Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
https://www.pcmicro.com/elebbs/faq/rte200.html Here I found the solution to fix error 200, at least with this common case, running TP7P5FIX.COM before INSTALL.EXE, Wolfenstein 3D works flawlessly with no issues. I do my test in a Laptop with i3 7th gen processor and 4Gb RAM DDR4, modified FD-Setup 1.3 RC3 usb boot. Thanks to Tom Ehlert for the suggested solution Enviado desde Yahoo Mail para Android El sáb., 20 de nov. de 2021 a la(s) 6:24 p. m., Jim Hall escribió: ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
> That's not to say that FreeDOS is perfect. For the life of me, I > cannot get the Wolfenstein 3D installer (1wolf14.zip) to run on > FreeDOS. Even with nothing loaded, INSTALL.EXE aborts with "Runtime error 200 > at 0774:0091" "For the life of me" ... "Runtime error 200" which is a REALLY well known bug in the Turbo Pascal runtime library. with a KNOWN fix, that was rejected by the freedos licensing experts. google says " Nicht schon wieder: Runtime Error 200 | c't Magazin - Heise https://www.heise.de › ... › Tipps & Tricks 08.04.2000 — Mit dieser Meldung verweigern DOS-Programme auf schnelleren PC-Systemen ihren Dienst, wenn sie mit Borland-Pascal kompiliert worden sind. Rechner zu schnell f. Programm "Runtime Error 200"" I wont claim I saved your life, but it would be cool to google before posting uninformed stuff. Tom ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:52 PM ZB wrote: > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 10:54:50AM -0600, Jim Hall wrote: > > > I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the > > "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least in > > working condition. > > The site: ebay.com > The search phrase: motherboard 486 > The result: more than 10 pages 50 positions each page > > I didn't try "386", "286", "Pentium"... what for? Of course it's NOT that > difficult to find working 486. No problem to get graphics card, sound card > etc. > And lots of people like to build their own keyboards, yet the vast majority of keyboards in use today are keyboards that someone took out of a box and plugged in. I agree that running on real hardware is great. And if you can do it, you should do it. I have an old Thinkpad laptop that I keep meaning to reinstall with FreeDOS, just to run it on hardware. But I haven't because it's much easier to run FreeDOS in a virtual machine. (It's also much easier for me to record YouTube videos that way.) And clearly, for almost-but-not-quite-100% of use cases (exceptions include Wolfenstein 3D) a virtual machine does the job the same as real hardware. In the survey results of "how do you use FreeDOS" (see email to freedos-devle on July 13 for the results) I shared these survey results: Virtual: [222] Classic: [112] Recent: [190] Modern: # [49] But in the follow-up discussion, I suggested the actual number of virtual machines was much higher, and that respondents appeared to misinterpret the question (poor wording in the question?) Even if the results are completely representative, it still suggests a lot of people using a virtual machine to run FreeDOS. Jim ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:29 PM ZB wrote: > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 04:03:57PM -0600, Jim Hall wrote: > > > But like the report on BTTR, I can't run Wolfenstein 3D. I've tried a > > number of different combinations: (I am running RC5 on QEMU on Linux) > > > > . With and without SLOWDOWN (attempted SLOWDOWN /MHz486:66 and > /MHz486:133, > > and SLOWDOWN /A) > > . With and without JEMM > > . With and without FDXMS > > . With and without loading any drivers[see note] > > > > > > The results are the same: the program flips into graphics mode, then sits > > there. It's like it's frozen. > > Maybe I'm narrow minded, but I've got a strange feeling that you're > fighting > hardware-related problems. > > Not a problem with Wolf3D on my Soyo; that's why I recommended to use > proper > hardware, if anyone wants to test "FreeDOS compatibility". Just tested > version 1wolf14.zip downloaded from > https://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/wolfenstein-3d/ > > No problem