SH 1 sound

[Agrippa]

I successfully installed SH1 onto my laptop, and the game plays well, without having to use dosbox. However, there's no sound, and a submarine game is one of those where sound is rather necessary. Does anyone have any tips on getting the sound to work? I tried all the options for digital sound and it said it couldn't find the sound card (or whatever).

[Sailor Steve]

Yep. Use DosBox. It's a Dos game. As far as I know that's the only way.

But that's only as far as I know.

[Wim Libaers]

Well, there are some other options, with computer emulators such as qemu, or (if everything else works well) sound card emulators such as VDMS. More difficult to use than Dosbox, but they can provide better performance (which may or may not be a good thing - some very old games can run too fast).

[Agrippa]

what is VDMS, and where can I get it?

Also, is qemu for DOS programs, and if so where can I get it?

Thanks

[1mPHUNit0]

No, don't use it
dos box it's the best.
VDMS get a loot of problems

[Wim Libaers]

Originally Posted by Agrippa

what is VDMS, and where can I get it?

Also, is qemu for DOS programs, and if so where can I get it?

Thanks

OK. A very old VDMS version can be found here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vdmsound/
And a newer version (preferable):
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=2071

You will notice even the new version is not exactly recent. As far as I know, it is no longer an active project. It is also trickier to use than Dosbox, and some options are likely to be confusing unless you had some experience with making DOS bootdisks. The new version also includes some extra tools, such as MSCDEX emulation (SAPUCDEX) which is very useful for games that require the CD-ROM.

If Dosbox works for you, it may be better to stay away from VDMS. It will not help, it will merely be more difficult to configure. However, if you have performance issues with Dosbox, it's worth giving it a try. For example, VDMS, SAPUCDEX and dgVoodoo (a Glide emulator) combined are a good way to run the first Tomb Raider game in Windows at acceptable performance with 3D acceleration. This would not work in Dosbox. But it is not easy to configure (well, in the case of Tomb Raider, there's a program that automates most of the decisions, but in the general case it's tricky).

QEMU is a complete system emulator. It is similar to Dosbox, but Dosbox is made for just one OS (DOS), and not very fast. QEMU is faster (even without the special accelerator library), and can run any OS that runs on any of the systems it can emulate (in fact, you have to install an OS on it). It can be even harder to configure than VDMS, but is useful if you want a specific OS. No 3D acceleration though. It is one of a number of virtual PC programs, you can find a list here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...rtual_machines
Some of these may be easier to use, I haven't tried many of them.

[1mPHUNit0]

Naaa.... dosbox, simple, easy, fast, and best

Create in C
C/DOS and inside create Files, Download, and CDrive
Put DosBox 0.63-win32-installer.exe in C:\Dos\Files.
Then install Dosbox
Destination folder
"C:\DOS\DOSBox-0.63" OK?

Now we change autoexec.bat.
From Start, programs , DOSBox-0.63,
DOSBox.conf

At the end of DOSBox.conf write:

[autoexec]
#Lines in this section will be run at the startup
mount C C:\DOS\CDrive
mount D D:\ -t cdrom
C:
CLS

Change also......

[sdl]
# fullscreen -- Start dosbox directly in fullscreen.
# fulldouble -- Use double buffering in fullscreen.
# fullfixed -- Don't resize the screen when in fullscreen.
# fullresolution -- What resolution to use for fullscreen, use together with fullfixed.
# output -- What to use for output: surface,overlay,opengl,openglnb,ddraw.
# hwscale -- Extra scaling of window if the output device supports hardware scaling.
# autolock -- Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen.
# sensitiviy -- Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror -- Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority -- Priority levels for dosbox: lower,normal,higher,highest.
# Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
# mapperfile -- File used to load/save the key/event mappings from.

fullscreen=true <-------- This !!!!
fulldouble=false
fullfixed=false
fullresolution=1024x768
output=surface
hwscale=1.00
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt

[dosbox]
# language -- Select another language file.
# memsize -- Amount of memory dosbox has in megabytes.
# machine -- The type of machine tries to emulate:hercules,cga,tandy,vga.
# captures -- Directory where things like wave,midi,screenshot get captured.

language=
machine=auto <-------- This !!!!
captures=capture
memsize=64 <-------- This !!!!

