Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    
    It's out.  I read a rave review on PLINK last night.  The poster
    said it was as good as the demo.  Better, in fact.  Like watching
    the laser disk version.  He didn't elaborate on the mechanics of
    loading 6 megs worth of game from floppy, though.
    
    Ed.
    

    but what about some facts??? like where did he get it??? and how fast
    is it at playing??? and will it install on a hard disk??? 
                                             
    LEAD ON ADVENTURURE YOUR QUEST AWAITS !!!
    
    signed an anxious dragons lair fanatic...
                                             
                                     dave peterson
                                     node = husker
                                     dtn = 457-3128

    according to the article in the new Amazing Computing, Dragon's
    Lair will run on a 512K Amiga 1000 or a 1Meg A500 or A2000.  They
    noticed that the A1000 has this 256K of WCS memory available, just
    waiting for someone to stuff code into it.  That means you would
    have to reload the kickstart after playing the game.  A small price
    to pay for the ability to run the game.
    
    -Dave

To all you potential buyers, here's some info - 

I purchased Dragons Lair this past weekend at the computer
show which was at the Sheraton Boxboro (should have been
correctly called "the IBM/clone computer show").  There was
only one Amiga dealer there and after he told me Dragons
Lair could be installed on "MY" hard disk I bought it. 
It's a christmas gift so I haven't played it but I did read
the instruction booklet (2 page joke!) and I'm disappointed
with what I found out. 

The game takes over the system completely and does not
interface with any Commodore software.  The game has it's
own hard coded disk driver which understands how to talk to
ONE vendors SCSI controller! (I've forgotten which vendor,
but as I recall, it was one that doesn't seem to get
discussed in this notes file very much). I remember that it
WAS a SCSI controller and if you happen to have the
controller the game understands, you still have to reformat
the hard drive and give it a 1 meg partition (having a very
specific name) dedicated to the game.  Apparently the
utility and instructions for doing this are supplied by the
controller vendor. Once you meet these 2 criteria the game
can then install itself on that hard drive.  My controller
is a GVP and it's NOT the on the game knows about. 

I also recall the following tid bits from the instructions:
 - Sound can be toggled on/of
 - Game has hi/lo resolution modes. It says hi res will 
   center the picture in the screen and really show off
   the graphics capability of the Amiga.  But! you can't
   have hi res and sound at the same time.  They also warn
   you about flicker in high res mode.
 - It seems you can also toggle interleaving on/off 
   separately from hi/lo resolution mode.

I'm really disappointed in not being able to get this on
my hard disk (I hope it's a misunderstanding on my part).
I told the dealer exactly what I had and feel he mis-
represented the product.  Quite frankly I don't want a
floppy version of this hog but will probably end up
keeping it as my son likes the game so much.  Anyhow I
plan to call these people up and see if there's going to be
more general purpose disk support in the future.

Frank
    

>  Anyhow I
>  plan to call these people up and see if there's going to be
>  more general purpose disk support in the future.

>  Frank
    
To save you the call, there's an interview with the creators of Dragon's
Lair in the current (Vol 3, number 12) Amazing Computing. They created a
hd driver for the one SCSI disk for which they could get the source code
of the hard drive controller board- other companies apparently wouldn't
let them see their device driver code. So chances are pretty slim, unless
they get a lot of pressure and make further speed compromises.

It's an interesting interview, BTW- they talk extensively about their
method of getting a video disk of graphics digitized, and the fact that
only the Amiga had enough horsepower to handle it. 

John O.

    Thanks John. Not what I wanted to hear!
    
    Another interresting thing I was wondering about .....
    
    Obviously 6 disks is approx 6mb but the box has a statement saying
    the game contains 132 megabytes of digitized data and sound. 
    Does not compute!  Anyone know if they've got some slick compression
    techniques or are they just playing a numbers game by permutating
    the number of screens and decision possibilities?
    
