So... Arena and Daggerfall
nes...@gmail.com
helps that I have yet to play Morrowind or Oblivion because I've never
bothered getting the hardware to run them.
Just recently, I played both Arena and Daggerfall again... Ahh, the
tweaking of Windows 98 (which I am still using) so that both games will
work near-flawlessy, and then it still not being perfect. Good times.
To turn this into a discussion, I'll ask... which of the two games do
you consider better: Arena or Daggerfall?
Also, does anyone know any good MS-DOS shortcut settings I could use
for both games (Note: I'm playing the CD-ROM version of Arena) to get
them to run in DOS? Daggerfall I could almost manage, but Arena keeps
giving me a "insufficient base memory!" message.
Nyctolops
>I still think these are the two best games in the series. Granted, it
>helps that I have yet to play Morrowind or Oblivion because I've never
>bothered getting the hardware to run them.
>
>Just recently, I played both Arena and Daggerfall again... Ahh, the
>tweaking of Windows 98 (which I am still using) so that both games will
>work near-flawlessy, and then it still not being perfect. Good times.
>
>To turn this into a discussion, I'll ask... which of the two games do
>you consider better: Arena or Daggerfall?
I never got Arena to run with sound, so I didn't play it much. I
really, really like Daggerfall though and still play it quite often.
>Also, does anyone know any good MS-DOS shortcut settings I could use
>for both games (Note: I'm playing the CD-ROM version of Arena) to get
>them to run in DOS? Daggerfall I could almost manage, but Arena keeps
>giving me a "insufficient base memory!" message.
I kept an old AMD 5x86 to play Daggerfall on and even with that I had
to make a boot disk to play Arena at all. You may have to do
something similar. The manual that came with the CD-ROM version of
Arena has some pretty good instructions for doing that.
--
Nyctolops
nes...@gmail.com
Nyctolops wrote:
> >To turn this into a discussion, I'll ask... which of the two games do
> >you consider better: Arena or Daggerfall?
>
> I never got Arena to run with sound, so I didn't play it much. I
> really, really like Daggerfall though and still play it quite often.
>
> >Also, does anyone know any good MS-DOS shortcut settings I could use
> >for both games (Note: I'm playing the CD-ROM version of Arena) to get
> >them to run in DOS? Daggerfall I could almost manage, but Arena keeps
> >giving me a "insufficient base memory!" message.
>
> I kept an old AMD 5x86 to play Daggerfall on and even with that I had
> to make a boot disk to play Arena at all. You may have to do
> something similar. The manual that came with the CD-ROM version of
> Arena has some pretty good instructions for doing that.
> --
> Nyctolops
As it happens, just after I posted this I ended up making a specialized
DOS configuration that worked for Arena. The only flaw was that
apparently there's something up with the music... sometimes it'll sound
like it's struggling with that and will only play one instrument at a
time. The game itself runs fine though, and I don't really mind the
music issue, especially as it's the exact same music as Daggerfall
anyway.
That, and the dungeon music (and the dungeons in general) creep me out.
As for the game itself, truth be told if there is anything I would
change about it, it's the control scheme. The game uses this
mouse-based setup... well, I'll explain it this way: It's a little
similar to the scheme used by Daggerfall if you don't customize your
control settings. Yea, the whole "Mouse cursor moves around the screen
and points where you want to go" thing. The only way I could tolerate
it in Arena was by using the slowdown feature of the CD-ROM version to
make the game play at a speed where multiple enemies don't overwhelm
me. Unfortunately Arena doesn't allow you to customize your controls
and, unlike Doom and the various Ultimas, no one is working on an
enhanced game engine for it. *Sigh* one can dream though.
Outside of that, there are actually things I prefer about Arena over
Daggerfall, and vice versa.
Nyctolops
>As it happens, just after I posted this I ended up making a specialized
>DOS configuration that worked for Arena. The only flaw was that
>apparently there's something up with the music... sometimes it'll sound
>like it's struggling with that and will only play one instrument at a
>time. The game itself runs fine though, and I don't really mind the
>music issue, especially as it's the exact same music as Daggerfall
>anyway.
>
>That, and the dungeon music (and the dungeons in general) creep me out.
I really like the Daggerfall music. I also like being creeped out by
the dungeon music. My problem with having no sound at all in Arena
was that all the sound cues are missing. I don't get any monster
noises and I got really tired of the first clue that I wasn't alone in
a room or corridor was seeing the screen go red as something whacked
me from behind. The music and sounds add so much to the atmosphere
that it just didn't seem to be nearly as much fun as it should be.
>As for the game itself, truth be told if there is anything I would
>change about it, it's the control scheme. The game uses this
>mouse-based setup... well, I'll explain it this way: It's a little
>similar to the scheme used by Daggerfall if you don't customize your
>control settings. Yea, the whole "Mouse cursor moves around the screen
>and points where you want to go" thing. The only way I could tolerate
>it in Arena was by using the slowdown feature of the CD-ROM version to
>make the game play at a speed where multiple enemies don't overwhelm
>me. Unfortunately Arena doesn't allow you to customize your controls
>and, unlike Doom and the various Ultimas, no one is working on an
>enhanced game engine for it. *Sigh* one can dream though.
