Lost Temple

[jubber]

Anybody know how to get this to run? I can remember playing it ages ago but I'm not sure how I managed it.

4mb A5000 - trying to run it from hard disk, and from ADFFS. Every attempt, from every desktop screenmode I can think of, results in "Unable to move memory"

[sirbod]

4mb A5000 - trying to run it from hard disk, and from ADFFS. Every attempt, from every desktop screenmode I can think of, results in "Unable to move memory"

- If you're trying to run from original floppies, copy it to HD (instructions in !ADFFS.Obey.F1022501)
- If you've copied it to HD, just replace the contents of !Run with ADFBootFloppy F1022501
- If you're running from a floppy imaged with ADFFS, use Boot Floppy from the ADFFS Filer menu

[jubber]

Thanks for the reply - sadly none of these strategies is working.

I've copied it to HD. The Obey file (archive) doesn't seem to have any instructions, but I have replaced the !RUN file, with no success.
Running it from floppy imaged with ADFFS - from the ADFFS site - the game starts but I get Abort on instruction fetch at 020B4BAC at line 90. That was using Boot Floppy. Some other copies I was using, also ADF files, got me as far as the music playing, but a blank screen forever.

[sirbod]

I've copied it to HD. The Obey file (archive) doesn't seem to have any instructions, but I have replaced the !RUN file, with no success.

What model of machine are you trying to running it on and do you have the latest release of ADFFS? F1022501 definitely has instructions on how to HD install the game in it.

If you're using the copy from JASPP, Boot Floppy, or HD installing per the instructions in F1022501 should get it working.

[jubber]

Thanks for your patience!

I'm using a 4mb A5000 (with IDEFS hard disks, one of which contains ADFFS and the game)

I'm using version 2.83 of ADFFS. (I was using 2.81 before, which didn't have instructions)

I've copied the line ADFBootFloppy F1022501 over whatever was in !Run before (as well as following the install instructions of copying !Temple and Stages inside !Temple). That didn't work.

I've also tried copying the entire obey file over !Run, in case I was being too literal with ADFBootFloppy F1022501 - that also didn't work.

I've also also tried using the !Run on disk 2, although I think that's just a backup of the original !Run file. None of these approaches work - they all go to a black screen, with a flashing cursor, and get no further.

The closest I've come is double clicking F1022501 so it opens in ADFFS, then selecting Boot Floppy. That plays the music and the intro text, before crashing.

I fully anticipate this is a PEBCAK issue.

[sirbod]

I've copied the line ADFBootFloppy F1022501 over whatever was in !Run before (as well as following the install instructions of copying !Temple and Stages inside !Temple).

That is correct. Try holding SHIFT at power-on to bypass !Boot, then run your HD installed copy.

You haven't even got to the copy protection, which will require the contents of the full archive to get beyond on an A5000.

[jubber]

Sadly no joy - still just a black screen with a flashing cursor.

[sirbod]

Post a dump of the output from *Status - perhaps its something in your CMOS settings?

[jubber]

Code: Select all

Baud 4
Boot
No Caps
Data 4
Delay 32
No Directory
Dump Format 4
Fontsize 32K
Ignore 10
language 10
Mode 31
Monitortype 1
MouseStep 3
Print 1
PrinterBufferSize 1K
Quiet
RamfsSize 0K
Repeat 8
RMASize 0K
Screensize 448K
Scroll
SpriteSize 0K
Sync Auto
SystemSize 0K
TV 0,1
WimpMode 31
FileSystem IDEFS
Truncate On
Territory 1
GMT
Timezone +0.0
WimpFlags 111
...
Cache On
ADFSBuffers 16
ADFSDirCache 16K
Drive 0
Floppies 1
HardDisks 0
IDEDisks 0
Step 3
FontMax1 16 Points
...
FontMax 0K
Country UK
FileServer 254
Library 'ArthurLib'
PrinterServer 235
SoundDefault 0 7 1
BootNet Off
IDEFSDrive 4
IDEFSDiscs Auto [Found:1
IDEFSDirCache 16K

[sirbod]

You don't have a stuck key do you?

When you're on the black screen, try pressing ENTER and type RUN or MODE 0 to see if you're at a BASIC command-line.

