Runtime error 203 = heap overflow; maybe loadfix can help with that. The freeware version has already been patched for runtime error 200 (division by zero in the CRT unit), and another game bug was fixed with the help of the DOSBox devs. BTW, the screen fades look nicer with machine=vgaonly due to support for video blanking.

According to Qbix, it's a game bug. See http://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?showID=2035&letter=A

No, he's talking about the save slots that allow you to save the level you are on, I'm referring to the "SAFE" terminals within the levels themselves that allow you to restart at that point rather than replaying the entire level when you die. Thanks anyway though.

*EDIT* - Tried loadfix with 32K (64 looked like it would use too much conventional memory, causing problems for the game), no dice, I still get the runtime error.

The last release (which was the base for the later free release) was bugged due to packaging,
so try to find some older versions that may or may not have these bugs.

It's odd that I don't seem to see any other topics about this - if the freeware release had this very apparent bug, you'd think more people would have encountered it by now. I recently had the yen to play the game again, and have jumped through all kinds of configuration hoops to no end...it's a shame as it's a really fun platform title, and I would really rather use the official freeware release than an older version (even though I owned the original disks at some point).

wd wrote:

The last release (which was the base for the later free release) was bugged due to packaging,
so try to find some older versions that may or may not have these bugs.

It's funny you say this, because I remember playing Alien Carnage 1.0 (which is the basis for the freeware) back in the day (and both the registered and freeware versions of Alien Carnage exhibit this behavior in DOSBox), and never had any runtime error - the SAFE terminals worked as they should, so I'm thinking it may be a conflict with the way DOSBox works and Alien Carnage's memory system. It should be noted that Halloween Harry registered works fine in DOSBox, so DOSBox doesn't like/emulate something needed in the Alien Carnage release.

It is error 203, but it's because the game is running out of memory.
Maybe there's a memory leak somewhere.