That bit didn't bother me at all, as I am totally used to the mouse
control in Daggerfall. I really had quite a time getting used to the
controls in Morrowind, although I like them quite a bit, too.
>Outside of that, there are actually things I prefer about Arena over
>Daggerfall, and vice versa.
One of the things that I liked better about Arena was the roads. I
liked the NPC conversations better, too. I did prefer the way the
Guilds are set up in Daggerfall, though. You can't join Guilds in
Arena, can you, or did I not play long enough to be able to join any
of them? What did you particularly like about Arena more than
Daggerfall?
--
Nyctolops
nes...@gmail.com
Nyctolops wrote:
> My problem with having no sound at all in Arena
> was that all the sound cues are missing. I don't get any monster
> noises and I got really tired of the first clue that I wasn't alone in
> a room or corridor was seeing the screen go red as something whacked
> me from behind.
Oh yea. I can imagine that being a pain in the ass.
Hmmm... so, what's the issue again with not getting sound to work in
Arena? Has there been anything in particular that seems to keep you
from getting sound?
> >Outside of that, there are actually things I prefer about Arena over
> >Daggerfall, and vice versa.
>
> One of the things that I liked better about Arena was the roads. I
> liked the NPC conversations better, too. I did prefer the way the
> Guilds are set up in Daggerfall, though. You can't join Guilds in
> Arena, can you, or did I not play long enough to be able to join any
> of them?
You can't join them, they're just shops and temples with specific
gameplay purposes (Buying healing potions, curing disease, etc).
> What did you particularly like about Arena more than
> Daggerfall?
Its overall simplicity for one thing. While I like a lot of
Daggerfall's innovations, sometimes I prefer a straightforeward
experience system and flat, level-by-level dungeons over the skills
system ("Damn, what skill should I select?") and mating octopi. Also
that you explore all of Tamriel instead of just one province.
Nyctolops
>
>Nyctolops wrote:
>
>> My problem with having no sound at all in Arena
>> was that all the sound cues are missing. I don't get any monster
>> noises and I got really tired of the first clue that I wasn't alone in
>> a room or corridor was seeing the screen go red as something whacked
>> me from behind.
>
>Oh yea. I can imagine that being a pain in the ass.
>
>Hmmm... so, what's the issue again with not getting sound to work in
>Arena? Has there been anything in particular that seems to keep you
>from getting sound?
During setup, Arena detects my card fine. I had to make a special
boot disk for Arena to get around the "insufficient base memory"
problem and if I disable the sound, it works just great. If I enable
the sound, the game crashes on startup -- I don't even see the first
screen, just instant crash.
>> >Outside of that, there are actually things I prefer about Arena over
>> >Daggerfall, and vice versa.
>>
>> One of the things that I liked better about Arena was the roads. I
>> liked the NPC conversations better, too. I did prefer the way the
>> Guilds are set up in Daggerfall, though. You can't join Guilds in
>> Arena, can you, or did I not play long enough to be able to join any
>> of them?
>
>You can't join them, they're just shops and temples with specific
>gameplay purposes (Buying healing potions, curing disease, etc).
That's what I thought. It is cool that you can buy from any of them,
though.
>> What did you particularly like about Arena more than
>> Daggerfall?
>
>Its overall simplicity for one thing. While I like a lot of
>Daggerfall's innovations, sometimes I prefer a straightforeward
>experience system and flat, level-by-level dungeons over the skills
>system ("Damn, what skill should I select?") and mating octopi. Also
>that you explore all of Tamriel instead of just one province.
Though I only played enough to see bits of two dungeons, they were
certainly easier to find my way around. I did like the fact that all
of Tamriel was open to exploration. The fast-travel was well done,
too. Maybe I should reinstall it and give it another go.
--
Nyctolops
nes...@gmail.com
Nyctolops wrote:
>
> During setup, Arena detects my card fine. I had to make a special
> boot disk for Arena to get around the "insufficient base memory"
> problem and if I disable the sound, it works just great. If I enable
> the sound, the game crashes on startup -- I don't even see the first
> screen, just instant crash.
What's your sound card?
For that matter, what OS are you using? I'm using Windows 98, though I
boot into DOS directly for Arena.
> Though I only played enough to see bits of two dungeons, they were
> certainly easier to find my way around. I did like the fact that all
> of Tamriel was open to exploration. The fast-travel was well done,
> too. Maybe I should reinstall it and give it another go.
And if you still have symptoms, tell me about them. I've been
debugging a lot of games on my computer and have found solutions to
many of them. Of course, that's my computer, yours may require
something else.
Nyctolops
>
>Nyctolops wrote:
>>
>> During setup, Arena detects my card fine. I had to make a special
>> boot disk for Arena to get around the "insufficient base memory"
>> problem and if I disable the sound, it works just great. If I enable
>> the sound, the game crashes on startup -- I don't even see the first
>> screen, just instant crash.
>
>What's your sound card?
Soundblaster Vibra 16.
>For that matter, what OS are you using? I'm using Windows 98, though I
>boot into DOS directly for Arena.
