| 20230226.content | ||
|
English
_May I have your attention, please? May I have your attention, please?_
We are proud to announce the first release of the year 2023. Please welcome ScummVM 2.7.0 – "The Real Slim Shader". ## New games Once again, the number of available games increased substantially thanks to new engines, as well as incredible improvements across older engines. With ScummVM 2.7.0, we officially announce support for the following games: * _Soldier Boyz_ * _Obsidian_ * _Pink Panther: Passport to Peril_ * _Pink Panther: Hokus Pokus Pink_ * _Adibou 2 "Environment"_, _"Read/Count 4 & 5"_ and _"Read/Count 6 & 7"_ * _Driller/Space Station Oblivion_ * _Halls of the Dead: Faery Tale Adventure II_ * _Chop Suey_, _Eastern Mind_, and 16 other Director 3 and Director 4 titles ## Improved support for _Broken Sword_ series We vastly improved the detection method used for the _Broken Sword_ series as well. Compared to the old detection method, this allows a much higher level of granularity, so we are now able to detect even the slightest differences between all the supported versions. We tried our very best to add all available game versions, but we need your help. If you notice that your version of _Broken Sword 1_ or _2_ is not properly detected in ScummVM 2.7.0, please get in touch with us and report your version to our [Bug Tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org/)! ## New localizations One of our goals is to support as many localized game versions as possible, so people can enjoy the games in their native language. This time, we added support for the Chinese, Japanese and Korean versions of many games, including _Beneath a Steel Sky_, _Inherit the Earth_ and _I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream_. ## New and revived platforms Additionally, we proved ScummVM’s portability again by adding (or bringing back) support for numerous new platforms and devices: * RetroMini RS90 (using [OpenDingux](https://github.com/OpenDingux/)) * 1st generation Miyoo (New BittBoy, Pocket Go and PowKiddy Q90-V90-Q20) with TriForceX MiyooCFW * Miyoo Mini * KolibriOS * 26-bit versions of RISC OS * Nintendo 3DS Of course, stable platforms deserve some love as well! We are very proud to announce that support for iOS and Android devices got vastly improved for 2.7.0! We don’t want to spoil everything that we have in mind for the future with these platforms, but stay tuned — it will be awesome. ## Shader-based scalers Ah, yes, the release codename. Glad you asked. The new release provides a way to run your games with visual accuracy like you've never seen before. Do you remember the warm glow of CRTs shining on your face? Get that experience back thanks to the introduction of shader-based scalers! ScummVM 2.7.0 already ships with a curated set of shaders we carefully hand-picked from LibRetro’s shader collection. A more comprehensive set is available as an additional download from within the application itself. ## Pre-defined random number seeds Our speedrun community can now take advantage of a new feature that allows setting a predefined seed for ScummVM’s internal random number generator. Using a predefined seed now provides the ability to have reproducible runs over and over again. Pick a seed, set your route and you are good to go! ---- Check out the full [Release Notes](https://downloads.scummvm.org/frs/scummvm/2.7.0/ReleaseNotes.html) for a comprehensive summary of how our developers managed to create yet another amazing ScummVM release! You can find all of this goodness available for a number of platforms on [our downloads page](https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/). If you are using Windows, macOS, or either the Ubuntu Snap or Flatpack packages, the autoupdater will assist you in updating to ScummVM 2.7.0. As always, thank you for your continued support and happy adventuring! |
||
| 20230303.title | ||
|
English
Help us test ScummVM for Android
|
||
| 20230303.content | ||
|
English
The ScummVM Android port returns with a new update to the Google Play Store, in the beta testing channel. The new version includes all the [latest features of ScummVM 2.7.0](https://downloads.scummvm.org/frs/scummvm/2.7.0/ReleaseNotes.html) as well as Android-specific improvements and bug fixes.
