DOS games testing list

[DSN9990]

I will now continuously update this list related to DOS gaming, so I updated my config file anyway.

Config (as of 0.83.13):

[sdl]
output=direct3d
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine=svga_s3
memsize=24

[video]
vmemsize=2
allow low resolution vesa modes=true
allow 32bpp vesa modes=true
allow 24bpp vesa modes=true
allow 16bpp vesa modes=true
allow 15bpp vesa modes=true
allow 8bpp vesa modes=true
allow 4bpp vesa modes=true
allow tty vesa modes=true
ignore extended memory bit=true

[cpu]
core=dynamic_x86
cputype=pentium
cycles=max

[dos]
ver=5.0

[autoexec]
MOUNT C D:\C_DRIVE
C:

[DSN9990]

@joncampbell123 Can you test/reproduce this?

[joncampbell123]

@DSN9990 If I can find the game online, I'll try.

However first... did you run LOADFIX before running the game?

[DSN9990]

No. But I tried now and it did not work also. Same problem.

Here it's the link to the game: (https://www.old-games.ru/game/download/5701.html)

Edit: For Screamer Rally it's here: (https://archive.org/details/msdos_Screamer_Rally_1997)

[Wengier]

I have checked the game "Formula Karts" from the link you posted. Looks like it is a problem with the downloaded MDF image itself, not a problem with DOSBox-X (BTW: it happens in vanilla DOSBox too). The game installer tries to open the file DOC\README_E.TXT, which cannot be found in the MDF image, and thus the error. If I manually add the DOC\README_E.TXT file to the MDF image, then the installation will succeed. So there is nothing to fix from the DOSBox-X side.

[DSN9990]

Where can I download the file README_E.TXT to add to my image, like you?

[DSN9990]

You checked Screamer Rally? It's working?

[Wengier]

The content of the README_E.TXT file does not matter - just create a text file named "README_E.TXT" and add it to the DOC folder of the image (as I did), then it should work.

As for Screamer Rally, both the installer and the setup program worked for me. I just need to wait for a few seconds before the graphical interface of the setup program showed up.

[DSN9990]

It now showed this:

I ran with the ISO mounted, but has no effect also.

[DSN9990]

For me the Screamer Rally setup program freezes with a blinking cursor when running it. Even setting cycles=100000 before running SETUP it does not work at all.

[Wengier]

Formula Karts apparently requires the real game CD, and I don't think the downloaded CD image is a genuine game CD, or required files such as README_E.TXT won't be missing from it.

The Screamer Rally setup program also shows a blinking cursor when running it on my computer in the beginning, but after a few seconds (up to ~10s) the graphical interface will show up. I tried with the default setting too. Please check your configuration if this is not the case.

[DSN9990]

It still did not work, I waited more than 10s and it did not work also. What is your config?

Description: Instead of showing ST in the DOSBox-X title bar when running it, it shows COMMAND anymore.

[Wengier]

The default config file works for me too:

[DSN9990]

It still hangs with the default config showing COMMAND in the title bar:

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 I think you selected the 3D version during installation. In your case, after you run "SETUP", try to keep typing the "Y" key until DOSBox-X title bar shows "ST". Hope this helps.

[Wengier]

The 3DFX version of the game apparently requires DOSBox-X 0.83.5 and the setting "glide=true" in order to work. A 32-bit SDL1 Windows build of the current DOSBox-X 0.83.5 code is available from:

Link: dosbox-x-update.zip

You can find 3dfx Voodoo setup guide from the Wiki page (the glide2x.dll file is required to work):

https://github.com/wengier/dosbox-x-wiki/wiki/Guide%3ASetting-up-3dfx-Voodoo-in-DOSBox%E2%80%90X

[DSN9990]

@joncampbell123 Can you give me an alternative link to download Formula Karts?

[Wengier]

I don't currently own a copy of this game either, and I think there are relatively few download sites for this game online.

[DSN9990]

So which other website contains this game instead of Old-Games.RU?

[DSN9990]

Grand Theft Auto sound setup does not work, shows this:

And then shows this after exiting:

Additional problem: If I run INSTALL.BAT on the CD after installing the game, it hangs when it tries to install again after selecting language and path, showing COMMAND in the title bar, much like Screamer Rally:

[Wengier]

Where did you download the game? Also, have you tried it and Screamer Rally with the latest Windows build I posted above? Screamer Rally certainly works fine here with the latest build.

[DSN9990]

Yes, I used the latest version you provided. Screamer Rally works fine now in the latest build for me, but GTA1 does not. I downloaded these two games from Old-Games.RU.

Can you test GTA1 and give me the results?

[rderooy]

I just tried to run the installer of my GTA copy, and it also gets stuck on the "Installing Files".

I already had GTA installed, and it seems to run fine, so the issue is with the installer.

As to the sound setup, if I run GTA, and select "Configure Sound Details" from the main menu, I can select a sound card just fine. p.s. I have it setup with GUS.

[bob12111]

Commander Keen 4-6 are very sluggish, even when I try to speed up the CPU...

[Wengier]

I can also select a sound card just fine from GTA's sound setup. There is no need for me to do anything special.

As for the GTA installer get "stuck" on second-install (with “COMMAND” shown in the titlebar), I believe I have already fixed the issue. The updated Windows SDL1 build is available from:

Link: dosbox-x-update.zip

[Wengier]

If the GTA installer gets "stuck" with "XCOPY" (instead of “COMMAND”) shown in the titlebar on the second install, then it is the built-in XCOPY (from FreeDOS)'s fault. You have to explicitly set COPYCMD=/Y before the install runs in this case, or use MS-DOS's XCOPY.EXE instead.

