VOGONS


First post, by Ramenman

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Hello to the entire Vogon community, I love this forum and everything I'm still learning despite being an old PC user from the 80s.
When I was a kid I was given the PC game Trantor (the Spanish version, distributed by Erbe). I remember that there was an introduction before playing where the protagonist's ship descended to the base.

In all the sources I've found downloaded from the internet, the game after the initial screen with the letters "Probe Software", goes straight to the action. I don't know if in the US release, they ignored that file with the introduction or what. I know I didn't dream it because in some magazines of the time and on the back of the game boxes that screen appears in CGA.

Does anyone know anything? I would like to have that game with that introduction preserved. Thanks.

I attached from Moby Games the box art of a re-release, In the first photo on the left, you can see the CGA capture of that intro.

Reply 1 of 4, by liqmat

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Well, it's not your imagination as the game manual mentions the opening sequence not being playable. I did notice other platforms via YouTube (Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum) all have the intro sequence. I wonder if the cracked versions cut the intro to keep the file size down? The GOG DOS version (on sale right now for a buck and change) does not have the intro sequence either.

Reply 2 of 4, by ripsaw8080

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Scans of the PC version diskette on MobyGames and elsewhere have a printed label stating that the game should be started by typing "GO" at the DOS prompt, so if you don't have a batch file or program with that name then I suppose the intro could have been omitted.

Perhaps the matter can be settled by obtaining an original copy from eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155913454976

Reply 3 of 4, by Ramenman

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liqmat wrote on 2024-08-30, 18:29:

Well, it's not your imagination as the game manual mentions the opening sequence not being playable. I did notice other platforms via YouTube (Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum) all have the intro sequence. I wonder if the cracked versions cut the intro to keep the file size down? The GOG DOS version (on sale right now for a buck and change) does not have the intro sequence either.

Thanks for the image of the manual. Thanks to this I was able to confirm that my memory when I had it as a child was that the intro sequence came before the PROBE menu of the game. I have a theory that (possibly) in the American release they removed that file for some reason and in the European one it did exist. And the versions that are running on the internet are from an American source.

Reply 4 of 4, by Ramenman

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ripsaw8080 wrote on 2024-08-30, 19:37:

Scans of the PC version diskette on MobyGames and elsewhere have a printed label stating that the game should be started by typing "GO" at the DOS prompt, so if you don't have a batch file or program with that name then I suppose the intro could have been omitted.

Perhaps the matter can be settled by obtaining an original copy from eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155913454976

Yes, thanks for the tip, I've visited Mobygames and I've seen that those instructions do indeed appear on the label of the diskette of the American release.

From what I deduce, it does not depend on the Keypunch Software distribution for the USA (in England it was Go! and in Spain it was Erbe).
Analyzing the source of Total Dos Collection again, only trantor2.exe appears and nothing else. On the rest of the websites the same file content appears: trantor2.exe
Surely there is not yet an image of the disk, with all its files. If someone has it and is encouraged to make a dump I will be eternally grateful!

Greetings!