What ports would require a legacy/retro system?

[invictius]

Doom legacy doesn't really like being opened on modern systems, nor does winmbf.  Are there any other non-redundant ports that need strange things like windows 98 or obscure hardware?

[fabian]

I cannot speak for Doom Legacy, but for WinMBF it could probably make sense to replace its bundled SDL libraries with less outdated ones (i.e. the latest upstream releases of the 1.x series). Apart from this, there shouldn't be much that prevents this port from running on more modern systems (at least code-wise).

[wesleyjohnson]

DoomLegacy is doing fine on the modern Linux.

It opens fine on Windows too, does not require obscure hardware, nor does it require Win98.

 

It does have some options for compiling it for DOS, Win98, OS2, BSD, and MAC, but that for those who want to compile it for one of those older OS.

The SDL windows binary is compiled on a modern 64 bit version of windows.

Some of the older SDL versions were responsible for some problems.  Some users have reported that the latest SDL for windows fixes some of their problems.

I am developing on Linux, then checking the windows port on an XP.

It is being tested on modern versions of Windows by several hundred users, and I have not heard of any that it does not run on.

 

If you mean the windows idiom point and click system, then you have to know how to use that to deal with a command line option rich program.

Most people try to use the old Launcher.  Because of that, the old Launcher is still being shipped with the windows binary (probably for the last time).

 

The Launcher that was shipped with the last windows binary is likely going to be dead (again).

We cannot find the source code that was used to create it, and older source code versions have shown even more problems.

The problem with it is that the wad files specified to the old Launcher need to be in the directory with the binary executable.  Otherwise the old Launcher screws up to which directory it puts the autoexec file that it builds.  Do not give that old Launcher any absolute path names.

But that is a problem with an old Launcher that has been declared dead and unsupported, several times now.

 

Work is being done on replacing the old Legacy launcher in three ways.  There is a replacement launcher developed by Exl, there is the built-in launcher, and there are the menus.

The built-in launcher can handle almost all the command line switches.  But you still have to know the command line syntax, and the command line switches.

 

You do NOT need to use a Launcher to start DoomLegacy on a point-an-click windowing system.

It has several other ways to specify the same settings, such as autoexec file, built-in Launcher, and the console.

I never use any Doom launcher, even on Windows.

 

More of the command line switches are being brought into the menu system.

 

There are a few switches that at this time, still must be on a command line.  Those are the ones that the original Doom versions used to configure the entire Graphics system.

Those switches made irreversible selections.  I have been adding functions to reverse those actions, so those selections can be made in the menus (work in progress for next release).  But, just about every function in the Video and Graphics interfaces has to be rewritten, and a whole lot of texture and patch handling needs tracking and unloading capability.

 

If you don't use a Doom Launcher then you can let DoomLegacy search for the wad files in its list of known wad directories.

It will find the wad, even if it is in a subdirectory.

 

I would think the easiest point-and-click way to start DoomLegacy would be to just create one of those program indirections, and specify the command line switches you want on its command line.

Just use that to start the program each time.

It usually would need to specify the game, the graphics mode (opengl), and any added wad files.

 

You can also use the built-in drop-down console to specify added wad files.

This can be done after DoomLegacy starts, or even after playing another game.

 

You can specify custom configuration using an autoexec file with console commands.

Then just edit the autoexec file for which game you are playing.

This has the advantage of saving that setup so the same game can be saved and continued later without having to guess at what configuration you specified.

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by wesleyjohnson

[VGA]

On 12/11/2018 at 9:04 AM, invictius said:

Doom legacy doesn't really like being opened on modern systems, nor does winmbf.  Are there any other non-redundant ports that need strange things like windows 98 or obscure hardware?

Doom 95!!

 

Also, that weird cdoom thing? Is that how it was called? Anyway, why would you want to use a deprecated port?