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DOSBox Feature Request Thread

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Reply 140 of 298, by Kisai

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Jorpho wrote:
A nice idea, but who do you think is going to maintain this database? It is not a trivial undertaking. Have you seen https://w […]
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A nice idea, but who do you think is going to maintain this database? It is not a trivial undertaking. Have you seen https://www.scummvm.org/old/documentation.php?view=md5 ?

Right now GOG/Steam does this lazy thing where they ship a complete copy of DOSBOX with every game, even games in the same bundle. This creates poor user experiences as every game is configured differently. If it were easy to just drop the game exe onto dosbox's shortcut, auto-configure, all of this mess could go away.

If GOG/Steam – or rather the actual publisher - wanted to improve "poor user experiences", they would be entirely capable of modifying the DOSBox sources themselves. (Consider Wasteland, as well as Blizzard's freeware offerings.)

In the meantime, I think the vast majority of users do not even appreciate how "poor" their experience is.

I've seen the Scumm database before, but to be fair, they need to know what exact version of the game is being played so they can invoke whatever hacks needed to work around bugs.

What I propose for dosbox is to hash the game binary, and create a configuration file (eg resource.cfg for sierra games) that works with the optimal configuration proposed. There are cases like NRS's patches which would change the game drivers or game archive, which would require a second optimal configuration (eg KQ4's "base" configuration would be Adlib, but MT-32 would be optimal if NRS patch isn't present. Likewise with SQ3, there's a patch that enables a few DAC sounds that are only available if configured with the included driver. Otherwise it's Adlib as base, soundblaster if the driver is present, mt-32, mt32+soundblaster if that driver is present, pretty much in that order.

The Steam version of QFG1VGA and QFG3 and QFG4 all contain NRS's patches. So these are cases where DOSBOX wouldn't care since the game engine is the same, but ScummVM would probably flip out.

Reply 141 of 298, by Iori Branford

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I would like to be able to toggle Alt-F12 and cap its speed at some multiple of normal speed, so I can try playing some naturally slow games (e.g. Prince of Persia) at slightly higher speed.

Reply 142 of 298, by 1033Forest

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1. The ability to change colors just like in CMD with a simple command: color. Useful if people use a different color scheme on their CMD and want to use it on DOSBox. Like for me, my preferred color schemes would be 03 (teal on black) or 5E (yellow on purple).

2. What if a user wants to mount more than 25 folders? I've heard of LASTDRIVE=32 which is used on Novell DOS, OpenDOS, and DR-DOS, which was then added to Windows 9x's MS-DOS 7. This adds 6 extra drives, [:, \:, ]:, ^:, _:. and `:. But these 6 drive letters would be only for special purposes and/or search drives since some DOS programs won't expect drives beyond Z: and won't work with them.

Reply 143 of 298, by Jorpho

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1033Forest wrote:

1. The ability to change colors just like in CMD with a simple command: color. Useful if people use a different color scheme on their CMD and want to use it on DOSBox. Like for me, my preferred color schemes would be 03 (teal on black) or 5E (yellow on purple).

There is a utility by the name of CHGCOLOR that can serve that purpose.
How to tweak CGA / EGA game palettes easily :)

2. What if a user wants to mount more than 25 folders?

What indeed?

Reply 144 of 298, by keenerb

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Does anyone know what needs to be implemented or faked in order to support GameWizard32's save state feature? I know there is a save-state patch in a few non-official builds but it is pretty buggy, and downstream apps like Dosbox on mobile devices can't benefit from it easily.

Save states in Dosbox would be a sort of personal holy grail for me...

Reply 145 of 298, by awgamer

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The Pause function switches from the running loop, so at this point the running loop isn't in motion, I'd imagine the host could be called at this point to save the process state, much easier than emulated with having to save each components registers, memory, video, sound buffers.. , the issue is it's not cross platform, would need a back end for each platform, but that is the case for input, video, sound, dynamic recompiler.

Reply 146 of 298, by Jorpho

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keenerb wrote:

Does anyone know what needs to be implemented or faked in order to support GameWizard32's save state feature? I know there is a save-state patch in a few non-official builds but it is pretty buggy, and downstream apps like Dosbox on mobile devices can't benefit from it easily.

The first page of Google hits for <gamewizard32> includes https://sourceforge.net/p/dosbox/bugs/296/ , which suggests that it works fine – provided you've installed it correctly.

Reply 147 of 298, by keenerb

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*edit* It occurs to me that this is possibly not the correct place for this discussion. Apologies if that's the case. */edit*

Yeah, I don't really want to re-open the thought of adding integrated dosbox save-state support, directly in the codebase.

re: Jorpho, gamewizard32 pro DOES work, with the exception of the save state feature.

It just occurs to me that perhaps whatever is keeping the gamewizardpro DOS app save state feature from working might be easy enough to fix. Sure, it has a lot of limitations but it could go a long way towards filling a feature hole.

game wizard 32 - I can't get it to work. seems to be the last mention of it that I can find, back in 2010, so it seems that maybe it's time enough to revisit the question...

wd wrote: That doesn't work because several of the internal dos structs are not implemented by dosbox so the respective tries to […]
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wd wrote:
That doesn't work because several of the internal dos structs are not implemented
by dosbox so the respective tries to save/load them has no effect on the respective
tables in dosbox.

