Boot Params
What are boot params?
A boot param is a special number which allows you (if used appropriately, see below) to go directly to a specific part of a game. These boot params are mostly useful for debugging and playtesting a game; you get teleported to a certain situation in a game, with some of the items appropriate for it. It is not always possible to continue and complete a game from this, because you may lack important items. But for us developers, it’s very helpful, because we can quickly get to trouble spots in a clean state, and try to reproduce any bugs you report to us.
These boot params do not exist by chance or magic: they were put into the game data by the original developers of the games, and were meant for exactly the same purpose we use them for: to help in debugging the game. Of course, they also make a nice cheat system (with some caveats, as I tried to outline above).
Note: In some SCUMM games, the boot params can produce a room with music and the cursor, but without actual graphics. This was known to happen with the original executables as well.
How do I use a boot param?
Pick a game from the list below, and choose a boot param for it. Then, specify it on the command line like this:
./scummvm -d0 -b BOOTPARAM TARGET
Or on MacOS like this:
open /Applications/scummvm.app --args -d0 -b BOOTPARAM TARGET
The TARGET in the above command should typically be the ScummVM ID value of the game you are targeting. This means that you should have already added this game successfully in ScummVM and looked up its specific ID (eg. via the Edit Game dialogue for the specific game entry).
Please use the --list-targets command line option first to list available configured and valid targets to use with the boot parameter command.
To be a bit more specific: Let’s say you want to get into the hut of the cannibals in Monkey Island 1. Well, the table below tells us that this is boot param 5555, and the target is “monkey”. So, enter this on the command line:
./scummvm -d0 -b 5555 monkey
(By the way, this would also work with monkey, monkeyvga etc.).
How did we generate these tables?
Some of these lists are based on the output of ./scummvm -d1 -b1 TARGET; some information is also from this article. These may contain some mistakes. Ultimately we plan to correct these and maybe enhance the descriptions a bit…
I see a lot of question marks in some of the tables, why?
Some of the games contain descriptions for the boot params; some don’t. In the latter case, we have to manually fill in the descriptions. This hasn’t been done in all cases yet, as you can see.
Help here is welcome – if you want, feel free to fill in some of the gaps and send us your work, we’ll be happy to integrate it here.
Games
The Secret of Monkey Island
Some of the boot params listed in the following table only work in the CD/Mac version of Monkey Island (and not in ‘monkeyega’ and ‘monkeyvga’). Those are marked with an asteriks (*) symbol (except for the cases we overlooked ;-).
In addition to the boot params listed below, you can use values greater than 900 to be teleported to specific rooms. To be precise, if you give the number x, then you get sent to room (x-700).
Furthermore, in the CD/Mac versions of Monkey (target ‘monkey’, not ‘monkeyvga’ or ‘monkeyega), you can specify a boot param between 3000 and 3777 (including both numbers). It’s currently not documented what those boot params do precisely.
Finally, boot params not covered by the list below will be interpreted as raw room numbers and cause the game to start in that room.