[jubber]

No stuck keys (all the keys tested in Basic using FOR i=0 TO 127:IF INKEY-i kind of a loop)
And nothing when I press a key during the flashing cursor phase.

I've also tried ADFFS 2.83, altered !Run file, HD install on my A3010 (ZIDEFS hard drives, 4mb, econet) and get the exact same outcome.

[sirbod]

No stuck keys (all the keys tested in Basic using FOR i=0 TO 127:IF INKEY-i kind of a loop)

Bare in mind you can get a stuck key from a Joystick as well.

You mention Econet - is it possible to remove the hardware to rule that out? The Eterna titles mostly support RTFM Joysticks and the code for it is bugged in virtually every game. I've corrected it in most, but not this title under RO3...so it could be misdetecting a Joystick instead of Econet.

EDIT: I've just spotted the Intro is BASIC, so you could also remove the RTFM code by editing !TEMPLE.GameDir.FrontEnd and altering the following line:

Code: Select all

730 Atari%=FALSE

It won't fix the main game, but will rule out Econet/Joystick as the issue in the title screen.

[jubber]

Oh, that's going to be fun. I've got to work out which machine I can most easily extricate from the stack of Arcs to get at its innards. I think I might try the A3010 at some point - its combined econet/zidefs podule might just need three leads removed to become a zidefs podule only.

[sirbod]

Oh, that's going to be fun. I've got to work out which machine I can most easily extricate from the stack of Arcs to get at its innards.

Try modifying the Intro as I described in my edit above as that will confirm if it is the Econet being misdetected as a Joystick, without having to remove the hardware.

The Intro has a copy/paste of the RTFM example detection code, which does rely on Econet matching the Acorn spec exactly. The main game however doesn't perform any detection and just assumes an RTFM is present - I'm going to assume the Intro somehow passes its Joystick detection state through to the main game.

That essentially means that if your issue is caused by Joystick misdetection, I can probably just switch the boot script to use JoyMod and live patch the Intro to use SWI calls, instead of probing the Econet port.

[jubber]

I changed the line in the file inside my hard drive version of the game - to no avail. However, if !Run only contains ADFBootFloppy F1022501, is it actually running from hard disk, or from the emulated floppy disk? I can't change that version of the basic file because the floppy image is write protected.

[sirbod]

I changed the line in the file inside my hard drive version of the game - to no avail.

In that case, I'm out of ideas.

if !Run only contains ADFBootFloppy F1022501, is it actually running from hard disk

Yes. *ADFBootFloppy with a parameter runs the script as !Run in the current directory.

Have you tried the obvious thing...simply waiting when it starts playing the music. Replace TitleScr from the floppy image if you've altered it, as the script modifies it while loading.

[jubber]

To clarify - here are the things that happen.

Run from hard disk without ADFFS - Black screen with "Unable to move memory" - press select or escape to return to the desktop

Run from hard disk with ADFSS and original !Run file - As above

Run from hard disk and ADFBootFloppy F1022501 in the !Run file (with ADFFS running) - black screen, flashing cursor, nothing happens even when left alone for an hour. Only way out is to reset the machine.

Run directly from ADFFS via Boot Floppy - shows the Eterna titles and plays some music (bongos) before crashing to a screen that looks like from an art package with lots of egg men - abort on data transfer on line 90 in TITLESCR (basic) that calls &95200

So my problem might be that I can only run from BootFloppy, if I also press Ctrl when selecting YES to remove the desktop. Doing that takes me to the game's loading sequence at which point *something* goes wrong. If you suspect Econet, then it could still be the Atari% check - but I can't modify the basic file because it's part of the F1022501 adf file.

So a solution *might* be a version of F1022501 with a modified FrontEnd basic file that sets Atari% to false. But I can't make this - I don't know how to edit ADF files. If I get a chance I will try and remove the Econet in one of the machines - both the A3010 and A5000 (4mb machines with econet) fail in the same ways.

[sirbod]

If you suspect Econet, then it could still be the Atari% check - but I can't modify the basic file because it's part of the F1022501 adf file.

Install to HD and replace its !Run with the attached. It's the original ADFFS script with Atari%=FALSE.

