DOSBox - Revision history

HerrNove: /* DOSBox-X */

2025-03-01T14:13:21Z

DOSBox-X

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	== DOSBox-X ==		== DOSBox-X ==
	'''[https://dosbox-x.com DOSBox-X]''' is a variant of DOSBox providing [https://dosbox-x.com/wiki/DOSBox%E2%80%90X%E2%80%99s-Feature-Highlights more advanced features]. It supports Stunts well but its more realistic simulation of a DOS environment can paradoxically lead to issues with Stunts. In particular, the emulator might generate out-of-memory errors when using demanding car models. The problem can be prevented by disabling <code>xms</code> and ~~set~~ <code>minimum mcb free</code> to 1.		'''[https://dosbox-x.com DOSBox-X]''' is a variant of DOSBox providing [https://dosbox-x.com/wiki/DOSBox%E2%80%90X%E2%80%99s-Feature-Highlights more advanced features]. It supports Stunts well but its more realistic simulation of a DOS environment can paradoxically lead to issues with Stunts. In particular, the emulator might generate out-of-memory errors when using demanding car models. The problem can be prevented by disabling <code>xms</code> and setting <code>minimum mcb free</code> to 1.

	== DOSBox Staging ==		== DOSBox Staging ==

HerrNove at 01:26, 1 March 2025

2025-03-01T01:26:05Z

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	On a correctly configured DOSBox, the feature most subject to bugs while running Stunts is sound emulation. When restarting a race, car sounds may become partially or completely mute relatively often. Such behaviour often can be observed when DOSBox is left idle or on background for some time; pausing the emulation with ALT + PAUSE when switching tasks minimizes that and other related occurrences. Those sound bugs usually resolve spontaneously after a while or with some race restarts.		On a correctly configured DOSBox, the feature most subject to bugs while running Stunts is sound emulation. When restarting a race, car sounds may become partially or completely mute relatively often. Such behaviour often can be observed when DOSBox is left idle or on background for some time; pausing the emulation with ALT + PAUSE when switching tasks minimizes that and other related occurrences. Those sound bugs usually resolve spontaneously after a while or with some race restarts.

			== DOSBox-X ==
			'''[https://dosbox-x.com DOSBox-X]''' is a variant of DOSBox providing [https://dosbox-x.com/wiki/DOSBox%E2%80%90X%E2%80%99s-Feature-Highlights more advanced features]. It supports Stunts well but its more realistic simulation of a DOS environment can paradoxically lead to issues with Stunts. In particular, the emulator might generate out-of-memory errors when using demanding car models. The problem can be prevented by disabling <code>xms</code> and set <code>minimum mcb free</code> to 1.

			== DOSBox Staging ==
			'''[https://www.dosbox-staging.org/ DOSBox Staging]''' is another advanced DOSBox variant, providing a different feature set with respect to -X. It is used by at least one Stunts modder, so no particular problems are to be expected.

	== External links ==		== External links ==

Duplode: /* General tips */ adding a subsection on sound

2020-05-17T00:48:56Z

General tips: adding a subsection on sound

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:48, 17 May 2020
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	The ''number of cycles'' setting of DOSBox is, by far, the most crucial parameter for adjustment in order to get Stunts to run smoothly. It controls how fast is the virtual processor emulated by DOSBox runs. Since emulation is a quite inefficient process, the actual CPU load is much higher than one would suppose for the number of cycles of the emulated processor. That is the main reason why DOSBox is so processor-intensive. Finding the correct value for the number of cycles setting can be tricky, since setting it too low will make the game sluggish, as the virtual processor will not meet Stunts minimum requirements. Setting it too high, however, won't work either in most cases, as the real CPU of the computer will be overloaded. Therefore, the ideal value is an intermediate "sweet-spot". For instance, assuming one wishes to run Stunts with high-quality settings (scalers for 1024x768, maximum quality sound, etc.), the minimum reasonable number of cycles will be somewhere around 8000. The upper limit depends heavily on the actual processor; while a modern dual-core can easily deal with 20000 cycles, an early 2000's Athlon XP will call for lowering it to ~12000. In general, the slower the processor is, the harder it will be to strike a balance. If tuning only by the number of cycles proves impossible, further fine tuning of graphics and other settings may be necessary.		The ''number of cycles'' setting of DOSBox is, by far, the most crucial parameter for adjustment in order to get Stunts to run smoothly. It controls how fast is the virtual processor emulated by DOSBox runs. Since emulation is a quite inefficient process, the actual CPU load is much higher than one would suppose for the number of cycles of the emulated processor. That is the main reason why DOSBox is so processor-intensive. Finding the correct value for the number of cycles setting can be tricky, since setting it too low will make the game sluggish, as the virtual processor will not meet Stunts minimum requirements. Setting it too high, however, won't work either in most cases, as the real CPU of the computer will be overloaded. Therefore, the ideal value is an intermediate "sweet-spot". For instance, assuming one wishes to run Stunts with high-quality settings (scalers for 1024x768, maximum quality sound, etc.), the minimum reasonable number of cycles will be somewhere around 8000. The upper limit depends heavily on the actual processor; while a modern dual-core can easily deal with 20000 cycles, an early 2000's Athlon XP will call for lowering it to ~12000. In general, the slower the processor is, the harder it will be to strike a balance. If tuning only by the number of cycles proves impossible, further fine tuning of graphics and other settings may be necessary.

