OK, turn VESA on, and also get NOLFB (search forum or web for it) and run that just before the game (wither through a .bat file or from LaunchPad's Advanced/DOS Env/AUTOEXEC section).

V.

thanks i was just going to try nolfb

i'll check it out and post here if it works.

I feel stupid asking this but, what should the line look like in autoexec?

I've got something like

@echo off

lh C:\path to nolfb

that's what i typed in the launchpad autoexec area

Yep, that looks right. Whatever you put in the AUTOEXEC section will actually be appended to the default AUTOEXEC.BAT so no need for the @echo off, but anyway.

Just make sure that "path to lfb" is in the short (e.g. PROGRA~1 instead of "Program Files") form.

Cheers,
V.

wongojack wrote:

Seen a few other posts with this game mentioned and i don't think that anyone's gotten it to work with VDMS. Any tips off the bat?

I get the game to start with VDMS with the VESA support turned on but I don't see anything there's sound but no video. It even seems like the game is running cause the sound is great.

I got Ascendancy to work just fine using the default VDMS settings. Are you running 2.0.4.1?

well I didn't buy this computer so i check the 'system information' and it tells me that i am running:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Version 5.0.2195

Looks like my graphics device is: ATI RAGE MOBILITY-M1 AGP

i have put nolfb into the autoexec field of the launchpad several different ways but it never seemed to run before the game did. So I don't know if it fixes the problem or not cause I can't tell if its running when ascend. starts. Its not one of the "Build" games that Ken worked on according to his own homepage so it might not do anything at all. Plus if you made it work without nolfb, Drogg, then my system just might not want to play nice.

Thanks to both of you for your help so far. I sure am learning a lot about backwards compatibility to DOS these days. I am starting to feel this distinct hate for my love of old DOS games. I mean come on - its easier to run those old C64 titles.

Just for kicks, I am going to play around with the autoexec in the VDMS folder and try to force NOLFB to run before the game that way. I'll let you know how it goes.

For anyone looking for NOLFB in the future:
http://www.advsys.net/ken/build.htm

When i put the path for nolfb into the launchpad there is no evidence that it is booting before the game.

If i add the path to the autoexec in the vdmsound folder it definately loads before the game loads, but if i do that, I lose the VESA support that launchpad supplies and I can't figure out how to add that manually to the a.bat file.

I think he was talking about the version of VDMSound.

To fully use Launchpad you always have to use the "Run with VDMS" with a musical note. Launchpad completely ignores AUTOEXEC.VDMS and CONFIG.VDMS and VDMS.INI (it generates its own). So if it works when you edit those files then you're not actually using launchpad when running the game!!!

You can also make a .bat file that contaisn two lines, e.g.:

nolfb
game.exe

then "Run with VDMS" this .bat file (then you don't have to worry about launchPad).

V.

[edit by Snover: I'm sure Vlad was just in a hurry, and really can spell VDMS and ignores. 😉]