Zork Grand Inquisitor DVD a disappointment

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graeme

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Apr 29, 2002
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Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

I was thinking of trying to mess around with the Zork Grand Inquisitor
linked play feature, and decided to use that as an excuse to hunt down a copy
of the DVD-ROM version.

Mistake. The only real benefit was not having to swap discs any more.
But there were four unexpected drawbacks.

1) No Zork Nemesis. I'd always heard that the DVD-ROM of Zork GI included a
free copy of Zork Nemesis. Nope, not there. And that's one I'd really *like*
to play without disc swapping.

2) The vaunted movie quality MPEG movies didn't work with my hardware/software,
leaving me to make do with the originals.

3) For some bizarre reason, the subtitle option was gone. That was an extra in
Zork Nemesis that you needed the patch to install, but it was in Zork GI from
the begining. So, why take it away??

4) The linked play option itself, that started this whole thing was missing
too!


I finally just copied my CD's, installed the patch on two machines, and tried
it that way. Worked fairly well. But it's still pretty ridiculous to own TWO
legal copies of a game, and still have to make backup CD's just to play the
game one of the ways it was intended to be played.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Graeme wrote:

> 1) No Zork Nemesis. I'd always heard that the DVD-ROM of Zork GI
> included a free copy of Zork Nemesis. Nope, not there. And that's
> one I'd really *like* to play without disc swapping.

Odd. Mine does. The original unpatched version without subtitles, though,
sadly.

-- Gunther
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"DI Gunther Schmidl" <gschmidl@xxx.gmx.at> wrote in message
news:1087159645.679642@news.liwest.at...
> Graeme wrote:
>
> > 1) No Zork Nemesis. I'd always heard that the DVD-ROM of Zork GI
> > included a free copy of Zork Nemesis. Nope, not there. And that's
> > one I'd really *like* to play without disc swapping.
>
> Odd. Mine does. The original unpatched version without subtitles, though,
> sadly.
>
> -- Gunther
>
>

I does mine. I didn't even know there were copies without the bonus game.

DrX
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

>I does mine. I didn't even know there were copies without the bonus game.
>
>DrX


Where is it on yours, because I'm sure not seeing it. It's possible that they
ripped it out on my copy, and there's more than one DVD version out there.
This one says "Offered only with Gateway Computers. Not to be sold
separately." on the front, so maybe it's a stripped down version of the regular
DVD.

Does yours have the linked play and/or the subtitles? I couldn't find Nemesis
on this one and did a dir /s zn.exe command from DOS just to find it. If it's
there somewhere, it's compressed or renamed or something.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"Graeme" <graemecree@aol.compost> wrote in message
news:20040616135923.05745.00000046@mb-m14.aol.com...
> >I does mine. I didn't even know there were copies without the bonus
game.
> >
> >DrX
>
>
> Where is it on yours, because I'm sure not seeing it. It's possible that
they
> ripped it out on my copy, and there's more than one DVD version out there.
> This one says "Offered only with Gateway Computers. Not to be sold
> separately." on the front, so maybe it's a stripped down version of the
regular
> DVD.
>
> Does yours have the linked play and/or the subtitles? I couldn't find
Nemesis
> on this one and did a dir /s zn.exe command from DOS just to find it. If
it's
> there somewhere, it's compressed or renamed or something.
>

I never played it from my DVD so I can offer little help. I have the CD
versions (both games) also, and played them long before. I bought the DVD
on a whim one day because I saw it cheap. The cover art is G.I., but there
is a smaller picture of the Nemesis cover art and the caption reads,
"includes full version of Zork: Nemesis" or something to that effect. I
didn't go any further than installing the games to ensure the DVD was OK.