    Frank
    

I heard rumors that it takes 1.5 Meg to get sound--any truth to this?  I ran
the demo on my 1 Meg A2000 and got no sound, so I figured the 1.5 Meg story 
must be true.  If it isn't true, why don't I get sound on the demo?

Also, how well does the game work running off floppies?  Do you constantly
have to do disk swaps?  I have two floppy drives, but I understand there are
six disks. 

Thanks,
Sam

    
    
    	I also have a copy of Dragons lair. 
    
    re. .6
    
    	The 130 MBytes on 6 floppies is due to super compression
    ( so the documentation says ).
    
    re .7
    
    	I'll check the sound out tonight. My amiga has 2 MBytes right
    now and I have lots of sound.
    
    	As for disk swapping, it isn't that bad. I played one game
    on a single floppy system. The game loads a segment all at once.
   There are no disk accesses while you play. Each disk is loaded
    once. When it runs out you are asked for the next. with a two
    floppy system you can change two at a time.
    
    		Steve Peters
    

    
    Ah, thats what I wanted to hear...  Mastercard, don't fail me now.
    
    Ed.

    A demo of this was mentioned... is there a copy of said demo on the
    Enet (he asks hopefully)??
    
    George
    

Directory WJG::AMIGA:

DRAGON.WRP;1           1761   3-NOV-1988 20:29:22.00  (RWED,RWED,RE,R)

< Note 1972.11 b>
                        -< Several places. her

What is the .WRP extension, is this an ARCed file (never noticed
that before )

...gss...

    .WRP stanfs for WARPED. WARP ( tape::user1:[amiga.arc]warp11.arc)
    is similar to TRACKER. Is another way of compressing a disk on a
    file. 
    BTW. How do you succeded in downloading DRAGON.WRP on a floppy ??
    I had to do it on the hard disk, but people with floppies only cannot
    do it !! Shall we TRACKER it !?
    

< Note 1972.13 by CESARE::ZABOT "Marco Zabot-Adv.Tech.mgr-Turin ACT" >
>                             -< WRP == TRACKER ~ >-
>
>   .WRP stanfs for WARPED. WARP ( tape::user1:[amiga.arc]warp11.arc)
>    is similar to TRACKER. Is another way of compressing a disk on a
>    file. 
>    BTW. How do you succeded in downloading DRAGON.WRP on a floppy ??
>    I had to do it on the hard disk, but people with floppies only cannot
>    do it !! Shall we TRACKER it !?
    


Good point I just checked this monster and it is 1700 blocks can somebody
bread it in to 2 files.

thanks

...gss...(who_still_lives_with_floppies)

Any further news on the memory requirements to get sound?  The article in 
Amazing Computing implied that everything should work with 1MB (the developers 
wanted to make the game work with "a wide variety of system configurations"),
but has anyone verified this?  Does the box or manual say anything?  Is there
some trick to get sound on the demo?  My MasterCard eagerly awaits... 

Thanks, 
Sam 

    demo needs 1.5 Meg for sound.  I believe the game only need 1 Meg
    for graphics and sound in lo-res.
    
    -dave

    
    
    Oh custom disk formats are so FRUSTRATING!!!!  Yes, the game only
    requires 1mb for graphics and sound.  The low-res is EXCELLENT.
    In fact, when you kick over to high-res, they just shrink the screen
    into the center.  (Macintosh trick you know).
    
    How ever, I am having a VERY DIFFICULT time getting to the 3rd disk,
    I have made it through the first and second.  But I can't get it
    to load the 3rd disk (and sometimes the second).  Unfortunately
    I think that DL pushes the disks drives to the limit of what they can 
    recognize and my drive may have the heads ever so slightly out of
    alignment.
    
    brad

    Ok, I'm gonna give my self an early Christmas Present!
    Dragons Lair here I come!
    
    Now, where in Central Mass. can I buy this thing?  Do any of the
    amiga stores have them in stock? or will I have to go Mail-order?
    