DOS 6.22. I am playing on an old computer that I saved because it
runs Daggerfall so well. It's an AMD 5x86.
>> Though I only played enough to see bits of two dungeons, they were
>> certainly easier to find my way around. I did like the fact that all
>> of Tamriel was open to exploration. The fast-travel was well done,
>> too. Maybe I should reinstall it and give it another go.
>
>And if you still have symptoms, tell me about them. I've been
>debugging a lot of games on my computer and have found solutions to
>many of them. Of course, that's my computer, yours may require
>something else.
I reinstalled Arena and got everything working except the sound. I
have been editing the boot disk, but I just can't get the sound to
work. I get a blank screen if I enable both sound and music. If I
disable both, I can play. If I enable sound, but not music, I can
play, but I still get no sound.
--
Nyctolops
Captain Heyrab
<nes...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1144026106....@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
when I get around to it I'm going to try a dual boot into 98. A demo copy of
Virtual PC would be fine and then crash out during a battle.
As for the I like best, I cannot speak for Arena because I haven't played it
enough. I like Oblivion better than Morrowind. They have more Daggerfall
type elements in the game it seems to me. I really really liked Daggerfall.
So far Oblivion is really good, it seems to have a more straightforward plot
than Daggerfall. It remains to be seen once I play it longer, but so far so
good. I actually never finished much of the plot in Daggerfall because I was
having such a good time doing Temple, Mage and Fighter quests and even just
exploring towns and stuff. Each dungeon took so long to finish and find the
item and the hair standing up thing was great. Oblivion has more of that
feel than Morrowind. You have to fight your way out to get started like the
Pirate's Hold.
Nyctolops
<nyct...@vla.nospam.com> wrote:
>I reinstalled Arena and got everything working except the sound. I
>have been editing the boot disk, but I just can't get the sound to
>work. I get a blank screen if I enable both sound and music. If I
>disable both, I can play. If I enable sound, but not music, I can
>play, but I still get no sound.
I worked on the boot disk some more last night and I think I have
discovered the problem. For some reason the system cannot find the
audio card. I put in all the lines in autoexec.bat and config.sys
that I thought referred to the audio card, but I missed something. The
computer I am using is totally stand alone with no peripherals -- no
printer, no modem, no anti-virus Is there any reason why I couldn't
copy all the lines from the c:\autoexec.bat and c:\config.sys onto the
boot disk? In other words, are there any lines you know of that I
should leave out? I tried to make a new boot disk, but all I got were
the system commands and an empty autoexec.bat.
--
Nyctolops
Captain Heyrab
news:k4hi32lqmol2ccqn6...@4ax.com...
Might be something in the CMOS setup interfering with the memory space.
Nyctolops
<Captain_unde...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>"Nyctolops" <nyct...@vla.nospam.com> wrote in message
>news:k4hi32lqmol2ccqn6...@4ax.com...
>> I worked on the boot disk some more last night and I think I have
>> discovered the problem. For some reason the system cannot find the
>> audio card. I put in all the lines in autoexec.bat and config.sys
>> that I thought referred to the audio card, but I missed something. The
>> computer I am using is totally stand alone with no peripherals -- no
>> printer, no modem, no anti-virus Is there any reason why I couldn't
>> copy all the lines from the c:\autoexec.bat and c:\config.sys onto the
>> boot disk? In other words, are there any lines you know of that I
>> should leave out? I tried to make a new boot disk, but all I got were
>> the system commands and an empty autoexec.bat.
>> --
>> Nyctolops
>
>Might be something in the CMOS setup interfering with the memory space.
>
Could be, but I don't think so. I did some more thinking about it and
I think that Arena doesn't like the complicated way that the audio
drivers are packaged. Something called ctcm.exe starts ctcu.exe which
stats vibra16.exe which defines the drivers (as far as I can tell from
the command lines). I think if I go to the vibra16 directory and find
the line which defines the drivers, I can put that into the config.sys
file directly and maybe solve the problem. I got nothing to lose but
time and everything to gain. I have been playing a bit without sound
and it's fun, but I feel like I am really missing something.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
I did some more looking and found that the real name of my sound card
is Creative SB16 PnP. The Vibra16 is just the name of the DOS sound
system. I also found that the card has three systems on it: DOS
sound, Windows sound and Windows record. Figuring that I only needed
the DOS sound part, I removed the ctcm references and loaded only the
Vibra16 parts. I found the command lines to load the DOS drivers and
added them to the config.sys. The drivers loaded successfully, though
I got a CTSOUND error. Everything else loaded, but I still got a
blank screen when Arena started. This is getting frustrating.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
<nyct...@vla.nospam.com> wrote:
>I did some more looking and found that the real name of my sound card
>is Creative SB16 PnP. The Vibra16 is just the name of the DOS sound
>system. I also found that the card has three systems on it: DOS
>sound, Windows sound and Windows record. Figuring that I only needed
>the DOS sound part, I removed the ctcm references and loaded only the
>Vibra16 parts. I found the command lines to load the DOS drivers and
>added them to the config.sys. The drivers loaded successfully, though
>I got a CTSOUND error. Everything else loaded, but I still got a
>blank screen when Arena started. This is getting frustrating.
