Increase cycles?

Jorpho wrote:

Increase cycles?

I forgot to mention that increasing the cycles didn't help.

Are you using DOSBox 0.74? (You also might want to try the latest SVN Daum build.)

What are your system specs?

Jorpho wrote:

Are you using DOSBox 0.74? (You also might want to try the latest SVN Daum build.)

What are your system specs?

Yeah. I'm using regular DOSBox 0.74. I have an Asus laptop (not sure of the model number) with 6GB of ram.

This is my DOSBox config, if it helps:

--------------------------------------------
# This is the configurationfile for DOSBox 0.74. (Please use the latest version of DOSBox)
# Lines starting with a # are commentlines and are ignored by DOSBox.
# They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.

[sdl]
# fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen. (Press ALT-Enter to go back)
# fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen. It can reduce screen flickering, but it can also result in a slow DOSBox.
# fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original or fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# Using your monitor's native resolution with aspect=true might give the best results.
# If you end up with small window on a large screen, try an output different from surface.
# windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
# (output=surface does not!)
# output: What video system to use for output.
# Possible values: surface, overlay, opengl, openglnb, ddraw.
# autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen. (Press CTRL-F10 to unlock)
# sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
# pause is only valid for the second entry.
# Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
# mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from. Resetmapper only works with the defaul value.
# usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=original
output=opengl
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper-0.74.map
usescancodes=true

[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
# machine: The type of machine tries to emulate.
# Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
# captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
# memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
# This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
# though few games might require a higher value.
# There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.

language=
machine=svga_s3
captures=capture
memsize=16

[render]
# frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
# aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!.
# scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes.
# If 'forced' is appended, then the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
# Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.

frameskip=0
aspect=false
scaler=normal2x

[cpu]
# core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and appropriate.
# Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
# cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
# Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
# cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond.
# Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags.
# Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
# 'auto' tries to guess what a game needs.
# It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
# 'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually need if 'auto' fails.
# (Example: fixed 4000).
# 'max' will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to handle.
#
# Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
# cycleup: Amount of cycles to decrease/increase with keycombo.(CTRL-F11/CTRL-F12)
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core=dynamic
cputype=auto
cycles=auto
cycleup=10
cycledown=20

[mixer]
# nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
# Possible values: 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 512, 256.
# prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound=false
rate=44100
blocksize=1024
prebuffer=20

[midi]
# mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
# Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
# mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
# midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id of the device you want to use.
# See the README/Manual for more details.

mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=default
midiconfig=

[sblaster]
# sbtype: Type of Soundblaster to emulate. gb is Gameblaster.
# Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, gb, none.
# sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
# oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
# Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, none.
# oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
# Possible values: default, compat, fast.
# oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
# Possible values: 44100, 49716, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000.

sbtype=sb16
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
sbmixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplemu=default
oplrate=44100

[gus]
# gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
# ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
# there should be a MIDI directory that contains
# the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
# with Timidity should work fine.

gus=false
gusrate=44100
gusbase=240
gusirq=5
gusdma=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
# Possible values: auto, on, off.
# tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).

pcspeaker=true
pcrate=44100
tandy=auto
tandyrate=44100
disney=true

[joystick]
# joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
# 2axis (supports two joysticks),
# 4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
# 4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
# fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
# none disables joystick emulation.
# auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
# (Remember to reset dosbox's mapperfile if you saved it earlier)
# Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
# timed: enable timed intervals for axis. Experiment with this option, if your joystick drifts (away).
# autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
# swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. can be useful for certain joysticks.
# buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.

joysticktype=auto
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=false
buttonwrap=false

[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
# Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
# parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq (optional).
# for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
# (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
# for modem: listenport (optional).
# for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
# transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
# Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.

serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

[dos]
# xms: Enable XMS support.
# ems: Enable EMS support.
# umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).

xms=true
ems=true
umb=true
keyboardlayout=auto

[ipx]
# ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx=false

[autoexec]
mount c d:\dosstuff
mount e h:\ -t cdrom
c:

Try making images of the CDs and mounting the images instead.

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

This is my DOSBox config, if it helps:

Unless you've changed something specifically (other than the autoexec section), it's not especially relevant, no. (Did you change something specifically? If so, Why?)

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I have an Asus laptop (not sure of the model number) with 6GB of ram.

That's not especially helpful either. I was thinking more about the CPU and your OS. On the other hand, if you have 6 GB of RAM, it's probably recently up to date.

Have you had any particular problems with games and programs other than DOSBox?

collector wrote:

Try making images of the CDs and mounting the images instead.

I've been doing that. I use MagicDisc.

Jorpho wrote:

Unless you've changed something specifically (other than the autoexec section), it's not especially relevant, no. (Did you chan […]
Show full quote

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

This is my DOSBox config, if it helps:

Unless you've changed something specifically (other than the autoexec section), it's not especially relevant, no. (Did you change something specifically? If so, Why?)

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I have an Asus laptop (not sure of the model number) with 6GB of ram.

