First post, by NY00123
Hey all,
Before writing about its purpose, I'd just tell that a minor (experimental) patch to DOSBox v0.74 is attached. I've chosen v0.74, as the SVN changes often, while it also doesn't seem to differ where the patch is to be applied.
Now to explain the patch's purpose: Some of you have possibly spotted some differences between sounds outputted via DOSBox' emulated PC Speaker and the same ones outputted via a real speaker. This is especially noticeable in games like Commander Keen 1-3 and Dangerous Dave, at least for some of the sound effects.
Here's a way to illustrate the cause (even if not fully accurate). Suppose that some game outputs a few successive square waves (beeps) of exactly the same frequency. Then:
- On a real speaker, when a new wave begins, it really begins from scratch, "forgetting" any earlier wave.
- In DOSBox, the waves are "merged" into a single long(er) successive square wave of the same frequency.
So, this patch is an attempt to solve this.
It's confirmed to *not* break the ability to output proper digitized sound via the speaker, at least in Ken's Labyrinth.
KNOWN ISSUES:
- Some who try the patch may feel that the sound quality is lower, or that the sound is less "smooth". In fact, this is closer to the way it works with an actual speaker, and I consider it to be more "authentic" 😉.
- Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that a few unexpected high-volume noises are outputted in Dangerous Dave, at least upon obtaining a trophy, a gun or a jetpack. You still get something more true to the original, though.
AN IDEA (possibly low priority):
- Let the user choose between the current DOSBox way of emulating and the patched way. May be used for backwards compatibility with a few things originally developed and tested within DOSBox (i.e. games or MODs).
Note that I haven't posted this on the "Patches" sub-forum, as this is experimental, and there may be a better (code-wise) way of improving the emulation's accuracy.
Have fun!