DirectShow Overview

DirectShow is the new DirectX component that comes built into Windows 98/Me and can be installed onto Windows 95.  It allows applications to play back video with much more control than MCI (the existing standard) and, in theory, is much more compatible between different driver implementations for the different DVD cards.

We have a versions of Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II DVD-ROM that runs under DirectShow on our Downloads page however we are using calls in DirectShow that were added toward the end of the DirectShow development effort and many hardware DirectShow drivers don't have these functions implemented (these functions handle what Microsoft calls "PES", or "Packetized Elementary Streams").  We require these calls to play the movies that are on the currently available Dragon's Lair DVD-ROM discs.   We're told that many hardware DVD solutions can't support PES because it requires the audio and video streams to be split up, potentially modified and then sent back to the hardware for decoding and the hardware solutions haven't been designed with this flexibility in mind (they just dump the stream to the decoder). Since software DVD solutions do all the decoding in software, they can easily implement PES but there are sometimes other problems (see "Software DVD drivers" below). You can download this version from our Downloads page.

If there is a DirectShow driver for your DVD card installed on your system (called a "WDM") and you are running Windows 98 then if there is an MCI driver for your DVD card, it is automatically disabled. This means that the MCI driver that you need to run Dragon's Lair will automatically be disabled and if you have a hardware solution, we cannot immediately supply a DirectShow version that would work for the reasons outlined above. 

I only get black & white on my television

Dragon's Lair DVD-Video is encoded as NTSC video. If an NTSC signal is played back on a PAL television, it will appear in black & white. Normally PAL DVD-Video players should convert the NTSC on the DVD-Video disc to PAL so that it appears in color. In some cases (with certain PAL DVD-Video players), they will only output NTSC however many PAL television sets are capable of receiving "PAL 60" which will accept the NTSC signal and display it correctly. If you are getting black & white, try setting your television to this mode and you should be able to play the game in color.

Thanks to Basti Grünwald for the following:
For PAL PlayStation 2s or DVD Players an RGB cable is common to connect PlayStations or DVD-Players to the television. Most DVD-Players and the PS2 converts NTSC Signals to PAL60. Now there are some cables that can not transport the whole PAL60 format completely - it depends on the type of RGB-Cable you use: In order to receive NTSC DVDs in full color on your PAL TV screen when played with a DVD-Player or the PS2 you need:

- a TV set that supports PAL60 (nearly every one does)
- an fully pinned RGB Cable (most cables delivered with DVD Players or PS2 aren't fully pinned, because for PAL you only need half of the pins)
- a TV set with a fully pinned RGB slot (sometimes you have to activate something in your television menu so that the TV set lets all signals in, normally called: "AV-RGB")

In 99% of all cases, the problem of B/W color is just because the signal is not transported through the cable, because it's not fully pinned. Note: The PS2 is normally delivered without an RGB cable at all (only with simple cinch cables that won't work as well).

Region Coding

None of our DVD-Video/PlayStation 2/Xbox games have any region coding so they can be played on all DVD players worldwide. The games are encoded in NTSC video but can be played on both NTSC and PAL DVD players but will show in Black and White on PAL (international) television sets if you don't have a PAL60 compatible television set.

Hints

When playing Space Ace, remember that you control Ace's reactions to the events that unfold throughout the game. You don't directly control Ace's movement but rather you must make the correct moves at the appropriate time for Ace to survive the scene. This means, for example, that just by pressing "Left" doesn't mean Ace will move left.

When the game begins, Ace is not energized so he is his weak alter-ego Dexter. Borf will shoot at Dexter and Dexter will automatically jump off the rocks to the left. You must move Right to jump back behind the rocks and avoid being hit. Dex will once again jump to the left and you must once again press Right to jump behind the rocks. If you continually get hit with the laser gun, you are not making the correct move, or you are not making the move at the correct time. Try pressing Right repeatedly when the game begins. At first you will hear "Bad Move Beeps" (low pitch) until it becomes the correct time for the Right move to be made, at which time you'll hear a "Good Move Beep" (high pitch) meaning the correct move has been made and it is accepted. You should get past the first laser blast. Continue pressing Right and you should get by the next move. You will now be on a ledge and must move Left twice to avoid being blasted by the flying robots.

Whenever you press a key there are two possible sounds you will hear from the computer: a low pitch beep means that you haven't made the correct move or that your timing is off; a high pitch beep means you have made the correct move and it has been accepted.

If you find that you are continually dying at a certain point in the game then you know that you must make a move just before this point.  You can try all of the five combinations (Up, Down, Left, Right, Sword) and one of them will work.  Sometimes the timing is tricky with several moves close together but if you watch the video closely and listen for "Good Beeps" then you notice when you've passed one move and need to make the next move.

The Correct Moves

The following are the correct moves for Space Ace.  We suggest you only read further is you're completely stuck on a move.  Note that many scenes can be played in "normal" and "reversed" (left to right).  If you're playing a reversed scene then all the Left and Right moves below should be reversed. There are many ways to get through a scene however only one direct route as Ace is listed below.

F=Fire (space bar)

KIM IS KIDNAPPED
R,R,L,L,F,F,R,L,R,F,L,L,L,L,L

THE BLACK SPHERES
U,R,U,F,R,F,D,F

DODGING THE BEAMS
U,L,U,U,F,L,F,U,U,F,L,L

THE PLATFORMS
R,R,U,F,F,R,F,F,R,F,F,R

THE DOGS AND ROBOTS
U,L,R,F,R,L,F,L,F,L,L,U

THE JUNK PLANET
F,R,U,F,F,R,F,L,F,U

THE DOG FIGHT
R,U,L,L,F,F,U,D,U,F,U,F,U,F

THE CHECKERED TUNNEL
U,L,R,F,F,R,L,F,F,F

THE YELLOW PLANET
F,U,F,F,F,L

THE DARK SIDE
R,F,R,F,L,F,R,F,D,L,L,U,R,U

THE MOTORCYCLE CHASE
L,R,F,F,F,F,R,D,R,F,F,F,R,F,L,R,D,F

THE ROLLER SKATES AND GIANTS EELS
R,U,L,F,D,L,R,L,U,R,U,L,L,F,R,D,R,L,F,F,R,R

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION
U,F,F,R,L,F,F,R,F,F,U,D,F,R,U,D,U,L,R,L,F,L,R,R,R,L