Param Description
1 Monkey Island
2 Monkey Island Map Bottom - By Crack
3 Monkey Island Map Centre Left - By Fort
4 Monkey Island Map Centre
5 Monkey Island Map Centre Right - By Monkey Head Clearing
6 Monkey Island Map Top - By Cannibal Village
7 Cabin on Ship - Before ship intro
110 Outside Sword Master's with sword and LeChuck's note
111 Melee lookout point with sword
112 Outside swordmasters with sword (different number of insults known?)
113 Outside swordmasters with sword (different number of insults known?)
114 Outside swordmasters with sword (different number of insults known?)
115 Outside swordmasters with sword (different number of insults known?)
213 Outside cannibal hut with voodoo root
321 Govenors mansion with sword file and idol
332 Underwater at Melee dock
333 Close-up end cutscene
334 Close-up end cutscene
353 Stans with credit note
408 Cannibal Village, outside hut with monkey head key, leaflet, wimpy little idol
415 Melee Island lookout point with breath mints and rubber chicken
444 Outside governors mansion with meat and yellow petal
456 Jail with breath mints and melting mug of grog
501 Ship Kitchen
555 Melee Island Bridge
666 Scumm Bar -empty
707 Store - storekeeper away
759 Melee Dock
777 Circus tent with pot and hunk of meat
789 Monkey Island Map Bottom - By Crack with 2x rope
800 Melee Island Forest
878 Monkey Island River Fork
888 Outside Smirk's with sword and 50 pieces of 8
900 Monkey Island Upper Beach
999 Caverns Under Monkey Island by ship with magnetic compass, head of naviagator, necklace of navigator
1111 Ship Intro
1212 Melee Dock with Navigator Head, Navigator Necklace, Root Beer Seltzer
1436 Monkey Island - Bottom of crack with magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure, 3 bananas, oars
2221 Ship Kitchen with spell ingredients
2222 Ship deck with breath mints and rubber chicken
2299* Ship Deck with Pamphlet, leaflet, brochure, rope, gunpowder, flaming mass and pot
3777* Melee Island lookout with 2x 300 pieces of eight, sword, shovel, breath mints, rubber chicken
4313 Cannibal Village, outside hut with monkey head key, oars, magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure, navigator head, navigator necklace
4444 Monkey Island - By Monkey with 5 bananas and monkey head key
5555 Inside Hut in Cannibal Village
6342* Ghost Ship Main Deck, outside hut with monkey head key, oars, magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure, navigator head, navigator necklace
6565 Monkey Island beach by banana
6666 Outside Monkey Head with monkey head key
6767 Ship Intro
7777 Monkey Island beach by banana, Guybrush and Rowboat invisible
7981 Monkey Island River Fork after dam blown with 3 bananas, magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure
8742 Cannibal Village, outside hut with monkey head key, oars, magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure
8888 Caverns Under Monkey Island by Bob after ship has sailed (escape with Toothrot)
8889 Caverns Under Monkey Island by Bob after ship has sailed (escape with crew)
8989 Melee Island Church during wedding
9432* Monkey Island Beach, with magnetic compass, pamphlet, leaflet, brochure
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
Target: monkey2. Parts of the following table were contributed by Ben Gorman and John Gamble. Thanks, Ben and John!
Param Description
123 Men of Low Moral Fiber, laundry claim
213 won drinking contest, telescope, mirror, bottle near-grog
300 governor phatt
323 call box in forest
332 booty island overhead, invitation
333 booty island overhead, invitation dress
353 booty island outhouse
400 forest?
408 scabb island swamp with crate
409 stans with hammer and nails
415 costume shop with invitation
456 woodtick
459 Scabb Island Hill in back of cemetery, Carrying: Shovel
494 captain dredd's ship, heap of stuff
495 woodtick, gold, monacle, shovel
498 woodtick hotel, voodoo doll, pins
500 hotel with mud
501 Scabb Island Inside Largo's Hotel Room, On Ground: Laundry Ticket, Toupee
550 outside drinking contest house
596 Phatt Island Pump, Carrying: Jojo
598 The Bloody Lip with banana and library card
600 elevator
619 Booty Island Shop, On Ground: Map Piece, Horn, Mirror, Saw, Feather Pen, Collector's Plate. Carrying: 420 Pieces o' Eight, Monkey head, Parrot Chow, Spit Plaque
666 Phatt Island arrest
667 Phatt Island
668 Phatt Island Roulette Wheel
669 Phatt Island Back Alley, Carrying: 4 map pieces, toupee, spit, bone, bra, straw, drinks (red, green, blue), shovel, nails, hammer, paper, monocle, rat, voodoo doll (Largo), pins, oar
675 Booty Island, On Ground: Plank. Carrying: (same as 669)
676 Phatt Island Warf, Carrying: Fish
677 Phatt Island Warf, Carrying: Fish
704 Phatt Island Governor's Bedroom, On Ground: Famous Pirate Quotations. Carrying: Useless Library Book
707 Booty Island Cliff Side, Carrying: Fishing Rod, Horn, String, Paper, Spit Encrusted Paper, Map
714 Phatt Island Outside Cottage, Carrying: Telescope, Near-Grog, Mirror, Map
726 Booty Island Upstairs in Marley's Mansion, Movie: Busted stealing map piece
800 card catalog
818 Bloody Lip kitchen
819 The Bloody Lip
820 Woodtick
850 map
878 Phatt Island with small key
887 Scabb Island Woodsmith's Hut, Carrying: 420 Pieces o' Eight, Broken Oar
888 Scabb Island Pirates, On Ground: Rat. Carrying: Saw, Squigglies, Stick, String
890 Booty Island 6112 pieces o' eight
897 Scabb Island Map
898 Phatt Island with Kate leaflet
899 Booty Island 276 pieces o' eight
900 scabb island overhead, with crypt key, pirate quotes, ash-2-life
906 Scabb Island Peninsula, Carrying: 420 Pieces o' Eight, Monocle, Shovel, Knife, String, Stick, Voodoo Doll (Largo), Pins, Spit Encrusted Paper
907 Dread's Boat (On Sea), On Ground: Parrot Chow. Carrying: Dread's Map
908 Dread's Boat (On Sea), On Ground: Parrot Chow. Carrying: Dread's Map
909 Dread's Boat (On Sea), On Ground: Parrot Chow. Carrying: Dread's Map
910 Dread's Boat (On Sea), On Ground: Parrot Chow. Carrying: Dread's Map
989 Booty Island 6112 pieces o' eight and shipwrecks book
993 Dinky Island Inside Hole With Treasure Chest, Carrying: Crowbar & Rope
994 Dinky Island Beach, Carrying: 2 Crackers
995 Dinky Island Jungle (Pile of Rocks), Carrying: Shovel
996 Dinky Island Beach, Carrying: 3 Crackers
997 Dinky Island Beach
998 Dinky Island 'Big X', Carrying: Shovel, Dynamite, Matches, Crowbar & Rope
999 Dinky Island Beach, Carrying: Shovel
1000 scabb island outside shack, heaps of stuff
1001 Phatt Island Movie: Initial Entry (Wanted + Arrested)
1050 phatt island overhead
1100 wally hanging on chains in lechucks dungeon
1297 Scabb Island Wally's Room, On Ground: Monocle. Carrying: 4 Map Pieces
1298 Scabb Island Wally's Room, On Ground: Monocle. Carrying: 3 Map Pieces
1300 scabb island swamp
1350 lechuck's fortress docks
1550 Men of Low Moral Fiber
1600 fish?
