Is ScummVM "Self-Contained?"

General chat related to ScummVM, adventure gaming, and so on.

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GusCE6
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:50 pm

Is ScummVM "Self-Contained?"

Post by GusCE6 »

The main reason I downloaded and installed ScummVM was in the hopes that it can eventually run the game "Foxtail" on the old 2001 Sony VAIO. The application itself only worked when the three Swiftshader 2.1 files were dropped into its folder, the one with the ScummVM EXE file.

This brings up the question: is ScummVM a sort of "complete system in itself?"

What I mean is: does ScummVM work in such a way that if it does run on one computer and it does run a particular game then will that game absolutely run on any other computer ScummVM runs on regardless of anything else, no matter what? Or does it need something outside of itself in addition to whatever it needs just to run?

I ask because unlike the ASUS with the Sony that "Script Error" message you get with "Foxtail" only runs for a second before the screen is completely black...and that error window about

MinGW Runtime Assertion

Assertion failed!

Program C:\Program Files (x86)\ScummVM\scummvm.exe
File: /data/sharedrepo/common/memorypool.cpp, Line 67

Expression: page.numChunks * _chunkSize < 16*1024*1024


never appears, although what's in the command window is identical.


As a test I tried "Inherit the Earth," the EXE version (Steam version). Normally "Inherit the Earth" runs on the Sony but with a completely black screen- sound is fine and if you know where to click everything works...you just have a black screen. However, once again copying Swiftshader 2.1 files into the game's folder fixes this nicely, and curiously enough the game works nearly as well as on a modern computer in spite of having demanding requirements beyond the Sony's specifications and the fact Swiftshader usually slows things down.

So I removed the Swiftshader files from the game folder and tried it again on ScummVM. It works just the same, images and all- but is ScummVM using the Swiftshader files in its own folder for the game?

(Note: Last night I managed to run ScummVM with 3-D Analyze- those other posts have been updated with the settings.)

In addition I tried "Foxtail" on the ASUS with Swiftshader 2.1 (the game runs fine without any help on the ASUS). As long as the line "EnableSSE=1" is added to SwiftShader.ini the game runs nicely even with "EnableSS2=0." If SSE2 is set to "0" and you do not add the SSE line the game works but with terrible-looking graphics and reduced speed even on a much more powerful computer. This at least implies that SSE2 is not needed by the game and should run on an Intel Pentium 3 system.

So I guess the question is: is it a case of "if ScummVM runs on your computer it will run any game made to run on it, period?"

The version of "Foxtail" I am using is the standalone GOG version.

Note: Running the Sony in Puppy Linux 5.2.5 or 5.7.0 mode with WINE will not run the game, even though with the same exact 5.7.0 and the same exact WINE PET file on the ASUS it will.

Basic Sony Specifications:

2001 Sony XP/Puppy Linux 5.2.5 Lucid. It is a Dual Operating System.

256MB RAM. That is the top limit.

800MHz processing speed.

Plenty of memory to store the game itself.

Intel Pentium 3 integrated chip. Note: the ASUS has a later version but no graphics card like GeForce or the like.

Games requiring DirectX 9 like "Sid Meier's Pirates! 2K" and "Inherit the Earth" Steam version do run.

Based on the specifications given in the "Foxtail" folder itself, GOG, and Steam it should run- but it doesn't. I'm hoping ScummVM can fill in whatever is missing here.

Thanks in advance!
digitall
ScummVM Developer
Posts: 1172
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 1:40 pm

Re: Is ScummVM "Self-Contained?"

Post by digitall »

Foxtail was written using the Wintermute engine :
https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Wintermute

Most 2D Wintermute games should be supported by ScummVM.

However, since Foxtail made some pretty invasive modifications of the original Wintermute engine (as this was open source) and will not run on a "standard" Wintermute build nor on our nominal Wintermute engine. There is a pending Pull Request to integrate the changes as a subengine to support this:
https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/1319

However, there is no timescale for when this will finally get merged as it will depend on the time and energy of the Wintermute engine developers.
GusCE6
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:50 pm

Re: Is ScummVM "Self-Contained?"

Post by GusCE6 »

Thank you for the reply!

Yesterday I managed to download a "WME Demo," the one with a woman in a red dress, a fan, a WME book, and a flashing red "WME" sign outside. It worked fine on the Sony itself, and it worked well (albeit somewhat slower) with ScummVM when using the Swiftshader 2.1 files; it does NOT work when running ScummVM through 3-D Analyze.

My main concern is: is what is preventing the game "Foxtail" from running on that old Sony something ScummVM can deal with? That is, if "Foxtail" will run on ScummVM on the more powerful ASUS (the game runs just fine on that ASUS) then it WILL run on the Sony? Or is the problem beyond that? My hope is that, since that Demo did work, then whatever Gingertips did that prevents the game from running on the Sony will be cancelled out by ScummVM- it would then work.

The game itself has problems on any system, even the very-powerful ASUS which, if the specifications given are remotely true, has far more power than is needed to run the game. For example, sometimes the little clock-cursor keeps going, Leah's walking speed varies without changing the settings at times, giving Granny things can crash or freeze the game, and when you have tried using a certain flower returning to the plants has flowers on two big purple blocks.


The ASUS' process monitor also indicated signs of a memory leak; running the game on the ASUS in Puppy Linux 5.7.0 Precise mode with WINE 1.5 works, but the command window implies a problem. I'm wondering if there is a flaw in the game that more powerful computers can just deal with but not older, weaker ones.

But I do like this game very much, and hopefully if someone gets it running on ScummVM then it absolutely will work on the Sony, even if the game speed is reduced.
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