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[fernewelten]

I was just about to report the same issue when I saw your thread, fernewelten.

The last post in my game's thread is dated 17 Jun 2021, 18:46 (at least in my time zone), which would place it exactly between the last thread on page 1 and the first thread on page 2 of the Completed Game Announcements board, however it is nowhere to be found:

Spoiler

[close]

So yeah, the bug has definitely not been fixed yet.

There had been several reports that MediaFire links don't work for some people, so I've added mirror links to the game's AGS database page. Huge thanks to Steven Alexander (aka Blackthorne) of Infamous Quests for providing hosting space for the mirrors!

Oooooh, happy dance.
I can't wait to re-try this. Loved all of the KQ series and first played this one just over 30 years ago!!! - the week it was released
Great job. re-living my younger days is so nice!

Thanks a lot for the update. It's beautiful, although I must admit that I found the swan pond a little disappointing (should have expected that the flowers will look brown at night...). But particularly th facade of Genesta's palace looks amazing.

Thanks, both of you!

Will you be updating the message in the bottle?

Yes, I still have it on my to-do list, but right now there are more important matters that I need to focus on. Updating the message requires some time (as I would need to play some of the games I haven't played yet, select the games to be included in the message, get a thumbs up from their authors, and write the messages), but it is pretty high on my list, so there is a good chance that I will do it for the next patch whenever/if it comes out.

[King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.3 is now available for MacOS]

Hey everyone! Just a quick update: King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.3 is now available for MacOS! As usual, all download links can be found on the game's AGS database page. Once again, huge thanks to edenwaith for his help with the port!

[King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.3 is out!]

King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.3 is out!

This should be the final patch for the time being. Same as before, it mostly contains minor fixes and quality-of-life improvements. The biggest changes of this patch concern night scenes: a number of unfinished night backgrounds from the original game have been reworked, the script responsible for spawning animals at night now behaves more consistently with the original game, and there is now a new ambient track for night woods.

Complete changelog (may contain minor spoilers if you haven't played the game yet):
[changelog][ + ] Added an alternative hotkey for toggling between Walk and the last cursor mode
[ + ] Mouse in now automatically switched to Walk mode after digging to prevent the player from breaking the shovel by accident
[ + ] Added a text pop-up for trying to interact with the fake wall after looking at the portrait but before examining the wall
[ + ] Added mouseover hints for stable gates
[ + ] Added nighttime water animations for Genesta's island
[ + ] Added nighttime graphics for the ogres' house
[ + ] Added a new ambient track that plays in the forest at night
[ + ] Added a music track that plays when Rosella gets caught by the troll
[ + ] Seagulls can now appear on the screen with the fisherman's shack
[ + ] Improved goon pathfinding when using diagonal movement hotkeys
[ + ] Rosella now always faces the board before picking it up
[ - ] Fixed a bug where Rosella would get stuck on the eastern stairs in Lolotte's castle
[ - ] Fixed a bug that would sometimes prevent the player from combining inventory items
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the hen would not appear in Lolotte's storage room
[ - ] Fixed a bug where Rosella would fall upwards after trying to pick the bow from the opposite side of the pool
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the troll would appear even if the game is already over (e.g. if the player extinguishes the lantern immediately after entering a new screen)
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the message warning the player about Lolotte's goons would permanently stay on the screen
[ - ] Fixed a graphical bug where Rosella would move backwards while on the stairs
[ - ] Fixed a typo in the text pop-up for examining the locket
[ - ] Slightly tweaked several backdrops (waterfall, south of the waterfall, organ room, western stairs in Lolotte castle, Lolotte's throne room)
[ - ] Made major updates to all nighttime and some daytime backdrops for Genesta's island
[ - ] Tweaked walkable area and walk-behind masks for the northeastern and southeastern sections of Genesta's island
[ - ] Tweaked walkable area, walk-behind, and hotspot masks for Cupid's pool
[ - ] Increased the size of several hotspots (crypt ladder, Lolotte in bed, Genesta in bed)
[ - ] Updated the ambient track used in the swamp
[ - ] Fall sounds no longer get cut off on room transitions
[ - ] Certain decorative birds and fish no longer appear at night
[ - ] Rosella can no longer die from exposure at night
[ - ] Slightly increased the maximum distance from which Cupid can be startled[/changelog]

I don't know when (or if) a MacOS port of this patch will be ready, however, from what I understand, Mac users can still play the latest patch under ScummVM. The Mac port is out!

