DOS Games Discussion

One thing I've been looking into recently is getting the best sound going - as far as I can tell you need at least three things to get the best of all worlds.

A General Midi card/module
A MT32 compatible card/module
A Yamaha XG compatible card/module (though this is less necessary)

Plus a gravis ultrasound if you want to play old demos

You can get these in either external modules (EG MT32) or internal cards (LAPC-1) - haven't found the ideal combination yet, but I'm still investigating!

Lots of interesting discussion in this vein going on at:

http://www.queststudios.com/forum/index ... b9a69e68b1

GameMaster.EXE wrote:IBM or Microsoft should release a special version of dos that is designed for gaming only.

Now now, you can run lots of dosgames on MSDOS6.22.
or Dos 7.10...and others.....


Maybe you better ask the progwriters and the gamedevelopers to use a default gaming system in stead of having to configure your pc for EMS, NO-EMS, XMS, NO-XMS, about tigs sounsystems, ask the manufacturers to get a default IRQ /DMA for their stuff, and so i can go on ..and on....and on........endless........

The machine I use for my DOS needs is an old PC from 1999, self-built:

* A P3-450 with 384 MB RAM on an ABit BH6 motherboard
* Voodoo Graphics
* GeForce 3 Ti200
* SB AWE64
* 4x Panasonic IDE CD (ancient but still works)
* A 5.25" disk drive as well as a normal 3.5" model (I had quite a few old floppies from my XT days and secondhand 5.25" drives are dirt cheap)

DOS (well, what passes for DOS with Win98) dual boots with WinXP on that system and thanks to using an old fashioned ISA soundcard pretty much everything works on it.

<img src="http://tinypic.com/akwv0i.jpg">

The problems are the same as you'd expect on a machine like that:

* Runtime 200 errors (grr)
* No UniVBE support for modern games
* Occasional problems with protected mode games, eg Pinball Illusions - a swift Ctrl-F5 as the machine boots solves that though!

My main machine is an Athlon computer with SB Live - sadly, although it provides DOS emulation of an SB16 it requires EMM386 to work which immediately rules out some games. It's also nowhere near as good as a hardware SB16 and due to a lack of an OPL3 chip it means games like Commander Keen run without sound. Not recommended!

Retron wrote:* Voodoo Graphics
* GeForce 3 Ti200

Two graphic cards?

Retron wrote:* No UniVBE support for modern games

Yeah, that's true. But most of them you can still get to work. The 3dfx cards support VESA onboard, so games would work without UniVBE. And if some stubborn game won't work without UniVBE loaded, on some occasions you can "fake" an older video card, like a Matrox...

This is exactly what I tried aiming towards when I built my DOS/win98 box. Here are it's specs:

AMD K5 PR166 clocked @ PR200 speed
4x 32MB (128MB) 72-pin SIMMs
10GB hard drive for Windows 98 SE
1.6GB hard drive for DOS 6.22
40x LG IDE CD-ROM
1.2MB 5.25" floppy drive
1.44MB 2.5" floppy drive
PCI 2MB S3 video card connected to Monster 3D accellerator
SoundBlaster 16 ISA sound card (full length card)

I just need to find somewhere to place the system in my room so I can have easy access to it. =\

This the computer I just got and I think it is perfect for my older DOS gmaes and newer DOS games.
It is a Compaq Prosignia I got off ebay for 20 bucks! Here are the specs:


Pentium III 500Mhz Processor
128mb of RAM, upgradable to at least 512mb
6.4 GB Hard Drive You can add a second hard drive for more space if necessary
CD ROM Drive
Floppy Drive
PS2 Mouse Port
PS2 Keyboard Port
Video
Sound
Audio In and Out Ports
Microphone Port
Parallel Printer Port
2 USB Ports
Game Port
10/100 Ethernet Port
56K Modem
2 DB9 Type Serial Port for older hardware such as early digital cameras
Power Supply w/ Fan
Extra Case Fan
Keyboard
Mouse
Power Cord


This is going to be my DOS machine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Compaq-Prosignia-PI ... dZViewItem

I have an AMD 2600 CPU computer for my modern games.

I have put win 98SE on it and have a soundblaster 16 PCI card in it (I replaced the other sound card that was in it with this) and I also have a Diamond Viper V730 video card that came on the system. It was a system I got off ebay from a place called Luminous recyclying..they buy old computers from offices that are replacing their out of date equpiment with newer computers.

I had to have my own legal version of windows 98SE to put on it...as the hard drive was formatted with FAT 32. But I did and it works flawlessly on this machine. I am going to add a 56K modem I bought off of newegg.com for 11 bucks to it as the one that is on there does not work and add a CD Burner that I can get cheap locally at a shop. The case is very wierd! The screws are not standard screws, but I have found a way to replace sound and other cards, by using a jewelers flathead screwdriver with vise grip pliers attached to it. (Hey, it works!)

I will probably have to take it to a shop to get the CD burner put in...as the computer only has one opening on ONE side of it to get at the cards....To open the other side ...I think they may have to literally unscrew it from the main frame! Because it has screws on the back and front and the cover wraps around three sides of the computer from what I can see.

But this is my new DOS machine and I will make it work.

Good running Pc for old Dosgames will have to be a 486 computer I have a 486 computer in my room but the only thing is that my cd-rom and my floppy disk is not working so can some one help me out to know where I can get a 486 cd-rom and a 486 floppy disk