Xanadu Adventure by Hopesoft

[b_b_c_m_i_c_r_o_2]

Has anyone here played this particular game (by Hopesoft) ?

[leenew]

Helloooooooo....
I thought you may have put more details here Lurkio

Lee.

[lurkio]

Give us a chance! I'm busy scanning Beeb docs here. (Thanks, John/flaxcottage!) There's a limit to how much Beebery that even I can do at the same time!

Anyway, Xanadu Adventure...

There are two main problems.

1. The disk image on Stairway To Hell doesn't seem to work properly. In BeebEm, it always crashes once you get to a certain point in the game (in my experience, anyway).

2. The tape image seems to be better. It works, but I could still only get so far into the game (quite a bit further than with the disk image, admittedly) before I got stuck. There's supposed to be a definite endgame that's triggered once you find and deposit all the treasures, but I could never trigger it: either (a) you find and deposit all the treasures and then nothing happens, or (b) you can't find all the treasures because one of the objects, the bean, which is crucial to unlocking the second half of the map, is nowhere to be seen! (It seems to be randomly placed, sometimes out of reach!)

I even managed to track down the original author of the game and the two playtesters (the author's sons), but it was all so long ago that they've forgotten a lot about the game and couldn't tell me where exactly I was going wrong (if indeed I was).

I've documented all this as user ahope1 on the CASA forum. See the end of this thread:

http://solutionarchive.com/phpBB3/viewt ... ?f=3&t=587

That thread contains a link to a copy of my (incomplete?) map of the game: [EDIT: old map deleted. See updated map.]

Can you get any further in Xanadu Adventure than I did?

Or does the game need hacking to make it winnable?

There's no evidence that anyone's ever managed to finish it! No walkthroughs on CASA or the wider web. No old magazine reviews that mention anything useful. Nothing!

[leenew]

How do you know you have ALL the treasures Lurkio?
Maybe this could be the first hack?
Lee.

[duikkie]

it is a very large game

can anyone get the loading data from the tape version

the disc version is loading at &1100 till &7f50 allmost all ram at 7f00 it execute a mc/ download routine to e00 till 7c00 , lengte &6e00.

it must be mode7: the 6502 code starts at 6b00 when downloaded and there is a option to save something ???

but if downloaded you can't save anything on disc the eoo / 1100 problem

before i look further and solve the game , is the tape version ever saving things on tape ??

i think that problem 1 , 6b00 returns want to save something , but in disc version that is not possible. . it hangs the beeb

on tape version i don't know

the question is : is the tape version allso &6e00 long ??

there is maybe a problem with ramspace himem and lomem !!

if there is not any ram left and program want to store a variable value it can't
because mode7 starts at 7c00.is himem. if lomem is allso 7c00 you can see the problem only m/c can store anywhere in memory.

you can load the game at 1100: page=&1100 : old : list
this is basic and is i think the problem.

[duikkie]

i very quick look at the program.

someone did not know what he/she was doing !!!!

maybe the game was protected from tape
so they use a rom like ICE to save all of the beeb memory on disc.

in the middle of the program i see assemble code from basic input, part of basic program

all you get if you not cleanup you memory , run a program and ICE the hole memory.


so if not somebody have the orginal tape version, probbely proteced
i think we are missing some program parts.

statements like REM 1B , is not making anything. maybe it was a call to memory ?? after 1B there is the killing 0D FF( end basic) with 30 ff ff ff ( the 30 means that something else was on 0D FF.

[Arcadian]

Original tape image is here:
http://www.stairwaytohell.com/bbc/archi ... ture_B.zip

[duikkie]

i can't read uef files, but i don't know if this is not corrupt as well, because the disc version is maybe only the mc routine on top of that &6e00 data file.

nobody the real tape ??

Original tape image is here:
http://www.stairwaytohell.com/bbc/archi ... ture_B.zip

[Arcadian]

Yes - I have the original tape - I converted it to the UEF file linked above.

You can load uef files into B-Em, BeebEm etc.

But if that's still no good, I should be able to transfer the files onto an SSD image for you, if that would help? (Just not now as I'm about to leave for the footy! )

[duikkie]

if you can make one day the ssd image

b-em and beebem is for the pc, i never use my pc if i am working on my beeb

only the real thing no emulations

but is the tape data file &6e00 long ??

Yes - I have the original tape - I converted it to the UEF file linked above.

