GOB: Goblins 2 - Missing footsteps sound effect in Floppy version

[DisizDream]

ScummVM version:
ScummVM 2.8.1 (Mar 16 2024 13:01:03)

Bug details:
Hi, I have noticed that the footsteps are not playing correctly in Gobliins 2. With the multilingual PC DOS CD version (CD v2.01, 24a6b32757752ccb1917ce92fd7c2a04) the footsteps can be heard but very rarely. If you walk from the far left to the far right of the screen, you will be lucky to hear up to 2 footsteps.
With the PC DOS Floppy version (b45b984ee8017efd6ea965b9becd4d66) you can't hear any footsteps at all.
When playing the same version in DOSBox, you can hear every footsteps in both the floppy and CD version.
I have tried very old version of ScummVM (0.12.0) to see if it was a regression, and it seems this bug was there since a long time.

Language of game: any

Version of game: PC DOS Floppy and PC DOS CD

Your OS: Windows 10 Home 10.0.19045 Build 19045

[Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames]

Hi,

The issue is maybe related to the fact that a delay can be NULL (0), in the function

void PCSpeaker::stop(int32 delay)

which can disable the stacked foot sound effect.

Maybe increasing the delay variable (like max(1, delay)) might solve the problem, I will check on my side.

[BJNFNE]

Fixed by Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames in commit: ​https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/commit/64538394ecb2f8f06ea5041385c79e4d956befee

[tag2015]

This is not fixed. Using latest master I can reproduce the issue.

AFAIK the recent PR addressed background music, not sound effects.

[Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames]

Hi,

Thanks @tag2015 for reopening the ticket.
My previous PR did not solve this issue, indeed.

So, I have a fix for the CD-Rom version, but not for the Floppy version yet.
I will continue to work on it and keep you updated.

I don't know if I can submit the fix for the CD-Rom now and update later for the Floppy, or if the community prefers to receive the full PR only.

[tag2015]

If you have a fix for the CD version maybe you could open a PR, the next ScummVM release is approaching and it'd be nice to include it :)

[Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames]

Hi tag2015,

I have submitted it here: ​https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/6222

[Filippos Karapetis <bluegr@…>]

In e8ddc077:

GOB: Fix footstep sounds in Gob2 CD - bug 15341

This is the same workaround as the one done for Gob 3 in a852f30fb272c4b6adec898a09f3fe8c1f631b90

[Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames]

This ticket should be closed as the issue is not fixed.

This ticket actually describes two issues:

1. No footsteps sound for CD-Rom version
2. No footsteps sound for Floppy-Disc version.

The fix actually solves the CD-Rom version but not the Floppy-Disc one.

I am currently working on getting footsteps for the Floppy-Disc version, but I would like some help from the community.

This is my research on that subject: the CD-Rom & Floppy-Disc versions do not run the same "code" (functions) when a Goblin is walking.

The CD-Rom version is interpreted like this:

`
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00006540: opcodeFunc 0.0 [0x0.0x0] (o1_callSub)
Debug: tot = "GOB01.TOT", offset = 6063
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00006068: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00006246: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00006543: opcodeFunc 0.0 [0x0.0x0] (o1_callSub)
Debug: tot = "GOB01.TOT", offset = 16653
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00016658: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00016679: opcodeFunc 0.9 [0x0.0x9] (o2_assign)
Debug: var parse = 23
Debug: oper = 21

<------------- CALLSUB IS DONE HERE !

Debug: GOB01.TOT:00016686: opcodeFunc 0.0 [0x0.0x0] (o1_callSub)
Debug: tot = "GOB01.TOT", offset = 13676
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013681: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013708: opcodeFunc 0.9 [0x0.0x9] (o2_assign)
Debug: var parse = 23
Debug: oper = 3346
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013716: opcodeFunc 0.9 [0x0.0x9] (o2_assign)
Debug: var parse = 23
Debug: oper = 3602
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013724: opcodeFunc 0.9 [0x0.0x9] (o2_assign)
Debug: var parse = 23
Debug: oper = 21
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013731: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013750: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: GOB01.TOT:00013769: opcodeFunc 2.2 [0x2.0x2] (o1_speakerOn) o1_speakerOn is done -> footstep sound !!!!
`

As you can see the o1_speakerOn function is called in through a subroutine at 00016686.

In the Floppy-Disc version, we don't have this subroutine call:

`
Debug: gob01.TOT:00006282: opcodeFunc 0.0 [0x0.0x0] (o1_callSub)
Debug: tot = "gob01.TOT", offset = 5965
Debug: gob01.TOT:00005970: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: gob01.TOT:00006046: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: gob01.TOT:00006285: opcodeFunc 0.0 [0x0.0x0] (o1_callSub)
Debug: tot = "gob01.TOT", offset = 16000
Debug: gob01.TOT:00016005: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: gob01.TOT:00016026: opcodeFunc 0.9 [0x0.0x9] (o2_assign)
Debug: var parse = 23
Debug: oper = 21

<------ MISSING CALLSUB !!!!

Debug: gob01.TOT:00016033: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: gob01.TOT:00016494: opcodeFunc 0.8 [0x0.0x8] (o1_if)
Debug: cmd = 0
Debug: gob01.TOT:00016526: opcodeFunc 2.5 [0x2.0x5] (o2_goblinFunc)
Debug: opcodeGoblin 100 [0x64] (o2_handleGoblins)
`

If the footstep sound is really performed in the o1_speakerOn function as I expect, then I think there is a bug with the interpretation of the game for the Floppy-Disc version only.

[bluegr]

As far as I know, there is no footstep sound in the Gob 2 floppy version. Check this video:
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MyZhbvGreA

@Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames are you sure that there was ever such a sound in the floppy version? Does this bug really apply to the floppy version?

[DisizDream]

@bluegr I have tried to run the DOS floppy version in DOSBox and I can hear footsteps sounds. Here’s a video I found where you can hear it: ​https://youtu.be/a8ci4IgBuvs

The video you sent shows the Amiga version, maybe it’s normal for the Amiga version to not have footsteps sounds. I never tested this version myself.

[Antonin-Carette-RedArtGames]

Hi @bluegr,
As far as I tested I have the footsteps sounds in the Floppy version using Dosbox, so we should have it using ScummVM normally.

I did not tested the AMIGA version either.

[Jerome-Labbe-RedArtGames]

Fun fact: In Gob2 floppy DOS in latest ScummVM version, if you disable the music in-game, and you move from one scene to another: you might hear footsteps when entering the new scene. Sometimes you hear one, sometimes two, sometimes none at all.