Run All Old WC Games in DOSBox Walkthrough

Ok, I have a few suggestions, first of which is try changing core=auto to core=normal and then cycles=4000.

If that doesn't help, Next you can try changing output mode (at the start of dosbox.con) from surface to either ddraw or opengl

And also you can try turning off the scaler and seeing if that makes any differences.

Also you can try dissabling XMS support. You don't need it for WC2
 
Gah!

I tried everything you just said AD. Nothing. Still can't get past the
"Loading, please wait..." prompt on my dosbox. This is really frustrating...
 
Unregistered said:
I tried everything you just said AD. Nothing. Still can't get past the
"Loading, please wait..." prompt on my dosbox. This is really frustrating...
Click to expand...

Ok I was reading up on some older (say... 8 years old) threads, and it appears that the "failed to load origin fx drivers" error happens when you copy the directory to the harddrive and for some reason the directory is set to read-only.

In windows, find the directory where you copied wing2 to and right click it and then click properties. Then make sure you clear the read-only box. Double check the game files too.

Then go back into dosbox and run the installer again and then hopefully the game will work.
 
More GAH!

I tried to clear the read-only. I hit Apply, and when I go back to check..it's back to Read-Only! It's like it won't let me clear the read only, it keeps restoring it to read-only after I clear it of being Read-only!
 
Unregistered said:
I tried to clear the read-only. I hit Apply, and when I go back to check..it's back to Read-Only! It's like it won't let me clear the read only, it keeps restoring it to read-only after I clear it of being Read-only!
Click to expand...

I imagine it should be ok as long as it's not a check mark and the actual files inside aren't checked. If it's a green square it's probably alright. Unchecking the folder should prompt you about doing the same to all the files in the folder too.

The other thing I might change if I were you are your harddrive mounting lines. I would copy the wing 2 directory right to c:\ (so that it's c:\wing2\) and then just mount c:\
 
*Sigh* Still nothing. No check-mark on read only. I mounted the C: to WC2 (my install point for wing commander 2) and still nothing. I guess I'm out of luck...huh? And when I run winstall to adjust the sound to Nothing, I still get the "Cannot load Origin FX Drivers"
....maybe I should just give up on it?
 
Unregistered said:
....maybe I should just give up on it?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't give up just yet. There must be something we're missing here. It's not a sound issue so it would seem.

Try downloading a different version of dosbox. 0.65 works good with wc2. It could be that something in .71 breaks wc2.

Another question, when you run winstall (or install) did it create a wc2.cfg in the directory?

I would start over from scratch even. start with a fresh copy of dosbox and change the few necessary settings, and then after deleting any traces of the old install, recopy the Wing2 directory from the cd to the harddrive. make sure none of it is read-only then run the installer in dosbox.
 
If Windows doesn't let you change the read only flag properly you might want to open a command shell and go into your wing commander 2 directory.
Type the following command there:
ATTRIB -R /S /D
it should clear the read only attribute from all files, directories and subdirectories in there.
 
Okay, so I installed the original Privateer in DOSBox, but when I try to run it (or Righteous Fire) it says:

Error Loading Executable

JEMM unloaded

I noticed that this had been mentioned on the board previously, but I couldn't tell if there was a definite answer to fixing it.

Can I get any help?
 
lonewolf0912 said:
Okay, so I installed the original Privateer in DOSBox, but when I try to run it (or Righteous Fire) it says:

Error Loading Executable

JEMM unloaded

I noticed that this had been mentioned on the board previously, but I couldn't tell if there was a definite answer to fixing it.

Can I get any help?
Click to expand...

We need a little more info on your dosbox setup - Which version and what settings for example. Quickly check over everything in the tech walkthrough here and see if that helps. Your memmory settings might be wrong.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Running WC1 through DOSBox on my Vista machine gives me some issues here and there.

Specifically, the video slowdown in certain situations is EXTREMELY PAINFUL!

I'm currently on a mission where, immediately, I have to defend the Tiger's Claw. But with so many fighters and the Claw in the same area at once, my FPS is probably around 3 or 4. :p

But when it's just me and a few fighters, the FPS is more acceptable.

Is there a way that I can fix this, or is this just seriously how the game played back in the 90's? :p
 
What're your machine specs, for one.... and two, what're DOSbox's settings? Maybe it's just a problem with Vista taking too much resources- I wouldn't know, I play WC1 via Kilrathi Saga.
 
I run Vista Ultimate on a Intel Pentium Dual-Core 1.8 GHZ.

4 GB of RAM.

Radeon x1650 video card with 512MB of Video Memory.

I'm pretty sure that I'm using default settings for DOSBox. I don't have access to it right now.
 