DrSlash - could you perhaps tell when, approximately, can the patch be expected?

It's very close to being finished, actually! I'm planning to release it by the end of next week, around June 6.

And I thought... I'm no artist, I lack a steady hand, a good mouse (it tends to perform double clicks when my finger does a single click and I often somehow can't hold the button - it too seems to be murine* fault, not mine) and visual imagination... but a model already exists in form of the AGI version. Maybe I'd try drawing a SCI version of the "Beam Me room"? In fact, I even have an item-related idea: the golden ball remains on the ground after Rosella lures the frog with it and the turns it back into a prince, and can be picked up again. Maybe it could be used somewhere in Lolotte's castle in the morning to be sent to that room?

Unfortunately, even beyond the more obvious reasons to not include the easter eggs from the AGI version (i.e. the need to remake the old AGI graphics and the impossibility to adapt the commands "kq rap" and "beam me" for point & click controls), I just don't see much point in adding these into the game. One of them describes the development of the original game, which is irrelevant to this particular remake. The other is a tribute to the original team behind the AGI release, which has nothing to do with this version. Moreover, Sierra themselves did not deem it necessary to include either of the two in the SCI release. And most importantly, the whole point of easter eggs is the search itself (at least for me), so I don't see any reason to include an easter egg that has already been discovered decades ago.

Hello,

I wanted to ask whether it would be possible to play the KQ4Retold under ScummVM?

Hi, SansSouci! Is there any particular reason why you would want to run the game under ScummVM in the first place? To be honest, I don't really follow how that would help with anything, considering that the game should run under Windows, MacOS, and Linux without an emulator. To answer your question, from what I understand, only the ScummVM team themselves can help you with this issue, there is nothing I can do, unfortunately.

1. I have discovered it quite accidentally! Why isn't it promoted everywhere where there are game developers who "admit" to retro inspiration?

Well, it's not a commercial project, so there isn't much point for me to actively promote it. The goal was to create a game, not to reach an X number of downloads. My thinking is that if someone really wants to play a remake of KQ4, they'll eventually stumble upon this project one way or another.

2. When I first discovered "King's Quest 4", I greatly enjoyed checking how do places change after nightfall... and was very disappointed to see that, apparently, at night you just can't return to Genesta's island. Rosella would just get tired and drown. (At some point I complained about it somewhere and someone commented, something like: typical Sierra - don't want to do extra graphics? Block a whole area off in an implausible way! ) Thanks a lot for fixing that flaw.

In that case I've got more good news for you!  All backdrops for Genesta's island post-nightfall will be updated in the next patch. The ones used in the current build are very rough first drafts found in the original game's files. Here's a comparison between an old backdrop and its updated version:

4. Although, the "readme" file seems to indicate that there is some way of getting rid of the troll, or having him let you pass. I haven't discovered it - any hint?

What I meant in the readme file is that it is now possible to outrun the troll. In the original game this wasn't an option.

5. Therefore (?), I also had "only" 228 points, unlike in the original.

Did you check it before or after the ending cutscene?

Spoiler

The last 2 points are scored when Rosella returns the magic hen to Genesta, which happens automatically mid-cutscene.

[close]

6. Improvement idea. I actually liked the new text on the note found in the whale's mouth, but I was a little disappointed that there's nothing more. Perhaps it could promote other retro games, particularly EGA/EGA-ish ones - you'd of couse need to talk to their developers. "The Crimson Diamond", "Betrayed Alliance", "Snail Trek", "Cascadia Quest", and just now a guy from Powerhoof is making some little EGA game for Adventure Jam, I hope that it will be available... (Actually, I checked out the Adventure Jam site, but haven't seen any information about this game - and I can't contact omost game developers directly because I only use social media "passively"- (that is, I read some profiles without having any accounts.)

Yep, giving a shoutout to other AGS games was something I had considered, but I didn't want to leave anyone out, so I ended up with a more blanket and, frankly, underwhelming message. To be honest, now that I think about it, I should probably give this idea another shot. Thanks for the feedback.

7. As most players probably know, the SCI version didn't have the "Beam Me" room. I wondered if you had nevertheless recreated it for this version. And if yes - how to get there without a text parser?

