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Kurufinwe · 08-17-2005, 02:03 PM

Well, even though my one and only tester seems to have trouble with it, I've still decided to write a new version of my small guide on getting Sierra games to work. It's supposed to be clearer and, more importantly, more accurate than the previous version.

These instructions are especially aimed at collection versions, which are hard to get to work, often due to sloppy work on the part of the people making those collections. This small guide assumes that you are familiar with DOSBox and know how to tweak the configuration file (dosbox.conf) to set up the hardware. If that is not the case, please refer to the DOSBox readme, the DOSBox guides and the DOSBox wiki.

Why use DOSBox?
All the Sierra SCI games (i.e. the games between KQ4 and KQ7) were meant to run under DOS. Some had Windows versions, but those were inferior conversions, using, for instance, ugly black and white icons instead of the coloured ones in DOS. Those Windows versions generally do not work well under more recent versions of Windows, especially XP. DOSBox allows you to play the games as they were meant to be played, and it actually works much better (and, believe it or not, is easier to use) than the real MS-DOS. Plus, using it may make you look cool in front of your friends (or like a pathetic geek, depending on the sort of friends you have).

Why not use DOSBox?
1) You're a masochist and you think spending hours trying to get the Windows versions working is funnier than trying to use a scary thing like DOSBox.
2) Some of the newer games (esp. KQ7) might be a tad slow with it. However, check my posts in this thread for a few pointers on speeding up DOSBox before giving up.
3) You want to play KQ6 and you want to see the pretty redrawn hi-res dialogue pictures (and get nasty-Alexander and uber-evil-Cassima instead of dumb-Alex-and-Cassie), which only work with the Windows version. Well, it's your choice really.

Step 1: Installing the game

The collection versions come with a batch file (install.bat) from which you are supposed to install all the games. Don't use it. It's evil, was already broken under DOS and seems to be brokener under DOSBOX.
Instead, locate the folder where the game is. Please note that, on collection spanning multiple CDs, there might be folders for every game on CD1, but they do not contain the full game for big CD games; so check on all your discs. For such games, a good indication is the presence of a big file (several hundred Megs), often called resource.aud, containing the speech files.
Navigate to that folder under DOSBox and launch install.exe -f ; this should trigger the installation process. Use it to install the game on your hard drive, choosing "large install" if that choice if offered to you.

Note: On some games, the installer may use another name; for instance, it is often called install6.exe for KQ6CD.

The install programme will also allow you to set up your hardware, so do that, based on what hardware you have told DOSBox to use / emulate. If you are unsure what sound device you should use, please see appendix A.

Note (Vesa in GK): GK allows you to choose between VGA and VESA graphics. The latter feature hi-res character dialogue pictures. The drawback is that using that mode will make the DOSBox fancy scalers rather useless on the backgrounds, which will therefore appear rather blocky (esp. on large and/or LCD monitors). Nice portraits and ugly blocky backgrounds or average portraits and scaled backgrouds? Once again, it's up to you.

If you wish to copy the entire game on your hard drive (including voices, videos, etc.), please see appendix B.

Step 2: Patching the game

Always use the patches from Newrisingsun. Always.

Step 3: Launching the game

The general rule is: do not use the batch file (e.g. kq6.bat) provided with the game, especially if you are using a collection version. Launch the game executable directly; it is usually called sierra.exe, sierra.com, scidhuv.exe. Look for it in your game folder. If you find you can't live without the batch file (e.g. because scidhuv is hard to type), then edit it with notepad leaving only in it the call for the executable (i.e. it should only contain "scidhuv", without quotes).
If the game is missing voices, sound effects, etc., please see appendix C.
If digital audio doesn't work well, please see appendix D.

Appendix A: choosing your music device wisely
Sierra games essentially support 3 types of music devices: AdLib FM-synthesis (AdLib, SoundBlaster, Soundblaster Pro, the latter using stereo sound), MT-32 and General Midi. For older games (up to KQ5/Longbow), the music was composed for an MT-32, which is therefore the best choice, provided you actually have this wonderful device (or use Munt, the MT-32 emulator); for newer games, choose General Midi (the Sierra music gurus over at QuestStudios still do not agree on whether LB2 and LSL5 sound better with MT-32 or GM; you'll have to make your own choice there). For older games, if you do not have an MT-32, use Adlib instead; normally, you should always have a GM compatible device under Windows XP, so you shouldn't have to put up with the ugly Adlib music for newer games. Of course, set up DOSBox appropriately.