			=== Sound ===

			Among the sound devices originally supported by Stunts, PC speaker and Sound Blaster work straight away in DOSBox with no need of configuration tweaks. See the [[Sound]] article for setting up DOSBox to use MT-32 MIDI sound, as well as further information about the sound devices.

	== Example configuration files ==		== Example configuration files ==

Duplode: /* Quick start */

2015-03-01T16:56:20Z

Quick start

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	Stunts will then start. If you have not changed the default settings of DOSBox, you will soon notice that the game is sluggish. To fix that, first look at the title bar of the DOSBox window. It will display a number of cycles, something like <tt>3000 cycles</tt>. Press <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> to raise that value to around 20000. If the game does not run fluently after that, use <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> to lower the value gradually (by about 2000 each time) until it works right.		Stunts will then start. If you have not changed the default settings of DOSBox, you will soon notice that the game is sluggish. To fix that, first look at the title bar of the DOSBox window. It will display a number of cycles, something like <tt>3000 cycles</tt>. Press <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> to raise that value to around 20000. If the game does not run fluently after that, use <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> to lower the value gradually (by about 2000 each time) until it works right.

	The above covers the basics of getting Stunts to run. It is a good idea, however, to adjust a few DOSBox settings in <tt>dosbox.conf</tt>, the text file which stores ~~the~~ settings. The [http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Dosbox.conf#Creation_and_Location DOSBox Wiki] explains where to find it in your system. Set <tt>aspect=true</tt> at the <tt>[render]</tt> section, so that the game graphics do not look shorter than they should, and <tt>cycles</tt> to the number of cycles that you ended up with, so that you do not have to adjust it with <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> and <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> every single time.		The above covers the basics of getting Stunts to run. It is a good idea, however, to adjust a few DOSBox settings in <tt>dosbox.conf</tt>, the text file which stores its settings. The [http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Dosbox.conf#Creation_and_Location DOSBox Wiki] explains where to find it in your system. Set <tt>aspect=true</tt> at the <tt>[render]</tt> section, so that the game graphics do not look shorter than they should, and <tt>cycles</tt> to the number of cycles that you ended up with, so that you do not have to adjust it with <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> and <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> every single time.

	== Installation guides ==		== Installation guides ==

Duplode: /* Installation guides */

2015-02-18T02:51:56Z

Installation guides

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	Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.		Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.

	* [http://digilander.libero.it/stunts.SDR/video.htm SDR Video Tutorials] - probably the most didactic resource available, and the first you should check. "How to play Stunts with DOSBox" gives a rundown of installation under Windows and also explains how to mount the Stunts folder manually and launch the game from DOSBox. "How to make a DOSBox video..." is geared to NoRH racers, demonstrating how a competition lap should be recorded. The videos are available in four languages - English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Courtesy of [[User talk:Mark L. Rivers\|Mark L. Rivers]].~~.. ;-)~~		* [http://digilander.libero.it/stunts.SDR/video.htm SDR Video Tutorials] - probably the most didactic resource available, and the first you should check. "How to play Stunts with DOSBox" gives a rundown of installation under Windows and also explains how to mount the Stunts folder manually and launch the game from DOSBox. "How to make a DOSBox video..." is geared to NoRH racers, demonstrating how a competition lap should be recorded. The videos are available in four languages - English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Courtesy of [[User talk:Mark L. Rivers\|Mark L. Rivers]].

	*[http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Basic_Setup_and_Installation_of_DosBox Basic Setup and Installation of DOSBox @ DOSBox Wiki] - pretty clear explanations of the fundamentals at DOSBox's official Wiki. Even though it's not Stunts-specific, it can serve as a text reference for the procedures shown at the SDR tutorial. Should you need more technical info on DOSBox, their Wiki is a good place to check.		*[http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Basic_Setup_and_Installation_of_DosBox Basic Setup and Installation of DOSBox @ DOSBox Wiki] - pretty clear explanations of the fundamentals at DOSBox's official Wiki. Even though it's not Stunts-specific, it can serve as a text reference for the procedures shown at the SDR tutorial. Should you need more technical info on DOSBox, their Wiki is a good place to check.

Duplode: Added a quick start mini-guide

2015-02-18T02:51:30Z

Added a quick start mini-guide

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:51, 18 February 2015
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	'''DOSBox''' is an emulator of an Intel x86 PC running MS-DOS. It is geared towards running games originally developed for MS-DOS. In particular, DOSBox is able to run Stunts almost flawlessly, which is of crucial importance to Stunts racers, not only for allowing the game to be played under recent Windows versions or Linux, but also for making [[NoRH]] racing with video capture viable.		'''DOSBox''' is an emulator of an Intel x86 PC running MS-DOS. It is geared towards running games originally developed for MS-DOS. In particular, DOSBox is able to run Stunts almost flawlessly, which is of crucial importance to Stunts racers, not only for allowing the game to be played under recent Windows versions or Linux, but also for making [[NoRH]] racing with video capture viable.