    One more thing, How much does it cost?  I've heard It's real cheap
    (for 6 disks and all of that compressed graphics).
    
    Steve O

    A few days ago I asked System Eyes about Dragon's Lair.  They said
    they were out---it is apparently a very fast mover.
        John Sauter

Re: .16 and .17

Thanks for the info.  Why do you think the demo requires more RAM than the 
actual game?  Anyway, I went ahead and placed the order.  Any news on the 
problems loading some of the disks?

Re: .18

I paid $39 by mail from SDA (800) 225-7638 (no charge for shipping if your 
order is >$100).  

Sam

    
    I was in the Software Shop today looking for Dragon's Lair.  Moe had
    sold out his first shipment quickly, but another batch had come in.
    However, this new batch had several problems with disk loading.  He's
    sent them back to the manufacturer and refunded the buyer's money.
    
    Moe advised me to check back in a week or so to see if the problem
    had been resolved.
          
    Ed.
    

    Got Dragon's Lair for Xmas.  Now, how do we get past the ^@$%&# rapids?
    Can't figure this one out.  H
                                  E
                                   L
                                   P
                                   !
                                   *

Why bother? Just download into a pipe and un-Warp it from there.

	re .22

	Hints on the rapids follow....


	The first section is the whirlpools. They are straight forward,
move left or right to avoid them. There are 4 whirlpools and they
alternate left and right. When you reach the rapids follow the same
pattern but right, forward, forward, left, forward, forward, .....
till the end. 

		More details follow.


	At the end of the last whirlpool be ready. You must go left
( or right ) as soon as the screen turns blue. If you have enough memory
the main channel is a lighter blue. You should go forward as soon as
the boat crosses into the channel. It is harder to see the channel on a
1MByte system. The second forward can come right after the first.


		Steve Peters

    
    I finally picked up Dragon's Lair this weekend.
    
    All I can say is that ReadySoft has made a major technical acheivement
    here.  Whether you liked the laser arcade game or not, you've got
    to be impressed with the Amiga implementation.  The graphics and
    sound appear identicle to the laser version.  It's just hard to
    believe that it's really a silly computer performing.
    
    If only there were an easy way to install it all onto any old hard
    drive...  although as others have noted, the floppy access really
    isn't all that unbearable.
    
    Ed.

	  I am having trouble in the black knight room.

	  Any help would be appreciated. Please no spoilers, hints only
	  if possible.

	  I make it half way through the room and get vaporized. I do the 
	  the following moves: right, left, foward, left, Vaporize!

	  Any hints?


	  					thanks

    
    
    	Looking at the sequence you have moved side to side and forward
    but did you try backward ?  Then more side to side and forward.
    
    		Steve 
    

    I'm stuck on getting through the rapids still. The whirlpools are
    easy, but after I see the sign - Ye Whirlpools - No matter what
    I do or how fast I react, I always crash into the wall. It seems
    you don't get much warning which way to go. I have 1Meg of memory.
    I read the note which describes getting through, but it doesn't
    get me out alive. Am I missing something ??

re:28

After the Whirlpools, when the screen turns blue, you will see a	
stream to your right(or left). *Immediately* move right(or left).
When the boat hits the stream, move forward *twice*. Timimg on 
the forward moves is critical.

I hope this helps.

    I got a "hidden" command from a friend that works
    pretty well.  It doesn't spoil the game but may help
    on some real hard moves.
    
    During the score screen press SIMULTANEOUSLY
    <ESC> / 7 R L N  (all 6 keys) 
    the screen should ever so slightly flash and the
    game will start (or continue) playing 'til the end
    without any intervention.
    
    I havent seen it documented nowhere, sorry if it was already...
  

    I downloaded a full solution to Dragon's Lair, from Compuserve.
    If some people are interested, I could upload it, and put it in
    the notes file after a form feed.
                          

    	Re .31
    		I don't have Dragon's lair yet, but I'm planning to.
    Please upload.
    
