DOSBox

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References

Homepage
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/
Wiki
http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Main_Page


Usage

DOSBox.app launches with the system drive set to 

Z:

If you want access inside DOSBox to a folder in your Mac's file system, you can use the mount command to make the folder available as a drive. For instance, the following command mounts a folder as drive C: (note the double quotes because the path contains spaces): 

mount c "/Users/Shared/Varia/Windows Daten/D/Games/Doom 1.9"

In some cases it may be necessary to mount a folder so that it appears as a CD-ROM: 

mount e: /foo/bar -t cdrom


Radnor GUI frontend

References

Homepage 

http://www.sveinbjorn.org/radnor


Usage

Simply launch the application and add one or more so-called "presets". A preset is an executable file (.exe) that will be launched on a double-click inside the DOSBox emulator.


Updating DOSBox

The latest available version of Radnor (at the time of writing) is 1.0, which bundles DOSBox 0.6.1. It is possible to update Radnor 1.0 to use a newer DOSBox version by issuing a number of commands in Terminal.app.

First, download the version of DOSBox that you want to use, then double-click the .dmg file in the Finder. For instance, I have downloaded and opened DOSBox0.70_Universal.dmg.zip.

Then open Terminal.app and type the following commands (you may have to replace some paths to match your system setup): 

cd /Application/Emulatoren/Radnor.app/Contents/Resources
sudo mv dosbox dosbox-0.6.1   [only if you are doing this the first time, and only if you want a backup copy of the originally bundled DOSBox file]
sudo sudo cp /Volumes/DOSBox-0.70_Universal/DOSBox.app/Contents/MacOS/DOSBox dosbox-0.70
sudo ln -sf dosbox-0.70 dosbox


Boxer

References

Homepage 

http://boxerapp.com/

Usage

Dropping a folder on "Drop games here to install them.app" creates a new .boxer bundle that contains

  • a copy of the folder's contents
  • a file DOSBox Preferences.conf

Double-clicking a .boxer bundle launches DOSBox using a combination of these 2 preference files:

  • the global file ~/Library/Preferences/Boxer/DOSBox Preferences.conf
  • and the DOSBox Preferences.conf inside the .boxer bundle; the bundle-specific settings override any global settings.


Notes about specific programs/games

Doom

Launch setup.exe to configure the game. For sound effects, a Gravis Ultrasound can be configured, but the music soundcard must be a Soundblaster.

A simple Boxer.app install from "OldWinData/D/Games/Doom 1.9" succeeded.


Legend of Kyrandia 3 - Malcolm's Revenge

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of Legend of Kyrandia 3:

  • Create a new folder "D.cdrom"
  • Copy the contents of the CD-ROM into this folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and click the "Cancel" button when you are asked to select a program to run
  • This opens DOSBox on the DOS command promp
  • Now type "d:", followed by "install" to start the installation procedure
  • Accept all defaults, this will install the game into C:\WESTWOOD\MALCOLM
  • Type "exit" to close the current DOSBox session
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select WESTWOOD/MALCOLM/MALCOLM.BAT to run

Note: It's possible to use the actual CD-ROM instead of copying its content to a harddisk folder, because Boxer automatically mounts the internal CD-ROM drive to drive D: (of course, for this to work the folder "D.cdrom" must not be present within the .boxer bundle).


System Shock

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of System Shock:

  • Drop the folder "SSHOCK" that contains the game's installation onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Open the .boxer bundle in the Finder
  • Create a new folder "System Shock CD-ROM" (or whatever you like)
  • Copy the contents of the CD-ROM into this folder
  • Open the file DOSBox Preferences.conf in a text editor and add the following line under the [autoexec] section:
mount e: "System Shock CD-ROM" -t cdrom
  • Note: The "-t cdrom" part is important, the game will not run if the CD-ROM content is present merely as a simple hard drive
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select CDSHOCK.BAT to run

Note 1: It may be necessary to copy the .boxer bundle to your local hard disk to ensure fluid gameplay (e.g. in my local LAN the intro played only with bad stutters when I had the CD-ROM content on a network drive)

Note 2: Although I have not tested this, it might be possible to get around modifiying the DOSBox Preferences.conf file by naming the folder with the CD-ROM content like this: E.cdrom. Boxer will mount the folder as drive E: because of the folder name, and mount it as a CD-ROM because of the folder extension.


