Feel free to comment and discuss this game here. Also, if you have any useful tips or tricks don't hesitate to share them with the others! Thanks!

Review

UPDATE: I just called the 1-800 number listed on their site, and someone answered and said they're still in business!!! Uh-oh...

The MacNeills still claim rights to this game
and are selling it through their website.

http://www.softwarefarm.com

...but, as I've posted earlier, I'm not sure if they're still selling the game or not. It says they are, but it also says copyright 2000, so it's tough to say.

Anyway, I just thought I'd throw that out there, as I know how much you all don't want protected games on this site

Thanks, Mikebarry, for bringing this to our attention. It has been decided to remove the download link for the game and substitute with a 'buy now' link.

Even though I love Gold Rush, that website is ridiculous. Who in their right mind would pay 35 bucks for a game that came out 15 years ago? You can get brand new games for a cheaper price. That's just ludicrous.

EDIT: Okay, I see that's the price for the Collector's Edition that comes in a wooden box. But the "low-cost mailer" price is still $19.95, and I think that's a bit silly too.

Collectors,
no other /-

$19.95 IS ridiculous, indeed...but it is somewhat amazing that they're still offering the game WITH all of those cool original manuals/maps etc. that came with the original! Too expensive? Yes. But perhaps not for the collector...

I still have my California Gold: Story of the Rush to Riches book on my bookshelf... :D

it is seirra after all LOL - which means maximum charge for 30 year old titles LOL.

You wont find that on ebay - still from a proper perspective the buy link might at least encourage users via this website to perhaps email them and encourage them to drop the price to $3 a copy LOL

Actually, it's not Sierra...it's 'The SoftWare Farm' (Ken and Doug MacNeill).

It was originally done by Sierra but I think the company you mentioned are now distributing it along with a slightly different name and improved graphics.

The last of the AGI (adventure gaming interpreter: see SQ1, SQ2, KQ1, KQ2, KQ3, LSL1) games. An excellent game but very hard to finish. This will keep you hooked for quite some time, so make sure you've got enough free time before you start playing.

Actually, Quest for Glory is one generation further. Made by Sierra's SCI (Sierra Creative Interpreter) which was an update on AGI (better parser, graphics, sounds, etc).

Yes, the Software Farm is distributing it now -- run by the people that originally designed the game for Sierra. And I think you're correct that it's under a slightly different title, but from the screenshots on the website the graphics don't appear to be updated. Looks exactly the same as the game I played back in the late 80s.

Well, the content of the graphics is definitely the same. However they've advertising them as 3D on the distribution site, and they do look somehow less pixilated and smoother....?

They look the same here. They might've fixes some minor flaws in the graphics, but that shouldn't be noticable. The 3D is purely because you can walk around in 3 dimensions, and in front and behind other objects, thus, technically, being 3D. These games've always been called 3D for that reason, actually ;)

Yeah, I don't think the graphics are different at all. They certainly look exactly the same to me; I think I could go get my old Apple II GS and boot up Gold Rush on it and it'd look just like those screen shots. Speaking of that Apple, I really did have some great games on it........Gold Rush, Pirates!, a handful of King's Quests........LOL.

They could be the same graphics but of a higher resolution, perhaps?

I'll write to the distributors and ask them. :)

Possibly, and asking would certainly put an end to the discussion.......but I'm looking at the screen shots on the website now and they don't even appear to be a higher resolution to me. They sort of do when they're small on intro screen, but if you click on one of the images to enlarge it they just look the same as the original 1988 version.

I don't see the slightest difference in the graphics (unless of course, you're referring to the monochrome version :D...I can remember good ol' green and black Apple... ). Chances are that any visual distortion is a result of the screenshot process, as the Gif colors may vary ever so slightly from the actual colors. That or it's your eyes/mind. Just a guess.

Hmmm...you both could be right. In fact, if the graphics had been enhanced they'd advertise this on the distribution site as it'd be a definite selling enticement.