[jubber]

Sadly this doesn't fix it either. Any boot from hard disk, even with this variant of !Run, hits the blank screen and flashing cursor, but no music.

thanks for having a look though. I'd be interested to know if anybody else can run Lost Temple from hard disk (possibly with econet as the suspect).

And I should grab some time to try without econet taken out.

[sirbod]

Sadly this doesn't fix it either.

Try the revised !Run above, I've added some info output so you can see which step it stops at. I've also replaced the loader so it can patch FrontEnd. In FrontEnd, I've removed the Econet check, code that alters MEMC and replaced some poorly written delay code.

[jubber]

Interesting change - the game now plays the music and display the title credits, before toppling over. It doesn't print anything out that I could see but it does sit on the following screen after the credits (or if space is pressed)

after a pause which seems to depend on the user pressing space it then shows the following

and a mouse click later you're back in the desktop, albeit with a new font.

[sirbod]

Interesting change - the game now plays the music and display the title credits, before toppling over. It doesn't print anything out that I could see

Progress, although I'm not sure why you see the corrupt screen in the first image - it would imply a screen memory size issue, although that's set in the script to 160K.
The info will flash by too quick to see, you'd only have seen it if it hung starting the intro.

Try the revised script above, I've now backported all the bug fixes to RO3.1 which will hopefully resolve the crash to desktop at the protection screen.

[jubber]

It runs!

Very well done sir. Patched and tested on both an A3010 and A5000. The behaviour is it plays the intro music/credits then goes to the corrupted screen but immediately starts patching fixes then goes directly to the input choice screen. After that the game seems to play like normal.

Something new to play on the Arc, for me at least.

[sirbod]

It runs!

Very well done sir. Patched and tested on both an A3010 and A5000. The behaviour is it plays the intro music/credits then goes to the corrupted screen but immediately starts patching fixes then goes directly to the input choice screen. After that the game seems to play like normal.

Something new to play on the Arc, for me at least.

So it's a combination of issues, the Page Zero access bugs seem to be impacting your machines more than most and we still need to figure out why the Title screen is corrupt and if Econet is an issue.

For Econet, search the !Run for the following text and delete it to reinstate the Econet check:

Code: Select all

730Atari%=FALSE

The title screen issue, try reconfiguring your screen memory "*Configure ScreenSize 160K", then shutdown, power off and perform a SHIFT-PowerOn to start at the Supervisor prompt and without going to the Desktop, manually run !ADFFS then !TEMPLE. Also double check the Module version of ADFFS is 2.83 after loading it.

[jubber]

Changing the Atari part of the line didn't affect any part of the loading sequence that I could see. The game still runs, and things still happen like in the earlier post.

I've set the machine to MODE 15 on boot and reconfigured screensize. Shift power on ignores the !Boot option on my main drive but doesn't boot into the supervisor - it still goes to desktop. Running from here has the same output as above.

The ADFFSFiler is 2.80 and ADFFS is 2.83, when loaded from their one location. This is when using shift-power-on to ensure the boot sequence is not called, so there isn't any way for some rogue ADFFS to be loaded. I even manually ran the modules on another pass, and checked again with *HELP modulename - no change.

Incidentally, although I don't think this matters - the A5000 I'm mostly playing with has four hard drive partitions or visible drives (uncertain what the difference is as far as ADFS is concerned). The !Boot that I can skip is on one partition/drive. The Games drive has ADFFS at the root and it's own simplified !Scrap and !System - and that's it - all the games are in their own folders.

[IanJeffray]

Shift power on ignores the !Boot option on my main drive but doesn't boot into the supervisor - it still goes to desktop. Running from here has the same output as above.

The *configured'd language tells it where to start - you'll find it's 10 ... and module 10 is "Desktop".
You can always start at supervisor by holding keypad-* at startup.

Incidentally, although I don't think this matters - the A5000 I'm mostly playing with has four hard drive partitions or visible drives (uncertain what the difference is as far as ADFS is concerned).

It's not ADFS, it's IDEFS - Wizzo. (ADFS can only handle whole physical discs, so 1 disc = 1 drive, IDEFS allows a physical disc to be partitioned in to logical drives, as you have - to a maximum of four partitions across up to two physical discs). And yes, it "matters" because each drive causes some RAM to be used to hold the disc map for each drive. But it really doesn't matter, as it's really not a lot of RAM