I did some more checking and found that the drivers did not load
properly. I used Pause/Break to read all the stuff that usually goes
by so fast and found "Blaster environment is invalid". I have checked
and rechecked the numbers on the Blaster settings and can find no
errors. I got so frustrated I even dug out the manual, which wasn't
much help, but I did find out that the drivers I was trying to load
weren't intended to be used alone. They are called low level drivers
and are supposed to be used in conjunction with the high level drivers
in the ctcm directory. I think I'll make a very simple boot disk that
only loads the very basics to play silent with and keep trying
whatever I can think of to make the sound work. Any suggestions would
be welcome.
--
Nyctolops
nes...@gmail.com
Nyctolops wrote:
> I did some more looking and found that the real name of my sound card
> is Creative SB16 PnP. The Vibra16 is just the name of the DOS sound
> system. I also found that the card has three systems on it: DOS
> sound, Windows sound and Windows record. Figuring that I only needed
> the DOS sound part, I removed the ctcm references and loaded only the
> Vibra16 parts.
My suggestion: Keep the reference to CTCM.EXE, but remove all else.
Also, on my PC my DOS configure has a SET BLASTER= line that defines
the environment (SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T5 etc...) Keep that as well
if you have such a line.
Then again, the DOS that comes with Win98 may not work the same as DOS
6.22. I know that with my PC all I need is for my Autoexec.bat to
contain LH=C:\DOS\CTCM.EXE and the SET BLASTER line and I'm all set.
Nyctolops
I believe that the Win98 DOS version is 7.0, but the basics may not
have changed all that much. Thank you for your suggestion. I will
try it tonight and let you know what happens.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
matter how long I wait.
On the other hand, I made a very simple boot disk that doesn't
reference the sound card at all and have been playing in silent mode.
My character managed to get out of the sewers and into town and he has
been running errands and has made one dungeon trip so far. One thing
that puzzles me is that two NPCs have said that they marked the Castle
for me on my map, but no Castle ID shows up. One question: on the
Continental Map, what is the first symbol for? I know that the horse
is fast travel, as I used it to get back to town from my dungeon
crawl, but I don't know what the first one is.
--
Nyctolops
Xocyll
of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 22:35:32 -0600, Nyctolops
><nyct...@vla.nospam.com> wrote:
>
>>On 13 Apr 2006 20:41:17 -0700, nes...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>>My suggestion: Keep the reference to CTCM.EXE, but remove all else.
>>>
>>>Also, on my PC my DOS configure has a SET BLASTER= line that defines
>>>the environment (SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T5 etc...) Keep that as well
>>>if you have such a line.
>>>
>>>Then again, the DOS that comes with Win98 may not work the same as DOS
>>>6.22. I know that with my PC all I need is for my Autoexec.bat to
>>>contain LH=C:\DOS\CTCM.EXE and the SET BLASTER line and I'm all set.
>>
>>I believe that the Win98 DOS version is 7.0, but the basics may not
>>have changed all that much. Thank you for your suggestion. I will
>>try it tonight and let you know what happens.
From the game's point of view there's no difference between 6.22 and
7.0.
>I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
>SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
>the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
>C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
>common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
>startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
>then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
>matter how long I wait.
A distant memory asks is there a file called Diagnose.exe?
If so, run it before playing the game (or picking the sound option in
Arena.).
I distantly recall that some of the early plug and play, no-jumper,
really-designed-just-for-windows cards had to be woken up in Dos and
that's the program that tests it and wakes it up.
>On the other hand, I made a very simple boot disk that doesn't
>reference the sound card at all and have been playing in silent mode.
>My character managed to get out of the sewers and into town and he has
>been running errands and has made one dungeon trip so far. One thing
>that puzzles me is that two NPCs have said that they marked the Castle
>for me on my map, but no Castle ID shows up. One question: on the
>Continental Map, what is the first symbol for? I know that the horse
>is fast travel, as I used it to get back to town from my dungeon
>crawl, but I don't know what the first one is.
Which castle?
If I remember correctly Arena had two methods of fast travel - safe and
risky; Safe stays in Inns at night (and costs money), Risky camps out
and is free, but carries the risk of being attacked during the journey.
Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
nes...@gmail.com
I believe the first icon is a location lookup, but I could be
misremembering. There's only one mode of Fast Travel though.
Now as for the castle, it's gonna be one of the castle icons on your
fast-travel map IIRC. Run your mouse all over them and see their
names. Also, just because they marked it may not necessarily mean its
within your current province.
Nyctolops
wrote:
>Nyctolops <nyct...@vla.nospam.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>
>>I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
>>SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
>>the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
>>C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
>>common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
>>startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
>>then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
>>matter how long I wait.
>
>A distant memory asks is there a file called Diagnose.exe?
>If so, run it before playing the game (or picking the sound option in
>Arena.).
There is a command C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S which is the first thing
after the SET commands in the autoexec.bat. I have included it as one
of the LH commands. I'll look to see if there is DIAGNOSE.EXE. If
there is I will load it as a DEVICEHIGH in the config.sys.