Btw, did you notice where they have a page offering to sell other people's software? We could upload the Abandonia game there when it's finished ;)

Edit:

Just noticed this on the page with larger screens which I think answers the question:

'California Gold Rush's graphics are not high-res by today's standards, but the colors are lively and animated objects bring the screen to life.'

The game would probably be more successful on Abandonia, as I'm pretty sure that The Software Farm isn't nearly as popular...or nearly as cool B)

Especially considering Gold Rush is the only thing on the entire website. I'm surprised it's even still in business if they haven't updated it since 2000 and they're selling it for 19.95.

This is one of the first game I ever played, and back then my english sucked so I was never able to leave SF, or live very long after that. I found it 6 years ago and dedicated a day to it, got the walkthrough and went through all 3 paths, just for my satisfaction. I keep a copy of it and the walkthrough just so I can show it to people another 10 years from now how far and how little we have come in computer games.

I think rights for games like this have expired unless they did a republish edition, the copyright laws is the same as books, as long as they keep on publishing different editions with 'enough' differences, they maintain the copyright, for 50 years I think.

W

Hi,

I'm having a problem with this game.
In the beginning you have to sell your house.
So I put the 'for sale'-sign up.
And according to the walkthrough a man should come to buy it.
But everytime I play this game, the man never comes.

Can anyone help me with this?

Ok, found the problem.
When the game is in fast or fastest mode. It doesn't seem to advance in time.
If you check the 'elapsed time'-dialog it stays on the same time. No matter how long you let Jerrod stand there.

When you put it in normal, the time will go on as it should.
So when I tried that, I waited a minute and there came the man.

Ok, that was me...

everytime i sell the house ...no one buys it and my letter at the post office never comes in :( help!!!!

The game is still for sale and as such it is not allowed under forum rules to request it, nor is it allowed for anyone to post a link for you, sorry.

Are you having trouble reading the entire topic?

<!--QuoteBegin-jeucken
Hi,

I'm having a problem with this game.
In the beginning you have to sell your house.
So I put the 'for sale'-sign up.
And according to the walkthrough a man should come to buy it.
But everytime I play this game, the man never comes.

Can anyone help me with this? [/quote]
Ok, found the problem.
When the game is in fast or fastest mode. It doesn't seem to advance in time.
If you check the 'elapsed time'-dialog it stays on the same time. No matter how long you let Jerrod stand there.

When you put it in normal, the time will go on as it should.
So when I tried that, I waited a minute and there came the man.[/b][/quote]

I bought Gold Rush in a store that had used games and I installed it on my windows 3.1 computer and whenever I play, it freezes when I push enter or esc (at least). When that happens, I can't even re-start or turn off the computer, I have to turn off the powerstrip and turn it back on. I was able to play without it freezing one time, but I can't anymore play it anymore without it freezing. It says it needs 256k or RAM, but I have 670 something. I was also able to play a game that needs much more that Gold Rush. Gold Rush did work on an even older computer which only runs on DOS though. What is wrong???

(Space Quest I did the same thing)

:help:

This is a great game, and will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first game I ever owned for the computer. I still have the box, the map and every thing. I play about once a year. Its good to know there are other people out there who remember it too.

Probably your computer is already too fast to run the games. Have you tried running them in DOSBox?

I have a similar problem... every time I insert disk 2 and press ENTER, the whole thing freezes. What is wrong?

The computer is very old. It should work.

That depends on what you mean by 'very old', though. 10 years? 15 years? Keep in mind the game is from 1988. I remember that when we bought our first computer five years later (in 1993, that is), it was a 486 and that was already considered FAST.