Appendix B: copying the entire game to your hard drive
If you wish to speed things up or to play without the CD, you may want to copy the entire game on your hard drive. To do so, copy the contents of the game folder on the CD (where you launched install) to the game folder on your hard drive; but do not replace the existing files! Then, locate a file called RESOURCE.CFG in the game folder and open it with Notepad. You'll see several lines referring to your CD drive: they are used to tell the game where to look for resources. You may see, for example:

audio = D:\;D:\sfx;D:\aud
sync = D:\aud
movieDir = D:\seq

or maybe:

audio = D:\GKCD;D:\GKCD\sfx;D:\GKCD\aud
sync = D:\GKCD\aud
movieDir = D:\GKCD\seq

depending on whether the game was installed from D:\ or D:\GKCD\
But now, the resource files are sitting in the same directory as resource.cfg; the way in DOS-linguo to say "the current directory" is . (period). So you want to edit the previous lines to:

audio = .;.\sfx;.\aud
sync = .\aud
movieDir = .\seq

Please note that the lines given above are only an example; the actual references used by your game may be different, with more, less or altogether different lines. Basically, look for any line referring to your CD drive.

Note (KQ6CD & redbook audio): TODO

Appendix C: incorrectly located game resources
Sometimes, in collection versions, the installer doesn't set properly the location of the various resource files (speech, etc.), and the game therefore can't find them. So, we'll have to set them by hand. Locate a file called RESOURCE.CFG in the game folder and open it with Notepad. You'll see several lines referring to your CD drive: they are used to tell the game where to look for resources. You may see, for example:

audio = D:\;D:\sfx;D:\aud
sync = D:\aud
movieDir = D:\seq

But the problem is that, on your CD, the game is not located on D:\ but on, say, D:\GKCD\ (the folder you're looking for is the one in which you launched ths installer). So you want to edit the previous lines to:

audio = D:\GKCD;D:\GKCD\sfx;D:\GKCD\aud
sync = D:\GKCD\aud
movieDir = D:\GKCD\seq

Please note that the lines given above are only an example; the actual references used by your game may be different, with more, less or altogether different lines. Basically, look for any line referring to your CD drive.

Appendix D: various problems with digital audio
If digital audio is distorted or doesn't work (and you're sure it's not a problem of your computer not keeping up with DOSBox), here are a few things you may try:
(a) try increasing the audioSize value in RESOURCE.CFG to 32k or 45k.
(b) try using another version of AUDBLAST.DRV (a.k.a. DACBLAST.DRV) from another Sierra game.
(c) try changing your SoundBlaster DMA to 3 in the DOSBox configuration (though I think this was due to a bug in DOSBox that has now been fixed; well, you may try it anyway).
If you get the infamous "Unable to initialize your audio hardware" message, try lowering the emulation speed.

I hope this is vaguely understandable and, hopefully, helpful!