whatsoever Yes, that's the version I had. If you can run Wolfenstein 3D on FreeDOS (on actual hardware) then I agree that it suggests my problem has something to do with the QEMU virtual machine. I'll take Wolfenstein 3D off my "to worry about" list. Seems clear it's something in hardware. Jim ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 10:54:50AM -0600, Jim Hall wrote: > I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the > "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least in > working condition. The site: ebay.com The search phrase: motherboard 486 The result: more than 10 pages 50 positions each page I didn't try "386", "286", "Pentium"... what for? Of course it's NOT that difficult to find working 486. No problem to get graphics card, sound card etc. -- regards, Zbigniew ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 04:03:57PM -0600, Jim Hall wrote: > But like the report on BTTR, I can't run Wolfenstein 3D. I've tried a > number of different combinations: (I am running RC5 on QEMU on Linux) > > . With and without SLOWDOWN (attempted SLOWDOWN /MHz486:66 and /MHz486:133, > and SLOWDOWN /A) > . With and without JEMM > . With and without FDXMS > . With and without loading any drivers[see note] > > > The results are the same: the program flips into graphics mode, then sits > there. It's like it's frozen. Maybe I'm narrow minded, but I've got a strange feeling that you're fighting hardware-related problems. Not a problem with Wolf3D on my Soyo; that's why I recommended to use proper hardware, if anyone wants to test "FreeDOS compatibility". Just tested version 1wolf14.zip downloaded from https://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/wolfenstein-3d/ No problem whatsoever -- regards, Zbigniew ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:03 PM Jim Hall wrote:
> [..]
>> Have you tried slowing down your PC? There is a lot of tools that can
>> help with that. Sometimes the binary can be also patched (the TPP patch
>> worked for me on the Jazz Jackrabbit game eons ago).
>
>
> And that was the solution. Running SLOWDOWN /X slows down my PC enough
> that the installer is able to install Wolfenstein 3D. ("/X" is "XT" speed,
> so it's *really* slow. Probably overkill.)
>
> But like the report on BTTR, I can't run Wolfenstein 3D. I've tried a
> number of different combinations: (I am running RC5 on QEMU on Linux)
>
[..]
> The results are the same: the program flips into graphics mode, then sits
> there. It's like it's frozen.
>
> I haven't tried running Wolfenstein in many years, so I can't remember
> when (if?) I ran this before on FreeDOS. But I think I must have, at some
> point.
>
Eric replied to me off-list, but I think it's better to reply as part of
the discussion:
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:09 PM Eric Auer wrote:
>
> hi! if wolfenstein 3d freezes when entering graphics mode
> for all dos driver combinations, maybe the graphics emu of
> qemu is just not compatible? how about dosemu2, bochs,
> virtual pc, vmware, etc.? regards, eric
>
It could be that the graphics are just not compatible with what Wolfenstein
3D is trying to do, so it hangs. My QEMU config uses this command line:
/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 -name FreeDOS -machine
> pc-i440fx-4.2,accel=kvm,usb=off,dump-guest-core=off -enable-kvm -cpu host
> -m 16 -overcommit mem-lock=off -no-user-config -nodefaults -rtc
> base=utc,driftfix=slew -no-hpet -boot menu=on,strict=on -sandbox
> on,obsolete=deny,elevateprivileges=deny,spawn=deny,resourcecontrol=deny
> -msg timestamp=on -hda $hda -cdrom $cdrom -device sb16 -device adlib
> -soundhw pcspk -vga cirrus -display sdl -usbdevice mouse
I tried changing the -vga option to something else, and tried changing the
-display to gtk. But neither had an impact.
But I recall another game somewhere that had weird graphics artefacts
because of some video tricks the game used. I don't remember the game, but
I remember it was something about the color palette.
Maybe something similar is happening here. I don't have VirtualBox
installed, and I don't have much free time today to debug this. But I know
others use VirtualBox so maybe you can try to reproduce it.
