Star Wars Tie Fighter Collector's CD-ROM Tutorial

Snowpile

@quicksilver @quicksilver After last night I thought all day about what might have gone wrong since it launched that initial time and not again. I landed on that the dosbox emulator that I had RetroPie install in their "optional packages" might have been corrupted. So after my kids/wife went to sleep tonight I:

Went through the update sequence for the dosbox emulator while I did dishes since it takes quite a while. Seriously, walk away and do something, it takes time.
Deleted the "TIECD" folder from "/home/pie/RetroPie/roms/pc". That was there from following the previous instructions in this thread this morning.
Copied my Good Old Games (GOG) Tie Fighter folder from my laptops original root folder "C:\GOG Games\Star Wars - Tie Fighter (1994)DOSBOX" to my desktop. This is ONLY so that I'm using a copy of what is working on my laptop to test/copy/use on RetroPie.
Used the same SFTP program (WinSCP) I used to transfer my NES and SNES ROMs over to copy my "Star Wars - Tie Fighter (1994)" folder from my Desktop to "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/".

Now when I enter the "MS DOS" part of RetroPie I see two options:

"+START DOSBOX". From here you'll be entered into good ol DOS. Just run the regular "dir" command to find your "location" and you can find the executable you need to run using "cd (foldername)" etc. You can run Tie Fighter from there (I assume, although have not test yet, that you can also install many different DOS based games and access them this way from RetroPie. I'll update this in the future if this is true).
"STAR WARS - TIE FIGHTER (1994)". Selecting this will essentially remove the need to know DOS from option 1. Just move down to "TIE.EXE" and enter that.
Once Tie Fighter starts you'll be greeted with the epic opening sequence I remember from too many years ago and when done it will ask you to "Center Joystick and Press Button" (Currently I am using my DragonRise Inc.? joystick and my mouse left click as [button]". Then "Move Joystick to Top/Left and Press Button" (again I use the joystick I installed with this machine and my mouse as the 'click'). Then, "Move Joystick to Bottom/Right and Press Button" and again I used my joystick and mouse as written about above to do so. Finally it will ask again to "Center Joystick and Press Button". Again, I leave my "DragonRise Inc"? joystick alone and click my mouse's left click button.
The game now starts. As normal. As I remember from... what, about 27 years ago?

At this point, since it's finally running, my questions is this:

How do I change the configuration to so I can use my arcade buttons to fire and forgo the mouse completely? I fully expect to use the keyboard for this game. I did as a child. Maybe I just need to look into the config files more. But if someone else has done this and knows how. Share the knowledge!

quicksilver

@snowpile I believe f1 on your keyboard will take you to the keymapper utility and you can map your controller.

Edit: I'm surprised you don't have to img mount the tiecd iso to get the game running. Once you get everything running correctly make sure that you can change the in game resolution to 640x480. If you cannot then you are using the floppy disk dos version and not the collectors cd rom version.

I just checked GOGs listing for tie fighter and it looks like it comes with both versions.

Snowpile

@quicksilver F1 doesn't open anything. Ctrl+F1 does something super weird which I would describe as crashing either the game, doxbox, or both. Alt+C while flying a mission goes into the joystick re-calibration but only the mouse left click is recognized as the shoot button.
What I find strange is that dosbox will recognize the USB joystick but not any of the buttons connected to the same board as the joystick (which ultimately connects to the raspberry pi board with USB). I did some more research and some people have been editing the file "dosbox_tiecd.conf" within the GOG Tie Fighter folder (https://www.gog.com/forum/star_wars_xwing_and_tie_fighter_series/mapping_joystick_controls).
Maybe I'll give that a go. It's not terrible using the joystick, mouse, and keyboard, but I'd definitely rather use the buttons next to the joystick and keyboard and forego the mouse. Any other suggestions to get the buttons recognized by dosbox?

quicksilver

@snowpile yes you should be launching the game using a .conf file. However the one that comes with the gog files isn't going to be setup correctly for use with retropie. If you post a screenshot of your tiecd directory I can help you make one.