08-17-2005, 02:03 PM
Kurufinwe Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 3,038	Well, even though my one and only tester seems to have trouble with it, I've still decided to write a new version of my small guide on getting Sierra games to work. It's supposed to be clearer and, more importantly, more accurate than the previous version. These instructions are especially aimed at collection versions, which are hard to get to work, often due to sloppy work on the part of the people making those collections. This small guide assumes that you are familiar with DOSBox and know how to tweak the configuration file (dosbox.conf) to set up the hardware. If that is not the case, please refer to the DOSBox readme, the DOSBox guides and the DOSBox wiki. *Why use DOSBox?* All the Sierra SCI games (i.e. the games between KQ4 and KQ7) were meant to run under DOS. Some had Windows versions, but those were inferior conversions, using, for instance, ugly black and white icons instead of the coloured ones in DOS. Those Windows versions generally do not work well under more recent versions of Windows, especially XP. DOSBox allows you to play the games as they were meant to be played, and it actually works much better (and, believe it or not, is easier to use) than the real MS-DOS. Plus, using it may make you look cool in front of your friends (or like a pathetic geek, depending on the sort of friends you have). *Why not use DOSBox?* 1) You're a masochist and you think spending hours trying to get the Windows versions working is funnier than trying to use a scary thing like DOSBox. 2) Some of the newer games (esp. KQ7) might be a tad slow with it. However, check my posts in this thread for a few pointers on speeding up DOSBox before giving up. 3) You want to play *KQ6* and you want to see the pretty redrawn hi-res dialogue pictures (and get nasty-Alexander and uber-evil-Cassima instead of dumb-Alex-and-Cassie), which only work with the Windows version. Well, it's your choice really. *Step 1: Installing the game* The collection versions come with a batch file (install.bat) from which you are supposed to install all the games. Don't use it. It's evil, was already broken under DOS and seems to be brokener under DOSBOX. Instead, locate the folder where the game is. Please note that, on collection spanning multiple CDs, there might be folders for every game on CD1, but they do not contain the full game for big CD games; so check on all your discs. For such games, a good indication is the presence of a big file (several hundred Megs), often called resource.aud, containing the speech files. Navigate to that folder under DOSBox and launch install.exe -f ; this should trigger the installation process. Use it to install the game on your hard drive, choosing "large install" if that choice if offered to you. Note: On some games, the installer may use another name; for instance, it is often called install6.exe for KQ6CD. The install programme will also allow you to set up your hardware, so do that, based on what hardware you have told DOSBox to use / emulate. If you are unsure what sound device you should use, please see appendix A. Note (Vesa in GK): GK allows you to choose between VGA and VESA graphics. The latter feature hi-res character dialogue pictures. The drawback is that using that mode will make the DOSBox fancy scalers rather useless on the backgrounds, which will therefore appear rather blocky (esp. on large and/or LCD monitors). Nice portraits and ugly blocky backgrounds or average portraits and scaled backgrouds? Once again, it's up to you. If you wish to copy the entire game on your hard drive (including voices, videos, etc.), please see appendix B. *Step 2: Patching the game* Always use the patches from Newrisingsun. Always. *Step 3: Launching the game* The general rule is: do not use the batch file (e.g. kq6.bat) provided with the game, especially if you are using a collection version. Launch the game executable directly; it is usually called sierra.exe, sierra.com, scidhuv.exe. Look for it in your game folder. If you find you can't live without the batch file (e.g. because scidhuv is hard to type), then edit it with notepad leaving only in it the call for the executable (i.e. it should only contain "scidhuv", without quotes). If the game is missing voices, sound effects, etc., please see appendix C. If digital audio doesn't work well, please see appendix D. Appendix A: choosing your music device wisely Sierra games essentially support 3 types of music devices: AdLib FM-synthesis (AdLib, SoundBlaster, Soundblaster Pro, the latter using stereo sound), MT-32 and General Midi. For older games (up to KQ5/Longbow), the music was composed for an MT-32, which is therefore the best choice, provided you actually have this wonderful device (or use Munt, the MT-32 emulator); for newer games, choose General Midi (the Sierra music gurus over at QuestStudios still do not agree on whether LB2 and LSL5 sound better with MT-32 or GM; you'll have to make your own choice there). For older games, if you do not have an MT-32, use Adlib instead; normally, you should always have a GM compatible device under Windows XP, so you shouldn't have to put up with the ugly Adlib music for newer games. Of course, set up DOSBox appropriately. Appendix B: copying the entire game to your hard drive If you wish to speed things up or to play without the CD, you may want to copy the entire game on your hard drive. To do so, copy the contents of the game folder on the CD (where you launched install) to the game folder on your hard drive; but do not replace the existing files! Then, locate a file called RESOURCE.CFG in the game folder and open it with Notepad. You'll see several lines referring to your CD drive: they are used to tell the game where to look for resources. You may see, for example: audio = D:\;D:\sfx;D:\aud sync = D:\aud movieDir = D:\seq or maybe: audio = D:\GKCD;D:\GKCD\sfx;D:\GKCD\aud sync = D:\GKCD\aud movieDir = D:\GKCD\seq depending on whether the game was installed from D:\ or D:\GKCD\ But now, the resource files are sitting in the same directory as resource.cfg; the way in DOS-linguo to say "the current directory" is . (period). So you want to edit the previous lines to: audio = .;.\sfx;.\aud sync = .\aud movieDir = .\seq Please note that the lines given above are only an example; the actual references used by your game may be different, with more, less or altogether different lines. Basically, look for any line referring to your CD drive. Note (KQ6CD & redbook audio): TODO Appendix C: incorrectly located game resources Sometimes, in collection versions, the installer doesn't set properly the location of the various resource files (speech, etc.), and the game therefore can't find them. So, we'll have to set them by hand. Locate a file called RESOURCE.CFG in the game folder and open it with Notepad. You'll see several lines referring to your CD drive: they are used to tell the game where to look for resources. You may see, for example: audio = D:\;D:\sfx;D:\aud sync = D:\aud movieDir = D:\seq But the problem is that, on your CD, the game is not located on D:\ but on, say, D:\GKCD\ (the folder you're looking for is the one in which you launched ths installer). So you want to edit the previous lines to: audio = D:\GKCD;D:\GKCD\sfx;D:\GKCD\aud sync = D:\GKCD\aud movieDir = D:\GKCD\seq Please note that the lines given above are only an example; the actual references used by your game may be different, with more, less or altogether different lines. Basically, look for any line referring to your CD drive. Appendix D: various problems with digital audio If digital audio is distorted or doesn't work (and you're sure it's not a problem of your computer not keeping up with DOSBox), here are a few things you may try: (a) try increasing the audioSize value in RESOURCE.CFG to 32k or 45k. (b) try using another version of AUDBLAST.DRV (a.k.a. DACBLAST.DRV) from another Sierra game. (c) try changing your SoundBlaster DMA to 3 in the DOSBox configuration (though I think this was due to a bug in DOSBox that has now been fixed; well, you may try it anyway). If you get the infamous "Unable to initialize your audio hardware" message, try lowering the emulation speed. I hope this is vaguely understandable and, hopefully, helpful!