This is about Gabriel Knight 1 in DOSBox.

I'm sorry--apparently I have posted my query in the wrong place. What is the proper place for me to post it? Quite frankly, all of this terminology is a little intimidating to me. Thanks 😀

Originally posted by kglaser I'm sorry--apparently I have posted my query in the wrong place. What is the proper place for me to post it?

That would be the DOS forum (under "The Guide" on the main page). I've split off your post and started a new thread for you. I meant to for it leave a link behind automatically, but ended up having to create it myself.

I'm running GK1 from the DOS prompt in Windows ME (which does not have a "true" DOS mode).

It's there, it's just hidden from you.

I have a SoundBlaster16 compatible system (that is, that choice on install seems to work with just about all games), but my sound card is some crummy audio riser card--an extension of the motherboard, as far as I can tell, called "Crystal WDM Audio Codec" in the Device Manager.

*ugh*
Not good. While it may work within Windows, odds are, it has zero (true) DOS support.

When I select "General MIDI Sound Driver" for sound on install, I hear music just fine (this is the only choice that seems to give me sound). However, I don't think I have voices:

You don't. When you choose only MIDI, it simply pumps out musical data to play on a MIDI device (in you case, it's being directed to your soundcard's "wavetable"). MIDI won't play any digital audio effects for you.

Music just keeps playing and no one comes out of the door or anything.

Apparently it's locking up as that should I assumed this was because someone's voice was supposed to be narrating at this time, and as I couldn't hear speech, I didn't hear it, but it's been a long time since I played this game and I don't remember.[/quote]IIRC, the first voice audio is Grace talking on the phone. But it definitely seems to be locking up, immediately after the paper hits the doorstep, Grace should walk onscreen and pick it up, then walk inside the shop.

I can't get anything more to happen. Can anyone tell me if this sounds like my speech isn't working--and, if so, point me towards a solution?

Choose "No Audio" and "No Music card" for sound effects and music and try again. If it runs properly, then audio is your primary problem. If not then you've got other issues.

One thing to mention is that Microsoft's "Knowledge articles" specify that (the DOS version of) GK must be run in DOS mode.

I've read all the posts I could find about getting GK1 sound working, but I am not very good at getting this sort of thing working...

Since you have 1GHz, DosBox might be an option, but apparently there's still an audio problem there as well. There is a (very) Alpha version of VDMSound for Win9x, but it's success rate is spotty and it's not as easy as the NT version.

If you're really desperate you could plug in AOpen's AW540 soundcard into your machine and drop to "true" DOS mode.

...could someone please have pity on me?

I'm afraid I used up all my pity on myself over the past year. Maybe when I build up some more stock of it I could email you some...

If you have the talkie version (ie CD-ROM) then you must also have the Windows version, which should run just fine in Windows ME. If you have the floppy version, then there is no voice track.

The opening scene after the paperboy delivers the paper has no voice to start with. Grace walks up, picks up the paper and enters St. George's Bookstore. The first voice heard is Grace's on the phone as Gabriel wakes and enters the store from his rooms in the rear.

windows-version is unreliable.
check out this topic (at this forum) where it says how you can make GK1 run under dosbox with sound + music etc.
Gabriel knight 1

it should work... it has been tried by several people, including me.

edit:
actually, it's a long post... just check out the 8th post in that topic.
it's a "complete" description by me on how to get it running.

I did manage to get the game working well by following just one suggestion from another thread (change audiosize in resource.cfg from 63 to 45). I do have sound dropping out fairly frequently, but I just restart and it's fine (although, strangely, it's deafeningly loud until I click on the "music" setting, even though it was set to medium already).

However, now I have an insurmountable obstacle in that I cannot exit the phone view in Day 3. I go to call somebody and the sound drops out. OK, fine, I then use subtitles. But if I call someone and they actually answer, I can't hang up the phone. I have to ctrl-alt-del to end the lockup. Anybody heard of this happening? 😢

sure... get another RESOURCE.CFG
at least you won't have that much errors... maybe even none at all.
i played it at my place, and everything ran flawlessly.

decreasing the audiosize, and getting GK1 to run, doesn't mean
it's the best option for GK1 to play.
about the sound not always being there, could be that you're using too
much CPU power... someone told me soundcards can't handle some
"sound requests" if that is the case.