Originally posted by Unregistered I am getting heavy popping sounds when I play M.A.X. by Interplay...

Hrmm. Well the first thing I came across was this rather unpleasant disclaimer:
*Not Compatible with Windows XP or 2000*.

Fortunately, that is not quite the case; unfortunately it means that there is zero chance of getting any info/help from Interplay on this. Are you running a small, medium, large, or full install?
(This will be in your MAXRUN.BAT file, -s=small, etc...)

It's possible to tinker with various VDMSound settings, but that's educated guessing. IIRC, dropping to the 8Bit SB models won't help either. Is this, by chance, the version that came with the Interplay 15th anniversary package?

full install. It's the version that came with the ultimate strategy games archive (and I tracked that sucka down just for max). Without vdms, game runs fine, just no sound at all. With vdms, got sound, it's just that it cracks up.

Originally posted by Unregistered It's the version that came with the ultimate strategy games archive...

Does that version have the option of a large install, playing the music off of the CD? and if so, do you know if it's in standard CD audio format or does it still use the custom .MSC files for music?

Without vdms, game runs fine, just no sound at all. With vdms, got sound, it's just that it cracks up.

I'm suspecting that the problem might be with the audio player built into the game:
Problem: The sound "Pops." Solution: This is a Win95 problem. Restarting the computer in MS-DOS mode should fix this problem. http://www.interplay.com/support/product.asp?GameID=168#5

No hint as to why...except that doesn't like being run in Windows.
If your version has CD audio tracks, you might get better performance by letting the music play off of the CD.

I attempted tweaking DMA and buffer settings, but that made no difference (this is why I suspect the internal player). I confirmed the sound samples/music were clean by playing them with "Game Audio Player". If it is the internal player, we would probably need a hacker/programmer to fix it.

BTW, how significant is the "snap,crackle,pop" on your PC? I'm hearing it, but it's basically like a muted background noise.

AFAIK, all versions of MAX use MSC files, which are simply renamed wave files. And when you do the huge install, it copies them to the HD and plays them from there. I don't recall the crackle under Win98 at all.

Yeah, I think mine does just what yours does. Too bad we can't play over the internet; I've never been able to play multiplayer and the computer ai sucks even on god mode. I got this technique that I suspect all MAXians develop, and the computer can't beat: the fungal expansion technique. You know? 😀

Originally posted by Unregistered AFAIK, all versions of MAX use MSC files,...

Too bad. Was hoping that CD-audio might be a work-around.

...which are simply renamed wave files.

To be technically right, they are RIFF files. A sibling of WAV, apparently.

I don't recall the crackle under Win98 at all.

Then count yourself lucky, I rebooted to 98SE (dual-boot) and I can't even get it to run with sound in DOS or Windows. Even the (alpha) "Win9x VDMSound" won't help, just generates noise.

I got this technique that I suspect all MAXians develop, and the computer can't beat: the fungal expansion technique. You know?

Actually, no. *heh* Have yet to do anything with MAX other than testing. Been spending more time testing and troubleshooting rather than playing. I would guess this "fungal" technique is similar to the "sandbag" trick in the original "Command & Conquer" where you expanded your base well beyond it's intended limits by creating a long line of sandbags which the computer considers part of your base, allowing you to place buildings in the middle of nowhere.

Oh...

Well, the fungal expansion technique is expanding your sphere of influence through upgrades rather than building or active assault, and then using the buffer space created to grab more land. It's not a bug, just a rational estimation of military capacity, and works in real life too. Kind of like North Korea developing a missile that can hit Japan. And then going nuclear. North Korea's base of ops hasn't moved, but its effective reach sure has.

Eventually, your stationary installations' range and scan overlap your enemy's installations, and then the siege begins. Mucho fun. I can only guess against a human that this strategy would be met with heavy infiltration, necessitating human troop defenses. The comp is stoopid, and typically doesn't resort to infiltration until way too late, or if it picks the espionage clan.

I cannot believe I'm the only person in existence to have played this game!

Originally posted by Unregistered Kind of like North Korea developing a missile that can hit Japan. And then going nuclear.

Thanks for the terrifyingly real example...*shudder* Certainly a good example.

Eventually, your stationary installations' range and scan overlap your enemy's installations, and then the siege begins. Mucho fun.

I have a tendency to try the "odd way" of doing things when I can. My favorite thing to do in "Command and Conquer" was to punch a hole in a base wall and sneak in engineers, turning the enemy base into my own, using their own resources to defeat them.

I cannot believe I'm the only person in existence to have played this game!

Well I played the first couple of tutorial missions, but I couldn't allow myself to play beyond what was needed for testing. I still have a back-log of about 2000 games that I have, but have yet to play (beyond tinkering/testing). I still haven't finished Zork, for cryin' out loud.

I'm sure there are other fans out there, but older game fan sites can be hard to find...

Found this German one
http://www.maxthegame.de/

No sprikken ze deutsch. Wakarimasen. No lo comprende. What are words for, when no one listens, it's no use talking at all...

Thanks for trying 😀

Originally posted by Unregistered No sprikken ze deutsch. Wakarimasen. No lo comprende.

Well you can use Google's translator to do the majority of the work for you.

Not perfect, but language translation almost never is...

http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

Just paste in the URL and it will translate each page as you go...

