Verify Pool of Radiance

[tomojira]

Verifying Pool of Radiance (1988) (SSI)

Checklist

Have adequate installation instructions been provided to match any config files in the DOSZ?
POOL.CFG is needed in the DOSZ for the game to be playable - it was missing so I added it, along with instructions. This config file has edited paths from the version on the disc.

Have any official patches been applied, if necessary?
No official patches mentioned by 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?
Yes, I made GOG match with the main variant using an embedded patch (only 2 bytes were different in GAME.OVR). I then removed GOG's DOSC. (the actual dat for it seemed to be missing already)

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

Can DoDAT build the game from the install media?
Yes, after adding embedded data.

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?
Yes.

Does the DOSZ run standalone?
Yes, after adding POOL.CFG.

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?
Yes.

Is the game running at the correct speed? Is CPU year specified?
cpu_year: 1988 was set, but I changed to 1985 to slow it down a bit.

Is the DOSC auto-running and skipping past any obstructions? Is it updated to use WAITMODECHANGE if possible?
Yes.

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?
No.

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?
No. Other versions benefit from Tandy, but unfortunately this version has no music.

Does the game have a mouse cursor that benefits from enabling input_directmouse?
Not applicable.

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. Added a series .savename. There are actually 7 Forgotten Realms games that can transfer saves between each other - Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, Pools of Darkness, Hillsfar, Gateway to the Savage Frontier, and Treasures of the Savage Frontier. All can work together if you edit their config files to set the save paths to C:\SAVE\ or some other folder (C:\ alone doesn't work and gives errors) - except for Hillsfar, which doesn't have a config file. Unfortunately it has to put its own files in C:\SAVE\, but everything will work this way.

Summary of changes

• Added POOL.CFG to DOSZ with embedded data
• Added embedded patch to GAME.OVR to make GOG match
• Changed to cpu_year: 1985
• Edited comments and links

EDIT: Later updates

• Removed POOL.CFG from DOSC due to redundancy with embedded data
• Added series .savename