What's changed in the last seven years? Have any of these "internal dos structs" been added/fixed, are we maybe closer to a fix than we were in 2010?

Reply 148 of 298, by Uriel_Dagda

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I'm requesting a feature, not sure if it's possible, but due to Windows 10 kicking out MIDI mappers constantly to install it's own garbage GM MIDI driver, I'd like to request that, DOSBox use FluidSynth for a software General MIDI solution.

I learned about it because Doomsday Engine was having a hell of a time with software MIDI solutions and general bugginess of Windows default driver (and the fact Windows 10 treats anything other than it's default Microsoft GS as malware) and started using it in their latest Beta. It sounds great and just requires the user to point it to an .sf2 soundfont and doesn't trigger Windows 10.

Dang Windows 10 is killing me with this. 🤣

Reply 155 of 298, by 95DosBox

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I don't know if this has been fixed or added to the latest DosBox.

I currently use DosBox v0.72 so if a quick patch can be done using some Hexeditor to change DOSBOX from using Z: to B: that would be the fastest fix I would consider if recompiling v0.72 requires to much work to add this in.

The ability to change/reassign DOSBOX from using Z: to B: or just a virtual drive letter such as Z1:

I use my Ramdrives assigned to Z:, Y:, X:, W: and B:, V for the Optical drive.

However DosBOX likes to hog Z: so I can't mount my Ramdrive using Z: using

Mount Z: Z:\

Is there any fix implemented to hide Dosbox from using Z: or making it use Z1: or other drive name from occupying the A: to Z: alphabet?

I'm suggesting Z1: since you could type Z1: at the Dos Prompt to switch to it if necessary without DOSBOX stealing a good drive letter such as Z:.

B: would be the next best letter to use if it cannot use virtual drive letters outside of the alphabet since there are less BIOSes that can do dual floppies so it will be less of an issue losing that letter than the others from A:, C:-Z:.

[Common issue]:
Mount Z: Z:\

Drive Z already mounted with Internal Virtual Drive

Directory of Z:\.
COMMAND COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
AUTOEXEC BAT 223 01-10-2002 12:34
IPXNET COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
KEYB COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
IMGMOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
BOOT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
INTRO COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
RESCAN COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
LOADFIX COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MEM COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MIXER COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
CONFIG COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
13 File(s) 463 Bytes.
0 Dir(s) 0 Bytes free.

Scenario 1 Quick Fix
change to:

Virtual Drive Letter B:

Mount Z: Z:\
Drive Z is mounted as local directory Z:\

Directory of B:\.
COMMAND COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
AUTOEXEC BAT 223 01-10-2002 12:34
IPXNET COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
KEYB COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
IMGMOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
BOOT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
INTRO COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
RESCAN COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
LOADFIX COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MEM COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MIXER COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
CONFIG COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
13 File(s) 463 Bytes.
0 Dir(s) 0 Bytes free.

OR to preserve drive the drive letters A:-Z: from being stolen

Scenario 2 Better Fix
change to:

Virtual Drive Letter Z1:

Mount Z: Z:\
Drive Z is mounted as local directory Z:\

Z:\>

Z:\>Z1:

Z1:\>DIR

Directory of Z1:\.
COMMAND COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
AUTOEXEC BAT 223 01-10-2002 12:34
IPXNET COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
KEYB COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
IMGMOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
BOOT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
INTRO COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
RESCAN COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
LOADFIX COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MEM COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MOUNT COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
MIXER COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
CONFIG COM 20 01-10-2002 12:34
13 File(s) 463 Bytes.
0 Dir(s) 0 Bytes free.

Last edited by 95DosBox on 2018-11-02, 09:48. Edited 2 times in total.

Reply 156 of 298, by Qbix

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In 0.74-2

mount -z b

I don't have an interest in backporting that to 0.72

Water flows down the stream
How to ask questions the smart way!

Reply 157 of 298, by 95DosBox

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Qbix, you caught me in mid post.

I have finished revising my post.

Scenario 1 Quick Fix
change to:

Virtual Drive Letter B:

Can you provide a hexedit method to replace all instances of Z: to B: which would be the least invasive work around?

Reply 158 of 298, by Dominus

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Don't use 0.72 is the least invasive method. Or you learn how to compile DOSBox yourself.

You really really don't need to match your virtual drive letters with your system's letters.

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

Reply 159 of 298, by 95DosBox

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Dominus wrote:

Don't use 0.72 is the least invasive method. Or you learn how to compile DOSBox yourself.
You really really don't need to match your virtual drive letters with your system's letters.

Well Dominus v0.72 was the last version that didn't have the splash screen so I stuck with it all these years.

I must be looking in the wrong location so I'll need your help finding links to the DosBox source code first release 0.10??? - 0.74. Visiting the Dosbox home page I could only find v0.50-v0.74b but there are no source codes I could locate but just the compiled Windows executable when I downloaded them.

Thank you.