- Zelda: Dark Link Quest v2.00 (saved from being lost to time)
- 25 Jan 2023 09:27:06 pm
- Last edited by DJ Omnimaga on 29 Jan 2023 03:14:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
In October 2004, I released a TI-84 Plus Zelda clone game called Zelda: Dark Link Quest, using the same graphical style as most of the Illusiat and Reign of Legends series, but I decided to also include animated cutscenes. Unfortunately, the game was released at a time of transition from Texas Instruments, who were in the middle of changing how their linking softwares deal with TI-84 plus group file content, preventing almost everyone with no access to a working install of TI-Graph Link software from being able to run the game.
In 2007, I thought I had solved the problem when I released a TI-Connect version of the game where regular pic vars from Pic0 to Pic9 had to be sent to the calculator then converted to hacked picvars on it using TI-BASIC installers, then repeating the process until the 29 KB worth of picvars was converted with different installers. Unfortunately, I just discovered, long after 16-Bit app support was phased out of Windows, that those standard picture variables are actually missing from the zip file and instead were replaced with the hacked pic vars themselves, preventing anyone with a modern computer and Windows install from being able to play the game on any calculator or emulator. No backup of the unconverted pic vars exist anywhere and my computer unfortunately lacks support for every single linking software other than TI-Connect 4.0 and TI-Connect CE (even ticalc.link's send button won't do anything).
So I'd like to ask if anyone would be interested in converting the grouped and hacked picvars into standard ones for me? While this game was by far the hardest to install on a TI-Z80 calculator and is hybrid TI-BASIC that suffered the test of time, I do not like the idea of seeing a large calculator game become lost to time with practically no way to ever play it again due to my mishap and I wanted to keep the game available for posterity. Also it is the only TI-84 Plus Zelda game ever finished outside of the ARPG Construction Kit category.
Here are the files. I do not remember how many pic vars are included (most likely over 40) because if you try ungrouping the 8xg files directly on a computer about a dozen of pictures will go missing, but here are the links if anyone would be interested in saving this calculator game:
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/PICTURE1.8XG
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/PICTURE2.8XG
Here are the installers, neither of which can be sent with TI-Connect and TI-Connect CE either, to help distinguish which picture is for what.
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/INSTALL1.8xp
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/INSTALL2.8xp
In 2007, I thought I had solved the problem when I released a TI-Connect version of the game where regular pic vars from Pic0 to Pic9 had to be sent to the calculator then converted to hacked picvars on it using TI-BASIC installers, then repeating the process until the 29 KB worth of picvars was converted with different installers. Unfortunately, I just discovered, long after 16-Bit app support was phased out of Windows, that those standard picture variables are actually missing from the zip file and instead were replaced with the hacked pic vars themselves, preventing anyone with a modern computer and Windows install from being able to play the game on any calculator or emulator. No backup of the unconverted pic vars exist anywhere and my computer unfortunately lacks support for every single linking software other than TI-Connect 4.0 and TI-Connect CE (even ticalc.link's send button won't do anything).
So I'd like to ask if anyone would be interested in converting the grouped and hacked picvars into standard ones for me? While this game was by far the hardest to install on a TI-Z80 calculator and is hybrid TI-BASIC that suffered the test of time, I do not like the idea of seeing a large calculator game become lost to time with practically no way to ever play it again due to my mishap and I wanted to keep the game available for posterity. Also it is the only TI-84 Plus Zelda game ever finished outside of the ARPG Construction Kit category.
Here are the files. I do not remember how many pic vars are included (most likely over 40) because if you try ungrouping the 8xg files directly on a computer about a dozen of pictures will go missing, but here are the links if anyone would be interested in saving this calculator game:
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/PICTURE1.8XG
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/PICTURE2.8XG
Here are the installers, neither of which can be sent with TI-Connect and TI-Connect CE either, to help distinguish which picture is for what.
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/INSTALL1.8xp
https://djomnimaga.music-2000.com/otherfiles/INSTALL2.8xp