Anyone playing/played Captive recently? Issues with the game?

[Randy]

Finally the semester is over and I can get back to my Atari computers!  I have a TT that I tried to run Captive on, but the graphics just bugged out and look really low rez or chunky, like it wasn't scaling correctly, guessing that the close up graphics weren't being loaded properly.  Went back to playing on a Mega STe and it looks fine, however I can't interact with the shopkeepers and the map (level 1) doesn't show locations, your current location, or updating the map.  Any ideas on what is going on here?  The files are from PP site.  Thanks!

[Randy]

Weel, something strange happened as the graphics on the TT totally cleared up!  Still haven't gotten the shopkeeper to work...

[Lyverbe2]

Almost sounds like you're running the demo version of Captive.  If you place a droid chest on a power socket, does it explode instead of recharge?  If it explodes, it's the demo version.

 

If you're running a cracked version, it could be a bad crack.  The first thing the game checks when you click on a shop is to check the value of what I call the "Shop key".  If it doesn't match, clicking a shop is ignored.  Technically, that key is initially 0x99d3 at address 0x1f282 and becomes 0x2c76 when the map generator has been successfully executed.  If it's anything else than 0x2c76 when you click a shop, the shop won't appear.

 

[+DarkLord]

If it's the full game and one of P.Pera's conversions, then let

him know about it. He's usually pretty quick about fixing those

kind of things... 

 

[Randy]

On 12/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, Lyverbe2 said:

Almost sounds like you're running the demo version of Captive.  If you place a droid chest on a power socket, does it explode instead of recharge?  If it explodes, it's the demo version.

 

If you're running a cracked version, it could be a bad crack.  The first thing the game checks when you click on a shop is to check the value of what I call the "Shop key".  If it doesn't match, clicking a shop is ignored.  Technically, that key is initially 0x99d3 at address 0x1f282 and becomes 0x2c76 when the map generator has been successfully executed.  If it's anything else than 0x2c76 when you click a shop, the shop won't appear.

 

Thanks for your response Lyverbe2!  Well, just tried charging the droid chest , placing it on the socket, and it charges fine.  One thing I should also note is that the map doesn't generate anything useful, i.e., it doesn't have a map with any indications of shops, doors, etc., or your current location, and only a small, half map appeared on the first world, is that what the map should look like?  Thanks!

[Randy]

On 12/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, Lyverbe2 said:

Almost sounds like you're running the demo version of Captive.  If you place a droid chest on a power socket, does it explode instead of recharge?  If it explodes, it's the demo version.

 

If you're running a cracked version, it could be a bad crack.  The first thing the game checks when you click on a shop is to check the value of what I call the "Shop key".  If it doesn't match, clicking a shop is ignored.  Technically, that key is initially 0x99d3 at address 0x1f282 and becomes 0x2c76 when the map generator has been successfully executed.  If it's anything else than 0x2c76 when you click a shop, the shop won't appear.

 

I would also note that I tried this on a Mega STe with the same results as the TT.

[Lyverbe2]

On 12/28/2022 at 7:08 PM, Randy said:

Thanks for your response Lyverbe2!  Well, just tried charging the droid chest , placing it on the socket, and it charges fine.  One thing I should also note is that the map doesn't generate anything useful, i.e., it doesn't have a map with any indications of shops, doors, etc., or your current location, and only a small, half map appeared on the first world, is that what the map should look like?  Thanks!

To be honest with you, I don't really understand what you mean by that.  You're saying you don't see shops but also say that you can't interact with them (like, clicking on them doesn't do anything?) so are they there or not?  And also don't know what you mean by "your current location".

 

I said that the shopkey is changed after a successful run of the map generator and you're saying the "map doesn't generate anything useful".  There seems to be something wrong with this.  Perhaps contact the person DarkLord is talking about.

[Randy]

On 1/1/2023 at 8:03 AM, Lyverbe2 said:

To be honest with you, I don't really understand what you mean by that.  You're saying you don't see shops but also say that you can't interact with them (like, clicking on them doesn't do anything?) so are they there or not?  And also don't know what you mean by "your current location".

 

I said that the shopkey is changed after a successful run of the map generator and you're saying the "map doesn't generate anything useful".  There seems to be something wrong with this.  Perhaps contact the person DarkLord is talking about.

On 12/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, Lyverbe2 said:

Almost sounds like you're running the demo version of Captive.  If you place a droid chest on a power socket, does it explode instead of recharge?  If it explodes, it's the demo version.

 

If you're running a cracked version, it could be a bad crack.  The first thing the game checks when you click on a shop is to check the value of what I call the "Shop key".  If it doesn't match, clicking a shop is ignored.  Technically, that key is initially 0x99d3 at address 0x1f282 and becomes 0x2c76 when the map generator has been successfully executed.  If it's anything else than 0x2c76 when you click a shop, the shop won't appear.

 

I would also note that I tried this on a Mega STe with the same results as the TT.