[DSN9990]

@joncampbell123 Can you fix the no sound issue in Desert Strike/Jungle Strike reported here in #1600?

[DSN9990]

Grand Theft Auto still doesn't save sound config for me, please check here: (https://www.old-games.ru/game/download/197.html) (comes in MDF/MDS format, but for some reason it did not work for me, shows an error saying "MSCDEX Failure: Invalid file or unable to open.". As such, please use Daemon Tools to mount and ImgBurn to convert the image to CUE/BIN)

[Wengier]

I have already fixed the issue of mounting Grand Theft Auto MDF image. The updated Windows build is available from:

Link: dosbox-x-update.zip

As for the issue of saving sound config, I believe you are installing the game to a mounted local drive instead of a mounted disk image. And this reveals another bug of FreeDOS's XCOPY: it copies ALL attributes of the source files to the destination including the read-only attribute, and as a result, you cannot write to the DIG.INI file in the mounted local drive because it is read-only. The solution is to either use MS-DOS's XCOPY during installation, or manually remove the read-only attribute of the file C:\GTA\GTADOS\DIG.INI by using the command ATTRIB -R C:\GTA\GTADOS\DIG.INI, or install the game to a mounted disk image instead. Hope this helps.

[Wengier]

Sound Blaster can be enabled for Desert Strike & Jungle Strike (Issue #1600) with a simple hack in the SoundBlaster code. Try this updated Windows build:

Link: dosbox-x-update.zip

[DSN9990]

Jungle Strike CD does not work, shows this error when INSTALL.EXE tries to detect CDROM speed or when I try to run the game (JUNGLE.BAT):

CPU:Illegal Unhandled Interrupt Called 0

And hangs in both ways.

[rderooy]

Regarding Jungle Strike, the install problem is a known issue and a work around was posted on Vogons a long time ago: https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17149&p=272960&hilit=jungle%20strike#p272960

Still, it would be better to fix the issue such that the work around is no longer needed.

[DSN9990]

@Wengier Can you fix this issue?

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 The Jungle Strike INSTALL.EXE works fine for me on DOSBox-X when it tries to detect CDROM speed (no hangs), even though it does indeed hang when I tried it on vanilla DOSBox, DOSBox ECE and dosbox-staging. I downloaded the game ISO from:

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/jungle-strike-235#download

A screenshot for running Jungle Strike INSTALL.EXE on DOSBox-X (with default setting):

[DSN9990]

Wing Commander: Privateer CD downloaded from Old-Games.RU does not work for me, DOSBox-X "reboots" as soon as I run PRIV.EXE (after installing the game). I used my own config and I am not aware of that issue. @Wengier Can you reproduce this?

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 Yes, it looks like "Wing Commander: Privateer" does not like EMS memory, so you have to set "ems=false" in dosbox-x.conf file before running the game.

[DSN9990]

Star Wars - TIE Fighter CD (also downloaded from Old-Games.RU) crashes when trying to run it:

I'll try to investigate this issue...

EDIT: Tried now "4-OP FM" music in "IMUSE.EXE" instead of "Roland" and results in the same error screen above.

[Wengier]

Depending on the method to install and run the said game (I tried minimal installations a few times for faster testing), I did see the crash, but could not reproduce it consistently - it may crash the first time, but then run fine the second and third time, and crashed again the fourth time. Due to lack of time I have not yet concluded a pattern for this.

[DSN9990]

@Wengier Tested another game from Old-Games.RU (Inferno: The Odyssey Continues, CD version including CD audio), seems to work fine, although flickers a lot in both the opening scene and in game.

[DSN9990]

@Wengier I tested WipEout and it works fine but doesn't have sound, only music (I downloaded an ISO from GamesNostalgia.com). Can you fix this?

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 I have tried the WipEout game downloaded from the site you mentioned, and I think I cannot hear sound if the volume of the game music is at the maximum (perhaps because the music is very loud by default). But if I lower the volume of the game music from "Audio options", then I can indeed hear sound, such as the sound when I move among the game options. Maybe this is simply by design, so I am not really sure if there is anything to fix for this.

[DSN9990]

Thanks. I was wrong. Can you fix the flickering in "Inferno: The Odyssey Continues" if possible? I downloaded this game from Old-Games.RU.

[Wengier]

I can confirm that flickering occurs in the opening scene of the game "Inferno: The Odyssey Continues” (I have not tried in game), but on my computer at least I can only notice it if I concentrate on the screen. So this issue appears relatively minor.

[DSN9990]

I did not find 0.83.5 for Windows on the Releases page. Can you give me an Windows installer for it?

[joncampbell123]

@DSN9990 No VS2019 build this month. MinGW builds are chugging along right now.

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 The Windows installer should be ready in a day. I will need to compile VS builds myself this time.

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 If you do not want to wait, the DOSBox-X 0.83.5 Windows installer (not yet code-signed) is already available below. It includes VS2019 x86/x64/ARM/ARM64 binaries built by myself and MinGW32/64 binaries built by @joncampbell123. I am currently stilling waiting for it to be code-signed so that no SmartScreen warning will be shown when you run the installer.

DOSBox-X-0.83.5-setup.exe

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 The Windows installer is now code-signed. Thanks @emendelson for code-signing it.

[DSN9990]

Can you give me a update to 0.83.6 called "dosbox-x-update.zip"?

[Wengier]

@DSN9990 Sure! Here it is (built with FluidSynth support):

Link: dosbox-x-update.zip

[DSN9990]

I found one game that has strange behavior, System Shock CD. It doesn't want to install, no matter what program I run, see below:

Also, if I run INSTALL.EXE on the cd-rom, it says that it requires Microsoft Windows:

I am not sure what is the DOS installer of it.