Snowpile

@quicksilver Thanks. These 3 pics are everything that exists in the Tie Fighters root folder. Tie Folder 3.png Tie Folder 2.png Tie Folder 1.png

quicksilver

@snowpile I don't see an .iso for the cd. In fact I notice that "tie fighter (1994)" is the name of the root folder. The collectors cd version was released in 1995 so I think you are using the original floppy disk dos version. There should have been a collectors cd version included with the gog files. Were there any other files included when you downloaded from gog?

Snowpile

@quicksilver Yeah, I downloaded the 1994 version because that was the game I got for my B-day when it first came out. I'm downloading the CD version now and installing it. Should I send pics of the root folder once it is installed or is it standard enough to build a config for the arcade joystick/buttons I put together?

quicksilver

@snowpile yes send pics. I need to know the names and locations of the .iso and executable file. It's fine if you want to play the floppy disk version I can help you with that if you would like. The cd version is the same game but you can increase the resolution and has additional missions included so it's widely regarded as the superior version.

Snowpile

@quicksilver Ok, I installed "Star Wars - Tie Fighter CD (1995)" and was about to upload the contents of the root folder. However, I checked all the files types in the root folder and there is no .iso file. I did a search for "*.iso" from the root and it came up empty so all sub-directories don't have an .iso file either. Should I still upload the folder content pics? When I bought the game it came with the 1994, 1998, and 1995 (Collectors CD) version so I know I installed the CD version.

quicksilver

@snowpile it's up to you I can try to help you with either version. There has to be an image file of some type included with the cd version though.

Snowpile

@quicksilver I'd like to try to get the buttons working on either version but it sounds like we can only try the 1994 version since the 1995 CD version doesn't have an .iso file. Perhaps GOG removes the .iso in their distributable version of the 1995 CD version?

quicksilver

@snowpile
Sorry for the late replay. Create a file in your /roms/pc/ folder called Tie Fighter.conf copy and paste the contents below into that file and use it to launch your game. If you have any issues let me know.

# This is the configuration file for DOSBox SVN. (Please use the latest version of DOSBox)
# Lines starting with a # are comment lines and are ignored by DOSBox.
# They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.

[sdl]
#       fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen. (Press ALT-Enter to go back)
#       fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen. It can reduce screen flickering, but it can also result in a slow DOSBox.
#   fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original, desktop or a fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
#                     Using your monitor's native resolution with aspect=true might give the best results.
#                     If you end up with small window on a large screen, try an output different from surface.On Windows 10 with display scaling (Scale and layout) set to a value above 100%, it is recommended
#                     to use a lower full/windowresolution, in order to avoid window size problems.
# windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
#                     (output=surface does not!)
#           output: What video system to use for output.
#                     Possible values: surface, overlay.
#         autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen. (Press CTRL-F10 to unlock)
#      sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity. The optional second parameter specifies vertical sensitivity (e.g. 100,-50).
#      waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
#         priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
#                     pause is only valid for the second entry.
#                     Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
#       mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from. Resetmapper only works with the default value.
#     usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen = true
fulldouble       = false
fullresolution = desktop
windowresolution = original
output = overlay
autolock         = true
sensitivity      = 100
waitonerror      = true
priority         = higher,normal
mapperfile       = mapper-SVN.map
usescancodes = false

[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
#  machine: The type of machine DOSBox tries to emulate.
#             Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
# captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
#  memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
#             This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
#             though few games might require a higher value.
#             There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.

language = 
machine  = svga_s3
captures = capture
memsize  = 16

[render]
# frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
#    aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!
#    scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes. If 'forced' is appended,
#              then the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
#              To fit a scaler in the resolution used at full screen may require a border or side bars,
#              to fill the screen entirely, depending on your hardware, a different scaler/fullresolution might work.
#              Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.