    Miguel A. Alvarez

    Well, following is the complete solution for Dragon's Lair that
    I downloaded from Compuserve.
    
    A couple of notes first:
    
    1) Even with all the instructions it can still take awhile to get
    correct timming to complete a screen.
    
    2) In the description for the wirlpool and rapids screen, he indicates
    that the correct moves may be different for an Amiga 500 vs. an
    Amiga 2000.  Well, I have an A2000, and even though it conflicts
    with his instructions, I did need to push forward twice to complete
    each rapid.
    
    
    


                            Dragon's Lair Docs
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By: Skylark / Canada

Dsk1 Screen 1 (Opening Bridge-This will always be first!)
     ~~~~~~~~
     Watch Dirk The Daring walk across bridge until he falls through.
     When the "Things" come toward you, hit the BUTTON and watch Dirk take
     a swipe at them.  Then, hit UP and you will raise yourself up to the
     bridge again, and run into the castle.

     Screen 2  (DrinkMe Sign-This will always be second!)

     This one is a tuffy!  When the "DrinkMe" sign flashes, hit RIGHT; Dirk
     The Daring will bravely kick the door open to the right of him and
     stomp out.

     -Screen 1 Repeats, laterally inverted!-

Dsk2 Screen 3  (The Falling StairWell-This may come after Screen 4....)
     ~~~~~~~~
     You will either be walking left or right down the stairwell.  If you
     are moving left, when the stairs ahead of you flash, hit LEFT.  If
     you are going right, hit RIGHT.  You will jump over the hole in bridge
     and continue... Do not mind the bats, they are there for decoration!!

     Screen 4  (The Tentacles-This may come before Screen 3....)
     ~~~~~~~~
     As soon as the tentacle drops from the ceiling, hit BUTTON!  Dirk will
     then slash it.  As soon as you slash it, hit UP.  You will go to the
     front of the room.  Then hit RIGHT or LEFT (depending on where the door
     is), and you will go to the door.  Then hit DOWN and you will goto the
     back and automatically start going up the stairs, at this point, hit
     LEFT or RIGHT (depending on where the little table is.)  As soon as you
     get on the table, hit UP and you will go out the door in a few seconds.
     WARNING: IF YOU HIT MORE THAN ONE MOVE YOU WILL DIE!  Just hit the move
     once and wait for it to take affect!!

     -Screen 3 and 4 will repeat again laterally inverted!-

Dsk3 Screen 5  (Ye WhirlPools/Ye Rapids-This may come after Screen 6...)
     ~~~~~~~~
     You will start off with the Ye Whirlpools.  If the whirlpool is on the
     right, hit LEFT; if on the left, hit RIGHT.  You will easily use your
     manouvering abilities to steer carefully around them.  NOTE: Don't
     hit left or right more than once, or you will be sucked in!  Then come
     the Ye Rapids.  Now on my A2000, all you do is hit LEFT or RIGHT
     (depending on the direction of the light blue path), then when I get
     into the middle, I hit UP and go all the way down (Both Screens..)
     But I've heard other stories and this is what I've been able to piece
     together... If you have an A500 (hahahaha): Do what I do (above), but
     the second screen, hit UP one more time.  If you have an A1000, do
     what I do, then on the second screen, hit up twice. (Once on each of
     the two levels).  Experiment.. One of these techniques is sure to work
     but I can only confirm my way.

     Screen 6  (Slime Stew-This may come before Screen 5...)
     ~~~~~~~~
     On this screen, you mainly watch... You will dodge the slime, then
     pick up a drink automatically.  Then, the Slime Goon will appear, hit
     BUTTON and you will slice him.  Just watch the rest of the board.

