Don't yarf: DRAKAN

[,jACkdA\W]

I do know how old this game is... (as if that would matter...) ...so if someone feels inclined to yarf around, don't expect an answer from me (for a change). I found that this game's CD-chek will NOT be beaten by DT 347 - it's probably a sort of ATAPI check, but i ain't got any machine/system 'round here with 346 or older DT versions installed. I have been trying to run the german version from a couple of image formats, always resulting in 'insert disk' messages (nope, it's NOT about the installation drive). Is there anybody around who can tell me how to pull this one off or just generally enlighten me on matters i don't know about there?

[Reef]

Maybe the game only checks your first drive. And if that's not your DT drive, it will not work.

I know this problem occurs with many old games. Only solution is to swap drive letters, making the DT drive the first CD/DVD drive on your system.

[,jACkdA\W]

Nope, thanks, but that ain't it - the (only) physical drive is not the first, and it's got a definite 'CD Path' reg entry anyway. And the really strange thing is, this 'Insert disk' message shows up prior to any visible drive operation, and will also laugh at me when the physical disk is in the physical drive, but 'CD path' points elsewhere (to a virtual one) without an image being in there. And if i then mount one with this 'configuration', it does load - doing just some one-second access on the physical disk then, otherwise using the image. That's why i think it just has some method to discern the physical drive from the virtual ones prior to actually accessing the disk... assuming, of course, that this behaviour really is intentional and no the result of a bug or careless programming of some kind.

[Kitna]

Maybe Drakan won't run from a SCSI device?

[,jACkdA\W]

Been thinking of that ('careless pogramming'), but no way i could check this with a physical SCSI drive.

[Kitna]

I have just tested this myself.
I only have the english version to test though.
Created an image from my original into mdf format.
I don't have D-Tools installed but I mounted it into my Alcohol v-drive.
I installed and ran from V:
It is not my first drive letter.
Game runs fine.
I patched it to v4.45 and it still runs ok.
The english version is not protected. Perhaps the german version has some form of copy protection?

As a side note:
In order to get the game to run under WinXP I had to hold shift on load and select "Developer Mode".
Then to start the game I had to load "Ruined Village"

[Nemerov]

I've the original german version of Drakan (most likely beneath a pile of other dusty cds). If you want, I'll make a quick check tomorrow.

[,jACkdA\W]

@Nemerov: if you find the time to spare, that would be nice. I've been checking on 98SE so far, i'll test Kitna's approach on XP the next days... but right now i imperatively must continue with Arcanum, i've fallen in love again
ps. Scanners fail to find any protection, but given it's age, that's not surprising...

[Kitna]

ps. Scanners fail to find any protection, but given it's age, that's not surprising...

In this case I always rip my image with sub-channel data. A few protections from this era used propriatory sub-channel based protections.
How did you create the image?

[,jACkdA\W]

WHA!?

Alright...

@Kitna: same with me, i made .mds, .bwt, .b5t and even tried (don't yarf ) old VirtualCD 4, all with subchannel data, with the described effects above on my 98SE, but...
@Nemerov: hope you didn't take the time yet... i right now checked it on my sec machine, an XP which is not packing, original (unpatched) german version installed and ran without any qualms whatsoever from .mds with DT... :?:
So thats prolly one more instance of 'let's have a talk with that system' ... but thanks and sorry for your time guys.

[Nemerov]

Re: WHA!?

Alright... [...] don't yarf

I don't, I'm re-playing Tomb Raider 2 right now . It's even more dusty than Drakan, but hey... Unfortunately, I got home today pretty late, so I hadn't the chance to create any images yet. BTW, ,jACkdA\W, when you're playing some retro-titles, don't forget the good old Resident Evil 1!

[,jACkdA\W]

Well, i actually think Tomby 2 is the worst of 'em, but i sort of recently (re)installed 3 and 4, and the third i'm actually still with btw, DT is imperative to use with those... and until i can get get hold of the first part DIRECTOR'S CUT for PC, i'll have to stick with RE part three and that NICE zombie-walking-over-desktop proggy... hey why do i think you should love it btw. if it comes to dusty stuff try Arcanum it's such a sorry i got around to admiring the qualities of one of the approximately five true roleplaying games ever years after it's release...
Greetings!

[Nemerov]

I think I've read about Arcanum before, but that's quite a long time ago. I assume that it's the game in which both magic and technology exist - with a resulting conflict between them. I heard rumors about regulations concerning mages who travel: Mages are forced to sit at the very back of every steam train, as they could interfere with the train's steam engine :P! I'm not 100% sure whether that's Arcanum.

[Kitna]

it's such a sorry i got around to admiring the qualities of one of the approximately five true roleplaying games ever years after it's release...
Greetings!

What are the other 4 titles you list with Arcanum?

I've recently gone back to Tomb Raider 1. I'm playing on a PSX emulator so I can use more than 1 gamepad button though unlike my PC version

[,jACkdA\W]

That 'five' was sort of an... errrm.... let's call it an estimate basically, i've gotten some ('real-world' ) flaming by certain compagnions for vociferously pointing out that things can, IM-not-so-HO, be either a role-playing game or a computer game... 8) .... but, 'moddable' stuff aside (NWN comes to mind, it's awesome in this aspect), i'd like to mention stuff like the Fallout series (technically, so to speak, including Lionheart), the Gothic stuff, Baldur's Gate (guess you guessed that one) ... Vampire[Redemption] and Arx Fatalis are also noteworthy... and i got some sort-of-obscure thingy called Paradise Cracked, looks like a not-that-state-of-the-art-when-come-to-teknix implementation of Shadowrun/Cyberpunk, if this one keeps up to at least half the promise, it might be the first one of this kind ever to keep me in front of the screen for more than an hour...

Sadly, the days of Ultima V and likes that could keep me occupied for close to a year seem to be long gone... but i'm very certain that's not because i've grown too old :twisted:
ps. i dont' do online-only gaming. Feel free to add...