Australia/New Zealand version of LBA 2

[Battler]

Does anyone here have this version of LBA 2? Because it is the last one I'm missing (aside from the Japanese version, but it's unlikely that anyone here has that).

[CS2x]

It’s cool you have so many versions of this game. Of course I can’t help you with this specific request, but hopefully you’ll come across a copy from these regions too…

[elmuerte]

Just put the disk in the tray, up side down

[xesf]

Nop, I don't have it.
I recently did a backup of all my CDs but I don't have those versions.

I wonder how different from the US version it is.

[SpaceGuitarist]

Originally Posted by elmuerte

Just put the disk in the tray, up side down

Originally Posted by xesf

I wonder how different from the US version it is.

Nothing.

[Battler]

- xesf: According to my own deduction and confirmed by the source code, it's suppsed to be Version: 2 in lba2.cfg, as for any other differences, I have no idea.

- SpaceGuitarist: You say that but so far, every single version has turned out to be different from the others at least in the binaries and some of the .HQR's.

[Polaris]

How do you even find traces of these versions apparently no one has ?

[Battler]

- Polaris: They LBA 2 demo explicitly mentions Australia/New Zealand under Activision and Japan under Virgin Interactive Software, and the credits mention the Japanese staff, and trying all the various numbers for the Version field of lba2.cfg allowed me fill the gaps by logical deduction based on the mentions in the demo and credits:
- 0: Adeline logo only;
- 1: Activision logo - used by the US/Canada and Brazil/South America versions;
- 2: Activision logo - not used by any version I have, so it must be Australia/New Zealand;
- 3: Electronic Arts logo - used by the European version;
- 4: Virgin Interactive Software logo - not used by any version I have, so it must be Japan;
- 5: Virgin Interactive Software logo - used by the Asian English version (the other versions do not appear to even support Version 5).

This also reveals that the Asian English version must have been an afterthought, as it used an ad hoc added Version number, as was, to some extent, the Brazil/South America version, as it shares its version number with US/Canada.

Also, makes me wonder what Version 0 was used by. Also, pretty much everywhere I look, says the game was originally released in France in late May 1997, but the European version we all have, has files dated July 1997, and the earliest we have being the US version whose files are dated June 1997, which makes me wonder how accurate the May 1997 release date even is, and if it is accurate, what Version number did it use and how it differed from the known European version. Could it have been a non-publisher version released only in France as an early print, before being replaced by the proper European version two months later? Who knows. But if yes, Version 0 would make perfect sense for it.

And note to self: See what Version 0 does with the CD tracks and what name it chooses for the game, if LBA 2 or Twinsen's Odyssey.

[Battler]

- Polaris: Also, one person from the unofficial LBA Discord server does have the Australia/New Zealand version, and he was going to upload it, but then he accidentally only ripped LBA 1 that I didn't even request (he misremembered what I had requested), and hasn't even uploaded that, so the search continues.

[Polaris]

Whoa...


I love this kind of stuff, learning more about a creation's making process through earlier/different states it has. Your research is impressive, keep us updated in case you find one of them

[SpaceGuitarist]

Are you for real? "impressive research"? "keep us updated"? this is basically the most useless way a human being can spend their time possible. It has nothing to do with loving the game, it has to do with loving petty details that makes no difference whatsoever.

It is one thing to have the japanese version and listen to the in-game characters speaking in japanese, which is something I do not have in my brazilian version, and it is pretty cool because it can change your whole experience of the game. Cool.

But these minor details as mentioned above are entirely useless; yes, ok, so according to its region there are minor notes depending on the local thingy? Maybe one single different intro splash screen of another distributor?............................................. "wOow".

[Battler]

- SpaceGuitarist: Would you telll the same to historians and archaeologists who are researching the tiniest differences in ancient texts? To palaeontologists who are resarching the tiniest differences between different specimens of the same extinct species?

