Dragon Quest 1-2 Remix
Version 1.0
Christopher Lee Boger
leslumens@yahoo.com
FAQ HOME
http://darken.0catch.com/goblin/ggdomain.htm (The Goblin's Domain)
FINE DRAGON QUEST COMMUNITY SITES
http://www.dqshrine.com (Dustin's DW/DQ Shrine)
Remember to link from each of these sites to the other fine locales for
pursuing Dragon Quest on the internet.

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*** (I) Some notes about play on emulators ***
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~~~~~(1) My stance on emulation~~~~~
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     First and foremost, if you are playing the game and enjoying it,
you should be doing your utmost to pay for the fun you are having.
     The best case scenario is that you are playing the game on an
emulator in order to use English patches released by Translation Groups
on the 'Net because you can't read Japanese, not because you don't have
the actual physical cart.  There is absolutely nothing illegal about
having a copy of a cart you own on your computer.  Now having it on your
web site or downloading it from one is a different matter.....
     Considering the extreme limitations on obtaining some of the older
and more popular games (which DQ1-2 definitely fits in) another scenario
of which I approve is to have downloaded the game in order to play
something you could not have otherwise obtained.  This does NOT mean you
should stop looking for a copy of the original cart.  You should be
making every effort to pay the wonderful people who made the game for
their efforts.
     Basically, it boils down to this.  If you downloaded the game
simply so you could get it for free, we're at odds.  I hate that whole
stinkin' "WaReZ" scene garbage and the people it attracts.  Now I'm
done ranting.

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~~~~~(2) Notes about playing this game via emulation~~~~~
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     First off, you should know that there is no complete translation
patch for this game at the time I am typing this faq.  The latest
version released is .37 from RPGe and that is what I am basing this
section of the FAQ on.
     Next.... READ THE README FILES THAT COME WITH YOUR EMULATOR OF
CHOICE!!!!! Ninety percent of the time reading those and a little bit
of experimentation will teach you what you need to know about these
fascinating little programs and how to run them.  Don't harrass page
maintainers with questions about emulators if you don't want to get
flamed.  I will be posting a FAQ on this on my page sometime, so
you might check and see if I've uploaded it yet.
     Continuing on..... There is a bug in the most recent release of
the Translation Patch by RPGe.  This cause significant story events
not to proceed properly.  The events affected are: Rescuing Gwaelin,
Obtaining the Staff of Rain, Obtaining the Rainbow Drop, and forming
the Rainbow Bridge.  There is, however, a way to play the game and
maintain the aid of the partial English patch.....
     First, you must have a copy of the original untranslated rom
somewhere in storage.  It must be named the same as the one you are
playing the game on.  You may then play up to the point of the event
(Just before talking to Gwaelin in Swamp Cave for example) and use
a "Save State" to save your game at that point.
     Then, switch positions of the patched and unpatched roms.  Load
up the unpatched rom and use "Restore State" to return to the point
where you saved it earlier.  Now activate the event by talking to
whoever or using your item.  Once the event has occurred, you may
do the switch again and continue playing with the partial English
patch.
     If you don't know how to use "Save State" and "Restore State",
read the documentation!  It differs depending upon which emulator
you are using.  You could also do a renaming trick instead of a
swap trick to accomplish this same goal, but this is the way I
always do it.
     Next on the agenda.... I'm not sure if this is a problem with
the patch, or the original rom, or just emulation in general,  but
this game tends to crash on occasion.  If the music stalls in one
long note, it's crashed.  I recommend that you use the "Save State"
often to avoid losing progress due to a crash.  By "often" I mean
near constantly.  Every two or three battles, or every foot or so
you walk on the overworld.  The game has a BAD tendancy to crash,
and if you get in the habit of keeping your save state updated you
will find yourself screaming a lot less often.
     You should be on a system with AT LEAST a 100 MHZ processor
or better to play this game via emulation.  With that speed and
the sound turned "off" the game will run at a speed that is
somewhat bearable.  It can be played on slower systems (I can
run it on a 486 50 MHZ) but the speed will drive you batty
most likely.  For full sound and speed, I'd say go for something
in the 200 MHZ + range.  That's what I run it on and I don't have
any frame skip whatsoever.
     Final notes..... If the emulator you are using doesn't support
transparencies, or your system can't support the VESA required to
do so, then you will have no need for Torches or the Radiant spell
in the game.  The caves will always be fully visible without them.
     Disappointed with the boost a Defense Seed or Lifeforce Acorn
has given you?  Make sure you "save state" before you use any of
these items.  Then just keep hitting restore until it gives you a
boost that makes you smile (6 is max).  But remember, this is
cheating and I highly discourage this unless you have already
beaten the game and are just playing around (or writing a FAQ
and trying to stay a step above the monsters ^_^)