Alex S.

What grinds my gears is that basically every re-release of the DOS versions of Doom are bundled badly. Steam, GOG, Bethesda, all of them. They all use bog-standard DOSBox configs, an ancient build of DOSBox and horrible video and sound settings. I've gone to great lengths to make up a 100% accurate configuration that produces smooth gameplay, usable mouse sensitivity, actual OPL3 stereo and phase-shift stereo SFX in-game and a load of other things that recreate the way it ran on my 486 DX2/50 back in the day. Because I'm old and remember how it's supposed to run. Q&A are always welcome either on this thread, or via PM. I'm very nice, so feel free to reach out to me for whatever you need help with. This config works great with Id Tech 1 games like Doom, Heretic, HeXen, Strife, Chex Quest and so on but does NOT play nice with Tech 2 games like Quake or some of the DOS ports of HeXen II because of the way Quake's engine handles CPU timing and sound. Config for most games, with a focus on Doom compatiblity: # Alex's DOSBox configuration. # # This is intended for use with DOSBox 0.74-3 on Windows computers. Doesn't play nice with Intel graphics as it relies heavily on a real OpenGL implementation. # # # The display / viewport settings: #fullscreen=true This makes DOSBox launch full-screen. Set to false if you want to launch in a window at startup. Alt+Enter toggles fullscreen mode. #fulldouble=false Don't double-buffer in fullscreen. Reduces latency and frametime. #fullresolution=original Whatever the game's video mode (resolution) is, then just use that natively. In the case of 320x200, you may need to use something like CRU if your EDID doesn't support old modes. #windowresolution=original Similar to fullresolution. When in windowed mode, just use whatever resolution the game prefers. Gets rid of jaggies with scaling etc. #output=opengl We're going to use OpenGL as the render API. Other render paths are bad. Trust me they suck. #autolock=true Capture mouse cursor automatically. Gets rid of the need to "click somewhere" to capture input at launch/ #sensitivity=200 I doubled the default value since I prefer a more responsive mouse on my setup. Change to whatever you like. Default is 100. #waitonerror=true If DOSBox catches an exception, hold on so the user can read it before it quits. #priority=higher,normal Tells Windows how to schedule CPU time. We want this more responsive but not dominating. Realtime is obsurd. We go with higher priority when "up front" and normal when "behind/minimized". #mapperfile=mapper-0.74.map If you want to use a key mapper file, this is the one. Put that file in .\base #usescancodes=true Use raw keyboard scan codes rather than trying to assume a layout. fullscreen=true fulldouble=false fullresolution=original windowresolution=original output=opengl autolock=true sensitivity=200 waitonerror=true priority=higher,normal mapperfile=mapper-0.74.map usescancodes=true [dosbox] #machine=svga_s3 DOSBox will emulate a machine with an S3 Trio 864 PCI card. Seems the quickest video routines happen this way. #captures=capture Directory to put your recorded / captured items. Relative to the base directory. #memsize=32 How much extended memory will the DOS system have? Well, the logical maximum of DOS is 32 million bytes. machine=svga_s3 captures=capture memsize=32 [render] #frameskip=0 How many frames to drop for each frame we render. I want to see them all! #aspect=false Do no aspect ratio correction. Useful when we would rather just "stretch" the 4x3 to fill the display. #scaler=none forced Don't use any software-based scaling or effects. Gives a more "native, original" look. frameskip=0 aspect=false scaler=none forced [cpu] #core=auto What type of CPU cores are we emulating? Auto = Let DOSBox figure that out. #cputype=auto What kind of CPU are we emulating? Again, let DOSBox handle that too. #cycles=max How many clock cycles are we targeting? When set to 'max', as many as the real machine can push out. #cycleup=10 When hitting the "increase cycles" hotkey, how many cycles to go up. #cycledown=20 When hitting the "decrease cycles" hotkey, how many cycles to go down. core=auto cputype=auto cycles=max cycleup=10 cycledown=20 [mixer] #nosound=false We want sound, so setting nosound to false does the job. #rate=49716 Overall mix sample rate. This is the highest DOSBox can go. Increases audio quality and needs to be set this way for best music also. Has nothing to do with your actual hardware rate. #blocksize=1024 How many bytes of sound to handle in one hunk at a time. Anything bigger