[comp.sys.amiga.games] It Came From The Desert

xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (06/01/90)

Just to add another data point, I have an Amiga 2000 with the 1.2 ROM and
the only change from stock is an additional 8 meg of RAM:  The game plays
without trouble.  However, when I tried to load it into RAD: using the hard
disk install and play from there, Wow!  Prettiest mess I've ever seen on
my screen.  Really strange, and obviously a QA problem, because when I play
from floppies (no HD here) and reboot afterwards, Rad: has survived nicely,
so it isn't that the game is trespassing into Rad:.

I think the way to get the mayor off his duff is to bring him the several
kinds of evidence he demanded.

Followups directed to comp.sys.amiga.games in hopes of helping the movement
of game oriented postings away from the main thread as prevously voted.

Kent, the man from xanth.
<xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>

keith@actrix.co.nz (Keith Stewart) (06/03/90)

In article <1990Jun1.102657.2214@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
>Just to add another data point, I have an Amiga 2000 with the 1.2 ROM and
>the only change from stock is an additional 8 meg of RAM:  The game plays
>without trouble.  However, when I tried to load it into RAD: using the hard
>disk install and play from there, Wow!  Prettiest mess I've ever seen on
>my screen.  Really strange, and obviously a QA problem, because when I play

I run  the programm from RAD: and have no problems. I create three RAD in ram The first RAD: is used instead of the RAM: disk that the programme copies files into and then assigns to DES4: I just call my first RAD: DES4: The other two RAD: disks are the s

keith@actrix.co.nz (Keith Stewart) (06/03/90)

In article <1990Jun3.102958.4236@actrix.co.nz> keith@actrix.co.nz (Keith Stewart) writes:
>In article <1990Jun1.102657.2214@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
>>Just to add another data point, I have an Amiga 2000 with the 1.2 ROM and
>>the only change from stock is an additional 8 meg of RAM:  The game plays
>>without trouble.  However, when I tried to load it into RAD: using the hard
>>disk install and play from there, Wow!  Prettiest mess I've ever seen on
>>my screen.  Really strange, and obviously a QA problem, because when I play
>

Sorry about the last posting I got stuffed up I created multiple RAD: disks and diskcopied the Desert2 and Desert3 to them. This required multiple ramdrive devices. Game runs perfectly. DesertII is great

cseaman@sequent.UUCP (Chris "The Bartman" Seaman) (09/25/90)

OK, folks, try to be merciful.  I noticed a while back some discussion about
some problems with the Desert guru'ing under various circumstances.  Well,
at the time I didn't pay much attention, since I didn't own a copy.  Now
I do, and I could use some help.

For starters, I installed the game on my hard disk.  The game runs fine so
far, but I did receive a guru visit when I cancelled out of the save screen.
I didn't have a disk ready, or an assign made, so I thought I could just
cancel.  When I returned to the map, there was no eerie music (which was
almost as eerie).  As soon as I tried to select a location, hello guru.

Is this common, or is there something I've overlooked?  Are there any other
circumstances which might prompt a guru visit?

Thanks in advance,
Chris Seaman

-- 
Chris (Insert phrase here) Seaman |    ___-/^\-___
cseaman@sequent.com <or>          |  //__--\O/--__\\    nI' yIyIn 'ej yIchep.
...!uunet!sequent!cseaman         | //             \\
The Home of the Killer Smiley     | `\             /'

withers@nitmoi.enet.dec.com (George Withers) (09/26/90)

>For starters, I installed the game on my hard disk.  The game runs fine so
>far, but I did receive a guru visit when I cancelled out of the save screen.
.
.
.
>Is this common, or is there something I've overlooked?  Are there any other
>circumstances which might prompt a guru visit?

I ran into trouble with memory usage.  The difference between my 1Mg,
stock A2000 with 5 partitions mounted was enough to cause problems
that vanished by only mounting the partition with ICFTD and the Boot
partition (A2090A).  I would carefully evaluate your memory usage when
preparing to run from your harddrive looking for too large of a stack,
workbench running, or unnecessary partitions mounted.

>Thanks in advance,
>Chris Seaman

        ---------------------------------------------------------------
 George Withers, Jr.                      | "There is no life I know to compare
 Digital Equipment Corp., 1925 Andover St.|  with pure imagination.  Living
 Tewksbury, MA 01876  AT&T: 508.858.2173  |  there you'll be free .. if you 
 Addr: withers@nitmoi.enet.dec.com        |  truly wish to be."  - W. Wonka
        ---------------------------------------------------------------

bunny@cbnewsm.att.com (Laura A. Eppright) (09/27/90)

In article <42881@sequent.UUCP>, cseaman@sequent.UUCP (Chris "The Bartman" Seaman) writes:
> OK, folks, try to be merciful.  I noticed a while back some discussion about
> some problems with the Desert guru'ing under various circumstances.  Well,
> at the time I didn't pay much attention, since I didn't own a copy.  Now
> I do, and I could use some help.
> 
I'm having problems with "It Came From The Desert", too.   

