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The Traveller's Guide

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  • #31
    ok it installed fine on windows 11. the directdraw version won't load:

    ScreenHunter 02 (01).png

    Directx loads and runs. So far the only problem I am seeing is that the text runs off the edge of the screen.

    IMG_0187.jpg

    It runs off the edge on the game screen too.

    I haven't really tried playing it much yet. Just started the tutorial thing with the dresser.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by Sparko View Post
      ok it installed fine on windows 11. the directdraw version won't load:

      ScreenHunter 02 (01).png
      That's okay; I wasn't expecting the DirectDraw port to work since Windows 8. At least in 8 and 10 it runs, but really slowly -- which was why I had to make the Direct3D port. (I'm very glad to know the Direct3D port works. )

      Originally posted by Sparko View Post
      Directx loads and runs. So far the only problem I am seeing is that the text runs off the edge of the screen.

      IMG_0187.jpg

      It runs off the edge on the game screen too.
      That issue's been around since the days of Windows Vista, and it's likely because the game uses a TrueType font. If in your desktop settings you have your overall font size set to larger than the default of 100%, that's why the text runs off the edge of the screen.

      Originally posted by Sparko View Post
      I haven't really tried playing it much yet. Just started the tutorial thing with the dresser.
      The fact that you were able to get Melody to the training center (that is, the tutorial) is the best news I've had all day. That means the game works -- and therefore also the configuration utilities (and likely the benchmarking utilities).

      But, I'm also wondering about the instruction manual because it depends on the presence of HTML Help which was packaged with Internet Explorer 4 and up. Does it open up for you?
      Last edited by The Melody Maker; 11-30-2021, 09:24 PM.
      ~ Russell ("MelMak")

      "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

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      • #33
        Originally posted by The Melody Maker View Post
        That's okay; I wasn't expecting the DirectDraw port to work since Windows 8. At least in 8 and 10 it runs, but really slowly -- which was why I had to make the Direct3D port. (I'm very glad to know the Direct3D port works. )



        But, I'm also wondering about the instruction manual because it depends on the presence of HTML Help which was packaged with Internet Explorer 4 and up. Does it open up for you?
        Yup.

        and yes changing the text scale to 100% in settings made the text fit on the screen.

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        • #34
          Good to know the manual opens up; that means the offline strategy guide will as well (since it also uses HTML Help).

          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
          the directdraw version won't load:

          ScreenHunter 02 (01).png
          I had a look at my source code to see what was going on with this because I got curious. It's strange how although for you the game's DirectDraw port successfully created the DirectDraw object and even set the cooperative level, it crashed trying to change the screen resolution. But I'm not going to look into figuring out why, as long as the Direct3D port works.


          That said, I think I can officially say that The Traveller's Guide is already Windows 11 ready -- no extra work required on my part. Sparky, thank you so much for testing it for me to confirm that it works. That means a great deal to me.
          ~ Russell ("MelMak")

          "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

          Fight spam!

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          • #35
            Originally posted by The Melody Maker View Post
            Good to know the manual opens up; that means the offline strategy guide will as well (since it also uses HTML Help).


            I had a look at my source code to see what was going on with this because I got curious. It's strange how although for you the game's DirectDraw port successfully created the DirectDraw object and even set the cooperative level, it crashed trying to change the screen resolution. But I'm not going to look into figuring out why, as long as the Direct3D port works.


            That said, I think I can officially say that The Traveller's Guide is already Windows 11 ready -- no extra work required on my part. Sparky, thank you so much for testing it for me to confirm that it works. That means a great deal to me.
            You're welcome.

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            • #36
              Sparky, there's one more thing I just remembered I need to check out -- nothing about The Traveller's Guide, but rather about another game that I mentioned in passing earlier in the thread called Special Delivery, which I've been helping my good friend Inkhana make (presently incomplete and on hiatus but still fully playable, in case anyone's interested). It uses the same basic template as The Traveller's Guide, but with the addition of requiring DirectShow for animated cutscenes.

              You don't need to download and test that out unless you really want to, but all I really need to know is whether in the \Windows\SysWOW64 folder (or even the \Windows\System32 folder) there's a file named quartz.dll present -- that's the DirectShow runtime. If that's there, then I know Special Delivery will work as well.
              ~ Russell ("MelMak")

              "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

              Fight spam!

