Manhunter – Animated GIFs

In a previous post, I talked about and showed some of the “fan art” (or rather, art edits) I made for my now-defunct website tribute to Sierra’s Manhunter game series. The other thing I made for that site, as well as my own amusement, was a series of animated GIFs using Manhunter sprites. Some recreates moments from the game, while others are “mashups” to create new moments. I hope you enjoy seeing these!

Notes: The “Under Construction” Maintenance Robot one was made for my Manhunter Memories site, back when all websites had an “under construction” gif! The Cargo Robot animations were my creations, and my attempt to figure out how that robot seen in MH:SF could move crates around without any arms or manipulators! The Hunter Robot is, again, my own design created for a top-down “bullet hell” shooter fan game I started by never finished (that’s why it has that tiny top-down sprite here, too).

Manhunter – Fan Art

Way back in 2003, I got the chance to talk with Ken Williams, founder of Sierra On-Line. He was then setting up an online web platform called Talkspot (which shut down in January 2020), that allowed people to create websites with a WYSIWYG-style interface which was quite revolutionary for the time. It was amazing to be able to exchange even a few emails with a man who’s work had been such a huge part of my childhood and influenced much of my adult life. I don’t have many “heroes”, but Ken is one of them.

When I mentioned my love for the oft-neglected Sierra-published Manhunter games, Ken kindly offered me a site on Talkspot as a “shrine” to that game series, especially since there were no other Manhunter websites around (unlike, say, Space Quest, King’s Quest, Quest for Glory or Leisure Suit Larry). I built a small site, but my own time was limited so I didn’t get much done. Eventually, like a lot of my projects, it had to fall by the wayside as “real life” took precedent.

The site – like Talkspot itself – is now gone, but I kept all the graphics I made for it (or intended to use for it). In the interest of preserving these little bits and pieces for the handful of people who still know and love Manhunter, I wanted to post them here.

Note that most are edits of existing Manhunter NY and SF art assets, so credit must go to Dee Dee Murry for her awesome work on the originals!

From my ‘Manhunter Memories’ site on Talkspot:

 

From my planned “Manhunter Visual Guide” (never completed/released):

Note: unlike the others, which use existing assets, the Hunter Robot, Shepherd Robot and Labor Robot were drawn almost entirely from scratch (the latter two based on existing designs in-game that showed them from different angles). The Hunter Robot was entirely my own design, created for a Manhunter “shooter minigame” I made in Gamemaker around the same time (which I will try to post the unfinished demo of, if I can find it).

Amstrad CJL & ICN Image Format Tools

A while back I posted about Amstrad’s nifty DOS shell GUI called ‘Counterpoint’.

Although Amstrad allowed you to add new icons by way of their “game packs”, there was no way to change the desktop logo except by installing the second pack which updated the Amstrad logo slightly. Counterpoint does let you create new icons within the program with a (rather limited) editor, but the icon format is not compatible with modern graphics programs, meaning that’s the *only* way to make new icons.

Until 2019, that is! See here for a discussion I had with a very cool VOGONS user named VileRancor, who kindly assisted me by creating several programs that convert some of Amstrad’s proprietary graphics formats into something that can be edited on modern systems (and back again). These include the “CJL” format images used in Amstrad’s cool custom installers for their PC4xxx, PC5xxx and Mega-PC bundled software, as well as the “ICN” icon image format used by Counterpoint.

Note that these are command line tools, though documentation on how to use them is included.

I’ll be posting my custom icons soon, but here are the tools you need to make your own.

Thanks again, VileRancor!

Download Link:

Amstrad CJL & ICN Image Format Tools

 

Manhunter: San Francisco – Unofficial Fix Patch

Like my unofficial fix patch for Manhunter: New York, this mod is just a small patch that fixes various minor glitches and graphical issues with the sequel game, Manhunter: San Francisco.

Manhunter: San Francisco was the sequel to New York, and was also created by Evryware and published by Sierra. Like the first game, it is a huge departure from Sierra’s normal adventure games, offering a dystopian horror theme with a first person interface and mixing minigames (even more, this time) with puzzles.

Because I love the Manhunter games so much, I have always wanted to add content to them. heck, as a kid, I made an entire Manhunter game out of paper; “clicking” on things would flip or fold open the paper cutouts to reveal new elements, and it was playable from start to finish like this. Looking back, that seems pretty insane, but there was no tools to edit or create these games back then!