DrX
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

I wrote:
>Where is it on yours, because I'm sure not seeing it. It's possible that
>they
>ripped it out on my copy, and there's more than one DVD version out there.
>This one says "Offered only with Gateway Computers. Not to be sold
>separately." on the front, so maybe it's a stripped down version of the
>regular
>DVD.
>

Incidentally, has anyone here been able to run Zork GI in Windows XP, or had
any troubles with it there? I got a letter from someone asking me if there was
a way to run it in XP, and I've never tried, and didn't know there was a
problem.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Graeme wrote in news:20040616140200.05745.00000047@mb-m14.aol.com:

> Incidentally, has anyone here been able to run Zork GI in Windows
> XP, or had any troubles with it there? I got a letter from
> someone asking me if there was a way to run it in XP, and I've
> never tried, and didn't know there was a problem.

Here (CD version) there are no problems. I don't think I even needed to
use the compability settings.

Rikard
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Xenos wrote:
> I bought
> the DVD on a whim one day because I saw it cheap. The cover art is
> G.I., but there is a smaller picture of the Nemesis cover art and the
> caption reads, "includes full version of Zork: Nemesis" or something
> to that effect.

That is precisely the one I have.

As for Graeme's other question: the kind of DVD support required for Zork
Nemesis DVD and Zork Grand Inquisitor DVD was removed from Windows 2000. I
don't *think* it was added back into Windows XP, but I could be wrong.
http://www.ntcompatible.com is always a good resource for this.

I have gotten both games to work off the DVD inside VMWare, though. Minus
the higher-quality movies, of course, but you can just play those with your
favourite software if you want.

-- Gunther
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"DI Gunther Schmidl" <gschmidl@xxx.gmx.at> wrote in message
news:1087430163.280539@news.liwest.at...
> Xenos wrote:
> > I bought
> > the DVD on a whim one day because I saw it cheap. The cover art is
> > G.I., but there is a smaller picture of the Nemesis cover art and the
> > caption reads, "includes full version of Zork: Nemesis" or something
> > to that effect.
>
> That is precisely the one I have.
>
> As for Graeme's other question: the kind of DVD support required for Zork
> Nemesis DVD and Zork Grand Inquisitor DVD was removed from Windows 2000. I
> don't *think* it was added back into Windows XP, but I could be wrong.
> http://www.ntcompatible.com is always a good resource for this.
>
> I have gotten both games to work off the DVD inside VMWare, though. Minus
> the higher-quality movies, of course, but you can just play those with
your
> favourite software if you want.
>
> -- Gunther
>
>
Have you tried using the backwards compatibility features built-in to (and
more provided on the CD of) XP? I've had much success getting *very* old
games to run using these tools. As a matter of fact, I've gotten DOS and
'95 games working on XP using this that wouldn't even work on '98.

DrX
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

Xenos wrote:
> Have you tried using the backwards compatibility features built-in to
> (and more provided on the CD of) XP? I've had much success getting
> *very* old games to run using these tools. As a matter of fact, I've
> gotten DOS and '95 games working on XP using this that wouldn't even
> work on '98.

Unfortunately, the entire MCI subsystem was removed from Windows 2000. I
don't have XP, so I can't try, but I doubt that they reimplemented it for
the handful of games that need it.

-- Gunther
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

>> Incidentally, has anyone here been able to run Zork GI in Windows
>> XP, or had any troubles with it there? I got a letter from
>> someone asking me if there was a way to run it in XP, and I've
>> never tried, and didn't know there was a problem.
>
>Here (CD version) there are no problems. I don't think I even needed to
>use the compability settings.

I have no problem *running* ZGI, but I do have a problem *playing* ZGI on
WinXP. Everything works fine at first, until I get to the spell lab. Then it
starts running really, really slow, and when I actually cross the bridge into
the lab proper it freezes for about 10 minutes and then displays only part of
the background, the rest of is a mixture of solid color and a mess of garbage.
Everything seems to still work, but without the graphics the only thing I can
really do is exit the program. I have tried both install levels and various
compatibility settings, no effect. It worked fine on Win98, so it's not a bad
CD either; and my system's a Dell, so the drive ought to be good (it's
definitely better than the one on my old Compaq that ran the game fine).
Obviously, I've not found any solution; but yes, there are people who have
problems running ZGI on XP.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"DI Gunther Schmidl" <gschmidl@xxx.gmx.at> wrote in message
news:1087563897.482604@news.liwest.at...
> Xenos wrote:
> > Have you tried using the backwards compatibility features built-in to
> > (and more provided on the CD of) XP? I've had much success getting
> > *very* old games to run using these tools. As a matter of fact, I've
> > gotten DOS and '95 games working on XP using this that wouldn't even
> > work on '98.
>
> Unfortunately, the entire MCI subsystem was removed from Windows 2000. I
> don't have XP, so I can't try, but I doubt that they reimplemented it for
> the handful of games that need it.
>
> -- Gunther
>
>