Ive been having trouble getting the game to run aswell

I know the basics of dosbox and i do know how to unzip as well :P

whever i try to run any of the .com files it wont run anything, there are no exe files. the only file that does anything is the file _INSTALL.bat when i run that it gives me a list of files that "cannot be found" even though I am staring right at them.

any help would be appreciated, i rember playing this game as a child and am looking forward to playing it again (and finally beating it)

i just want to add to the above post (cant edit, to lazy to register) that i am using the .zip file i got from this site

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JDR388 @ Oct 19 2006, 08:14 PM) [snapback]262205[/snapback]</div>The command you need to run is SIERRA.exe I believe, dont running about _INSTALL or anything like that. I dont know why people are using DosBox with Gold Rush though- I've got a 2.8ghz machine and it runs at the normal, playable speed in native Windows.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Metalfeast666 @ Oct 22 2006, 11:20 PM) [snapback]262952[/snapback]</div>The command you need to run is SIERRA.exe I believe, dont running about _INSTALL or anything like that. I dont know why people are using DosBox with Gold Rush though- I've got a 2.8ghz machine and it runs at the normal, playable speed in native Windows.
[/b][/quote]
Whoops... make that SIERRA.COM... sorry!

I don't know how to install it from the rar file...it asks for disk two?? anyone know how to do it?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(The Commandante @ Nov 27 2006, 08:23 PM) [snapback]268954[/snapback]</div>sorry just read the above. when i try the sierra.com command it says it cant find an agi file???

Did you unpack the contents of the archive? Your posts suggest you are trying to run the game directly from inside the RAR, which isn't a good idea.

HI - don't know if anyone is still checking this forum, but I'm wondering if anyone has found a site that can run Gold Rush or any of these old DOS games with a Mac. I'm running a brand new Macbook and this may be an absurd question, but just looking at those screenshots makes me want to run out and buy an old computer just so I can play these again.

Thanks,

Try dosbox.sf.net
it has a mac port.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Data @ Jan 26 2007, 10:19 AM) [snapback]276540[/snapback]</div>
Excellent - downloaded it and it's up and running, but having trouble installing Gold Rush... or rather, I install it and it goes through the "insert disk 1" "disk 2" thing and then I am back at the prompt and I can't find a run file. Any ideas? It tries to create a "Sierra" folder, and there's a file called "GR" (which I remember is the run file from a long time ago) but I type it and just get the prompt again. Don't know if I installed it incorrectly or what.

Thanks for your help,

Ben

I'm having problems with running Goldrush. Can't get any sound at all. I followed the tutorial on using dosbox and started running the game using sierra as suggested above but no sound what so ever. Any help?

Did you run the game's sound setup? Default values emulated by DosBox are:
Sound Blaster 16
IRQ 7
DMA 1
Adress 220h

When I attempt to follow my mule I get the following error:

sound (21):
Sound not loaded

The sound seems to be working everywhere else.

When I get the error it shuts me down.

HELP!!!! I can not get any further without following but I can not follow.

What operating system you have? Are you using VDMSound or DosBox to run the game?

I really didn't like this game. I liked the graphics and it had an interesting premise, but it was way too short and the different routes are very gimmicky. If the routes were much longer and represented the bulk of the game, then it would be much more interesting. Instead, they're just a few screens long. Too much of the game is focused on being in California and searching for gold. Panning for gold in the stream is especially boring. I would've enjoyed more survival and exploration instead of random luck finding gold and repeating the same action over and over.

The version hosted on this site is the cracked version, which is blocked from ScummVM. Can anybody direct me to the non-cracked version?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Guest @ Jun 21 2007, 10:19 AM) [snapback]295402[/snapback]</div>I think only the "GRDIR" file has been replaced in the cracked version. See http://www.tawmis.com/collector/Misc/Goldr...Protection.html

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Guest @ Mar 27 2007, 05:34 PM) [snapback]285192[/snapback]</div>
My dear if you don't like the game don't play it! Simple as that, but the fact remains that for old-timers like me it holds infinite memories of how I had to struggle through all the routes! While preparing for the journey was so hectic with so little time to do it :) :ok:

Er I have some trouble with the game. I'm in Cali, and have entered the mines. When I try to descend the first ladder, I get an error : Out of memory Want 880, have 776.
I'm running Win98, so I'm not using DosBox, anyone know how to fix this?

Reboot into DOS and run the game from there.