frameskip = 0
aspect    = false
scaler = none

[cpu]
#      core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and
#              appropriate.
#              Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
#   cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
#              Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
#    cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond.
#              Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags.
#              Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
#                'auto'          tries to guess what a game needs.
#                                It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
#                'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually
#                                need if 'auto' fails (Example: fixed 4000).
#                'max'           will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to
#                                handle.
#              Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
#   cycleup: Amount of cycles to decrease/increase with keycombos.(CTRL-F11/CTRL-F12)
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core = dynamic
cputype   = auto
cycles = max
cycleup   = 10
cycledown = 20

[mixer]
#   nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
#      rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
#              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
#              Possible values: 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 512, 256.
# prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound   = false
rate      = 44100
blocksize = 1024
prebuffer = 25

[midi]
#     mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
#               Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
# mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
#               Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
# midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id or part of the name of the device you want to use (find the id/name with mixer/listmidi).
#               Or in the case of coreaudio, you can specify a soundfont here.
#               When using a Roland MT-32 rev. 0 as midi output device, some games may require a delay in order to prevent 'buffer overflow' issues.
#               In that case, add 'delaysysex', for example: midiconfig=2 delaysysex
#               See the README/Manual for more details.

mpu401     = intelligent
mididevice = alsa
midiconfig = 128:0

[sblaster]
#  sbtype: Type of Soundblaster to emulate. gb is Gameblaster.
#            Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, gb, none.
#  sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
#            Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
#     irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
#            Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
#     dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
#            Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
#    hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
#            Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
# oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
#            Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, opl3gold, none.
#  oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
#            Possible values: default, compat, fast, mame.
# oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
#            Possible values: 44100, 49716, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000.

sbtype  = sb16
sbbase  = 220
irq     = 7
dma     = 1
hdma    = 5
sbmixer = true
oplmode = auto
oplemu  = default
oplrate = 44100

[gus]
#      gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
#  gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
#             Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
#  gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
#             Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
#   gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
#             Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
#   gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
#             Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
# ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
#             there should be a MIDI directory that contains
#             the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
#             with Timidity should work fine.

gus      = false
gusrate  = 44100
gusbase  = 240
gusirq   = 5
gusdma   = 3
ultradir = C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
#    pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
#              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
#     tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
#              Possible values: auto, on, off.
# tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
#              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
#    disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).

pcspeaker = true
pcrate    = 44100
tandy     = auto
tandyrate = 44100
disney    = true

[joystick]
#  joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
#                  2axis (supports two joysticks),
#                  4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
#                  4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
#                  fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
#                  none disables joystick emulation.
#                  auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
#                  (Remember to reset dosbox's mapperfile if you saved it earlier)
#                  Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
#         timed: enable timed intervals for axis. Experiment with this option, if your joystick drifts (away).
#      autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
#        swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. Can be useful for certain joysticks.
#    buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.
# circularinput: enable translation of circular input to square output.
#                  Try enabling this if your left analog stick can only move in a circle.
#      deadzone: the percentage of motion to ignore. 100 turns the stick into a digital one.

joysticktype  = 2axis
timed         = false
autofire      = false
swap34        = false
buttonwrap    = false
circularinput = false
deadzone      = 10

[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
#            Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
#            Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
#            parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq (optional).
#            for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
#                             (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
#            for modem: listenport (optional).
#            for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
#                           transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
#            Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
#            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
#            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
#            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
#            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.

serial1 = dummy
serial2 = dummy
serial3 = disabled
serial4 = disabled

[dos]
#            xms: Enable XMS support.
#            ems: Enable EMS support. The default (=true) provides the best
#                   compatibility but certain applications may run better with
#                   other choices, or require EMS support to be disabled (=false)
#                   to work at all.
#                   Possible values: true, emsboard, emm386, false.
#            umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).

xms            = true
ems            = true
umb            = true
keyboardlayout = auto

[ipx]
# ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx = false

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# You can put your MOUNT lines here.

MOUNT c "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/Star Wars - Tie Fighter (1994)/"
C:
TIE.EXE
exit