Do you get the error when you try to install the game, or when you later try to run it?

I get that error when i try to run that game. Installing is impossible to, so I installed it from the windows dos prompt, this worked.

> I installed it from the windows dos prompt, ...

To what directory?

> I have mounted the sq6 directory...

Using which command?

Hi Minimax,

I have installed that game from my cd drive L:\ to my drive W:\Sierra\Sq6.

I run

dosbox.exe w:\

so it is mounted as c:\. Next I change to that directory, and also I mount my CD-Rom Drive using

mount L: L:/

But that drive seems not to be found.

cu,

Jackie

2 things to be aware of:

1. When you installed it from the Windows CMD prompt into W:\Sierra\Sq6, it is possible - not likely, just possible - that the installation routine made a note of the path W:\Sierra\Sq6 into a configuration file in the Sq6 directory.
   
   Now, when you run it from DOSBOx, the (emulated) path is suddenly C:\Sierra\Sq6. If the game reads the configuration file, and attempts to find 999.pal in what it thinks is the installation directory (W:\Sierra\Sq6), it will obviously fail.
2. It could be a protection scheme as you initial wrote. In that case, try to add the '-t cdrom' option to the CD-mount command (mount L L:\ -t cdrom). Also, try adding a '-ioctl' (mount L L:\ -t cdrom -ioctl).
   
   The combination of -t cdrom and -ioctl might allow DOSBox to trick the game into thinking it is talking to a real CD-ROM.
   
   Hint, hint The CD-ROM options are listed in the README.txt file in your DOSBox directory.

Hi,

thanks for your reply. I tried both options, and finally could also install the whole game from within dosbox using the cdrom emulation mode.

But unfortunately it is still not working, same error as before. I was just wondering because in the compatibility list there were reports of users who managed to play that game in dosbox.

Damn, I hate these copy protection bulls**t, it only anoys us honest buyers whereas the "target group" uses their cracked progs laughing at us.

cu,

Jackie

Are you sure this is a copy protection bug? I am almost positive that SQ6 was a Windows game, and will not work in DOS. What is the name of the EXE file? If it is Sierraw.exe, then it is Windows only.

Hazekel, the entry for SQ6 in the compatibility list shows it as a DOS game:

Game details […]
Show full quote

Game details

Space Quest 6 (DOS) - Sierra (1995)
Tested By: tkhobbes

DOSBox version: 0.60 = 80% supported
DOSBox version: 0.58 = broken

Note: (2003-05-10 11:24)
By: tkhobbes
Installer does not work (not possible to select a drive). When try to run SQ6, DOSBox closes.

installer problem (2003-10-26 10:27)
By: urgrue
installer doesnt work under dosbox 0.60. if you install via windows or real dos, the game will work fine in dosbox. CD has to be mounted, or it exits with an error (a primitive cd-check?).

sound driver problems (2003-11-18 04:48)
By: Crazy Kong
The game will crash sometimes at the beginning and the end of movie playback with the message "Error 29: Unable to initialize your audio hardware ..\vmdsound.cpp (125)"

Jackie, did you leave the CD-ROM mounted when playing the game?
--
MiniMax
--

Hi,

thank you all for your replies.

Tthere is a dos and a windows version on the cd, however the windows version sucks (as did most of the first sierra adventures under windows). Of course I made sure to install the dos verison of course

Yes, the CD-drive is always mounted. The funny thing is that mounting the cdrom drive with the suggested parameters let's me isntall the game from the cd as well, but unfortunately not play it at all. This thing is really weird, especially that "999.pal" message. 🙁

cu,

Jackie

So, I finally figured out what the problem was: That sq6dosg.bat seemed not interpreted correctly by dosbox (is it possible that batch processing is buggy with dosbox 0.60"? , I just retyped the following command from the bat file

1C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 

and it worked.

Just if you are interested, I will paste the contents of the bat file which should work fine, but dosbox0.60 did never jump to any of the labels.

1call CheckCD.bat   L:
2call vesatest 
3C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 
4if errorlevel 0 goto vesafound 
5echo Ein VESA-Treiber konnte auf Ihrem System nicht gefunden werden. 
6echo Bitte wiederholen Sie die Installation und sehen Sie in die Datei 
7echo Readme für Hilfe zur Installation von VESA-Treibern. 
8goto end 
9:vesafound 
10C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 
11:end 

cu,

Jackie

Okay, now the game works, but the next problems occurr:

- The sound is somewhat stuttering, no matter how many cpu cycles I check.