Ok, maybe im a dummy, But the downloadable is only like a trial version right? i cant seem to get any further,,,( on the ship)
I played this way back in the day when it first came out, and was anxious to "pick up where i left off"
But i cant seem to find the full version for a decent price. I have ALL the kings quests which were my favs, but does anyone know a good site to buy full version?
Paula
:wallbash:

:unsure: All games on AB are supposed to be full-length versions. Some may lack speech files and such due to file size limits, but they should still be full length. What happens in the game that won't allow you further progress?

I'm on the second section of my trip to california and my game stops and says "no memory. wants 2255, have 1389" is there any way to get past this? I have windows xp.

It's me again. I used dosbox and got the game to play and started a new game but in the exact spot as the old game without dosbox, I got the same error message with the same "want" of memory and the game turned off again. Any other suggestions? I'm dying to play this game, I love it so much =)

I have downloaded this game and been able to play it with sound but the text is all garbled in the text boxes. This also happened when I d/l Black Cauldron. Anyone got any tips on how to fix this?

Run it in DOSBox.

I'm running it in dosbox with vdms sound. Still jarbled..

If I were in a better mood, I'd probably throw in some comment about pink flying elephants right now. Because that's not possible.

What exactly are you doing to run the game?

I downloaded the game, unzipped the files, right clicked on the dos application and run with vdms sound. Most text is clear, but for example if I type "look" the description in the text box is unreadable. I find this is happening for the older sierra games. Otherwise the other games I have d/l have run fine in this manner. Am I doing this completely wrong?

Then you're running it in VDMSound.

Basically, what I mean is that if something doesn't work like it should with VDMS, DOSBox should run it without those glitches.
Here's a guide for beginner DOSBox users.

or just download the dosbox and type intro

Thank you for that, it really helped. Now can you tell me what I type into my dosbox to get the game running? I've done everything up to the point of exiting Norton Commander.. I used your old games example in my c:.. can you show me an example of what I would type in my c: in dosbox to start Gold Rush as an example? I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area and appreciate your patience.

Thanks!

When Norton is running, you just double-click a directory to open it and double-click an executable (any file with an EXE or COM extension, also batchfiles with BAT extension) to run it.
Otherwise, type in
dir *.exe
dir *.com
dir *.bat
and try running the filenames this returns.

I have the Software Farm wooden box version. Of course I haven't opened it, as I see it being worth more in the future! I got it for $19.95 post free on ebay, but don;t think it was Software Farm. I thought the price was okay, given you seldom see the original big box version with manual, etc. Based on what all of you are saying, I might have to dig it out and see if it works!

:)

That would be rad.

EDIT: Can you get some pictures of the box?

It works although saving the game seems to have a problem, as it asks for a folder and then doesn't recognise it! As to people not getting sound, this game only has PC speaker sound (beeps), and if you're PC doesn't have a PC speaker or a soundcard that can handle this command (many don't) then you won't hear anything.

Must admit - right off the bat this game had me laughing! The bit where Jerod is trying to rub two sticks to make a fire and cannot, meanwhile an Indian fire arrow sets his wagon on fire behind him. Finally he throws the sticks down in disgust and walks off, while his wagon burns behind him!

Does anybody know where to find a copy of this game that doesn't have a messed up title screen? (The Sierra logo appears on the wrong screen and then messes up the background)

huh? works for me, running sierra.com. it must be your pc. are you running it via dosbox?

what do you mean by "wrong screen" anyways? are you running multiple monitors or what?

GAME MAP
 

Does anyone know where I can download hig res image of the map?

This is the best one I was able to find with a quick search.

Help "follow mule" error
 

Anyone knows how to fix "follow my mule" error:

sound (21):
Sound not loaded

I use DOSBOX, sound ok and everything running fine till I got here

I noticed that the version of "Gold Rush!" available on Abandonia is sadly the poorly-cracked version with the messed-up title screens (starts with "and Sierra" rather than the correct "MacNeill Bros" opening title).

I actually found a patch online many years ago that that will FIX the version uploaded here (remove protection but fix the glitches of the old crack), but I don't know how to contact the people here to get this uploaded properly... so I've attached it below. Hopefully nobody minds that I've made it available this way (if so, let me know and I'll remove the attachment right away).

