[DOSBox] official thread

[jamrom2]

@nemo93 I decided to fall-back to Dosbox and "upgrade" to the latest SDL2 version build.

In doing so, I noticed I don't have any keyboard support. I didn't have this issue with the previous version of DosBox, but it didn't look as good as SDL2.

So having said that... what is wrong? Did I miss something in the install? Seems every version of DOSbox I've tried I spend hours trying to get things to work.

Thanks.

Jam

[nemo93]

@jamrom2 I'm a bit concerned as the above guide is working fine. Do you have some unusual setup perhaps? Do you rely on official Retropie image and kernel (eg. do you have KMS/fKMS)? Remove any DOSbox modules and install first "SVN" and then Staging (if you want to) using the script provided.

With anything DOSBox and whenever something is not working the way it should it's due to config issue. I can't help you further here but try to focus on one game until you have it working. I'll insist also that you stick to the one default config + one conf per game. You'll see it will greatly help you to make stuff working and simplify debug. For fullscreen/correct aspect and assuming you're running from the console/a frontend this will work for pi3/pi4 - add that to the default config file:

[sdl]
fullscreen       = true
display          = 0
fullresolution   = desktop
windowresolution = original
output           = texturenb
texture_renderer = opengles2
capture_mouse    = onstart middlerelease
sensitivity      = 100
waitonerror      = true
priority         = higher,normal
mapperfile       = mapper-sdl2-git.map
screensaver      = auto

[jamrom2]

@nemo93 OK. I'm going to start with a clean slate...

• My build is a legit Retropie 4.7.1 build running a no-frills EmulationStation front end. Nothing crazy (other than what I've added over the past year)... I don't know what KMS/fKMS is. So I'll say it isn't loaded.
• The Staging install script works great, no issues installing Staging. It's listed in my Exp Packages list in RetroPie-Setup script now. I built the file and ran it as suggested. I had it running, but it was a slide show.
• I'm going to clean out my "/roms/pc" folder where all the ".sh" were and where all the ".conf" files will reside, as all my actual games are located in another folder all together in "/roms/dos".
• Ultimately I want to be able to do a side-by-side comparison of the game performance as I know the complexity of different games effects how the emulator runs. So if SDL2 runs better for flight sims, if Staging is better for newer DOS games, I'll use that and so on.
• the only reason I had all the .sh files was because that was the only way it was recommended to run DOSBox games 5 years ago when I first built the DOSBox side of my image as ES didn't recognize .conf files. Since then, yes I agree, the config file method is much better. I will be switching over and editing my gamelist file to the .conf extension.

As requested. I'll install DosBox-SVN first... then jump into Staging.

Dosbox SVN installs a config file in /opt/retropie/configs.hdmi/pc called "dosbox-SVN.conf". I am assuming this will be the main config file that I will be working with to set the main setting in DosBox. From there, I will build 3 config files in "/roms/pc" for the following games... Aces Over Europe, Abuse and Doom. 3 games that I feel allow me to test performance and keyboard/gamepad use.

They all work good as expected and I played around with each separate config just to see if it was reading it as it should and overwriting the main dosbox config file. All is good. Whatever I set for resolution in each .conf overwrites the main file.

Now on to Staging...

[jamrom2]

@nemo93 ...and the results...

• Staging loaded no issues. I used the default config and tweaked it with the settings above. The sound is a mess, very choppy and broken. The video is the same. Doom is livable, but AOE and Abuse are unplayable.
• Loaded SDL2 as the final choice. Tweaked with the same settings above in your post. It ran great. Sound is good, all video on all games is fast and crisp. No muddy look, no Hardware stretching... but... no keyboard.

So all in all.... I understand why I was having so many issues trying to get video to work. The .sh files were screwing me up. This direct .conf method is so much better and faster to tweak.

I'd like to help more... I don't see why my keyboard (BT Rii mini i8) doesn't work in SDL2.

Jam

[nemo93]

@jamrom2 nice to see all the efforts! Good job :-) At least now you got a fine setup, easy to debug and to tweak whatever DOSBox "module" you're relying on. As mentioned above whenever sound is crackling and image is stuttering you either got not enough cycles or too many. Both Abuse and DOOM require quite some high cycles count to run fullspeed. Just for the record here are my 2 .conf for those games - keep in mind I'm on a Pi4 and using a specific branch of Staging:

abuse.conf

[cpu]
cycles = 35000

[midi]
mpu401     = intelligent
mididevice = fluidsynth

[autoexec]
mount c /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/games
C:
CD ABUSE
ABUSE.EXE
EXIT

doom.conf

[sdl]
capture_mouse = nomouse

[cpu]
cycles = 70000

[midi]
mpu401     = intelligent
mididevice = fluidsynth

[autoexec]
mount c /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/games
C:
CD DOOM
DOOM.EXE
EXIT

Both games support General MIDI hence the [midi] section. I've set a soundfont in the default config file (dosbox-staging.conf) but you can also set a soundfont in each game .conf.

I insist: it might be difficult to get those games to run fullspeed. They both got their own Raspberry port which run much better so if you really want to play these give a try to such ports (included within Retropie). Or you could try with "SVN" or the "SDL2" indeed.

