, LaunchPad now. heheh ive been posting on the Hero6 forums, qfg fans go check that out along with qfg4 1/2! thanks for all those taking a look at this, and to the admins for their help so far! 😀 peace out!

SEntrySAFE wrote:

what im trying to impress is i KNOW the answer to my problem i just dont know how to change it! in this qfg 4 1/2 setup, there is an option to change resolution to 320x200, 240x400, 960x600.. the same crash occurs with it if i have the resolution set to anything but 320x200.

Gack. 240x400? 960x600? Those are...odd...resolutions.

so if i might find out how to force qfg4 to play in this 320x200 resolution, which i know is possible as the two game are.. the same..

Not neccessarily. As I understand it, "QFG4 1/2" is mostly a hacked QFG4 qith graphics ripped from many other games. Who knows what they might have "broken" in the process.

You might ask the "authors" about this, don't know of any titles that _refuse_ to let you select the lowest resolution.

peace out!

You are upsetting your English teacher.

odd resolutions indeed. how does that comment help 😀

yea nothing in qfg 4 1/2 is original except the dialogue they put in and a little artwork, its just hack and slash all of sierras other titles, throw a buncha stuff together, and make a story.

when im saying is.. when i change the resolution to something above 320x200 it results in the same thing that occurs in qfg4. how can i explain it any simpler than that. if you know how to make something run in a specified resolution (as, the option doesnt appear in setup) then just lay it on me..

Unregistered wrote:

odd resolutions indeed. how does that comment help

It's a "red flag" meaning "something here is all wrong".
I don't recall seeing 960x600 on any other title and 240x400 doesn't even make sense when you consider the aspect ratio. I know of some oddball screenmodes, but consider that NT/2000/XP don't support a lot of the DOS VESA modes.

when im saying is.. when i change the resolution to something above 320x200 it results in the same thing that occurs in qfg4. how can i explain it any simpler than that.

Well your original statement:

in this qfg 4 1/2 setup, there is an option to change resolution to 320x200, 240x400, 960x600.. the same crash occurs with it if i have the resolution set to anything but 320x200. ITS THE SAME!! so if i might find out how to force qfg4 to play in this 320x200 resolution, which i know is possible as the two game are ...

wasn't entirely clear, but your second statement is a lot more coherent.

Understand that you may be stuck at 320x200. Your only other option (without going to another PC or dual-booting) might be VESA emulation, but I'd advise against it.

Were you able to get the original QFG4 running at a higher-resolution? And what OS are you using?

240x400 and 960x600 aren't "real" resolutions (that is, they wouldn't display on any monitor.) That might be part of the cause for it not working! 😉

just to correct something vital here, that 240x400.. i meant to type 640x400, sorry. as far as 960x600, i understand it should be 640x480, 800x600, etc.. but im just sayin what the options were in this guys setup that he made. 😀 just trying to supply as much info as possible ya know 😁

when i mentioned those 3 options, i was talking about qfg4 1/2, the hacked up qfg. if you want an example of these resolutions being discussed, heres something off the tierra forums so ya, check that out..

ive never been able to get the original qfg4 working, thats what im doing right now, youve got the whole story in this thread. as far as higher resolutions go, i told ya i cant seem to find an obvious way to change the resolutions, but i was thinking maybe i need to change it. 😀 im running windows 2000 professional, sir. 😉

i found out that if i just use the mouse then sometimes it doesnt crash until about 30 seconds later, i can get to Import Char, Create Char, etc.. but it ALWAYS crashes with that same old list of errors (mostly numbers) when i strike my keyboard.. i know someone here has the smarts to recognize the problem but its not me, my theory is it thinks it wants to go into a resolution that i just dont wanna cooperate with, and i need to force it to do what i want it to do (320x200) and sorry i took so long to follow up, i didnt receive an email this time i prolly didnt hit subscribe.

if you care to have a sample of the error im getting, i mean id figure one might have asked me by now but here it is, ive written it down:
many numbers and stuff scroll down the screen overlapping the original background wherever these characters show up. an example is

CS= 2DF, USE32, page granular, limit 7F
FEFFFF, base 0, acc C7FB

SS= 21F, USE16, byte granular, limit
7CFF. base 2AA97C0, acc F3
etc..... heres to the bottom:

CR0: unavailable
Crash Adress (unrelocated) = 1:00021B01
Press any key to continue . . .

what really bugs me is ive been all over looking for answers, and all i seem to find out about is crashes that occur at different points in the game, no where to be found is a problem with actually starting the game. again i may have missed it, but ive been all over.. *goes off to search tierra forums more thoroughly..* i hope i get this problem solved! thanks for your help so far 😀 beleive me i appreciate it alot, especially for continuing to stick with my problem! 😁

Snover wrote:

240x400 and 960x600 aren't "real" resolutions (that is, they wouldn't display on any monitor.)