Syndicate

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of Syndicate:

  • copy the CD-ROM content to a hard disk folder named "Syndicate"
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Open the .boxer bundle in the Finder
  • Copy the savegames folder OldWinData/C/Synd into the bundle's root directory
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select Syndicate/SYND.EXE to run


Betrayal at Krondor

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of Betrayal at Krondor:

  • Create a new folder "D.cdrom"
  • Copy the contents of the CD-ROM into this folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to run
  • Install the game using the following options
    • install to drive C: (this will install the game into C:\DYNAMIX\BAKCD)
    • select "Sound Blaster Card" as the sound card
    • select "Full install"
    • otherwise accept all defaults;
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select DYNAMIX/BAKCD/KRONDOR.EXE to run

TODO: Enable CD music with new Boxer version.


Jagged Alliance

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of Jagged Alliance:

  • Create a new folder "D.cdrom"
  • Copy the contents of the CD-ROM into this folder (Mac OS X crashed on both my PPC PowerMac and my Intel Mac Book Pro when it tried to mount the CD-ROM; I had to copy the CD-ROM content while booted into Win XP on the Mac Book)
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to run
  • Install the game using the following options
    • Minimal installation
    • Install introduction sequence
    • install to C:\JAGGED
    • Sound card for digital sound = Gravis Ultrasound
    • Sound card for music = Gravis Ultrasound
    • select "Sound Blaster Card" as the sound card
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select JAGGED/JA.EXE to run


Death Gate

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs the CD-ROM version of Death Gate:

  • Create a new empty folder "Death Gate"
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Open the resulting .boxer bundle in the Finder
  • Use "Disk Utility.app" to create an image of type CD/DVD-Master (i.e. a .cdr file) from the CD-ROM
  • Place the .cdr file into the .boxer bundle
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder; this immediately opens a DOS command line session
  • Type "d:" followed by "install"; install the game using the following options
    • Display mode = 640x480 VESA compatible
    • Minimum installation
    • install to C:\DGATE
    • Music Device = Sound Blaster 16
    • Digitized Sound = Sound Blaster 16
    • Note: Gravis Ultrasound does not work, Sound Blaster quality (at least voices) is worse than Sound Blaster 16 quality
  • Type "exit"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select DGATE/DGATE.EXE to run


Frontier

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Frontier:

  • Create a new folder "Frontier.cdrom"
  • Copy the contents of the CD-ROM into this folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.BAT to run
  • Enter "install c", then select "English" to install the game
  • Enter "exit"
  • Open the .boxer bundle in the Finder
  • Delete the folder "Frontier.cdrom"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select FRONTIER/FRONTIER.EXE to run
  • When the game is started for the first time, select "AdLib/Soundblaster compatible sound board"


Ultima Underworld / Wing Commander 2

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Ultima Underworld:

  • Create a new folder "Ultima Underworld"
  • Copy the following files/folders from the CD-ROM into this folder
    • CDWEDGE.EXE
    • SGFIND.EXE
    • TSROFF.EXE
    • UINSTALL.BAT
    • UW (folder)
    • UW.BAT
    • UWSOUND.BAT
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select UWINSTALL.BAT to configure the game
    • save game drive = c:
    • Sound System = Sound Blaster
    • Digized voices = yes
    • Sound Blaster configuration = port 220, IRQ 7, DMA 1
  • Type exit
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select UW.BAT to run the game

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Wing Commander 2:

  • Create a new folder "Wing Commander 2.cdrom"
  • Copy the following files/folders from the CD-ROM into this folder
    • CDWEDGE.EXE
    • SGFIND.EXE
    • TSROFF.EXE
    • WC2.BAT
    • WING2 (folder)
    • WINSTALL.BAT
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select UWINSTALL.BAT to configure the game
    • save game drive = c:
    • Sound System = Sound Blaster
    • Digized voices = yes
    • Sound Blaster configuration = DMA 1
  • Type exit
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select WC2.BAT to run the game


Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds:

  • Create a new folder "uw2.cdrom" and copy the contents of the 5 floppy disk images disk0091.img - disk0095.img into this folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to install and configure the game
    • Sound system installation = Sound Blaster Pro
    • Digitized Sound Selection = Sound Blaster Pro
    • Hard disk installation = C:\UW2
  • When installation has finished, open the .boxer bundle in the Finder
  • Delete the folder "uw2.cdrom"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select UW2.EXE to run


