Old Computer Appreciation Thread

Zering

@adambegood Yup, it works, and with the increased cycles the menus are considerably faster. Thanks!
Now if I could just figure out Magic Candle and Wizardry 6/7 I think I'll be set for DOS! :)

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood Yup, it works, and with the increased cycles the menus are considerably faster. Thanks!
Now if I could just figure out Magic Candle and Wizardry 6/7 I think I'll be set for DOS! :)

Huzzah! What is the problem with those?

Zering

@adambegood Some hiccup during the install with the source and the floppy disks, I'm not sure how to explain. Give me ten minutes to finish my tinkering with FM Towns and I'll get a screenshot.

Edit : In both cases, I cd to the relevant directory, and run install (for Wizardry 6/7 it's winstall)

In both cases I can't figure out what it's asking me to do. I thought I could get around with

mount a /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/cand1 (or wiz6)

But it's still not working.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood Some hiccup during the install with the source and the floppy disks, I'm not sure how to explain. Give me ten minutes to finish my tinkering with FM Towns and I'll get a screenshot.

I've never installed from multiple floppy disks...

Also, on a totally different subject - I think the LucasArts games should be in ScummVM at the top of the thread, not under PC. I run them that way, and I can't comment on how well they run on DOSBox at all. There are loads of other games I could recommend on ScummVM to make it non-LucasArts if you want to pad it a bit but those games are as good as any in the genre.

AdamBeGood

@zering So what happens when you go Full Install? It just fails. What is it you have? Do you have floppy disk images or a load of files? Maybe I should just look to download it.

Zering

@adambegood I've put them there temporarily. I've never used ScummVM and so I don't want to put them there until I've actually tried using it and can back up my own post. On the other hand I've gotten a few of them to run in DOSBox, so for the next few days/weeks I'm satisfied with that.

For Wizardry 6 I have a bunch of files, if there's any floppy disk files in there I can't tell.

I'll edit with more screenshots.

This is what happens if I just cd over and winstall. Pressing Enter once it asks for Disk A does nothing.

Even if I mount my wiz6 directory to A:, and run the install from A:, it does the same thing.

Magic Candle does the exact same thing.

One difference though. If I mount to A, it detects that. It doesn't ask me what the source is, instead it asks me directly which drive I want to copy to.

AdamBeGood

@zering Let me try, I think I know where you would have got these files from.

Zering

@adambegood I've found a new ROM for Wizardry 6 with more files, including some Disk.hdr files. Trying it now.

Edit : Same issue, no luck.

AdamBeGood

@zering Okay, cracked it. Bear in mind, I am not going to play this - I am just being a good community member here! (and I was very curious also).

I am hoping you have playbane.bat?

Run that, but before you do so you need to mount a folder for saving, I created a save directory within the Wizar6 directory and then did this:

mount a c:\Games\Wizar6\save -floppy

Then I could save and load games. You have to put in some random words for saving games for some reason, I just used adam and adam. I guess it is some protection so that other people can't use your save games?

Edit: I put the Cycles down a bit as well, seemed better.

Zering

@adambegood I can't seem to be able to mount that directory and playbane.bat just loads forever.

You didn't have to install the game at all?

Turned off EMS, still no luck. I'm not certain what we're doing different.

Folly

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

So if i use the output I can bulk generate.

Isn't that a magnifisent idea ;-)

(EDIT : I see now that the outputs are not what I hoped they would be, will give it a shot anyway.)

I'am a bit behind I see, very busy with the script and I can tell you I made huge steps.
I think I can get it working !

Well, there are more supported media, from the second line. There the "x1"misses. Generating that is kind of a problem. For now I stick with the first lines only that can handle cartridge,dumps,disks and tapes. EDIT: cdrom too)

x1               floppydisk1      (flop1)    .2d   .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 floppydisk2      (flop2)    .2d   .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 floppydisk3      (flop3)    .2d   .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 floppydisk4      (flop4)    .2d   .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 cartridge        (cart)     .bin  .rom  
                 cassette         (cass)     .wav  .tap

This is now my output from my script (just a few) (output of 4 string arrays joined) :

Driver zorba (Zorba (Modular Micros)): zorba -flop1 .d77 .d88 .1dd .dfi .hfe .imd .ipf .mfi .mfm .td0 .cqm .cqi .dsk
Driver zvezda (Zvezda): zvezda -dump .ach .frz .plusd.prg .sem .sit .sna .snp .snx .sp .z80 .zx
Driver zx80 (ZX-80): zx80 -cass .wav .o .80
Driver zx81 (ZX-81): zx81 -cass .wav .p .81 .tzx
Driver zx97 (ZX97): zx97 -cass .wav .p .81 .tzx

I have to clean it up a bit. Then I can use this "data" to create the files and insert the data into the text.

