MAC INCOMPATIBLE GAMES LIST
Brian S. Lev
[last update: 30-AUG-1994]
================================
NOTE: In the interest of keeping my job, I have to limit how often I post
this list, and *cannot* handle any extensive number of email requests (no
matter how much I want to). If you need additional copies of this list,
it's archived at other sites by the very, very nice people listed below;
please try using FTP *before* asking me to email extra copies!
-- by James Wang (maintainer of the AV Mac FTP Archive)
ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/jwang/broken-games.txt
-- by Christina Schulman (maintainer of the comp.sys.mac.games FAQ)
ftp://michael.nmr.upmc.edu/pub/mac/broken-games-list.txt
I. Changes Since Last Release
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Busytown (Richard Scarry) -- new listing
Civilization -- new listing (question)
Jump Raven -- new info, new patch!
Lode Runner -- new listing, new fixes(?)
Realmz -- new info and fixes(?)
Seventh Guest -- new listing (bug only!)
V for Victory -- new patch info
II. Why Did Anything Break?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A number of games "broke" outright when the original AV Macs came out for
two main reasons: they didn't have the old sound chip the other Macs had,
and they used the new SoundManager 3.0 (in their ROMs) to handle sound.
If the game-maker followed Apple guidelines, there shouldn't have been any
trouble; if they instead wrote directly to the sound chip (as many did to
increase speed somewhat), well... things got ugly. ALL the new Macs -- the
PowerBook 500 series and the PowerPC-based models -- now share this problem
with the original AV models because of new sound chips and SM3.
III. What Do Those Funny Letters Mean?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All games are listed alphabetically in the next two sections (those that
definitely broke, and those that are suspect). If a name is followed by
some combination of "AV" and/or "PPC" in brackets, it means the problem is
limited to that type of Mac; otherwise, it applies to both (I include the
new PowerBooks under PPC, even though they're '040 based). There is a
short description of the problem following each game's name, along with a
fix (if available)... credits are at the end... This list includes the
contents of a similar AV-oriented list maintained on CompuServe by Steve
Kim over in the UK. If you have any comments, changes, and/or additions,
please email them to me at l...@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov ...thanks!
IV. Games That Broke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4D Boxing
CRASHES; reports that it works on a 660AV by setting volume to zero
Arashi (aka "Storm")
Version 1.1.1 FIXES all the problems, but older versions crash; some
reports that v1.1a works on a 660AV when "System 6.0.7 sounds" is
selected from the config screen when the game starts up; others say
setting sound to zero fixes the problem.
Armor 1.2
Crashes as soon as a game is completed on a 660AV.
Bane of the Cosmic Forge
CRASHES; no fix yet...
Battle Chess
Older versions aren't 32-bit clean and die; only one report of trouble
with the "enhanced" (CD-ROM) version.
Richard Scarry's "Busytown"
Crashes on a 6100/60, no fix yet...
Chuck Yeager's AFT Flight Simulator
Works, but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Crystal Quest
Martin W. reports no sound on an 840AV
Curse of the Azure Bonds
works, but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Dark Queen of Krynn
works, but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Dungeon of Doom
There are reports that even the most recent release (v5.4) still
crashes AV Macs...
Falcon MC
Version 1.0.1 fixed the problems for some users. A new patch is
supposed to be available now that fixed it for everyone.
Heaven & Earth
SoundManager 3.0 incompatible; Buena Vista software is "contemplating"
an update. Some users report that it works OK if you turn off the '040
cache and/or remove the startup "snd" resource.
Hell Cab
FIX AVAILABLE! Send your "broken" disk in its case to: Time-Warner
Interactive Group, 2210 W. Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506, ATTN: Don
Godwin. They'll send you back the "new" version. NOTE: if you send the
CD in its "jewel box" case, make sure you let TWI know you want it back,
or they'll return the new disk in an envelope instead!
HellCats / LeyteGulf
Work okay but NO SOUND; working patches for these games are available!
The Hellcats patch must be applied to version 1.0.3, and the Leyte patch
must be applied to version 1.0.1. (These patches will *probably* work
on PPC Macs!) The patches were posted to AOL on April 14th, and are now
propagating across the 'net. NOTE: using the "Get info" only returns
"Ver. 1.0" on both games, but this isn't the true version number! You
have to use the "About..." choice under the Apple Menu AFTER starting
the game, and look in the corner of the artwork to get the true version.
HemiRoids 1.0
Soundmanager 3 incompatibility FIXED in version 1.1!
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis [AV]
Reports of crashes as soon as Indy goes thru the window in the opening
sequence, crashes on games being saved, crashes when saved games are
re-opened, and crashes if drive-monitoring extensions are installed.
The game should work if the "sAVe the disk" extension is installed.
Iraq Attack 1.0.2
CRASHES due to SoundManager 3 incompatibility; no fix yet... (NOTE: I
have some reports that this works fine on a 660av...)
