Commander Keen 4 & 5 - Composite CGA Editions (by VileR)
Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 17:53
SECOND EDIT FOR SAME DAY (JUL 16): OK, here is the link to VileR's post about Keen 5 here: viewtopic.php?p=80917#80917
VOGONS post about the sub-topic: https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?p=513325#p513325
ANOTHER POST EDIT (JUL 16): There's now a Composite CGA Edition of Keen 5 as well. You'll still need a compatible copy of Keen 5 (Apogee version 1.4). Details posted here and at VOGONS, but this specific post will still be about Keen 4.
FILE LINK EDIT (MAY 30): Minor updates to .PAT file from VileR; A few groups of patch lines were consolidated, and some bits of unnecessary code were removed (disabling/enabling interrupts across a single port write).
LATE POST EDIT (MAY 27): Been a bit confused about the ckpatch/upx/8088 bit; I've mistakenly concluded/assumed that VileR has re-packed the CK4PATCH.EXE file with upx, so it'll be compatible with the 8088. Instead, he's simply unpack the EXE. This post has been edited in order to reflect this.
Hey there,
I'm going to introduce a Keen-related project that VileRancour from the VOGONS forums (https://www.vogons.org/) has just released:
It's basically a graphics-mod of the CGA version of Keen 4, with a few bits of patching, that brings you Keen 4 with 16 colors (not exactly the same as EGA) with CGA's composite output!
Original topic: http://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=48215
Note that you'll want to run this either with a genuine CGA connected to a composite monitor, or DOSBox with machine=cga (preferably an SVN build, see above topic for more details).
His download link (patch only): http://int10h.org/filez/KEEN4C16.ZIP
- This requires Keen 4 v1.4 for the CGA, available from various places, like this: http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Keen_4_ ... ersion_1.4
My alternative link (includes a copy of keen4c): http://www.filedropper.com/keen4c16complete20160530
More links shamelessly stolen from VOGONS:
https://youtu.be/VL1RcuZsnjg - Video: running in DOSBox
https://youtu.be/LJ_Fr7Ug7b4 - Video: running on real hardware (The Oldskool PC)
Note about patching
It's my impression that VileRancour hasn't really been familiar with Keen modding, and Keen mods in general. In the case of keen4c16, originally he hexedited the EXE. It was me who convinced him to eventually prepare the patch, created (mostly) automatically from a diff of the EXEs.
A few more notes
- If you try to run this under DOSBox with default settings (and especially a default SVGA machine), you're expected to get monochrome graphics. As said above, you should run with machine=cga, and better use an SVN build of DOSBox. Again, see above topic @ VOGONS for more details.
- For technical reasons, VileRancour preferred to use CGA mode 6 (monochrome 640x200 on RGB/VGA monitors), rather than mode 4 as usually done (4-colors 320x200 on RGB/VGA monitors). This also explains why you'll get monochrome graphics with (s)vga machines. Note that the omposite color burst signal is manually enabled by the way of a register write (it's disabled in mode 6 by default).
- If you're wondering if CKPATCH supports CGA Keens, my unofficial build numbered 0.11.2 is used (http://keenmodding.org/viewtopic.php?p=20128#20128). Note, though, that VileRancour unpacked the CK4PATCH.EXE file, since I originally packed it with upx such that it became incompatible with the 8088. While upx appears to have the option to preserve the computability, it's more-or-less unused for now.
- For the graphics, he used the last version of ModId available as Windows EXE (https://github.com/owenmpierce/modId). Although the CGA graphics are for a different CGA mode, their basic layout is exactly the same.
VOGONS post about the sub-topic: https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?p=513325#p513325
ANOTHER POST EDIT (JUL 16): There's now a Composite CGA Edition of Keen 5 as well. You'll still need a compatible copy of Keen 5 (Apogee version 1.4). Details posted here and at VOGONS, but this specific post will still be about Keen 4.
FILE LINK EDIT (MAY 30): Minor updates to .PAT file from VileR; A few groups of patch lines were consolidated, and some bits of unnecessary code were removed (disabling/enabling interrupts across a single port write).
LATE POST EDIT (MAY 27): Been a bit confused about the ckpatch/upx/8088 bit; I've mistakenly concluded/assumed that VileR has re-packed the CK4PATCH.EXE file with upx, so it'll be compatible with the 8088. Instead, he's simply unpack the EXE. This post has been edited in order to reflect this.
Hey there,
I'm going to introduce a Keen-related project that VileRancour from the VOGONS forums (https://www.vogons.org/) has just released:
It's basically a graphics-mod of the CGA version of Keen 4, with a few bits of patching, that brings you Keen 4 with 16 colors (not exactly the same as EGA) with CGA's composite output!
Original topic: http://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=48215
Note that you'll want to run this either with a genuine CGA connected to a composite monitor, or DOSBox with machine=cga (preferably an SVN build, see above topic for more details).
His download link (patch only): http://int10h.org/filez/KEEN4C16.ZIP
- This requires Keen 4 v1.4 for the CGA, available from various places, like this: http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Keen_4_ ... ersion_1.4
My alternative link (includes a copy of keen4c): http://www.filedropper.com/keen4c16complete20160530
More links shamelessly stolen from VOGONS:
https://youtu.be/VL1RcuZsnjg - Video: running in DOSBox
https://youtu.be/LJ_Fr7Ug7b4 - Video: running on real hardware (The Oldskool PC)
Note about patching
It's my impression that VileRancour hasn't really been familiar with Keen modding, and Keen mods in general. In the case of keen4c16, originally he hexedited the EXE. It was me who convinced him to eventually prepare the patch, created (mostly) automatically from a diff of the EXEs.
A few more notes
- If you try to run this under DOSBox with default settings (and especially a default SVGA machine), you're expected to get monochrome graphics. As said above, you should run with machine=cga, and better use an SVN build of DOSBox. Again, see above topic @ VOGONS for more details.
- For technical reasons, VileRancour preferred to use CGA mode 6 (monochrome 640x200 on RGB/VGA monitors), rather than mode 4 as usually done (4-colors 320x200 on RGB/VGA monitors). This also explains why you'll get monochrome graphics with (s)vga machines. Note that the omposite color burst signal is manually enabled by the way of a register write (it's disabled in mode 6 by default).
- If you're wondering if CKPATCH supports CGA Keens, my unofficial build numbered 0.11.2 is used (http://keenmodding.org/viewtopic.php?p=20128#20128). Note, though, that VileRancour unpacked the CK4PATCH.EXE file, since I originally packed it with upx such that it became incompatible with the 8088. While upx appears to have the option to preserve the computability, it's more-or-less unused for now.
- For the graphics, he used the last version of ModId available as Windows EXE (https://github.com/owenmpierce/modId). Although the CGA graphics are for a different CGA mode, their basic layout is exactly the same.