No, none of the easter eggs unique to the EGA version are currently in the game, and I don't really have any plans to add them later. That would be beyond the project's scope.

_______________________________________________________

Maybe just add an extra line of dialog at the end where Rosella gives the bow to Genesta and ask her to give it to Cupid next time she sees him?

I feel like that would mess with the pacing of the ending. To be honest, I think the bow thing isn't such a big deal. Adventure game protagonists "borrow" unattended items all the time. 

Good job on the remake, one slight comment about getting a perfect score -

Spoiler

apparently Rosella does not need to return Cupid's bow to him? Seems he would be a lot more deserving than giving the eye back to the withes.

[close]

Yeah, as sthomannch said, there is no way of returning the bow in any version of the game. I included a text mentioning it in Retold so as to at least make it clear that Rosella does not intend to steal the bow, even if she never gets an opportunity to give it back. While it would be interesting to have an option to return the bow, I didn't want to make any changes or additions that would make the game incompatible with walkthroughs written for the original game. Besides, there are dozens of other things that I would love to alter or implement, but it would just delay the release a couple of years more.

Would you consider making the code open source? 

I have considered doing it at one point during the development, but it would be more trouble than it's worth. However, if someone is interested in some particular feature of my project, especially if it's something unique to Retold and not present in the original game (e.g. autosaves, lantern code, etc.), I might consider creating a thread where I explain how I did that.

Anyway, I found a little discrepancy with the original version (not even a bug, really). On the river screen, one west of the starting screen, when you go up, the original game sends you to a different screen depending on your horizontal position. If you are close to the river, it takes you to the bridge screen. I personally like this, but I can also see that it can be confusing for people who are drawing their first map of Tamir.

I always found it weird and unintuitive how this is the only screen where this happens in the original game. So, no, this is one discrepancy between my remake and the SCI version that I have no plans to fix.

I seem to have discovered a new bug.

Thanks for letting me know! It will be fixed in the next patch.

I was wondering if you plan to add speech. I think one of my favorite things about KQ6 is the narrators voice. It feels like someone is reading you a story. Max out those nostalgia points.

There are very good voice actors on fiverr.com. If you count the words that need to be said, you can easily calculate the cost and then start a gofundme campaign. I think it's quite doable.

No, as stated in the F.A.Q., I don't have any plans to add voices to the game. It's an extremely tedious and time-consuming process, and it simply would not be worth doing at this point.
And attempting to crowdfund an unofficial non-commercial project is a whole other can of worms that I have no desire to open.

[The Mac port is now available for download!]

The Mac port is now available for download! Same as with other versions, all download links can be found on the game's AGS database page. Huge thanks to edenwaith for creating the port!

Really happy I noticed this thread. So cool! I haven't played it yet (or any earlier version of KQ4, actually), but I'm really psyched that you've got all the various music and audio from different versions combined.

Awesome work, even if I repeat myself. Programming that game must have been a difficult task.

Thanks, both of you!
And yep, programming this game was definitely a rather challenging task, considering its scope and the complexity of some of its sections and systems, but that's what made this whole project fun. Game development can become tedious and feel like a chore when there are no challenges.

Spoiler

At the end of the game, after killing Lolotte, the hen is supposed to be in the room with Pandora's Box. You're supposed to be able to pick it up and take it to Genesta's island, but it isn't in the room.

[close]

Hm, very curious, thanks for reporting this. I think I might have found the issue. Did you

Spoiler

return to the Ogre's house to get the axe AFTER bringing the hen to Lolotte, by any chance?

[close]

This is wonderful! I found out about this new version on therenesance's twitch stream

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely check out the stream! Seeing other people play the game is extremely helpful for collecting feedback.

Is there a chance of incorporating some of the differences in the AGI version?  For example, opening Pandora's box is slightly different:

Interesting, I did not know that the Pandora's box scene has a dedicated screen in the AGI version. Regardless, I don't currently have any plans to incorporate any of the scenes unique to the AGI version into Retold. That would require remaking all the graphics used in these scenes from scratch, which is beyond the scope of the project.
Besides, Retold has its own easter eggs (albeit, all of them are text-only).

[King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.2 is out!]

King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.2 is out!

