====== Advanced Power Dolls 2 [PC-98] ======
{{:blog:apd20.png?640|}}
Summary
* Genre: Strategy
* Date: 1996
* Company: Kogado
* Neo Kobe archive location: ''./Kogado/Advanced Power Dolls 2/''
Online Information
* PC98 DB Link: http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/screen/G0073.html
* PC9801 Database Link: https://refuge.tokyo/pc9801/pc98/00300.html
* Mobygames: https://www.mobygames.com/game/pc98/advanced-power-dolls-2
===== Notes =====
===== Additional Images =====
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===== Disk Information =====
=== Disk Summary ===
* Disks: 9x 1.2MB (as archive ''Advanced Power Dolls 2 [FD].zip'')
* HD Image: 20MB (in archive ''Advanced Power Dolls 2 [HD].zip'')
Length Date Time Name
--------- ---------- ----- ----
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 1).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 2).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 3).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 4).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 5).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 6).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 7).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 8).hdm
1261568 1996-12-24 23:32 Advanced Power Dolls 2 (Disk 9).hdm
--------- -------
11354112 9 files
=== Floppy Disk Contents ===
//Disk 1//
{{:blog:apd2-disk1.png?640|}}
//Disk 2//
{{:blog:apd2-disk2.png?640|}}
//Disk 3//
{{:blog:apd2-disk3.png?640|}}
//Disk 4//
{{:blog:apd2-disk4.png?640|}}
The contents of disks 5 through disk 9 match that of disk 4, that is, a single archive file named ''PD2DT.000'' through ''PD2DT.005''.
=== HDD Install Process ===
Since the Neo Kobe archive has an installed version, it appears that the installer copies all of the individual files off the first 3 floppies, then concatenates the ''PD2DT.*'' archive file to a combined ''PD2DT.BND'' and ''PD2DT.IDX'' file set.
As a first test, running ''INST.EXE'' from disk 1 results in the following warning:
{{:blog:apd2-install-error1.png?640|}}
Google translate approximately converts this to "Boot device is not a 1MB Floppy disk", so I guess this means we have to boot from the Power Doll disks in order to do the install.
I then tried copying the contents of all disks to a folder on the HDD and running the installer again, same message.
If you try to boot from any of the floppies you see an error like this:
{{:blog:apd2-boot-error1.png?640|}}
That seems to be saying "This is Power Dolls 2 install disk 1", the same happens for disk 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. So none of the disks appear to be bootable.
What you //actually// need to do is boot from a DOS boot floppy, remove the boot disk, then swap in the Power Dolls disk 1. If you have 2x floppy drives then you need to remember that your hard drive is now //C:// at this point. Run ''INST.EXE'' from disk 1 (which should be located at drive //A://), and you'll be presented with the following install screen:
{{:blog:apd2-inst1.png?640|}}
All that screen is saying is that it's the Advanced Power Dolls 2 install utility, and the currently selected install mode is //HDD//. You don't have any choice other than to click on the bottom option, a second or two later and the installer will detect the available hard drives:
{{:blog:apd2-inst2.png?640|}}
Unless you have multiple drives/partitions, just choose what it offers you...
{{:blog:apd2-inst3.png?640|}}
This is giving you an option to confirm (top) or cancel (bottom) the installation to //C:// before we continue. Choose the top option and then the installer begins copying files from disk 1, it will then stop, and show the following:
{{:blog:apd2-inst4.png?640|}}
Swap to disk 2, select the top option (continue) and keep going, the disk numbers it wants are clearly visible in the middle of the prompt.
After the install has copied the contents of disk 9, it will ask you to replace the DOS boot floppy again, swap it back in and click the top option again (continue), it will show this message:
{{:blog:apd2-inst5.png?640|}}
This appears to be recommending that you enable XMS for best performance; since we only temporarily booted from a DOS floppy, we can probably ignore this if we're already enabling ''HIMEM'' or equivalent. Still, we need to click on the message and we are asked if we want the installer to make the changes for us (top option), or proceed without it (bottom):
{{:blog:apd2-inst6.png?640|}}
We have a final message which thanks us for the install and to then reboot in order to play the game:
{{:blog:apd2-inst7.png?640|}}
=== Installed Files ===
When installed to ''KOGADO/PD2_3/'', the contents are:
180304 Mar 25 1996 BRIEF2.EXE
171536 Mar 25 1996 BRIEF3.EXE
177344 Mar 25 1996 BRIEFING.EXE
2379 Jan 22 1996 CDP.COM
12372 Mar 25 1996 COMMENT.TXT
13440 Mar 25 1996 CONTROL.EXE
82432 Mar 25 1996 CONVERT.EXE
93131 Mar 25 1996 DFACE2.PCK
9264 May 23 1995 EMI.COM
2048 Aug 16 1995 FONT_ANK.DAT
5766 Mar 25 1996 GO.EXE
18333 Feb 29 1996 KABE3.GCP
92976 Mar 25 1996 MAKEINIT.EXE
5698 Oct 22 1994 NARU.COM
72224 Mar 22 1996 OPENING.EXE
0 Mar 27 1996 PD2DT_2.ID
0 Mar 27 1996 PD2DT_3.ID
7228225 Mar 25 1996 PD2DT.BND
4056 Mar 25 1996 PD2DT.IDX
63184 Mar 25 1996 PD2SHELL.EXE
390 Jul 11 1995 REG_UNIT.DAT
118832 Mar 25 1996 REPORT2.EXE
118576 Mar 25 1996 REPORT3.EXE
119248 Mar 25 1996 REPORT.EXE
5585 Oct 31 1994 SARI.COM
51696 Mar 25 1996 STARTUP.EXE
388576 Mar 28 1996 TACTICS1.EXE
378096 Mar 27 1996 TACTICS2.EXE
337568 Mar 27 1996 TACTICS3.EXE
13808 Jan 11 1996 UNINST.EXE
6 Apr 15 2017 USERDISK.ID
===== Running the Game =====
Start the game via the file ''GO.EXE'', the (minimal) config screen will load allowing you to choose either //FM// sound or //MIDI// output.
//At present I am unaware if the MIDI option is limited to a certain hardware interface, or if it will work with any of the standard Roland MPU MIDI interface cards available for the PC-98 (the PC-98 MPU-II and the Super MPU).//
{{:blog:apd2-config1.png?640|}}
Clicking on the second option brings up the two sounds choices; FM or MIDI:
{{:blog:apd2-config2.png?640|}}
... but clicking on MIDI then gives the following warnings (at least in the //np2kai// emulator) to firstly confirm that your MIDI device is connected:
{{:blog:apd2-config3.png?640|}}
... then this one which warns that serial device interface may not work:
{{:blog:apd2-config4.png?640|}}
... then a final confirmation to continue with the choice of MIDI (top option), or cancel (bottom option), and not to have a modem plugged in:
{{:blog:apd2-config5.png?640|}}
Clicking through that and then choosing the final option of the main menu starts the game proper:
{{:blog:apd2-menu.png?640|}}