Ultima VII: The Black Gate

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Ultima VII: The Black Gate:

  • Create a new folder "u7.floppy" and copy the contents of the 5 floppy disk images disk0096.img - disk0101.img into this folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finde; this will automatically run INSTALL.EXE and install and configure the game:
    • Because Boxer runs INSTALL.EXE from drive D:, the installer complains that the game is not being installed from a floppy drive and asks you to confirm that this is correct; say yes here
    • Hard drive = C:
    • Target directory = C:\ULTIMA7
    • Sound card = Sound Blaster Pro (accept default settings)
    • Digitized Sound Selection = Sound Blaster Pro
    • Hard disk installation = C:\UW2
  • Unfortunately, installation does not work because the installer tries to detect disk #1 in drive A: and fails
  • So far I was unable to fix the problem, even when running INSTALL.EXE from drive A:


Starflight

Notes about the game and its files:

  • So far I was unable to make images of my 5.25" original floppy disks
  • An alternative source for the game files is http://www.starflt.com/, notably the MSI installer file http://www.starflt.com/downloads/sfdosbox.msi
  • The page http://www.starflt.com/starflt.php?ID=SF1Table contains all spoilers that one might need to play the game; more essentially, though, it contains a table with the codes that let you answer the game's copy protection questions
  • The unpacked content of the .msi file and a copy of the spoiler page are located in my archives (Archive/Games/Starflight), together with a README.txt

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Starflight:

  • From the folder with the contents of the .msi (sfdosbox in my archives), make a copy of SF1 folder (contains the unmodified EGA version of the game)
  • Important: Always make a copy, never play with the original files!!! Starflight is self-modifying, i.e. it modifies the original game files to store progress in the game (yes, even the .exe files are modified!!!), e.g. the number of credits you have
  • Give the copied folder a useful name (e.g. "Starflight")
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select SF1.BAT to run the game


The Lemmings Games

Notes about the game and its files:

  • Lemmings, Oh No! More Lemmings and Lemmings 2 are available on my floppy disk images disk0071.img, disk0066.img, disk0089.img and disk0090.img; Lemmings 2 from this source does not work correctly, though, only the first beach level can be played (probably due to copy protection problem)
  • An alternative source for the game files, level codes and copy protection codes is http://camanis.net/lemmings/ (treats the games as abandonware); downloaded files are in my software archive; here Lemmings, Oh no! More Lemmings and Lemmings 2 all do not work due to copy protection problems; Lemmings 3 is ok, though.
  • Also get the .txt file with the level access and copy protection codes from my "Computer Games" folder


How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Lemmings:

  • Create a new empty folder "Lemmings"
  • Copy the contents of LEMMINGS.ZIP, which is stored inside the floppy disk images disk0071.img, into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select LEMMINGS.BAT to run the game


How to create a .boxer bundle that runs "Oh No! More Lemmings":

  • Create a new empty folder "Oh No! More Lemmings.floppy"
  • Copy the contents of MORELEMM.ZIP, which is stored inside the floppy disk images disk0066.img, into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to run the installer
    • Configure the game for VGA and a "High Performance PC"
    • The game is installed into C:\LEMMINGS\DATADISK
  • When installation is finished, open the .boxer bundle in the Finder and remove the "Oh No! More Lemmings.floppy" folder
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select LEMMINGS.BAT to run the game


How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Lemmings 2: The Tribes:

  • Create a new empty folder "L2.floppy"
  • Copy the contents of the floppy disk images disk0089.img and disk0090.img into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to run the installer
  • Select "Sound Blaster" as sound device, otherwise accept all default values
  • When installation is finished, open the .boxer bundle in the Finder and remove the "L2.floppy" folder
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select L2.EXE to run the game

TODO: It appears that only the first level for each of the 12 tribes can be played. The reason for this might be a copy protection problem. Make the other levels work, too.


