Maniac Mansion Deluxe - Ancient Bugs? - Manuscript, Cassete and more

Started by LukasThyWalls, Thu 04/09/2014 19:03:31

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LukasThyWalls

Hello, i was a long time here seeing the forums to resolving some doubts about adventure games but i never register until today.

I don't know if this is in the right place, maybe it should be in the announcement of the game in the Completed Game Announcements sub-forum, but it is very very old, and i don't want revamp that topic. I thinks this is the best, but if it's needed you can move it to the perfect place.

It's about Maniac Mansion Deluxe, i know it's very old but I was searching in this forum and in whole internet since yesterday about this problem and i don't found anything. I played two times MMD and i played once the original DOS/V2 in ScummVM since i found this problem and it happened all the times, and i'm surprised that something like that happens in an old game, famous and highly played AGS game like Maniac Mansion Deluxe.

Directly to the problem: I have Dave, Bernard and Razor, and i want to send the cassete tape to the editor. I have all things: open envelope with direction, stamps, and i put inside the cassete tape and i send it, but always, don't matter what it's recorder in the cassete, the editor always receives the manuscript, but i have the manuscript in the inventory all the time!

Making some tests, i found if you ruin the manuscript in the typewriter, the editor receives the manuscript, even if you send the cassete tape. I you don't ruin the manuscript, all works well and the editor receives the cassete tape like it should be. In the original DOS/V2 game in ScummVM this doesn't happen.

I have the savegame for the Maniac Mansion Deluxe 1.4 in the AGS Game with the manuscript ruined and with all prepared to send the cassete tape to the editor. You can download it here https://mega.co.nz/#!PsF1QL4Q!keNqADe8fTPWIcwD2ezuzkKrPFv0Ctjq4MaeKSV69ZA. I have tested again the game in linux with last AGS in GitHub, and the proper savegame for the game in that AGS version is here (This one, i haven't ruined the manuscript yet)

Am i doing something wrong? or is a strange problem?
Sorry for my english, i'm trying :P

Monsieur OUXX

It's always possible that there is a bug in the AGS version, beta-testing is often where some weaknesses show up, even for great games/remakes -- since only professional games can afford the army of beta-testers needed.
I'd recommend sending a PM directly to the game makers (I mean, the guys who made the AGS version, not to Lucasarts! lol)

 

LukasThyWalls

Quote from: Monsieur OUXX on Fri 05/09/2014 17:51:28
It's always possible that there is a bug in the AGS version, beta-testing is often where some weaknesses show up, even for great games/remakes -- since only professional games can afford the army of beta-testers needed.
I'd recommend sending a PM directly to the game makers (I mean, the guys who made the AGS version, not to Lucasarts! lol)

I know, i know... but it's a game released in May 2004 and i don't think the developers are able to work in the game today. Like i said before, there isn't a proper topic for the game release in this forum, and seeing the profile of the game on AGS Games Database, the creators LucasFan and a-v-o aren't here since 2006, and maybe the only available could be Proskrito, but he hasn't been here since March, and i don't know if he can do anything... A new version with some fixes including this one would be great, but i think is barely impossible these days... I can try at least.

But first, i want to know if it's really a bug and a reproducible one, i test it two times and another one also in the original game to see what it's the original behaviour. It wouldn't the first time that some bad action or a mistake makes this kind of problem, but i don't think so. And Second, i want to put it somewhere, because this happened to me, and i didn't found anything about it. If another person have the same question, he can found it now.
Sorry for my english, i'm trying :P

Monsieur OUXX

Quote from: LukasThyWalls on Fri 05/09/2014 22:05:19
A new version with some fixes including this one would be great
You should track them down (even though they've almost disappeared) and then harass them until they release the source code ;) I'm only half-joking. At this stage I'm sure they'd be very happy to give away the trouble to a community that would be eager to fix the bugs. That indie game is way too valuable (from the fans perspective) to become an abandonware.
 

LukasThyWalls

Quote from: Monsieur OUXX on Wed 17/09/2014 11:12:27
Quote from: LukasThyWalls on Fri 05/09/2014 22:05:19
A new version with some fixes including this one would be great
You should track them down (even though they've almost disappeared) and then harass them until they release the source code ;) I'm only half-joking. At this stage I'm sure they'd be very happy to give away the trouble to a community that would be eager to fix the bugs. That indie game is way too valuable (from the fans perspective) to become an abandonware.

I know... it's difficult, but with some luck... at least here is the information if someone have this problem.

It's been a little while your response because i was testing the game a bit more. If i want to put the information, i want to put the correct one and expand it if i could, and if i can contact with some of the developers, Here will be all the help i can give.

- First, the manuscript problem is a bug of the game, but it doesn't make the game uncompleteable, i forgot that the correct cassete to send to the editor is what the green tentacle gives you when you put your cassete with your song (For Razor and Syd) played in the piano. With the tentacle's cassete there isn't any problem with the manuscript, only with the original cassete. It's still a bug, but only affects in a wrong step and the jokes of the editor with the incorrect cassete are missing.
- Another one related: If you send the cassete with the annoying sound (the "tentacle's mating call" is the translation?) the editor appears with the animation related to this cassete again and again, the second and third, etc, it begans with the crystal window broke since the beginning. Of course, it will happen if the manuscript's bug related above isn't triggered.
- In some arcade machines, the 25 cent coin is invisible (but is there) when it is in some arcade machines and you can pick it. In the original Windows 1.4 version it happens in the "Die, Enemy, Die", but in the testing custom linux version i made for a little bit of testing, it happens in that machine and in the "Video Fever" arcade machine.
- Weird Ed is always going to pick the package although he has picked it already or someone has picked it and give to him. This doesn't happen in the original game, he doesn't go out to the door in that case if he have package. In addition, i remember in one of the versions (It could be the original NES version) when Ed has the package, he put it in his room, and you can pick it or pick the stamps, but you can't in AGS version, (I was testing that in some other versions via SCUMMVM but it don't happens. Maybe i don't test the right version or that in SCUMMVM is failing too, but i am pretty sure of this)

That is for now. I will send a MP and a email if i found their email address, and maybe if there is any luck... but at least there are this "bugs" here to everybody.
Sorry for my english, i'm trying :P

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