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              • #37
                Originally posted by The Melody Maker View Post
                Sparky, there's one more thing I just remembered I need to check out -- nothing about The Traveller's Guide, but rather about another game that I mentioned in passing earlier in the thread called Special Delivery, which I've been helping my good friend Inkhana make (presently incomplete and on hiatus but still fully playable, in case anyone's interested). It uses the same basic template as The Traveller's Guide, but with the addition of requiring DirectShow for animated cutscenes.

                You don't need to download and test that out unless you really want to, but all I really need to know is whether in the \Windows\SysWOW64 folder (or even the \Windows\System32 folder) there's a file named quartz.dll present -- that's the DirectShow runtime. If that's there, then I know Special Delivery will work as well.
                There is a quartz.dll in system32.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by Sparko View Post

                  There is a quartz.dll in system32.
                  Very good to know. Thanks for checking that.
                  ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                  "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                  Fight spam!

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Cerebrum123 View Post
                    I was glad to see that it had partial controller support, as for most games I pretty much require it. However, the d-pad, and the triggers on my 360 controller wouldn't register for some reason. Are you using dinput, or xinput? I can always use xpadder to configure those, but it would be nice for the game to recognize them.
                    You will be very happy to know that after getting a new PC game controller for Christmas which had these same issues with The Traveller's Guide, I finally got around to fixing it and released it as version 3.10.1. Previously, not only would the analog stick not allow Melody to move diagonally but also the D-pad wasn't even recognized. Both issues have been resolved.
                    ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                    "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                    Fight spam!

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by The Melody Maker View Post

                      You will be very happy to know that after getting a new PC game controller for Christmas which had these same issues with The Traveller's Guide, I finally got around to fixing it and released it as version 3.10.1. Previously, not only would the analog stick not allow Melody to move diagonally but also the D-pad wasn't even recognized. Both issues have been resolved.
                      Cool, I'll have to download the new version.

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                      • #41
                        I just finished fixing another bug I found in which the game crashes if the connected game controller is unplugged, and released the fix as version 3.10.2.
                        ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                        "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                        Fight spam!

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          I've created a new launcher utility and included it in the game's installer package. The launcher utility is basically just a hub from which all the components (including the game itself) can be launched. While shortcuts for all components are still created in the Start menu upon installation, a shortcut for the launcher utility will be placed directly on the desktop.

                          launcher.png

                          This is an optional update, but recommended for anyone (like my niece) who's confused by all the stuff that comes with the install package. Because it's only an addition to the install package and not an update to the game itself, I've released it as version 3.10.2a.
                          ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                          "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                          Fight spam!

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                          • #43
                            I've just given The Traveller's Guide another update, and this one requires a little bit of explanation.

                            The game was designed to run in the standard 4:3 ratio screen resolution of 320*240, and until now it has only worked with 4:3 screen modes. But it was recently brought to my attention that if for any reason the video hardware does not support any 4:3 screen modes (meaning only widescreen modes), the configuration utility will not detect any usable screen modes and basically renders the game unplayable.

                            That has been fixed with the release of version 3.10.3. Now any detected screen mode (of 16-bit or better color, at 320*240 or greater) can be used to play the game. However, with the widescreen modes, the image is still preserved in its original 4:3 format off to the left of the screen with a blank space to the right; it won't stretch to fit the whole width of the screen. That said, I don't recommend using a widescreen mode unless you have no other choice.

                            This is an optional update, but if you choose to update, note that the format of the configuration data files has changed -- meaning that you'll have to re-run the configuration utility and re-select the desired screen mode.

                            Hopefully this will make the game playable for more people, regardless of whether it's an older computer or a newer one.
                            Last edited by The Melody Maker; 07-17-2022, 10:37 PM.
                            ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                            "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                            Fight spam!

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                            • #44
                              I've given The Traveller's Guide a very minor and optional update, which needs some explanation.

                              First of all, I've updated the instruction manual with the appropriate information about Windows 11, since the game has been tested and confirmed to work.

                              Secondly, I've uncompressed the game's executable files. Until now I've compressed them for the sake of saving on disk space, but the problem is that it seems that some antimalware programs consequently pick up on them as false viruses. However, they have no problem when left uncompressed -- and these days it's nothing to use an extra 5 MB of disk space.

                              All that said, I'm calling this update version 3.10.3a because there's no actual change to the game itself over version 3.10.3.
                              ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                              "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

                              Fight spam!

                              Comment

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