I have a 3000 (16/50).   The game runs fine from the floppy drive 
under 1.3, but it's slow and requires quite a few disk swaps.  I 
really would prefer to run it from the hard drive instead. Apparently,
the game installed properly, but when I run it, it usually freezes up
sometime during the opening sequence.  Sometimes it works, but the 
screen is jittery.  Once in a great while, the game will run properly.

Is this a problem with the 3000?  I'm running the game under 1.3.
I've tried both fastmem on and fastmem off.  Also, I tried both clicking
on the HDesert icon, and running "execute hdesert" from the shell, although
I don't really think either of these would make a difference.  Apparently,
I have "assigned" everything properly, as the game does attempt to run.
I usually don't get gurus;  the game simply freezes up, and the reboot
works normally (i.e., does not mention any gurus).

If anyone could help me, I would sure appreciate it.  Thanks!

Laura

-- 
Laura A. Eppright                | Yes, I know this message is costing  
AT&T Technologies, Union, NJ     | "hundreds, if not thousands of dollars"
att!cbnewsm!bunny                | -- so what?

steve@olympus.wrcr.unr.edu (Stephen Wheatcraft) (09/28/90)

In article <1990Sep26.210025.25484@cbnewsm.att.com> bunny@cbnewsm.att.com (Laura A. Eppright) writes:

>I'm having problems with "It Came From The Desert", too.   
>
>I have a 3000 (16/50).   The game runs fine from the floppy drive 
>under 1.3, but it's slow and requires quite a few disk swaps.  I 
>really would prefer to run it from the hard drive instead. Apparently,
>the game installed properly, but when I run it, it usually freezes up
>sometime during the opening sequence.  Sometimes it works, but the 
>screen is jittery.  Once in a great while, the game will run properly.
>
>Is this a problem with the 3000?  I'm running the game under 1.3.
>I've tried both fastmem on and fastmem off.  Also, I tried both clicking
>on the HDesert icon, and running "execute hdesert" from the shell, although
>I don't really think either of these would make a difference.  Apparently,
>I have "assigned" everything properly, as the game does attempt to run.
>I usually don't get gurus;  the game simply freezes up, and the reboot
>works normally (i.e., does not mention any gurus).
>
>If anyone could help me, I would sure appreciate it.  Thanks!
>
>Laura
>
I discussed problems with Desert here several months ago. I
have a 2500, with Desert installed on my hard drive. I had
problems with the game hanging up, sometimes with a visit from
the guru, sometimes not. Often times it was later in the game,
after "day 10" or so. I called Cinamaware, and they were helpful,
but puzzeled; claimed it ran fine on their 2500. Mine is stock,
except for a flickerfixer. But one thing I finally figured out
was that it have less tendency to hang if I brought the machine
up in low-res (interlace) mode. I think it has to do with a
graphics chip memory problem. Basically, though, it is just not a
very robust game. Despite the fact that it is very enjoyable, I
finally got tired of getting to the best part, and having my
machine and game clobbered by the program.

If anybody has any better ideas, I would also appreciate hearing
them.

Steve Wheatcraft                Internet: steve@olympus.wrc.unr.edu
Desert Research Institute       Bitnet  : steve@unsvax.bitnet
University of Nevada System     AT&T    : (702) 673-7393
P.O. Box 60220                  FAX     : (702) 673-7397
Reno, NV 89506                 
				

JREEVES@OSU-20.IRCC.OHIO-STATE.EDU (Joseph Reeves) (10/01/90)

Ya know- I agree. I've had a heckuva time trying to get It Came From the Desert to go 15 minutes without a guru. Strange.

DEVA@cup.portal.com (David Michael Alves) (04/09/91)

I just got It Came From The Desert II, and am having trouble escaping
from the hospital (getting out the front doors) after getting in the 
safe.  I grab the wheelchair to get a speed advantage, but always manage
to get caught by the guards at the front doors.  Is their a trick to 
getting out???  I've tried a bunch of times with different strategies, 
but no luck so far.
 
Thanks for any help,
David Alves
DEVA@cup.portal.com

p.s.  never got the hang of it in the original ICFTD either. :)

quimbyjs@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Jeff Quimby) (04/10/91)

>I just got It Came From The Desert II, and am having trouble escaping
>from the hospital (getting out the front doors) after getting in the 
>safe.  I grab the wheelchair to get a speed advantage, but always manage
>to get caught by the guards at the front doors.  Is their a trick to 
>getting out???  I've tried a bunch of times with different strategies, 
>but no luck so far.
> 

   The trick to either first or second is to skim the bottom of the wall
and when you come to the first cop do a slight dip around him then head
for the door.  You can't get pass two of them just one so don't come
at the top, also don't have other people around the doors.


 -Jeff

DEVA@cup.portal.com (David Michael Alves) (04/11/91)

Thanks to all for hints on how to get out of the hospital.  I finally
managed to do it, and am now only stuck with the *SMALL* :-) problem
of killing the queen ant in her nest.  Should be a piece of cake, 
right!??!!  :-/
 
Thanks again, 
David Alves
DEVA@cup.portal.com