Shadowcat on 1/12/2007 at 09:11
Indeed, the current DOSBox releases run Terra Nova beautifully on a modern machine. But for heaven's sakes, select General Midi for your music!
uk_john on 1/12/2007 at 13:27
Ok, will try General Midi, but I think choosing SB16 sounds like midi anyway, so maybe it defaults to midi any way? :) Still, thanks for the advice - it's still welcome! After all, I find it a struggle to dislike any human being who likes Terra Nova! :)
Shadowcat on 2/12/2007 at 01:38
Yep, it's all midi, but the particular sound card you had determined the instruments available and the overall quality of the music you could expect to get in response to that midi data. So presuming that the SB16 emulation is precise, the tunes won't sound nearly as good in SB16 mode as they will if you choose General Midi, as the latter was intended for rather more expensive hardware.
Now admittedly the SB16 music test sounds better than I remember -- I'm not sure if that's purely because the emulated SB16 is better than the real thing, or if it's just the better speakers, or if my memory is doing the real SB16 an injustice -- but the General Midi music still sounds rather richer to my ears.
The same goes for System Shock, and probably any other game you have that supported a General Midi option, btw.
uk_john on 2/12/2007 at 10:43
Quote Posted by Shadowcat
Yep, it's all midi, but the particular sound card you had determined the instruments available and the overall quality of the music you could expect to get in response to that midi data. So presuming that the SB16 emulation is precise, the tunes won't sound nearly as good in SB16 mode as they will if you choose General Midi, as the latter was intended for rather more expensive hardware.
Now admittedly the SB16 music test sounds better than I remember -- I'm not sure if that's purely because the emulated SB16 is better than the real thing, or if it's just the better speakers, or if my memory is doing the real SB16 an injustice -- but the General Midi music still sounds rather richer to my ears.
The same goes for System Shock, and probably any other game you have that supported a General Midi option, btw.
For most retro DOS games (which I play ALOT - as I have never got rid of any PC game I have bought over the last 15 years, and have re-bought, via ebay, those that have got corrupted, or to get the CD version where I had the floppy version, etc) I do use MIDI and it is obviously the best in many cases, I will also try the Roland option and SB16 options and then use what I think sounds best in each game, which though emulation, like DOSBox, can be different to what it sounded like when originally played through an original soundblaster in a DOS/Win95 environment! :)
With my setup, MIDI can be a little harder to control visa vee volume, and I have never been one to want the music that greatly. I play Oblivion with no music and 4 or 5 sound effect mods, and I think STALKER is all the better for having very little music other than the guitar/harmonica playing Stalkers! :)
Only think i'd like to change in Terra Nova is the keyboard setup. With so many years of being able to set certain keys the way I like, it is a little frustrating having to remember certain keys for just one game. Although having said that, the keyboard has been laid out very cleverly and the problem could have been a whole lot worse! I also have to give credit that in a world where we all install to a Games folder, and 99% of games default to the Program Files folder that Looking Glass games automatically chose the Games folder! That really made me feel LG was in touch with how gamers played and what they wanted, and that's why LG games are pretty much all totally brilliant! :)
Shadowcat on 2/12/2007 at 18:55
Quote Posted by uk_john
Although having said that, the keyboard has been laid out very cleverly and the problem could have been a whole lot worse!
Yep, it's a layout that, while no match for the modern mouse+keyboard solution, still works well for most people (and you slide back into using it very easily, I find :)
I've seen some fabulous games with some truly horrific key mappings (Realms of the Haunting, I'm looking at you), but the LGT layouts always worked very nicely.
Quote:
I also have to give credit that in a world where we all install to a Games folder, and 99% of games default to the Program Files folder that Looking Glass games automatically chose the Games folder!
Absolutely. You get so used to editing the install path and start menu folder for every single game you buy, that it's something of a delight when the default is actually what you want :)
uk_john on 2/12/2007 at 20:32
Shadowcat - no sexual meaning, but you give me a warm feeling inside, knowing gamers like you are out there... Gives me hope....!!! :)
Shadowcat on 3/12/2007 at 08:29
No shortage of warm fuzzy nostalgia around these parts :)
I know there are people out there who see things differently*, but I'm glad to frequent a place where people Get It.
* in fact I work with a guy who says he has no interest in playing 'old' games, even if it's a game he's never played before; and by 'old' he meant a couple of years. Left me speechless. I have NO chance of comprehending that mind set.
Brad Schoonmaker on 3/12/2007 at 12:14
I'm a lucky one, I guess. I can play the game without any special setups/front end programs.
Fuzzies, yay! It's been proven many times, members like Shadowcat here are invaluable to the rest of us.
Quote:
* in fact I work with a guy who says he has no interest in playing 'old' games, even if it's a game he's never played before; and by 'old' he meant a couple of years. Left me speechless. I have NO chance of comprehending that mind set.
People who look away from the past sometime fear perspective. DOS4EVAR!!! HOO.:D
uk_john on 3/12/2007 at 13:02
Well all I can say, is it's their loss ShadowCat! To miss out on any great game just because it is 2 years and 1 day old is a loss for them not us! Where would I be not having played System Shock or Terra Nova or Darklands - I would be a lesser person, let alone a lesser gamer!
And of course, that guy is typical and even missing out on games like System Shock 2 and Half Life and Giants: Citizen Kabuto and other great games from just 5-6 years ago, let alone the 10-15 years back of the DOS games!
Retro is growing because the lack of content and hardware demands of modern games combined with the ease of playing these games now with the advent of DOSBox and front ends like D.O.G., that make playing these games as easy as any modern game, with just a few clicks to set the game up whether Terra Nova or Crysis! (but without the long install of 15-20gb modern game installs!) :)