I can't help to respond why there's no keyboard on "SDL2" but just ensure to use the default config file provided with the installation and try running DOSbox in pure DOS mode (the "console") to see if you could type in something.

[ecto]

Hi,

has anyone successfully tried getting Frontier: First Encounters (Elite 3) to run?
There is a shareware version online to try it out. Dosbox SVN and Stagingboth crash, when I press a button in the startup screen. Apparently dosbox pure crashes, too.

I can run the game with the exact same files from my desktop Windows pc, so it's probably related to the platform?

[jamrom2]

so after playing with all the versions of each module... I'm finding that none of this is an exact science with getting any of this to work.

• Lr-dosbox-pure looks fantastic, easy to install games (no config files) and has a great "retroarch based menu", but jeeze... it's nearly impossible to get one controller configuration to work on every game. Plus it keeps adding a *.save file which I can't figure out how to re-direct to another location to save to.

• Dosbox-Staging - for whatever reason that four hours of tweaking couldn't find... the keyboard doesn't work, neither can I get the shader to display. Like every DOS game from back in the day, it must be tweaked per game. Not a big deal, it's kind-of expected.. but since the keyboard dosn't work, what's the point.

• Dosbox-SDL2 - same as above. And I can see when it loads, it's loading the correct version in the blue DosBox "autoexec" load screen. It's loading SVN and having the exact issues Staging is, although the .conf has no info other than display and autoexec.

• DosBox (the baseline version)- everything works in it, but the screen never displays is true 4:3 so it looks odd. Other than that, everything seems to work without much tweaking required.

So in conculsion... this is a lot of work and I don't see anything working. It's like starting 10 projects at once, and not completing any of them.

[ecto]

@jamrom2 said in [DOSbox] official thread:

so after playing with all the versions of each module... I'm finding that none of this is an exact science with getting any of this to work.
[...]
So in conculsion... this is a lot of work and I don't see anything working. It's like starting 10 projects at once, and not completing any of them.

Hmm, that's really sad to hear. I, too, had many problems with different DOS games (see two posts up...), but then - it was always like then back in the glorious MS-DOS days. But unlike you, I usually hadn't had problems with the emulators themselves...
The non-working keyboard is strange. Just to be sure: you don't use XINIT:now, do you? Because that was the only time my keyboard wasn't working with Dosbox.

Here are some things you could test (with no guarantee of success ;) ):

• does the keyboard work when you start Dosbox without any game? (using +Start Dosbox.sh). What does the log say?
• maybe you can start Dosbox directly from the shell and see what it does/says?
• there are only a few settings for the keyboard in the dosbox.conffile. Like keyboardlayoutor usescancodes. Can you have a look at them? Maybe change them? Afaik, usescancodes doesn't work with Retropie, but you never know...
• What keyboard do you have? Can you try another one?

Then a general tip for setting up the games (and be sure, that it's not Dosbox'es fault when something doesn't work): Do you have Dosbox set up on a pc maybe? When I'm fiddling with my games, I usually install them on my Windows machine (with a similar setup like drive names etc.) and when everything works , I just transfer the game to my Retropie. GOG games are usually pretty good with that: just install them and transfer the right folder over. Done.

And the streched vew of Dosbox-SVN is probably due to dispmanx, I would guess. That is expected but can be changed later, when everything else works!

[jamrom2]

@ecto Well... guess what... I finally found the culprit to all my issues with these emulators...

my old mapper file from dosbox. I've been pulling over the file for several builds not realizing what effect it would have on my build. Here's how I found it.

I took out another microSD card, created a "short build" with the newest RP 4.7.1 and updated the script to .12. Pulled down DOSBox, DOSBox-SDL2 and lr-dosbox-pure. Behold... they all worked. Keyboard was working.

The lightening struck and there it was... my own doing.. as usual. I reverted back to my build, changed all the mapping statements back to default and it works great. I now have SDL2, Staging and DOSBox working with full keyboard support!

I'm not going to think what could have changed in the mapper file, but I'm sure something did as mine is over 5 years old.

Now on to getting the shader parameters I have setup in lr-dosbox-pure into Staging. I was able to tweak the "crt-pi-curvature" to a point that it gives the look of an early 90's Computer monitor. It has that soft "crystalline" look to it that makes the pixels dithered and faded. Unlike the CRT filter that gives the harshness of an arcade CRT.

At any rate... wow was this a massive learning experience. Lessons learned...

• ask a ton of questions... lol.
• this forum, as usual, is amazing!
• make sure you dump ALL old files and start new.
• it's always user error. lol.

Thanks a mil for all your help, and @nemo93 as well. I've been sticking around a lot to give as much help to others as I can, especially with the lr-atari800/5200 and Daphnie/Singe setups. I can add this one to the list as well.

Best,

JamR

[ecto]

@jamrom2 Congrats and happy DOS gaming! Now there are tons of great games right aroud the corner!

[jamrom2]

@ecto said in [DOSbox] official thread:

@jamrom2 Congrats and happy DOS gaming! Now there are tons of great games right aroud the corner!

Thank you and @nemo93 ! Got any favorites you want to share?

