OS/2 Professional/OS2PRO194.ISO/os2/info/document/os2_info/os2games.txt

Text File | 1992-09-09 | 18.1 KB | 523 lines

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games,comp.os.os2.apps
From: [e-mail] (Stephen M Smith)
Subject: OS/2 and DOS GAMES SUMMARY (1.0a)
July 24/92

------------------------------------------------------------
OS2.GAMES     VERSION 1.0a
------------------------------------------------------------

This file provides guidelines for running various games under OS/2.
I've uploaded this file to ftp-os2.nmsu.edu as games10a.txt.  The
info here has been gathered from postings to the net and from my
own experiences.  Thanks to all of you who posted or emailed your
DOS games experiences, and thanks for correcting any blunders you
see here. :-)

---------------------------------------
GENERAL TIPS:

Read the README file in your OS/2 root directory.  It has tips for
running specific DOS and Windows apps under OS/2.

Read the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games FAQ.  This is very important since it
will tell you about possible problems when running the game even under
plain DOS.  If you can't find a copy of the FAQ in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games,
email Chris Warren, the keeper of the FAQ, at [e-mail] for a
copy, or email me (Steve Smith <[e-mail]>)
and I'll send you a copy.

If you have trouble installing the game under OS/2 and you are trying
to install the game on an FAT drive, boot up plain DOS (via dual boot
or the Boot Manager) and install it there.  Sometimes a game (or other
apps) won't install for some reason under OS/2, but once installed
they'll work fine under OS/2.

If you experience strange anomalies or incompatibilities of any kind
(especially with older games), try booting a real copy of DOS from
a floppy inside a VDM running under OS/2 and run the game in that
DOS session.  See VMDISK in the Command Reference online docs for
details.

In order to achieve maximum performance and speed, especially for graphics
intensive games such as flight simulators, try the following settings:

DOS Fullscreen:  check this option; best performance can always be
    achieved by running the game in a full screen DOS session.
DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION:  OFF
    (so it won't take CPU time when you switch away from it)
DOS_HIGH: ON (more memory for those that need it)
DOS_RMSIZE: 640
DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT: 0  (DOS games don't use DPMI memory)
EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT: 1024  (this is EXPANDED memory.  If a game
    uses more than 1024k, use a higher number; if the game uses no
    EMS, such as Ultimas 4-5 and most of the earlier EGA games
    [SSI games, Tunnels and Trolls, Might and Magic II, Dragon
    Wars, Magic Candle I, Knights of Legend, etc] set EMS to 0)
HW_ROM_TO_RAM: ON  (copies ROM BIOS to RAM--several people
    have said this boosts performance on their machines)
HW_TIMER: ON  (this is important, especially for those games that
    use soundboards.  However, one user noted that when this setting
    is set to ON it causes many games that send sound directly to the
    SB to crash the entire system.  I have not experienced this myself.)
IDLE_SECONDS: 10
IDLE_SENSITIVITY: 100  (this is important)
KBD_ALTHOME_BYPASS: ON  (this prevents the DOS session from
    being shrunk to a window via ALT-HOME; keep it on OFF if you
    want to run your game in a window)
VIDEO_FASTPASTE:  ON  (reported by some to boost performance)
VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION:  OFF  (important for fast graphics,
    though you may have to experiment with this one)
VIDEO_ROM_EMULATION: OFF
XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT:  64  (this is EXTENDED memory; when you have
    DOS_HIGH=ON, DOS can use this 64k which will help give you more
    base memory)

For best performance close ALL windows and apps (especially DOS apps) before
you run the game so that the game can get as much of the CPU as
possible.

-----------------------------------------
SOUND CARDS:

Soundblaster: make sure that you don't have your Soundblaster set for IRQ7.
    OS/2 uses IRQ7 (which is LPT1) to print, even though DOS doesn't, so

    under OS/2 you need to change the default IRQ for your SB from 7 to
    5 (or to some other available IRQ).

Roland LAPC-1: the default IRQ2 and 330 address work fine.  IRQ2 is
    automatically mapped to IRQ9 on 386 and 486 boards.

PRO AUDIO SPECTRUM-16: one user made the following note:

   The PAS-16 works under OS/2 but there aren't any OS/2 programs that
   use it yet.  Any DOS or Windows programs that use the PAS-16 should
   work fine under OS/2.  Media Vision has just begun the job of writing
   OS/2 drivers--they are sending a programmer to IBM Boca Raton next
   week [July 20th, 1992] to work on them.

