I've only tried Arena (Got it running slow-motion style) and Redguard (Got it running very smoothly using dgVoodoo, with full sound, and fullscreen mode, though the guide says not to pick it. I just switched to it after my initial boot of Redguard).
The order of instructions in this thread:
1. How to install and run Arena
2. How to install and run Daggerfall
3. How to install and run Battlespire
4. How to install and run Redguard
5. How to install and run Redguard (Alternative)
How to install and run Arena
Free/floppy version
Even if you have the floppy version of the game, I do suggest you download the free version because then you don't have to deal with 10+ year old floppies that may have errors, or have any need to patch it and so on. The free and floppy versions are identical when it comes to game content.
When you got the Arena106.exe file, double-click on it and select the Games folder you created where you installed DOSBox. If you're not using Windows and can't run the Arena106.exe file, then go to RARLAB and get the RAR extractor for your OS. Be sure that Arena is located in it's own ARENA folder in the games folder.
To run Arena, start DOSBox and type the following:
MOUNT C GAMES
C:
CD ARENA
ARENA
Be aware of the Passwords.txt file that is located in the Docs folder. It contains all you need to know to get thru the manual protection of the game.
CD version
Create a folder in your DOSBox folder, called "ArenaCD". Then copy all the contents on the Arena CD to that folder (excluding the Demos folder if you want). The ArenaCD folder will work as a fake CD while playing the game in DOSBox, so you will never need to actually use the CD any more after this.
Now it's time to install the game, which is done in DOSBox so launch that program and type this:
MOUNT C GAMES
MOUNT D ARENACD -t cdrom
D:
INSTALL
The installer will ask if it's ok to install in C:\ARENA_CD and it's ok, so just press return. Then a small menu will pop up, and choose "Configure game". It's time to choose sound and music card. Pick "Sound Blaster pro or 16" for both, and then exit the menu. Now when the installation of the game is done, you can close DOSBox.
To run the game in DOSBox, type the following:
MOUNT C GAMES
MOUNT D ARENACD -t cdrom
C:
CD ARENA_CD
ARENA
Miscellaneous info
At default, DOSBox uses 3000 cycles, which is too slow for Arena. If you raise it to about 15000 by pressing CTRL+F12 multiple times, the game will be much more enjoyable. Note that the game will stutter at 15000 cycles if your CPU is too slow to handle it.
You can change the music card in the Arena install program to "General Midi or MPU-401", and it will sound better. To easily get to the install menu, just start Arena with the above instructions and then exit the game and type INSTALL.
It's a good idea to make a new config file. With Arena, not many changes are needed since the default options are usually good enough, so it's not really needed. But it will be required for the other TES games, so one may as well make one. So open up dosbox.conf (which is located where DOSBox is installed) with notepad.
The first line of interest is the one that says "core=normal". There's also another core called "dynamic", which is much faster and allow people to use a higher amount of cycles. Unfortunally, it's also less stable. But if you feel that Arena is sluggish, then you might want to try it out.
The second line of of interest would be below the first one, and say "cycles=3000". This is the amount of cycles DOSBox will have when it starts. I think it would be a good idea to raise it to 15000.
The last thing would be the last line; "# Lines in this section will be run at startup." After this line add the startup lines mentioned earlier. This way you won't have to re-type them every time you wants to run Arena in DOSBox.
Example; this is what the last lines would look like for the free version of Arena:
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
MOUNT C GAMES
C:
CD ARENA
ARENA
End it by saving the textfile as Arena.conf.
How to install and run Daggerfall
The first thing we should do is to install the game from within DOSBox. So start DOSBox and write the following:
MOUNT C GAMES -freesize 500
MOUNT D X:\ -t cdrom (X being the letter of your optical drive where the Daggerfall CD is)
D:
INSTALL
Now the installation should begin. Skip the sound settings in the beginning and go straight to the install. The default size is minimum, but change that to huge. Install it to the default path of c:\dagger. The installation will be quite slow because of the mere cycles of 3000, so press CTRL+F12 a couple of times to raise it to 8000 or so, or higher if you're sure that your CPU can handle it.
After this, it's time to configure the sound. For digital, select Sound Blaster 16/AWE32, port 220, IRQ 7 and DMA 1. For MIDI, select Sound Blaster 16, port 388 or MPU-401, port 330. MPU-401 is the better choice of the two, and I recommend using it, but may under some special circumstances not work (mainly for non-Windows users). After this the installation should end.
But not all the files were copied, so lets manually copy those. Write the following in DOSBox:
CD ARENA2
D:
CD DAGGER
CD ARENA2
COPY *.VID C:
After this, leave DOSBox in the background. We will return to it shortly.
Now it's time to download the extra quests and the patch. Unpack the quests into DOSBox folder\Games\DAGGER\ARENA2 and move/copy the dag213.exe file to DOSBox folder\Games\DAGGER.
