VOGONS

DOSBox SVN and "Star Fleet I: The War Begins!"

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First post, by rfnagel

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I've seen a lot of discussion around the internet about playing the original "Star Fleet I: The War Begins!" under DOSBox. Unfortunately the current release of DOSBox will corrupt your Sequence Number, Ships Status, Star Fleet Personnel, and Service Records files (SEQ.NUM, SF.PER, SRV.RCD). This is due to the current release of DOSBox NOT properly supporting DOS File Control Blocks (FCB) that the game uses for most of it's file operations.

Not to fret though, DOSBox SVN r4483 (9/12/2023) DOES support FCB correctly, and the game will run perfectly without problems when ran under it. I've been playing SFITWB for MANY months now without a hitch while using this version of DOSBox SVN. BTW, I'm currently at rank 9, "Vice Admiral" 😀

Download DOSBox SVN r4483 (9/12/2023) from here -> https://www.emucr.com/2023/09/dosbox-svn-r4483.html / https://pixeldrain.com/u/ixcw4XGd .

Here is my "DOSBox.conf" file that I use for DOSBox SVN and the game (the game is installed to "C:\Games\SFITWB" on my hard drive):

---- cut here ----

# This is the configuration file for DOSBox SVN. (Please use the latest version of DOSBox)
# Lines starting with a # are comment lines 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, desktop or a 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.
#                     On Windows 10 with display scaling (Scale and layout) set to a value above 100%, it is recommended
#                     to use a lower full/windowresolution, in order to avoid window size problems.
# 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. The optional second parameter specifies vertical sensitivity (e.g. 100,-50).
#      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 default value.
#     usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen       = true
fulldouble       = false
fullresolution   = original
windowresolution = original
output           = surface
autolock         = true
sensitivity      = 100
waitonerror      = true
priority         = higher,normal
mapperfile       = Mapper.txt
usescancodes     = true

[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
#  machine: The type of machine DOSBox 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 = DOSBox.lang
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.
#              To fit a scaler in the resolution used at full screen may require a border or side bars,
#              to fill the screen entirely, depending on your hardware, a different scaler/fullresolution might work.
#              Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.
…Show last 217 lines
#  glshader: Path to GLSL shader source to use with OpenGL output ("none" to disable).
#              Can be either an absolute path, a file in the "glshaders" subdirectory
#              of the DOSBox configuration directory, or one of the built-in shaders:
#              advinterp2x, advinterp3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x,
#              scan3x, tv2x, tv3x, sharp.

frameskip = 0
aspect    = true
scaler    = normal2x
glshader  = none

[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: Number 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 number 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 keycombos.(CTRL-F11/CTRL-F12)
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core      = simple
cputype   = 386_slow
cycles    = 1000
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      = 11025
blocksize = 1024
prebuffer = 25

[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 or part of the name of the device you want to use
#               (find the id/name with mixer/listmidi).
#               Or in the case of coreaudio, you can specify a soundfont here.
#               When using a Roland MT-32 rev. 0 as midi output device, some games may require a delay in order to prevent 'buffer overflow' issues.
#               In that case, add 'delaysysex', for example: midiconfig=2 delaysysex
#               See the README/Manual for more details.

mpu401     = none
mididevice = none
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, opl3gold, none.
#  oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
#            Possible values: default, compat, fast, mame.
# 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  = none
sbbase  = 220
irq     = 5
dma     = 1
hdma    = 5
sbmixer = true
oplmode = none
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   = 7
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    = 11025
tandy     = off
tandyrate = 44100
disney    = false

[joystick]
#  joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default),
#                  none (disables joystick emulation),
#                  2axis (supports two joysticks),
#                  4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
#                  4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
#                  fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
#                  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.
# circularinput: enable translation of circular input to square output.
#                  Try enabling this if your left analog stick can only move in a circle.
#      deadzone: the percentage of motion to ignore. 100 turns the stick into a digital one.

joysticktype  = none
timed         = false
autofire      = false
swap34        = true
buttonwrap    = false
circularinput = false
deadzone      = 0

[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 = disabled
serial2 = disabled
serial3 = disabled
serial4 = disabled

[dos]
#            xms: Enable XMS support.
#            ems: Enable EMS support. The default (=true) provides the best
#                   compatibility but certain applications may run better with
#                   other choices, or require EMS support to be disabled (=false)
#                   to work at all.
#                   Possible values: true, emsboard, emm386, false.
#            umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).

xms            = false
ems            = false
umb            = false
keyboardlayout = auto

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

ipx = false

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# You can put your MOUNT lines here.
@ECHO OFF
MOUNT C C:\Games -FREESIZE 1000
VER SET 7 10
SET PATH=C:\;Z:\
SET TEMP=C:\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\TEMP
C:
CLS
CD\SFITWB
BEGIN.EXE
EXIT