[render]
# frameskip -- How many frames dosbox skips before drawing one.
# aspect -- Do aspect correction.
# scaler -- Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes.
# Supported are none,normal2x,advmame2x,advmame3x,advinterp2x,inte rp2x,tv2x.

frameskip=6 <-------- This !!!! (frameskip=3 ->17.5 / 15 fps 2->23.3 / 20 fps)
aspect=true <-------- This !!!!
scaler=normal2x

[cpu]
# core -- CPU Core used in emulation: simple,normal,full,dynamic.
# cycles -- Amount of instructions dosbox tries to emulate each millisecond.
# Setting this higher than your machine can handle is bad!
# cycleup -- Amount of cycles to increase/decrease with keycombo.
# cycledown Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core=normal (provate a vedere se funziona "dynamic"...ma.....)
cycles=9000 <-------- This !!!! (si può provare a incremantare il carico ma...)
cycleup=500
cycledown=20

[mixer]
# nosound -- Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate -- Mixer sample rate, setting any devices higher than this will
# probably lower their sound quality.
# blocksize -- Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering
# but sound will also be more lagged.
# prebuffer -- How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound=false
rate=22050
blocksize=2048
prebuffer=10

[midi]
# mpu401 -- Enable MPU-401 Emulation.
# intelligent -- Operate in Intelligent mode.
# device -- Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# This can be default,alsa,oss,win32,coreaudio,none.
# config -- Special configuration options for the device.

mpu401=false <-------- This !!!!
intelligent=true
device=default
config=

[sblaster]
# type -- Type of sblaster to emulate:none,sb1,sb2,sbpro1,sbpro2,sb16.
# base,irq,dma,hdma -- The IO/IRQ/DMA/High DMA address of the soundblaster.
# mixer -- Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the dosbox mixer.
# oplmode -- Type of OPL emulation: auto,cms,opl2,dualopl2,opl3.
# On auto the mode is determined by sblaster type.
# oplrate -- Sample rate of OPL music emulation.

type=sb16
base=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
mixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplrate=22050

[gus]
# gus -- Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# base,irq1,irq2,dma1,dma2 -- The IO/IRQ/DMA addresses of the
# Gravis Ultrasound. (Same IRQ's and DMA's are OK.)
# rate -- Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# ultradir -- Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
# there should be a MIDI directory that contains
# the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
# with Timidity should work fine.

gus=false <-------- This !!!!
rate=22050
base=240
irq1=5
irq2=5
dma1=3
dma2=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker -- Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate -- Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# tandyrate -- Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# Tandysound emulation is present if machine is set to tandy.
# disney -- Enable Disney Sound Source emulation.

pcspeaker=true
pcrate=22050
tandyrate=22050
disney=false <-------- This !!!!

[bios]
# Nothing to setup yet!

[dos]
# xms -- Enable XMS support.
# ems -- Enable EMS support.

xms=true
ems=true

[modem]
# modem -- Enable virtual modem emulation.
# comport -- COM Port modem is connected to.
# listenport -- TCP Port the modem listens on for incoming connections.

modem=false
comport=2
listenport=23

[directserial]
# directserial -- Enable serial passthrough support.
# comport -- COM Port inside DOSBox.
# realport -- COM Port on the Host.
# defaultbps -- Default BPS.
# parity -- Parity of the packets. This can be N, E or O.
# bytesize -- Size of each packet. This can be 5 or 8.
# stopbit -- The number of stopbits. This can be 1 or 2.

directserial=false
comport=1
realport=COM1
defaultbps=1200
parity=N
bytesize=8
stopbit=1

[ipx]
# ipx -- Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx=false

[autoexec]
#Lines in this section will be run at the startup
mount C C:\DOS\CDrive <-------- This !!!!
mount D D:\ -t cdrom <-------- This !!!!
C: <-------- this !!!!
CLS <-------- this!!!!

