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Zomb's Lair - Reviving Old Classics


Zombeaver

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So just FYI, Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller is done, but Archive is being stupid again. I'm not sure if it's because I've been uploading a lot lately, but the upload is getting marked as "spam" and it won't let me complete it. I've never actually seen it do this before. It said that you can email them with the error message if it's in error for assistance, so I did that last night. I'll give them the day to get it sorted out. If they don't, I'll just upload it elsewhere.

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Well, nobody ever said anything back, but I tried it again and it worked this time, so yay.

Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller has been added to Zomb's Lair.

dyjSOOf.png

I did a few new things this time. Firstly, I've setup the game with both Retroarch and DOSBox Daum - you can choose which you want to use. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but I prefer Retroarch overall for the shaders and bezels. I've also added a configuration panel/launcher via the program ASuite. This is a nice little open source, portable, lightweight program launcher that works great for my purposes here. Some of these functions are added into the start menu, but once you start adding a lot of different options that can get kindof unwieldy, so this is a nice way to organize/access them. I've added emulated mouse input to controllers via Antimicro as well. Please read the "Special Notes" section on the site or the readme included with the installer for more info.

Launcher:

image.png.8c77bccf0c344fe5e13b3ffb25c2802b.pngNo shader / No Bezel:

image.thumb.png.6e5377ac2f72a3ecc28a4c2b23e3bbcf.pngNeuromancer Shader + Bezel:

image.thumb.png.05bc08532ad289a6f70df592261101ca.pngDecker Shader + Bezel:

image.thumb.png.901f1e50b7a0af91fd281aeb5ce329bd.png

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No problem!

I'm going to be going back and giving this treatment to a few of my previous packages.

I'm finishing up (re-)work on Dreamweb and, in the process, realized that it was one of the somewhat unusual instances of games that output 320x200 as actual 16:10, not 4:3 - in other words, was made with square pixels in mind. This isn't unheard of, but as I said it is a little bit unusual. You can find some more info here if you're interested.

To demonstrate what I'm talking about, this is the game in 4:3:

31501328_Dreamweb-4x3.thumb.png.285d1ccd55d25ca7a955de6a075175f1.pngThis is the same image in 16:10:

37556789_Dreamweb-16x10.thumb.png.6883f56fe0f5bd145675be728510f97b.pngSquares and circles are a good guide to see whether or not your aspect ratio is correct. In this case, in 4:3 they're rectangles and ovals (stretched vertically), instead of squares and circles.

In the below image I highlighted in red with perfect squares to further illustrate this. In 4:3, none of these would match - they'd all be narrower than the highlights.

1104330040_Dreamweb-16x10-Highlights.thumb.png.79c693d18598453f2f6cabee9698c264.pngI honestly can't believe I never noticed this staring me in the face before - Dreamweb is one of my favorites, so I feel pretty stupid about it...

So anyway, fixed that, added in shaders, and it's awww yeeee...

No shader:

1095373531_1-1NoShader.thumb.png.3dab09f454b755612085048fa4bc41c1.pngNeuromancer:

822090550_1-2Neuromancer.thumb.png.6f7f6806b158fd0abff018d9b00a34fc.pngRazorgirl:

71459074_1-4Razorgirl.thumb.png.8c90c2fd29e53767b4b5dc695d93dc10.pngDecker:

1655625494_1-5Decker.thumb.png.e4af3830204186234fe5559070890f9a.pngNo Shader:

1849026014_2-1NoShader.thumb.png.1febbb8eb182890e005feaa9424c902c.pngNeuromancer:

291472817_2-2Neuromancer.thumb.png.e21405b16a0164ce327be775a281be1f.pngRazorgirl:

384387307_2-4Razorgirl.thumb.png.a06399c645634961265dcbb21a25c6d6.pngDecker:

1926941228_2-5Decker.thumb.png.10d4ff849f6acc6bbb15c2855f8a0914.pngNo Shader:

579285955_3-1NoShader.thumb.png.506d5a7ed46e3661d013704b4f898197.pngNeuromancer:

2017667190_3-2Neuromancer.thumb.png.54ac7480c880a39bd521941feb9e7a25.pngRazorgirl:

2132218050_3-4Razorgirl.thumb.png.82dd7e078baba50bcde3f7601d038d63.pngDecker:

637352234_3-5Decker.thumb.png.800fa5cfabc8e051206a759c8b4cef64.pngLauncher/Configuration Panel:

image.thumb.png.fbeed76b230c98d029a9e05b5810798a.png

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The Terminator Double Pack has been updated to version 2.0. Details are in the "Special Notes" section of that page. 

