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Space Quest seriesSpace / King's Quest 1 and 2 Audio(13 posts)solved(13 posts)solved
(13 posts)solved
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This is my favourite topic
Posted April 10, 2010
Perhaps I should be posting this elsewhere since the first three in the Space Quest and King's Quest are not sold on GOG, but I am sure that someone might know.
When loading Space / King's Quest 2 and 3 through ScummVM instead of DOSBox, the music sounds different, and is similar, if not the MT32 emulation that can be used with the other games in the series by editing "resource.cfg". However, as you probably know, there is no resource configuration file for 2 and 3, which leads me to ask how you get it to work with DOSBox so that I don't have to play with ScummVM.
Sorry if I make no sense, but help is much appreciated.
Edit: And I apologize, I messed up the topic title. I meant 2 and 3.
Post edited April 10, 2010 by Yshinozuka
This question / problem has been solved by Collectorimage
Posted April 10, 2010
Not sure how to set it up with dosbox without having a look but both games actually have fanmade VGA remakes now.
Kings Quest 2
Kings Quest 3
These should install and work with much less hassle. Unless you want to play the old text parser versions, in which case I could have a look for you as I believe I still have them kicking about somewhere.
Edit: Sorry only just noticed you want space quest 2 and 3 as well. I assume they don't just run properly if you load them into dosbox?
Post edited April 10, 2010 by Ralackk
Posted April 10, 2010
The games work fine with DosBox, but I made a mistake. Space Quest 2 doesn't have a resource.cfg in the folder, 3 does. King's Quest 2 and 3 do do not have a resource.cfg file in their folders.
It's hard to explain in text. This is what I'm talking about, however.
When loaded up with DosBox:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otNPF9UZp0w
When loaded up with ScummVM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMMu4GUNV0
As you see, there is a noticeable difference in audio. Perhaps it's not the audio driver, but something else. I'm wondering how to load that version in ScummVM but with DosBox. It seems the game files are there, but how to initiate it is the question.
Posted April 10, 2010
Ok so it works fine in scummvm but not dosbox, why do you need to use dosbox for these games over scummvm if they are running correctly in scummvm already?
Posted April 10, 2010
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Ralackk: Ok so it works fine in scummvm but not dosbox, why do you need to use dosbox for these games over scummvm if they are running correctly in scummvm already?

The games work fine in both programs. I can play King's Quest 2 and 3 perfectly with DosBox, I'd just like to figure out how to load the version that ScummVM does. Since ScummVM doesn't work with most of my DOS games, I'd like to have one emulator so that my PC isn't cluttered with programs I rarely use.
Post edited April 10, 2010 by Yshinozuka
Posted April 10, 2010
Well I guess it would be possible to create your own conf file for the game and then link a shortcut up to the config file and have that auto run dosbox with the sound settings. I believe its tandy sound that the game needs.
Posted April 11, 2010
The earlier Sierra games were AGI, which didn't use a RESOURCE.CFG. The later games are SCI, which did. ScummVM supports the AGI games, but the sound emulation is very poor and the colors are off. The SCI games are not yet supported by ScummVM, but work is underway to add them. AGI games predate the MT-32, which will not give good sound unless the game is specifically designed for it.
The best sound for the AGI games is by means of DOSBox with machine=tandy. This will accurately give you the three voices of music and the noise channel that the Tandy offered. Also, the colors rendered by DOSBox are far more accurate. The AGI support in ScummVM came from the now defunct Sarien project and inherited all of its deficiencies. These problems have been brought to the attention of the ScummVM devs, but they don't consider it important enough to worry about. This is not to slam the ScummVM team, but their resources are finite, after all, and other things may deserve more attention.
Perhaps the right tool for the job, but until the problems that ScummVM has with the AGI games are fixed that tool is DOSBox. This is why I dropped the ScummVM shortcuts from my VU collections patches.
Edit, my 2006 VU Collections DOSBox patches apparently also work with the Steam release of the KQ and SQ collections, which updates both DOSBox and the games and optimally set them up in DOSBox.
Post edited April 11, 2010 by Collector
Posted April 11, 2010
Thanks guys, although not exactly what I was looking for, your patches were an immense help Collector. I also appreciate the time you took to try and help me, Ralackk.
Posted July 28, 2010
Ralackk, +1 for the link to the games. I had no idea there were available. Thanks
Posted August 04, 2010
I've been using Nagi for all the old AGI games, and that's the best way I've found to play it. It does Tandy emulated sound, plus it allows you to use the mouse for movement, and even look at objects with the right mouse, I believe. Just put a copy of the n.exe file in the game directory and it will run whatever game it finds there automatically, so you can easily set up shortcuts for all your games.
Posted August 05, 2010
I would like to add if you want the best sound experience with the old AGI Sierra games you need to play the Apple II versions.
The sound is fantastic and on a different level compared to PC and Tandy sound.
Example SQ1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M22fRG5X-1o
The sound is STEREO and at the beginning there is even digital voize. KQ 1-3 also have fantastic sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puof3EErVYw
For AGI from worse to best: PC speaker - Tandy - Amiga - Apple 2
Everything after AGI you want to have a Roland MT-32 and Roland Sound Canvas General Midi. The latest games have Support for Midi + digital audio.
DosBox has excellent support for Adlib, Soundblaster, Gameblaster and Tandy.
DosBox passes Midi through to your OS, so whatever Midi device you have installed, will play the Midi music.
If you don't have a real MT-32 or Sound Canvas attached, the Midi music will sound off. General Midi works okayish because the default Windows Midi driver can handle General Midi but it sounds nothing like the real thing.
So if you don't have any real Midi hardware I recommend you stick with Soundblaster as the output is ~ 100% accurate.
Post edited August 05, 2010 by Mau1wurf1977
Posted October 25, 2015
How do I access the DOSBox configuration file to set sound=tandy? I cannot find the config file from the Space Quest 1 install.
Posted October 27, 2015
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Collector: The SCI games are not yet supported by ScummVM, but work is underway to add them.
I have to correct a few things.

Most SCI games are actually officially supported since 2010, which includes Space Quest 3 up to and including Space Quest 5. Only SCI 32-bit games (starting with Gabriel Knight 1, also includes Space Quest 6) are not supported yet.
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Collector: The AGI support in ScummVM came from the now defunct Sarien project and inherited all of its deficiencies. These problems have been brought to the attention of the ScummVM devs, but they don't consider it important enough to worry about.
Actually I have personally rewritten most of the ScummVM AGI graphics code during the last few months and all sorts of glitches are gone now. The rewritten code is not in current daily builds though and I'm not fully done yet. All sorts of issues were known and no one considered those not important, it was simply a time issue. Rewriting larger parts of an engine is a lot of work and it will also need a lot of testing. There were all sorts of weird graphical glitches in ScummVM (like graphic corruption), not just color inaccuracies. Even the AGI font itself was inaccurate, although that issue is already fixed in daily builds.

I think I have not looked into the palette code yet, because I didn't know about inaccurate colors until now. Will look into that now too.
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Space Quest seriesSpace / King's Quest 1 and 2 Audio(13 posts)solved(13 posts)solved
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