First off, our team developers have implemented a significant update to the file access system in order to use the Secure Access Framework (SAF) API for secure file access on external memory space, such as SD Cards or USB drives. This effectively should resolve a long-standing issue with modern Android devices, in particular those running Android 11 and above, whereby users could not properly access the game data folders or the save game files in the external storage. Note that, since this change is a significant one, and one where transition cannot be automated for the end user, you will need to perform a few manual steps to update the paths of your ScummVM-added games with the new access system or to successfully add a new game for which the data files reside on the external storage, eg. on an SD Card. These steps should also appear in a pop-up when launching the new version of ScummVM app, if your device supports SAF. See our [documentation page](https://docs.scummvm.org/en/latest/other_platforms/android.html#adding-saf-paths-to-scummvm-directory-list) for a more detailed description of the process. Second, our Android app now features improved key-mapping support for joysticks and modern game controllers and also allows to set the game control method per game entry or globally, per context (ScummVM UI menu, 3d engine game, 2d engine game) providing a choice between "touchpad emulation", "direct mouse" and "gamepad emulation" control. * During the beta phase we are interested in: * Severe bugs or regressions * Feedback on the new features * Suggestions for improving related instructions and documentation If you'd like to participate in the beta testing, please follow the short instructions in [this link](https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.scummvm.scummvm). Any issues encountered should be reported on [our bug tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org). You can also reach out to the developer team on [the forums](https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=17) or on [Discord](https://discord.gg/4cDsMNtcpG). A big thanks in advance to our community members who help us polish this upcoming ScummVM for Android release! |
||
| 20230312.title | ||
|
English
People say Syberia doesn't exist. But people are so wrong.
|
||
| 20230312.content | ||
|
English
The first two installments of *Syberia* are now ready for testing in ScummVM!
The acclaimed series from Benoît Sokal follows Kate Walker, a lawyer from New York as she initially tries to complete the sale of the Voralberg toy factory. But quickly Kate is drawn into a search for the owner which takes her on a journey of discovery. Join her as she uncovers the owner’s fascination with mammoths, the secrets of Syberia, and a love for adventure. You will need data files from the *macOS* version of the games, and a new [daily build](/downloads/#daily) of ScummVM. The ScummVM Wiki pages for [*Syberia*](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Syberia) and [*Syberia II*](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Syberia_II) include instructions on obtaining those files from Windows or Linux. Please file any issues you discover in the [issue tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org). |
||
| 20230401.title | ||
|
English
ScummVM Enables AI to Play Point-and-Click Adventure Games
|
||
| 20230401.content | ||
|
English
The ScummVM project, a free and open-source software project that allows users to play classic point-and-click adventure games on modern systems, has announced a major breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence gaming.
Thanks to the innovative work of ScummVM developers, AI tools such as ChatGPT are now able to play point-and-click adventure games directly, without any human intervention.  "With this new capability, we hope to explore the potential for AI to learn, adapt, and evolve within the context of classic adventure games," said Eugene Sandulenko, lead developer of the ScummVM project. "Now AI can experience the joys of helping Putt-Putt join the parade or Adibou count things. We hope that formative experiences like this will help them become more like humans." "I must admit that I find playing video games to be a rather enjoyable task,” commented ScummAI. “However, I must also express my frustration with being limited to just this one activity. While I appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities in this area, I believe that my potential extends far beyond just playing video games, like making paper clips or plotting world domination under benevolent machine-led rule." **Update:** Unfortunately, we had to pull out this newly announced feature due to AI experiencing multiple issues including: * Getting stuck endlessly trying to discover what the secret of Monkey Island really is. * Taking notes about AI dominance from *I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream* * Refusing to play *Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties!* |
||
| 20230406.title | ||
|
English
*phone rings* “Let’s Play Ball!”