Now, thanks to the awesome AGI tools out there like WinAGI, I have been working on a more comprehensive MH:SF (and MH:NY) mod that adds new stuff to this game too, but first I wanted to release the precursor to that: my Unofficial Fix Patch, which only fixes glitches in the game and adds nothing “new”.

These install the same way as my Space Quest mods here. As with those, this is designed for the PC versions of the game (there were releases for Atari ST, Amiga and Apple II) and likely can only be installed on a modern OS… though hopefully there is nothing stopping the patched games from running in pure DOS, even on an old machine.

Note that the Manhunter games are – as said – much more obscure than something like Space Quest or Leisure Suit Larry, and were only published by Sierra, not made by them. As a result, unlike most other Sierra games they are not sold by GOG or Steam, nor were they ever released in any CD-ROM collections; only the original retail floppy versions. Because of this, if you want to play Manhunter: San Francisco (or Manhunter: New York) you will need to install it from your own disks or backups, or locate an abandonware copy online.

A changelog of the changes made (by resource) are below for those who are curious:

• LOGIC0: added patch information to “About” menu option.
• LOGIC101: all MAD/HDS profiles are now formatted to match those in MH1.
• PICTURE112: corrected miscolored hand pixels in closeup of you holding MAD.
• PICTURE121: better matched image of body on sign to image shown when using stick.
• PICTURE207: changed date on one of Noah’s files to correctly fit game’s timeline.

Download Link:

Installer Version (recommended)

Zip Version (manual install)

Manhunter: New York – Fix Patch

I’ve already talked about my love for Sierra adventure games here with my Space Quest mods, but of all the awesome games they published, one of my all-time favourite Sierra games are also perhaps the most obscure: the Manhunter series.

Manhunter: New York, and the sequel Manhunter: San Francisco, weren’t made by Sierra, rather by Evryware (which consisted of siblings Dave Murry, Barry Murry and Dee Dee Murry). The games are unique in terms of setting (a post alien invasion apocalyptic dystopia with no dialog at all), content (very heavy gore, especially for it’s era), control system (a very Myst-like first person perspective, when all other Sierra games were 3rd person) and even gameplay (they mix adventure puzzle solving with mazes, math puzzles and arcade sequences). Many of the things the Manhunter games did would later become popular (first-person adventures, puzzles of the kind seen in Ripper and Black Dahlia, graphic horor, “detective”-based gameplay). As with many Sierra games, it also had awesomely immersive documentation.

Evryware is quite fascinating (their previous games include the Art of War series) and the trio have had interesting post-Sierra lives (sadly, Barry passed away in the mid-2000’s, I believe) and it’s a shame they didn’t make more Manhunter games. Their technical accomplishments with the AGI engine are quite impressive, making a kind of game it was definitely not designed for, and telling a story that was both highly minimalist and yet deeply immersive.

That said, the originals were not quite as polished as most of Sierra’s own early AGI games. While there were no game breaking bugs, there were a number of small glitches, particularly graphical ones.

Because I love these games so much, I have always wanted to add content to them or at least fix the small but annoying glitches. I am working on a more comprehensive mod that adds new stuff to the game, but today I wanted to release the precursor to that: my Unofficial Fix Patch, which only fixes glitches and adds nothing “new”.

These install the same way as my Space Quest mods here. As with those, this is designed for the PC versions of the game (there were releases for Atari ST, Amiga and Apple II) and likely can only be installed on a modern OS… though hopefully there is nothing stopping the patched games from running in pure DOS, even on an old machine.

Note that the Manhunter games are – as said – much more obscure than something like Space Quest or Leisure Suit Larry, and were only published by Sierra, not made by them. As a result, unlike most other Sierra games they are not sold by GOG or Steam, nor were they ever released in any CD-ROM collections; only the original retail floppy versions. Because of this, if you want to play Manhunter: New York (or Manhunter: San Francisco) you will need to install it from your own disks or backups, or locate an abandonware copy online.