Zering

@folly Is there a chance that with your bulk scripts, because of what we're seeing with the x1, compatibility won't be as good as with individual scripts?

@AdamBeGood Got Ultima 7 running, EMS was the issue. I think I may try a .sh file for that one.

Folly

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Is there a chance that with your bulk scripts, because of what we're seeing with the x1, compatibility won't be as good as with individual scripts?

@AdamBeGood Got Ultima 7 running, EMS was the issue. I think I may try a .sh file for that one.

I don't think so. The best media is on the first line.
In this example the data is exactly the same as what we edited yesterday.

Tweak settings can indeed differ per system. But the valerino scripts have no tweaks in them. They are always the same. So when the scripts are made then everybody, that knows how, can tweak per induvidual system.

There will arise problems I think, but if we don't do this, we stick on the same level. So we have to try, thats how we learn.

EDIT: there can be compatibility issues with the supported extensions. I am using the data of the "standalone MAME emulator". Perhaps the supported extensions can differ. But lr-mess is compiled from the same package though.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood I can't seem to be able to mount that directory and playbane.bat just loads forever.

You didn't have to install the game at all?

Turned off EMS, still no luck. I'm not certain what we're doing different.

I had to create the directory - and you will need to change the mounting instructions because you're on a Pi, this was on my PC. So you'd have to create the "save" directory and then it would be:

mount a /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/wizar6/save - floppy

I think....

Is your directory called wizar6? If not, maybe try another source to get the game, there aren't too many options so probably worth ruling that out.

Zering

@adambegood I tried that.
It doesn't work. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I'd wager it has something to do with the install.
I'm not letting this go, I'll read up on how to install from multiple floppies in DOSBox.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood I tried that.
It doesn't work. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I'd wager it has something to do with the install.
I'm not letting this go, I'll read up on how to install from multiple floppies in DOSBox.

But I didn't touch an install! Literally just "playbane", and then I had to mess with the Save folder but that was all. So strange.

Zering

@adambegood Installing multiple floppies in DOSBox

Sounds like I need .iso files.
Could it be different on PC? Maybe that's why you didn't have to mess about with an install.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood Installing multiple floppies in DOSBox

Sounds like I need .iso files.
Could it be different on PC? Maybe that's why you didn't have to mess about with an install.

The game that you download is already installed I think, playbane knows to look on the C: drive when you run it (when you go Game Configuration, it has the details of the game folder populated). Well in the version I have anyway, from a site with only 7 letters in its name (hope that is an obscure enough reference).

I've never had anything work in DOSBox on PC and then not on Pi, I always test there.

(Apart from one time, but that was a Permissions thing and not relevant.)

Weird.

ecto

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

I finished the first one a few months ago, intent on playing through the whole series in order but 2 is horrible, so I think I'll skip ahead to UItima 3 and then replay 4 and 5 (possibly my favourite 8-bit RPG).

I just remembered that I played Ultima 3 on the Amiga and it is worlds ahead the pc version (which is in CGA). There are some patches around to make it better on pc, but it probably is easier to just play on the Amiga. The same goes for 4 and 5, although 4 can also be played on ScummVM.

Generally I'd suggest to play any compatible games on ScummVM than on DOS, just to have an easier life ;) (So all the Sierra and Lucasfilm games)

Zering

@adambegood I'll keep trying, I'll figure it out eventually. Thanks for trying.

@ecto Indeed, Ultima 3's Amiga port looks pretty spectacular! I'm torn between playing that or the patched version on DOS. From what I remember, it's as easy as patching the DOS version and then copying the game directory into the pc directory on the pi. Decisions, decisions...

I'll add that one to the Amiga list anyway.

From what I read, Ultima 4 and 5 on Amiga lack some functionalities, like being able to import your character from 4 into 5, but I'm not sure if that's actually true.