     - Screen 5 & 6 will appear again laterally inverted! -

Dsk4 Screen 7  (The Black Night-This may come after Screen 8...)
     ~~~~~~~~
     First, make note of what side the Black Night's sword is on.  If it is
     on the left, you will have to hit RIGHT first.  You then jump right.
     Right after this, hit LEFT... Then UP... Then LEFT... Then RIGHT...
     Then Left... As jumping left now in mid-air hit RIGHT because you don't
     have anytime to spare once you land.  (Remember, better early than
     never!)  If it is reversed, just do the above backwards.  This is one
     of the "Most-Moves" boards so eventually you'll get the hang of it.

     Screen 8 (Marble Madness-This may come before Screen 7...)
     ~~~~~~~~
     You will appear in the distance walking casually at the end of the
     half-pipe.  Then, a huge black ball will appear behind you wanting to
     make Autie-Em's World Famous Pancakes out of you.  The screen will
     change angles and you will see a coloured ball go by.  As soon as it
     goes by, hit DOWN.  Then, another coloured ball will go by; again, as
     soon as it passes, hit DOWN.  This is all you do, there will be a few
     more balls to get by, but if you can do one, the rest is really simple!
     WARNING: DON'T HIT DOWN MORE THAN ONCE PER BALL!  When you run by
     successfully, it looks really close... It is supposed too!

     - Screen 7 & 8 will repeat again laterally inverted! -

Dsk5 Screen 9  (The Bedroom Wall-This will come first!)
     ~~~~~~~~
     Pretty simple.  Just keep hitting UP at a leisurely pace and you will
     get through, listen for when the game records your specific up moves
     and when you get better, you won't have to hit up rapidly... But I
     still do anyway because it guarantees me getting through.

     - This screen will repeat again laterally inverted! -

     Screen 10  (Dragon's Lair Part I-Computer Randomly Chooses Which
     ~~~~~~~~~                        Lateral Screen You Will Do.)
     You will see a wobling bunch of "furniture".  Hit LEFT or RIGHT
     (depending on where it is...)  Then it will flash to the Dragon who
     starts to wake up and Princess Daphne (or something) says "Oh, save
     me!"  Then it will flash back to you - hit RIGHT or LEFT (the opposite
     direction of the furniture), then DOWN.  You will go onto another
     screen with more furniture.  This time, hit DOWN to catch it.  Then you
     will see the Princess moving around in the bubble saying, "Use the
     Magic Sword!".. As she is saying this, hit the BUTTON and then when
     she stops yapping, you will see the magic sword in a rock.

Dsk6 Screen 11  (Dragon's Lair Part II-Computer Randomly Chooses Which
     ~~~~~~~~~                         Lateral Screen You Will Do.)

     You will be behind a tree... Hit down to duck Singe The Dragon's mighty
     claws.  * MAKE NOTE OF WHERE THE DRAGON'S HEAD WAS! *  After ducking,
     go in the direction Singe's head was.  Then, you will automatically
     rip the magic sword out of the rock...  Then, you get another screen
     showing you and the Dragon waving his tail.  Hit DOWN to dodge, and
     while you dodge it, on the way down, take note of the timing at which
     your sword glows.  Right after you dodge the tail for the first time,
     Singe will try again, just hit DOWN again.  Again, make note of the
     timing.  After you dodge it for the second time, Singe will try yet
     another time to get you... This time, hit DOWN (like usual), but this
     time when the sword glows (or a touch earlier), hit the button and you
     will whip the sword into the dragon.

                           T H E     *     E N D

NOTE: NEVER, IF UNSURE, HIT EXTRA MOVEMENTS AS THEY USUALLY TURN INTO
      UNPLEASANT DEATHS!!!!!

   I hope this helps all you's that can't finish Dragon's Lair yet, but this
has been a bitch to explain in words... So if there are any problems,
contact me, Skylark, on a few Toronto Boards:  AeroNaught (416) 636-6110
                                               Nomad      (416) 249-5077   
                                               Th. Guild  (416) 267-3938
                                               The Magic  (416) 253-6912

AND REMEMBER WHERE YOU HEARD IT FIRST!!!:
           //
           \\
           // K \\// L /\ R K !!
                 //   //\\
                         \\

               C A N A D A