>I distantly recall that some of the early plug and play, no-jumper,
>really-designed-just-for-windows cards had to be woken up in Dos and
>that's the program that tests it and wakes it up.
From the directions in the manual, I get the impression that this card
was designed for Win95, but would work with DOS and Win3.1.
>>On the other hand, I made a very simple boot disk that doesn't
>>reference the sound card at all and have been playing in silent mode.
>>My character managed to get out of the sewers and into town and he has
>>been running errands and has made one dungeon trip so far. One thing
>>that puzzles me is that two NPCs have said that they marked the Castle
>>for me on my map, but no Castle ID shows up. One question: on the
>>Continental Map, what is the first symbol for? I know that the horse
>>is fast travel, as I used it to get back to town from my dungeon
>>crawl, but I don't know what the first one is.
>
>Which castle?
The one in Rock Springs, which is where Maldrin found himself after he
escaped from the sewers.
>If I remember correctly Arena had two methods of fast travel - safe and
>risky; Safe stays in Inns at night (and costs money), Risky camps out
>and is free, but carries the risk of being attacked during the journey.
>
I guess I have nothing to lose by just clicking on the icon after
saving to see what it does. I can't make out what the icon is, or I
might be able to guess at it.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
Oh, OK. I just asked the NPCs in town the Where Is? question and the
word Castle appeared, so I asked about it. I read in the manual that
the local castles were good places to get information and possibly
quests.
--
Nyctolops
Richard VanHouten
> Oh, OK. I just asked the NPCs in town the Where Is? question and the
> word Castle appeared, so I asked about it. I read in the manual that
> the local castles were good places to get information and possibly
> quests.
> --
> Nyctolops
The castles are along the edge of the town map, usually in one corner.
Captain Heyrab
> On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:20:44 -0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
> wrote:
>
>>Nyctolops <nyct...@vla.nospam.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>>of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>
>
>>>I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
>>>SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
>>>the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
>>>C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
>>>common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
>>>startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
>>>then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
>>>matter how long I wait.
>>
remember. There should be an IRQ and corresponding memory address in the
config.sys line that loads the sound board driver. So 5, 200 translates to
Use IRQ 5 and load the driver at address 200. Maybe these are already in use
and you need to try a different one.
Nyctolops
The line in the config.sys reads DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\VIBRA16.SYS
/UNIT 0 /BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. I know that my mouse is using
IRQ 4, but I don't know if any other IRQs are being used. How do I
find out? I also know that the sound works fine when I just boot up
normally and play Daggerfall.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
I am sure that I will find it eventually and it may actually be
referred to as the Palace rather than the Castle. I need to do more
dungeon crawling and build up my gold, so I can identify the magical
items I have found. I am not eager to start the Main Quest until I
have at least a complete set of armor and know what I have in the
enchanted items department.
--
Nyctolops
Nyctolops
<nyct...@vla.nospam.com> wrote:
>On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:20:44 -0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
>wrote:
>
>>Nyctolops <nyct...@vla.nospam.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>>of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>
>
>>>I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
>>>SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
>>>the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
>>>C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
>>>common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
>>>startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
>>>then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
>>>matter how long I wait.
>>
>>A distant memory asks is there a file called Diagnose.exe?
>>If so, run it before playing the game (or picking the sound option in
>>Arena.).
>
>There is a command C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S which is the first thing
>after the SET commands in the autoexec.bat. I have included it as one
>of the LH commands. I'll look to see if there is DIAGNOSE.EXE. If
>there is I will load it as a DEVICEHIGH in the config.sys.
>
I found the DIAGNOSE.EXE and loaded it, but it didn't solve the
problem.
--
Nyctolops
nes...@gmail.com
My sound card is simply an old-fashioned SB16 that plugs into the ISA
slot, and it works fine.
Nyctolops
I have been thinking that, too. Where would I find a old-fashioned
SB16, though?
--
Nyctolops
Xocyll
of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:20:44 -0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
>wrote:
>
>>Nyctolops <nyct...@vla.nospam.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>>of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>
>
>>>I tried your version and several variations on it, as DOS 6.22 needs
>>>SET SOUND and SET MIDI lines for the sound to work. It either skips
>>>the sound system altogether, as when I took out the DEVICEHIGH
>>>C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE line from the config.sys file, or it hangs. The most
>>>common problem is when I start from the boot card, I see all the usual
>>>startup messages up to the point where the sound card is identified,
>>>then the system just hangs at that line and won't go any farther, no
>>>matter how long I wait.
>>
>>A distant memory asks is there a file called Diagnose.exe?
>>If so, run it before playing the game (or picking the sound option in
>>Arena.).
>
>There is a command C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S which is the first thing
>after the SET commands in the autoexec.bat. I have included it as one
>of the LH commands. I'll look to see if there is DIAGNOSE.EXE. If
>there is I will load it as a DEVICEHIGH in the config.sys.
That line is running it.
(don't need to have the .exe part to run the program.)
At this point, maybe you should post the contents of the config.sys and
autoexec.bat so we can see where everything is and if something crucial
is missing.