Jim
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Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 12:43 PM Mateusz Viste wrote:
> On 20/11/2021 18:25, Jim Hall wrote:
> > That's not to say that FreeDOS is perfect. For the life of me, I cannot
> > get the Wolfenstein 3D installer (1wolf14.zip) to run on FreeDOS. Even
> > with nothing loaded, INSTALL.EXE aborts with "Runtime error 200 at
> > 0774:0091"
>
> Does not sound like a FreeDOS problem, but rather a variation of the CRT
> "CPU too fast" bug, where a division by 0 occurs because the CPU is so
> fast it executed all timing loops without any noticeable time passing.
>
> Have you tried slowing down your PC? There is a lot of tools that can
> help with that. Sometimes the binary can be also patched (the TPP patch
> worked for me on the Jazz Jackrabbit game eons ago).
And that was the solution. Running SLOWDOWN /X slows down my PC enough that
the installer is able to install Wolfenstein 3D. ("/X" is "XT" speed, so
it's *really* slow. Probably overkill.)
But like the report on BTTR, I can't run Wolfenstein 3D. I've tried a
number of different combinations: (I am running RC5 on QEMU on Linux)
. With and without SLOWDOWN (attempted SLOWDOWN /MHz486:66 and /MHz486:133,
and SLOWDOWN /A)
. With and without JEMM
. With and without FDXMS
. With and without loading any drivers[see note]
The results are the same: the program flips into graphics mode, then sits
there. It's like it's frozen.
I haven't tried running Wolfenstein in many years, so I can't remember when
(if?) I ran this before on FreeDOS. But I think I must have, at some point.
Jim
[note]
The default config I've been trying most of the time has nothing loaded. My
FDCONFIG.SYS:
SET DOSDIR=C:\FDOS
!COUNTRY=001,858,C:\FDOS\BIN\COUNTRY.SYS
!LASTDRIVE=Z
!BUFFERS=20
!FILES=40
!MENUCOLOR=15,1
***and some menu stuff here .. but I'm just showing the lines that get
run***
SHELL=C:\FDOS\BIN\COMMAND.COM C:\FDOS\BIN /E:1024 /P=C:\EMPTY.BAT
And my EMPTY.BAT:
PATH C:\FDOS\BIN
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Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
Hi. I urge everyone to try the Floppy version of Alone in the Dark. Game does not run on FreeDOS. While investigating i came up to a discussion on dosemu2/fdpp that mentions that games like Alone in the Dark and Alpha Waves corrupt and resize the PSP. Somehow MS-DOS versions don't have a problem with this but FreeDOS does. Also, some Distinctive Software games (DSI) that use the same engine (Grand Prix Circuit, The Cycles, Test Drive 2) also don't run. All you get is a flashing cursor like the game code is stuck on an infinite loop and can't move any forward. I really hope that game compatibilty improves in FreeDOS, so that i can finally put MS-DOS behind. A sábado, 20/11/2021, 19:34, Joao Silva escreveu: > Hello. > > Today the problem is that not everyone have old hardware, so they use what > they have, new hardware or virtual machines. > I stil have my first pc IBM 286 with msdos 4.0, but i think i installed 5 > or 6, can't remember. > I installed freedos on a asus eeepc, runs well, but with no sound. > Eventually, i will do something that i don't want, replace freedos with > linux to play dos games with dosbox (stag or X) so i can have sound. > The downside of dosbox is that i can't use gametools because i don't have > int13 to do breakpoints. > > I like DOS and it's sad that Microsoft and IBM sent him to trash. > Best boot times... > > Thank you > > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:56 PM Jim Hall wrote: > >> >> >> On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:38 AM ZB wrote: >> >>> On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 11:13:45AM +0100, Eric Auer wrote: >>> >>> > Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, >>> > started by liljames2k: >>> > >>> > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 >>> >> [..] >> >>> 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS >>> compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". For simplicity >>> let's say "the motherboard should feature at least one ISA slot". If you >>> mean testing sound: it should be done using ISA soundcard, inserted >>> exactly >>> in that (single?) ISA slot. >>> >>> If anyone is using newer hardware -- e.g. PCI-only -- you'll never 100% >>> know "is it FreeDOS or hardware-related issue". >>> >> >> >> I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the >> "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least in >> working condition. And dedicating an entire machine to FreeDOS . So most >> people run FreeDOS on modern hardware (if they dedicate hardware to it at >> all) or in a virtual machine (more common). >> ___ >> Freedos-user mailing list >> Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user >> > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
