VOGONS


First post, by TheAbandonwareGuy

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Well, this has been interesting so far. The most I've been able to get out of FoA on my non-PnP Soundblaster 16 CT2830 so far is what basically sounds like a collection of modulated, scratchy dial tones. I doubled checked and the card is working on other games like Descent and Space Quest 6 so my card isn't damaged. This also seems to happen on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom so I'm going to hazard a guess that the issue is a configuration issue with Lucasarts iMuse games. According to my device manager my Soundblaster exists on S220/5/1/5 and I've tried starting the game with both the auto-detected audio setting and by using "atlantis s220/5/1" command to start the game with defined variables. I've tried both under windows and restarted into DOS mode. It happens either way and I'm flat out of idea's and I could really use the superior expertise of my fellow vogons members as ISA audio really isn't my area of expertise at all.

Is there some known issues with the game and certain SB16 cards or have I incorrectly configured something?

Cyb3rst0rms Retro Hardware Warzone: https://discord.gg/jK8uvR4c
I used to own over 160 graphics card, I've since recovered from graphics card addiction

Reply 1 of 8, by TheAbandonwareGuy

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(mods please remove if this isn't allowed)

Alright, since no one here is going to help me out of good will there is now a prize. Who ever helps me find a solution gets a free Ensoniq AudioPCI.

Cyb3rst0rms Retro Hardware Warzone: https://discord.gg/jK8uvR4c
I used to own over 160 graphics card, I've since recovered from graphics card addiction

Reply 2 of 8, by dr.sbaitso

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Could it be that it's sensitive to CPU speed?

Reply 3 of 8, by clueless1

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dr.sbaitso wrote:

Could it be that it's sensitive to CPU speed?

Sorry, I just saw this post. I agree with above. I remember this game giving audio glitches at anything faster than slow 486 speeds.

edit: see here http://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/List_of_C … sensitive_games

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
OPL3 FM vs. Roland MT-32 vs. General MIDI DOS Game Comparison
Let's benchmark our systems with cache disabled
DOS PCI Graphics Card Benchmarks

Reply 4 of 8, by TheAbandonwareGuy

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Ok, I will try this. I'm running on a Pentium MMX 166 on my MSI 5156. I'll have to research how SetMul works though, I'm not sure it would work on a board with jumpered multiplier settings.

Edit: is SetMul compatible AT ALL with Intel CPUs?

Cyb3rst0rms Retro Hardware Warzone: https://discord.gg/jK8uvR4c
I used to own over 160 graphics card, I've since recovered from graphics card addiction

Reply 5 of 8, by clueless1

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Yes, it's compatible. Just run:
setmul l1d
to disable l1 cache. Re-enable with:
setmul l1e
You can even make a batch file for the game:
setmul l1d
atlantis
setmul l1e

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
OPL3 FM vs. Roland MT-32 vs. General MIDI DOS Game Comparison
Let's benchmark our systems with cache disabled
DOS PCI Graphics Card Benchmarks

Reply 6 of 8, by TheAbandonwareGuy

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clueless1 wrote:
Yes, it's compatible. Just run: setmul l1d to disable l1 cache. Re-enable with: setmul l1e You can even make a batch file for […]
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Yes, it's compatible. Just run:
setmul l1d
to disable l1 cache. Re-enable with:
setmul l1e
You can even make a batch file for the game:
setmul l1d
atlantis
setmul l1e

Should I disable just the L1? According to the wiki I need to Target a 486 16 which is roughly a 1/8th reduction in speed.

Cyb3rst0rms Retro Hardware Warzone: https://discord.gg/jK8uvR4c
I used to own over 160 graphics card, I've since recovered from graphics card addiction

Reply 7 of 8, by clueless1

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Disabling L1 is fine. You'll actually probably be closer to a 386 33Mhz with L1 disabled, which is still more than fast enough for that game. The goal is to get the game playable. And with your cpu, you don't have a lot of options with setmul. Basically, just L1.

It's possible your cpu supports the test registers that gerwin put in, which would be a nice bonus, but not required for this game. If they work for you, you could get more granular slowdown options. See the cache disabled thread in my signature for more info and some benchmark results from various systems. Have fun 😀

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
OPL3 FM vs. Roland MT-32 vs. General MIDI DOS Game Comparison
Let's benchmark our systems with cache disabled
DOS PCI Graphics Card Benchmarks

Reply 8 of 8, by TheAbandonwareGuy

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Damn. You were right on the money. According to speedsys with cache disabled I have the performance of a 33.57MHZ 386DX.

It also solved the sounds issue. The music is just fine. It works for the most part now, no voice but I think that might be due to my own files.

Cyb3rst0rms Retro Hardware Warzone: https://discord.gg/jK8uvR4c
I used to own over 160 graphics card, I've since recovered from graphics card addiction