When Arena detects the card, does it use the info from the SET BLASTER
line?
You mentioned Daggerfall - what settings does it detect for the sound
card - since they seem to work?
Captain Heyrab
> /UNIT 0 /BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. I know that my mouse is using
> IRQ 4, but I don't know if any other IRQs are being used. How do I
> find out? I also know that the sound works fine when I just boot up
> normally and play Daggerfall.
> --
> Nyctolops
Might try changing I5 to I7 and let Arena re-detect the card. Although, if
you already get sound in the detection program then it should be okay as-is.
The DOS command "mem /c" or "mem /p" might shed some light on the problem.
nes...@gmail.com
Ebay. I bought a Voodoo 3 from Ebay not too long ago and it's awesome.
Nyctolops
I'm not sure what I should be looking for here, but I have 546,192 of
conventional memory free and 30,343,168 of extended memory free.
--
Nyctolops
Dirk Pfeiffer
com> (Mon, 17 Apr 2006 03:19:27) about "Re: So... Arena and Daggerfall":
>> The line in the config.sys reads DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\ VIBRA16.
>> SYS /UNIT 0 /BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. I know that my mouse is
>> using IRQ 4, but I don't know if any other IRQs are being used. How do
>> I find out? I also know that the sound works fine when I just boot up
>> normally and play Daggerfall.
>> --
>> Nyctolops
CH> Might try changing I5 to I7 and let Arena re-detect the card.
CH> Although, if you already get sound in the detection program then it
CH> should be okay as-is. The DOS command "mem /c" or "mem / p" might shed
CH> some light on the problem.
*cough* IRQ7 is used by the Printer port usually. Just pull out the SB16
and get ANY other Soundblaster instead of it. IIRC the SB16 was a piece of
garbage. I remember once trying to get a computer to work for a
networksession with a SB16 in it. This card used to mix the system up
completely and I couldn't ever get it to work perfect. I then pulled out an
old SB1.0 and the machine worked fine with it.
Bye
Dirk Pfeiffer <di...@dbx501.de> Mon, 17 Apr 2006 08:25:08 +0200
=========================
Reality is something for noobs that can't handle Computergames!
=========================
Posted with Qusnetsoft NewsReader 2.2.0.8
Nyctolops
wrote:
>At this point, maybe you should post the contents of the config.sys and
>autoexec.bat so we can see where everything is and if something crucial
>is missing.
I was afraid you would say that. :-) I will have to type them in, as
my present computer insists that the floppies I made with the
information on them are unformatted.
>When Arena detects the card, does it use the info from the SET BLASTER
>line?
>You mentioned Daggerfall - what settings does it detect for the sound
>card - since they seem to work?
>
These are the settings which run when I boot up normally -- the ones
that work with Daggerfall:
autoexec.bat
SET SOUND=C:\VIBRA16
SET BLASTER=A22O I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S /W=C:\WINDOWS
C:\VIBRA16\MIXERSET /P /Q
C:\CTCM\CTCU /S /W=C:\WINDOWS
C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS; C:\MOUSE;
MOUSE
SET TEMP=C:\DOS
\BIN\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000
config.sys
LASTDRIVE=Z
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DOS=HIGH
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
STACKS=9,256
DEVICE=\DEV\TAISATAP.SYS /D:MSCD000 /N:1
FILES=40
Now here are the files which hang up after identifying the sound card:
autoexec.bat
SET SOUND=C:\VIBRA16
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
LH C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S
LH C:\VIBRA16\MIXERSET /P /Q
LH C:\CTCM\CTCU /S
LH C:\BIN\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 /M:6 /E
PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MOUSE;
LH MOUSE
C:
CD ARENA_CD
ARENA
config.sys
LASTDRIVE=Z
BUFFERS=20
FILES=50
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM 2800 i=b000-b7ff
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\VIBRA16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5
P330 T6
DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\CTMM.SYS
DOS=HIGH, UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DEV\TAISATAP.SYS /D:MSCD000 /N:1
I hope you can find something, because it certainly has me stumped.
--
Nyctolops
Christophe Cavalaria
> Reply to message from "Captain Heyrab" <Captain_underscore_Heyrab@yahoo.
> com> (Mon, 17 Apr 2006 03:19:27) about "Re: So... Arena and Daggerfall":
>
>
> >> The line in the config.sys reads DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\ VIBRA16.
> >> SYS /UNIT 0 /BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. I know that my mouse is
> >> using IRQ 4, but I don't know if any other IRQs are being used. How do
> >> I find out? I also know that the sound works fine when I just boot up
> >> normally and play Daggerfall.
> >> --
> >> Nyctolops
>
> CH> Might try changing I5 to I7 and let Arena re-detect the card.
> CH> Although, if you already get sound in the detection program then it
> CH> should be okay as-is. The DOS command "mem /c" or "mem / p" might
> shed CH> some light on the problem.