You can load uef files into B-Em, BeebEm etc.

But if that's still no good, I should be able to transfer the files onto an SSD image for you, if that would help? (Just not now as I'm about to leave for the footy! )

[richardtoohey]

Get a Master, then you can load to &E00 and still have DFS!

[duikkie]

a master has other problems

but the &e00 is not the problem. it is what is done to the program. mess up the tape version i think.

hopefully line 20 is not REM 1B ?? that is strange and before that save bytes ???

Get a Master, then you can load to &E00 and still have DFS!

[richardtoohey]

OK, using Beebem to check the UEF:

Code: Select all

>*TAPE
>*OPT 1 2
>*.
XANADU     6D 6E00    00000E00 00000E00

And if I then load it (on a virtual Master) I can save to SSD ... (hang on a minute)

EDIT: here you go. Yes, the listing is a bit weird - 2 lines of BASIC. But it DOES seem to work. On Beebem, Master, CHAIN "XANADU" and the game starts.

Code: Select all

10IFUSR&6B00 AND1THEN*SAVE"DATA"2D022E2E
20REM 1B

[lurkio]

Yes, the listing is a bit weird - 2 lines of BASIC. But it DOES seem to work. On Beebem, Master, CHAIN "XANADU" and the game starts.

Code: Select all

10IFUSR&6B00 AND1THEN*SAVE"DATA"2D022E2E
20REM 1B

Here's a not-very-good hack of a loader which works in Model B mode in BeebEm by lowering PAGE to &1100, which just about leaves enough space for the prog. But I'm not sure if loading from &1100 up to and into screen memory and then downloading from there is corrupting the program data? Anyway, I'm sure duikkie can come up with a better solution!

[EDIT: See updated disc image.]

before i look further and solve the game , is the tape version ever saving things on tape ??

Here's what the original printed instructions say:

ZZZZ ends the Adventure. It asks you if you want to save it, so that you can start again from that point. If you do want to save it, type Y and then record on a (blank) tape. To start again from the saved point, *LOAD "DATA" (don't forget the asterisk) using this tape after you've loaded XANADU (use LOAD rather than CHAIN), and type RUN. It only takes a few seconds to save the data on tape. After you've saved the data, if you type RUN, you'll restart at the point you stopped.

How do you know you have ALL the treasures Lurkio?

Well, most of the treasures are scattered across the map at random when you start a new game and, after re-playing the game many, many times, I've stopped finding new treasures. However, given that one or two treasures are always found in fixed locations, it's possible that there are more such locations that I haven't discovered yet -- i.e. my map may be incomplete.

Similarly, it's possible that the reason why I sometimes can't seem to find the all-important bean (the object that gives you access to the second half of the map) is that it's sometimes initialised in a location I haven't yet discovered. Again, my map may be incomplete.

So, yes, it could be that I haven't fully covered all the terrain in the game or found all the treasures. But I've given it a bloody good go, and I'm damned if I can think of anywhere else to go or anything else to try. Plus, all those dragons that pop up at random and kill you don't exactly make it easy to go explorin'!

[leenew]

If it won't spoil your fun too much, could you list your treasures and then dump the memory and cross-reference them. They are there (I had a quick peek)

Lee.

[richardtoohey]

I'm not sure if loading from &1100 up to and into screen memory and then downloading from there is corrupting the program data?

You can get away with that but need to make sure you use a program - otherwise when you type *SAVE on top of the code/data you'll corrupt it. So something like

Code: Select all

MODE7:PAGE=&900:NEW
1*L.XANADU 1100
2*S.XANADU 1100+6E00

The downloader would have to be adjusted as well, I guess? Haven't looked yet.

&1100+&6E00 takes you to &7F00, so you can just get away with it ...

Alternatively you could work out where &7F00 is and make sure you have the cursor there (i.e. past the loaded code/data) before you get the > prompt and start typing. A little program is probably easier!

EDIT - hang on, my little program doesn't make any sense at all, does it?

It needs to be the downloader - so something more along the lines of:

Code: Select all

*LOAD XANADU 1100
[download loop]
CALL &E00

[duikkie]

oke i will look at today. it is bad weather outside.

the disc version is loaded at 1100 till 7f50 , from 7f00 there is a m/c downloader that works fine downloading it to e00 till 7c00 , then the old, run rountine

i write it down from *DUMP xanadu, because you can't disamble 7f00 from exmon
it was only &50 bytes

the problem is the two basic lines , i can't see what the finish is yet

but i have seen de ZZZZ line in program.

i found it still strange to find , bits of basic program in m/c code and more pieces of 00 00 00 00 and ff ff ff ff ff

are there pictures or things on screen if you play ??
or is it all tekst ??

