New & Confused!

[Darklord]

Hey Guys,

I'm new round here, I played DM back in the day on the SNES of all systems! I don't think I completed it though... I'm a big fan of this style of game though and have completed the EOB games several times, (within the last year or to as well as originally) I'm also really looking forward to Legend of Grimrock coming out next month.

I'm quite tempted to replay this game, but am very confused as to which version I should play, I'm reasonably au fait with emulators and such so that would be no problem. (I ran EOB on an Amiga emulator)

Can any either tell me the differences or point me towards a good post where someone has already broken all this info down? Sorry if this is already obvious somewhere, like I say I'm new and didn't notice any thread like that!

From reading other threads I'd rather not play a version which massively unbalanced enemies which it sounds like some of the version have, improved graphics/screen res would be but isn't essential.

Cheers!

Daniel.

[PaulH]

There is quite a bit of info if you want to search through posts, but in a nutshell:

- CSBWin: this is port to PC and is faithful to the original in mechanics. Has both the DM and CSB dungeons, plus many fan made dungeons to download.

- RTC: this is a reproduction. It uses the original graphics, but monsters and weapon stats are a little different, as is the speed of the game.

I'd play both! But I'd start with CSBWin.

[Jan]

Hi and welcome to the forums!

You have basically at least four options:

- the original DM for PC (played under DosBox or something - http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/585/D ... aster.html) or Atari / Amiga versions played under emulators

- DM for CSBWin (a translation of the original program for Atari ST) - http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/851

- DM for RTC (a fan clone) - http://www.ragingmole.com/RTC/

- DM for DSB (another fan clone) -http://www.ojnk.net/dm/dsb/

Well, I don't want to sound like a salesman but I would recommend the CSBWin version, it's faithful to the original and doesn't have any "massively unbalanced enemies". Although RTC is probably a more powerful engine and DSB is in constant development and improvement. Others will tell you more.

Good luck in DM and keep us informed on your progress!

[Gambit37]

If you're happy with emulators, go with the Amiga version on WinUAE, I'd argue it's the best version (much better sound than the ST version / CSBWin), and obviously plays exactly like the original.

If you want something that works on Windows "as is", then go with DSB -- it plays very faithfully to the original and has the improved sound of the Amiga version.

RTC is also good, but has some gameplay balancing issues which make it much harder than the original.

[Darklord]

Wow cheers for the welcome, you guys are quick!

Yeah I've read a few threads and was getting confused at how many versions there are!

So CSBWin is basically the original ST game pure and simple? I read something somewhere about the ST version not having "bumping" or something? (for finding illusionary walls is it?)

Yeah I'm good with Amiga emulators I already have one ready to roll so that's a reasonable option. (I had a Amiga 1200 back in the day)

Cheers,

Daniel.

[Jan]

A comparison of Amiga, Atari and PC versions can be found here: http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/247

("In earlier versions of the game (Atari ST, Amiga v2.0, ...), you cannot drink straight from the water fountains, you have to use a Flask or a Waterskin. In the Amiga v3.6 version, you just have to click on the fountain to drink. Also in these versions, you cannot click on walls. In the Amiga v3.6 version, real walls will produce some sound while fake walls will be silent.")

And, yes, as far as I know, CSBWin is the pure Atari ST version (see the page I mentioned in my previous post).

[beowuuf]

CSBwin has added that you can 'tap' on an illusionary wall and hear a sound now.

And welcome to the forums!

[PetriH]

Hi Daniel! Nice to see you here

I always play and recommend the Amiga version. It has much better sound than CSBWin / Atari version plus some other smaller improvements.

[Trantor]

The only thing I dislike about CSBWin / the ST version is the lack of sounds when monsters move. Just for those alone I'd recommend either DSB or an Amiga emulator.

I'd steer clear of RTC for now though it's good as well. You probably won't notice the differences if you are not very familiar with the original games, but monsters that fling spells like fireballs do way more damage than they should. Also, you don't get quite as much experience points. The result is a slightly harder and more frustrating game.

Have fun with the game, and keep us informed how it goes!

[Darklord]

Cheers guys, you really are a friendly bunch! The Amiga version it is! Hopefully I'll get chance to start it this weekend.

Petri, nice to see you here! You know, It's wanting to play Legend of Grimrock that has tempted me to replay the original DM, I didn't realise you'd been working on LoG for so long, I spent a few hours this morning reading all the posts about Escape from Dragon Mountain, how amazing to think you've been working on this game (or variants of it) for 11 or more years!

Can't wait.

Daniel.

[PetriH]

Yeah, it's been a long road! Can't wait to hear about your journeys in the DM dungeon and then in LoG!

[aster]

For those using a Mac, the PC version running on Boxer (a sweet DOSBox package) is the best choice. Of course you can drink straight from the fountain and knock on walls, so no worries there. And it runs perfectly.