VOGONS


First post, by Silanda

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I'm not sure if this is right place for this but here goes. Using a current SVN build, the sound in this game will periodically stop working when you change between rooms/scenes. Changing rooms usually causes sound to return. No combination of settings that I've tried (e.g. CPU type, amount of cycles, Sound Blaster IRQ settings, etc) has any impact as far as I can tell.

It seems somewhat random but good places to test are the title screen (skip Sierra logo), and by entering and exiting Captain Queeg's ballroom. It seems to happen quite frequently in those places.

While 0.74 has a problem where the sound can become full of static when changing between scenes, I haven't lost sound completely on that version, so it looks to me as if whatever is causing the problem changed between 0.74 and now. The static issue is still present as well though.

Is this a known bug?

Reply 1 of 9, by ripsaw8080

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Do you mean vanilla SVN or some other? Self-compiled build or got it somewhere? Platform?

Have you tried forcing normal core, changing ems/xms settings, or loadfix allocations?

Reply 3 of 9, by Silanda

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ripsaw8080 wrote:

Do you mean vanilla SVN or some other? Self-compiled build or got it somewhere? Platform?

Have you tried forcing normal core, changing ems/xms settings, or loadfix allocations?

I've tried Vanilla SVN, SVN with Direct3D patch applied, and SVN with VSync patch applied, all self compiled. Also tried the Daum version from January 2014 and the last build of Dosbox-X that was on Github (I can't get the current Dosbox-X code to compile) with the same result. I've tried loadfix, and I've tried changing the ems/xms/umb settings, all to no avail. Stock 0.74 works except for the static bug, more recent versions run into this silence bug.

FWIW the Windows 3.1 version does not seem to have this problem, but I guess that doesn't really mean much.

Sammy wrote:

I've played Larry 7 on a real PC, not Dosbox, and there is sound distortion.

It is not completely gone, but it has crackling.

Maybe your Problem has to do when CyberSniff2000 is announced ?

It does seem to occur sometimes when CyberSniff2000 is announced, but the most easily reproducible method of getting the silence to occur is to keep walking in and out of the ballroom. As for the crackling, activating the easter egg in that room is the easiest way to reproduce that. The boobs are a bonus too 🤣 .

EDIT: I should probably add that the sound failing at certain times can cause problems in the game. For example, after escaping the hotel at the start of the game the sound failed at the credits screen. This stopped the game progressing past the title logo.

Reply 4 of 9, by Sammy

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btw: have you patched the game to latest version?

with german retail version i was not able to activate all eastereggs... you have to type in "open zipper" or something like that on a statue to activate the Easteregg.
But then the game crashed with looping sound.

And to bad the savegames are not compatible between different versions and not compatible between dos and windows, even if both have the same version.

so i had to play the game 3 times, with different versions to see all eastereggs...

Reply 5 of 9, by Silanda

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Yeah, it's patched. The lack of save game transfer between dos and windows is annoying too. In all honesty though, my main purpose in making this post was to highlight a potential bug. I can always play in Windows 8 using the SquirtTheCat installer if necessary.

Reply 6 of 9, by ripsaw8080

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The issue seems to be the same as reported in another thread for KQ7: Topic 36897

LSL7 and KQ7 use a 32-bit SB driver (DACBLAST.DRV) that appears to have some timing problem with the PIC emulation in SVN; however, as I mentioned in the other thread, timing can be tricky.

FWIW, the Thunderboard driver (DACTHUND.DRV, SB compatible, included in LSL7 but not in KQ7) appears to not have the same problem, but it's 8-bit mono rather than 16-bit stereo.

Reply 7 of 9, by Silanda

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I've just quickly tested and I agree. Reverting pic.cpp to revision to before r3692, and adding the appropriate defines in pic.h fixes the issue for me.

I should probably test Phantasmagoria 2's functionality in current builds as well, since it uses a compatible but not identical dacblast.drv.

Reply 8 of 9, by Qbix

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Mmm, Will add it to my to debug list, as I am the one who rewrote (parts of) the PIC.

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