Adaptation of games continues ..

[Petari]

I remember that there were problems with some TOS versions. Can you describe your config in couple words ?
Like TOS version, RAM size, what hard disk driver SW, what exact Atari ST(E) model ?
Problem is certainly not that it does not support modifications - even if some tries it (checksums) it is easy to remove such restrictions.
I remember that I combined it from multiple sources, because there were some corrupted and missing files. But really can not say more at moment. Will need little more time to go in this. If you can post (or e-mail) snapshot (saved gamestate) right before this crash would help a lot.

[èné]

TOS is 1.06, ram 2mb, I use Steem 3.2. I've been using these settings from the beginning, it usually works fine.

I do have a save snapshot..

Now I'd like to know what kind of hack you put in the maze ? Since in my test and from what I read here and there, there's no exit in the last level of the maze. So what did you add exactly ? Like an artificial  exit maybe ? Just wondering.. oddly enough I noticed the ST version differs from the other ports, it's the only one in which the maze section has no keys.. maybe because it was the very 1st version

Anyway, the snapshot.. well, if i manage to find the attachment tag.. seems not.. ok, so from external link :


edit : ok forget it..

I don't understand what happened but it seems  I mixed up some versions. I'm pretty sure I did try your adaptation, i just cannot explain what happened. Maybe you have made a new adaptation since then ? Anyway I've just downloaded your adaptation again and the files don't match.. so it's not worth to upload the sts

In the end maybe your adaption is ok, I'm very sorry, cannot explain what went wrong


edit2 :  Ok i have tested a bit your version, managed to win the archery contest.. but there are some annoying screens resolution issues (swapping from 60hz to 50), it happens  when you leave a place or a character. Also the horse animation (when you travel in the countryside) doesn't work very well, ie you reach straigh another place (no animation).. so in the end, there are few minor glitches, I prefer to keep the other version. I also noticed that the guy you control in the villages move slower (in your version). Maybe these things happen because of my settings in steem, i don't know, but since i've already completed the game, i won't go any further. Again the wargame-maze transition  might works fine in your adaptation, i feel a bit confused about this.

[Petari]

Yes, I updated it long time ago, when realized that there are problems on same points. Actually, this is one of worst games ever I seen, considering errors in releases.  http://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/I/ironlord.php

I really don't think that it is possible to make it 100% good - unless rewriting complete game from beginning.
Nothing here is 'my' version. I just replaced corrupted file with working one. What else can man to do ?
Final level is finishable with some nasty hack. I just removed some check, to make it possible to exit that stupid maze.

Unfortunately, this is not only one case of poorly tested Atari ST game, what has some serious flaws. Dyter-7 has also problems in final level . And more ...   It's better to focus on really well made and tested ones, I think.

[èné]

ok so i'm not completely mad.. yet. I was pretty sure i downloaded and tried your version. This explains why i was surprised. Anyway the old version is buggy then but since you removed it, it doesn't matter anymore.

As for the game, everything works ok but the maze of course, which for a commercial release is quite insane. Another french game which i know you love (joking) is unfinished : crazy cars 2. Anyway the end in iron lord is quite lame (just a static 'ugly' screen), so that's ok, still it's frustrating not to be able to complete the game the right way (specially with these crazy contests).

I understand your point, but as for faulty st games, i'm used to it by now, have encountered a lot of them (crash, freeze..), it's ok. The last game i tested also crashes at some point, and it was a pasti image. Maybe it's because of the emulation, might come also from my settings in Steem (fortunately you can access the next missions by entering a code, it works ok this way).

Actually there may be lot of reasons for a game not to work fine (bad cracks, settings like ram, or just because of lame coding).. better have various versions then, but when the game itself is faulty, there's nothing you can do. I'll stick with my old iron lord then..

[Petari]

In case of Atari ST serial is really hard to judge why some SW makes problems - as you said RAM size, lame coding ... But there is TOS version problem too as one of most frequent. Emulators are now pretty good, so I can say that I really did not encounter problem because of emulation in Steem in last 5 years. With Hatari it is little worse, but generally it is very good with ST(E) emulation and less good with Falcon and TT.
With Iron Lord, I think that main problem is that it is done by not only 1 team. Final level is very different from others, so I tend to think that it is coded by another team. And even worse is that it is released poorly tested. As I see, none of versions is flawless.
Reminded about Dragon Spirit - it had problems on final level too - some graphic glitches. But then, good image of original appeared online, and now it is flawless. Maybe one day we will see proper Iron Lord ?

[èné]

Unless you rewrite the code I don't think so  Since (it seems) the internal code of the game was rushed (for the st version at least), nothing will help. Still you never know, maybe one day we'll be able to get through this damned maze (and then see the light again) thanks to good image as you said. But as for now we are doomed to darkness 

[èné]

Thunderstrike : the game is hard, really hard and in top of that there's a stupid rule that makes it impossible to succeed in the furthers levels. Basically you have to defend your installations in an arena and destroy the drone generators (which the drones are fired from).  At the end of each round the player will have his performance assessed by the referees; if you managed to defend your installations well enough, the referees apply an upgrade to your ship BUT in case of too many of them were destroyed, they apply a downgrade.. in short, your speed/acceleration/turn rate are either upgraded/downgraded by +5/-5

Needless to say that in the latter levels, you can't defend enough installations and then you get a downgrade everytime (so everytime - 5 to speed/acceleration/turn rate). I'm in level 15, and my ship is starting to be difficult to control due to the malus sanctions




Well that's it, I see that you have made an adaptation of Thunderstrike but there's no trainer (and it's gamex too). I'd like a patch that prevent the referres to apply a downgrade to your ship, it's not even a trainer (no infinite energy, infinite lives..), just a modification to block the downgrade thing. But i don't even know if it's possible.. it's quite a shame beacause the game is quite good if a bit repetitive, still i like the concept

[èné]

ah.. I should have noticed something important. At the beginning of each round, there's a 'target hit rate' contract and if you manage to fill this contract, you are awarded of an upgrade to your ship. In other words, if you're penalized because you weren't able to defend your installations (so ship is downgraded by -5), you can regain your abilities by concentrating of the 'target hit rate' stuff (so -5 for for 'poor installations defense rate' but then +5 for 'target hit rate')..  fair enough 

[Petari]

It would be good if people who own Atari TT could test latest releases, and give some feedback - like posting here about success or problems.