Difference between revisions of "Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders"

Revision as of 20:05, 1 July 2020

Key points

Can be run under ScummVM.

At any time, press F5 to Save, Load, or return to the launcher menu of ScummVM. This will let you access advanced options and quit the game as well.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

The Zak McKracken Archive - compressive resource on everything Zak McKracken

Composer's website

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		"Exit Visa Code Book"
GOG.com		Includes both EGA DOS version and 256-color FM Towns version.^{[Note 1]}
Steam		Includes both EGA DOS version and 256-color FM Towns version.^{[Note 1]}

Digital versions are pre-packaged with ScummVM.^[2]

Version differences

Low-res version

Zak McKracken low-res EGA

The initial version uses the original chunky C64 graphics, ported to the PC.

High-res Enhanced version

Zak McKracken high-res EGA

The later Enhanced version supports EGA 16-colour in 320x200.

Essential improvements

Three-channel audio support

The game has optional support for three-channel audio, which requires the audio hardware built into the Tandy 1000 computer. Other systems are limited to single-channel audio played through the PC speaker.

Use ScummVM

Notes

ScummVM will automatically use the Tandy sounds regardless of video render mode. As such it is possible to have Tandy sounds with EGA video, which was not possible with the original game.

Use DOSBox

Notes

If DOSBox is configured to emulate a Tandy computer, the game detects and uses the emulated Tandy sound hardware for three-channel audio. This will simultaneously also force the game to run in 320x200 16 colour Tandy graphics mode.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\PREFS
Windows	<path-to-game>\zak.ini^{[Note 2]}
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/559070/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

PREFS file

When starting the game in DOS or DOSBox, it will normally try to autodetect the video capabilities. However, it is possible to create a PREFS configuration file with your preferred settings.

Creating a PREFS file can be done by running the game, and pressing ⇧ Shift W.

Loading a PREFS file can be done in one of 2 ways:

While running the game, press ⇧ Shift R
Launch the game with the P command line parameter (without a / or -).

While the game is running, you can use the following keys to change your settings, after which you can save them with ⇧ Shift W.

⇧ Shift J Toggle joystick on/off
⇧ Shift M Toggle mouse on/off
⇧ Shift V MCGA mode
⇧ Shift E EGA mode
⇧ Shift C CGA mode
⇧ Shift H Hercules mode
⇧ Shift T Tandy 16-color mode
⇧ Shift B CGA black-and-white mode

The PREFS file can also be edited with a text editor. Example of a PREFS file:

********************
* Preferences File *
********************

HERC            OFF
TANDY           OFF
CGA             OFF
B&W_CGA         OFF
EGA             ON
MCGA            OFF
VGA             OFF

COMPOSITE       OFF

JOYSTICK        OFF
MOUSE           ON

TEXT_RATE       3

Save game data location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\SAVEGAME.*
Windows	<path-to-game>\zak.s**^{[Note 2]}
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/559070/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

The file extension of saves will be an s followed by two numbers, starting from 00. Example: Zak.s06

The Saves folder can be changed to any folder by going to ScummVM's options (F5 in-game).

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

ScummVM 2.1+ supports cloud saves on third-party cloud storage services. See the ScummVM documentation for details.

Video

General settings for ScummVM, the emulator included in the GOG edition. It is also available for free download from the ScummVM Team's official website.

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		`Alt`+`↵ Enter` in ScummVM or DOSBox. Also in Options.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Post-process based filters are optional.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		"Antialiased renderer" on by default. Be warned; this gives the game a slight blur effect.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		For DOSBox use an unofficial build (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		For DOSBox set in the DOSBox configuration file.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).

Controller types

Audio

Audio Settings for the ScummVM emulator, which is included in the GOG.com version and compatible with retail versions.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles		All dialogue is text-based.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		For DOSBox change the `priority` background value in the DOSBox configuration file.
Red Book CD audio		Redbook tracks from the FM Towns version have been replaced with MP3 files in digital rereleases.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French				For GOG.com version, see [1]
German				Enhanced version. Not available on digital rereleases.
Russian				Fan translation by «PRCA/Бюро переводов Old-Games.Ru». Download link #1 and #2 for EGA-enhanced version

Issues unresolved

Intro music cuts off abruptly (256-color FM Towns version)

ScummVM's video emulation is faster than an authentic FM Towns, resulting in the intro video ending before the music can finish.^[3]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DOS video modes	Hercules, CGA, CGA Composite, EGA, Tandy, MCGA, VGA	The VGA and MCGA modes use the same 16 color artwork as the EGA version. The FM Towns version, included with digital versions, uses 256 colors similarly to VGA.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows			Use ScummVM.
macOS (OS X)			Use ScummVM.
Linux			Use ScummVM.

System requirements

DOS
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)
Processor (CPU)	8086
System memory (RAM)	256 KB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU)	Hercules or CGA	EGA or Tandy

Windows
	Minimum^[4]	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
Processor (CPU)	1 GHz	1.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	130 MB	170 MB
Video card (GPU)	DirectX 7 compatible	DirectX 9 compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.7 or later
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz or better
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	130 MB	170 MB
Video card (GPU)	OpenGL compatible 64 MB of VRAM
Other	Apple Mouse with Secondary button/click enabled	Two-Button Mouse

Linux
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 14.04 / Linux Mint 17
Processor (CPU)	2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	130 MB	170 MB
Video card (GPU)	OpenGL compatible 256 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Only the English version of the FM Towns version is available; the Kanji version is not included.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/559070/.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (559070) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

[.22Kanji.22-2] 1.0 ^1.1 Only the English version of the FM Towns version is available; the Kanji version is not included.

[gamedir-4] 2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[Proton_path_note-5] 3.0 ^3.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/559070/.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (559070) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[4] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[5] Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/559070/.

[6] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[7] The app ID (559070) may differ in some cases.

[8] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[9] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[GOG.com-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Release: Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders ● GOG.com

[3] Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders ● GOG.com

[6] #9591 (Zak McKracken FM Towns Intro runs too fast) – ScummVM :: Bugs

[GOG_Store_Page-7] GOG Store Page

[1]

[Note 1]

[2]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ====PREFS file====
-When starting the game in DOS or DOSBox, it will normally try to autodetect the video capabilities.
+When starting the game in DOS or DOSBox, it will normally try to autodetect the video capabilities. However, it is possible to create a {{file|PREFS}} configuration file with your preferred settings.
-However, it is possible to create a PREFS configuration file, with your preferred settings.
+Creating a {{file|PREFS}} file can be done by running the game, and pressing {{key|shift}} {{key|W}}.
-Creating a PREFS file can be done by running the game, and pressing {{key|shift}} {{key|W}}.
+Loading a {{file|PREFS}} file can be done in one of 2 ways:
-Loading a PREFS file can be done in one of 2 ways:
 * While running the game, press {{key|shift}} {{key|R}}
-* Start the game by typing <code>ZAK P</code>
+* Launch the game with the {{code|P}} [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line parameter]] (without a {{code|/}} or {{code|-}}).
 While the game is running, you can use the following keys to change your settings, after which you can save them with {{key|shift}} {{key|W}}.
@@ Line 95: / Line 93: @@
 * {{key|shift}} {{key|B}} CGA black-and-white mode
-The PREFS file can also be edited with a text editor. Example of a PREFS file:
+The {{file|PREFS}} file can also be edited with a text editor. Example of a {{file|PREFS}} file:
   ********************
   * Preferences File *

Developers

	LucasArts
Publishers
	Disney Interactive Studios
Engines
Original	SCUMM
Re-release	ScummVM
Release dates
DOS	January 1, 1988
Windows (ScummVM)	March 19, 2015^[1]
macOS (OS X) (ScummVM)	March 19, 2015^[1]
Linux (ScummVM)	March 19, 2015^[1]