I'm sure it makes a lot more sense in the original german. Thanks for the translator link!

Hi,
Unregistered Guest,

Nope! You are not the only one to have ever played this game. At least their are a few of us out there! as it happens I am an AVID fan of this game. Certainly one of the best strategy games ever. Also a friend of mine is a big player as well.

Back to the issue, http://www.dictionary.com also has a decent translator you might chack out. Hint, the key to getting the most accurate translations possible on these is to use only complete sentances and proper grammer whenever possible. Slang and/or contractions will decrease the accuracy of the translations signifagantly.

Lastly, I have played this game on one of my old computers running Win98 without a hitch however, I must give my comments to help the matter (hopefully). First of allthis game is particularly finicky about sound cards. With old sound cards it appeared to have run fine but not untill I manually changed the sound configuration settings during the install till it would properly test the sound output, only then would the game run right. In many cases the game would not run at all unless I disabled the sound altogether (game sound, not system sound card or windows). I never did get the popping sounds at all. It either ran (with sound), OR didn't run at all (with sound), OR would only run after disabling the sound (from the game).

Anyway, I think the problem most likely stems from the games interface with the sound card. I am of the opinion that different IRQ's with different cards affects the game. On newer machines I have had no trouble at all installing and running MAX. However, the same issues (as above) were experienced with the sound. In almost all cases the MAX has an aweful hard time finding and interfacing with the newer (on board) sound of new computers. I suspect that this is due to the interupts and such. On older sound cards these interupts were always within a certain range. on the newer ones this seems to be a much higher number and I dont think the games programming was coded to account for IRQ's and such being beyond that range. as such I have had a very hard time and have not once succesfully managed to get this game to run (at least not with sound), on any of the newer machines. Addmitedly, I have not yet tried buying a new third party sound card and installing it into a PCI slot to see if that makes a difference but I must say that I doubt it will. If anyone can help me in this regard I would be most appreciative.

One more thing, I have tried in vain to succesfully set up this game through a LAN network for multiplayer games. All multi player games that we have played have been via the turn based "1 user at a time" method

Thanks and hope this gets a response or two,

Rusman😕

Repost of info from earlier:
I have played this game (MAX) on one of my old computers running Win98 without a hitch however, I must give my comments to help the matter (hopefully). First of allthis game is particularly finicky about sound cards. With old sound cards it appeared to have run fine but not untill I manually changed the sound configuration settings during the install till it would properly test the sound output, only then would the game run right. In many cases the game would not run at all unless I disabled the sound altogether (game sound, not system sound card or windows). I never did get the popping sounds at all. It either ran (with sound), OR didn't run at all (with sound), OR would only run after disabling the sound (from the game).

Anyway, I think the problem most likely stems from the games interface with the sound card. I am of the opinion that different IRQ's with different cards affects the game. On newer machines I have had no trouble at all installing and running MAX. However, the same issues (as above) were experienced with the sound. In almost all cases the MAX has an aweful hard time finding and interfacing with the newer (on board) sound of new computers. I suspect that this is due to the interupts and such. On older sound cards these interupts were always within a certain range. on the newer ones this seems to be a much higher number and I dont think the games programming was coded to account for IRQ's and such being beyond that range. as such I have had a very hard time and have not once succesfully managed to get this game to run (at least not with sound), on any of the newer machines. Addmitedly, I have not yet tried buying a new third party sound card and installing it into a PCI slot to see if that makes a difference but I must say that I doubt it will. If anyone can help me in this regard I would be most appreciative.

One more thing, I have tried in vain to succesfully set up this game through a LAN network for multiplayer games. All multi player games that we have played have been via the turn based "1 user at a time" method

Thanks and hope this gets a response or two,

Rusman

Hello !

Sorry, i am completely new to this DosBox thingy 😉
I am actually looking for a way to play M.A.X. again.
And i have serious problems so far. I am currently
running the 0.63 version, on a P III 2.2Ghz with
XP Pro.

I could get it to run without sound and without the
emulator, but it crashed after the menu selections
right before the game started.

I read on the DosBOX-Homepage that the game
is supposed to be playable with version 0.60,
should i roll back to that version ?

In case i use the DosBOX it either doesn't
work at all (if sound is disabled) or exits with
Hardware-Detection can't find Hardware.

Can somebody help ?

ThanX in Advance !

Duke Manbert

Hey Sorry ! 😜

First of all for me not noticing that i ended up in the completely wrong Forum 😉

Second for not using VDM right away 😉

Because it works !!! Hey great work, a Soundcard-Emulator is exactly the
thing that makes this world a better place 😉

ThanX for developing.

DukeManbert

I can play on my P4 2.8 GHz again (also worked on my old P2 233MHz and my old P 60Mhz).
But i have the problem withz dosbox that if the sound is "ok" the game runs slow. but at least its playable and i'm back in max again.

Me i think is the inveter of the fungus tactic 😀
I did this since i bought MAX in the 90s. But on my 60MHz it crahses often if my base was half the map 😉

Can someone with DosBox analyze what's going on with M.A.X.'s sound in dosbox? The snap-crackle-pop doesn't stop!

woops, wrong forum, but it's interesting that the same sound issue presents itself whether it's vdmsound, or dosbox...

I can't believe my old posts are still here, 4.5 years later! dang.

Can only show that you post perfect, almost five years。