Recently red_avatar posted this:

red_avatar Member [avatar] Joined: 2004-04-12 Posts: 138 I'm using the same build - but perhaps he's using a ripped version (wh […]
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red_avatar
Member
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Joined: 2004-04-12
Posts: 138
I'm using the same build - but perhaps he's using a ripped version (which exists) which doesn't have VESA detection during installation? To be honest, I have very very few graphical problems in VESA anymore since a few months using the latest CVS's. I'm surprised at how many games I can play fluently, even some in VESA in 3D games!

EDIT: just a note. The problem is that people report a game as not working, when it's only in their case, or with their version of the game. The games database is filled with wrong entries entered by people who don't know how to use DOSBOX in all possible ways.

So far, I've been able to run practically every game people deem unplayable, even in "latest CVS", most even with older CVS versions, or even vanilla DOSBOX 0.63. MDK for example runs very well, yet is said to not work. I try to add correct entries to correct the ones that said the game doesn't work - often because they don't even know how to correctly mount a CD/DVD drive!

When people add these faulty entries, it gives others a completely wrong image of what games work in DOSBOX. A working game means it's POSSIBLE to get a game working while a non-working game means it's impossible - so why are games set unplayable when it IS possible to play them, as long as you know to use dynamic mode/dos32a/less memory/etc.

So basically, it's dangerous to use one person's "experience" of a game to determine the status of a game in DOSBOX. Since at least 90% of all games said to not work, work quite well for me, that's saying a whole lot. (namely, the games list needs to be updated accurately Sticking Tongue Out )

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/comp_list.php?letter=a

Now I haven't really used the compatibility page. I do all of my game testing myself and I help people with their games using my own knowledge. Now if I do help someone and it's not a common error and it's not in these forums then I'll look at the compatibility page but this is likely to happen mabye once out of every 100 games....if that. So I'm not really sure if the DosBox Game Compatibility page is that bad of or not since I haven't really used it

So who exactly uses this database? Is it mostly new users to DosBox who don't know how to use it and then post the game as not working?

How are games submitted to the Games page?

Should we start using MD5/SHA for verification before posting games to the compatibility page? Mabye include such a function in DosBox for verification (Just for reporting in the console, not for stopping a game from working)

I think that once the next official version of DosBox comes out if all of the Beta Testers got together, listed their entire DOS games collection and then assigned games to be tested that we could get a pretty comprehensive accurate game listing. This would also be helpful since each person assigned a game would be an actual Beta Tester and provide the correct information needed to run the game. (We would probably have to decide upon a proper reporting format).

I'm going off to take a look at the site right now.....