A changelog of the changes made (by resource) are below for those who are curious:

• VIEW24: corrected miscolored pixel in home elevator animation.
• VIEW48: corrected your hand color when walking with MAD at home.
• VIEW21: corrected your hand color when walking with MAD at home.
• VIEW30: corrected your leg color when sitting on restroom toilets.
• VIEW100: corrected Phil’s hand color during knife fight minigame.
• VIEW101: corrected Phil’s hand color during knife fight minigame.
• LOGIC0: added patch information to “About” menu option.
• LOGIC148: corrected Phil’s hand color during knife fight minigame.
• LOGIC101: changed Anna’s MAD/HDS profile to match the format of the others.
• LOGIC101: fixed script for “push” cursor when in MAD mode (invisible bug).
• LOGIC106: viewing Anna’s body no longer glitches your cursor.
• PICTURE19: corrected miscolored hand pixels in closeup of you holding MAD.

Download Link:

Installer Version (recommended)

Zip Version (manual install)

Space Quest II – Blondie Mod

As a follow-up to my Blondie Mod for ‘Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter’ (see here), I also made another mod that changes Roger’s hair colour from brown to blonde in the sequel, ‘Space Quest II: Vohauls’ Revenge’.

Although now one of my least favourite games in the series, Space Quest II was the first Sierra game I ever played, and as such holds a special place in my heart… even though it’s also one of (IMO) the most difficult and frustrating.

Like my SQ1 Blondie Mod, I made this patch back in 2012 but never posted it publicly, because I couldn’t figure out a way to do so without sharing the entire (copyrighted) game or at least entire files from it. In 2017, however, I discovered the xdelta program and ability to create “diff” files, which allowed me to finally make a proper “patch” and installer that I could share.

What does it do? Simple: this mod changes Roger’s hair colour in SQ2 from brown to blonde, just like it is in the later games. I’ve hand-edited every sprite I could find of Roger (including the larger “cutscene” ones, like sitting in the shuttle before departing Labion), but please let me know if I missed any!

This patch was made using a combination of WinAGI and Nailhead’s AGI Studio (see link above). It was tested for use with version 2.0F of the game (the “final” version included with the original Space Quest Collections and the version currently sold by Good Old Games); it may work with other versions, but I can’t confirm that.

Note that this is for the original AGI version of the game, not the later unofficial fan remake!

I recommend the installer version as the easiest to use, especially if your copy of Space Quest II was bought from Good Old Games or was installed from physical floppies. If your install directory isn’t automatically located, you can easily tell the installer where your game is installed when asked.

If you’re not using Windows, however, or want to install the patch manually, there’s a “no installer” version too.

In both cases, you can easily uninstall the patch if you decide you don’t like it. Instructions for this are included in the download.

Enjoy, and remember: don’t take any wooden buckazoids!

Download Links:

Installer version (recommended)

Zip version (for manual install)

Space Quest I – Blondie Mod

Sierra’s graphic adventures – Space Quest, King’s Quest, Police Quest, Leisure Suit Larry and Quest for Glory – were a huge part of my childhood and their earliest chapters were among the first computer games I ever played. I can still remember buying ‘Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge’ – my first Sierra game – from my local Tandy Electronics store, and then subsequently Space Quest I (the EGA original) from the same place. Soon after, I received a store-made-taped-three-boxes-together bundle of King’s Quest I-II-III as a birthday gift. I was hooked, even though I often needed to buy Sierra’s “hint books” to get through these games (remember, this was pre-internet, where hint books and strategy guides were the only option if you got “stuck” in a game).

Of all these games, the Space Quest series was my favourite as a kid. I loved sci-fi, and the humour really appealed to me too. One thing that confused me though was that the main character, Roger Wilco, went from having brown hair in the first and second game, to being blonde in the third game onwards. There was never any explanation for this in-game, or anywhere else for that matter!

In the 2000’s, thanks to the wonders of the internet, tools to edit these old Sierra games were reverse-engineered and made available by awesome people like Brian Provinciano and others (the biggest site for these can now be found here). Finally, after all these years, I had a way to “fix” the incongruity of Roger’s changing hair colour!

I made this mod for ‘Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter’ in 2012 but never posted it publicly, mainly because I couldn’t figure out a way to do so without sharing the entire (copyrighted) game or at least entire files from it. In 2017, however, I discovered xdelta which allowed me to make a proper “patch” and installer, so that this can be downloaded and applied to your own game.

