Messages

1

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: September 12, 2026, 08:27:25 AM »

In the ScummVM detection table, line 559, there is a LOWRES-EGA version of Conquests of the Longbow (Game version unknown, Interpreter version 1.000.510). Source: https://github.com/efimandreev/scummvm-ctr/blob/master/engines/sci/detection_tables.h

The only LOWRES-EGA PC version I know has an interpreter of 1.000.175:


Is it possible that it is the same game with a "ScummVM guess" SCI interpreter? How can I check this on my version of the game?

2

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 28, 2026, 11:15:59 PM »

Even rarer, Laura Bow 2 in Spanish: (Game version 1.000.000, Interpreter version 2.000.274) It is written in the ScummVM detection table: "This is the floppy version (text-only) distributed on a CD." By jvprat. Was this version possibly distributed in a magazine?

I am answering my own question. The mystery of this floppy disk edition of Laura Bow 2 on CD in Spanish is solved. It took 15 years. Here is the ticket update: https://bugs.scummvm.org/ticket/5630#no1 So it is indeed a late official version (May 10, 1994) in Spanish by Erbe Software.

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The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 19, 2026, 02:06:03 AM »

You ninja'd me with this, so I'll just make a separate post to make sure you see it: It's also possible that it's just the EGA thing. Are the others VGA?

I don't have the interpreter 1.SQ4.056 in VGA. Only in LOWRES-EGA. I think it's an interpreter specifically for a LOWRES-EGA edition. However, with the interpreter 1.SQ4.057, the game is in VGA in English, Spanish, as well as French. The German edition uses the interpreter 1.SQ4.030.

Which is exactly what I was trying to say. OK then, it seems safe to assume that the only difference between 1.SQ4.056 and 1.SQ4.057 is the graphics mode. In fact, this should be discernible from the name of the executable (SCIDHUV.EXE for VGA, and I think SCIDUV.EXE for EGA?)

The file in question is not present, but the interpreter 1.SQ4.056 is used for the LAWRES-EGA version of LSL1 Bilingual, Spanish/English, and the game includes the file SCIDUV.EXE. I conclude that this is the LAWRES-EGA edition SOLD SEPARATELY and not a box labeled VGA and EGA. Right?

4

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 18, 2026, 11:44:11 PM »

You ninja'd me with this, so I'll just make a separate post to make sure you see it: It's also possible that it's just the EGA thing. Are the others VGA?

I don't have the interpreter 1.SQ4.056 in VGA. Only in LOWRES-EGA. I think it's an interpreter specifically for a LOWRES-EGA edition. However, with the interpreter 1.SQ4.057, the game is in VGA in English, Spanish, as well as French. The German edition uses the interpreter 1.SQ4.030.

5

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 18, 2026, 10:45:12 PM »

Hmm, that might be a nice thing to add to the version detector then. Does it contain debug symbols (Detectable by looking for NB00 and NB02 signatures) or the SCI debugger (detectable by looking for any number of telltale text strings).

I am not qualified enough to answer this question, but I can send you the game if you would like to take a closer look. I do plan to add it to Sierra Version Tool, as it is part of my goals. I would also like to clarify that version number 1.060 exists, as I have the game. SQ4 LOWRES-EGA (Game version 1.060, Interpreter version 1.000.744) It is the true version number 1.060, as the VERSION file on each of the disks indicates.

Sega Sierra, it's stronger than you!

6

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 18, 2026, 10:14:10 PM »

A curiosity: Space Quest 4 (Game version 1.000, Interpreter version 1.SQ4.056) Bilingual, Spanish/English. It's the interpreter that caught my attention. Indeed, for foreign localizations of this game, it is normally 1.SQ4.057. So, it might be a beta version? Also reported in the ScummVM detection table by jvprat.

It's possible they shipped it with the debugger enabled, or debug symbols, or both. 1.SQ4.056 would be the version that included them, and 1.SQ4.057 without.

I got the game:

But, the Sierra developer only updated the version number on Startup Disk before releasing the game. Startup Disk is 1.000, while the rest are 1.160. It's actually a LOWRES-EGA version of the game.

7

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare SCI Games

« on: August 16, 2026, 07:05:57 PM »

Regarding Police Quest: SWAT, there is a French edition that ScummVM labels as "Unknown game variant" (Game version 1.100, Interpreter version 2.100.002). Reported by e-Scarlatti in bug #11100: https://bugs.scummvm.org/ticket/11100. This version number and interpreter version are also those of yet another US edition, as it has several, and of the Japanese edition, which, as far as I know, is also in English. This is the last known French game that I am missing, and it is well hidden; I can't seem to get my hands on it.

Even rarer, Laura Bow 2 in Spanish: (Game version 1.000.000, Interpreter version 2.000.274) It is written in the ScummVM detection table: "This is the floppy version (text-only) distributed on a CD." By jvprat. Was this version possibly distributed in a magazine?

A curiosity: Space Quest 4 (Game version 1.000, Interpreter version 1.SQ4.056) Bilingual, Spanish/English. It's the interpreter that caught my attention. Indeed, for foreign localizations of this game, it is normally 1.SQ4.057. So, it might be a beta version? Also reported in the ScummVM detection table by jvprat.

8

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: August 05, 2026, 09:12:28 AM »

Are you sure about the interpreter version? Version 2.10 with int3.002.098 exists Could this have been something like a typo where the last two digits got inverted?