			== Quick start ==

			With a modern computer, it is likely that the following instructions will work straight away. For extra tips, or if problems arise, check the rest of the article.

			Let's assume you already have installed DOSBox, that your Stunts directory is <tt>C:\Games\Stunts</tt> and that the main executable in your Stunts version is <tt>stunts_k.exe</tt>. Open DOSBox and enter the following commands:

			mount C C:\Games\Stunts
			C:
			stunts_k

			Stunts will then start. If you have not changed the default settings of DOSBox, you will soon notice that the game is sluggish. To fix that, first look at the title bar of the DOSBox window. It will display a number of cycles, something like <tt>3000 cycles</tt>. Press <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> to raise that value to around 20000. If the game does not run fluently after that, use <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> to lower the value gradually (by about 2000 each time) until it works right.

			The above covers the basics of getting Stunts to run. It is a good idea, however, to adjust a few DOSBox settings in <tt>dosbox.conf</tt>, the text file which stores the settings. The [http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Dosbox.conf#Creation_and_Location DOSBox Wiki] explains where to find it in your system. Set <tt>aspect=true</tt> at the <tt>[render]</tt> section, so that the game graphics do not look shorter than they should, and <tt>cycles</tt> to the number of cycles that you ended up with, so that you do not have to adjust it with <tt>Ctrl+F11</tt> and <tt>Ctrl+F12</tt> every single time.

	== Installation guides ==		== Installation guides ==

Duplode: /* Example configuration files */ Having "exit" at the end of the .conf file is counterproductive.

2013-08-24T13:10:36Z

Example configuration files: Having "exit" at the end of the .conf file is counterproductive.

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	cd \		cd \
	stunts_k.exe		stunts_k.exe
	~~exit~~

	* Pentium-M 1.4Ghz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP SP3, works flawlessly windowed (almost filling full-screen) not recommended for high resolutions. Flawlessly works on similar computers of Bonzai Joe and Akoss Poo. (submitted by [[User talk:zaqrack\|zaqrack]]):		* Pentium-M 1.4Ghz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP SP3, works flawlessly windowed (almost filling full-screen) not recommended for high resolutions. Flawlessly works on similar computers of Bonzai Joe and Akoss Poo. (submitted by [[User talk:zaqrack\|zaqrack]]):

Duplode: /* Installation guides */

2012-02-04T19:28:42Z

Installation guides

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:28, 4 February 2012
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	* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience).		* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience).

	Racers using Windows who wish to use DOSBox video capture (for instance, for recording laps for [[NoRH]] racing) will also ~~want~~ to install the ZBMV movie codecs which come with DOSBox.		Racers using Windows who wish to use DOSBox video capture (for instance, for recording laps for [[NoRH]] racing) will also need to install the ZBMV movie codecs which come with DOSBox.

	Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.		Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.

Duplode: /* Installation guides */

2012-02-04T19:28:24Z

Installation guides

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:28, 4 February 2012
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	* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience).		* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience).

	Racers using Windows who wish to use DOSBox video capture (for instance, for recording laps for [[NoRH]] racing) will also want to install the ZBMV movie codecs.		Racers using Windows who wish to use DOSBox video capture (for instance, for recording laps for [[NoRH]] racing) will also want to install the ZBMV movie codecs which come with DOSBox.

	Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.		Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.

Duplode: /* Installation guides */ separated the ZBMV codecs from the rest of the basic steps for clarity.

2012-02-04T19:27:15Z

Installation guides: separated the ZBMV codecs from the rest of the basic steps for clarity.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 4 February 2012
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	* Installing DOSBox ([http://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1 official download page]);		* Installing DOSBox ([http://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1 official download page]);
	* Mounting the Stunts folder inside DOSBox and launching the game;		* Mounting the Stunts folder inside DOSBox and launching the game;
	* Tuning the settings until the game runs fluently ([[DOSBox#Number of cycles\|number of cycles]] is of particular importance);		* Tuning the settings until the game runs fluently ([[DOSBox#Number of cycles\|number of cycles]] is of particular importance); and
	* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience) ~~and~~		* Making the application of settings and launching of the game semi-automatic via .conf files or using a [[DOSBox#Frontends\|frontend]] (optional, but recommended for extra convenience).
	* If under Windows, ~~installing ZBMV movie codecs (required if you intend to make and watch recorded~~ laps for [[NoRH]] racing).
			Racers using Windows who wish to use DOSBox video capture (for instance, for recording laps for [[NoRH]] racing) will also want to install the ZBMV movie codecs.

	Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.		Those steps are better explained in a number of external resources, which will be presented now. We suggest you to start with the first two guides, follow their instructions and then check the others and the more specific tips ahead in this article in case there are doubts remaining.