DOSBOX and cdroms for games

debianstable — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:30:16 -0400

Example of daggerfall from a game forum

Accessing the CD drive

I'll cover 2 scenarios here : installing the game from the actual CD and installing it from an image (a .iso file).

If you've got the tools to create a .iso from your CD, you should do so as using an image results in better performances (your hard drive is faster than your CD drive). If you'd like to do this, you're own your own, I'm not going to cover this topic here.

Using the CD

Fire up DOSBox (i.e. just click on : Start -> Programs -> DOSBox-0.70 -> DOSBox). At the prompt, type (and then press ENTER) :

Code:

mount d PATH_TO_YOUR_DRIVE -t cdrom -usecd 0 -ioctl

Where, supposing you're running Windows, PATH_TO_YOUR_DRIVE is your CD Drive's letter followed by :\ .

If you only have one hard drive and one CD drive, that path would be D:\ :

Code:

mount d D:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0 -ioctl

Just put the CD in the drive and start reading step 5.

Using an image

Fire up DOSBox (i.e. just click on : Start -> Programs -> DOSBox-0.70 -> DOSBox). At the prompt, type (and then press ENTER) :

Code:

imgmount d PATH_TO_YOUR_ISO -t iso

Assuming your image file is in C:\Images\Daggerfall.iso, the command would become :

Code:

imgmount d C:\Images\Daggerfall.iso -t iso

5 - Installing the game

As of now, you've got DOSBox running at pretty much top speed with a virtual hard drive and an access to Daggerfall's CD.

If you're not familiar with DOS, you might want to get acquainted with some of its commands : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DOS_commands .

Basically, there are 2 essentials here : CD and DIR .

CD means change directory and is used to enter a folder.

DIR lists the content of the current directory (that's right, you can only open one folder at any given time).

You can see the current directory by looking at the prompt.

You might want to read the wiki and mess around with DOSBox for a bit. If you don't feel like it, just do what I tell you to do.

Type (always press ENTER after typing a command) :

Code:

This I'll change the current drive to the CD.

Then type :

Code:

install

This isn't one of DOS' internal commands. If you type something that isn't a command, the OS searches the current directory and tries to find a program named (minus the extension, which is the text after the dot - e.g. .exe -) after what you've entered.

Luckily, the CD contains a program named install.exe which means DOSBox can run this.

The installation should begin. When the License Agreement comes up, "lock" the mouse within DOSBox by clicking on the window (you can use CTRL+F10 to "unlock" the mouse). Agree with the terms.

You should be able to install the program on your own, just pick "Install the game on your hard drive", "Change the install size", select the biggest size, accept, accept the default folder and let the program do its job.

6 - Configuring the sound card

DOSBox emulates a bunch of common sound cards.

Select Digital
Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, enter this section.

Pick Sound Blaster 16/AWE 32, and set the port to 220, the DMA to 1 and the IRQ to 7.

Then select OK

Select MIDI
Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, enter this section.

Pick Sound Blaster 16, MIDI Port 388.

Then select OK.

Leave the HMI Sound Operating System Setup Utility by selecting OK from the main menu. You may try Test Digital and Test MIDI if you feel like it.

Leave the installation, you're done.

7 - Preparing the game

Close DOSBox. You can to this by using the [x] button on the top-right corner or by pressing CTRL+F9.

Open up Notepad (or any other ASCII editor) and type the following (make sure you do the replacing with your own paths) :

If you're running the game from a CD Drive...

Code:

mount d PATH_TO_YOUR_DRIVE -t cdrom -usecd 0 -ioctl
c:
cd dagger
fall z.cfg

If you're running the game from an image...
Running from a CD Drive...

Code:

imgmount d PATH_TO_YOUR_ISO -t iso
c:
cd dagger
fall z.cfg

Save this file directly inside DOSBox's virtual hard drive folder (don't put it in a subdirectory).

Name it go.bat (make sure it's a .bat, not a .txt).

8 - Patching the game

Yea, Daggerfall is buggy...

Get the patch : http://rapidshare.com/files/32589539/dag213.zip.html (yeah, yea, I know, rapidshare sucks).

Unzip this in daggerfall's directory (i.e. PATH_TO_DOSBOX_VIRTUAL_HARD_DRIVE\dagger)

As an example, if I had to install, I'd unzip the file to C:\DDRIVE\dagger.

Open up DOSBox. Enter the following commands :

Code:

cd dagger
dag213

Answer the patch's questions (just type y and press enter) and let the program do its job.

9 - Running the game

Now that the game has been patched, all that is left to do is run it.

Within DOSBox, type :

Code:

cd \
go

This'll bring the current directory back to the virtual drive's root and run the batch file we've created earlier. The game should now be running.

10 - Enjoy !

You might want to press ALT+ENTER to have DOSBox go into fullscreen mode.

You're on your own now...

10b - Running the game from now on...

Next time you want to run the game, start DOSBox, type "go" and press ENTER.

/usr/bin/playall script

debianstable — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:50:12 -0400

#/bin/bash

while [ 1 ]

do find -iname "$1" -print | while read i ; do xterm -e mplayer "$i" -fs ; done ; done

INSTALLING SDLMESS 0125

debianstable — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:21:15 -0400

One has to type this into the console:

mkdir -p /usr/share/games/sdlmess/roms
cd /usr/share/games/
wget -c -N -U "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008052909 Firefox/3.0" --referer="http://rbelmont.mameworld.info/?page_id=163" http://rbelmont.mameworld.info/sdlmess0125.zip
unzip sdlmess0125.zip
cd sdlmess0125
make -f makefile.sdl
beep
echo "please put all the zip files into /usr/share/games/sdlmess0125/roms"
ln -sf $PWD/mess /usr/bin/sdlmess 
echo "to run a floppy game : sdlmess cpc464 -flop1 renegade.dsk"
echo "to run a console game : sdlmess n64 -cart mario64.n64"

Linux, Debian Stable, New apps and bash codes

DOSBOX and cdroms for games

/usr/bin/playall script

#/bin/bash

INSTALLING SDLMESS 0125