[Randy]

I guess I wasn't clear.  The map that you pick up on each level is only half a map on the first level, and the map doesn't show anything other than the paths you could take.  I assume that a working map would have things on the map indicating your current position, any doors or elevators/ladders to go up or down, and the locations of various things, like the shops and the like.  This is applicable to the maps only, does that make sense?

[Lyverbe2]

On 1/8/2023 at 3:09 PM, Randy said:

I guess I wasn't clear.  The map that you pick up on each level is only half a map on the first level, and the map doesn't show anything other than the paths you could take.  I assume that a working map would have things on the map indicating your current position, any doors or elevators/ladders to go up or down, and the locations of various things, like the shops and the like.  This is applicable to the maps only, does that make sense?

Which map are you talking about?  If you're talking about the map item (as shown here in the hand of the green droid), it will display what is seen in the screenshot which is perfectly normal: A map of the paths (and nothing more) of a single floor.  If you're talking about the Mapper optics device, then you should see your position, shops, doors, etc. as seen on the upper left of the screenshot.

Edited January 13, 2023 by Lyverbe2
Typo

[Randy]

I guess I wasn't clear.  The map that you pick up on each level is only half a map on the first level, and the map doesn't show anything other than the paths you could take.  I assume that a working map would have things on the map indicating your current position, any doors or elevators/ladders to go up or down, and the locations of various things, like the shops and the like.  This is applicable to the maps only, does that make sense?

On 1/13/2023 at 7:00 AM, Lyverbe2 said:

Which map are you talking about?  If you're talking about the map item (as shown here in the hand of the green droid), it will display what is seen in the screenshot which is perfectly normal: A map of the paths (and nothing more) of a single floor.  If you're talking about the Mapper optics device, then you should see your position, shops, doors, etc. as seen on the upper left of the screenshot.

Ah, I see now!  Yes, I was talking about the map in the hand which displays in the main window, which seems a bit  of a waste.  The Mapper was what I thought I was getting, but that appears to be an extra thing to buy from the shops.  That being said, I still cannot buy from any shops, clicking on them does not work.  I did try this same game on my Amiga 1200 and the shops work just fine, although when I finished the first level and blew up the generators, the main door opened up to a walled square which I could not escape from or find my ship, I mean, WTF, the Amiga version doesn't work either?  The ST version is so close to working great on the TT and Mega STe, just without those shops, I cannot progress beyond the second world, arrgh!

[Lyverbe2]

16 hours ago, Randy said:

That being said, I still cannot buy from any shops, clicking on them does not work.

Well, that sounds like the "shop key" thing I was talking about earlier.  I don't know where you got that copy of the game but perhaps it's not perfectly cracked.  I play with good old Steem 3.2 using a PASTI copy of Captive.  Flawless.

[Randy]

9 hours ago, Lyverbe2 said:

Well, that sounds like the "shop key" thing I was talking about earlier.  I don't know where you got that copy of the game but perhaps it's not perfectly cracked.  I play with good old Steem 3.2 using a PASTI copy of Captive.  Flawless.

Yup, that is what I was thinking as well.  Since I play on old hardware, it looks like I need to find a different copy to try, thanks!

[TheNameOfTheGame]

On 12/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, Lyverbe2 said:

Almost sounds like you're running the demo version of Captive.  If you place a droid chest on a power socket, does it explode instead of recharge?  If it explodes, it's the demo version.

 

If you're running a cracked version, it could be a bad crack.  The first thing the game checks when you click on a shop is to check the value of what I call the "Shop key".  If it doesn't match, clicking a shop is ignored.  Technically, that key is initially 0x99d3 at address 0x1f282 and becomes 0x2c76 when the map generator has been successfully executed.  If it's anything else than 0x2c76 when you click a shop, the shop won't appear.

 

 

Thanks for the technical description of the key values.  I'm thinking that shoud be something that is possible to track down the problem with.

 

@Randy  Have you talked to Peter about the problem?

 

Do you have or can you make an emulator memory dump around the area of the shop that is not working (i.e. via Hatari or Steem) and send me or can you save the game around where the problem with the shop is (if on physical machine)  and send me the save disk image via pm (the CAS file inside the folder)?

Edited January 27, 2023 by TheNameOfTheGame

[TheNameOfTheGame]

@Randy Ok, no need for the dumps.  Found where the key was checked and put a bypass in there and the shop opens fine now.  At least on the first base.

 

I'll let Peter know about where to patch as I know he is working on a HAGA version. 

 

[Lyverbe2]

16 hours ago, TheNameOfTheGame said:

@Randy Ok, no need for the dumps.  Found where the key was checked and put a bypass in there and the shop opens fine now.  At least on the first base.

It's the same key everywhere.  If it works on the first base, it will work on any base.

[TheNameOfTheGame]

There is good news that Peter has released his HAGA updated and shop-key fixed release of Captive!  It can be downloaded at his site.