Same as the previous one, this patch only contains minor fixes and quality-of-life additions, so no need to updated if you've already started a save.

Complete changelog (may contain minor spoilers if you haven't played the game yet):
[changelog]Version 1.0.2 (May 10, 2021):
[ + ] Added hotkeys for toggling between Walk and the last cursor mode
[ + ] Lute and flute playing animations can now be skipped with the Esc key
[ + ] Movement hotkeys introduced in the previous patch can now be used to stand up from the organ
[ - ] Fixed a bug where movement hotkeys introduced in the previous patch allowed Rosella to walk while holding the frog
[ - ] Cupid behavior is now more consistent with the original game
[ - ] Increased the chance for the robin to appear
[ - ] Implemented a better fix for the bug where the game would not recognize a two-tile inventory item
[ - ] Optimized the code responsible for highlighting items on the inventory screen
[ - ] Fixed minor graphical errors on the backdrop for Genesta's bedroom[/changelog]


The MacOS port is still coming, stay tuned!

Thank you so much @DrSlash for continuing to iron out the (very few!) bumps in your lovely remake! I really appreciate that.

Thank you, Athanor! Yeah, there were definitely less bugs than I feared, but still more than I hoped (then again, I hoped there won't be any bugs at all  ).

Thanks, Shadow, glad you're enjoying the game! Also thanks for the report, however the bug you described has just been fixed in today's patch

[King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.1 is out!]

King's Quest IV Retold 1.0.1 is out!

The patch fixes a number of minor bugs, as well as contains several new quality-of-life improvements. None of the bugs are completely gamebreaking though, so feel free to skip this patch if you've already started a save on the older version.

Complete changelog (may contain minor spoilers if you haven't played the game yet):
[changelog][ + ] Added a quicksave feature
[ + ] Added a hotkey for restoring the last save
[ + ] Added hotkeys for changing game speed
[ + ] Added hotkeys for switching between cursor modes
[ + ] Added numpad hotkeys for moving diagonally
[ + ] Pressing the Enter key is now equivalent to clicking the left mouse button when no GUI is displayed
[ + ] Chasm fall animation can now be skipped with the Esc key
[ + ] Keyhole cutscenes can now be skipped if the ogre is sleeping or not inside the house
[ + ] The ending cutscene can now be skipped with the Esc key
[ + ] The "KQ4" button in the options menu now includes a message indicating whether the dead-ends and the time limit are enabled
[ - ] Fixed a crash where the ogre and the ogress would appear in the bedroom or the kitchen at the same time
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the game would say the Unicorn is paralyzed with fear even if there is no Unicorn on the screen
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the game would not remove the fish from the player's inventory
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the game would not recognize a two-tile inventory item if the inventory window was closed on the exact frame the item was selected
[ - ] Fixed a bug where one of the halves of a selected two-tile inventory item would sometimes not be highlighted on the inventory screen
[ - ] Fixed a bug where the time displayed in the grandfather clock's look message would repeatedly switch between A.M. and P.M. at noon and midnight
[ - ] Presumably fixed a bug where the game would softlock when falling down the chasm
[ - ] Implemented WASD movement, which did not work in the previous version despite being listed among the game's controls
[ - ] To prevent possible bugs, manual saves may no longer contain the words "AUTOSAVE" and "QUICKSAVE" in their names
[ - ] Game speed is no longer automatically set to default when Edgar comes upstairs to Lolotte's room
[ - ] Ogre spawn behavior and door script for the ogre's house are now more consistent with the original game
[ - ] Increased the size of the trigger zone for going downstairs from the organ screen
[ - ] Increased the size of the hotspot for the pile of bones
[ - ] Slightly expanded the walkable area for crossing the chasm
[ - ] Prerequisites for automatic time progression are now more consistent with the original game
[ - ] Increased the chance for the Lord of the Manor to appear
[ - ] Changed the behavior of the Miser to make it more consistent with the original game
[ - ] Updated the appearance of the talk cursor
[ - ] Removed silence at the end of the music track that plays on the pier screen[/changelog]

A MacOS port is underway and will (presumably) soon become available as well.

The clock's eye message also contains a typo.  12:00 AM is midnight.  If it's daytime, then the time should be 12:00 PM.