- When I try to save a game, i cannot type in anything with my keyboard, the mouse works well.....

Thanks.

cu,

Jackie

At least there is some consistency to all this madness 🤣 Note what urgrue wrote about Space Quest 6 on the DOSBox compatiblity list:

urgrue wrote:

installer problem (2003-10-26 10:27)
installer doesnt work under dosbox 0.60. if you install via windows or real dos, the game will work fine in dosbox. CD has to be mounted, or it exits with an error (a primitive cd-check?).

Jackie78 wrote:

So, I finally figured out what the problem was: That sq6dosg.bat seemed not interpreted correctly by dosbox (is it possible that batch processing is buggy with dosbox 0.60"?

Well, have you ever seen a bug-free program? 😜 I would rather say that it is "lacking in certain features"...

Jackie78 wrote:

Just if you are interested, I will paste the contents of the bat file which should work fine, but dosbox0.60 did never jump to a […]
Show full quote

Just if you are interested, I will paste the contents of the bat file which should work fine, but dosbox0.60 did never jump to any of the labels.

Copy code to clipboard

1call CheckCD.bat   L:
2call vesatest 
3C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 
4if errorlevel 0 goto vesafound 
5echo Ein VESA-Treiber konnte auf Ihrem System nicht gefunden werden. 
6echo Bitte wiederholen Sie die Installation und sehen Sie in die Datei 
7echo Readme für Hilfe zur Installation von VESA-Treibern. 
8goto end 
9:vesafound 
10C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 
11:end

Yeah - the ErrorLevel variable is probably not supported in the (fake) DOSBox command interpreter - it is not the real COMMAND.COM you know. So the jump is never taken, and instead you get the message about a missing VESA-driver on the system. A DOSBox-adapted SQ6DOSG.BAT would read like this:

1:Main
2        call CheckCD.Bat   L:
3        call VESAtest 
4
5rem     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
6rem     ! ErrorLevel is not supported in DOSBox 0.60. But since we know !
7rem     ! that VESA is always supported, we can safely skip ahead to    !
8rem     ! label VESA_found.                                             !
9rem     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
10
11        goto VESAfound
12
13        if errorlevel 0 goto vesafound 
14        echo Ein VESA-Treiber konnte auf Ihrem System nicht gefunden werden. 
15        echo Bitte wiederholen Sie die Installation und sehen Sie in die Datei 
16        echo Readme für Hilfe zur Installation von VESA-Treibern. 
17        goto End
18
19:VESAfound 
20        C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\sierra -o C:\SIERRA\SQ6DOSG\resource.cfg 
21
22:End

So, Jackie78 - do you feel like opening up the DOSBox compatiblity list, and add a little "How to install SQ6" note for SQ6?
--
MiniMax - "Deutsch werden hir gesprochen ... or should that be (be)broken"

Jackie78 wrote:

Okay, now the game works, but the next problems occurr:

- The sound is somewhat stuttering, no matter how many cpu cycles I check.

- When I try to save a game, i cannot type in anything with my keyboard, the mouse works well.....

Before trying to solve the stuttering sound, you really should upgrade to DOSBox 0.61. I do not think it will help, but who knows? Once you at the latest release, have a look at all the parameters and the comments in the default DOSBox.Conf file. There is a blocksize parameter in the mixer that looks promissing - but it comes at a cost: lagging.

The keyboard - it seems like some games are vulnerable to keyboard problems. I have a bug report in on a keyboard problem (key presses are doubled), but it is difficult for the brave developers to solve these problems, because they really need the game CD for testing.
--
MiniMax

it seems to to jump to
vesafound while the name is VESAfound.......
I think dosbox is case sensitive in this case as errorlevel is supported as far as I know.

Qbix wrote:

it seems to to jump to
vesafound while the name is VESAfound.......
I think dosbox is case sensitive in this case as errorlevel is supported as far as I know.

Uh - oh - the conversion to mixed case was my (failed?) attempt at making the code look nicer. In the original BAT-file it was all lowercase.

Edit: DOSBox 0.61 is not case-sentive: