Keen problem

[WarHammer]

Ever since I installed the Keen games (4,5 and 6) on my new computer I've had problems with them. When the game scolls horizontally the screen flickers, vertical scrolls just fine. The same effect happens on the title screen when the title letters scroll past each other. The other problem I have is getting any sound device other than PC speaker to work. I do NOT have an Ensonique based sound card and all other Apogee/id games work perfectly with digital sound.

350Mhz K6-2
128Meg 100Mhz SDRAM
ESS A3D audio
Windows 98

I don't know anything else about the audio, or even how to get in touch with the manufacturer).

I have an ATI Rage LT Pro (but I use a Voodoo 2 for 3D), which is based on the Mach 64 chipset.

[Guest]

I had this too. Fixed it when I got a Voodoo Banshee and Win 98, though. But I found that the /comp parameter did help a bit.

[Guest]

I had the same problems when I had a Diamond GL 1000 Pro 8MB AGP card in my PC. I ugraded in Feb. to a Viper 550 TNT 16MB card and the problems went away. The processors maybe has something to do with it because the processors are getting so fast that most 16-bit DOS programs are running goofy. Pentium II/III and AMD K6-2 and K6-3 are best suited for 32-bit Window 9x apps.

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Trust the computer industry to shorten "Year 2000" to Y2K. It
was this kind of thinking that caused the problem in the first
place.

e-mail address: darkmatter7734@hotmail.com
ICQ: 19611750

[MrEricSir]

Have you tried the SVGA compatability mode? I think there's at least two options you can try in the options menu.

Some graphics cards don't really support EGA anymore. This isn't very surprising, considering how few people use it anymore.

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This message will be posted "when it's done."

[WarHammer]

Yes I have tried SVGA compatability mode. I still looks the same. Maybe Mo'Slo would help, I think I'll try that. Also there's the sound problem I talked about in my first post, any ideas on that?

[WarHammer]

Well running Keen5 at 25% speed with Mo'Slo doesn't do wonders. The screen is still jerky but it's at least playable that way. Now if I can just get the sound working.

[Joe Siegler]

Sound has nothing to do with this problem.

1) Check your game version. The version number is shown at the top of the first screen you see after starting the game. If it's not v1.4, get v1.4.

2) If it is v1.4, try both of the video switches in the menu (SVGA compatibility and Fix Jerky Motion).

If one or both of them don't fix the problem, then you need to contact your video card manufacturer about the problem - there isn't anythign else that can be done from the game to fix this. The problem is that most video card manufacturers don't (or don't do it correctly) support EGA video modes.

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Joe Siegler
3D Realms Entertainment
http://www.3drealms.com
http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/faq.html (For info on using this UBB)

[Joe Siegler]

The only sound in Keen4 is Adlib sound. You need to see if your card can even do that.

A lot of today's sound cards don't bother with emulating ancient technology - it may not even be possible with your sound card.

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Joe Siegler
3D Realms Entertainment
http://www.3drealms.com
http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/faq.html (For info on using this UBB)

[WarHammer]

Keen4 - v1.4
Keen5 - v1.0
Kenn6 - v1.6

Tried every combonation of those two options in each one and I couldn't tell any differance. And contacting ATI about the problem may not be worth the trouble. The LT version of the ATI Rage Pro is the OEM version, mine happens to be the INTEGRATED OEM version. http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

Contacting my sound card manufacturer is even more difficult because I don't even know who the manufacturer is! I got the name 'ESS Technology' from the sound card's chip ID. The sound card is integrated as well. http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

I would get new sound and video cards but I don't have any more expansion slots. Besides, they're both satisfactory cards for the time being.

[Joe Siegler]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Kenn6 - v1.6<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That doesn't sound legit. Where'd you get that?

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Joe Siegler
3D Realms Entertainment
http://www.3drealms.com
http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/faq.html (For info on using this UBB)

[Guest]

AHA! You are using ATI. So was I.
Then I trashed it and the problem
went away.

And what's this? "A lot of today's sound cards don't bother with emulating ancient technology - it may not even be possible with your sound card."

Uh oh. You mean that in a couple of years
time....we might not be able to play
Keen at all?

Oh well. At least my Sound Blaster AWE64
works OK with it. So did my UltraSound
(anybody here still use that? It gives
good Midi playback.)

[Guest]

Man, so it wasn't just me, my sound card WAS a hunk of junk! It came with a NEW computer (the BIOS date is Jan '99). It ONLYdoes Ad-lib music and 8-bit sound... I just thought that there was something wrong with Win98 http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

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All hail the almighty Moose Man!
...don't ask

[Scotty]

Sometimes, sound can be a driver issue, too. The WDM (Windows Development Model) drivers that ship with Win98 for the Yamaha OPL3-SAx cards won't support Adlib, but the older Yamaha drivers will.

[Guest]

Everyone here NEEDS an SB Live... that thing is so snazzy, especially the Gold Version with RCA output. I'm still on the Awe64 for the time being, but I've soundfonted the thing to kingdom come... I've never heard the ultrasound, is the ROM wavetable really that good?

Anyway, the ancient computer my old elementary school used to have did the same thing with Keen, and it didn't even have a sound card.

[Crosma]

I had sound problems with Keen Dreams. I couldn't get the Adlib sound to work, although all my other Adlib programs play sound.


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Crosma Software: http://www.crosma.freeserve.co.uk
Email: paul@crosma.freeserve.co.uk

Please download all the games I've made!

[WarHammer]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Kenn6 - v1.6
That doesn't sound legit. Where'd you get that?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>OOPS! That should have been Keen6 v1.5! I got it more than seven years ago as a gift so I'm not exactly sure where it came from but if I had to guess I would say Wal-Mart.

[Joe Siegler]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>That should have been Keen6 v1.5!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That still doesn't sound right. As best I know, Keens 4-6 never went above v1.4. I just asked Tom Hall about it. Let's see if he remembers.

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Joe Siegler
3D Realms Entertainment
http://www.3drealms.com
http://3drealms.3dportal.com/ubb/faq.html (For info on using this UBB)