is a waste, and anything smaller causes noises. #prebuffer=20 How far ahead do we mix? nosound=false rate=49716 blocksize=1024 prebuffer=20 [midi] #mpu401=intelligent Makes the emulated MPU401 play nicer with different types of MIDI devices. #mididevice=default Assume we'll grab whatever MIDI out device Windows calls its default. #midiconfig= Not used unless you specify a SoundFont. I don't. mpu401=intelligent mididevice=default midiconfig= [sblaster] #sbtype=sb16 We want to emulate a Sound Blaster 16 #sbbase=220 ...at 0x220... #irq=5 ...interrupt request 5... #dma=1 ...low DMA 1... #hdma=5 ...high DMA 5... #sbmixer=true and let the "mixer" command allow us to change various volume levels inside DOSBox #oplmode=opl3 Forces OPL3 mode so we can take full advantage of our FM synth. It's still backwards compatible with OPL2 games though. #oplemu=compat This option tells the emulated OPL chip to be more true to original YMF262 hardware instead of sticking with DOSBox's defaults. #oplrate=49716 And this is what I was talking about in the mixer section above. Has to match. sbtype=sb16 sbbase=220 irq=5 dma=1 hdma=5 sbmixer=true oplmode=opl3 oplemu=compat oplrate=49716 [gus] #gus=true Make the emulated Gravis UltraSound available in DOSBox. #gusrate=49716 Again, highest possible quality. #gusbase=240 Doesn't conflict with the Sound Blaster at 220 #gusirq=7 Doesn't conflict with the Sound Blaster at IRQ 5 #gusdma=3 ...or low DMA 1 #ultradir=C:\ULTRASND You actually need GUS software. This goes in .\base gus=true gusrate=49716 gusbase=240 gusirq=7 gusdma=3 ultradir=C:\ULTRASND [speaker] #pcspeaker=true We want the PC speaker active #pcrate=49716 Highest quality #tandy=auto Emulate Tandy sound if possible #tandyrate=49716 Highest quality for the Tandy #disney=true Make Disney Sound Source available if possible. pcspeaker=true pcrate=49716 tandy=auto tandyrate=49716 disney=true [joystick] # I change none of the joystick settings because I'm a keyboard/mouse player only. joysticktype=auto timed=true autofire=false swap34=false buttonwrap=false [serial] # I don't have a real serial port on my rig so these are also default. serial1=dummy serial2=dummy serial3=disabled serial4=disabled [dos] #xms=true Enables expanded memory management for DOS #ems=true Enabled extended memory management for DOS #umb=true Allows using the upper memory area in DOS #keyboardlayout=auto Don't fiddle with the keyboard layout. Just follow the mapper in DOSBox xms=true ems=true umb=true keyboardlayout=auto [ipx] # Yes, we'll turn up IPX/SPX because LAN play is awesome. ipx=true [autoexec] # Mount my base folder for drive C, switch to the C drive, set the DOS version to 6.22 and tell any DMX audio-based games to use OPL3 and real stereo mixing. You can also call things like novert here if you rather. mount c .\base c: ver set 6 22 set DMXOPTION=-opl3 -phase Here is a more specific config that is designed with Quake compatibility in mind: # Quake-specific DOSBox configuration. fullscreen=true fulldouble=false fullresolution=original windowresolution=original output=opengl autolock=true sensitivity=200 waitonerror=true priority=higher,normal mapperfile=mapper-0.74.map usescancodes=true [dosbox] machine=svga_s3 captures=capture memsize=32 [render] frameskip=0 aspect=false scaler=none forced [cpu] core=normal cputype=pentium_slow cycles=60000 cycleup=10 cycledown=20 [mixer] nosound=false rate=49716 blocksize=1024 prebuffer=20 [midi] mpu401=intelligent mididevice=default midiconfig= [sblaster] sbtype=sb16 sbbase=220 irq=5 dma=1 hdma=5 sbmixer=true oplmode=opl3 oplemu=compat oplrate=49716 [gus] gus=false gusrate=49716 gusbase=240 gusirq=7 gusdma=3 ultradir=C:\ULTRASND [speaker] pcspeaker=true pcrate=49716 tandy=auto tandyrate=49716 disney=true [joystick] joysticktype=auto timed=true autofire=false swap34=false buttonwrap=false [serial] serial1=dummy serial2=dummy serial3=disabled serial4=disabled [dos] xms=true ems=true umb=true keyboardlayout=auto [ipx] ipx=true [autoexec] mount c .\base c: ver set 6 22 Here is a drag-and-drop install of my own little DOSBox setup. It includes a clean install of official DOSBox 0.74-3 for Windows along with a base config that's good for Doom engine games. Includes GUS resources for anyone who wants to use Gravis music as well. DOSBox-0.74-3.zip

So, like the post title says I’m wondering if Doom and the Serpent Riders series may share the same universe. My big clue is in Doom Eternal. The hooded figure bears the mark of the Crossed Trident which is a prominent symbol from Heretic. Curious as to what others think!