Install the prog in C:\DOS\CDrive
Play DOSBox
cd silent
write sh
End.
Some tweaking

CTRL-F7 = Decreases frameskip

CTRL-F8 = Increases Frameskip

CTRL-F11 = Slows down the game

CTRL-F12 = Speeds up the game

Push CTRL-ALT-DEL and open Task Manager,
Performance tab.
CTRL-F12 until CPU Usage level 95%.
CTRL-F8 as you prefer.

[aanker]

Just curious. Has anyone tried this method with Vista yet?

Thanks, Art

[Hitman]

Humm first of all may I ask your computer specs? May be there could be a simplier solution, depending on your hardware :hmm:

Just curious. Has anyone tried this method with Vista yet?

VISTA....you hit the nail Art, that's the word we are going to hear in these forums a lot in the near future SH1 gave lots of problems to run in XP so I can figure that Vista will be again a nightmare...

I will try to collect any helpful tips about VISTA, so anyone who has 1st hand experience please report.

[aanker]

Thanks, Luckily I have no problem. One of our members in the SH 1 Pacific Thunder Campaign just bought a new lap top with Vista and I steered him to this thread and also the subsowespac DOSBox page. Unsure about his specs but will find out.

[rjolitz]

Hello All....

AAnker told me about this place! Maybe you all can help me.

I have a Vaio laptop running Vista.

1.6 gig Intel processor
1 gig memory
Mobile intel 945gm express chipset
14.9" lcd screen

I've tried setting up a command.com shortcut and then installing but I keep getting a 'this system doesn't support full screen mode' error. I've tried changing to win xp compability mode, ignoring the error, but it hangs at the memory check and never goes further.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on what to try I'll appreciate it.

Thanks

Rich

:d amn:

[ChristopherT]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Humm first of all may I ask your computer specs? May be there could be a simplier solution, depending on your hardware :hmm:

I will try to collect any helpful tips about VISTA, so anyone who has 1st hand experience please report.

Does Vista still come with a Format command? Perhaps the best fix would be a clean install of Windows 98!


Christopher

[heartc]

Originally Posted by rjolitz

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on what to try I'll appreciate it.

Thanks

Rich

:d amn:

I can only emphazise what was said above: Use DosBox. Recently a new version has come out which runs SHI excellently.

Don't be intimidated by the dosbox.conf talk. It is the easiest way to get SHI running. I never got any other method to work, but I only had to change very few things in dosbox.conf to get it running. Note the lines colored in red:

[sdl]
# fullscreen -- Start dosbox directly in fullscreen.
# fulldouble -- Use double buffering in fullscreen.
# fullresolution -- What resolution to use for fullscreen: original or fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# windowresolution -- Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
# output -- What to use for output: surface,overlay,opengl,openglnb,ddraw.
# autolock -- Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen.
# sensitiviy -- Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror -- Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority -- Priority levels for dosbox: lowest,lower,normal,higher,highest,pause (when not focussed).
#             Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
# mapperfile -- File used to load/save the key/event mappings from.
# usescancodes -- Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen=false    (<- set "true" for auto fullscreen, but not mandatory)
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=original
output=surface
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true

[dosbox]
# language -- Select another language file.
# memsize -- Amount of memory dosbox has in megabytes.
# machine -- The type of machine tries to emulate:hercules,cga,tandy,pcjr,vga.
# captures -- Directory where things like wave,midi,screenshot get captured.

language=
machine=vga
captures=capture
memsize=16

[render]
# frameskip -- How many frames dosbox skips before drawing one.
# aspect -- Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!.
# scaler -- Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes.
#           Supported are none,normal2x,normal3x,advmame2x,advmame3x,hq2x,hq3x,
#                         2xsai,super2xsai,supereagle,advinterp2x,advinterp3x,
#                         tv2x,tv3x,rgb2x,rgb3x,scan2x,scan3x.

