Verify Shadow Sorcerer

[tomojira]

Verifying Shadow Sorcerer (1991) (U.S. Gold)

Checklist

Have adequate installation instructions been provided to match any config files in the DOSZ?
Config is contained in SS.BAT, and it needs to be in the DOSZ to launch the game - using SHADOW.COM alone will stop you and tell you to insert a disk. I changed SS.BAT to use Adlib instead of PC Speaker and edited the instructions for that.

Have any official patches been applied, if necessary?
No official patches according to PCGamingWiki.

Is the game data in the root of the ZIP (unless game does not work that way)?
Yes.

For games which include CD images, is there a smaller installation variant that offers the same features but needs less files?
Not applicable.

Is the entry in the right variant file (i.e. Freeware)?
Yes.

Have digital versions (Steam, GOG) been checked for matching?
I eliminated the GOG variant by changing SS.BAT to Adlib - that was the only difference.

Can the game benefit from using embedded data or embedded patches in the datfile?
Yes, I added it to SS.BAT.

Can DoDAT build the game from the install media?
No, it can't find TEXT.DAT within a ZIP file on the disk it seems.

If the game requires a yml in the DOSZ, has it been added to the yml folder in the repo?
Not applicable.

Are there .PIF or .ICO or Win32 .EXE files that could be excluded?
No.

Do the file timestamps match the installation media?
No, I added them.

Does the DOSZ run standalone?
Yes.

For CD games, can the game be set up to run without a CD mounted?
Not applicable.

Can the game benefit from using CHDtoOGG?
Not applicable.

Is the game creating a swap file in the .pure.zip that could be avoided by increasing memory size? Or is it creating other bloated files that could be prevented by adding them in the DOSZ?
No.

Does the DOSC contain problematic data (i.e. copyright issue)?
No.

Does the DOSC have copy protection removed, if possible?
There is no copy protection according to PCGamingWiki.

Is the game running at the correct speed? Is CPU year specified?
cpu_year: 1991 was set, but I changed to 1986 to slow down the game (close to GOG's 3500 cycles).

Is the DOSC auto-running and skipping past any obstructions? Is it updated to use WAITMODECHANGE if possible?
It used WAITMODECHANGE, but the game was already starting at 320x200 and it skipped too far. I removed it.

Does the game have MT-32 support? If so, is it correctly using MT-32 (old) or CM-32L (new), going by the Vogons Wiki?
Yes, CM-32L, I added it.

Does the game have General MIDI support?
No.

Is the game set up to run with the best quality graphics options by default?
Not applicable.

For certain old games only - are the graphics/audio improved by specifying video_card: pcjr, tandy, or generic_cga?
Not applicable.

Does the game have a mouse cursor that benefits from enabling input_directmouse?
No, it doesn't seem to work with this game.

Does a game with separate episodes/executables have the options named and ordered properly in the DOSZ? Do they use the run_utility feature?
Not applicable.

Does the game share saves with a sequel, expansion, etc? If so, is it updated to use the .savename feature?
Not applicable.

Summary of changes

• Changed from PC Speaker to Adlib, and eliminated the GOG variant
• Added embedded data to SS.BAT
• Added file timestamps
• Changed to cpu_year: 1986
• Removed WAITMODECHANGE
• Added MT-32 option
• Edited comments and links