Hi all, After a bit of no releases, I've got another one. This time, I need to make sure the tool I propose to release is OK with the moderators/admins/staff before doing anything. What I have created is a tool that reliably unlocks the encrypted MJ3 games in Id STUFF (found on many shareware CDs). Given this tool is intended for people who legitimately own the game they're unlocking, and was designed only for archival posterity, I see nothing immoral about using it so long as the user is licensed to have the game they unlock. BUT, because it's the Internet, and anyone can say "Oh, yea, I paid for that" then unlock a free game, I'm apprehensive about releasing such a tool without the express "OK" from the moderators. I have both Windows and Mac OS binaries. Here's a screenshot of it running, having just provided an unlock code: Are the Mods/Staff OK with me releasing this, or should I keep it to myself? I don't want to break any rules unknowingly. Thanks :)

I hate nothing. Any Doom is good Doom but I do lean toward preferring TAG2 a bit more personally.

The only person who gets the right to judge you, is you. Your individuality and your own personal spark is what makes you amazing. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like they're above you or that they "know better". You're perfect the way you are, and your flaws and shortcomings are what make you human. This community stands with our member eternally - We are with you in spirit and in friendship. We accept you as you come. Please, I hope you read this and I hope that when you do, you take comfort in my words, knowing that you're special to someone.

How is PowerSlave: Exhumed? I played the original and loved it. I've been thinking of picking up this awesome remaster/re-release. Is it as good as the screenshots/reviews make it out to be?

Every year when autumn comes, I have the undying sinister urge strike. The urge that can only be satisfied by the act of playing Hexen!

Your unsolicited spam is NOT welcome in our community. Go away!

@Doomkidplease hurry and ban this dickhead. They're posting spam everywhere!

@Doomkid dude looks like we have a filthy spammer in our midst. Can you ban this asshole please?

Ha! Thank you I never knew this and honestly should have just looked at the source myself. Cheers man!

Systems engineer. I work for an ISP. Stress is life.

Why does the word 'fuck' appear in HERETIC.EXE at 0x8A15C?

As it comes, the DOS Doom source is not able to be compiled because of missing DMX sound middleware that was redacted for copyright reasons. That aside, it's easy enough to remove any dependencies on this library and compile anyway. If I were to compile any of the original Id Tech 1 game source code, I'd probably bring the project in to Watcom C or Borland C on a DOS machine and build it that way.

Proudly part of the minority who doesn't use source ports. I have nothing against them, just personal choice is all.

One thing AI cannot replicate is the true love and passion of a dedicated creator. I would not feel like there was the same level of quality in anything AI-generated because a true fan and creator must be a human being in order to put out a good map.

I entirely support saving as needed. If the developers didn't encourage this as a part of normal gameplay, they wouldn't have allowed it. I think shaming a player for "save-scumming" is ridiculous.

Thanks for the feedback - I will work on it.

I've seen that as well. Their implementation is great - very simple and straightforward.

Yeah, this release is a modern re-implementation of QCracker which is probably the older tool you're referring to. It was a DOS-only 16-bit command-line program that worked pretty well for the time and is still pretty cool today.

Especially when the software you're reverse-engineering stores unencrypted hashes in memory ;)

Hope you enjoy. There's an HTML / JS version coming soon!

Nice! The best trove of Id STUFF is the Quake shareware CD. It's got basically everything on there. There's a copy at https://archive.org/details/cdrom-quake-shareware if you need it.

True on all the above points. But, this was fun to create. Plus I, like basically everyone on here, have paid for many copies of all these games anyway so it's just fun to see those old PKZip archives extract in DOS haha

The tool I made can unlock the following titles from various Id Software discs: Doom II The Ultimate Doom for Windows 95 Master Levels HEXEN Heretic Wolfenstein 3d Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders HEXEN: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel HEXEN 1.1 Doom II for Windows 95 Doom Special Edition - The Ultimate Doom Final Doom for DOS Final Doom for Windows 95 Quake 1.01 These are the ones I was able to dig up hashes for. Should be enough, right? lol