>
>
> *cough* IRQ7 is used by the Printer port usually. Just pull out the SB16
> and get ANY other Soundblaster instead of it. IIRC the SB16 was a piece of
> garbage. I remember once trying to get a computer to work for a
> networksession with a SB16 in it. This card used to mix the system up
> completely and I couldn't ever get it to work perfect. I then pulled out
> an old SB1.0 and the machine worked fine with it.
Funny, the first SB were the ones to use IRQ7 by default. Since the SB Pro
all SB cards use IRQ5 instead because of that same Printer port mess you
cite.
I think you got something mixed up in your card references :)
Xocyll
the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
signs say:
>Dirk Pfeiffer wrote:
More importantly, cards of that era had _manual_ IRQ jumpers, so the
only reason for having the card on an IRQ conflicting with the printer
is USER ERROR.
My first soundcard was an SB clone made by Zoltrix and I had it on IRQ7
- and the printer I added later was quite happy to sit on IRQ 5.
It's only with the plug and play crap that the sound pretty much had to
be on IRQ5 due to bad printer drivers that wouldn't use anything but
IRQ7.
Dirk Pfeiffer
18 Apr 2006 00:54:38) about "Re: So... Arena and Daggerfall":
CC> Dirk Pfeiffer wrote:
>> Reply to message from "Captain Heyrab" <Captain_underscore_
>> Heyrab@yahoo. com> (Mon, 17 Apr
>> 2006 03:19:27) about "Re: So... Arena and Daggerfall":
>>>> The line in the config.sys reads DEVICEHIGH=C:\VIBRA16\DRV\ VIBRA16.
>>>> SYS /UNIT 0 /BLASTER= A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6. I know that my mouse is
>>>> using IRQ 4, but I don't know if any other IRQs are being used. How
>>>> do I find out? I also know that the sound works fine when I just boot
>>>> up normally and play Daggerfall.
>>>> --
>>>> Nyctolops
>> CH> Might try changing I5 to I7 and let Arena re-detect the card. CH>
>> Although, if you already get sound in the detection program then it CH>
>> should be okay as-is. The DOS command "mem /c" or "mem / p" might shed
>> CH> some light on the problem.
>> *cough* IRQ7 is used by the Printer port usually. Just pull out the
>> SB16 and get ANY other Soundblaster instead of it. IIRC the SB16 was a
>> piece of garbage. I remember once trying to get a computer to work for
>> a networksession with a SB16 in it. This card used to mix the system up
>> completely and I couldn't ever get it to work perfect. I then pulled
>> out an old SB1.0 and the machine worked fine with it.
CC> Funny, the first SB were the ones to use IRQ7 by default. Since the SB
CC> Pro all SB cards use IRQ5 instead because of that same Printer port
CC> mess you cite.
CC> I think you got something mixed up in your card references :)
I am referring to his advice to change I5 to 7(!!) <---*hint*
And actually that was the MAIN reason they changed the default setting to
I5 since the SB PRO you mention....
So...nothing mixed up here
Bye
Dirk Pfeiffer <di...@dbx501.de> Tue, 18 Apr 2006 11:46:21 +0200
Captain Heyrab
That was a refreshing discussion of IRQ settings, there always were
conflicts over those...
Nothing glares out at me except that the Arena boot loads in upper memory
whereas Daggerfall does not.
I'm wondering if this line should me remmed out. I don't remember exactly
but it could have been for older DOS versions. Try this and see what
happens:
REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM 2800 i=b000-b7ff
It is sometimes neccessary to play around to find a good memory combination.
The goal is to load as much in upper memory as possible without causing
problems. This is where the mem command is useful. It tells you what loaded
where and how much room it uses.
DEVICEHIGH can be replaced with DEVICE to load a particular driver in lower
memory. Simply remove the LH from the front of an autoexec command to run in
lower memory. There is only so much room and it is first come first served.
Some motherboards also used upper memory and had to be told not too, but
again I'm foggy on this after so many years.
Good luck, I can't really play Daggerfall on my XP system. I've booted it up
in DOSBOX but it isn't like the real thing. Certain moves don't work and if
I can't get past the skeleton on the stairs there isn't much point. The
sound was a big part of the fun.
Dirk Pfeiffer
CH> "Nyctolops" <nyct...@vla.nospam. com> wrote in message news:
CH> odd642pep2lkcuasl06m1hr5t4d6gp1tig
CH> @4ax.com...
>> On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:31:54 -0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net> wrote:
>>> At this point, maybe you should post the contents of the config.sys
>>> and autoexec.bat so we can see where everything is and if something
>>> crucial is missing.
>> I was afraid you would say that. :-) I will have to type them in, as my
>> present computer insists that the floppies I made with the information
>> on them are unformatted.
>>> When Arena detects the card, does it use the info from the SET BLASTER
>>> line?
>>> You mentioned Daggerfall - what settings does it detect for the sound
>>> card - since they seem to work?