Jeopardy
Final Jeopardy questions get garbled and the sound is weird. FIXED in
version 1.0.1. Gametek will send you a new working version if you send
them the master disk.
Lemmings
Both the AV problem and a copy protection bug are FIXED in v1.5.2; to
receive the upgrade send proof of purchase (e.g., a photocopy of the
front page of the manual or disk) OR the original program disk, and a
check for US$5 to Psygnosis Ltd., 675 Massachussetts Avenue, Cambridge
MA 02139. [information comes from psyg...@psygnosis.com]
Lode Runner
This broke for both AV and PPC Macs. Will Fleming says the following
(dangerous!) fix will help for newer Macs and "maybe" for AV Macs:
>> Using Resedit (or something similar), look in the CODE 1 resource and
make the following changes: "31DF A29A" should become "3B5F A29A";
"31DF AE28" should become "3B5F AE28"; and "31DF AE26" should become
"3B5F AE26".
Lucas Arts Mac CD Game Pack II
CRASHES; SoundManager 3.0 incompatible
Lunicus
The newest version (1.2?) seems to run okay. Meanwhile, the AV fix is
available; Cyberflix has placed it on Compuserve (the path may be Mac
entertainment/game aids/addons/LunicusAV.fix), and were "trying" to get
it onto AOL. There have also been reports of problems with non-AV
Power Macs.
Might & Magic III
Had major SoundManager 3.0 problems, but a FIX IS AVAILABLE at:
info-mac/game/com/might-and-magic-iii-av-updt.hqx Also, if you don't
have the update, there are reports that turning off the music (but
leaving on the sound effects) will work!
Mille Bornes (v1.2.1)
Crashes if you leave the sound on; works well with sound off.
Moonbase
CRASHES; SoundManager 3 incompatible; no fix (some users report no
problems, while I can't get it to run on my 660AV).
Net Trek 3.0 [AV]
Michael W. reports it consistently crashes his 840AV
Out Of This World
Several users found that menu bar access caused crashes. If you use
ResEdit to add command keys to the basic menu items (New Game, Open
Game, etc.) it's okay. This was FIXED in v1.0.2! An updater is
available via anonymous FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu; look in
info-mac/game/com for a file called "ootw-10-to-102-updater.hqx ".
Oxyd
The AV problem is FIXED in the current version (3.6); if you can't find
a copy on the net, you can contact from Dongleware at 617-497-1130.
Pathways Into Darkness
Version 1.0 (hard to find, luckily!) is not 32-bit compatible; this
problem affects ONLY v1.0, very few copies of which made it into stores.
Pax Imperia
Some users report that this dies on an 840AV as soon as you try to view
the surface of a planet. There are reports that you can do a fix "...by
hacking the SND resource for the title music with ResEdit, and click on
the 'Preload' checkbox."
Pool of Radiance
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Pools of Darkness
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Populous
Works okay but NO SOUND; Electronic Arts says they know it doesn't like
AV Macs but had no comment on whether or not a fix will be attempted...
Red Baron
Reports that mouse control sends you into non-survivable spin on *any*
Mac since the LCii. FIXED by turning off mouse control and flying with
the keyboard by using the *undocumented* keystroke Option-D (or Alt-D).
Apparently, Sierra/Dynamics knows about the problem, but has said no
official fix will be released.
Rescue 1.5.1
FIXED in current version (2.0.3)
Rise of the Dragon
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Robosport
Some reports of trouble on a 660AV; Maxis reports that setting the
system to 16 colors before starting the game may fix the trouble.
Sands of Fire
M. Wellman reports that v1.1 has no sound on an 840AV.
Secret of the Silver Blades
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Shanghai II
A fix is available for the sound and "some other bugs"; the URL for
Info-Mac (you should probably try an info-mac mirror!) is:
ftp://sumex-aim.stanford.edu/info-mac/game/com/shanghai-ii-105-updt.hqx
Sky Shadow [AV?]
Martin W. reports no sound (forgot which version) on an 840AV.
Space Quest IV
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Spaceship Warlock
An AV-compatible version is now available ("for a small fee"). You can
contact Reactor at: Reactor, 445 West Erie, Chicago, IL 60610 or call
312-573-0800 or fax 312-573-0891 NOTE: Many copies in stores are still
the older versions that are incompatible with SoundManager 3!
Sperm from Space
As embarassing as the name of this one is, it was always worthwhile
showing jaded game-players... but now it be dead.
STORM 0.9b (aka "Arashi")
Crashes as soon as it's opened on a 660AV
Strategic Conquest [AV]
Martin W. reports v2.0 (an older version) has no sound on an 840AV
Super Tetris
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Tetris
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Tetris 2000
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Unlimited Adventures
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
V for Victory
CRASHES; should be OK if you set the sound to zero when starting. Old
upgrade patch (to v4.01) on info-mac apparently may NOT fix the AV Mac
problem. (patch URL is ftp://atomic.com/pub/patches/v4v/mac/)
Valkyrie
Reports of all except training mission freezing on 660AV; Gametek is
supposed to be working on a fix.
