ScummVM
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ScummVM is a stack-based virtual machine which allows one to play LucasArts Adventure Games games which use the SCUMM system on platforms other than those where versions were originally released; furthermore, it supports the non-SCUMM games Simon the Sorcerer and Simon the Sorcerer 2, Beneath a Steel Sky, Flight of the Amazon Queen and Broken Sword 1 and 2. Portability being a design goal, ports of ScummVM are available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, WinCE, PalmOS and more. ScummVM is free software, released under the terms of the GNU GPL.
Getting the games
Due to copyright restrictions, ScummVM does not include the game data, so users have to own copies of the games. The age of the original releases means that many of them are available in relatively cheap compilations, such as the LucasArts Classics collection.
During the development cycle leading up to the 0.5.0 release on August 2 2003, game manufacturer Revolution Software not only helped ScummVM developers add support for their adventure Beneath a Steel Sky by supplying them with the original source code, but also decided to release both the CD and the floppy version of the game as freeware, available for download on the ScummVM website. A few months later, the owners of Flight of the Amazon Queen made it freeware in the same way.
Due to restrictions on the Smacker format, Broken Sword 1 and 2 cannot use the cutscenes from the original CDs, but need to be downloaded in a reencoded format from the ScummVM site.
Other game engine recreations
- Sarien and FreeSCI for Sierra adventure games
- various Z-machine interpreters for Infocom text adventure games
- Exult for Ultima VII
- Pentagram for Ultima VIII
- Freecraft and Stratagus for Warcraft
- FreeCNC for Command & Conquer
- various Doom engines for Doom
- Tenebrae for Quake
External links
- ScummVM homepage (http://www.scummvm.org)
- ScummVM for PalmOS homepage (http://capers.free.fr/ScummVM)
- Compatibility List (http://www.scummvm.org/compatibility.php)
- Quick and Easy (http://quick.mixnmojo.com/) or how to run LucasArts adventure games in windows XP, 2000 and NT with no problem at all.
- Beneath a Steel Sky Windows Installer (http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0200586/videogames/steelsky/) installs Beneath a Steel Sky and ScummVM, creates icons and uninstaller.
- Flight of the Amazon Queen Windows Installer (http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0200586/videogames/fotaq/) installs Flight of the Amazon Queen and ScummVM, creates icons and uninstaller.