VOGONS


First post, by Icebard

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Hi there 😀

I don`t know what happened, but since some time i cannot load any savegame in this game.

The Error Message is:"ERROR: Cannot read from file. Retry? (Y/N)"

I reinstalled the game(with and without the V12 patch) and tried to save and load right away -> Same Problem
I also tried various DOSBox(also with stadard configuration) Versions now(starting from 0.65) - always the same problem.
I tried installing this game to the root directory - same problem
I tried different mount commands(like leaving the -freesize 1024 option out)

I don`t know what happened since i could play wihtout a problem. I even created a new Iso from my cd, but this error remains.

Can someone of you can recreate the problem?
Help Please.

Reply 1 of 9, by Icebard

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Sorry for doublepost i did not find the Edit button *shame*

The root of all evil is :drumroll: Daemon tools! I used Daemon Tools Lite Version 4.35.

After i changed back to Daemon Tools 4.12 everything works fine again.

Maybe the Game is not compatible, or at least has problem with scsi cd-rom drives. Daemon Tools lite only emulates those drives but Daemon Tools also emulates IDE drives.

Reply 2 of 9, by robertmo

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dosbox also has got it's own cd mounting tool: IMGMOUNT
read the manual

Reply 3 of 9, by Icebard

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Thanks for the reply

I know about this command. But typing the path to an image is not what i want 😉 I also play Realms of the Haunting and changing the disc this way is really arkward 😉 (yes i know one can copy all cds to hd - i do not want that)

Hopefully the info about Daemon Tools also helped others. Because a similar CD problem occurs with Master of Orion 2 which is now also solved.

Reply 4 of 9, by ADDiCT

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I can't believe the cause is DT though. I mean, we're not talking about CDs protected by some fancy schemes but simple images. There's also an additional emulation layer between the mounted image and the game, and that's DOSBox. Besides, how should the CD image emulator influence the reading of files from the hd?

Anyway, as robertmo pointed out, you should stick to the DOSBox "imgmount" function anyway, as it will provide full CDDA support, which DT doesn't IIRC. "imgmount" can mount ISO and BIN/CUE images. You can easily switch between mounted images with a hotkey. Read all about these exciting features in the DOSBox readme/manual. Oh, and you can "automount" everything by using the DOSBox "autoexec" feature.

Last edited by ADDiCT on 2010-05-13, 18:56. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 5 of 9, by h-a-l-9000

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> There's also an additional emulation layer between the mounted image and the game, and that's DOSBox.

DOSBox does (or can do) some quite low level accesses at that point

1+1=10

Reply 6 of 9, by Icebard

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Hi again. There is no Problem with a copy protection. The game accesses the drive upon loading a savegame. When the Image is mounted with DT Lite the error appears. When using the normal Daemon Tools it loads the game.

I know i can change the Images with CTRL+F4 when i mounted them before with imgmount.

I also know how to use the autoexec(i always mount my hdd and cd-rom drive that why). I do not want to use the autoexec to mount one specific game. I do not want to setup DosBox for every game. I like to just start DosBOX and get going like i did with my old 286/386 PC =)

What i wanted, and what i do is starting dosbox and start a game. when im finished i exit this game and start another. When i start another game which requires an ISO i would have to type my way to it - thats not what i want(the path is VERY lengthy). Daemon tools is more helpful in quickly changing ISOs. Just ALT+TAB change the iso and back to DosBOX.

Yes i also could use the original CD, but my Netbook and the Asus EEE Box 1012 does not have an ODD.

Try it for yourself with this specific game. You`ll see that the problem with Daemon Tools Lite is valid and reproducable and can be solved by using the old Daemon Tools.

PS.: Thanks very much for this emulator! It is great to play and enjoy these old games again. Now my "Wayback Machine" is complete and i can enjoy all of my old Consoles and Games on one Machine 😀

Reply 7 of 9, by kalirion

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I got exactly the same problem with GOG.COM's version of Stonekeep using Gulikoza's latest build. I'm guessing something got broken in that build? The previous version works, as does the .73 vanilla release...

Reply 8 of 9, by robertmo

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does 0.74 work?

Reply 9 of 9, by catchaserguns

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i got the original copy of Stonekeep and it does work in 0.74