Hello. Today the problem is that not everyone have old hardware, so they use what they have, new hardware or virtual machines. I stil have my first pc IBM 286 with msdos 4.0, but i think i installed 5 or 6, can't remember. I installed freedos on a asus eeepc, runs well, but with no sound. Eventually, i will do something that i don't want, replace freedos with linux to play dos games with dosbox (stag or X) so i can have sound. The downside of dosbox is that i can't use gametools because i don't have int13 to do breakpoints. I like DOS and it's sad that Microsoft and IBM sent him to trash. Best boot times... Thank you On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:56 PM Jim Hall wrote: > > > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:38 AM ZB wrote: > >> On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 11:13:45AM +0100, Eric Auer wrote: >> >> > Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, >> > started by liljames2k: >> > >> > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 >> > [..] > >> 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS >> compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". For simplicity >> let's say "the motherboard should feature at least one ISA slot". If you >> mean testing sound: it should be done using ISA soundcard, inserted >> exactly >> in that (single?) ISA slot. >> >> If anyone is using newer hardware -- e.g. PCI-only -- you'll never 100% >> know "is it FreeDOS or hardware-related issue". >> > > > I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the > "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least in > working condition. And dedicating an entire machine to FreeDOS . So most > people run FreeDOS on modern hardware (if they dedicate hardware to it at > all) or in a virtual machine (more common). > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
I have Wolfenstien 3D. It’s been a while. But, I’m fairly sure I’ve run on top of FreeDOS. I’ll need to check when I have the time. I also have a couple PQ and other Sierra games laying around. I think most of them worked without issue. But, again it’s been a while. I do recall that Battle Chess (CD version) requires EMS. So, the default config needs changed to get it to run. ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On 20/11/2021 18:25, Jim Hall wrote: That's not to say that FreeDOS is perfect. For the life of me, I cannot get the Wolfenstein 3D installer (1wolf14.zip) to run on FreeDOS. Even with nothing loaded, INSTALL.EXE aborts with "Runtime error 200 at 0774:0091" Does not sound like a FreeDOS problem, but rather a variation of the CRT "CPU too fast" bug, where a division by 0 occurs because the CPU is so fast it executed all timing loops without any noticeable time passing. Have you tried slowing down your PC? There is a lot of tools that can help with that. Sometimes the binary can be also patched (the TPP patch worked for me on the Jazz Jackrabbit game eons ago). http://www.bttr-software.de/freesoft/system.htm#oldprogs Mateusz ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
> I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the > "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least > in working condition. And dedicating an entire machine to FreeDOS . > So most people run FreeDOS on modern hardware (if they dedicate > hardware to it at all) or in a virtual machine (more common). FreeDOS (and MSDOS) kernel and command are in no way hardware dependent; exclude them from bug searching if just every game fails. single failure might be possible, but not *every* game. there are 2, more or less, 'hardware' dependencies: HIMEM tries to find out how much and where memory exists. (J)EMM386 tries to find where are regions in A-F occupied by hardware; and often enough got this wrong (not counting the bazillions of times where it got it right as these cases are not reported on the internet;). it might be the BIOS reporting available memory above 1MB in a strange way, misunderstood by HIMEM/EMM386, leading to trouble. or it might be EMM386 misunderstanding some adapter memory requirements in the a000-f000 region. just my 5 cents. crossposting this to bttr-software. Tom ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:15 AM Eric Auer wrote: > > Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, > started