Any files with read-only attribute set?

Just a shot in the dark.

Not as far as I can see. (Not sure what would cause that to happen spontaneously, either.) Good thought, though...

Any other ideas?

Anything in the DOSBox console window?

Nope, nothing in the console.

I should clarify, it doesn't actually crash the game or Dosbox -- it's just like it's in the middle of saving endlessly without ever completing the operation. The music keeps playing, but the prompt doesn't reappear and the mouse is unresponsive.

Wait. I checked some of the files, but now I see that for some reason (why? WHY?!), the whole SAVEGAME folder is checked read-only. I made sure that every group has full permissions (I'm logged on as an administrator), but every time I uncheck the box, it's still checked the next time I look at it. I seem to recall having this problem with other files in Vista. So now it's not a Dosbox problem, but a Vista problem...does anyone know how to permanently remove the read-only status?

This, by the way, is why I love your avatar so much, MiniMax. I wish I'd just ponied up for XP Pro...

Delete that folder (assuming it is empty...), create somewhere else a new
game directory, create a SAVEGAME folder there, copy the old game contents
into this new game directory, delete the old game's directory, move the new
game directory. Be creative, vista is nasty.

I did something pretty similar -- I renamed SAVEGAME to SAVEGAME.old, and created a new folder called SAVEGAME and copied the contents. The new folder is read-only, too.

I disabled UAC (I think it might have already been off), I made sure I had ownership of the folder (first under Administrators group, then under just bluewyvern), and I tried removing read-only using attrib -r at the command prompt. Nothing has worked. That checkmark is still there.

There was one time when I finally thought I had it, because I saw a brief progress bar that said "applying attributes" to the files in the folder, which I hadn't seen when I unchecked the box before. But I looked again, and the check was back.

I feel like my computer is possessed. Cliched but true. I do things and some dark entity malignantly undoes them from within.

At least now I know what the problem is, and it's a common OS problem that's been addressed before, not some obscure bug with an ancient game no one's ever heard of. But while I research, any Vista workarounds you might have to suggest are still welcome...

I think this page might explain part of it: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326549/

Unlike the Read-only attribute for a file, the Read-only attribute for a folder is typically ignored by Windows, Windows components and accessories, and other programs. For example, you can delete, rename, and change a folder with the Read-only attribute by using Windows Explorer. The Read-only and System attributes is only used by Windows Explorer to determine whether the folder is a special folder, such as a system folder that has its view customized by Windows (for example, My Documents, Favorites, Fonts, Downloaded Program Files), or a folder that you customized by using the Customize tab of the folder's Properties dialog box. As a result, Windows Explorer does not allow you to view or change the Read-only or System attributes of folders.

It's not a problem for Windows, but I'm guessing it is a problem for this very old game, and that the game needs to see a non-read-only folder in order to save. So I tried again to change the attributes using the command prompt instead of explorer, but it appears to have had no effect.

Heh funny little problem...

Just a few quick ideas, haven't tested any of this:
- change the attributes in DOSBox (i'm not sure if this is at all possible, maybe you'll need 4DOS or something similar)
- re-install the game in a different directory
- use a linux live-cd with NTFS write-access to change the attribute (warning: check for compatibility first, this could kill your file system!)
- try to change the attribute with a windows file manager other than Windows Explorer (Total Commander, etc.) <- this seems to be the easiest solution, just tested this with TC 7.04a under XP (no Vista here, never!), and i can change attributes for directories to +r and back.

But: in Windows XP, i can copy files into a "read-only-directory" (+r attribute set), which is what i have expected, and which is what seems logical to me. The game's problem could be something else.

XP also does this thing where it shows a greyish check box for read-only on the folder properties that you can tick or untick, and it will set or remove the attributes on the files in the folder accordingly; but the box will be back to that greyish checkmark when you bring up the folder properties again.

Besides that, you got saves to work for awhile. It's unlikely that things changed in your OS, although it is possible. What's more likely is that you've got a game bug based on your position in the game. You may need to keep several save positions so that you can back up to one that doesn't have a problem. If the game doesn't allow multiple save positions, you might have to manually create a history of the save files (should be easy since there is a sub-folder).

Yeah, it occurs to me that since folders are always marked read-only, that's probably not the issue here. I'm probably back to square one.

Ripsaw: sadly, Ultima games have only a single save. I'll see if I can get to an earlier point and see what happens. But if it is related to position in the game, there aren't many similarities between my position now and when saves failed the last time I tried playing; I've barely started now, and that time I had gotten much farther in the game, and was able to save successfully many more times before it failed.

I'll try messing around with it a little more and deliver a report tonight.

Thank you all for the helpful replies. Please keep the ideas coming!

OT, nitpicky and not helpful at all, but:

sadly, Ultima games have only a single save

I beg to differ, not EVERY Ultima game had only one save 😀 (and there is a hack or so somewhere on the net that makes it easier to have more saves for U6 and since MD uses the same engine as U6 it might work for MD as well...)

Dominus wrote:

OT, nitpicky and not helpful at all, but:

sadly, Ultima games have only a single save

I beg to differ, not EVERY Ultima game had only one save 😀 (and there is a hack or so somewhere on the net that makes it easier to have more saves for U6 and since MD uses the same engine as U6 it might work for MD as well...)

Multiple save games became available starting with Ultima VII. Ultima VII and on also eliminated the class system as well (Ranger, Tinker, etc...) Starting with Ultima VIII, the Avatar could also only be male (no more female Avatars.) Those are some of the things that always bothered me a bit. Also, Ultima VI was the last game that allowed you to transfer your character from the previous one (and even VI didn't allow that on the C64.) Also, VI was the last Ultima to come out on systems other than the PC. I always thought that a little strange, Ultima was born on the Apple system, it would make more sense for it to limit itself to the Mac line of computers rather than the PC.

Well, I can be more specific about the issue now. It's more regular than I thought -- the game breaks on the thirteenth save from a unique position. I sat in the capsule and repeatedly saved 40 times, no problem, but when I got out of the capsule and walked a few tiles between saves, it crashed on the thirteenth unique position. Good to know, at least. Does that information shine a light for anyone?

I don't think I can complete the game in twelve saves. 🙁 I suppose as a last resort I could pause DOSBox and keep it running until I'm done with the game...

have you tried loadfix and/or a cvs version of dosbox. maybe the internal memory of the game messes up.

No, I haven't -- I don't know what those terms mean, actually. Explanation/links?

->readme

I learned from some FAQs and walkthrus for Martian Dreams that you have to pass the copy protection question before you can leave the capsule. Are you perhaps using a cracked copy? It wasn't done often, but there are cases where game developers put in traps against cracking attempts; and simply locking up the game when such a trap activates is a conceivable "punishment". I only suggest this as a possibility because you mention that saving locks up at some point after going outside.

I did download the game from Abandonia, but there should be nothing physically different about the program, since I still had to have the correct copy protection answers to continue -- so no, it's not cracked.

I'll try the loadfix solution and see if that does anything. But what is the CVS version of DOSBox?

Again, thanks for all the suggestions. It's nice to see such an active forum with so many people willing to help. A fan of classic games can never take that for granted!