Updated versions of Abuse, Alien Legacy, Dreamweb, and Zomb's Obscura Vol. 1 are basically done, just have to finish up a couple last minor things and then compile new installers. 

594449532_TheTerminatorDoublePackScreenshot1.thumb.png.f9fbd02f3ec1392d4e03e984cba4faeb.png1553092213_TheTerminatorDoublePackScreenshot2.thumb.png.cc7dd5abcefb97fe7bcfdd301080d44a.png98968979_TheTerminatorDoublePackScreenshot3.thumb.png.6e6569602cfaa373761b049b8385fc4e.png433053556_TheTerminatorDoublePackLauncher.thumb.png.d98e7a2081abbe88541440c86fb9c501.pngI'm also happy (and kindof surprised) to report that I've been able to get 3.1 games working in Retroarch DOSBox so I'll be able to apply this to all of those as well.

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Alien Legacy has been updated to version 2.0. Details are in the "Special Notes" section of that page.

Alien_Legacy_Shader_Gif.thumb.gif.d8b2c6578b1eb4617a2d6237c2cc2f8b.gif

I also added in an option to disable Antimicro in the Launcher this time. I can't imagine most people would need/want this, but it's there for those that do. The primary rationale for this is just in case someone had their own controller mapper software that they wanted to use instead.

I also added in a control swap function with the controller implementation - the left and right sticks control the mouse cursor and the dpad controls the arrow keys. When you press right bumper it will swap the left stick controls with the dpad. Press it again and it swaps back.

I changed the screenshot comparison option too - now instead of simply dropping you into the folder where the screenshots are located, it opens a fullscreen slideshow of the images via IrfanView Portable which you can flip between with the scroll wheel or arrow keys - pressing escape exits.

637326873_AlienLegacyLauncher.thumb.PNG.2e9db80bc51778e52a65a6232113bccf.PNG2119569725_AlienLegacyScreenshot1.thumb.png.d1caf03c0227010fcdb6759b3e2cccbe.png37913460_AlienLegacyScreenshot2.thumb.png.76f11cf2bc823061847c31d16138ef82.png1894434365_AlienLegacyScreenshot3.thumb.png.1ff8c57a9e10753dfc1461ef2b62d805.png

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Abuse has been updated to version 2.0. Details are in the "Special Notes" section of that page.

1583166036_AbuseShaderGif.thumb.gif.9424793f350ce6cf34bba5208443945b.gifThe plan at this point is to finish up work on the updated version of Zomb's Obscura Vol. 1 and then go back to work on new packages for a bit. I have several basically ready to go, so I'll likely do a couple new releases, do a couple updates to prior packages, and just continue to flip back and forth like that.

1642105211_AbuseLauncher.thumb.JPG.173c99c6e863320eaa31fd63b18893c4.JPG280829202_AbuseScreenshot1.thumb.jpg.64bf2c376834fd97c457fecd2b0681fb.jpg138392682_AbuseScreenshot2.thumb.jpg.290433188c790a9fa1ac8ee3e135d75b.jpg335941795_AbuseScreenshot3.thumb.jpg.477c6c0d216df84fbbac5c1a34cae144.jpg

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I tried something a little bit different this time...

366733197_BetrayalatKrondorShaderGif.thumb.gif.90d5560a4fcf131dad249a995ea7f75f.gifThere are a lot of games on GOG that I adore and it kindof annoys me I'm not able to give this sortof treatment to. So I got to thinking... what if I made a patcher that doesn't include the game itself but can take the necessary files from the GOG version and pipe them into my own version, with shaders, bezels, soundfonts, controller support, the whole nine yards...

And voila, we have the Betrayal at Krondor: Definitive Edition patcher. As I said, you have to install the GOG version beforehand - the game is not included. I should be able to do this with the Steam version as well, but I'd need to see specific files/folders, as some of the files in the GOG version are specific to GOG. I don't own Betrayal at Krondor on Steam currently.

You can find the patch and a lot more info in my post here.