by liljames2k: > > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 > > Zyzzle suggested making sure that all DOS extenders are in PATH > (not sure why Zyzzle said DPMI extenders) but in any case, I do > think Commander Keen 6 works in FreeDOS :-) So not sure what is > going wrong here. Note that 6 GB RAM is quite a lot and that half > of the errors are about not finding files. I have sorted the BTTR > table by type of error. Maybe some of you can share their experience > regarding the use of any of those games? Maybe you remember which > trick to use. I could imagine that some of them use DOS4GW and run > into some problem with too new hardware and work better with DOS32A? > > Regards, Eric > > > > > GAMES RESULTS LIST: > > All Games are placed in C:\GAMES\ in their own Folders... > > > > > > Game name| Result > > -+--- > > ALIEN BREED | WORKS FINE! > > ELITE| WORKS FINE! > > PAC MAN/PC MAN | WORKS FINE ! > > FATE OF ATLANTIS | Shows Error: "UNABLE TO FIND GAMEFILE > "ATLANTIS.000" (But its there!) > > DOOM | Shows Error: "Problem EXECing DOOM.EXE! Probably > not in same directory!" or "DOS/4GW Game mode intermiinate." and jumps back > to DOS... > > DOOM 2 | Same errors like previous Doom... > > EMMANUELLE | Shows Error: "I/O error 01, PC=9BF9, Program > aborted." > > GODS | Shows Error: "fatal error - unable to locate .EXE > file" > > COMMANDER KEEN 6 | Shows Error: "can't open GAMEMAPS.CK6" (But its > there!) > > LEISURE SUIT LARRY | Shows Error: "can't open GAMEMAPS.CK6" (But its > there!) > > LEISURE SUIT LARRY 2 | Shows Error: "Can't load RESOURCE.MAP!" (But its > there!) > > MANIAC MANSION | Shows Error: "Unable to find file 00.lfl" (But > its there!) > > MONKEY ISLAND| Shows Error: "Unable to find '000.lfl'" (But its > there!) > > FIRST SAMURAI| Shows Error: "Disk Error!!..." > > SHUFFLE PUCK COFFEE | Shows Error: "No Disk or wrong Drive..." > > CHAOS ENGINE | Intro works but stucks on Loading Screen... > > MECH WARRIOR | Blackscreen... > > WHEEL OF FORTUNE | shows a glitch and won't start. > > WOLFENSTEIN 3D | system reboots... > > LEISURE SUIT LARRY 3 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > > MS FLIGHT SIM 4 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > > POLICE QUEST 2 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > > COMANCHE | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... > (in safe mode it crashes!) > > POLICE QUEST | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... > (in safe mode it freezes!) > > TEST DRIVE 2 | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... > (in safe mode it jumps back to DOS!) > > [..] I think many of the issues here are probably due to how the games were unpacked or installed. Not being able to find files is a big clue there. I don't know what to suggest except to run the game from the game's directory. Many DOS games expected that. For example, I have Tomb Raider 1 (demo) installed on my FreeDOS machine. If I go into C:\TOMBRAID and run TOMB, the game runs fine. If I set my PATH to include C:\TOMBRAID, then back up to the C:\ directory and run TOMB from there, the game tries to start but the aborts with "Cannot find file 'data\titleh.pcx':No such file or directory." So it's not that Tomb Raider doesn't run on FreeDOS, but that I have to be in the Tomb Raider directory to play it. And that was common on DOS. Also, I've recorded gameplay videos for the FreeDOS YouTube channel using several of the listed games, all running on FreeDOS, and they worked fine. Here's the list: Commander Keen 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zuU_eGLEYg) Commander Keen 4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEUs3Gyg9DQ) Duke Nukem 3D (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE00saw1Jes) Duke Nukem 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMYgIJdgyo) Little Willy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs83FbNAplk) Doom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71_ox6BMErs) Freedoom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyOo-rIaSNw) Oregon Trail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgdMTaLw8HQ) Raptor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BGgdx5wkjU) Number Munchers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwbVyQ1NY7o) Ford Driving Simulator (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVrAxsknoVw) Golden Flute IV (developed by a 12 year old) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWlRIZ5qdNs) Dark Forces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YII4QKdjIds) Blood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595W6wkkkCk) And newer DOS games (not classic era games, but games developed more recently for DOS): RetroFuel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0bX3cEtPKU) Acronia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3y616Rp34) Double Pacman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNysxAjI-Yw) Post Apocalyptic Petra
