ampersands are still allowed in 0.74. So I doubt that & is the problem

Well, it's a bit strange that the the command works in dosbox 0.63 and does not in 0.74. I'm running them side by side and it is the same command that is executed.
So there is a difference in behaviour somewhere.

well it is probably not the &, but there can be other things that got broken.

OK, I have investigated this problem. Running the file "g&b.bat" in these DosBox versions RUNS PERFECTLY:

DosBox 0.63
DosBox 0.65
DosBox 0.70
DosBox 0.71
DosBox 0.72

But in those more recent versions DOESN'T WORK:
DosBox 0.73
DosBox 0.74

So the problem is a code change started in DosBox 0.73. For both versions it shows the same error:

MetaWINDOW Graphics Driver - Version 3.3A
Copyright (c) 1987,1988 - Metagraphics Software Corporation

MetaWINDOW driver loaded, invoking application . . . .

MetaWINDOW EXEC: Error - File not found.

I attach screenshots executing "g&b.bat" with DosBox 0.63, 0.73 and 0.74, and the program itself in a zip file.

Can be this revised? I think that BUG could/must be fixed...

THANKS!

Can be this revised? I think that BUG could/must be fixed...

Revisiting the screenshots tells me they look different. Depending on how this looks
on a real system dosbox may or may not be correct.

I think that BUG could/must be fixed...

There's nothing that MUST be fixed.

Sorry about my "MUST", you are right.

Revisiting the screenshots tells me they look different. Depending on how this looks
on a real system dosbox may or may not be correct.

I don't understand what you are trying to say, sorry... I only did tests with different versions of DosBox, and the screenshots are the results. As you can see, in the DosBox 0.63 screenshot, the program runs perfectly, after executing g&b.bat, it displays some text and shows that screen then. You can check it by yourself if you want with any version from 0.63 to 0.72, I did not trick any screenshot.

The original batch file is named GB.BAT and should contain:

1echo off
2rem Batch file for Guns & Butter
3METAWNDO G&B %1

The batch file you are using has been renamed to G&B.BAT, and modified to add ".exe" on the G&B parameter of the METAWNDO program. It does not work in real DOS, and it does not work in any version of DOSBox that I have tried. There is no problem if you use the original batch file name and contents.

OK ripsaw8080, now I understand, it is exactly the thing you said.

If within the file G&B.BAT, you put:

1METAWNDO G&B %1

instead of:

1METAWNDO G&B.EXE %1

The program runs perfectly in DosBox 0.74.

Ok, SOLVED!

Ah, OK, it works in older versions if you include the .bat extension when running the batch file, but not in more recent versions. The current behavior matches real DOS, however.

Yes, that is.

ripsaw8080 wrote:

...include the .bat extension when...

I think you wanted to say .exe extension. Thanks with your explanation to solve the problem!

No, I meant .bat, you misunderstood what I wrote. You must run the batch file with its extension, otherwise there is confusion about what is being run (G&B.BAT vs. G&B.EXE). However, when the batch file has its original name (GB.BAT) there can be no such uncertainty, and you don't have to type the .bat extension to run the game, you can simple type "GB".

the original program (METAWND) might have used a findfirst to find it and thus the filedates and cluster locations on the disk might be relavant (what it finds first (the bat or exe)). So the renamed bat file might have worked on a real PC, (by sheer luck)

No findfirst is used (FCB or non-FCB), only EXEC (INT 21/4B00) is used.

METAWNDO.EXE appends ".com" and then ".exe" extensions to the file it tries to run. With the original batch file it fails on G&B.com but succeeds on G&B.exe. With the modified batch file it fails on both G&B.exe.com and G&B.exe.exe. Not sure if there's any circumstances where those filenames will successfully execute in real DOS.

Just only another thing. Probably would be good to add the entry "The Global Dilemma: Guns or Butter" to the games compatibility list of DosBox website:
http://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?letter=G

because it is not there, and this is a game published by Mindscape.

It's there: http://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?showID=1977

And the reason it's under "T" for The and not "G" is because the compatibility list info is provided by users without much in the way of guidelines.

Thanks for finding this out. I can only think that I changed the .bat file because it didn't work in even older versions.
I don't really understand why it worked in 0.63 though, seeing that explanation that metawindow appends .exe and .com.