Thanks for confirming that, I was thinking for a moment that I had stumbled into a VESA "Twilight Zone" of "Super-Secret" ultra-rare video modes.

what have you got to say about the error message? i cannot beleive its impossible to run, but have you given up on me yet? as i received your reply in my email i was fooling around with all sorts of different things in launchpad to get it working, have you any suggestions? did any part of that error made a click in your head about what type of problem is going on here, so i at least have a lead? 😀

we werent talking about those "non-existant" resolutions, thats a seperate thing, im just tryin to get this to work ya know? i know this forum prolly isnt exactly the place for it, so if youve given up on me, well, couldya point me to one of your buddies for assistance? or contact me via AIM/AOL (sentrysafe) ? sorry im such a pain in the butt, eh. 🙁

SEntrySAFE wrote:

just to correct something vital here, that 240x400.. i meant to type 640x400, sorry. as far as 960x600, i understand it should be 640x480, 800x600, etc..

Ok. At least were both on the same planet now...

if you want an example of these resolutions being discussed, heres something off the tierra forums[/URL] so ya, check that out..

Since that's a remake, and not QFG4, it's not really relevant.

ive never been able to get the original qfg4 working, thats what im doing right now,

That's what I was afraid of...

, i told ya i cant seem to find an obvious way to change the resolutions,...

If the install or setup program don't work, you're probably hosed. Short of hacking it with a hex editor, I don't know...

...im running windows 2000 professional

Thanks, that could help. 2000's incompatible VESA is different from XP's.

...beleive me i appreciate it alot, especially for continuing to stick with my problem!

Just understand there are no guarantees. RIPPER works fine for Snover, but not for Evildrak.

SEntrySAFE wrote:

what have you got to say about the error message? i cannot beleive its impossible to run, but have you given up on me yet?

Calm down please. We're doing this in our spare time, OK?

😀 sorry im calm, ya just threw me off when you made a comment to snover and not to my previous post is all. thankee much. id add that i have windows xp, 98, and 2k server available to me if i need it. but i may be moving out within the next week or so, and i dont think we (i) need to get into that mess. ive used the ole "i cant figure it out, time to nuke my system" technique a bit too much, and im reluctant to return to those tendencies 😁 if youre sleepy take a nap! all your work is greatly appreciated! if i had money i would paypal yall or something, honestly im a generous person! 😁 no but really. im broke. 🤣. how bout you? 😁

Unlike Windows Games "nuking" your system for old DOS games in NT is even more unnecessary than doing so for Windows games. So please don't go wiping your system just to get it work work. 😀

I say try the trial of Connectix Virtual PC or an older machine. Preferabbly Virtual PC first so we can pinpoint where the game works/doesn't work.

My QFG4 Windows 3.1 works fine in NT4/2K/XP but ONLY if I use Connectix Virtual PC.

i am full aware that there would be.. ah.. really nothing on my computer laying around that might affect an old DOS game and miraculously fix itself after my nuclear winter, i was jus rehashing my stupid computer mishaps 😀

about this whole Connectix thing, would you care to contact me @ SEntrySAFE (AOL/AIM) so i can get a bit of help speeding up the troubleshooting process with the aid of (im assuming) a pro, whom prolly has little time for my silly Quests for Compatibility (2: Trial by Nukage)

or we can do it snail style over the forum. or i guess i could puddle around, find connectix, screw something up or become permantently slackjawed from confusion, and then cry myself to sleep. whaddaya say? 😉

Thanks, that could help. 2000's incompatible VESA is different from XP's.

Yeah, XP's is incompatible in OTHER ways. 😁

Anyway, Quest for Glory is a Sierra game, which makes me wonder why the heck using another interpeter that's known to work wouldn't fix it right up? I attached a SCIWV interpreter from another Windows game on another post. Try it out.