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 4:38 AM ZB wrote: > On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 11:13:45AM +0100, Eric Auer wrote: > > > Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, > > started by liljames2k: > > > > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 > [..] > 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS > compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". For simplicity > let's say "the motherboard should feature at least one ISA slot". If you > mean testing sound: it should be done using ISA soundcard, inserted > exactly > in that (single?) ISA slot. > > If anyone is using newer hardware -- e.g. PCI-only -- you'll never 100% > know "is it FreeDOS or hardware-related issue". > I think that's a very narrow view. The reality is that a lot of the "classic" (say, '486 or earlier) hardware is hard to find - at least in working condition. And dedicating an entire machine to FreeDOS . So most people run FreeDOS on modern hardware (if they dedicate hardware to it at all) or in a virtual machine (more common). ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 03:43:42PM +0100, Eric Auer wrote: > Hi! > > > 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS > > compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". > > Not necessarily. It is exciting to check what can be done on modern PC. Necessarily if you mean "testing FreeDOS compatibility", and not "what can be done on modern PC". > But I wonder if people here remember for some of the games whether > they work with FreeDOS and whether and which trick that requires. During past years I tested several games -- in my experience one shouldn't expect more issues than in case of MS/PC-DOS. As the gamers surely remember from the past: in case of "original" DOSes sometimes there were problems to solve too -- regards, Zbigniew ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
Hi! > 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS > compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". Not necessarily. It is exciting to check what can be done on modern PC. > If anyone is using newer hardware -- e.g. PCI-only -- you'll never 100% > know "is it FreeDOS or hardware-related issue". The only problem with PCI and newer that I am aware of is with sound. Sometimes, very modern graphics cards lack some classic features, such as certain fonts or resolutions, or you only have 4:3 modes while your 16:9 screen shows black bars at the sides. But those things usually do not completely keep you from finding a graphics mode for your game. You can use PCISLEEP in the list or query modes to know your VGA chipset. I agree that JEMMEX is part of the problem for some of the games, so it is good to also test with HIMEM only. This, combined with the XMS swap of FreeCOM command.com and with DOS=HMA will already make sure that quite a bit of DOS RAM is free, so many games should be happy. Games rarely require EMS and having misconfigured UMB or compatibility issues with EMM386-style drivers is an unnecessary risk while testing whether a game runs at all. Optimizing memory and drivers can wait, first get the game to work at all :-) But I wonder if people here remember for some of the games whether they work with FreeDOS and whether and which trick that requires. Some games may also have issues with long file names or directory names, spaces in file or directory names, read-only files, which may happen when copying files from CD or DVD and similar. Various DOS extenders may have issues with new hardware, so it can be an idea to use DOS32A for games which originally used DOS4GW etc. Regards, Eric ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
On Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 11:13:45AM +0100, Eric Auer wrote: > Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, > started by liljames2k: > > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 > > Zyzzle suggested making sure that all DOS extenders are in PATH > (not sure why Zyzzle said DPMI extenders) but in any case, I do > think Commander Keen 6 works in FreeDOS :-) So not sure what is > going wrong here. Note that 6 GB RAM is quite a lot and that half > of the errors are about not finding files. I have sorted the BTTR > table by type of error. Maybe some of you can share their experience > regarding the use of any of those games? Maybe you remember which > trick to use. I could imagine that some of them use DOS4GW and run > into some problem with too new hardware and work better with DOS32A? 1. Any attempt to run any old game -- if you mean "testing FreeDOS compatibility" -- should be done on "legacy hardware". For simplicity let's say "the motherboard should feature at least one ISA slot". If you mean testing sound: it should be done using ISA soundcard, inserted exactly in that (single?) ISA slot. If anyone is using newer hardware -- e.g. PCI-only -- you'll never 100% know "is it FreeDOS or hardware-related issue". 2. Not being that busy with playing computer games anymore, from what I see on the list there is "Comanche" listed as "non-working" (because of Jemmex). I tested Comanche as working on my Soyo mobo -- I don't recall this moment does is cooperate with Jemmex or I used any other memory manager. But this is the point: FreeDOS is one thing -- and its "ecosystem" is another thing. So there may be a problem related to Jemmex in particular, not being actually any FreeDOS-related issue -- regards, Zbigniew ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
[Freedos-user] FreeDOS game compatibility mass testing results/questions
Hi! There is a thread about freedos game compatibility on BTTR, started by liljames2k: https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/forum_entry.php?id=18483 Zyzzle suggested making sure that all DOS extenders are in PATH (not sure why Zyzzle said DPMI extenders) but in any case, I do think Commander Keen 6 works in FreeDOS :-) So not sure what is going wrong here. Note that 6 GB RAM is quite a lot and that half of the errors are about not finding files. I have sorted the BTTR table by type of error. Maybe some of you can share their experience regarding the use of any of those games? Maybe you remember which trick to use. I could imagine that some of them use DOS4GW and run into some problem with too new hardware and work better with DOS32A? Regards, Eric > GAMES RESULTS LIST: > All Games are placed in C:\GAMES\ in their own Folders... > > > Game name| Result > -+--- > ALIEN BREED | WORKS FINE! > ELITE| WORKS FINE! > PAC MAN/PC MAN | WORKS FINE ! > FATE OF ATLANTIS | Shows Error: "UNABLE TO FIND GAMEFILE "ATLANTIS.000" > (But its there!) > DOOM | Shows Error: "Problem EXECing DOOM.EXE! Probably not > in same directory!" or "DOS/4GW Game mode intermiinate." and jumps back to > DOS... > DOOM 2 | Same errors like previous Doom... > EMMANUELLE | Shows Error: "I/O error 01, PC=9BF9, Program aborted." > GODS | Shows Error: "fatal error - unable to locate .EXE file" > COMMANDER KEEN 6 | Shows Error: "can't open GAMEMAPS.CK6" (But its there!) > LEISURE SUIT LARRY | Shows Error: "can't open GAMEMAPS.CK6" (But its there!) > LEISURE SUIT LARRY 2 | Shows Error: "Can't load RESOURCE.MAP!" (But its > there!) > MANIAC MANSION | Shows Error: "Unable to find file 00.lfl" (But its > there!) > MONKEY ISLAND| Shows Error: "Unable to find '000.lfl'" (But its > there!) > FIRST SAMURAI| Shows Error: "Disk Error!!..." > SHUFFLE PUCK COFFEE | Shows Error: "No Disk or wrong Drive..." > CHAOS ENGINE | Intro works but stucks on Loading Screen... > MECH WARRIOR | Blackscreen... > WHEEL OF FORTUNE | shows a glitch and won't start. > WOLFENSTEIN 3D | system reboots... > LEISURE SUIT LARRY 3 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > MS FLIGHT SIM 4 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > POLICE QUEST 2 | Not starting and jumps back to DOS > COMANCHE | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... (in > safe mode it crashes!) > POLICE QUEST | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... (in > safe mode it freezes!) > TEST DRIVE 2 | Shows Error: JemmEx: exeption 0D occured at... (in > safe mode it jumps back to DOS!) > > SYSTEM > > AMD Sempron 140 2700 Mhz > DDR 1066Mhz 6GB Dual Channel > ON BOARD GPU UNKNOWN > S-ATA SSD 120 GB in AHCI Mode > FreeDOS 1.3 RC4 > > Things i already tried: > > Used a IDE Adapter for the SSD in Native IDE, RAID and AHCI Mode. > Tried just a Single Ram in Single Channel. > > Used all Modes of FDOS: > MENU 1 - Load FreeDOS with JEMMEX, no EMS (most UMBs), max RAM free > MENU 2 - Load FreeDOS with JEMM386 (Expanded Memory) > MENU 3 - Load FreeDOS low with some drivers (Safe Mode) > MENU 4 - Load FreeDOS without drivers (Emergency Mode) ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
