Some missing game versions

[Malvineous]

Interesting about Trugg, I see the same error. I had a look at my copies and I have a version (not zipped, from a compilation CD) that has a couple of extra files. It has a "sharesup.bbs" ad for Digital Workshop's BBS as well as "trugg_a.lst" which only contains two bytes.

However, looking at my installed version of the game it looks like it creates the .LST file at run time, perhaps to remember what level you were up to, so I guess that won't be in a distributed zip.

I didn't think it was possible to remove files from the zip without updating the signature so I wonder what the story is.

[MrFlibble]

Interesting about Trugg, I see the same error. I had a look at my copies and I have a version (not zipped, from a compilation CD) that has a couple of extra files. It has a "sharesup.bbs" ad for Digital Workshop's BBS as well as "trugg_a.lst" which only contains two bytes.

However, looking at my installed version of the game it looks like it creates the .LST file at run time, perhaps to remember what level you were up to, so I guess that won't be in a distributed zip.

It is true, the extra file keeps record of your completed stages.

I didn't think it was possible to remove files from the zip without updating the signature so I wonder what the story is.

Here I just deleted TRUGG.EXE from TRUGG10.ZIP using Info-Zip for DOS, it gives me the same output when I PKUNZIP it -- every extracted file passes the test but it tells me that Authenticity Verification Failed in the end, with exact same error code (W17).

TRUGG10.ZIP

BTW, I poked around Trugg shareware a bit more and ran it with a command line parameter that shows memory info upon exit. It also displays the version number which is BETA v1.0b:

Curiously the newer version from Digital Workshop FTP seems nowhere to be found yet, but hopefully someone has a copy.

[Malvineous]

Very interesting! So someone must have removed the file from the zip with a program that did not update the signature. I wonder whether removing it with PKZIP would fix the signature for the whole file?

My shareware versions of the game also display that same version number.

I did some hunting, trying a .zip extension instead of .exe and came across this list which links to the publisher's FTP site, which now requires a password. There's an e-mail address on the bottom of the page so that could be worth a shot, as the person who made that web page likely would've downloaded it at some point.

Failing that, it looks like the publisher is still in business and still references Trugg on their history page as a "puzzle-development business". There's a support e-mail address and it sounds like it might go to the same people who were there at the start, so they might be able to supply that version of the game. Maybe you could also ask if they have any plans to sell it via GoG so it can be played on modern PCs as it sounds like they would like to keep selling their products if there were a market for them.

[MrFlibble]

I did some hunting, trying a .zip extension instead of .exe and came across this list

That's exactly where I learned about the updated shareware version, except I found this list the other way round, by Googling Boulder Dash clones (or maybe specifically the title Trugg).

It is my understanding that the Authenticity Verification routine is something that would not be easy to tamper with. Even if you can modify a ZIP file safeguarded like that, it'd likely require the retail version of PKZIP that was registered to the same entity or person who created the original archive.

Failing that, it looks like the publisher is still in business and still references Trugg on their history page as a "puzzle-development business". There's a support e-mail address and it sounds like it might go to the same people who were there at the start, so they might be able to supply that version of the game. Maybe you could also ask if they have any plans to sell it via GoG so it can be played on modern PCs as it sounds like they would like to keep selling their products if there were a market for them.

Yes, that sounds like a good idea to contact the developers. DOSGuy already has a vast experience in this field so maybe he'll drop them a note?

[MrFlibble]

Over the past several years, 3D Realms kindly released several beta versions of their shareware-turned-freeware games:
Major Stryker beta
Halloween Harry beta
Bio Menace beta

I asked Hendricks266 if third parties could distribute these, he said yes.

[MrFlibble]

I've found the shareware version 2.0 of Moraff's Entrap: ENTRAP20.ZIP

ENTRAP.EXE is dated 18 Feb 1991.

[DOSGuy]

I've found the shareware version 2.0 of Moraff's Entrap: ENTRAP20.ZIP

ENTRAP.EXE is dated 18 Feb 1991.

Sweet! Thanks!

[MrFlibble]

Here's the original download of the full English version of Teenagent from Metropolis Software website, preserved by the Wayback Machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20010803064 ... nload.html

I guess you could re-classify the game as freeware as well.

[MrFlibble]

There is also a freeware Czech version of Teenagent, which was available from here:
http://plnehry.cz:80/adventure/agentmlicnak.html

Found it here:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse ... ch/mlicnak

However, it can also be downloaded via the Wayback Machine: teenagnt.exe

[MrFlibble]

Using DiscMaster, I found the shareware version 2.15D of Space Chase (!!storm1.zip, 425,983 bytes):
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse ... storm1.zip

The file has a built-in AV routine from the BBS where it had been downloaded from, but it's the only instance of this version available in DiscMaster's archives.

[MrFlibble]

Using DiscMaster, I found several installer versions of Epic MegaGames' shareware titles. Generally, it appears that Epic never distributed installers digitally through BBS or their website, and only sent out installers to shareware vendors to put on floppies. Some of these later found their ways on shovelware CDs or magazine coverdisks.

BTW, I was able to determine that several Epic installers found by Litude were originally found on CD releases of registered games by Epic as a bonus. This includes installers for Radix: Beyond the Void (not included on the site) and the hybrid shareware release of Jazz jackrabbit that includes both the regular shareware episode and the 1994 version of Holiday Hare (marked as shareware 1.3 on the site).

I'm giving links to zipped files when possible for the ease of retrieving files with the original date stamps. But, of course, these files were most likely zipped by third parties. This is similar to installers found here in ZIPs, which I will not list below.

Electro Body

• shareware v1.0 (installer): loose files [ELECTROS.Z01 443,265 bytes]

Heartlight

• shareware v1.0 (floppy installer): heart.zip [HEARTS.Z01 546,083 bytes]

Jazz Jackrabbit

• shareware v1.0 (installer): jazz.exe [1,452,288 bytes]
• shareware v1.0 (floppy installer): 2859.zip [JAZZ.Z01 1,420,338 bytes]

Comment: the first file, JAZZ.EXE, presumably just about fits onto a 3.5" floppy, but, as mentioned above, single-file EXE installers appear to be what Epic used for CD-ROM distribution, not floppies.

Jazz Jackrabbit: Christmas Edition (1994)

• shareware v1.1 (installer): fty1011.zip [HOLHAR.EXE 1,441,024 bytes]

Comment: this is also a single-file EXE installer that presumably fits on a single 1.44 MiB 3.5" floppy, so no multiple parts. However, it might have been from a CD release, as a bonus shareware game too.

Jazz Jackrabbit Holiday Hare 1995

• shareware v1.3 (CD installer): JJXMAS.EXE [1,472,441 bytes]

Comment: the installer seems a bit over the standard capacity of a 3.5" floppy, so I guess this was for inclusion on CD-ROMs.

Radix: Beyond the Void

• shareware v1.0 (floppy installer): radix.zip [RADSW1.Z03 1,008,668 bytes]

Comment: this is an authentic Epic installer, split into parts to fit onto several (presumably three) floppy disks. A three-floppy shareware version is known from this eBay lot.

Tyrian

• shareware v1.0 (floppy installer): tyrian.exe [TYRSW.Z01 315,678 bytes]
• shareware v1.1 (floppy installer for vendors): tyrian.zip [TYRVEND.Z02 335,678 bytes]
• shareware v2.0 (floppy installer): tyrian.zip [TYRSW.Z02 469,557]

Comment: a boxed shareware version of the game on two floppies is known as this eBay lot.