Need Help Getting Right Sound Effects For Zarch

[RichP]

I love playing Zarch, on Arculator. I do actually have the original game btw in case anyone is worried and have paid for the Acorn roms.

However I play on Arculator using an image someone has sent me. However when I play the game it has the wrong sound effects. All I know is the Percussion sound file is on the Zarch disk image which I assume is the wrong file. How do I go about getting the right file?

Thank you

[sirbod]

If you download ADFFS and look at F1040201 in the !ADFFS.obey zip file, you'll see what you need to do. Namely initialise the sound modules in a particular order.

[jms2]

I have exactly the same problem with my version of Zarch. I did manage to fix the problem some time ago, but I lost the fixed version and couldn't remember how I'd fixed it!

Thanks for the tip - I'll check it out.

[sirbod]

I've had a chance to look myself now. Place the following at the front of the !Run obey script (or create one):

Code: Select all

RMKill StringLib
RMKill Percussion
RMReInit Percussion
RMReInit StringLib

[jms2]

I haven't had time to try it yet, but I'm intrigued by that zipfile in ADFFS. What is its purpose?

Also, what changes when you reinitialise the modules in the right order? I know it fixes the sound effects, but why?

It's not important, I'm just curious to know!

[sirbod]

I haven't had time to try it yet, but I'm intrigued by that zipfile in ADFFS. What is its purpose?

The ZIP file contains all the Boot scripts for games that I've checked so far. They set-up the environment so the game works on later OS's and fix any issues in the games own loader. They're used when you launch a game via "Boot floppy" on the filer menu.

Mainly they replace the !Run, but in some cases they avoid the game's loader completely, due to it altering CMOS or doing other nasty things. Zarch is an example here, as it modifies the CMOS in certain situations.

There's also a few cases of bugs in the loader code or even the disk protection code, which are fixed at launch. For example, one game had the disc size wrong - someone had done a typo and swapped the byte order of the word round. And most of the R-Comp SA re-releases had a bug in the CPU detection code.

Also, what changes when you reinitialise the modules in the right order? I know it fixes the sound effects, but why?

Zarch expects the sounds to be on certain channels. Percussion / StringLib grab the first channel available as they initialise and it would appear their initialisation order has changed at some point, possibly RO3.

[jms2]

Thanks for the explanation - I knew ADFFS was extremely clever, but I hadn't realised that it had this further layer of functionality.

Actually I'm running this particular version of Zarch natively, from adfs, but I do have ADFFS set up on my A440 so I can run protected images as well.

Your explanation of the possible ROS2/ROS3 difference makes sense as well. Its always nice to understand what is going on - sometimes the behaviour of the Risc OS machines can appear to be deeply complex but the underlying reasons can be surprisingly simple!

My Zarch sound fix must have achieved the same end result but I'm not sure how I arrived at it. Must have been a lucky coincidence.

[jms2]

Yay - I tried the modification described above, and it works. Having the right sound effects really improves the game - although not to the point of being playable of course!

[RichP]

Yay - I tried the modification described above, and it works. Having the right sound effects really improves the game - although not to the point of being playable of course!

Hey, it's a great game


Thanks for the advice SirBod but how do I get Zarch to run in Arculator? What is ADDFS? will that run in Arculator? Could I somehow change the !Boot file on the Zarch disk image? I don't really know what I'm doing! I managed to get the !Boot file to open in the edit programme on there and it had some commands in there at the end that say:

reinit sounddma
reinit soundchannels
reinit soundscheduler
renit wavesynth
reinit percussion

Not sure if it would let me change the !boot file.

[jms2]

Perhaps I was being a bit too harsh on Zarch. I certainly want to like it, but I always struggle to enjoy mouse controlled games. Still, I got to Level 2 for the first time ever yesterday!!

ADfFS is a fantastic piece of software which allows you to handle ADF images which contain Protected games. If you have a cracked adf, you do not need it. But it should work on Arculator. I am sure Sirbod will explain better!

[sirbod]

Thanks for the advice SirBod but how do I get Zarch to run in Arculator? What is ADDFS? will that run in Arculator? Could I somehow change the !Boot file on the Zarch disk image? I don't really know what I'm doing! I managed to get the !Boot file to open in the edit programme on there and it had some commands in there at the end that say:

reinit sounddma
reinit soundchannels
reinit soundscheduler
renit wavesynth
reinit percussion

Not sure if it would let me change the !boot file.

You need to replace the last two commands with the ones I detailed above.

ADFFS emulates the 1772 floppy controller, allowing protected games to be imaged and run. It's the software side of the Archimedes Software Preservation Project.

It also adds things like frame rate limiting - which you need for Zarch and does many other things on newer machines, such as hypervize VIDC1/20 writes to the HAL on RO5 and will soon will include an ARM3 JIT, so games run on StrongARM machines and even the Pi.

If you follow the link, you can also download some games we have rights to distribute. There are individual floppy images, or you can download the full archive for the manual in PDF and scans of the box etc.

It will run any any machine or emulator from the original A305 / RO3.1 right up to the latest 32bit RO5 machines. The minimum requirement in RO3.1 and 4mb of RAM.

[RichP]

Ok thank you I will take a look at some point.

You need to replace the last two commands with the ones I detailed above.

I'm not sure if I'm doing it the right way but I opened up the !Boot file in the text editor app on the archimedes and modified it but then when I tried to save it - it said it was locked. What do I do? any advice?

[jms2]

Before opening the file you need to unlock it by right clicking on it and choosing Access from the menu. Slide right and there should be an option to unlock the file. You can leave it unlocked.

[RichP]

Thank you, I just tried and it said 'Protected disk' and wouldn't let me change it

Who'd have thought it would be so hard to get the right sound effects on Zarch all these years later?

[jms2]

Rich - you need to slide the physical write protect tab on the disk to cover up the hole in the corner.

If it is an original though - you'd better not do it. Original disks will contain copy protection arrangements and writing to the disk, whilst possible, /might/ mess things up.

[sirbod]

I don't believe you can modify APD discs. Your best bet is to use ADFFS and an Obey file.

1. Create a !Zarch folder
2. Copy the APD as "!Zarch.game" with the file type set to Floppy
3. Create a !Zarch.!Run obey file as follows:

ADFMount <Obey$Dir>.game
ADFProtectCMOS
ADFProtectModules
RMKill StringLib
RMKill Percussion
RMReInit Percussion
RMReInit StringLib
Run Loader


You may need to change the last line, depending on the version of Zarch you have.

4. Load !ADFFS
5. Launch the game by double clicking on !Zarch

[RichP]

Sorry for the late reply, had some bad health but on the mend now.

I appreciate all the help. It's a disc image (although I do have the original game). I don't have an Archimedes at the moment. I will give ADFFS a try. Would be very happy though if someone could send me the game file with correct soundeffects already installed. I have no problem posting a photo of my original game or finding a word from the manual if you need me to.

[aidanthegasman]

I know I've come very late to this thread, but I just wanted to say thanks to Sirbod and the others who have contributed.
This sound-effect fix has appreciably improved my enjoyment of this still-stupendous game.