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  • Mousetext patching the commonly available "Beyond Zork"

    From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 16 15:40:07 2022
    This is the version with .NIB disk 2, interpreter A, release 49/870917.

    Two patches need to be made for this to work, both on the same sector.

    00:D:46 (was 08) 28
    00:D:70 (was FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF)
    AD C0 FB F0 D3 C9 EA F0 DA A9 00 F0 D6

    The original code:

    0941: ADB3FB LDA $FBB3
    0944: C906 CMP #$06 ; //e or later?
    0946: F008 BEQ $0950 ; yes, skip
    .
    .
    .
    0950: ADC0FB LDA $FBC0 ; 0 on //c, non-zero on other systems
    0953: AE8BC0 LDX $C08B
    0956: AE8BC0 LDX $C08B
    0959: 8D47DD STA $DD47 ; save //c ID byte

    I patched the following (096E-09FF is cleared to FF, and not used):

    0941: ADB3FB LDA $FBB3
    0944: C906 CMP #$06 ; //e or later?
    0946: F028 BEQ $0E70 ; yes, skip
    .
    .
    .
    0953: AE8BC0 LDX $C08B
    0956: AE8BC0 LDX $C08B
    0959: 8D47DD STA $DD47 ; save byte
    .
    .
    .
    0970: ADC0FB LDA $FBC0 ; 0 on //c
    0973: F0D3 BEQ $0948 ; yes, proceed as usual
    0975: C9EA CMP #$EA ; original //e?
    0977: F0DA BEQ $0953 ; proceed as before
    0979: A900 LDA #$00 ; set flag to "//c"
    097B: F0D6 BEQ $0953 ; proceed as usual

    There's prolly simpler ways to do this.

    -uso.

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  • From Tempest@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 27 07:41:12 2022
    So what was the problem you fixed? I remember playing BZ on my Enhanced IIe back when it was new with no problems. Is this a IIc specific bug or something?

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  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to Tempest on Thu Jan 27 23:00:48 2022
    On Thu, 27 Jan 2022, Tempest wrote:

    So what was the problem you fixed? I remember playing BZ on my Enhanced
    IIe back when it was new with no problems. Is this a IIc specific bug
    or something?

    By its design, it only shows MouseText on the //c (restricts itself to
    ASCII otherwise).

    My patch makes it show MouseText on an Enhanced //e or IIgs as well, by patching the detection routine to treat them as a //c. (Enhancement
    patch)

    -uso.

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  • From Tempest@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 28 05:41:50 2022
    Awesome! Beyond Zork is my favorite Infocom game, but it never looked (especially the map) as good as the other versions. What tool do you use to go about patching the disk image? Can yo post the patched disk image?

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  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to Tempest on Fri Jan 28 11:51:38 2022
    On Fri, 28 Jan 2022, Tempest wrote:

    Awesome! Beyond Zork is my favorite Infocom game, but it never looked (especially the map) as good as the other versions. What tool do you
    use to go about patching the disk image? Can yo post the patched disk
    image?


    Copy ][+ or a hex editor.

    I did upload what I'm pretty sure is the hack: http://6.buric.co/bzork.zip (bzork1.dsk = unpatched, the same file I got off Asimov; bzork1new.dsk = patched).

    It doesn't seem to help the map, unfortunately.

    -uso.

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  • From Tempest@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 28 09:43:34 2022
    It doesn't seem to help the map, unfortunately.

    Oh really? Rats. What does it help with then? Where do the Mousetext characters appear?

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  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to Tempest on Fri Jan 28 17:47:33 2022
    On Fri, 28 Jan 2022, Tempest wrote:

    It doesn't seem to help the map, unfortunately.

    Oh really? Rats. What does it help with then? Where do the Mousetext characters appear?


    I know for example they're used around the description box. Thus the description box, which is inverted on the //e, has a frame around it on
    the //c - or if patched.

    Also the arrow key prompt uses the actual arrows.

    -uso.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Tempest@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 30 09:52:06 2022
    Oh I see now. I'm so used to it being inverted that it looks funny now. :) I hope this gets added to the Pitch Dark collection.

    I always wondered why the Apple II version couldn't draw a real map. Even the C128 version was able to do it.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to Tempest on Sun Jan 30 17:45:42 2022
    On Sun, 30 Jan 2022, Tempest wrote:

    Oh I see now. I'm so used to it being inverted that it looks funny now.
    :) I hope this gets added to the Pitch Dark collection.

    I always wondered why the Apple II version couldn't draw a real map.
    Even the C128 version was able to do it.

    The C128 has loadable fonts. To do it on the Apple //e would require
    using graphics mode.

    I bet the Apple /// could do it though - but I don't understand enough Z3
    let alone Beyond Zork's Z5 to be able to do anything in that regard. (I'm still stuck reverse-engineering the Z3 interpreter M.)

    -uso.

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  • From I am Rob@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 30 19:58:24 2022
    I bet the Apple /// could do it though - but I don't understand enough Z3 let alone Beyond Zork's Z5 to be able to do anything in that regard. (I'm still stuck reverse-engineering the Z3 interpreter M.)

    I have quite a bit of the Z3 interpreter commented out since you last posted the link to the source. Personally I want to disassemble the Z6 interpreter from Arthur so I have taken an interest in your reverse-engineering project as I suspect there will
    be a lot of similarities. If you want to see what I have done, let me know how I can get the source to you.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to I am Rob on Mon Jan 31 00:10:59 2022
    On Sun, 30 Jan 2022, I am Rob wrote:


    I bet the Apple /// could do it though - but I don't understand enough Z3
    let alone Beyond Zork's Z5 to be able to do anything in that regard. (I'm
    still stuck reverse-engineering the Z3 interpreter M.)

    I have quite a bit of the Z3 interpreter commented out since you last
    posted the link to the source. Personally I want to disassemble the Z6 interpreter from Arthur so I have taken an interest in your reverse-engineering project as I suspect there will be a lot of
    similarities. If you want to see what I have done, let me know how I
    can get the source to you.

    Just about any method probably works. I don't mask my e-mail, if that
    helps.

    -uso.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From I am Rob@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 30 23:49:45 2022
    If you want to see what I have done, let me know how I
    can get the source to you.
    Just about any method probably works. I don't mask my e-mail, if that
    helps.

    Google disabled the "Reply to Author" button, and I can no longer bring up anyone's email address. Is "buric" your website and do you have a drop box at it?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Steve Nickolas@21:1/5 to I am Rob on Mon Jan 31 03:40:37 2022
    On Sun, 30 Jan 2022, I am Rob wrote:

    If you want to see what I have done, let me know how I
    can get the source to you.
    Just about any method probably works. I don't mask my e-mail, if that
    helps.

    Google disabled the "Reply to Author" button, and I can no longer bring
    up anyone's email address. Is "buric" your website and do you have a
    drop box at it?


    Oy. Google always breaking the internet.

    It's my website but it doesn't really have much there. My e-mail is
    usotsuki at buric dot co. (It's a domain hack, but the pun is in
    Japanese.)

    -uso.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)