1522917476_NoShaderNoBezel.thumb.jpg.fbdb85750dc756a2ec897f964fe13175.jpg53091798_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot1.thumb.jpg.2f679bce21e066f60a0369051307e0a5.jpg515992856_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot2.thumb.jpg.f26110daaabe1bf841dac10b08164c80.jpg1824784952_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot3.thumb.jpg.5117fee31d9e78b40a040930d0f78455.jpg820063857_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot4.thumb.jpg.660ff62392a04d52b30663a8c7442f2e.jpg768165372_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot5.thumb.jpg.9a730b9669e9677a25d3ea5b88900c94.jpg2065046860_BetrayalatKrondorScreenshot6.thumb.jpg.6aab48e1250a789978d28e28176ad4e8.jpg

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Definitive Edition Patcher: Riven: The Sequel to Myst is now available on Zomb's Lair.

437853_67b990fbf6f743a7abeb2d581dabf791~mv2.gif

This was supposed to be a quick project but ended up absorbing most of the weekend...

I haven't really talked about this before, but I generally end up tweaking the shaders for these packages to some degree to better suit the needs of the game in question. That said, I ended up having to rework them significantly for Riven and I'm happy to say I think they turned out very well.

Limited technology being what it was, compression and dithering were essential in order to fit everything on CDs - five in the case of Riven. The result of this is that a lot of the game takes a bit of a beating once viewed on high definition displays. The otherwise fantastic art design suffers because of it... but with the help of shaders we can give it a facelift! Now we can turn this into this. You can find the full gallery here.

I added in quite a few extras as well. Included are:

-The soundtrack
-Making of and behind the scenes videos
-From Myst to Riven: The Creations & Inspirations (art/documentary book)
-Strategy Guide (Brady Games)
-Strategy Guide (Prima)

It includes controller support as usual and I added in a right-click to skip animations function. Read the included readme for more info.

As with the last one, this patcher does not include the game. You must have the game downloaded first. It will work with either the GOG Galaxy version or the offline backup version. I believe it should work with the Steam version as well (it's supposed to be the same version), that's untested though. If anyone would like to test and let me know, that'd be much appreciated.

The only requirement, like the last time, is that the folder be dropped parallel to the installed one, and the installed one needs to be named "Riven - The Sequel to Myst". So, as an example:

C:\Games\Riven - The Sequel to Myst
C:\Games\Riven - The Sequel to Myst (Definitive Edition)

Then just go into Riven - The Sequel to Myst (Definitive Edition) and start PATCH.bat and you'll be all set!

Be aware that this patch is currently English only - it's actually about half the size of the GOG install once it's done because it doesn't contain all the additional language audio/data. It should be possible to allow specific language data to be pulled for the patch but that's not implemented yet, it will only use the English data at the moment.

Anyway, that's it for now. I should have the updated version of Zomb's Obscura Vol. 1 out later today and then I'm back at it for new releases.

image.thumb.png.adc9136a5afed0db9ba426c45e757b38.png1390544987_2-2Neuromancer.thumb.jpg.0a8909196e854243c6da84583bce6c11.jpg797360922_10-2Neuromancer.thumb.jpg.9238cd932560164203e5726250948d03.jpg1495571145_11-2Neuromancer.thumb.jpg.64393ed1e4f852ca44c01edc1aa72d40.jpg725474628_14-2Neuromancer.thumb.jpg.e972cd9aa7532232c998887e2a59946c.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Blue Heat has now been added to Zomb's Lair.

621146128_BlueHeat.thumb.png.b266d9d4d290b6668bc391189a2b7a5a.png

Unfortunately, due to technical issues I wasn't able to incorporate Retroarch into this particular release. I have a blog post about it here. Hopefully it'll be resolved in the future at which point I can add it back in. Until then, regular old DOSBox Daum will have to suffice.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Eya zomb. I recently received wolfenstein in the mail. It's the 2009 release. It was pulled from steam and wasn't able to find it for sale anywhere. If you're looking for a copy throw me a pm. I know it's a relativle recent game but hey,,

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Thanks so much for archiving these memorable games.

I seem to be having an issue with Obsidian. The video is fine, but the audio wouldn't stop stuttering. I tried changing it to windowed mode and noticed that you can change the buffer length. The longer the buffer, the more time before it starts skipping, but no matter what that's all it does. Is there any way to fix this?

Thank in advance.

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