Are your sure this isn't because 2000 doesn't support DirectX? 2000 was
never meant as a gaming machine. I believe XP supports MCI.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"Xenos" <dont.spam.me@spamhate.com> wrote in message
news:cb7968$ngc1@cui1.lmms.lmco.com...
> Are your sure this isn't because 2000 doesn't support DirectX?

Really? Seems to me that my 2000 installation is quite happy with DirectX,
what with me writing DirectX apps and so forth.

--
Regards,
Ben A L Jemmett.
(http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ben.jemmett/, http://www.deltasoft.com/)
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

"Ben A L Jemmett" <bal.jemmett@ukonline.co.uk> wrote in message
news:40d7300a$0$8740$afc38c87@news.ukonline.co.uk...
> "Xenos" <dont.spam.me@spamhate.com> wrote in message
> news:cb7968$ngc1@cui1.lmms.lmco.com...
> > Are your sure this isn't because 2000 doesn't support DirectX?
>
> Really? Seems to me that my 2000 installation is quite happy with
DirectX,
> what with me writing DirectX apps and so forth.

Hmmm, I guess I've been misinformed all these years. I remember reading an
article once on the work MS went through to merge the 9X and NT lines. I
remember there being something about gamers not liking 2000 because of the
lack of DirectX, and MS made sure to adapt it for XP. Of course my memory
ain't what it use to be, so they could have been talking about NT.

I'm gonna take a nap now.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

> I
>remember there being something about gamers not liking 2000 because of the
>lack of DirectX, and MS made sure to adapt it for XP. Of course my memory
>ain't what it use to be, so they could have been talking about NT.

NT 5.0 had DirectX, even CE/PocketPC has a stripped-down version of DX, so I
don't know what they may have been talking about. The only thing I know of
that 9x has and NT doesn't is DOS emulation.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

M.D. Dollahite wrote:
>>I
>>remember there being something about gamers not liking 2000 because of the
>>lack of DirectX, and MS made sure to adapt it for XP. Of course my memory
>>ain't what it use to be, so they could have been talking about NT.
>
>
> NT 5.0 had DirectX, even CE/PocketPC has a stripped-down version of DX, so I
> don't know what they may have been talking about. The only thing I know of
> that 9x has and NT doesn't is DOS emulation.

Not so. The NT line doesn't handle some snarky code as well as the 95
line, but I have plenty of DOS programs that run under XP.

--
John W. Kennedy
"Those in the seat of power oft forget their failings and seek only the
obeisance of others! Thus is bad government born! Hold in your heart
that you and the people are one, human beings all, and good government
shall arise of its own accord! Such is the path of virtue!"
-- Kazuo Koike. "Lone Wolf and Cub: Thirteen Strings" (tr. Dana Lewis)
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.int-fiction (More info?)

M.D. Dollahite wrote:

> NT 5.0 had DirectX, even CE/PocketPC has a stripped-down version of
> DX, so I don't know what they may have been talking about. The only
> thing I know of that 9x has and NT doesn't is DOS emulation.

NT/2000/XP have emulation. 95/98 have DOS mode directly. The difference is
that 95 and 98 will allow DOS programs direct access to hardware (mostly
used for sound), and NT/2000/XP don't (unless you use SoundFX2000 or
VDMSound).

Here is the ZGI-relevant Microsoft KB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=227514

-- Gunther
 
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