To use the patch, unzip the file ("grpatch.exe") in the same folder/directory as the game (e.g. "c:\sierra\goldrush") and run grpatch.exe. You likely need to do this in DOSBox (via the prompt, in the right directory, type "grpatch" <enter>), as just double-clicking on "grpatche.exe" will not work in later versions of Windows (such as Windows 7 x64).

The site I got the patch from seems long gone... there's still a (rather broken) thread on the "Sierra Gamers" forum about this (which includes a savegame file that is supposedly another "workaround" for crack-induced bugs), but not the actual patch itself. There's also detailed info on the problems here, but no advice on fixing the issue.

As far as I can tell, the buggy pre-cracked version uploaded here is the ONLY one available on every single abandonware site I've ever come across; I've never seen an uncracked version anywhere... since my original floppy disks no longer work, I'd love a "clean" copy if anyone has one (I remember that getting the copy protection wrong in the original version shows you getting hanged!).

DISCLAIMER: Since I didn't make this patch (all credit goes to "HWM"), I can't promise it works and is bug-free. I just wanted to make it available since it was so hard to find, few people seem to know about it, and the uncracked original seems impossible to find!

FOR NAGI USERS (if you don't know what NAGI is, just ignore this):
You can get your patched version of Gold Rush to show up correctly by adding the following to NAGI's "standard.ini" file using a decent text editor (not Notepad!):
... and add "grhwm" to the crc_list as below:
DOWNLOAD FOR THE PATCH IS BELOW:

Greetings Abandonia community,

An introduction:
I am the son of Doug MacNeill, one of the creators of Gold Rush. I stumbled across this site tonight and thought I'd chime in. My father does still hold the rights to this game, and after talking with him about the fact that the site has fallen into antiquity and the software is now being given away by many on the internet, I'm taking it upon myself to make a couple tweaks to his website to begin selling high-quality digital copies of Gold Rush -- for a reasonable cost (which I have not settled on yet). I'm not going to try to get rich off this, I just want to try to preserve the game's rights for him.

Also, from what I've read here, aside from the fact that it's an illegal copy, the cracked version has issues. The game was updated in the late 90's with some minor fixes to improve playablity, and works flawlessly in dosbox as far as I know.

I'm glad to see that his game still has a few fans. I'll keep you all posted, and if anyone wants to chat, PM or email me though this site. Life's been busy for my dad, and as such keeping the game available has been pretty far down on his priority list.

Great news!

Doug, you should *definitely* look at having your father's game hosted/sold via "Good Old Games" (www.gog.com).

They host most of the other Sierra games from the same era, charge a fair price (after all, this game *is* nearly 25 years old), strongly support a "no DRM" model (why I won't buy off the likes of Steam) and have a great reputation and level of trust among classic/abandoned gaming fans.

If 'Gold Rush' *is* going to be rescued from abandonment and sold again (as a digital download), I can think of no place I'd rather see it - or that it would be more at home - than GOG. Seriously, take a look; I recently re-bought all their Sierra compilations even though I already own them all (several times!) on disc, to support what the company does. I know Abandonia is supportive of GOG's titles, too.

Issues
 

Hi everyone-

I am running this game in D-Fend Reloaded, and I am having issues with the guy that's supposed to buy Jerrod's house. Even after I put the house up for sale, he never shows up! I've tried walking around a bit and completing other tasks, and then go back to the house and wait, and nothing happens :( Anyone else experienced this and were you able to fix it?

Thanks!

LM

I believe this is a "known bug" of the cracked version of this game (i.e. the version of the game on Abandonia and all other sites I've found it at). It is triggered with the cracked version when speed is too high. Turning the game speed down until the house is sold apparently fixes it.

For more info, read here!

I would be VERY interested to know if you're getting this bug, if you have used the patch I posted in this thread or if you are still using the unpatched version of the game. In theory, the patch could fix this issue, but I'd like to know for certain if it does.

Gold Rush! uncracked
 

Hi!

I collected some material that might be helpful. You can grab them through this MediaFire link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?k1buh8hdhedm33

To keep the download alive, please reupload.

