Instruction Manual to Space Adventure

[Videodr0me]

I am looking for the instruction manual for Space Adventure by Alick Dziabezcenko (early Sierra title). The game is only preserved on a compilation disk (Apple II Compilation #13) and is one of the more intruiging apple 2 games. Unfortunately it can only be played properly with instructions as the board computers commands can otherweise only be guessed. Any pointers to a pdf scan or instuctions in any form are welcome.

[youxia]

Interesting stuff, but impossible to search for due to generic name ?

 

Are you sure it's a Sierra game? Can't see it listed on their official page.

[DavidD]

On 4/10/2021 at 9:34 AM, youxia said:

Interesting stuff, but impossible to search for due to generic name ?

 

Are you sure it's a Sierra game? Can't see it listed on their official page.

I was curious and did a search...

Softline had an interview with him in 1982, and mention Space Adventure as one of his Sierra titles.

http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/softline_1.3.pdf

[youxia]

2 hours ago, DavidD said:

Softline had an interview with him in 1982, and mention Space Adventure as one of his Sierra titles.

Nice find. I was looking for his name as originally quoted by OP

 

But, I don't think this is the famous Sierra we're talking about. Sounds like he founded his own company named Sierra Software in 1980, whereas Sierra On-Line was founded in 1979 by Ken & Roberta.

[Videodr0me]

On 4/23/2021 at 12:22 PM, youxia said:

Nice find. I was looking for his name as originally quoted by OP

 

But, I don't think this is the famous Sierra we're talking about. Sounds like he founded his own company named Sierra Software in 1980, whereas Sierra On-Line was founded in 1979 by Ken & Roberta.

Its the same Sierra that later became the Sierra we all know. Its just one of their earliest forgotten games. It is only preserved in the compilation I mentioned as a crack that is rumoured not to work properly and without instructions. There exists no working preserved original version. The only known flux scan in A2R format is non-bootable and defect. Its one of those games we will probably never be able to play again. Unless somebody digs up the manual and/or the original disk....

[DavidD]

On 4/25/2021 at 10:46 AM, Videodr0me said:

Its the same Sierra that later became the Sierra we all know. Its just one of their earliest forgotten games. It is only preserved in the compilation I mentioned as a crack that is rumoured not to work properly and without instructions. There exists no working preserved original version. The only known flux scan in A2R format is non-bootable and defect. Its one of those games we will probably never be able to play again. Unless somebody digs up the manual and/or the original disk....

I don't think it is -- this is Sierra Software, not Sierra Online -- it says this guy started this company himself in Las Vegas, as opposed to Ken over in Coarsegold...

[Videodr0me]

On 4/27/2021 at 7:06 AM, DavidD said:

I don't think it is -- this is Sierra Software, not Sierra Online -- it says this guy started this company himself in Las Vegas, as opposed to Ken over in Coarsegold...

I was under the impression that on-line systems merged with sierra software early on, but maybe that was not the case?

Edited April 28, 2021 by Videodr0me

[youxia]

Got any links?

[magnusfalkirk]

Here's link to the Wikipedia article about Sierra Entertainment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Entertainment which originally started out as On-Line Systems in Simi Valley, Ca and was founded by Ken and Roberta Williams. So Space Adventure was programmed by a completely different company.

[magnusfalkirk]

Here's a link I just found today to a few pictures of the manual for Space Adventure: https://imgur.com/a/BqKGguv. The first picture also has the Word List card for the game. I'm going to keep looking for more links.

[Keatah]

The two .A2R files from A2 CANADA seem to work just fine. They seem to behave exactly like the 150-sector BRUN file from the "compilation" disk. With the exception of the added and working Protect-O-Disk copy protection stuff. Both the a2r sources and existing 150-sector file seem to "save-game" and "load-game" just fine. And the save-game disk seems interchangeable between the versions.

[magnusfalkirk]

On 7/5/2021 at 6:02 PM, Keatah said:

The two .A2R files from A2 CANADA seem to work just fine. They seem to behave exactly like the 150-sector BRUN file from the "compilation" disk. With the exception of the added and working Protect-O-Disk copy protection stuff. Both the a2r sources and existing 150-sector file seem to "save-game" and "load-game" just fine. And the save-game disk seems interchangeable between the versions.

My only question is: How do I run those a2r files? I've seen them before but I have no idea how to run them. Also is it possible to transfer those back to 5.25 disks?

Thanks in advance,

magnus

Edited July 7, 2021 by magnusfalkirk

[Keatah]

A2R files can't be run directly. But they can be loaded back into Applesauce FDC's software and saved as WOZ. Several emulators like MAME and AppleWin support WOZ and will run the resulting output. WOZ disk images keep all the copy protection stuff just like the original.

 

You can run Applesauce's FDC software on a Hackintosh in VirtualBox or a real MAC. It even says so on the Applesauce page. The Applesauce FDC client has a bulk A2R -> WOZ converter.

 

Once you have the WOZ file you can perhaps put it on a physical floppy emulator like from BMOW or the wDrive. And use a bit copier (with parameters, if they are published and required) to then make a real floppy - assuming the protection scheme isn't too complicated.

