Where Should I Ask This Question? (Request)

[masterjedi747]

First off, I'd just like to apologize if this isn't the right place to be asking a question like this.... but it was the most promising forum I could find, so I figured it was worth a shot. But if it's not, and if anyone knows of a better place that I should ask this question, that would also be much appreciated.


I'm basically trying to find someone who might be willing to help me convert a completed Mac game (Stardust) into a form that is compatible with my Intel Mac.

There is a [Mac Version (http://www.downloadfreemacgames.com/Download_Mac_Freeware_Games/Freeware_Puzzle_Games/free_stardust.html)] and a [Windows version (http://www.somegames.net)] of the game available online, but, since the new Intel Macs no longer support a way of running classic Mac applications, there's really no way that I can easily run this simple game on my computer.

I contacted James Burton, the game's developer, with this question, but he informed me that, since he no longer owned a Mac, he was not currently able to maintain the Mac versions of his games.

So, since I don't have a sufficient understanding of game programming to even think about attempting to do this myself, I was hoping that I might be able to find someone who might be willing to help me out here.

Given that there is a completed Mac version of the game, how difficult would it be to make it Intel-compatible? Or am I just asking for somehting that is not even possible to do at this point?

I guess, in the end, what I'd basically comes down to is that I'd just like to know whether there's any chance that I might be able to play Stardust on my Intel Mac, or if it's simply impossible, and whether I should stop searching for version of this game that can never be released.

[unknown]

I used to love that game.

[Najdorf]

I played bill the demon by that guy.

You need to get the "source code" of the game from the programmer. Without it it's not possible to change a game.

[unknown]

yes it is :p

[OneSadCookie]

If it's a 68k app that'll run in System 7, you can use the Basilisk II emulator to run it on an Intel Mac...

Otherwise, despite unknown's refutation of Najdorf's overly-general statement, there's very little hope :p

[Skorche]

That used to run on old 68k Macs right? You could probably find a decent emulator for those. I seem to remember that one (Basalisk maybe) could emulate the toolbox without needing a ROM. So it just comes down to installing system 7.5 (free download on Apple's site) on the emulator.

edit: It seems OSC beat me to it...

[masterjedi747]

You need to get the "source code" of the game from the programmer. Without it it's not possible to change a game.

So it's not possible to just extract that from the game itself?

If it's a 68k app that'll run in System 7, you can use the Basilisk II emulator to run it on an Intel Mac...

I could certainly be wrong, but I don't think it was quite that old....
I know it used to run it just fine a few years ago on our Mac at home without an emulator.

Otherwise, despite unknown's refutation of Najdorf's overly-general statement, there's very little hope :p

And if I can turn up the source code?....
I just sent off another e-mail to Mr. Burton, so we'll see what happens.

What I'm wondering right now is how important it would be to have the source code from the Mac version vs. the Windows version....it might be more difficult with the source code from the Windows version, but would it still be possible at all? Because I know the Windows version of Stardust was updated in 2001....so I wouldn't be surprised if he still has that source code available. But I'm not as sure about the Mac source code. So how critical would this actually be?

[OneSadCookie]

If you have the source code, then a port will be possible. How easy it is will depend largely on how well it was written at the time, which is not something we can assess without looking at the code ;)

It doesn't matter a great deal whether you have the Mac or Windows code... starting from the Mac code might be easier, but equally might not be ;)

68k apps run fine in Classic on a PowerPC Mac, so just because it did that doesn't necessarily mean it's not a 68k application. If it came out before about 1995, there's a good chance that it is a 68k app. From 1995 on, the chance that it is decreases rapidly...

[unknown]

I would be interested in porting this game, as an intermediate step toward a more difficult project im working on, and also because I love this game.

[masterjedi747]

I would be interested in porting this game, as an intermediate step toward a more difficult project im working on, and also because I love this game.

Good news! Looks like you'll get your chance. :)

I just got his e-mail response, and Mr. Burton is willing to send me the source code for the latest Windows version. (He doesn't have the Mac source code anymore, since it was stored on floppy disks that demagnetized...) He's actually very enthusiastic that someone is willing to do an Intel-Mac port, and his only condition is that we keep the game as freeware.

I'll do my best to get the source code up here as soon as I get a chance.
Let me know how I should get it to you though. Should I be posting it up here, or would it be better to e-mail it to you individually?

[OneSadCookie]

Depends on your agreement with him, really... if you're just going to post it publicly, you should put some kind of license on it. By the sounds of his requirements, the GPL might be the most appropriate.

[masterjedi747]

Just to let people know....I'm still waiting for him to get back to me. I haven't forgotten or anything.
If he hasn't responded by Thursday, I'll probably re-send my e-mail just in case something happened....

[unknown]

Any news?


kljsdflhjkwerjklaef

[unknown]

Whats going on.. any news what so ever?

[diordna]

The Windows version might actually be easier to port, since it uses more modern language specs and the APIs it uses will have online documentation, as opposed to obsolete 68k stuff.

[masterjedi747]

Whats going on.. any news what so ever?

Well, yes....and no. :\
Other than the fact that he said yes, and sounded very supportive about it, I haven't recieved any other responses. After the two e-mails that I sent last month and received no response to, I decided to give him a break and try back after all the Christmas busyness was over. So I sent off another e-mail just today, and we'll see what happens. Hopefully he'll be able to get back to me this time.

But no, I'm not giving up quite that easily. ;)

[unknown]

Yeah I emailed him a week ago or maybe a bit longer, no response..
I think he's dead.

[masterjedi747]

Yeah I emailed him a week ago or maybe a bit longer, no response..
I think he's dead.
Yeah, I'm starting to wonder that myself....
That would just be ridiculous, though. And sad.
I really hope not. The timing would be....argh. *crossfingers*

[masterjedi747]

Good News! :)

Short Explanation: James Burton is not dead, and the Intel Mac port is coming.

Longer Explanation: I finally gave in in and decided to send off an e-mail to Guidewire Software (where his website said he was employed), hoping to find out if anyone could tell me what might have happened to him, and whether or not it might still be possible to contact him.
And today I just recieved the following e-mail back from James Burton (from a different e-mail address, for whatever reason):

Please don't try to contact me at my work address. Sorry for not getting back to you earlier: one of your guesses was correct, namely that I was on an extended vacation and thus away from my email.

There's even better news though: I just bought a MacBook! For that reason I'm looking to port the games over to Mac myself, and have decided against sharing the source of any of the games at this time. Thank you very much for the offer though; it was very generous.

Regards,
Jim Burton

So it looks like there's still hope after all! Now all we have to do is wait... :rolleyes:

[diordna]

The same thing happened to me with Solarian II. I contacted the developer asking if I could port it, but he said he wanted to keep the source to himself for the time being. A couple of months later, it was out for OS X.