[duikkie]

oke here are the first list of words. found in program

and,bean,bottle,can't,corridor,carr,ceil,chamber,cave,door,direction,down,dragon,flow, floor,forest,grow,ground,here,is,it,in,a,ing,ing,ight,into,look,large,lead,narrow

open,other,outside,path,paper,passage,room,rock,round,shillings,stone,small,stalk,stream,steps,sword,sound,the,there,through,turn,unconscious,water,walls,with,what,which,you're,you've,you

North,South,East,West


more to come

[duikkie]

more words

nort,sout,east,west,n,s,e,w
up,clim,down,in,insi,out,outs,cross,acro,over,back,retr,get,take,drop,thro,torc,
lamp,ligh,swor,axe,carr,

bag,lunc,food,feed,wate,ruby,ring,diam,silv,bar,gold,nugg,emer,crow,pers,rug,silk,spic,plat,pyra,grow
,bean

ladd,bott,fill,oil,drag,buy,sell,dwar,pape,read,mink,forg,refo,mend,pay,kill,kick,hit,

stab,atta,figh,plan

pour,ally,alli,brea,end,adve,ligh,on,bunc,keys,open,unlo,grat,lock,clos,shut,post
,card,depo,scor,bat,vamp,pouc,jewe,pull

[duikkie]

there are a few more but melt together

and because i am not english, it is a puzzel

i have found open space from 6800 till 6b00 , maybe i can use to place the
e00 to 1100 part.

so that it can load allways from 1100 unpacking 6800..6b00 to e00..1100

the only problem is where do i put the download routine in the program ??

option is a preloader with

*load xanadu
move downlaoder to a00
call &a00

but that is two programs than
but the nastly fill screen with things is gone then

[duikkie]

can anyone with master do the following thing for me

*load xanadu e00
*save xan1 e00 10ff e00 e00
*save xan2 1100 7bff 1100 1100

with real beeb this is difficult

make a ssd file of xan1,xan2.

[leenew]

here

xanadu.zip

(17.18 KiB) Downloaded 90 times

[duikkie]

thanks leenew,

off course i did make an error , read your books *save e00 total+1

but that i can correct myself , i miss 1 byte &3f and 00

i had to be

*save xan1 e00 +300(or 1100)
*save xan2 1100 +6b00(or 7c00)

but no need for new ssd, i add the byte myself

here

xanadu.zip

[lurkio]

you could work out where &7F00 is and make sure you have the cursor there (i.e. past the loaded code/data)

That's effectively what I did in the loader in my previous post. It's a *KEY0 definition in a !BOOT file. It moves the cursor out of the way, loads the game file in from &1100 to &7F00, switches to tape, downloads to &E00 and then OLDs and RUNs. This seems to work in Model B mode in BeebEm.

[EDIT: See updated disc image, which eliminates the use of *KEY0.]

[leenew]

Lurkio do you recognise (and have you collected) all of the "treasures" in Duikkie's list above?

Lee.

[duikkie]

oke is not what people want but i have made a better disc version of xanadu

the file is shorter gives a beeb ?? when you can play ??

the downloader is at 67C0 till 6800 , it downloads 6800 till 6b00 to e00 .. 1100

i named it D.xanadu thus *run D.XANADU will work on my real beeb

not that overloading over mode 7 . shame on programmer who do that !!!
i did a trick so beeb-em ???

[leenew]

Works on Beeb-em in Master Mode and Model B mode

Cool!

Now to complete the game....


Lee.

[duikkie]

yeah yeah and the walkthough in a minute

is there a begin of a walktough, i am not a player rember.
i cheat by loking in the program

Works on Beeb-em in Master Mode and Model B mode

Cool!

Now to complete the game....


Lee.

[1024MAK]

duikkie - another machine code master to add to the hall of fame?

Good work

Mark

[leenew]

Duikkie there is a map earlier in the thread (but this may be incomplete? ) and no walkthrough as nobody can finish it!!

Is it possible to list all of the treasures that score points, and somehow find the text compression/printing routine and print out all of the text in the game so we can see if we have missed any locations??
Sounds easy

Lee.