 

I was going to try it in Applesauce's client, but it doesn't yet support writing out A2R files, and not all woz files contain enough data to make a real floppy, even on Applesauce itself.

 

Does all that make sense?

 

[youxia]

@magnusfalkirkthanks a lot for finding this manual!

 

@Keatahmy head hurts...is there any way to turn it into some common format like .dsk or .po? I'd really want to try this game now, looks really interesting.

Where did you find these files anyway...I mean which collection or site?

 

[Keatah]

Yes it's a rabbit hole 2bshur.

The A2CANADA collection on Internet archive.

https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A"A2+Canada"

But the 150-sector BRUN file here..

ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/games/file_based/spaceadventure_shootoutatokgalaxy_spaceshuttle_starwars][.dsk

..seems to play identically to the "full protected disk" made from the A2R. With working load/save ability.

 

In fact, the original Protect-O-Disk protection present in the A2R/WOZ file won't boot on an Apple //e. Seems to only work on Apple II+, as was the case with several other disks back in the day. Though you can use 4am's Anti-M pre-boot to get around that.

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Keatah

[youxia]

Wow, it really works! This really is an obscure gem...great find. And we have the manual now (well, at least a part of it). Thanks, folks!

[magnusfalkirk]

2 hours ago, Keatah said:

In fact, the original Protect-O-Disk protection present in the A2R/WOZ file won't boot on an Apple //e. Seems to only work on Apple II+, as was the case with several other disks back in the day. Though you can use 4am's Anti-M pre-boot to get around that.

 

Thanks for the comment about 4am's Anti-M disk, Keetah. I was trying to boot the .woz file in several different emulators with no luck. I took a second look at your post, saw the comment about the Anti-M, did a search and found it. Downloaded it, booted it and then the Space Adventure.woz and it ran. So again thank you very much. I wish there were a way to contact the person who put up the photos of part of the manual and ask them to photo the whole thing. I'm going to keep looking and see if I can get lucky and find it or maybe an ebay auction for the game and manual.

 

magnus

[magnusfalkirk]

This is just cruel and unusual punishment! I just found the Sierra Software manual for Space Adventure in the Asimov Archive, it's in the Unsorted folder here: https://www.apple.asimov.net/unsorted/ for the moment but will probably get moved into regular documentation in a while. The problem is that whoever uploaded it password protected the zip file! Does anyone know how to bypass password protection on a zip file?

 

magnus

Edited July 7, 2021 by magnusfalkirk

[Keatah]

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

Thanks for the comment about 4am's Anti-M disk, Keetah. I was trying to boot the .woz file in several different emulators with no luck.

Just wondering where you got the .woz file from? I couldn't find it, and had to make my own. But learned in the process so I can't complain.

 

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

I wish there were a way to contact the person who put up the photos of part of the manual and ask them to photo the whole thing.

By chance would that be retro365? I never found contact info. And if you do manage could you inquire about Rings of Saturn?

 

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

I'm going to keep looking and see if I can get lucky and find it or maybe an ebay auction for the game and manual.

Last I saw a copy moved for around $150. Big bucks in my world of vintage computing. Promised myself I wouldn't spend that kind of money on Apple II material anymore, except manuals and dwindling "want list" of specific items.

[Keatah]

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

..but will probably get moved into regular documentation in a while.

I'd think Asimov's administrators would catch that and delete it?

 

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

The problem is that whoever uploaded it password protected the zip file!

In the modern WaReZ world that's done to obscure the contents of a file from scanners and sites that open zip files. They'll just print the password in the "comments" or as a second file in the archive that's plain to read. Or in a separate file similarly names. Or it's a pisser of a joke.

 

4 hours ago, magnusfalkirk said:

Does anyone know how to bypass password protection on a zip file?

Some early .zip files are vulnerable to "cracking" if you know some of the contents like a word or phrase. A zip password cracking site may help. But I never had luck with those. Some advanced GPU farms that run through 50 or 100 billion hashes can sometimes brute-force it overnight. And you pay for that service if successful.

[magnusfalkirk]

23 minutes ago, Keatah said:

Just wondering where you got the .woz file from? I couldn't find it, and had to make my own. But learned in the process so I can't complain.

I followed your advice and used Applesauce's FDC to turn the a2r file into a .woz file. So yes I made my own also using the software you recommended. I'll look around the "Unsorted" folder some more and see if I can find anything that might suggest it being a password for the manual.

[Videodr0me]

Thanks to @magnusfalkirk for the great find! How did you find that? Or is it a new scan that just popped up in the last couple of weeks? Thanks also to @Keatah for his efforts to get the final pages of the instructions - hope you get it done soon!

[magnusfalkirk]

1 hour ago, Videodr0me said:

Thanks to @magnusfalkirk for the great find! How did you find that? Or is it a new scan that just popped up in the last couple of weeks? Thanks also to @Keatah for his efforts to get the final pages of the instructions - hope you get it done soon!

Whoever posted the password protected copy of the instructions for Space Adventure posted them just back in May. I don't understand why any searches I did for it before the beginning of this month never turned it up. I'm just glad I finally found something for it.