[SpaceGuitarist]

Originally Posted by Battler

- SpaceGuitarist: Would you telll the same to historians and archaeologists who are researching the tiniest differences in ancient texts? To palaeontologists who are resarching the tiniest differences between different specimens of the same extinct species?

No, because those things aren't videogames.

[Battler]

- SpaceGuitarist: So ad hoc logic then. You have unilaterally decided videogames are not deserving of such minute research, based on nothing but you personally seeing videogames differently from texts or bones.

[SpaceGuitarist]

Originally Posted by Battler

- SpaceGuitarist: So ad hoc logic then. You have unilaterally decided videogames are not deserving of such minute research, based on nothing but you personally seeing videogames differently from texts or bones.

No, based on it being completely useless and bringing no benefit to anyone whatsoever.



Like I had explained, a japanese version vs the others is a significant difference, but the other differences of other versions you have mentioned are entirely meaningless (and you know that).

[elmuerte]

For pure archival reasons we should save guard all these things. If we don't, they might get lost. Does it matter? I think it does.

"Almost 90 Percent of Classic Video Games Are Lost"
https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ga...ames-lost.html

[SpaceGuitarist]

Originally Posted by elmuerte

For pure archival reasons we should save guard all these things. If we don't, they might get lost. Does it matter? I think it does.

"Almost 90 Percent of Classic Video Games Are Lost"
https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ga...ames-lost.html

That is true, especially for many games I loved as a kid, and can only be found in abandonware sites, but I think LBA is well served, with the revivals with GoG, Steam and 2.21 rehauling the franchise, it won't disappear any time soon. Plus, we all have our copies. It is very much safe from the danger of getting lost, believe me.

What I am saying here is that I think going for every single release in every country of the world is inane and basically just being petty about it. I'd rather have a new interview with Fred about how it was like to create LBA, for instance, than find out that version 1.0.01 vs 1.0.02 had a slight text change in its cfg file or whatever pointless rubbish.

[Battler]

- SpaceGuitarist: The thing is, it's not just slight change. Each of the releases are unique in some aspects. The European version has 5 written and 3 spoken languages (granted, they all technically have all 6 written languages but the difference is in the choice visibly offered) and only one audio track, the US version has 1 written and 1 spoken language, and 8 audio tracks. The Brazilian version has 3 written languages as it adds the choice of Spanish and Portuguese as well. The Asian English version is also unique in that, like the US version, it has 1 written and 1 spoken language and 8 audio tracks, but the CD is otherwise structured like the European version instead.

Also, there's clear changes both in multiple .HQR files and in the binaries, and the binaries have outright code changes. I don't know exactly what has changed in the code, because I never investigated it in detail but I am going to.

Is it going to be some groundbreaking change? Absolutely not, but I never stated such, so I have no idea why you feel the need for the reductionism ad absurdum.

[SpaceGuitarist]

Originally Posted by Battler

- SpaceGuitarist: The thing is, it's not just slight change. Each of the releases are unique in some aspects. The European version has 5 written and 3 spoken languages (granted, they all technically have all 6 written languages but the difference is in the choice visibly offered) and only one audio track, the US version has 1 written and 1 spoken language, and 8 audio tracks. The Brazilian version has 3 written languages as it adds the choice of Spanish and Portuguese as well. The Asian English version is also unique in that, like the US version, it has 1 written and 1 spoken language and 8 audio tracks, but the CD is otherwise structured like the European version instead.

Ok, these languages differences are interesting, yes.

Originally Posted by Battler

Is it going to be some groundbreaking change? Absolutely not, but I never stated such, so I have no idea why you feel the need for the reductionism ad absurdum.

Fair enough, enjoy your hobby.

[Polaris]

Anything different can give information about the creation process. True, most of the time such researches yield no results, but when there are results, it's because of this kind of work.


Also, I am of course more interested in the Japanese LBA2 version, but who knows what there'll be in the Oceanian one.


And whether or not this is useful, yes, this is impressive research