In the worst case, you'll have to manually adjust the frameskip/cycles with a few buttons when you enter a heavy dogfight. Have you experimented with the dynamic or auto cores though?
 
Hey, guys, a few things I found out recently, using DOSBox 0.72:

- Joysticks: The "TIMED" setting needs to be "FALSE" for the sprite games (WC1 up to Priv1) and "TRUE" for the true 3D ones (Armada up to WC3 and Priv2);

- I have found a config that makes Priv2 and WC3 games run "pillarboxed" in widescreen monitors, i.e.: on the right 4:3 aspect with black bars on the sides:

fullscreen=true
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=default
windowresolution=1152x864
output=ddraw
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true
hwscale=1.00
fullwidth=0
fullheight=0

I don't really know exactly how this works, but I it's the last three lines that make it so.

I hope this info is usefull, and I recommend it's added to the Tech guide in the CIC.
 
Edfilho said:
Hey, guys, a few things I found out recently, using DOSBox 0.72:

- Joysticks: The "TIMED" setting needs to be "FALSE" for the sprite games (WC1 up to Priv1) and "TRUE" for the true 3D ones (Armada up to WC3 and Priv2);

- I have found a config that makes Priv2 and WC3 games run "pillarboxed" in widescreen monitors, i.e.: on the right 4:3 aspect with black bars on the sides:

fullscreen=true
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=default
windowresolution=1152x864
output=ddraw
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true
hwscale=1.00
fullwidth=0
fullheight=0

I don't really know exactly how this works, but I it's the last three lines that make it so.

I hope this info is usefull, and I recommend it's added to the Tech guide in the CIC.
Click to expand...

EDIT:
Now I made the older games work with "pillarboxing" too! you just need to change the "aspect" option from false to true. works PERFECTLY.

Now I have every single WC game running on winxp with letterboxing :D (well, except for WC4 DVD)


REAL EDIT:
Damn, I pressed the wrong button and quoted myself instead of editing. sorry.
 
Are these important?

I noticed that when I go to manually try to install my WING2 directory from my CD, it stops very early into it. It says it cannot copy over the play-so1.com file. I imagine they are nessecery for the game itself to work, as copying over everything except those 3 files leaves me frozen at the 'Expanded Memory Detected' message after typincg WC2. My father says .com files are files that contain DOS-Command files, and he says that perhaps my computer doesn't allow them to copy it over because it'd screw with my operating system.

Anyways, are the play-so1, play-so2, and play-wc2.com files critical to getting it to work? If so, then I believe I am SoL.
 
Unregistered said:
I noticed that when I go to manually try to install my WING2 directory from my CD, it stops very early into it. It says it cannot copy over the play-so1.com file. I imagine they are nessecery for the game itself to work, as copying over everything except those 3 files leaves me frozen at the 'Expanded Memory Detected' message after typincg WC2. My father says .com files are files that contain DOS-Command files, and he says that perhaps my computer doesn't allow them to copy it over because it'd screw with my operating system.

Anyways, are the play-so1, play-so2, and play-wc2.com files critical to getting it to work? If so, then I believe I am SoL.
Click to expand...

Don't bother installing from the CD. Just copy the entire WING2 directory to the harddrive and then run winstall.exe from the Wing2 directory on your Harddrive to set up your sound hardware. Then run the game from your harddrive.
 
AD said:
Don't bother installing from the CD. Just copy the entire WING2 directory to the harddrive and then run winstall.exe from the Wing2 directory on your Harddrive to set up your sound hardware. Then run the game from your harddrive.
Click to expand...

That's what I was doing. I only have the CD as a means to get the game files, but when I attempt to copy the WING2 Directory from the CD, it gives me the error about the .com files, and then stops the copy-over. I have gone through and manually taken every file from the WING2 directory (except the .com's) on the CD one-by-one, but then I'm left with the never-ending wait screen. I thought maybe the .com files were nessecery for the game to load. If they aren't the problem, then I have no earthly idea what the true cause could be.
 
Unregistered said:
That's what I was doing. I only have the CD as a means to get the game files, but when I attempt to copy the WING2 Directory from the CD, it gives me the error about the .com files, and then stops the copy-over. I have gone through and manually taken every file from the WING2 directory (except the .com's) on the CD one-by-one, but then I'm left with the never-ending wait screen. I thought maybe the .com files were nessecery for the game to load. If they aren't the problem, then I have no earthly idea what the true cause could be.
Click to expand...

It's possible it needs those files but also make sure you are using "winstall" and not just plain "install." If it still doesn't work someone could probably arange to send you the missing files.
 
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