frameskip=0
aspect=false
scaler=normal2x

[cpu]
# core -- CPU Core used in emulation: normal,simple,dynamic,auto.
#         auto switches from normal to dynamic if appropriate.
# cycles -- Amount of instructions dosbox tries to emulate each millisecond.
#           Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags.
#           You can also let DOSBox guess the correct value by setting it to max.
#           The default setting (auto) switches to max if appropriate.
# cycleup   -- Amount of cycles to increase/decrease with keycombo.
# cycledown    Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core=dynamic
cycles=auto
cycleup=500
cycledown=20

[mixer]
# nosound -- Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate -- Mixer sample rate, setting any devices higher than this will
#         probably lower their sound quality.
# blocksize -- Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering
#              but sound will also be more lagged.
# prebuffer -- How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound=false
rate=22050
blocksize=2048
prebuffer=10

[midi]
# mpu401      -- Type of MPU-401 to emulate: none, uart or intelligent.
# device      -- Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
#                This can be default,alsa,oss,win32,coreaudio,none.
# config      -- Special configuration options for the device. In Windows put
#                the id of the device you want to use. See README for details.

mpu401=intelligent
device=default
config=

[sblaster]
# sbtype -- Type of sblaster to emulate:none,sb1,sb2,sbpro1,sbpro2,sb16.
# sbbase,irq,dma,hdma -- The IO/IRQ/DMA/High DMA address of the soundblaster.
# mixer -- Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the dosbox mixer.
# oplmode -- Type of OPL emulation: auto,cms,opl2,dualopl2,opl3.
#            On auto the mode is determined by sblaster type.
#            All OPL modes are 'Adlib', except for CMS.
# oplrate -- Sample rate of OPL music emulation.

sbtype=sb16
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
mixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplrate=22050

[gus]
# gus -- Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# gusbase,irq1,irq2,dma1,dma2 -- The IO/IRQ/DMA addresses of the 
#            Gravis Ultrasound. (Same IRQ's and DMA's are OK.)
# gusrate -- Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# ultradir -- Path to Ultrasound directory.  In this directory
#             there should be a MIDI directory that contains
#             the patch files for GUS playback.  Patch sets used
#             with Timidity should work fine.

gus=true
gusrate=22050
gusbase=240
irq1=5
irq2=5
dma1=3
dma2=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker -- Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate -- Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# tandy -- Enable Tandy Sound System emulation (off,on,auto).
#          For auto Tandysound emulation is present only if machine is set to tandy.
# tandyrate -- Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# disney -- Enable Disney Sound Source emulation.

pcspeaker=true
pcrate=22050
tandy=auto
tandyrate=22050
disney=true

[joystick]
# joysticktype -- Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
#                 2axis (supports two joysticks), 4axis,
#                 fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
#                 none disables joystick emulation.
#                 auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
# timed -- enable timed intervals for axis. (false is old style behaviour).
# autofire -- continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
# swap34 -- swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. can be useful for certain joysticks.
# buttonwrap -- enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.

joysticktype=auto
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=true
buttonwrap=true

[serial]
# serial1-4 -- set type of device connected to com port.
#              Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
#              Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
#              parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq.
#              for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
#              for modem: listenport (optional).
#              for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
#                             transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
#              Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000

serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

[dos]
# xms -- Enable XMS support.
# ems -- Enable EMS support.
# umb -- Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout -- Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).

xms=true
ems=true
umb=true
keyboardlayout=none

[ipx]
# ipx -- Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx=false

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.

mount c c:\dosprog       (<- this setting tells DosBox that the actual path C:\dosprog - or wherever you store your dos games - shall be recognized as virtual hard disk C in dosbox.)

mount d D:\ -t cdrom  (<- for games that require a CD, this setting tells DosBox that the actual CD-Rom drive D:\ - or whatever letter the drive you installed the game from has - shall be recognized as drive D in dosbox. Both letters should be the same, cause when the game requires a CD, it is looking for the drive it was installed from.)

c:   (<- this setting enables drive C: and will have Dosbox await your commands.)

Now, after you started dosbox, simply enter

cd silent (switches to SH directory)
sh (runs sh.exe)

That's all.

If you want to check the contents of a file within dosbox, type
dir
or
dir/p

[nycoroner05]

Use Dos Box