#14640 closed defect (fixed)
SCI: ECOQUEST2: nothing happens when the Ecorder displays "printing"
Reported by: | lwcorp | Owned by: | sluicebox |
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Priority: | normal | Component: | Engine: SCI |
Version: | Keywords: | print, printing | |
Cc: | Game: | EcoQuest 2 |
Description
I'm not sure if this is even a SCI issue or a more general one (if so, please modify).
So the Ecorder device in this game can actually send text to one's printer (LPT1). It works for example in DOSBox-X (which supports printing), but not in ScummVM. Any attempt to print just secretly creates a file called ecoquest2-prn (no extension) without any indication on the screen other than displaying "Printing" inside the game. Nothing is even mentioned in the console screen.
Steps to reproduce
- Enter the game's top menu
- Click the inventory icon
- Click the hand icon
- Click the Ecorder
- Click the Turn On button
- Click Down until reaching "Print My Fact Sheet"
- Click the Enter button
- Click Up to accept printing
- Click the Enter button
- See the game displaying "Printing" for a couple of seconds
Expected outcome
Options:
or
- Save to a PDF file
or
- At least indicate on screen this can't be done (at least in console)
Actual result
Nothing seemingly happens but secretly a file called ecoquest2-prn (no extension) is being created
Attachments (7)
Change History (9)
by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | print_option.png added |
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by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | approve_warning_before_printing.png added |
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by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | printing.png added |
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by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | print_outcome_without_scummvm.png added |
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The printing outcome when playing not via ScummVM (the player's name is modifiable due to relevant Ecorder setting)
by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | ecoquest2-prn added |
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The file ScummVM secretly creates (without an extension)
by , 13 months ago
Attachment: | savegame_original_interpreter.zip added |
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Savegame in the original interpreter (with the Ecorder), which you can try in an emulator like DOSBox-X that supports printing
comment:1 by , 12 months ago
Owner: | set to |
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Resolution: | → fixed |
Status: | new → closed |
We don't support printing in ScummVM, plus this is an extremely rare case where a SCI game is actually trying to perform printing.
This has now been fixed in commit 25a7fc6ab1cd386b1640a30a755f41e09bf3db4f - the game no longer tries to perform any printing in that place.
comment:2 by , 12 months ago
So it's better than before (since the file wasn't really accessible), but still a shame since it does work in printing aware DOSBox variants like DOSBox-X which open source code can be utilized for this...
But 2 questions remain though:
- What happens following this fix? What does
return SIGNAL_REG;
do? - What's the point of displaying Printing while not printing? Why not writing something else like "Printing failed"?
This screenshot isn't supported in alt+s due to the blinking state of Printing (which just comes out blank blue screen)