SEntrySAFE wrote:

...all your work is greatly appreciated! if i had money i would paypal yall or something, honestly im a generous person! 😁 no but really. im broke. 🤣. how bout you? 😁 or we can do it snail style over the forum. or i guess i could puddle around, find connectix, screw something up or become permantently slackjawed from confusion, and then cry myself to sleep. whaddaya say?

No more caffeine for you.

Snover wrote:

Yeah, XP's is incompatible in OTHER ways.

Well that's what I was saying, they added some VESA support, removed other VESA support. *shrug*

Ok everybody. We've been chasing a Wild Goose. "Quest For Glory 4 1/2" is _not_ a hacked version of "Quest For Glory 4". I really should have caught this earlier, but I made a presumption from an old post on another board and SEntrySAFE's comment that they were "the same" and started from there.

It is, in fact an "Adventure Game Studio" game with mostly ripped graphics from QFG4 (and other Sierra titles). Unfortunately, they used the DOS version of AGS to compile the game. DOS AGS appears to be quite picky about it's hardware. I was able to run it under 98SE with MIDI music. Couldn't get any sound effects to play, no matter what I chose.

320x200, 640x400, and 960x600 displays all worked (although 960x600 was actually displayed on a higher-res screen with a large border). Since the game's graphics all appear to be at 320x200, 640x400 will give you the same display as 320x200.

Tried running this on Virtual PC 5 using Win95b,Win98,Win98SE, and XP. All bombed out with "unsupported video mode" regardless of the resolution that was chosen.

The best option would be to re-compile the game using the most recent Windows version of AGS. Unfortunately, that means getting the "authors" to recompile the game or release their source data.

Slight Update: According to a post from the Tierra forums "In the AGS distribution, there are two exe called 'acdos' and 'acwin'. You can use those to run any AGS game either way, regardless of which system the author created the game for." Of course this requires that the game authors remember to include the ac2game.dat file. This is, of course, missing from mine (and probably everyone else's).

As it stands, you might try running on Win98 or XP. Otherwise, I think I'm out of ideas.

neat. snover and dosfreak mentioned some things, i could try those out. or did you do that yourself already? anyways, ya im sorry for misleading you i didnt mean a hacked version of qfg4, i meant what i thought i said "hacked up" by that i meant actual hacking.. 🤣.. you know, rip the snowy mountains from kings quest 6, stick em here, the whorehouse, beach, etc

yea nothing in qfg 4 1/2 is original except the dialogue they put in and a little artwork, its just hack and slash all of sierras other titles

well, er, thanks alot for all the help. i think that was like alot of effort on your part, wasnt it? for a person who just randomly shows up on a forum. nice peoples.. hey if i find the answer on the Hero6 board or Tierra Games (ive already posted the same problem, and thoroughly this time 😁 ) ill drop a line right here, and let ya know what i had to wrench from my computer and stomp on for me to get this silly game to work. and (OF COURSE!!) if anyone has useful suggestions, or comments, speculation, or answers even.. ya dont doubt i would be here in a flash to check it out.

its not so much about the game anymore.. i just need to know.. why it wont work. i wish i knew all the stuff you guys did. grr. i know alot more than the average bear, but you guys know alot more than the uh.. above average average bear? yaarrr. k well, again, THANKS NICHT SEHR GUR, SNOVER, DOSFREAK, and that canadian person from that last problem.. hehehe.

*update* oh yah, nicht, it sounds like what youre saying is maybe youre thinking im talking about qfg4 1/2. or were you testing it to look for similarities or something? anyways, no, 4 1/2 works fine, the original 4 (by sierra) is what alllllllllll these problems are about, i only mentioned 4 1/2 cuz im a misleading fool. 😀 ok im gone again!

*update* gRRrr. i just ran downstairs to one of the machines running xp, i installed it, and it played flawlessly (aside from the speech skipping every second or so) the installation even detected the ensoniq sound card, which be the same as mine. in that computer its a pentium running at 650mhz, SB Ensoniq, yadda yadda all in all its just XP, while im on 2k pro, correct me but i think its just a driver issue (i mean.. it detected the sound card!!) if u want more info just ask. im going to get ready to install xp, i have to move some crap to my backup HD.. grr..

*update* upon installing windows XP, qfg4 works fine. i dont know what to say.. all done! thank you all for your help, i know ya tried 😁 its alright tho, cuz upgrading to XP was a good move anyways. well.. 😀 you guys are great, cyaz