That's not especially helpful either. I was thinking more about the CPU and your OS. On the other hand, if you have 6 GB of RAM, it's probably recently up to date.

Have you had any particular problems with games and programs other than DOSBox?

I use Windows 7 64bit, and the CPU is a Core i5. I have not had any problems with other programs except that I have to use OpenGL to view fullscreen (it's just black if I use surface or overlay instead).

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I have not had any problems with other programs

But are any of your other programs particularly-demanding games?

except that I have to use OpenGL to view fullscreen (it's just black if I use surface or overlay instead).

What is your video card? Are the drivers up to date?

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I've been doing that. I use MagicDisc.

The preferred way is to use the IMGMOUNT command with the images directly. Does that make a difference?

Jorpho wrote:

But are any of your other programs particularly-demanding games? […]
Show full quote

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I have not had any problems with other programs

But are any of your other programs particularly-demanding games?

except that I have to use OpenGL to view fullscreen (it's just black if I use surface or overlay instead).

What is your video card? Are the drivers up to date?

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I've been doing that. I use MagicDisc.

The preferred way is to use the IMGMOUNT command with the images directly. Does that make a difference?

I suppose Sega Rally Revo, Trackmania Nations Forever, and E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy are a bit demanding, and they run pretty well. I dunno about my video card. I'll try IMGMOUNT and say if it works.

After trying IMGMOUNT, it helped a bit, but it wasn't perfect. MegaRace now runs flawlessly, and another game I wanted to play, Lost Eden, worked well for the most part (it did stutter slightly at times, but its perfectly playable, so it may be the emulation). Dune still has problems, though (it may be the rip I made, though, as the ones that worked well (MegaRace and Dune) were ripped as BIN images). Also, be aware that a lot of times when file access occurs even with standard games being played from the hard drive, some stuttering does occur.

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

I suppose Sega Rally Revo, Trackmania Nations Forever, and E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy are a bit demanding, and they run pretty well. I dunno about my video card. I'll try IMGMOUNT and say if it works.

I also do video editing with Sony Vegas 11, and it's a good experience. I can even run some very complex games in other emulators like MAME at full speed and framerate. Overall, I doubt my computer isn't powerful enough.

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

Dune still has problems, though (it may be the rip I made, though, as the ones that worked well (MegaRace and Dune) were ripped as BIN images).

Well, then it will be a very useful test if it turns out it works fine as a BIN image. (Is it an ISO image currently?)

I can't recall reading about anyone using MagicDisc here before. Maybe it's doing something weird. Do you have anything else unusual running in the background when you try to use DOSBox? What if you put your game's files on an external USB drive, and then mount the directory on the external drive in DOSBox?

Jorpho wrote:

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

Dune still has problems, though (it may be the rip I made, though, as the ones that worked well (MegaRace and Dune) were ripped as BIN images).

Well, then it will be a very useful test if it turns out it works fine as a BIN image. (Is it an ISO image currently?)

I can't recall reading about anyone using MagicDisc here before. Maybe it's doing something weird. Do you have anything else unusual running in the background when you try to use DOSBox? What if you put your game's files on an external USB drive, and then mount the directory on the external drive in DOSBox?

MagicDisc is a program that works as a virtual disc drive for disc images. It doesn't take up much memory. Also, the stuttering problem has come back... Dunno how I temporarily fixed it at first, but now it's pretty bad, again. I tried uninstalling DosBox and resetting my options, but it didn't help. I'll make a short video of it whenever I get the chance so that you guys maybe can get a clearer idea of the problem.

Also, so you guys aren't fooled by my username, I do own actual copies of the games I'm trying to play. Just saying.

thepirategamerboy12 wrote:

MagicDisc is a program that works as a virtual disc drive for disc images. It doesn't take up much memory.

Memory consumption is not the issue; it could conceivably be doing something else related to file access.

Also, the stuttering problem has come back... Dunno how I temporarily fixed it at first, but now it's pretty bad, again. I tried uninstalling DosBox and resetting my options, but it didn't help.

If you didn't change anything in DOSBox to make the stuttering go away, there is little reason to presume that uninstalling DOSBox and resetting your options would help.

At this point I would suspect something entirely unrelated to DOSBox that might be running on your system.

Just try using imgmount instead to see if it makes a difference.

Hmm, try disabling anything like Anti-Virus, especially if it has something like "on access" scanning or so...

I just tried DosBox on a completely different computer, and it has the same problems, so I doubt it's my computer. I also tried the Wii port of DosBox (I know it's not from the same team, but whatever) and it also had slowdown when loading files (although it was much more extreme than on the PC).

Noticed this before, although those games worked fine for me IIRC. Here's an example: Rise of the Robots 2. If you let the attract mode play, the digital music that's playing will stutter when there is loading from the cd image. I'll admit that my memory could be fuzzy, but this stood out to me the first time I played it on Dosbox as I don't have any memories of it happening on an actual DOS machine.