I don't really know, actually, this interpreter is listed on wiki.sierrahelp: https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/index.php/Black_Cauldron as AGI 3. That's why I thought you had the game in your archives. We need to find out more?

9

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: August 05, 2026, 06:25:43 AM »

I don't know if I can ask, but I'm missing a version of Black Cauldron to test. If any member has the Game version 2.10, Interpreter version 3.002.089, I would be interested

10

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 29, 2026, 12:58:41 AM »

Everything is clear to me; I'm glad that the light has been shed on these game versions. Thank you, Lance, I've learned a lot thanks to you.

You were also right about the KQ1 game by einstein95; it was a misunderstanding. Indeed, the detection table of ScummVM indicates that the version of his game dates back to 1986: https://i.ibb.co/8nsFC8ZR/KQ1.png You will tell me that it could not be otherwise, and that is the case.

Maybe it is also necessary to correct on Agi Wiki and Sierra Wiki that KQ2 1.0W and 1.1H are not PC DOS games, but only bootable versions. The same applies to versions 1.1J, 1.1K, and 1.1M of The Black Cauldron.

And a huge thank you to them

11

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 26, 2026, 06:37:21 AM »

Regarding AGI V2 versions, if you plot the AGI V2 version number against the timestamp of the AGI interpreter files (AGI and AGIDATA.OVL), you get a rough idea of when each AGI V2 version was released. For example, all the AGI v2.272 games are grouped around 13th November 1986. AGI V2.089 is 22nd September 1986. I have AGI v2.001 noted as 9th June 1986. I think then that AGI V2 development started early 1986, with the first version ready for release being early June 1986.

Version 2.411 & 2.425 are dated April 1987, version 2.426 is 7th May 1987, version 2.435 is 25th May 1987, version 2.440 is 1st June 1987.

During 1985, when games like BC and KQ2 first came out, it was AGI V1 that was being used.

This is why we're saying that AGI 2.272 can't have been around in 1984.

I bow to the evidence of your arguments. I have made corrections in my index. The 1986 edition is indeed the oldest known version on standard PC DOS.

I must say that I am such a purist with KQ1 that I would have liked to have a port on PC like the one on Apple II, so that I could translate it into French.

I have also added you to my acknowledgments at the top of the index page.

I still have 70 AGI and SCI games marked as 'Missing'; I hope to be able to test them one day. Lance, if you see any major errors in the index, please feel free to let me know.
Thank you very much!

12

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 25, 2026, 11:11:53 PM »

Another issue with DDPG is that there is supposedly an Amiga version that was imperfectly hacked to run on DOS (1.0C), so it runs on DOS, but has issues. (crashes on pressing "Escape"). Perhaps it was actually a PC Booter). This is the version that Al Lowe has on his website.

My Sierra Sierra Version tool basses its hash detection list on the ScummVM AGI and SCI hash tables. I have added a lot of new entries on top of that. I have a reporting form for users to help add unknown versions to the app.

Hello Collector,

For Donald Duck's Playground, @h.w.m. wrote:
Version 1.0C [note: version from www.allowe.com]
Interpreter: 2.272 (same interpreter + cracked exe as 1.0C)
Probably AMIGA version, directory contains POINTER
When pressed ESC: bad action 161, does work with newer interpreters
Date: 27 Sep 2000 (date when dumped from ADF?) (Ingame: none)
Mentions mouse in help-screen.

I take advantage of your presence to follow up on KQ1. Your site states King's Quest 1 AGI2 Game version 1.0U, Interpreter version 2.272, date 1984: https://agiwiki.sierrahelp.com/index.php/King%27s_Quest:_Quest_for_the_Crown
Is this a bootable version or something else? It may be a transcription error, as it seems to correspond to the 1986 edition.  I wanted to ask you before responding to Lance 

13

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 24, 2026, 10:40:52 PM »

Hello @lance.ewing

Thank you for your very detailed response. I am also glad to have had your insights regarding the so-called Pre-AGI games; it's very interesting.

Regarding KQ1, 2, and BC, I took the liberty of citing you in my index.

I would like to get your reaction regarding KQ1, as in 2023, a person named einstein95 replied to me on GitHub. Their response suggested that the 1984 edition existed on regular MS-DOS PC, which encouraged me a lot. Could you read that person's comments and give me your point of view?

Here is the link: https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/4702

PS: Your VIC emulator is very nice! I'll take a closer look at that...

14

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 02, 2026, 02:37:25 AM »

The TBC source code has been archived here:

https://github.com/historicalsource/the-black-cauldron

The game proposed by Historical Source seems to be the atypical version mentioned by @AGKorson here: https://sciprogramming.com/community/index.php?topic=2113.msg16036#msg16036

It does not appear to be versions 1.1J, 1.1K, or 1.1M: https://i.ibb.co/LzrfXPyX/readme.png

15

The Games and other Sierra Adventure stuff / Re: Rare AGI Games on standard PC DOS

« on: June 01, 2026, 05:45:00 PM »

Interpreter version 2.272 can?t be a booter. The booter used GAL (which I *think* was called AGI0 also?).

Hello lskovlun,

That?s interesting, I didn?t know there were stages between PRE-AGI and AGI, it seems to be GAL/AGI0.

As for TBC, we have the source code for it! - so we know that it builds on regular AGI, at least.

That's good news for my translation projects. Has the source code of The Black Cauldron been publicly released? If so, do you have a link?

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to me