[ scummvm-Bugs-3614702 ] TUCKER: VERY IMPORTANT BUG: Cannot get an object

[SourceForge.net]

Bugs item #3614702, was opened at 2013-07-14 12:57
Message generated for change (Tracker Item Submitted) made by 
You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=418820&aid=3614702&group_id=37116

Please note that this message will contain a full copy of the comment thread,
including the initial issue submission, for this request,
not just the latest update.
Category: Script bugs
Group: Bud Tucker
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Private: No
Submitted By: https://www.google.com/accounts ()
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: TUCKER: VERY IMPORTANT BUG: Cannot get an object

Initial Comment:
The original game has a "data bug". I give full detail.
The game uses the file CSDATA.ENC (it is encrypted, you need to decrypt it to see the plain text), to read and execute instructions. These instructions are like: add X item to the inventory, remove X item from the inventory, show 3 answers in a conversation, etc. They are composed of three letters like "ofg","c0s","bus","pan","bua", etc, and some numbers then.

In the third part of the game, in the park, you need to talk to Royston to do an object exchange. Bud will give him a traffic cone, and Royston will give you a drain pipe. The line in the CSDATA.ENC that do that, it does more things apart of the object exchange. There are TWO LINES that do that (the object exchange). The line that the game will execute depends on your gameplay and the order of resolving puzzles.
OK, the problem is that, ONE of the TWO lines, is missing the object exchange! So you will read (if you activate the subtitles) or hear the voices, that Bud and Royston are exchanging the objects but when the conversation ends, you continue having the traffic cone, and you don't get the drain pipe. So if you have bad luck (like me), and the game is executing the line without the object exchange, you will never get the required object. This can be resolved (i have successfully tested it) modifying the file CSDATA.ENC, but users must specifically know that, so i propose a workaround in ScummVM to correct this.

The instruction to interact with objects is "ofg".
It has two parameters: the object number (a value that identifies an object in the game), and the action to do (00=remove the object from the inventory, OR 01=add the object to the inventory).

These are the two lines in the CSDATA.ENC file. They are similar:
dw ssp,160,060,tpo,0880,bus,094,wa+,c0s,095,wa+,bus,096,wa+,c0s,097,was,gv,09,wat,050,bus,078,wa+,gfg,090,01,end//09
dw ssp,160,060,tpo,0880,bus,060,wa+,c0s,061,wa+,bus,062,wa+,c0s,063,wa+,gv,09,bus,064,was,bus,078,wa+,ofg,036,00,ofg,035,01,end//10

As you see, the second line is correct, it has at the end "ofg,036,00,ofg,035,01", that is, remove the object 36 (traffic cone) from the inventory and add the object 35 (drain pipe) to the inventory. But the other line not!!! So, in the game, anytime you talk to Royston (having done some previous puzzles), if you have the bad chance, that the first line is executed (like me), you will never get the drain pipe, that occurs to me, and i solved it adding "ofg,036,00,ofg,035,01" to the first line and it worked perfectly as it has to be (as i told, you can read or hear Bud and Royston doing the object exchange). If you try to speak again with Royston, to see if the game will execute the other line, it doesn't work, because once the game as chosen the line, it will always execute the same one...

So, original problematic line:
dw ssp,160,060,tpo,0880,bus,094,wa+,c0s,095,wa+,bus,096,wa+,c0s,097,was,gv,09,wat,050,bus,078,wa+,gfg,090,01,end//09
Modified (problem solved) line:
dw ssp,160,060,tpo,0880,bus,094,wa+,c0s,095,wa+,bus,096,wa+,c0s,097,was,gv,09,wat,050,bus,078,wa+,gfg,090,01,ofg,036,00,ofg,035,01,end//09

As i told, this also happen in the original game running it from Dosbox.

CAN ANY DEVELOPER ADD A WORKAROUND FOR THIS BUG PRESENT IN THE ORIGINAL GAME?

THANKS!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=418820&aid=3614702&group_id=37116