------------------------------------------
SPECIFIC GAMES:

Use the settings detailed above for the following games, varying EMS
as needed.  Exceptions to the above settings are noted where applicable.
I have decided to include all the games that were mentioned on the net
by OS/2 users--even if there were no problems reported--to allow those
who are thinking about buying a game to know how it runs.  A complete
list will also let people post or email additional hints when they see
their game listed.

[NOTE: "runs fine" means I've tested the game myself.  "Reported to
    run fine" means that the game was mentioned on the net as being
    compatible with OS/2.]


ACES OF THE PACIFIC:
 -reported to run fine.

-----
ATLANTIS:
 -reported to run fine.

----
A-TRAIN:
 -one user made the following report about this game:

   Play it under Dos.  I haven't found out how to get it
   to work under OS/2.

 -another user said he was able to get it to run after installing it
    in monochrome mode, and although the game was playable there
    was no sound.

Anybody got it to run in color?

----
BATTLE CHESS:
 -reported to run fine.

----
BREACH 2:
 -one user reported that he couldn't get the mouse to work, so
    he had to use the keyboard instead under OS/2.

----
CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN [WOLF3D]:
 -this is one of the most finnicky games, and may require some
    experimentation to make it run well.  According to net reports,
    this game uses a special split-screen mode of the video card,
    and thus its behavior tends to rely on a person's hardware
    peculiarities more than OS/2 itself.  I find that I can run this
    game fine, but if I switch away from the game and then switch back
    to it the bottom portion of the screen will no longer display
    the statistics for my character.
 -sometimes the special effects sounds for this game (shots, doors
    opening, people talking, etc.) will get lost after a brief
    period of time.  If this happens, create a batch file (wolf3d.bat)
    and have your program object point to the batch file.  In the
    batch file put the following two lines:
        SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1
        WOLF3D.EXE
    The first line tells the wolf3d.exe program which address you
    are using, which IRQ you are using (in this case it's IRQ5),
    and which DMA you are using (in this case DMA1).  That should
    solve the loss of special effects sounds.  SB-Pro owners should
    add T2 or T3 to the end of the first line (check your docs for
    details).

----
CIVILIZATION (Microprose):
 -Make sure you have the updated version.  It will have the "rename" button
    on the city screen.  This version performs much better under OS/2.
    If you don't have this version, you can download an update from the
    Microprose forum on CompuServe.
 -Always use fullscreen mode, and when the program starts up, use vga
    resolution and ibm sound.  (ega or no sound slows it down.) If you
    want to turn off sound, do it from the options menu.
 -one person reported that he could not start a new game in vga since
    he got a divide by zero error in the dos box.  But it was
    possible to load a saved game into vga mode.  Another person
    reported that he cured this divide by zero error when he set
    COM_HOLD to ON.
 -another user made the following observation:

   I had been having speed problems running the game in adlib/soundblaster
   mode (and believe it or not I never tried anything else). However:
   When I ran Civilization in PC SPEAKER mode, then quit, and ran it
   again in soundblaster/adlib mode (in the same DOS session), it ran
   at the correct speed!  Since doing this on a regular basis would be
   a pain in the ass, I wanted to find another way to 'prep' the system
   for Civilization: and I found it. I ran SBFMDRV.COM (comes with the
   soundblaster) before running civilization. This way I can run Civ
   from a batch file called by a WPS icon.

----
COMMANDER KEEN 3:
 -reported to run fine.

----
CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS:
 -runs fine.

----
DRAGON WARS:
 -runs fine.

----
ELF:
 -according to one user there are problems with this game.

----
ETERNAM:
 -reported to run fine.

----
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER I:
 -runs fine.

----
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER II:
 -reported to run fine.

----
F17:
 -reported to run fine.

----
FALCON 3.0:
 -several patches have been put out for this game.  I believe that there
    have been four, with patch 'd' being the latest and the one which
    lets the soundblaster work the best.  Check comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
    for details.
 -one user reported that he needed to have the HW_TIMER set to OFF or
    the game hung.  But when he set it to OFF the screen updates were
    excruciatingly slow.