>> These are the settings which run when I boot up normally -- the ones
>> that work with Daggerfall: autoexec.bat SET SOUND=C:\VIBRA16 SET
>> BLASTER=A22O I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E SET CTCM=C:\ CTCM
>> C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S /W=C:\ WINDOWS C:\VIBRA16\MIXERSET /P / Q C:\
>> CTCM\CTCU /S /W=C:\WINDOWS C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
>> @ECHO OFF
>> PROMPT $p$g
>> PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS; C:\ MOUSE; MOUSE
>> SET TEMP=C:\DOS
>> \BIN\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000
>> config.sys
>> LASTDRIVE=Z
>> DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE DEVICE= C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\ CTCM\
>> CTCM.EXE DOS=HIGH DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS STACKS=9,256
>> DEVICE=\DEV\TAISATAP.SYS /D: MSCD000 /N:1 FILES=40
>> Now here are the files which hang up after identifying the sound card:
>> autoexec.bat
>> SET SOUND=C:\VIBRA16 SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 SET MIDI=SYNTH:1
>> MAP:E SET CTCM=C:\ CTCM
>> LH C:\VIBRA16\DIAGNOSE /S LH C:\ VIBRA16\MIXERSET /P /Q LH C:\CTCM\
>> CTCU /S
>> LH C:\BIN\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 / M:6 /E PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MOUSE; LH
>> MOUSE
>> C:
>> CD ARENA_CD
>> ARENA
>> config.sys
>> LASTDRIVE=Z
>> BUFFERS=20
>> FILES=50
>> DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM 2800 i=
>> b000-b7ff DEVICEHIGH= C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE DEVICEHIGH=C:\ VIBRA16\DRV\
>> VIBRA16.SYS /UNIT=0 / BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 DEVICEHIGH=C:\
>> VIBRA16\DRV\CTMM. SYS DOS=HIGH, UMB
>> DEVICEHIGH=C:\DEV\TAISATAP.SYS / D:MSCD000 /N:1
>> I hope you can find something, because it certainly has me stumped.
>> --
>> Nyctolops
CH> That was a refreshing discussion of IRQ settings, there always were
CH> conflicts over those...
CH> Nothing glares out at me except that the Arena boot loads in upper
CH> memory whereas Daggerfall does not.
CH> I'm wondering if this line should me remmed out. I don't remember
CH> exactly but it could have been for older DOS versions. Try this and
CH> see what happens:
CH> REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386. EXE RAM 2800 i=b000-b7ff
CH> It is sometimes neccessary to play around to find a good memory
CH> combination. The goal is to load as much in upper memory as possible
CH> without causing problems. This is where the mem command is useful. It
CH> tells you what loaded where and how much room it uses.
CH> DEVICEHIGH can be replaced with DEVICE to load a particular driver in
CH> lower memory. Simply remove the LH from the front of an autoexec
CH> command to run in lower memory. There is only so much room and it is
CH> first come first served.
CH> Some motherboards also used upper memory and had to be told not too,
CH> but again I'm foggy on this after so many years.
CH> Good luck, I can't really play Daggerfall on my XP system. I've booted
CH> it up in DOSBOX but it isn't like the real thing. Certain moves don't
CH> work and if I can't get past the skeleton on the stairs there isn't
CH> much point. The sound was a big part of the fun.
IIRC it was also important in WHICH order you loaded things into upper
memory. Back in those days I was very good in optimizing config.sys and
autoexec.bat and had quite a few options in my boot menu to play with. XMS,
EMS or none of both...
Though it's amazing how lazy one got with Windows XP and how many things
you just forget. I tried to dig out some old discs to refresh my memory,
but none of them work anymore. So I am afraid I won't be of much help....
:-/
Bye
Dirk Pfeiffer <di...@dbx501.de> Sun, 23 Apr 2006 09:30:35 +0200
Nyctolops
<Captain_unde...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>That was a refreshing discussion of IRQ settings, there always were
>conflicts over those...
>
>Nothing glares out at me except that the Arena boot loads in upper memory
>whereas Daggerfall does not.
>
>I'm wondering if this line should me remmed out. I don't remember exactly
>but it could have been for older DOS versions. Try this and see what
>happens:
>REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM 2800 i=b000-b7ff
I need that line for Arena to start at all. One of these days I may
get brave and reinstall my soundcard software using some suggestions
from the manual. I hesitate to do it, because it works fine now for
everything but Arena.
>It is sometimes neccessary to play around to find a good memory combination.
>The goal is to load as much in upper memory as possible without causing
>problems. This is where the mem command is useful. It tells you what loaded
>where and how much room it uses.
>
>DEVICEHIGH can be replaced with DEVICE to load a particular driver in lower
>memory. Simply remove the LH from the front of an autoexec command to run in
>lower memory. There is only so much room and it is first come first served.
>
>Some motherboards also used upper memory and had to be told not too, but
>again I'm foggy on this after so many years.
I checked and normally nothing at all is running in upper memory.
>Good luck, I can't really play Daggerfall on my XP system. I've booted it up
>in DOSBOX but it isn't like the real thing. Certain moves don't work and if
>I can't get past the skeleton on the stairs there isn't much point. The
>sound was a big part of the fun.
>
I am getting used to playing Arena without sound. It is a fun game
and I am enjoying it. I do have a question. Do the constant effect
items wear out like they do in Daggerfall? I have looked through the
manual and I can't find any mention of whether they do or not.
--
Nyctolops