That old chestnut, Amazon Queen

Whenever I tried to get this to work on my Win98 PC it refused to work due to insufficent memory. I duly amended my config.sys and autoexec.bat files with no luck.

I have just obtained an old Win95 PC and thought I'd try out a memory enhancing application I bought from GAME years ago. I didn't try it on my WIn98 PC in case it didn't work and messed up the machine. The old Win95 PC is not set up with the CD drive/soundcard/mouse under DOS.

When I ran the application, QEMM, it worked and I played the game at last. The downside is that I have music but no speech or sound effects. the game freezes if I set SBlaster as my soundcard but works well if I ask for text. I must be playing this in Windows95 or the PC wouldn't be able to read the CD.

From doing a search here in Glitches, I can see the lack of sound is a common problem. I would like to see if I can remedy the situation (it's never enough just to play the game!) but QEMM has "rem'd" all my autoexec.bat files and replaced them with some completely different ones! Does anyone have any experience with QEMM?

Meanwhile I am pleased that I can at least play the game, my first adventure in a long time.

I've never used QEMM.

What did it change your autoexec.bat files to?

If you can't get QEMM to work (I know nothing about it either) you might want to backtrack to regular DOS and try cutemouse, a mouse driver with a tiny footprint. I use it sometimes when I can't get the larger mouse drivers like logitech to load high. Cute mouse is only like 3K and automatically loads high, saving your anywhere from 15-25K of memory depending on your current mouse driver.

Another trick is to add the line I=b000-b7ff to the EMM386 line in your config file. This is an old memory address reserved for monochrome monitors and the above line makes it available for loading drivers high, (assuming you're not using a black and white monitor of course). Sort like discovering a boarded up closet in your bedroom.

With cutemouse and that I=b000 line I'm able to get another 50K or so memory loaded high and out of my conventional memory where AQ wants to be.

Thanks for your replies.

Jenny, I'll have to reply properly when I am at home. The new file is like nothing else I have ever seen.

I thought I was the only one having the "I can't get Amazon Queen To Run Blues", I had it running on my old W98 with just text and background music and changed my configuration to get speech and lost the whole thing. I had given up playing it until a friend loaned me his Gateway with WXP. I put the cd in used Roland as my sound card, would not accept SB, and it is Finally playing. I have had this game for over three years and thought it was a lost cause. I am suprised that I did not have to doing any sort of reconfiguration with XP. Computers settings are confusing. I hope you are enjoying the game as much as I am ...I guess it was worth all the drama I went through.

Carol,

Congrats on finally getting this game going. It's a stubborn old thing, isn't it? But still one of my favorite adventure games. Enjoy.

Mike

I'm really jealous Carol, I've tried and tried to get this game going on my W98. I've gotten so much help on this forum that it was embarrassing to admit that I still could not do it. Maybe someday. (sigh)

Fildil,
Whether you can get it going or not depends a lot on your computer. So don't be embarrassed if it won't work on yours.

Thanks Jenny, that makes me feel better.

Well I'll try the Roland sound card as well to see if I can get sound but I have hit a bug in the early stages of plating the game and apparently need a saved game to carry on. Any offers please?

Out of interest sake here is my new autpexec.bat files as amedned by QEMM.C:\DATE2000\DATE2000

C:\QEMM\LOADHI /R:4 C:\DATE2000\TSR2000

rem mode con codepage prepare=((850)

rem C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ega.cpi

rem mode con codepage select=850

rem keyb uk,,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\keyboard.sys

PATH=C:\QEMM;%path%

I haven't played it.
How far from the beginning are you?

Jude,

There's a known bug at the beginning, after the main character leaves the basement and goes to the hotel desk to get a key. The dialouge choice to ask for the key doesn't come up for some players. Without the key, you can't advance the game. If that's that's the one, I have a saved game (thanks to syd) to get past that part. Let me know.

Mike

Yes I am still at the beginning trying to get the desk clerk to talk to me.

Scout I would love to have the patch, Thanks

Jude,

Check your e-mail.

Mike

Hi, this is just to confirm that I have replied but am not too sure if my emails are getting through to you.

I got one e-mail and replied with the save attached. Did you get it?

Ooh many thanks I can see the email on the mails server. I am at work at present so can't try it out until the weekend I am very excited.

Thanks again for your help.