Interestingly, turns out it wasn't a typo. It was a bug that caused the clock to switch between AM and PM every frame at noon and midnight. I'm surprised that this bug was caught so fast, considering that there was only a 10-second window in which it could occur.

Has anyone else problems in kissing the frog.
I picked him up, but I can't click on him. The cursor always says, I click on Rosella.

Spoiler

Yep, this is not how you kiss the frog. Try a different approach.

[close]

Fortunately, I have ported a number of AGS games to the Mac, so I spent a couple of minutes to put together a proof of concept, and got a Mac version up and running in about five minutes.  Let me know if you'd like a more official version of a Mac port.

That's great, edenwaith! Feel free to pm me so we can discuss the port. I'm planning to release the first patch some time this weekend, and I'd love to have it available for Mac as well.

How does the day/night cycle work when you disable the time limit and dead ends?

Pretty much the same way as in the SCI version of the game, minus the time limit. You see, even in the original game, there are set points in the story that will automatically progress the time till night or morning. Minor spoilers below:

Spoiler

â€" The night falls once you have the scarab and the fruit
â€" The morning comes once you defeat Lolotte

[close]

The only think I found missing is diagonal move with numeric pad.
It's would be very usefull in stair scenes.

Good idea, will be implemented in the upcoming patch!

Have you thought about preparing Conquest of Camelot in the same way?

Conquest of Camelot is a fantastic game, but I don't plan to start any new remake/fan game projects at this point. I've already dedicated the past 13 years of my life to fan projects, so I think it's time for me to move on to my own original games.

However, hypothetically speaking, I would love to see someone remake Quest for Glory III more than anything else. QfG3 doesn't need any significant updates to its visuals or gameplay mechanics, but its story could definitely be fleshed out a bit more and there just isn't that much stuff to do in the game (especially for the Thief class).

[most]

As I stated in my latest update thread, we have indeed gotten over most of the hurdles involved with our project, though we do still have some bugs left to exterminate.  All the same, we would very much appreciate any kind of help we can get, should we ever need it.

Hi, Stryker! Sure, feel free to PM me and fill me in on the details of what remains to be finished in your remake in terms of scripting. I'll see if I can help you somehow. However, I have a feeling that I'll be too busy patching my own game in the coming weeks, so I can't make any promises right now.

That being said, I've just played through your remake and I have some feedback to offer.  I'll inform you in advance, that the good most certainly outweighs the bad.  Also, just so you know, we had a couple ideas similar to yours, but we honestly had no idea your game existed until now.  So, here are the pros and cons.

Thanks for your extensive feedback! Glad you noticed the smaller changes as well! The fish remaining in your inventory sounds like a bug, I'll make sure to fix it. Pathfinding in the organ room is probably the most common complaint right now, I'll see if there is a way to improve it. Almost all sound effects are taken from the IIGS and Amiga versions of the original game; unfortunately, neither of them had any sounds for the other ghosts. And yep, I always keep making the same mistake of confusing AM and PM at noon and midnight â€" will be fixed!

Just completed it! Very good job!

I especially liked that you used the ambient sounds from the Amiga version. 

Thank you, doctorfargo! Glad you enjoyed the game!

Noted. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I'll be sure to fix these in the upcoming patch!

Very cool! This looks amazing!


Bt

Thanks Bt! Infamous Adventures is one of the biggest reasons why I started making my own games, so it's always great to hear positive feedback from you!

Wow! Amazing!!!! Every old (especially Sierra) adventure game need a remake like this.
Improved controls   no dead ends!!!!
Great Job

Thank you, negator2vc! I'm glad you're enjoying the game!

Even better maybe show a desc or a different cursor ex. an arrow (like most modern adventure games do)

That's actually a great idea, I will consider it, thanks!

Show, maybe in the settings panel, which game's version the player is currently playing (with or without deadends)

Yeah, I thought about it but didn't find a suitable place to display this information. I'll probably add this in the next patch.

In the Linux Version the exec filename "King'sQuest4" need to be renamed in order for the game to start (in addition to the needed change of permittions).
Since the exec filename is taken from the project name when you build the game I think it's best if you rename the project (just the project) to something like KQ4Retold (without spaces or weird characters) to avoid the problem.

I tested the Linux version in Linux Mint x64

Thanks! Great to know that the port works! I'll make sure to change the filename as you suggested.