How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Lemmings 3: The Lemmings Chronicles:

  • Create a new empty folder "L3.cdrom"
  • Copy the contents of lemmings_3_dos.zip (file downloaded from the abandonware site) into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select INSTALL.EXE to run the installer; perform the following configuration:
    • installation directory = c:\l3
    • sound card = sound blaster (using default values)
    • otherwise accept all default values
  • When installation is finished, type "exit"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select L3\L3.BAT to run the game


How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Xmas Lemmings:

  • Create a new empty folder "Xmas Lemmings"
  • Copy the contents of XMASLEM.ZIP, which is stored inside the floppy disk images disk0069.img, into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select LEMMINGS.BAT to run the game


Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos:

  • Create a new empty folder "Lands of Lore.floppy"
  • Copy the contents of the floppy disk images disk0058.img - disk0065.img into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Rename the resulting .boxer bundle to something you like
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder, then type "a:" followed by "install" to run the installer; this will install the game into C:\WESTWOOD\LANDS
  • When installation is finished, open the .boxer bundle in the Finder and remove the "Lands of Lore.floppy" folder
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder; Boxer will try to run C:\WESTWOOD\LANDS.BAT, which fails because the game has not been configured yet
  • On the command prompt, type "cd lands", followed by "setup"
  • Select "Sound Blaster Pro" as sound device and save configuration
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select C:\WESTWOOD\LANDS.BAT to run the game


Powermonger

How to create a .boxer bundle that runs Powermonger:

  • Create a new empty folder "Powermonger"
  • Copy the contents of POWER.ZIP, which is stored inside the floppy disk images disk0070.img, into the folder
  • Drop the folder onto "Drop games here to install them.app"
  • Open the .boxer bundle in the Finder and copy PATCHER.EXE into the Powermonger folder
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder, select PATCHER.EXE to run
  • Select Powermonger as the file to patch; this will modify the file GAME.EXE; the game will still ask its copy protection question, but it now accepts any answer
  • Close the DOSBox session
  • In the Finder, delete PATCHER.EXE from the the .boxer bundle
  • Double-click the .boxer bundle in the Finder and select PM.BAT to run the game

Note: When the game runs, press Ctrl+Q to exit to DOS


The Forgotten Realms Archives

TODO


Successful game installs

In this section I simply list those games that I got to run with a simple Boxer.app install and no special configuration:

  • Descent (OldWinData/D/Games/Descent); I also own a CD-ROM with the full version of the game if a new install is required.
  • Descent 2 Demo (OldWinData/D/Games/D2DEMO)
  • Incredible Machine (OldWinData/D/Games/Incredible Machine; ; also get the .txt file with the puzzle access codes from my "Computer Games" folder)
  • Incredible Machine 2 (OldWinData/D/Games/Incredible Machine 2)
  • Incredible Toons (OldWinData/D/Games/Incredible Toons)


Games that I tried to run with DOSBox unsuccessfully

Duke Nuk'em 3D

  • Simple Boxer.app install from OldWinData/D/Games/DUKE3D failed

Ultima I-VI

  • Tried several ways to install the game, always ended up with the problem that the installer cannot find essential DOS commands (e.g. SUBST), then bails out
  • I found a hint in this FAQ that the CD-ROM contents were assembled faulty and that for some of the games (e.g. Ultima 2) the maps might be wrong; unable to check this since I cannot run the games


Games to try

DOS games

  • Infocom games
  • Das Schwarze Auge: Die Schicksalsklinge
  • Ultima VII: The Black Gate
  • Rebel Assault
  • Riven
  • Wizardry
  • Demos

Windows games

  • Civilization
  • Another World


Notes

Multi-part .zip archives

For the moment I do not have an easy solution for those; as per the manual page of zip/unzip, do the following (example follows what I had to do to get at the files for the Amnesia demo):

  • concatenate all .zip files that are part of the archive, e.g.
cat AMNESIA-1.ZIP AMNESIA-2.ZIP >AMNESIA-FULL.ZIP
  • "fix" the archive
zip -F AMNESIA-FULL.zip
  • extract the archive content
unzip AMNESIA-FULL.zip
  • this will produce a "fixed" version of the archive, e.g. AMNESIA.ZIP
  • extract the fixed archive content
unzip AMNESIA.zip


Entering a backslash (\)

The backslash sometimes cannot be entered in the DOSBox window (e.g. during installation for entering a path) because the keyboard layout is set to "Swiss German", but we do not have an AltGR key since this is a Mac keyboard. An old trick remembered from DOS times helps here: Enter "Alt+92", i.e. keep the Alt (Option) key pressed while typing the keys 9 followed by 2 on the numeric keypad (the normal numbers above the QWERTZ line does not work).

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