1700 underground tunnels
1800 wally at desk
1850 cliff side
1967 Booty Island Treehouse Pile of Maps, Carrying: Dog
1968 Phatt Island Outside Cottage, Carrying: Telescope, Drinks (Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, Purple, Brown, Orange, Empty), Straw, Near-Grog
1974 Beach with paper
1976 Scabb Island Inside Crypt, Carrying: Famous Pirate Quotations, Ash-2-Life
1977 Captain Kate's Ship, Movie: unsuccessful Dive
1978 Scabb Island Inside Crypt, Carrying: Famous Pirate Quotations, Ash-2-Life, Key
1984 Beach cutscene
1985 Scabb Island Voodoo Hut, Carrying: Toupee, Bra, Spit, Bone
1989 Booty Island Marley's Party, On Ground: Map Piece
1990 Carpenters
1991 Scabb Island Swamp, On Ground: Crate. Carrying: 4 Pieces o' Eight, Telescope, Fishing Pole, Crypt Key, Hammer, Green Drink, Straw, Near-Grog, Jojo, Library Card, Lens, Organ, Stick, Small Key, Ash-2-Life, Juju Bag, Shovel, Knife, String, Stick, Doll (Largo), Pins, Spit Encrusted paper, Map, Sign, Horn, Saw, Wreath, Cap, Plate, Hat, Quill, Books (Shipwrecks, Pirate Quotes, Joy of Hex)
1992 Dinky Island Dark Room With Lightswitch, Carrying: 4 Pieces o' Eight, Telescope, Fishing Pole, Crypt Key, Hammer, Green Drink, Straw, Near-Grog, Jojo, Library Card, Lens, Organ, Small Key, Ash-2-Life, Juju Bag + Contents, Shovel, Spit Encrusted paper, Map, Sign, Horn, Wreath, Cap, Plate, Hat, Quill, Books (Shipwrecks, Pirate Quotes, Joy of Hex), Hankie, Glass, Broken Bottle, Rope, Box
1993 LeChuck's Fortress Movie: Hanging in torture chamber
1998 Booty Island Shop, Carrying: 500 Pieces o' Eight (x2), straw, Drinks (Green, Red, Blue), Shovel, Hammer, Nails, Bra, Paper, Monocle, Rat, Doll (Largo), Pins
1999 LeChuck's Fortress Movie: Escaping (Explosion)
2001 Booty Island Outside Marley's Mansion
2010 Woodtick pre-largo intro
2061 Booty Island Ville De La Booty, Carrying: Horn, Drinks (Green, Red, Empty), Straw
3383 Scabb Island Map With Dread's Ship Available
4478 Movie: Part II Four Map Pieces
6711 LeChuck's Fortress Maze Junction With Lots of Signs, Carrying: Spit Encrusted paper (Although when selected it is called 'Spit Dripping Down Wall)
8811 Booty Island Big Tree, On Ground: Plank. Carrying: Spit Encrusted Paper, Oar
9000 Dinky Island Underground in Elevator, Carrying: Helium Balloon, 2 Helium-Filled Surgical Gloves
9065 Phatt Island Outside Jail, Carrying: Dread's Map, hand & Map
9066 Booty Island Ville De La Booty, Carrying: 2 Map Pieces, Dread's Map
9090 Dinky Island Underground Lightswitch Room, On Ground: Ticket. Carrying: Syringe, Voodoo Doll (LeChuck)
9898 Dinky Island Underground Lightswitch Room, On Ground: Ticket.
9999 Dinky Island Underground Lightswitch Room (Dark), Carrying: Juju bag, Hankie
10001 Start game without rolling demo, easy mode
11111 Beach
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Target: atlantis. The following list was contributed by Laura Abbott. Thanks a lot, Laura!
(TODO)