I'm big on flight simming and WWII games...so mine are straight forward.

Red Baron & Red Baron II
Aces Over Europe
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Syndicate
System Shock
Team Yankee
A-10 Tank Killer

Just to name a short list

[VictimRLSH]

@jamrom2 Were there DOS versions of Beach Head and Beach Head II? Those were really fun WWII games on the C64.

[jamrom2]

@victimrlsh from what I know, A800 and C64 only. I always check mobygames.com to look for any crazy variants.

Those were great games. Spent hours playing them both.

[jamrom2]

@ecto hi. I ran into an odd video problem I thought I'd run by you to see of you ever experienced this.

I was using lr-dosbox-pure. All was good, but I was having issues with getting the joystick to be recognized on a few games. I jumped into the Retroarch menu and fiddle with the options for the controllers. Closed the menu with no auto save. Reopened, and now I get a massive black box covering 3/4 of my screen that I can't remove.

I tried a few other games, same thing. I dumped the retroarch.cfg and rebuilt it. It worked for a few games then it came back.

Deleted everything and reloaded the emulator, same thing.

Any thoughts.

Rhanns6

[ecto]

No, sorry. I've not tried dosbox-pure so I can't comment on that. :(
Have you looked at the github page of pure? Maybe someone else had the same issue?
I've had some strange behaviour with other lr cores when AI translation was triggered when I entered the RA menu. But your description soumds different then that. Sorry

[nemo93]

@jamrom2 congrats for finding the issue and for fixing it!! Nicely done and I hope you'll get plenty of fun actually playing the games rather than configuring the emulators :-) I'm afraid I'm not a flight sim or ww2 kind of guy but feel free to report performance or anything related to the DOSbox "cores" you're testing/playing with. That would be of much help for everyone. Thanks!

[jamrom2]

@nemo93 Everything is working good. Sure, there is some tweaking for the games to work with the joystick, but for the most part, everythinghas been plug'n play.

The only issue I am still having i sgetting the shader to display, Is it only for a Pi4? I have a Pi3b+. Here is my runcommand.log with the non-essential stuff edited out.

The shader I am using is from that list you posted. It's zfast_crt.glsl. I've played with a ton of the settings, but still cannot get the shader to display as you can see in the log.

pc
dosbox-staging
/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/aoe.conf
Not an lr-atari800 system.
Parameters:
Executing: bash /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/+Start\ DOSBox-Staging.sh "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/aoe.conf"
dosbox-staging version 0.77.0

CONFIG: Loading primary file /home/pi/.config/dosbox/dosbox-staging.conf
CONFIG: Loading additional file /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/aoe.conf
MAIN: Disabling resizable window, because it's not compatible with selected render.glshader
MAIN: Use 'sharp' or 'none' to keep resizable window.
OPENGL: Pixel buffer object extension: missing
MAIN: Draw resolution: 640x480, pixel aspect ratio: 1.00
SDL:OPENGL: No support for texturesize of 1024, falling back to surface
MOUNT: Path '/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/dos' found
MAIN: Draw resolution: 640x400, pixel aspect ratio: 1.20
SDL:OPENGL: No support for texturesize of 1024, falling back to surface
MAIN: Draw resolution: 320x200, double-width, double-height, pixel aspect ratio: 1.20
SDL:OPENGL: No support for texturesize of 512, falling back to surface
MAIN: Draw resolution: 320x200, double-width, double-height, pixel aspect ratio: 1.20
SDL:OPENGL: No support for texturesize of 512, falling back to surface
SDL: released the mouse

Here is the section of my "aoe.conf" file for Aces Over Europe. All I keep getting are business card sized boxes no matter what I set "output=" to other than texturenb.

[sdl]
fullscreen = true
display = 0
fullresolution = desktop
windowresolution = original
output = opengl

[dosbox]
machine = vesa_nolfb
memsize = 16

[render]
frameskip = 0
aspect = true
monochrome_palette = white
scaler = none
glshader = /opt/retropie/configs.hdmi/pc/shaders/crt/zfast_crt.glsl

Thanks again for the help. If I can't get it to work, I can live without... or wait till I get a Pi4.

JamR

[nemo93]

@jamrom2 OpenGL support on Pi3 is partial. Could be the reason why shaders can't be properly rendered on that device. I don't like to say that but could be better to wait to get your hands on a Pi4 (+ it will also give you a boost in performance). The only output properly working on Pis whenever you run from a console/frontend (not with XINIT or desktop) is output = texture indeed - or anything with texture in it.

Have fun and if you got anything about performance, tweaks or tricks on best way to configure a game or emulator (not only Staging) please share.

[jamrom2]

@ecto I posted the issue on the github, so hopefully it can be found and sorted.

We'll see what happens. Thanks!

[jamrom2]

@nemo93 after much trial and error, I agree... it's more about the Pi3b+. I know the builds for Retropie are different, so maybe something in the Pi3 build is turned off that would allow the use of the shaders.

Thanks for the help. I'll post issues and resolutions as I come across them.

Mostly it's the controller settings in the lr-pure fork that I'm having issues with. It's a lot of trial and error to get it right.

JamR