Any other tips for this game?

----
GLOBAL DILEMMA:
 -one user made the following observation:

   Well, here's one for the "better DOS than DOS" department: I just
   noticed that "Global Dilemma" (or Guns & Butter), which ran just fine on
   my Compaq 386, won't run on my new 486; the AMI Bios doesn't seem to like
   the way the game addresses the keyboard.  That's under real DOS-5.
   In a DOS task under OS/2 it runs just fine.

----
GUNSHIP 2000:
 -reported to run fine.
 -one user reported that the game would not install onto an HPFS
    drive.  He was able to install it onto a FAT drive, though.
    He could run the game on an HPFS drive if he copied the
    installed files from his FAT drive to his HPFS drive.

----
INDIANA JONES (FATE OF ATLANTIS):
 -reported to run fine.

---
INDY 500:
 -reported to run fine.

----
JILL OF THE JUNGLE:
 -runs fine.

----
KING'S QUEST IV:
 -reported to run fine.

----KING'S QUEST V:
 -runs fine.

----
KNIGHTS OF LEGEND:
 -runs fine.

----
LEMMINGS:
It is important to have this game configured with HW_TIMER=ON,
VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION=OFF, and to have it configured to run in
a full screen session.

You may also have to install the game under plain DOS if you get a protection
violation under OS/2 during installation (even though it will run under OS/2
after installation).

One user reported that Lemmings wouldn't run except in a "Specific DOS"
session, so if you have troubles try that.  Also, if performance suffers,
or if you have flickering problems, try NOT running the game in "High
Performance PC" mode.

----
LINKS:
 -one user posted this helpful notice:

   I have adjusted my Links settings and think that I have the best
   solution for running LINKS under OS/2 2.0.  First, Migrate it to
   the DOS File.  Next, instead of executing the file LINKS.BAT, use
   the SETTINGS to have it run GOLF.EXE with NO optional parameters
   (the /t in LINKS.BAT appears to be for the title screen).  As soon
   as the program starts, select SYSTEM and turn off ALL sounds.  This
   last step will alleviate the slow down immediately after the swing
   as Links tries to create the sound even if HW_SOUND is turned off.
   I also have HW_NO_SOUND set to ON and MOUSE_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS turned ON.

   This seems to have the game working quite well for me in full screen
   mode.  I hope that it helps others.


----
MAGIC CANDLE I:
 -runs fine.

----
MIGHT AND MAGIC II:
 -runs fine.  If you have trouble with the keydisk being recognized,
    boot up real DOS in a vdm (see VMDISK in the Command Reference
    for directions on how to do this).

----
MIGHT AND MAGIC III:
 -runs fine with the exception that the digitized intro speech by
    Sheltem at the beginning of the game will not work with a
    Soundblaster under OS/2.
 -this game runs faster under OS/2 than under plain DOS due to OS/2's
    super-FAT and HPFS.


----
MONKEY ISLAND II:
 -one user posted the following observation:

   After intensive study and exhaustive analysis ( :) ) I have
   finally determined a solution to the problem I've been having.
   The problem was that The Secret of Monkey Island 2 would not play
   music correctly on the sound blaster under OS/2.  I asked several
   people for help in reconfiguring my Sound Blaster, and I thank
   you all for your help, but that wasn't the problem.  The new wave
   of LucasFilm games has implemented a new music system they call
   iMUSE.  It turned out in my case that the iMUSE driver I had for
   the sound blaster was out of date or something, I'm not sure.  But
   I copied the SOUNBLAS.IMS file from my copy of Indy 4 into my
   Monkey Island 2 directory.  Now, no problems.  It may be a hack
   solution, but it works now, and I'm waiting for LucasFilm to call
   me back.

    This person then followed up:

   I got a call back from LucasFilm Games about my Monkey Island II
   question about sound, and they'll be sending me a disk with new
   *.IMS files.  I'm going to ask permission to post them onto the
   net somewhere, but these should solve all sound problems with the
   game.


----
NOVA 9:
 -reported to run fine.

----
OUT OF THIS WORLD:
 -one user reported the following:

   Out of this World will run under OS/2 iff HW_TIMER is set OFF,
   not ON as many other games have required.  Also, it requests
   that you do not use an expanded memory manager, so setting
   EMS_MEM_LIMIT 0.  I have found that this combination is extremely
   slow with any sound support, and so I have been playing it without
   sound.