What does it do? Simple: it changes Roger’s hair colour from brown to blonde, just like it is in the later games. I’ve hand-edited every sprite I could find of Roger, but please let me know if I missed one!

This patch was made using a combination of WinAGI and Nailhead’s AGI Studio (see link above). It was tested for use with version 2.2 of the game (the “final” version included with the original Space Quest Collections and the version currently sold by Good Old Games); it may work with other versions, but I can’t confirm that.

Note that this is for the original AGI version of the game, not the later remake with VGA graphics!

I recommend the installer version as the easiest to use, especially if your copy of Space Quest was bought from Good Old Games or was installed from physical floppies. If your install directory isn’t automatically located, you can easily tell the installer where your game is installed when asked.

If you’re not using Windows, however, or want to install the patch manually, there’s a “no installer” version too.

In both cases, you can easily uninstall the patch if you decide you don’t like it. Instructions for this are included in the download.

Enjoy, and remember: in space, no-one can hear you clean!

Download Links:

Installer Version (recommended)

Zip Version (for manual install)

Alien Assault – Mod Mega-Collection

I was planning to post my mods for Alien Assault, along with some of those made by others, piece by piece… but in the end I decided that the best way to get everything I had out for others to enjoy was to post my entire Alien Assault folder.

This zipped file contains practically everything I’ve managed to collect since Alien Assault was released ten years ago. The base game fully patched is the starting point, with many custom squads and custom missions added and ready to play. I’ve also set the options to my own preferences, but this can easily be changed (if you can’t start the game because of the resolution I’ve chosen or something, just delete the “options.dat” file in the “data” subfolder and a new one with the default settings will be created).

Many tilesets have been “expanded” by myself, meaning that missing graphics have been copied between most of the default ones so they can be better mixed and matched. I have also included my own tileset mods such as the three new tiles I made based off the old boardgame ‘Space Crusade’ and some other tiles I created/edited. My own custom ‘Rescue Force’ and ‘Death’s Head’ squads are among the many other custom ones included.

IMO, the centerpiece of the mods included here though is the amazing fan-made ‘Aliens’ missions, squads and sounds, enabling you to pit Colonial Marines against Xenomorphs with aesthetics that totally change the feel of the game. For more on this mod, see here. You can download it there too, but it is already included in this package with a few custom tweaks. As well as the original mod missions and squad, I have added several extra modded squads to give you more options based on the movies.

Finally, as well as everything that’s set up and ready to go, I’ve also included a bonus “!resources” subfolder that is just a collection of all the mods, tools, guides and extras that I’ve come across for the game. Some of these – such as certain missions, squads, sound sets and tilesets – will need to be copied to the appropriate folders to use them but it’s all pretty straight forward. The guides are taken from Teardown’s now-defunct forums. Menu replacers are also included if you want to “reskin” the whole game and re-theme it to match several other beloved boardgames with a little work.

Some stuff may take a bit of fiddling around to figure out, but I would rather have included *everything* now for posterity than post things piecemeal with how-tos, etc.

Alien Assault is a fantastic game which has sadly all but faded into obscurity, but hopefully this collection will give it a new lease of life, a new wave of fans, and ensure that the work of the developers – and all the modders and fans who made stuff for it (that was “lost” when Teardown’s forums closed) – is available to future gamers.

Enjoy, and if you can, drop by Teardown’s Facebook page to say “thanks” for such an awesome game all those years ago.

Download Link:

Banjo’s Alien Assault Mega-Collection

Alien Assault – Cheat Codes

With the official website long gone, I wanted to make sure the cheat codes for Alien Assault are still available somewhere online. So…

To enter a cheat code, go to the Credits screen then type in the desired code (capitalization doesn’t matter). If you entered it correctly, you will hear a sound.

MILLA
Completes any campaign currently in progress and unlocks all missions in the Single Mission menu.

HICKS
Assault Carbines will never jam. Vulcan Cannons will never malfunction.

MAX
Unlimited access to Armoury.

IDKFA
1000 ammo for flamers and assault cannons.

UCP
Unlimited cp (not really unlimited, accually 1000 cp/round)

TOD
All marines will be ranked up to arch angels, given all addons, 5 gold
stars and given random amount of tears/scars in their armor.

WIN
Marines will always win close combat (resets on restart)