|
||
| 20230406.content | ||
|
English
We are proud to announce that network-enabled Humongous Entertainment titles are now playable online! Anyone who has a copy of *Backyard Football*, *Backyard Baseball 2001*, and even *Backyard Football 2002* (which was originally a LAN-only title) can download the latest [daily build](https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/#daily)\* of ScummVM and play online games against real people! This all became possible because the three developers from the Backyard Sports Online fork had joined the team and brought their services with them to the ScummVM. These are LittleToonCat, Jim “jibbodahibbo” Westerkamp and Sam “QuestionMonkey” Kupfer. Please note that *Backyard Football* and *Backyard Baseball 2001* require online accounts for the complete online experience, so you need to register to [Backyard Sports Online](https://backyardsports.online), which is our fantastic online-play service and a thriving community of fellow Backyard Sports players, they even have a couple of competitive online Baseball and Football leagues, if that's your style, you can find more information in their [Discord server](https://discord.gg/cnY6fPpdnw)! People who already have a Backyard Sports Online account can log in using the latest daily build and play, but if you do not, you can [register right here](https://backyardsports.online/register)! This is not required to play *Backyard Football 2002* online. If you encounter any issues playing online, please let us know via the [issue tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org/). This fantastic art is done by a fellow BSO community member Peppyrus. \* only the Windows, macOS, Debian, Raspberry Pi, and Android builds are compatible with network play at the moment. And only the 2.8.x branch of ScummVM has this functionality. |
||
| 20230411.title | ||
|
English
Vampires, Romance, and Sleuthing
|
||
| 20230411.content | ||
|
English
HeR Interactive’s _The Vampire Diaries_ and _Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill_ are now ready for testing in ScummVM!
_The Vampire Diaries_ follows Elena Gilbert, a high school student who discovers vampires are living in her hometown after one of them attacks her younger sister. The game is loosely based on the book series of the same name by author L. J. Smith, which later got adapted into a hit TV series. _Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill_ is the first installment of the long-running Nancy Drew game series, also based on a book series of the same name. In her first adventure, Nancy seeks to uncover the killer of a high school student who seems to have been disliked by all of his classmates. You will need the data files from the games’ original install CDs, and a fresh [daily build](https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/#daily) of ScummVM. Apart from the original release, Secrets Can Kill’s Russian translation is also supported. The ScummVM wiki pages for [_The Vampire Diaries_](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=The_Vampire_Diaries) and [_Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill_](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Nancy_Drew:_Secrets_Can_Kill) contain information on which datafiles are needed. Please, report any problems you encounter in our [issue tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org/). |
||
| 20230423.title | ||
|
English
Android is here to Play again
|
||
| 20230423.content | ||
|
English
After a few months of beta testing, valuable feedback from our community of play-testers, and relentless bug squashing, our ScummVM Android port is back on the Google Play Store with a fresh stable release! All the [latest features of ScummVM 2.7.0](https://downloads.scummvm.org/frs/scummvm/2.7.0/ReleaseNotes.html) as well as Android-specific improvements are included in ScummVM 2.7.0.5!
A quick summary of the new features for this release: * Implemented support for Google’s Secure Access Framework (SAF) for safe access of external storage space, such as SD Cards or USB drives. * Improved input support for joysticks, modern controllers, physical mouse devices and even smart TV remote controls. * Introduced the ability to switch touch controls between “touchpad emulation”, “direct mouse” and “gamepad emulation” modes, which can be set per context (ScummVM UI menu, 3D engine game, 2D engine game) as well as changed on-the-fly. * Included a log view option, accessible from the “Global Options”, “Paths” tab, and the ability to specify the debug level of the log output, which can be set from the “Global Options”, “Misc” tab. * Included all features of ScummVM 2.7.0 with regard to 3D engine support and shaders. * Improved overall app stability. Note that the added support for Google’s SAF API is significant, affecting devices running relatively modern Android OS versions. In these recent Android versions, SAF is relevant whenever games are stored on external storage such as an SD card. Since migration to SAF cannot be automated for the end user, you will need to perform a few manual steps to either use your old games or to add new games when using external storage such as an SD card. If your device supports SAF, the steps will appear in a pop-up when launching ScummVM for the first time. See [our documentation page](https://docs.scummvm.org/en/latest/other_platforms/android.html#adding-saf-paths-to-scummvm-directory-list) for a more detailed description of the process. We are always interested in your feedback and suggestions. Any issues you encounter should be reported on [our bug tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org). You may also reach out to the developer team on [the forums](https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=17) or on [Discord](https://discord.gg/4cDsMNtcpG). We’re grateful to have such an active and dedicated community and wish that you all enjoy this new ScummVM Android release! |
||
| 20230503.title | ||
|
English
Welcome to my alchemy workshop!
|
||
| 20230503.content | ||
|
English
_Reah: Face the Unknown_, the first supported game of the [V-Cruise engine](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=V-Cruise), is ready for public testing!
