The Big ScummVM and ResidualVM Thread

[Jennifer]

There's been quite a few threads about specific games in ScummVM and ResidualVM, but never one all-encompassing thread, so I figured I'd make one since ScummVM and ResidualVM are ever-evolving.

I'm a huge fan of the 2D adventure game program ScummVM and it's sister project for 3D adventures, ResidualVM by extension. So much so that I actually prefer to play adventure games through these programs.

I enjoy testing out engines as they're WIP, and there's often some times when the engines play straight through to completion long before they're added to a stable release. I'm playing through Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers in ScummVM right now, and it works really well despite being WIP, and I played through Grim Fandango in Residual, which has yet to release a stable release.

I've played ScummVM on Windows, Linux, BeOS, GP32, Dreamcast, and Wii, and ResidualVM on Windows and Linux.

[Friar]

I've never heard of residualvm before.

I've got scummVM on my tablet with curse of mi. Does anyone know if it's possible to change the controls from virtual touch pad (the whole screen is a mouse) to actual touch?

[Mr Nutt]

I always wondered if there was a ScummVM for 3D games. Shame it's still in early stages, I could have used it for Journeyman Project 3 (it's only 1% compatible).

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by Friar

I've got scummVM on my tablet with curse of mi. Does anyone know if it's possible to change the controls from virtual touch pad (the whole screen is a mouse) to actual touch?

What kind of tablet do you have? On iPad you can toggle touchpad mode by holding one finger on the screen and swiping another finger from left to right.

On Android, you apparently toggle between touch-pad and direct mode by configuring the "Mixed AdLib/MIDI mode" on the MIDI tab from the "options" button in ScummVM's menu (since the android port currently lacks its own configuration dialog).

Some info about the iPhone/iPad port can be found here.
Some info about the Android port can be found here.

Originally Posted by Friar

I've never heard of residualvm before.

It's a ScummVM sister project for 3D adventure games that uses the same GUI and has the same codebase framework as ScummVM. It used to be a sub-project called Residual, but the sourcecode was moved from the ScummVM repository.

There is only official Amiga, Windows, Mac, and Linux support at the moment, but because it shares the same codebase as ScummVM, I wouldn't be surprised if many new ports pop up when a stable build is released.

[Darth Marsden]

I tried ScummVM on my DS, which would just be the perfect place to port the thing to, but I never really found it to work all that great. Same thing with the Wii (another great system to port it to). Shame.

[Friar]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

What kind of tablet do you have? On iPad you can toggle touchpad mode by holding one finger on the screen and swiping another finger from left to right.

On Android, you apparently toggle between touch-pad and direct mode by configuring the "Mixed AdLib/MIDI mode" on the MIDI tab from the "options" button in ScummVM's menu (since the android port currently lacks its own configuration dialog).

Some info about the iPhone/iPad port can be found here.
Some info about the Android port can be found here.


It's a ScummVM sister project for 3D adventure games that uses the same GUI and has the same codebase framework as ScummVM. It used to be a sub-project called Residual, but the sourcecode was moved from the ScummVM repository.

There is only official Amiga, Windows, Mac, and Linux support at the moment, but because it shares the same codebase as ScummVM, I wouldn't be surprised if many new ports pop up when a stable build is released.

Oooh, thanks. It was an android tablet. Much better now!

[Jennifer]

I just played through Gabriel Knight in ScummVM (it was the first time I ever finished the game, actually).

I can see why it's not ready for primetime yet. The flashlight doesn't work properly in the crypt, and the drum code selector is a bit fidgety (I had to select things from the far right in order for them to register correctly). Other than that though, it worked quite well.

I was going to keep this post ScummVM specific, but I just have to say one thing about the game in general: Jim Cummings as the desk sergeant made me think of Bonkers every time I heard him. It's the same voice that he used for detective Lucky in that show.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Darth Marsden

I tried ScummVM on my DS, which would just be the perfect place to port the thing to, but I never really found it to work all that great. Same thing with the Wii (another great system to port it to). Shame.

Funny, I think it works fine on Wii with the exception that the Save Game screen text is too small.

I've played Curse of Monkey Island from start to finish on my Wii once before.

[Darth Marsden]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

Funny, I think it works fine on Wii with the exception that the Save Game screen text is too small.

I've played Curse of Monkey Island from start to finish on my Wii once before.

I seem to recall trying Sam & Max, but it didn't work. Probably due to me installing it incorrectly or something. Eh, it's not the end of the world. The PC version works fine.

[flesk]

I played a couple of LucasArts games on my DS and had some problems with the font and scrolling. The Android version with its push pointer works really well though. Although I tried and was unable to finish The Dig, since there are some puzzles which requires you to push and hold the left mouse button. An action not implemented on the Android version of ScummVM.

[Irishmile]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

Funny, I think it works fine on Wii with the exception that the Save Game screen text is too small.

I've played Curse of Monkey Island from start to finish on my Wii once before.

I have too... Kings Quest 5 and 6 work well on there as well... If you plug in a USB keyboard you can play the parcer games on there just fine too.

[Chyron8472]

How can I set up ScummVM to use a game's original menu/savegame screen? I've heard it is possible.

[MusicallyInspired]

It's not impossible. I believe it's a setting in the scummvm.ini file. If not, you can always quickly alter a single variable in ScummVM's source and compile yourself a custom build. Not really all that difficult, actually.

I've got ScummVM on my DS and it runs beautifully. I just wish I had a GBA memory cart so I could use the ROM that takes advantage of the extra memory so I can play Full Throttle and The Dig on it. Someday.

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

How can I set up ScummVM to use a game's original menu/savegame screen? I've heard it is possible.

If the menu is scripted, you can get to a game's original menu by pressing Alt and F5 (you can usually tell by games that use a different setup for the menu than the usual menus for a particular engine, like in Maniac Mansion for the NES).

You can't use the original menus for games with unscripted menus (eg: most of the SCUMM games [the ones that share a common menu layout]) because the game's script only gives the text inside the buttons and none of the actual graphics or layout (that's all hardcoded in the original executable).

[MusicallyInspired]

Yes, but it's different for SCI games. Which is what I think I mistakenly assumed Chyron was talking about. It actually has to be set manually in this case. Personally, I look at it as a missing feature because you can't press F5 and F7 to Save and Restore respectively anymore.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Yes, but it's different for SCI games. Which is what I think I mistakenly assumed Chyron was talking about.

It is, actually.

I'm not sure which setting in scummvm.ini it is.

[MusicallyInspired]

Ah, well there you are. I know that the variable to use the Windows cursor icons (small and white) for the Windows versions of KQ5 and KQ6 and such is an option in the INI (I used to also change this in the source and compile my own version), but I don't know if they allowed the same for the save/restore GUI.

[MusicallyInspired]

Just realized in the latest snapshot there's a new section in the Edit Game options menu called Engine which has a flag for "Use original Save/Load GUI". There's also one for "prefer digital sound effects" but it doesn't do anything for some games at the moment. Certain titles still default to using digital sound effects either way (like SQ3), unfortunately.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Certain titles still default to using digital sound effects

as opposed to what?

[der_ketzer]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

as opposed to what?

Me standing behind you strangeling a cat to create sounds.