Elite / Frontier Frontier: Dosbox and Soundblaster Setting

[GrayFox2k7]

Hi there ^^

I didn't find any thread where my little problem might fit in, so I started this new one.

As I already stated I'm trying to run Elite 2 / Frontier in Dosbox. I've used DosBox for years now and know my way around in the dosbox configuration and use. My sound settings worked with all games I use to play in dosbox, yet.

When I start Frontier, selecting the soundblaster as my sound card (the Roland LAPC1 would work, but it sucks IMHO), the game starts fine. But when I select my starting star system the game crashes. But ONLY when using Soundblaster as sound device. When I select the Roland instead, the game works. But as soon as the first sound effect is played, I keep hearing a massive, continuous beep, so nothing else is heard anymore.

Settings:
CPU cycles set to 8000, using dynamic core.
Video output is ddraw, since I had compatibility and speed problems using surface and overlay. Soundblaster is configured with I5, D1, H5 and MPU-401 General Midi is using port 330, as usual. IPX network support is active, but this shouldn't affect any games, as long as the dosbox net server is not running / no dosbox network is established.

Any advice ?

 

[Geraldine]

Looking at my D-Fend settings, emulation core set to dynamic, CPU type set to Pentium_slow, CPU cycles set to max, memory set at 16 megs, use XMS memory, use EMS memory, use UMB memory, render set to ddraw, svga_paradise, sound: mixer: sample rate set to 22050, block size set to 2048, prebuffer set to 10. Sound blaster: Type set to sb16, address 220, Interrupt set to 7, DMA set to 1, High DMA set to 5, Opl mode set to auto, Opl emulation set to default, Opl sample rate set to 22050, use mixer? yes tick in box. Run it!
On start up pick option 2 Adlib/ Sound blaster compatible board. That lot works for me.

 

[GrayFox2k7]

I don't like defend, I MUCH prefer editing the environment settings of DOS myself, for then I at least know / understand what I'm doing.

Anyway, the game will freeze once I select my starting system, no matter what, when I use Adlib/Soundblaster.

The only settings of yours that are different to mine are the interrupt settings. OPL is in automatic mode, so OPL depends on the soundblaster card emulated.

I adapted your sound configuration but still the game will freeze. Since Frontier is abandonware I downloaded it randomly from the first site I found. Is it possible my game files are corrupt? In MS-DOS the sound drivers were provided with the game, so all you needed to do is set the blaster environment variable. Maybe my soundblaster driver is damaged .. ?

Did anyone else experience such difficulties?

T_T

First Encounters, by the way, seems to cause memory access violations when run in dosbox. But Elite and Elite Plus are running just fine.

 

[Geraldine]

You might be right there GrayFox, maybe the game is corrupt, why not try GlFrontier? http://tom.noflag.org.uk/glfrontier.html or have a look at my reply to your intro post for other options.

 

[potsmoke66]

i've uploadet (posted) a complete set (instruction) for dosbox somewhere.

hint:
try to install the whole game via dosbox, so that the right path to the folders (i.e. videos) and machine setup is stored.
you dont have to mount a cd rom for it, just run install from hd with dosbox's default conf. it will install ffe to virtual "C:\", which is assigned to the folder you started dosbox from, so put dosbox (exe, sdl.dll, sdl_net.dll) together with (uninstalled) ffe in one folder.

try to start the (audio) setup via dosbox.
select (auto detect) your (in dosbox.conf) specified device.
or edit HMISET.CFG (firstenc) and enter the proper (dosbox) values
or fit dosbox.conf to the settings in HMISET.CFG, your choice.
could help, but i never experienced such problems myself (but lasttime i changed ffe's setup i had no sound).
the sb/midi port used by dosbox is only software emulated (type, addr., dms), so i see no reason.

this is related to dosbox 0.73

look out for a complete download of ffe (including all data and setup.exe).
http://www.hooplatec.com/encounters/files.htm
http://www.lotf.co.uk/download.shtml
or try my dosbox set

 

[potsmoke66]

that was that fast finger again

fe2 & dosbox (blaster) issues
lemme think.....
midi doesn't works proper, yes
adlib, works well with standart settings.

[midi]
mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=win32
midiconfig=

[sblaster]
sbtype=sbpro2
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=1
sbmixer=false
oplmode=auto
oplemu=compat
oplrate=44100

[gus]
gus=false

[speaker]
pcspeaker=false
pcrate=44100
disney=false
tandy=auto

if nothing else helps start game with pc speaker use (crappy) or no sound (--)

do you use dosbox 0.73 (settings reference) or older?

for fe2 download refere to above reply

if it works reactivate "wormholes" with this

 

[GrayFox2k7]

Thanks for all those replies, first of all.