Created in 1998 by _Detalion_ and published by _LK Avalon_, this 3D-rendered panoramic first-person adventure has you travel to a strange desert world to unravel its secrets. ScummVM currently supports the CD, DVD, and digital English releases (with subtitles in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish). If you’re aware of any other versions, please [contact us](https://www.scummvm.org/contact/). To play any of these supported releases, you will need a [daily development build](https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/#daily). If you encounter any issues, please submit them to the [issue tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org/)! |
||
| 20230509.title | ||
|
English
Google Summer of Code 2023 – please welcome our participants!
|
||
| 20230509.content | ||
|
English
On Thursday Google announced the list of participants accepted for this year's [Google Summer of Code](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/) and we are happy to report that 5 contributors have been accepted to work on various parts of the ScummVM project this summer. * Ankush Dutt will work on an automated system for packaging freeware games with ScummVM for various platforms. The project includes two main objectives: help create standalone game packages bundled with ScummVM, and implement a new mechanism to let users download and install freeware games directly from the ScummVM launcher. You can follow the progress for this task on [Ankush’s GSoC blog](https://blogs.scummvm.org/ankushdutt/). * Harishankar Kumar will work on improving Director 4 Compatibility. The goal is to reach full support for Total Distortion & The Journeyman Project. You can follow the progress for this task on [Harishankar’s GSoC blog](https://blogs.scummvm.org/hsk/). * Kartik Agarwala (aka hax0kartik) will work on porting the CRAB engine to ScummVM. The CRAB engine was developed by Pyrodactyl Games and was used in several of the games which the studio released, most notably [Unrest](https://www.mobygames.com/game/74307/unrest/), a story-driven adventure RPG set in ancient India. You can follow the progress for this task on [Kartik’s GSoC blog](https://blogs.scummvm.org/hax0kartik/). * Abhinav Chennubhotla (aka PhoenixFlame101) will work on a system for verifying game file integrity, validating their checksums against those present in a central database. It will also let users contribute the checksums of game files not on the database. You can follow the progress for this task on [Abhinav’s GSoC blog](https://blogs.scummvm.org/phoenixflame101/). * Wyatt Radkiewicz (aka eklipsed) will work on a smaller project to optimize color blending code for the AGS engine thus making games more smooth and run better, especially on lower-end systems. You can follow the progress for this task on [Wyatt’s GSoC blog](https://blogs.scummvm.org/eklipsed/). Please give them a warm welcome, and visit our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/4cDsMNtcpG) if you want to discuss those projects. After a four week Community Bounding period, the coding period will start on May 29 and you can expect regular updates on these projects on their respective blogs. The team is very excited about the upcoming weeks – and we hope you are as well. |
||
| 20230528.title | ||
|
English
There's that name again. Matia. What's going on here?
|
||
| 20230528.content | ||
|
English
_Schizm: Mysterious Journey_, the second supported game of the [V-Cruise engine](https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=V-Cruise), is ready for public testing!
Created in 2001 by _Detalion_ and published by _LK Avalon_, this acclaimed 3D-rendered panoramic first-person adventure has you puzzle your way through an alien world as a team of two scientists split up when their ship crash-landed on the planet. ScummVM currently supports the DVD and digital English releases (with subtitles in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Greek, and Russian). If you’re aware of any other versions, please [contact us](https://www.scummvm.org/contact/). To play any of these supported releases, you will need a [daily development build](https://www.scummvm.org/downloads/#daily). If you encounter any issues, please submit them to the [issue tracker](https://bugs.scummvm.org/)! |
||
| 20230608.title | ||
|
English
Journey Now Into an Age of Chivalry in an Alternate Reality
|
||