As it is now, some of the files in the ARENA2 folder are writeprotected, and the patch doesn't like that, so we have to change that. Go into DOSBox folder\Games\DAGGER\ARENA2 and select all files, choose properties and make sure that "Read-only" is not checked, and then press ok, and you will change the writeprotection on all files.
Now go back to DOSBox and type the following:
C:
CD..
RESCAN
DAG213
The patch will start to install itself. Answer yes on all the questions. After the patch installation is done, you can exit DOSBox. It's time to do some editing with notepad.
Open Z.CFG in DOSBox folder\Games\DAGGER and make sure that both PATH and PATHCD say c:\dagger\arena2\ and then save the file. (you won't need the CD anymore).
Now open the dosbox.conf file which is where you installed DOSBox and do the following changes:
memsize=16 should be changed to 40. The game uses about 32-34 or so, but it's good to have a safety margin.
cycles=3000 should be a bit higher like 20000. Running 20000 cycles is quite demanding on the CPU, and it's possible that your CPU won't cut it.
The dynamic core doesn't work well with Daggerfall, so I recommend not using it.
Then go to the bottom where it says "# Lines in this section will be run at startup." and add the following lines:
MOUNT C GAMES
C:
CD DAGGER
FALL.EXE Z.CFG
Save the config file as Daggerfall.conf and you're done with that.
If you have problems to get the mouse to work while playing, then press CTRL+F10.
How to install and run Battlespire
First thing to do is to create a bin/cue image of the Battlespire CD. Several different CD/DVD burning programs can do that, but if you don't have any or not sure if it can, get MagicISO. The free trial is good enough for this.
If you download and install MagicISO, then choose the "Make ISO from CD/DVD-ROM" option in the Tools menu. From there, choose the drive the CD is in, the output file (Battlespire in the DOSBox folder) and BIN/CUE as the output format. Then press OK. You can uninstall MagicISO after this if you want.
Be sure that the Battlespire.cue and Battlespire.bin files are located in the same folder you installed DOSBox. Since you have these files in the DOSBox folder, you won't need the CD any more.
Launch DOSBox, and write the following:
MOUNT C GAMES -freesize 300
IMGMOUNT D Battlespire.cue -t iso
D:
INSTALL /F C
The game will start to install and after it's done press CTRL+F12 to raise the cycles to 10000 and type INSTALL. Now it's time to configure the sound and video. For sound pick "Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or AWE32" and autodetect it. After that it will ask if you want captions (subtitles) or not during the cutscenes, and choose whatever you prefer. After that go into the video configuration and select to bypass the internal driver. Then you can exit the install program, and exit DOSBox.
Download the patch and unpack it in the DOSBox folder\Games\BATSPIRE folder. It's a runnable zip file, so you can unpack it with any program that can handle zip compression.
Open up dosbox.conf with notepad and do the following changes:
memsize=16 should be 63
core=normal should be dynamic
cycles=3000 should be 40000 (slower is unplayable even on the lowest settings)
ipx=false should be true (with this you can easily play Battlespire together with others without any additional programs) See the IPX commands in the DOSBox readme.
And the end should look like this:
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
MOUNT C GAMES
IMGMOUNT D Battlespire.cue -t iso
C:
CD BATSPIRE
SPIRE
Save the file as Battlespire.conf and you're done.
When launching the game, an error will occur, but just press any key (with the exception of q) and it will load and run just fine.
And note that you will need a very fast CPU in order to run this game nicely in DOSBox. Very few home computers (if any at all) can run this game decently on high settings in DOSBox.
How to install and run Redguard
This is a step-by-step Guide to Making 'Redguard' work under the WindowsXP operating system. Originally by ThePaladin, updated by gblues.
Thanks to 'Freddo' for vital information to making Redguard work.
1. Install the full 3DFX version of Redguard (and remember the directory it is being installed to, usually C:\Program Files\Redguard). When you get to the audio configuration, just choose "No sound."
2. Download a Glide wrapper. Currently the only two that will work are dgVoodoo (use Google if link doesn't work) and GliDOS.
* GliDOS costs $10 but has a Redguard preset that will get you sound, but not music.
* dgVoodoo is free but will require more work to get it working--but you can get both audio and music with this option.
3. Download VDMSound and install it (you'll need this for working sound).
4. Download SAPUCDEX. Extract the SAPUCDEX.EXE into your Redguard folder.
5. If you downloaded dgVoodoo, here's how you install it:
- Unzip the following files into your Windows folder (usually C:\WINDOWS):
glide2x.dll
glide2x.ovl
dgVoodoo.exe
dgVoodoo.vxd
dgVoodooSetup.exe (create a shortcut to this one onto your Desktop)
- Run dgVoodooSetup.exe (using the shortcut you created). then make the following changes:
Under the 'Global' tab:
- Check the 'DOS' box under 'Platform'
- Check 'Windowed Mode' under 'Screen Mode' do NOT select 'Fullscreen Mode'
- Check 'Working in VDD Mode' under 'WinXP options for DOS'
Under the 'Glide' tab:
- Select 'Closer to a real hardware' under 'LFB access'
- Press 'OK' and the Setup box should close
6. Go to your Redguard folder and open the Audio folder, then right-click SETSOUND.EXE and choose "Run with VDMSound." Configure the digital audio for a SB Pro (*not* SB-16!).