I will definitely use the downloads you provided for I only have a pre-installed - so to speak - FE2 version here. Maybe this already IS the key.

I still use Dosbox 0.72 because it supports german keyboard layout. Last time I visited the dosbox website there was no new keyboard layout file (.lng) for german keyboards ready for 0.73, so I'll just stick with the older version.

You know that saying .. never touch a running system and never run a touched system. My favorite games run smoothly on 0.72, so I'm fine with that.

Any further information and hints are welcome of course.

GrayFox

EDIT: The FE2 download offered on the first site you linked works perfectly! So my game files just were corrupt, I think ..

And! I landed on Boston Base, orbiting Birminghams World, for the first freaking time myself! Before that, I only saw my brother doing so when he was still playing elite 17 years ago .. xD Well, ok, the computer did all the work, but hell, I didn't die during the process xD In fact, Elite is the only game where I'm afraid hitting the wrong buttons. I once was fined for unlawful weapon use because I accidentally pushed the space button .. ^^"

 

[Geraldine]

Glad your up and running GrayFox, remember though, that first link was for GL Frontier, if you meant my post. If you want the Dos version, you could also try Steve's excellent Frontier Astro site here http://www.frontierastro.co.uk/ which also has a German version of FE2.

And for more useful info there is Jades First Encounters site, here http://www.jades.org/download.htm#commanders

I think between this post, Potsmoke's post and the other one in your intro thread, you should have all you need. Have fun!

 

[potsmoke66]

some say the german version is a complete mess? never used it (much).
the reason is how the Bulletin Board is generated, it didn't fits to german language, i tried to make a german amiga version many years ago for personal (friends) use and encountered the same trouble.

have fun
and take care of the l&r mousebutton (fires laser, often accidential hit).

 

[Geraldine]

Hi Potsmoke
Could that problem with the German version of FE2 be down to more letters being used for certain words? Perhaps (if possible) the problem could be lessened by using another font or reducing it's size, but I don't know how to change the font. FFE3D also has a similar problem, in that mission briefings are cut off sometimes at the bottom of the screen.

 

[GrayFox2k7]

Hi there, I never used the german version, so whatever problems there might be, they don't apply to my game files xD. I never had anything but the (corrupt) english versions of FFE and FE2.

 

[potsmoke66]

Hi Potsmoke
Could that problem with the German version of FE2 be down to more letters being used for certain words? Perhaps (if possible) the problem could be lessened by using another font or reducing it's size, but I don't know how to change the font. FFE3D also has a similar problem, in that mission briefings are cut off sometimes at the bottom of the screen.

if you have a unassembled program you can varie the length of a string of course, if you hack (like i did for amiga fe2) it's not possible (gives some troubles).
but the main problem to translate fe2 into any other language is that some sentences are genrated (bulletin, missions). you can imagine that it is impossible sometimes to find the right expressions and combinations in a different language. so the sentence will be sometimes funny to read (like a robo translation), and it needs some imagination to get the right sense of it (i think latin languages will work better than german or slavic).

to the font issue , i'm very unsatisfied with what they did for ffed3d and i whined about that on various replys. i think it simply reads out the plain characters in ffe's strings, thats why some characters are invisible, because the value is unknown (uncommon) for font use or used for a different character in os. this is harmful, in fe2/ffe even some graphic stuff is generated by use of the font (saves proc. time). in general the use of a truetype font is a good idea (should be commandline opt.?), but as long as it's used this way, i would prefere the ingame font. it would help a lot to have a complete character table of fe2/ffe, else i have to check each possible value from 00 to FF myself (i did that once long ago, but lost the table over the years) for the use as pattern for a tt font, if it's fully possible at all because of reserved characters (commands). you can use sge/fesge for this, some values will halt/crash the game, others produce funny graphical stuff when used as a character in a string (ship name), try you will be surprised, you can have a ball array that looks like a little sun in your ships name (in amiga fe2 at least), looks queer. also you have a + symbol and a framed + symbol (black cross on white ground with a red frame, i like it, it reminds me of a st.johns cross) for use as a (imperial?) sign (if i remember it right this can be reached with one of the common characters like, (%-_à, have to check buffet). if my brain doesn't fools me, in amiga fe2 is no difference for the use of them to the use in os, think on what proc. it was written. (a / is a /, except some).

they changed the font that's the problem. smaller font wouldn't help, because the length of any string is given. except for the cutoff lines in ffed3d maybe, you can check by use of a diff. font. search for "arial" in ffed3d and replace it (i use frontier or garnet), overwrite don't changes the lenth of file, you have some space, following 00's. but on the other hand, i think fontsize is given, so it won't change a lot.

68k, heart of countless coin ops and don't forget the ladies (peripherals).