So, on my Windows 98/DOS machine, my SB16 CT2290, I getting massive amounts of stuttering when first starting. After the first minute or so, the game plays nice and smooth. It works perfectly under Windows though. Is there a fix?
Are you using the MPU-401 on that SB16?
Life? Don't talk to me about life.
wrote:Are you using the MPU-401 on that SB16?
Nope, using the Soundblaster music option. That's why I made this thread exactly.
Also, just noticed that I posted this in the wrong subforum! Could an admin move this to Marvin?
wrote:It works perfectly under Windows though. Is there a fix?
The question is unclear. The fix would appear to be to run it under Windows..?
Moved to Marvin.
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Stiletto
wrote:wrote:It works perfectly under Windows though. Is there a fix?
The question is unclear. The fix would appear to be to run it under Windows..?
I kinda just want to boot into DOS at start up, so I can get right to the games.
Still not totally clear to me. So you're saying in real DOS, or MS-DOS Mode is where it takes a minute for the stuttering to smooth out? I get that when you run from Win98 there is no stuttering at all.
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
wrote:Still not totally clear to me. So you're saying in real DOS, or MS-DOS Mode is where it takes a minute for the stuttering to smooth out? I get that when you run from Win98 there is no stuttering at all.
Exactly, after running around and shooting and blowing stuff up, the stutter stops after a minute or so.
Could the stuttering have to do with caching of disk access? I remember having initial lag in pure DOS mode when playing Doom/Blood and Co. even on fast A64s as some data is always loaded per request and not at startup.
In windows98 the subsystem is caching disk access - "dos mode window" or not, you get way less initial lag.
So maybe try a small smartdrv cache?
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
wrote:So maybe try a small smartdrv cache?
How would I do this?
wrote:wrote:So maybe try a small smartdrv cache?
How would I do this?
From the DOS prompt type 'smartdrv /?' for instructions and switches.
If you just run:
smartdrv
at the command prompt, it will use all available extended or expanded memory.
You can try different cache sizes such as
smartdrv 256
smartdrv 512
smartdrv 1024
and see which works best for you. Keep in mind it may cut into your conventional memory if it can't all fit in upper memory.
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
Didn't help at all, still getting the stuttering.
Post your config files if you're able to, something might jump out.
Life? Don't talk to me about life.
This isn't what you wanted exactly (it's not a fix for the original game), but there is a free, 99.9% accurate port of Blood to Windows, via the eDuke32 game engine (a Windows port of the Duke Nukem 3D engine), and it's fantastic. It has proper mouse support, fully configurable controls, support for high resolutions, etc, so is much more convenient to use than the DOS game Blood.
Just download BloodCM_v02.2016.zip from:
http://m210.duke4.net/index.php/files
You don't even need any files from Blood, everything is in the zip file.
The only disadvantages are that it doesn't (yet?) support fan made mods/levels, or the later official expansion packs.
wrote:Post your config files if you're able to, something might jump out.
Blood config files or the autoexec/config ones?
Blood config files or the autoexec/config ones?
I presume the autoexec/config ones.
How much RAM is in this machine? Just for troubleshooting purposes it might be amusing to see if the stuttering vanishes if you run it from a RAM drive (though that is not especially practical).
wrote:Blood config files or the autoexec/config ones?
Yes the autoexec / config files - if it works OK in Windows but not in DOS on the same thing, then perhaps it's a config / memory management issue.
Life? Don't talk to me about life.
wrote:Blood config files or the autoexec/config ones?
I presume the autoexec/config ones.
How much RAM is in this machine? Just for troubleshooting purposes it might be amusing to see if the stuttering vanishes if you run it from a RAM drive (though that is not especially practical).
I have 512MB. I'll post my config files later tonight.
