Gold Rush! Technical

Release Info | Releases | Release Credits | Development | Technical | Cover Art | Screenshots | Media | Manual | Contents | Soundtrack | Misc

This article is a technical stub page. You can help the Sierra Wiki by expanding it.

General Information

Graphics

Sound

Requirements

MS-DOS

width="200" | Minimum OS:	MS-DOS 2.0
Minimum CPU:	Intel 8088 / 8086
Minimum RAM:	256 KB3.03.0
Minimum Video RAM:	N/A
Graphics Modes:	Hercules, CGA, Tandy / PCjr, EGA, VGA, MCGA
Audio Hardware:	PC Speaker,Tandy/PCjr SoundPC Speaker, Tandy/PCjr Sound
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Mouse, Analog Joystick
Media:	1 CD discs

Tandy

Minimum OS:
Minimum CPU:	Intel 8088 / 8086
Minimum RAM:	256 KB3.03.0
Graphics Modes:	Hercules, CGA, Tandy / PCjr, EGA, VGA, MCGA
Audio Hardware:	PC Speaker,Tandy/PCjr SoundPC Speaker, Tandy/PCjr Sound
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Mouse, Analog Joystick
Media:	1 CD discs

Apple II

Minimum OS:
Minimum CPU:
Minimum RAM:
Graphics Modes:
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Joystick
Media:

Apple IIgs

Minimum OS:
Minimum CPU:
Minimum RAM:
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick
Media:

Mac

Minimum OS:
Minimum CPU:
Minimum RAM:
Graphics Modes:
Audio Hardware:
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Mouse
Media:
Minimum CD-ROM Speed:

Amiga

Minimum OS:
Minimum CPU:
Minimum RAM:
Graphics Modes:
Sound Devices Supported:
Input Devices:	Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick
Media:

Atari ST

Minimum OS:
Minimum RAM:
Input Devices:
Media:

Troubleshooting

Opening Events Not Triggered

This is a known problem with cracked versions of the game when you play with the game speed turned up.

ashdoublev wrote:

The way Gold Rush is cracked is very messy, but probably the only simple way without reverse engineering the whole AGI system.

Perhaps most of you will know, Gold Rush and AGI games in general use DIR files as an index to all the games resources stored in the VOL-files. So in this case the file GRDIR contains all the locations of the logics (scripts), views, pictures and sound resources. Example:

Resource Vol Location LOGIC.000 1 0x000FE LOGIC.001 1 0x012FE LOGIC.002 1 0x033ED PIC .100 2 0x05423 etc.

The only thing that has been done, to crack Gold Rush, is that the DIR file has been modified so that the location of the original script which called the copy-protection (logic 129) has been changed/reindexed to the location of the “intro script” (logic 73, screen after passing the copy protection). So the entries of logic 73 & 129 are pointing to the same piece of script code, the “intro script”. Therefore, when the game would initialize the copy protection, logic 129 is loaded but now it ends up at the intro sequence instead.

Clever, yes; messy, yes.

Actually, if the script did only call the copy protection, there wouldn’t be any problem. But among starting the copy protection sequence, the script (logic 129) also contains some sort of speed regulation routine, aimed at the “fast” and “fastest” speeds. Most likely this was done to keep the clock running at normal speed while playing on a fast game speed. The routine sets a variable (166) to a certain value depending on your clock speed. This variable regulates at which speed the seconds in the game pass. However, since the crack overrides the original script, variable 166 gets zero as value while another variable (156) is waiting to get equal to the value given in variable 166, and never does because it (variable 156) starts counting at 1.

Enough of all the boring details, the solution:

While playing the game, type “BIRD BOY” to enter the debug mode. Enter “SET VAR”, enter “166” and change its value to 20 or something (1 = fastest / 255 = slowest) Enter “SET VAR”, enter “156” and change its value to 0

Unless you restart or change the speed again, the clock will work properly. Also, if you save your game, and restore it later, the clock will still work, when having used this procedure earlier.

PS: The crack also messes up the intro-screen because of the following: Normally the background picture in the intro would be loaded by logic 73, the original intro script. However, the crack, as said earlier, relocates logic 129 (the copy protection) to the location in the VOL file where logic 73 is residing. The background pictures are often linked to the room/logic number, so logic 73 would load a background picture of that same number, 73. So instead of logic 73 loading picture 73, now logic 129 loads picture 129, instead of the correct 73.

Solution

Version 3 of the game does not have this copy protection. It is sold by MacNeill bros on The Software Farm. It is also sold by Sunlight Games and on Steam. There was also a viable crack available from HWM File:GRPatch.zip.

Patches

• No Official Patch

New Installer

• SHP New Gold Rush! DOSBox Installer   Setup File [762 KB]

Requires files from the original distribution media. Works with all versions of the game.

Debug Modes

Pressing [ALT + D] fails to enter debug mode for Gold Rush!. You must type "bird boy" or "bird man" to access the debug mode. Once in debug mode you have access to the following commands.

Command	Action	Notes
ROOM NUMBER	Shows room number
SHOW POSITION	Shows coordinates of ego
SHOW MEM	Shows available memory
SHOW OBJECT	Gives information on objects on screen
ALT + S	Gives information on objects on screen
SHOW PRIORITY	Shows priority screen
SET PRIORITY	Sets priority *
RELEASE PRIORITY	Returns to normal visual screen

Generic AGI Debug Commands

After the debug mode is activated, the following commands may be available:

Room and Ego Commands

Command	Action	Notes
ROOM	Displays room number
TP (room number)	Teleport to specified room (change room/scene/script)
SP	Shows position of ego
SHOW POSITION or POSITION	Show ego's current screen coordinates *
POSITION + (new coordinates)	Change egos position
SHOW PRIORITY	Displays the current rooms priority bands and control lines
SET PRIORITY	Set the priority of ego
RELEASE PRIORITY	Release the last priority that ego was set to

Flag and Variable Commands

Command	Action	Notes
SHOW FLAG	Displays a specified flag (one of 256 flags)
SET FLAG	Sets a specified flag (one of 256 flags)
RESET FLAG	Clears specified flag (one of 256 flags)
SHOW VAR or SHOW VARIABLE	Displays one of the 256 variables
SET VAR or SET VARIABLE	Change the value of one of the 256 variables

Object/Inventory Debug Commands

Command	Action	Notes
OBJECT NUMBER	Displays list of all the objects and their object numbers
OBJECT ROOM	Displays which room an object is found in
GET OBJECT	Get specified object and adds to inventory
GIMME GIMME	Get all inventory items

* There are 256 variables and 256 flags

Misc Debug Commands

Command	Action	Notes
QUIT	Quit game (locks up with most later games)
[SCROLL LOCK]	Trace mode*

Related Links

• Gold Rush Series
• Jerrod Wilson