7. Go back to your Redguard folder and click File > New > Text File. Double-click it to launch Notepad. Enter the following:
CD "C:\Program Files\Redguard" (replace with whatever the path is to your Redguard folder, and keep it in quotes)
@DOSDRV
@SAPUCDEX
@RGFX
(for those who care: "@DOSDRV" initializes VDMSound; "@SAPUCDEX" enables CD audio, and "@RGFX" launches the game)
Click File > Save, and close Notepad. Right-click the file you just created and choose Rename, and name it something like REDGUARD.BAT (you'll get a warning, just click Yes. If you don't get a warning, make sure Windows is showing your file extensions then try again).
8. Create a shortcut to REDGUARD.BAT and place the shortcut wherever you want it (desktop, start menu, whatever).
And that's it! Redguard should be working in WindowsXP! Hope this helped you and enjoy the great Elder Scrolls game that is Redguard!
How to install and run Redguard (Alternative)
Hi! I'm new here. I'm not a big fan of Redguard, but I love Morrowind. I'd like to answer some of your problems here 'cause I managed to run Redguard on Windows XP.
Visit this adress and follow the instruction:
http://support.micro...kb;en-us;324767
I'm using dgvoodoo and VDMSound, but I run Redguard a little different way than gblue described on the first page. My way will help to tweak some of VDMSound settings, like inreasing gameplay speed and reducing stuttering of the sound. This settings are working for me but you can try other for improving sound quality. Pay attention that ATI and NVidia cards require different settings in dgvoodoo.
1. Install VDMSound 2.1.0beta, when the installer will ask you what to install - click on utilities and check Sapucdex.
2. Restart your system.
3. Unzip dgvoodoo 1.31 into Redguard directory.
4. Run setsound.exe from Redguard/sound directory by right-clicking on it and choosing 'Run with VDMSound', choose default configuration. In setsound window choose Sound Blaster Pro (newer) and automatic configuration. I got message 'Device detected succesfully'. For digital audio I chose Sound Blaster Pro 100% compatible and got the same message. Click 'Done' to confirm.
5. Run dgvoodoosetup.exe.
- switch Platform to DOS.
- screen bit depth: 32 bit (if your card support it of course)
- ATI users: uncheck 'Working in VDD mode'
- NVIDIA and remaining cards users: ensure that 'Working in VDD mode' is checked
- switch to Glide tab and set textures bit depth as 32 bit
- check Emulate W-buffering
- confirm changes by clicking OK.
- ATI users: run dgvoodoo.exe, a little window will appear, choose Glide 2.43. You will see a message 'You can run DOS-based glide applications'. Don't close this window!
6. Right-click on rgfx.exe and choose 'Run with VDMSound'
- choose 'use default configuration'
- in next window check 'Add a shortcut to my desktop'
- click "Finish"
The game should start now. If you get a message about direct access to hard drive just click 'Ignore'. But look below how to tweak VDMSound.
Next time if you want to play:
- NVidia: just click on desktop shortcut
- ATI: first run dgvoodoo.exe (you can send it to desktop as a shortcut), choose Glide 2.43, then click on Redguard shortcut. After completing gameplay close dgvoodoo window.
TWEAKING VDMSOUND:
NO SOUND: right click on the Redguard's shortcut you've just created, click on properties, in VDMSound tab click on Advanced. Switch to Sound Blaster tab and change DSP ver to 3.02 Sound Blaster Pro 2 (later you can try other settings too).
In DOS Environment tab, Autoexec.bat section type in: sapucdex.exe
In Performance tab you'll find another useful setting - IF YOUR GAME RUNS TOO SLOW OR STUTTERS: check 'Try to reduce CPU usage' and move slider to the left. More to the left - the game runs faster.
You can tweak dgvoodoo in order to improve quality of the graphics, change resolution etc. Just run dgvoodoosetup.exe, as a Platform choose DOS (it's important, because dgvoodoo defaults to Windows), and change your settings.
If you still get nothing and have NVidia card - try to use the instructions I wrote for ATI.
I found that some textures are transparent and I don't know how to improve it. It looks it is a problem with Z-buffer emulation.
I hope this guide will be helpful for those of you who still have problems with Redguard. I have some experience in using dgvoodoo (in other games too), so just ask me if you still have troubles.
Edited by Archmage Silver, 16 July 2006 - 01:43 PM.