Thanks.

Gold Rush! uncracked
 

I just noticed that there is a typo in the posted link. The correct one is

http://www.mediafire.com/?xk1buh8hdhedm33

Sorry about that.

Gold Rush! uncracked
 

I've just updated the archive, adding high-res (40Mpix!) map scans in both JPEG and Adobe PDF formats (the latter's for those who decide to print one), and a walkthrough as well. The package should now be complete, download is above.

Well, this is absolutely awesome! :OK:

Would you mind registering so I can give you proper credit? :)

Also, can you spot any differences in archive we currently host and the archive you provided?

Gold Rush! uncracked
 

Hi, :hello:

Thank you for your reply! To answer your question, yes, there's a major difference between the game data provided through the above link and the one from Abandonia. As the title of my post says, it's the rare uncracked version which isn't available anywhere on the Internet (AFAIK). This is the only version I found to be correctly detected by ScummVM. I got it from my personal collection, a CD containing all the oldies I've collected in the pre-Internet era. It's probably a copy from a friend's computer made in the late 90s (1998 or later). Alternatively, it could also originate from disk images downloaded at Vintage Sierra :dunno:. Anyway, if you have some further questions or requests, don't hesitate to ask me.

P.S.: The site doesn't accept email addresses from Openmailbox.org. Can you please fix this so I can recieve email notifications?

Thanks and regards,

Peter

This game isn't that great. The last part when you are in the cavern with the lantern is just a tedious maze.

In my second play through I decided to go the Cape Horn route but the stupid ship kept sinking. Apparently the only solution to this is to restart in Brooklyn and try again! I don't think so.

Not one of Sierra's best.

Game is no longer abandoned
 

Hello, I found that while the game is not on GOG it's on Steam(the first old Sierra game I've seen on Steam).

Here's the address:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/308000

It cost me about $7 NZ so I guess that's about $5 US

Gold Rush Classic, GR Anniversary and GR 2
 

Yes, we had to get all of the archaic graphics equipment working and we fixed many graphic issues, but only a few of them were visible. The most visible example is in the mine where you get off of the main vertical ladder and move to the left. It was much easier after the fix. There were many, many fixes.

The game is now available on steam ( http://store.steampowered.com/app/308000/ )

Or at http://www.goldrush-game.com/

There is a remake of the game (Gold Rush Anniversary), and a sequel is to be released soon (Gold Rush 2).

You are definitely didn't tried too hard. :) Space Quest collection and King's Quest collection are on Steam ten years already. :)

Thank you for the info, Doug!

Have you ever followed a game link and gotten the message "This item is currently unavailable in your region"? I've had to rely on GOG for most of my old games, as far as I know they don't "region" their games. I'm surprised though that they're not yet selling Gold Rush! More Sierra text games have appeared since I last posted e.g The Colonel's Bequest(Laura Bow 1) and Codename:Iceman.

I did get the Software Farm, re-release of Gold Rush!(Classic) from Steam. I'm interested in the sequel, but not so fond of 3-D graphics.

Many times, actually. I am Russian, so I suspect I see such messages times more than anyone else (except, maybe, Brazilians).

But question was if KQ and SQ unavailable for you on Steam. Are you Chinese or New Zealand? :)

Greetings from Poke-man :poke2: Bonk! Bonk!, Grandmaster Spectreman.

I remember some restrictions of this kind years ago (in the case it was Drakensang series - sales only for North America at the online stores as GameTap or GamePro that went bankrupt :suspicious: :dislike: :sucks:), but I believe that this does not occur any more except when it is selling games in the form of physical media. :dunno:

When selling games in digital format, it does not make the slightest sense to have this type of restriction since there is linkage to online stores such as Steam, Origin, etc. or need activation as in the case of Metaboli. It would be like shot yourself on the foot several times. :headslap: :palm: :tease: It is nonsense to restrict sales to certain regions of the world when selling games in digital format.

And it is not worth mentioning the incidences of fraud, as there are reliable means of payment such as PayPal (which requires confirmation of credit card and bank account).