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First post, by Sephiroth

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I have recently released a frontend for DOSBox which fully supports 0.70. It even includes multiplayer setup for all three types of connections (IPX, Modem, Null-modem) and makes things very simple for the inexperienced user. It's a point-and-click GUI for Win32 and it stores all of it's settings in an INI file instead of the registry.

Now, the program has been used with my friends and I for ages, hence it being "released" as v1.0.1.11. It has gone through many UI and core-level changes to support DOSBox features over time. It even creates a default configuration for most of the DOS games that I own and can install and test, although I have not tried them all at this time.

The file is attached below as a ZIP. Included with the ZIP is a setup executable and MSI file. Run either one depending on your preference, but the executable will check for dependencies prior to running the MSI file. It weighs in at about 1.61MB. I drop by the forums on and off, so if you have a question, PM me. Most of the options are self-explanatory though, and you can always open the INI file in Notepad or Wordpad to see how they work. Oh, and if you screw the INI up, you can always delete it so the program will create a new default. Enjoy!

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  • Filename
    486 Launcher.zip
    File size
    1.62 MiB
    Downloads
    196 downloads
    File comment
    486 Launcher v1.0.1.11
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

486 Launcher v2.0 is now under development!

Reply 2 of 6, by Sephiroth

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Thanks. If you find any bugs, no matter how minor, let me know. At this point I have it coded so that you cannot do anything to cause problems that I can think of, including INI checking when launching a game, so you cannot edit in some unsupported option and launch, causing DOSBox to crash.

As for multiplayer, my friend and I have been playing Hexen coop the last few nights using this, and we're on exact opposite sides of the country! Amazingly, modem works the best, but Hexen won't restore a modem game since the IP address is too long. I don't know if DOSBox supports hostname resolution, but I doubt most games would allow you to enter characters instead of numbers. And if you're curious, serial play seems to be the slowest and IPX is right in the middle.

*EDIT*

I should mention that the test system (mine) has these specs:
P4/3.20GHz HT 800MHz FSB
2GB DDR400 (PC3200)
120GB Native SATA
Creative Audigy II ZS
nVidia 7800GS 256MB
512k/768k DSL
Pioneer DVD-ROM
Sony CD-RW 52/32/52

The default configurations also work on the crappy computers at school and my friend's AMD system that is slower than mine. I'll post those specs when I get them. It may also be important to note that in 0.65, the default configs work on my other friend's P4/1.90GHz system, but it's choppy. I have yet to test this new version on it.

486 Launcher v2.0 is now under development!

Reply 3 of 6, by Sephiroth

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I just found a HUGE bug that I over-looked before releasing the program. With all of the new features added in the current release, I forogt to modify the game removal function, and if you remove a game from the list, all games appearing after the removed game will contain invalid settings. I have fixed this for my next release and am working on CDROM emulation for games like Redneck Rampage, Blood, and Mechwarrior II.

486 Launcher v2.0 is now under development!

Reply 4 of 6, by SKARDAVNELNATE

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It's been 10 days and he hasn't reported back. So I'll point out a few things.

Well it is simple to use and it did launch a game. A few problems though. It started with this message: "No configuration file was found, using defaults." I press Help and nothing happens. Can only use built in settings, no cyles=auto or higher than 32MB memory.

I don't understand the mounting. The first game I tested it with was Backlash which was easy. Then I tried Duke Nukem 3D as it was already listed. I guessed it was looking for the game folder at C:\Games\486 Launcher. I couldn't modify the preset to look under C:\Games as I would normally have it. The game started to load then dropped to desktop whithout a message. I figure this is caused by the absence of the disk since I was unable specify its location too.

Reply 6 of 6, by ErikGG

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Oh forgot about it sorry, too much to do.

Few comments :
- Good Interface
- The "..." buttons don't work
- There are games wich need a Gravis UltraSound and a SoundBlaster both configured to play Music and digital sounds. So don't generalize too much, you could add an option SB16&UltraSound to the combobox.

Haven't checked the multplayer part, I'm burning of curiosity but as my brother yet again as control over my desktop I'll have to wait till its weekend again.

Erik.

Read the new FAQ.doc