Curse of the Azure Bonds

Curse of the Azure Bonds Update

I have updated the installer on GoogleCode. Second time in the same month.

The major change is that you can now save your game!  This is quite exciting for me, as now the game is actually playable. The file formats are not changed from the original DOS version, so these files should be loadable from DOS, if that sort of thing is of interest.

The three other changes are:

  • small pictures are now displayed correctly, in scripted sequences, like the DEMO.
  • Fighter hit points are correctly managed in the modify player screen.
  • I have mapped the [ and ] keys to the keypad home and end, so menu’s can be scrolled on my laptop as it has no keypad…

So quickly run and get Installer 1.0.4, and play, play, play!

Comments:

CapoCriminali 2008-04-03 15:51:15

Amazing. It’s a bit slow right now on my P-M 1.6Ghz, but wow. Amazing port dude. I’ll surely be keeping your page bookmarked. Noticed the issues that paul had. I’ll update (and build) the latest SVN tomorrow and see what happens.

Simeon 2008-04-03 17:39:05

Yay! a person that is going to build the software. For everybody else I have just flicked up Installer 1.0.5, which has all Paul’s problems fixed. I’ve really been enjoying romping around with Paul’s “crew”. Will post the details of the changes later.

paul 2008-04-04 16:48:38

Excellent… I have already downloaded / installed 1.0.5 and noticed several new problems now that the game works well enough to test them :)

I have another version of my crew, more powerful even (better items, the wizard has almost every spell in the spellbook except for two). Still, it is possible to construct a far more powerful party (the holy grail is to be able to defeat the mulmaster beholder corps without cheating), which I will do when I find some time.

Simeon 2008-03-31 09:36:28

Hello Eki,

From my understanding, that is because the MSI is targeting x86 not x64. Anyway, I’ll look into it, to see if there is anything I can do about it…
This has been recorded as issue 2

Simeon 2008-03-27 13:38:43

I have fixed all of the above issues, except for the loading DOS game issue, as I do not have that…

Simeon 2008-03-24 23:02:00

Wow Pual, thanks so much for the feedback. I had noticed the AC thing seemed wrong, but hadn’t worked out why.
The shop problem seams very funny, the string table is just a big list that I re-wrote by hand, so most likely I’m missing a blank line, and thus the off by one.
Any idea’s where they DOS save game was, or better yet, email me (simeon.pilgrim@gmail.com) the save files, so I can load it and debug the crash. All old games files should work. But I’ve not translated all the code yet.

Eki 2008-03-31 01:13:25

I stumbled on this page on pure luck as I was searching for documentation
for old SSI Gold Box games.

The MSI installer does not seem to work with Windows XP Pro x64.
I only see a popup window for a split of a second and then the installer
quits :(

paul 2008-03-24 18:26:16

A bunch of issues, in no particular order …

I tried loading a saved game created with the dos version, which crashed the game. I presume that isn’t supposed to work yet?

I tried creating a new character. When I save the character, the game asks if I want to overwrite the character (implying that it already exists when it does not). If I say ‘no’ it asks me for a new name, but the add character menu still lists the old name. If a add a character created this way, I can start the game (which was rather exciting).

If, however, if I say ‘yes’ to overwrite character, when I add this character and try to start the game it seems to stay forever on the ‘loading’ text and the game never does start.

The sign on armor class is the opposite of what it should be. A newly created character with a 15 dex is AC -9 according to the game, when it should be AC 9. Equipping the character with plate mail and shield gets it down to AC -1. After modifying the character to give it a dex of 18, the AC is 2 when it should really be -2.

Saving the game from the training menu does not work, but it does work from the encamp menu.

At the general store in Tilverton, I’m pretty sure that the items for purchase list is “off by one”. What I mean is that instead of displaying “silver mirror” (which I know is supposed to be there – I’m running the DOS version side by side) I see “electrum necklace”. (off by one refers to: instead of silver, I see electrum which is the next element in the currency list; and perhaps necklace comes after mirror?). Similarly, instead of the “1 flask of oil” in the DOS version, I see “1 10 ft. pole”. The prices look correct.

The weapons store inventory also curiously had a “drow sling” for sale, instead of the “staff sling” in the DOS version (this was the only discrepancy). I do remember back in my Pools of Darkness hacking days, that it was possible to create all sorts of interesting named items by manipulating the “tokens” in the item’s inventory data. I presume that Curse of the Azure Bonds works in a similar way.

Simeon 2008-04-08 16:02:57

Ok, I’ll take the bait.

Paul what issues have you found?