[tomojira]

Verifying Blood - Plasma Pak (1997) (Monolith Productions)

Checklist

Have adequate installation instructions been provided to match any config files in the DOSZ?
Yes, I added them. BLOOD.INI is needed in the DOSZ, but BLOOD.CFG can be created at any time by SETUP.EXE. I also added a mem_size DOS.YML to the DOSZ - previously it was in the DOSC. The game gives a memory warning with only 16 MB.

Have any official patches been applied, if necessary?
PCGamingWiki mentions a 3dfx patch, which is v1.20. However, this is One Unit Whole Blood, which is a later version, v1.21. The readme for the patch says it doesn't work with One Unit Whole Blood. So maybe original Blood could be added as a variant later with 3dfx.

Is the game data in the root of the ZIP (unless game does not work that way)?
Yes.

Is the entry in the right variant file (i.e. Freeware)?
Yes.

Have digital versions (Steam, GOG) been checked for matching?
According to PCGamingWiki, it is no longer available on GOG/Steam.

Can the game benefit from using embedded data or embedded patches in the datfile?
I added it to the DOS.YML, but unfortunately BLOOD.INI is too large (13 KB). I went with the old way of including a copy in the DOSC. Same with CRYPTIC.INI for Cryptic Passage.

Can DoDAT build the game from the install media?
No, many files need to be installed.

If the game requires a yml in the DOSZ, has it been added to the yml folder in the repo?
Yes, mem_size: 65536 is already there.

Are there .PIF or .ICO or Win32 .EXE files that could be excluded?
Not Windows-related, but I removed several URL files and the obsolete TEN multiplayer service files (I believe this was done before with Duke Nukem 3D).

Do the file timestamps match the installation media?
Yes.

Does the DOSZ run standalone?
Yes.

For CD games, can the game be set up to run without a CD mounted?
Yes, the data track was not actually needed to run the game. The CD only provides audio tracks.

For games which include CD images, is there a smaller installation variant that offers the same features but needs less files?
All files (except TEN) are installed since the data track isn't used. The cutscene movies were left out before.

Can the game benefit from using CHDtoOGG?
Yes, it already did, but I updated it to use the -n option. The DAT was missing the additional XML data created by CHDtoOGG so I added that too.

Is the game creating a swap file in the .pure.zip that could be avoided by increasing memory size? Or is it creating other bloated files that could be prevented by adding them in the DOSZ?
No.

Does the DOSC contain problematic data (i.e. copyright issue)?
No.

Does the DOSC have copy protection removed, if possible?
Not applicable.

Is the game running at the correct speed? Is CPU year specified?
cpu_max_year: 2000 was already set. This is because it's a Build Engine game which can have graphical problems with unlimited speed.

Is the DOSC auto-running and skipping past any obstructions? Does it use WAITMODECHANGE if possible?
Yes.

Does the game have MT-32 support? If so, is it correctly using MT-32 (old) or CM-32L (new), going by the Vogons Wiki?
No.

Does the game have General MIDI support?
There's an option for it, but the CD audio seemed like the whole point so I didn't add it.

Is the game set up to run with the best quality graphics options by default?
It was using 800x600 resolution, but I changed to 640x480 since I think that was standard with other games.

For certain old games only - are the graphics/audio improved by specifying video_card: pcjr, tandy, or generic_cga?
Not applicable.

Does the game have a mouse cursor that benefits from enabling input_directmouse?
There is no mouse cursor and not sure if this option should be used with FPS mouse controls.

Does a game with separate episodes/executables have the options named and ordered properly in the DOSZ? Do they use the run_utility feature?
I added a Steup Program launch option. Not normally done but it has more settings than usual, including sound volume, resolution, and controls. There are a few other programs for editing art and maps but not sure about adding options for those.

Does the game share saves with a sequel, expansion, etc? If so, is it updated to use the .savename feature?
Not applicable.

Comment

Summary of changes:

• Added mem_size DOS.YML to DOSZ with embedded data. Removed it from DOSC
• Added copies of BLOOD.INI and CRYPTIC.INI to DOSCs
• Removed several URL files and TEN multiplayer service files
• Installed cutscene movies
• Changed to -n option and added missing XML data from CHDtoOGG
• Changed to 640x480
• Added Setup Program launch option
• Edited comments and links

Unmentioned in the checklist:

• Renamed from the CD title "Blood - One Unit Whole Blood" to "Blood - Plasma Pak" (kind of an equivalent to Ultimate Doom or Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition - it adds a final episode to original Blood). Also fixed the years from 1998 to 1997.
• Removed redundant options from DOS.YML for Cryptic Passage (it is installed separately and was made by a different developer, so it remains parent/child, not built-in like Plasma Pak).

[PureDOS]

Would it make sense to name the main game just "Blood" without the "Plasma Pak" subtitle? It does say in-game "BLOOD WITH PLASMA" but it would be nice to have just a game "Blood".

As for the 3dfx version I don't think it's worth it. It only exists as a beta version and it's not a great use of 3dfx. It still draws the same pseudo 3d graphics and doesn't actually render the world with 3d polygons.

[tomojira]

We could do that, yeah. I was picturing original Blood could be added later under that title, in a similar way to Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, and Tyrian existing alongside Ultimate Doom, Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, and Tyrian 2000. But not sure if that is exactly equivalent. We could just call this Blood if you want.

[tomojira]

Updates:

• Renamed Blood: Plasma Pak to just Blood.
• Added Sound Blaster and General MIDI options - they are unique and different from the CD audio. To use them, the EXE must run with -NOCD parameter, or the disc must be ejected.
• Blood base DOSC includes and runs PLAY.BAT with contents blood %1. SB/GM options then run PLAY.BAT -NOCD. This is to help Cryptic Passage and potentially other mods - if the base DOSC options ran BLOOD.EXE -NOCD, then Cryptic Passage would need its own SB/GM options to override with BLOOD.EXE -INI CRYPTIC.INI -NOCD.
• To avoid using CRYPTIC.EXE, which renames files and can cause problems, CPART07.AR_ and CPART15.AR_ are already renamed to TILES007.ART and TILES015.ART. A PLAY.BAT in the DOSZ with contents blood -ini cryptic.ini %1 overrides the base game DOSC. The SB/GM options successfully pass the -NOCD parameter, and there is no longer a need for Cryptic Passage to have its own DOSC, so it was removed.