Vette! and ColorVette!
CRASHES; Spectrum HoloByte says no fix is planned.
Virtual Valerie (the "regular" version)
CRASHES; there's supposed to be an AV-compatible version somewhere...
Virtual Valerie II
OOPS! It looks like it *does* lose sound! (bummer...)
Welltris
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet... see notes below concerning other
games in this series.
Wordtris
Works okay but NO SOUND; no fix yet...
World Builder
This is a game-BUILDING system, not just a game; unfortunately, *any*
game created with the World Builder system will *not* work on any of
the AV Macs, and probably not on any of the PowerPC Macs.
V. Games That Are Suspect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bolo
Roughly equal "dead" and "not dead" reports; one user reports it works
(but is boring!) if you remove all the sounds.
C.H.A.O.S. Continuum
Reports of SoundManager 3.0 problems.
Civilization
One report of crashes on a 6100/16...
Darkseed
Reports of crash problems on 660AV
Dr. Macinto
Roughly equal "dead" and "not dead" reports; user reports that it works
on an 840AV with version 1.1 of the the 088 enabler.
GuySpy
Some reports the manufacturer said this game wasn't designed to run on
any '040-based system. Some users report only minor problems.
Journeyman Project
Reports of sound-based problems on 660AV, especially when memory is low.
Jump Raven (CD-ROM/v1.0)
Reports of no sound on a Power Macintosh 6100/60AV or 8100/80AV. Also
some reports of problems where keyboard commands & on-screen buttons
fail to work. Cyberflix has posted a Power Mac patch on CIS and AOL
(look in AOL's "arcade#2" section).
LOOM
Reports of "spotty sound problems", but they don't seem to hinder
operation of the game.
MacSyndicate
No AV or PPC problems -- but it requires *16* colors, and anyone who's
added a video card that won't drop that low can't play the game! :-(
MYST
There are multiple reports of glitches on all Macs, but several that
refer to specific conflicts with the two Geoport extensions on AV Macs;
the game was fine when the extensions were de-installed.
Populous II
Reports of crashes upon exit from World0 on a 660AV.
Prince of Persia II
There is a bug that makes you lose a life at very short (30 second?)
intervals, at random times; this problem seems to affect ALL Macs.
Realmz 1.3
Consistent reports of Type 1 bomb-outs, but here are some possible fixes
courtesy of Will Fleming:
>> There is an INIT conflict with the Geoport extensions; boot with all
extensions off (hold SHIFT on startup).
>> To bix a bug in the shop, choose fast buy/sell/trade from the
preferences menu (note the geoport extensions have to be off!)
>> Another general bug: in the guardhouse, instead of choosing to battle
in the south go to the East (you won't be able to go south and the
bug is fixed).
Secret of Monkey Island
Reports of crashes immediately after the intro; also reports of it
running fine with sound off.
Seek 'N' Destroy
Reports of crash problems with this "Battleship" clone.
Seventh Guest, The
No AV or PPC problems, but Virgin Games reports that it will bomb on
some puzzles if the memory allocation (both max and min) is anything
except 2300K!
Sparkz
Possible SoundManager 3 incompatibility
Star Trek 25th Anniversary
Reports of crashes on startup (temporarily fixed after re-install) with
"coprocessor not installed" message; crashes upon opening saved scenario
(fixed after re-install); sporadic sound problems.
Stellar 7
Some reports of crash problems or control problems.
Where in the [USA / World] is Carmen Sandiego
User reports system hangs as you type in the first detective character
name on both games (even with v1.5 upgrade of "World").
Xplora 1 (Peter Gabriel CD-ROM)
Works fine using the HyperCard player on the CD, but there are reports
of crashes using other versions of the HC Player.
VI. Note On Sierra Games Bug
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many Sierra games had a bug that kills them if your system clock shows a
date after September 17, 1993; patches are available at various Internet
sites, or send Sierra a letter and request a patch for your game: Sierra
On-Line Patch Disk, Dept. 10, PO Box 485, Coarsegold CA 93614-0485
VII. Credit Given Where Credit Due!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, extra-special thanks to James Wang at Berkeley and Stephen Kim in
the U.K. for their AV game lists, commentaries, and help! Also, thanks are
due to everyone who's helped update this list, including (but not limited
to): Joe Bisson; Erich Bratton; Peter Cohen; Laurent Daudelin; Tony Day,
Christian Doenges, John Allan Dunning; Fei...@eskimo.com; Will Fleming;
Erik Giberson; Jeremy Goldberg; Mark Haynes; David Heimbach; Eric
Holdrinet; John Hutchinson; Joe Jelemensky; Micah Johnson; Bruce Kahn; Bob
Knowlden; Mychael Mai; Mark Murgittroyd; Michael Pazzani; Eric Perlman;
Richard Ryenolds; Ed Seiler; Bill Waits; Chris Weiss; Michael Wellman;
Martin Won; and many, many others!