Tower of Babel Forum - The Herold's Tower

The various versions of ToB

The various versions of ToB

Hi there !

Does anyone know about the differences between the Atari ST, the Amiga and the Archimedes versions?

By the way, can anyone provide me with a disk image for the Archimedes? I was unable to locate one on the Internet

Re: The various versions of ToB

We had enough trouble finding copies of the Amiga disk images! Apologies to anyone trying to download the copies I had on my website - since leaving Tiscali for BT Broadband my website has been lost into the electronic ether. When I have new webspace I will upload them again.


Re: The various versions of ToB

Hu really? I had no problem finding copies for Atari ST and Amiga.

For information I am using GAU 301 for Atari ST.
For Amiga I can't remember which version I used to run but I found some here.

Now I want the Archimedes one, anyone?

Re: The various versions of ToB

Sorry, can't help you there. For me, the Archimedes always was a pretty exotic bit of hardware. I don't think I've ever even seen one in real life...
Like Artinum said, we were pretty happy when we had managed to cobble together a fully functional Amiga version. Wasn't as easy then as you might think, and involved him having some shady guys from Russia (!) send him a disk, which... well, anyways, that's the only working version I've ever encountered before we stopped looking.
(Notice those laurels on Artinum's head? That's how overjoyed we were.)

Regarding differences between the Amiga and ST versions - I don't think there were many. Sound effects slightly different and one or two completely different background (optical) effects, I think, but that was it. Anybody know different?

--
Dr. Hans Zarkov
Rocket scientist & freelance genius
Formerly of NASA
Deathrays a specialty
https://www.ja-wezen.yourweb.de/

Re: The various versions of ToB

Indeed

Regarding getting a correct version for the Amiga I suddenly think that indeed most easily available disk images probably don't fully get rid of the protection which is spread all around the program.

I even think the Atari ST version I mentionned above is not correct in this regard...

All I know is that I cracked myself the ST version back when it went out, removed all the protections (except the manual word checker) and played it 'til the end

By the way I sent the 68k asm source of this version to Dirk (Faulty), but got no reply.

Re: The various versions of ToB

Naughty boy....

Hey, don't be so impatient! It literally took you YEARS to send me the file, and I'm just four days late with my reply...
I forwarded the file to Mayo. Let's see if it can shed some light on a couple of issues with the remake.

I remember finding out some differences while I decoded the savedisk formats. I'll have another look at that.


"Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean."

Re: The various versions of ToB

I never could learn patience

He can ask questions if he feels the need. I did not comment the game logic itself...

The save format on the Atari ST is:

d_0017C8 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x00);
d_0017CA = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x02);
d_0017CC = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x04);
d_0017CE = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x06);
d_0017D0 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x08);
d_0017D2 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x0a);
d_0017D4 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x0c);
d_0017D6 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x0e);
d_0017D8 = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x10);
loadgame_copy((uae_u8 *)d_0017DA, my_a0p + 0x12, 30);
d_0017F8 = loadgame_get_long(my_a0p + 0x30);
d_0017FC = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x34);
d_0017FE = loadgame_get_word(my_a0p + 0x36);
loadgame_copy(d_001800, my_a0p + 0x38, 9 * 13);
loadgame_copy(d_001875, my_a0p + 0xad, 9);
loadgame_copy(d_00187E, my_a0p + 0xb6, 9);

Where:
W0017C8 W ; Backwards Allowed (0=yes -1=no)
W0017CA W ; Link Cameras (0=yes -1=no)
W0017CC W ; Show Compass/Info (0=no 1=base 2=top)
W0017CE W ; Show Timer (0=no 1=base 2=top)
W0017D0 W ; View Offset (0=left 1=centre 2=right)
W0017D2 W ; View Height (0=normal 1=high 2=very high)
W0017D4 W ; View Distance (0=normal 1=behind 2=far behind)
W0017D6 W ; Sights (0=on -1=off)
W0017D8 W ; Panel Style (0=pop up 1=neon 2=bas relief)
W0017DA B30
W0017F8 L ; total score
W0017FC W ; group number
W0017FE W ; game completed flag (0=yes, -1=no)
W001800 B117 ; flags for completed towers in standard game
W001875 B9 ; flags for completed towers in custom group
W00187E B9 ; flags for completed towers in tutorial group

Hope this helps

Re: The various versions of ToB

Well, it wasn't quite like that. You make it sound like I was stealing secret documents from the Kremlin! It certainly was strange though - the only disk images that were available online were the same cracked version, where it would ask for the game disk if you completed the first group of towers or tried to change the style of your console.

So I went a little strange and dug deeper into Google. I found a Russian website (freetranslation.com helped me read it) which sold CD-Roms for very little money - each packed with disk images! I bought four, because the Western Union money transfer had a minimum amount. TOB was on one of these four. The same cracked (and useless) version elsewhere. And another disk image, named "data disk"... which turned out to be the full, uncracked version. If you boot that one up you get the game but you'd better have a manual ready.

I didn't even know there WAS an Archimedes version.


Re: The various versions of ToB

Our man in Moscow! Always delivers the goods.

--
Dr. Hans Zarkov
Rocket scientist & freelance genius
Formerly of NASA
Deathrays a specialty
https://www.ja-wezen.yourweb.de/