---- cut here ----

Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel
http://www.richnagel.net

Reply 1 of 2, by rfnagel

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I always wondered what the deal was with the strange looking oversized boots that were pictured on page 32 of the Training Manual that came with Interstel's 1984 DOS computer game "Star Fleet I: The War Begins!". THEN I saw a picture of the command module of Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft! 😂

The attachment Star_Fleet_I_-_The_War_Begins!_Oversized_Boots.png is no longer available

Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel
http://www.richnagel.net

Reply 2 of 2, by rfnagel

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Hex Edit Energy Cheat for "Star Fleet I: The War Begins!"

I've been playing "Star Fleet I: The War Begins!" (version 2.1) quite extensively over the course of the past few months. I've managed to make it to "Vice Admiral" rank (level 9). Ranks 1-6 were a breeze, rank 7 was a bit difficult, and rank 8 was difficult but winnable.

Rank 9 seems to be impossible! I've been stuck on the first mission of rank 9 for ages now (you need to win 5 missions with a required efficiency rating/percentage per mission to advance to the next rank in the game). I've played numerous missions at rank 9, and even a few at rank 10 (by temporarily "promoting" myself using the game's built in "Personnel Manager" feature), but those two ranks seem to be almost unwinnable.

The Krellans almost ALWAYS seem to move when I take a shot (using phasors OR torpedoes), yet ALWAYS seem to hit me regardless if I move or not. The Zaldrons are the MOST ANNOYING enemies of all. They are always cloaked so that you have NO idea of where they are, yet they seem to ALWAYS know what quadrant of space that you're in... following you around the galaxy like a dog on a leash! They randomly and spastically pop in and out of your current sector at will, screwing up any strategy that you may have planned, as well as your shield power configuration strategies.

Of course, if you attempt to start a battle in a sector with 3 or more enemies (which is a MUST in order to win the mission with the required efficiency rating/percentage within the allotted time frame), they knock down your shield power (and total power) extremely quickly. And, too many trips back to the SINGLE starbase that you have in ranks 9 and 10 costs you even MORE mission time/days resulting in running out of time to complete the mission. Not to mention, the difficulty of actually LOCATING the SINGLE starbase at those rank levels.

Starting a mission (and being resupplied at the single starbase) at ranks 9 and 10 with the game's default of only a total of 5000 energy points seems to be unwinnable.

Hence, I finally decided to break down and utilize Captain James T. Kirk's "Kobayashi Maru" Star Fleet training scenario tactics... CHEAT! I REALLY didn't want to do this (as in my NOT so humble opinion KIRK IS A CHEATER!), but it's the ONLY way to make the game enjoyable for rank 9 and 10 missions in order to normally advance your rank. Yeah, I could go ahead and just keep playing rank 7 missions... but DAMMIT JIM, I want to get PROMOTED (I feel like Ensign Harry Kim in Star Trek: Voyager 🤣)!

So, without further adieu, a hex edit cheat for version 2.1 of the game that changes the starship new mission energy from 5000 to 9999, and the starbase resupply energy from 5000 to 9999. Note that you will need a hex editor, know how to use it, and the hex offsets listed below are ONLY for version 2.1 of the game (release date August 18, 1986). Also note that I didn't search for the hex offsets for the "Small Memory" version of the game (which includes the file "OVS.EXE"), ONLY the hex offsets for the "Large Memory" version of the game (the files "SFI.EXE" and "OVC.EXE").

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Star Fleet I: The War Begins! v2.1 Energy Cheat
===============================================
For use with version 2.1, release date August 18 1986.

Changes the starship new mission energy from 5000 to 9999, and the starbase resupply energy from 5000 to 9999.

Starship New Mission Energy
---------------------------
Filename: SFI.EXE
Filesize: 51,584 bytes
Hex Offset (0 Based): 5B43
Hex Value (Byte Swapped): Change 8813 to 0F27

Starbase Resupply Energy
------------------------
Filename: OVC.EXE
Filesize: 31,360 bytes
Hex Offset (0 Based): 3235
Hex Value (Byte Swapped): Change 8813 to 0F27

ENJOY and HAVE FUN!
-------------------
Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel
http://www.richnagel.net
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Anyhow, with the new mission and resupply energy levels set to 9999, the game STILL requires a LOT of strategy at ranks 9 and 10, but AT LEAST it's WINNABLE. I'm SURE that ranks 1-7 will probably be WAY too easy with these increased energy levels, so you probably will not want to use this cheat for games at those ranks.

Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel
http://www.richnagel.net

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