Dungeon Master II for PC

The official patch released for Dungeon Master II for PC to fix some sound issues. For example, this Dungeon Master II review by Antranig Basman in newsgroup comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.announce mentions static sound with the ‘ProAudio Spectrum 16’ sound card.

Computer Gaming World (USA)

PC Zone (United Kingdom)

Interplay released multiple versions of the Dungeon Master II for PC demo in 1995. They were published on CD-ROM bundled with magazines or produced by Interplay itself (the lists below are not exhaustive). This archive contains five known versions which are identified below by their latest file modification date.

Version 1995-01-12

(No SKULL.EXE file, FIRE.EXE instead)

Published in:

• PC Format (United Kingdom) Issue No 42 (March 1995)
• PC Home (United Kingdom) Issue No 32 (April 1995)
• Excalibur (Czechia) Issue No 43 (April 1995)
• Joystick (France) Issue No 60 (May 1995) Note: File TITLE is missing in this one
• PCmanía (Spain) Issue No 31 (May 1995)
• Giga (Norway) Issue No 5 (June 1995)
• Level (Czechia) Issue No 8 (September 1995)
• PC Games (Germany) Sonderheft CD-ROM Greatest Hits 1995 - Teil 1
• PC Format (United Kingdom) Gold Collection Volume 3 1995

Notes:

• This is the only version to use a DM.EXE launcher and where the main program is a 16-bit x86 executable named FIRE.EXE compiled with Turbo C++ and compressed with LZ91 (same as Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master II for PC 0.9 Beta).
• The engine is slower than in later versions.
• The FTL Logo and the Skullkeep TITLE animations are identical to the PC-9801 and IBM PS/V versions.
• There are sound effects but no music. There is no volume control (no music note icon on the inventory screen).
• There is no capability to save and load a game. Instead, the floppy disk icon on the inventory screen immediately exits the game.
• Different GRAPHICS.DAT than in later demos:

  • Main Menu and Credits screens are identical to the PC-9801, IBM PS/V and PC-9821 versions.

  • Graphics of body parts in inventory are different than the ones found in any other version of the demo or complete game.

    

    

  • Scroll graphic is still the one from Dungeon Master and Japanese versions of Dungeon Master II.

    

    

  • Merchant Guard graphics are not finalized: graphics from earlier Japanese versions are replaced and close to their final look on PC, but with a different head and red clothes.

    

    

  • Minion graphics are not updated yet, still look like in earlier Japanese versions and Amiga.

• Different DUNGEON.DAT than in later PC demos:

  • Nearly identical to the dungeon in the PC-9801 demo: the PC version removes a mechanism in map 5 (weapons shop) that transformed a Red Gem placed on a wall sensor into a Green Gem appearing in the adjacent alcove.

  • There are only ‘Glop’ creatures.

  • The demo contains only the starting Sun Clan village, and completes after opening the exit door with the Ra Key.

    

    

Version 1995-05-09

(SKULL.EXE Size: 517565 bytes, Date: May 9, 1995)

Published in:

• PC Gamer (United Kingdom) Vol 2 No 8 (July 1995)
• Score (Czechia) Issue No 23 (November 1995)

Notes:

• Main program is now a 32-bit x86 executable named SKULL.EXE compiled with Watcom C and using a DOS extender.
• No Skullkeep animated title screen
• SETUP.INI contains a different list of sound cards and settings than in later versions
• Added splash screen describing how to order the game before the demo starts
• The file FTL (logo animation) is the SVGA version and replaces the older FTL logo animation. Later versions of the demo below contain the VGA version. The full game contains both versions of animations and you can choose which one to install.
• Saving and loading games is possible
• Different GRAPHICS.DAT
  • Graphics for Main Menu, Credits screen, body parts in inventory, Scroll, Minions and Merchant Guard are the final ones.
• Different DUNGEON.DAT:
  • The demo contains the starting Sun Clan village and after opening the exit door with the Ra Key, it continues through a teleporter into a sample of Skullkeep.
  • There are other creatures in addition to Glops: Digger Worm (behind the village exit door), Ghost, Mummy and Archer Guard (in Skullkeep).
  • Starting inventory of champions are slightly different.
• Digital Audio issue: despite successful test in SETUP.EXE, the game plays no sound effects (tested in Dosbox with ‘Sound Blaster’ selected)

Version 1995-07-13

(SKULL.EXE Size: 522037 bytes, Date: July 11, 1995)

Published in:

• Génération 4 (France) Issue No 80 (September 1995)
• Multimédia PC Player (France) Issue No 24 (September 1995)
• PC Player (Germany) (September 1995)
• PC Review (United Kingdom) Issue No 48 (October 1995)
• Computer Game Review (USA) Issue Vol 5 No 3 Issue No 51 (October 1995)
• PC Games (Germany) (November 1995) CD-ROM
• PC Direkt (Germany) Spielbare Demos 1995 CD1
• PC Collector (France) Issue No 2 (May 1996)

Notes:

• Updated SKULL.EXE and IBMIOP.EXE
• INTRPLAY.PCX Interplay logo is different although the minor changes are invisible.
• Different GRAPHICS.DAT (No major differences with previous version 1995-05-09)
• The file FTL (logo animation) is replaced with the VGA version.
• File ORDERFRM.TXT added
• Digital Audio issue: despite successful test in SETUP.EXE, the game plays no sound effects (tested in Dosbox with ‘Sound Blaster’ selected)

Version 1995-07-25

(SKULL.EXE Size: 522041 bytes, Date: July 25, 1995)

Published in:

• Dungeon Master II Interplay Retailer Kit
• Unknown original source. Archive supplied by [Steve Debnar (dmman)] containing an additional file named README1.TXT
• PC Tactix (United Kingdom) Issue No 6 (October 1995)
• Level (Czechia) Speciál PC Game Collection 2.98 CD1 (June 1998)

Notes:

• Updated SKULL.EXE and IBMIOP.EXE
• Options ‘No sound’ and ‘No music’ added in SETUP.INI, however ‘No music’ cannot be selected because it has the same device number configured as ‘ESS AudioDrive’ (Device008)
• Sound issues fixed (tested in Dosbox with ‘Sound Blaster’ selected)

Version 1995-10-21

(SKULL.EXE Size: 525881 bytes, Date: October 21, 1995)

Published in:

• Dungeon Master II for PC (USA Compact Disc Demo)

Notes:

• Updated SKULL.EXE
• Added new Skullkeep animated title screen (INTRO)
• Added Electronic Registration Card (EREGCARD.EXE and EREGCARD.INI) launched before the demo (updated DM2DEMO.BAT)