----
POOL OF RADIANCE:
 -runs fine.

----
PRINCE OF PERSIA:
 -reported to run fine.

----
RED BARON (Dynamix):
 -this game runs fine, but two users observed that although RB's music
    played OK for them, the sound effects (such as guns and engine
    noise) were silent.  The cure for this is simply to run Red
    Baron's install program (with RB already installed) and choose
    the appropriate options again to make them take effect.
 -Although I have had no problems running RB with my Soundblaster and
    with my Roland LAPC-1, another user noted the following:

   At least on my machine (486, 8 Megs and Soundblaster Pro) this program
   locks up if you set the sound option to Sound Blaster; however if
   you set the option to Adlib, you still get digitized sound and the
   program runs fine.

----
SECRET OF THE SILVER BLADES:
 -runs fine.

----
SIMCITY:
 -reported to run fine; if you want to run it in a window, be sure
    to turn MOUSE_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS to ON.

----
SIMEARTH:
 -reported to run fine by several users.

----
SPACE QUEST IV:
 -runs fine, with the exception that some of the digitized sounds
    on the soundblaster may be cut short.  For example, I noticed
    that the lightning sounded fine when I was far away from it,
    but when I drew near the sound of the thunder would be cut
    short (this is on a 386/33 with Roland music and SB speech).

----
SPELLCASTING 101 and 201:
 -reported to run fine.

----
STAR TREK: 25th ANNIVERSARY:
 -reported to run fine.

----
STELLAR 7:
 -reported to run fine.

----
TEST DRIVE 3:
 -reported to run fine.

----
TUNNELS AND TROLLS:
 -runs fine.

----
ULTIMAS 4 and 5:
 -if you have trouble with the keydisks for these games being recognized,
    boot a real copy of DOS in a vdm (see VMDISK in the Command
    Reference for details).

----
ULTIMA 6:
 -runs fine.

----
ULTIMA 7:
 -this game will NOT run under OS/2 since it uses its own memory manager.
    No amount of tweaking will make it run, so don't waste your time.
    Instead, spend the time to write Origin and tell them to patch it!

----
ULTIMA UNDERWORLD:
 -there is a patch that fixes many inventory bugs in this game.  Check
    comp.sys.ibm.pc.games for more details.
 -this game will not run in a window since it will be distorted.
 -the digitized intro speeches for this game will not work reliably
    under OS/2 with a Soundblaster; this is the only time in the
    game where there is digitized speech though.  To READ the
    intro speeches, configure the game for no sound (or PC speaker)
    and then run the intro.
 -some people report no problems with this game, other people can't get
    it to run under OS/2 at all.  Most people are able to run the game
    if they start the game in one of the following two ways:

   1)  Set the game to start minimized with background execution OFF.
    Start the game and WAIT until all disk activity stops (about 10-15
    seconds on my 386/33).  Then switch to the game.  This works best
    for me, and allows me to switch back and forth from the game safely.
    I've never had the game crash on me doing it this way, and I've
    switched back and forth from my word processor hundreds and
    hundreds of times.
   2)  Set the game to start in a windowed DOS session.  The game will look
    garbled, but wait until you see the blue title screen come up.  Then
    switch the game to full screen mode with ALT-HOME.  If the keyboard
    doesn't respond after doing this, tap the ALT key to unstick it.

----
WELLTRIS:
 -reported to run fine in a full screen session.

----
WHEEL OF FORTUNE:
 -reported to run fine.

----
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SAN DIEGO:
 -reported to run fine.

----
WING COMMADER I-II (and SM1-2, SO1):
 -these run fine, even with the speech pack.
 -I have found that in WCII my soundblaster's digitized voices in
    battle often hang causing me to have to hit ESC to "unstick"
    them.  This happens only when there are lots of enemy ships
    in the area.  I have a 386/33; testing it on a 486/33 didn't
    exhibit this problem.

----
WINTREK (for Windows):
 -one user reported that this game doesn't work under Win-OS2 because
    it requires Win 3.1.

----
WOLF3D:
[listed under "Castle Wolfenstein"]

----
WONDERLAND:
 -runs fine.

----
WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION:
 -according to one user there were problems with this game.

------------------------------------------------

   Steve Smith