You can test it with 86Box.

EDIT: There are multiple cards with 512 KB memory to choose, e.g. Mach32. The emulation is accurate enough to perform such test.

All SVGA cards can do VESA VBE 1.x, even the oldest ones from the 80s.

But they need a TSR driver with VBE BIOS being loaded on DOS (UniVBE, or better: manufacturer's TSR).

The DIP switch setting for monitortype must be adjusted, too, maybe.
The default is plain VGA.

Re: OAK OTI-037c - 800x600 mode ?

256KB VRAM is sufficient for 640x400 256c and 800x600 16c ("Super VGA" resolution).

512KB VRAM is enough for 640x480 256c, 800x600 256c and 1024x768 16c.

Edit: Just checked. The box says "VESA Treiber".. So a VBE driver might be needed, indeed.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/598/the-settle … 4/cover-674297/

I remember, that on our 486 - DX2-66 Mhz computer, we could not run Settlers 1 in Super VGA mode (In settings is that option). Only in VGA mode. SuperVGA didn't have even checkbox for that. But maybe I remember it wrong, and it was only on "borrowed" computer before we have our own. We sometimes had borrowoed 386, sometimes 486.

But I cannot remember, if I was playing Settlers II in mid 1996, on 640x480 (basic resolution) or on higher resolution.

In that era, 512KB graphic cards was minimum, what was used inside built computers from shops. (we bought it around october 1995)

So you're telling me, we could run 800x600 maximum, right? But only with loaded driver.

But why then I remember, Settlers 1 didn't have checkbox for Super VGA mode? I remember it clearly.

Also NHL 97 wasn't fuction properly, we have to upgrade to 1MB VGA card for that, menu graphic was somehow distorted.

Anyway, can someone test it , just for sure with 512Kb card? (in Settlers II). If 1024x768 option will be dimmed? and 640x480 , 800x600 available? Or only 640x480?

W.x. wrote on 2023-11-26, 12:55:

Hello, is Settlers II runable with 512KB VRAM VGA card? (Probably ISA, not sure, if PCI cards wasn't 1MB minumum) Basically, que […]
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Hello, is Settlers II runable with 512KB VRAM VGA card? (Probably ISA, not sure, if PCI cards wasn't 1MB minumum)
Basically, question is, if with any 512KB VGA card, with support for Supervga (640x480 x 8 bit (256 colors)), can run the game, or it needs to have VESA support (probably only later 512KB cards)

I have only 1MB cards minimum, cannot test it. Also, DOSBOX doesn't allow to set Video Memory amount as far as I know.

Also second question... if it is runable with 512KB, is only 640x480 available in menu, or also 800x600?

You need to look at what needs 512kb. Settlers uses 256 colours and so will do 640x480 and even 800x600 fine. It won't be a memory issue if Settlers II won't work - but SVGA compatibility was hit & miss in the old DOS days. Luckily, Settlers II is a mid 1996 and by then most DOS games using SVGA were pretty compatible ... with some exceptions such as Need for Speed and Virtual Pool.

Finally I have 512Kb ISA VGA's, so I've tried it on real thing.
I have AVGA2 (which is renamed Cirrus Logic 5402 chip), Trident 8900CL, Trident 9000C and Trident 9000i-3
They all have 512Kb RAM. I was testing them, also did some benchmarks and comparsion (suprisingly, Trident 8900CL is fastest of them, I thought AVGA2 (Cirrus Logic 5402 should be fastest, as it is on top of the benchmarks on Vgamuseum.info), but actually Trident 8900CL defeated it by about 20% (even with 512kb RAM ,and thus 16-bit bus)

So Settlers 2 really worked on 640x480 and even 800x600, like you've said. I've tried also Duke Nukem 3D on 800x600, which worked too. Of course, it was unusable on 800x600, cards were too slow. But 640x480 they've handled quite well, except 9000i-3 and 9000C, which were too slow.
Well, trident 8900CL had even 26.7 FPS in doom1 timedemo demo3, which kinda shocked me.
Tried also Settlers 1 SVGA mode, Trident 8900CL and AVGA2 were totally usable for SuperVGA, scrolling speed was still tolerable, also not supersmooth as on 320x200.
The only card that had somehow problem with 800x600 was Trident 9000i-3... the display area was very thin, like half the size (in vertical manner). But it could be some kind of disfunction of the card. Because Trident 9000C is very similiar, and didn't have this problem. It was nice 4:3 fullscreen.