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Key points
- Can be run under ScummVM.
- Also playable in Day of the Tentacle and Day of the Tentacle Remastered by using the computer in Ed Edison's room
- One of the first graphic adventure games to feature cutscenes, multiple protagonists and multiple endings[1]
General information
- The International House of Mojo - In-depth article including developer interviews and game trivia
- Hardcore Gaming 101 - Comprehensive feature on the series
- GOG.com Community Discussions
- GOG.com Support Page
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
| Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
| Retail |
|
The game had two different releases: original ("Version 1") and enhanced ("Version 2"); See Version differences.
Manual-based copy protection. |
|
|
| GOG.com |
|
Pre-packaged with ScummVM. Includes both original and enhanced versions. |
|
|
| Steam |
|
Pre-packaged with ScummVM. Includes both original and enhanced versions. |
|
|
Version differences
- The original 1988 release ("Version 1") runs in 16 colors and uses the same resolution-reduced sprites as the original Commodore 64 version (with a slightly different color palette).[2]
- The enhanced 1989 release ("Version 2") has moderately improved graphics and new character animations. It runs at a native 320x200 resolution with more overall colors.[3]
- For the 2004 VGA fan remake, see Maniac Mansion Deluxe.
Easter Egg
The game was also released as a type of "easter egg", embedded in the sequel Day of the Tentacle. It can be accessed from a computer resembling a Commodore 64 inside the Day of the Tentacle game. Alternatively it can also be accessed directly from DOS by renaming MANIAC.OVL to MANIAC.EXE. This version is however somewhat broken. If you start it on a computer with Tandy graphics or EGA graphics adapter you will get a corrupted screen. But it will work fine with a VGA graphics adapter in EGA mode. This is not an issue normally when accessing the game through Day of the Tentacle, as that game requires a VGA adapter. But it means you cannot experience the 3-channel Tandy sound with this edition.
Essential improvements
Compatibility on modern systems
- In order to run the game on modern systems, you'll need to use DOSBox or ScummVM.
Higher quality music (DOSBox and ScummVM)
- The music in this game was composed for the Tandy 3-voice, which produced more advanced sound than the default PC speaker (beeper) found in most computers running DOS. To emulate this in DOSBox, set
tandy=true under [speaker] in the configuration file. To emulate this in ScummVM, overwrite the global audio settings and set Music Device to IBM PCjr under the audio tab in the individual game options for Maniac Mansion.
Higher quality graphics in V2 "enhanced" version (ScummVM)
- By default, ScummVM defaults to EGA visuals, which max out at 16 onscreen colors (out of a 64-color palette). While this is accurate to how it would be displayed on authentic IBM-compatible hardware, it results in a noticeable "sunburnt" effect on characters' skin-tones. This can be alleviated by changing the
Render Mode in the individual game options to Amiga, which supports up to 32 onscreen colors (out of a 4096-color palette), allowing for more natural skin-tones, amongst other enhancements.[4][5]
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
| System |
Location |
| DOS |
<path-to-game>\PREFS |
| Windows |
|
| Mac OS (Classic) |
|
| macOS (OS X) |
|
| Linux |
|
- It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.
Save game data location
| System |
Location |
| DOS |
<path-to-game>\SAVEGAME.* |
| Windows |
|
| Mac OS (Classic) |
|
| macOS (OS X) |
|
| Linux |
|
- ScummVM 2.1+ supports cloud saves on third-party cloud storage services. See the ScummVM documentation for details.
Video
Input
Audio
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
|
Sound can only be toggled. |
| Surround sound |
|
|
| Subtitles |
|
Game is text-based. |
| Closed captions |
|
|
| Mute on focus lost |
|
For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file. |
Localizations
| Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
| English |
|
|
|
|
| Russian |
|
|
|
Fan translation by PRCA/Old-Games.RU download link #1 and #2 |
Other information
API
| Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
| DOS video modes |
Hercules, CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA |
|
System requirements
| DOS | Windows | Mac OS (Classic) | macOS (OS X) | Linux |
| DOS |
|
Minimum |
| Operating system (OS) |
1.0 |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel 8088 |
| System memory (RAM) |
256 KB (original)/384 KB (enhanced) |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
|
| Video card (GPU) |
CGA |
References
