VOGONS


First post, by Sol_HSA

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Available at:
http://solvbe.sourceforge.net

1.3b Changes:
- Added options to reduce or increase debug information.

Basically, if you have a game that works but pops up "unknown int10h" or some such dialogs, you can supress those now. (This feature was added since some nice people from a Polish university use SolVBE to run some old scientific apps, which used some weird VGA detect functions).

older releases follow..
-- 8< -- 8< --
1.2b Changes:
- Tons of new options, mostly for tweaking performance

For those who have performance options, try to lower the display update refresh rate first. As before, please report your successes or failures..

Oh, I just ran through TN. =)

-- 8< -- 8< --
http://iki.fi/sol/zip/SolVBE_10b.zip - binaries

Improvements over the last alpha:

- Aspect lock
- Mouse is now released on loss of focus
- New options dialog
- Dialog boxes now have appropriate icons
- Fullscreen mode
- Web links
- Higher frequency timer
- Retrace check
- Some tweak mode support (320x200 and 320x400 un-chain4 modes; no display address changing support yet)
- Shorter log files
- Fixed palette reading
- Better console window detection code
- Version numbers for both DLL and TSR
- Mouse now moves on IRQ12 instead of system timer interrupt
- Nifty icons, cursors and other little stuff like that.

The sources are also availabe at http://iki.fi/sol/zip/SolVBE_10b_src.zip
(zlib/libpng license, but I'd appreciate patches if you find/fix bugs)

Attachments

  • options_20040307.gif
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    File comment
    The new options popup
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • dune_20040307.gif
    Filename
    dune_20040307.gif
    File size
    43.62 KiB
    Views
    13256 views
    File comment
    Dune, a 13h mode game, in a nifty window with filtering enabled
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • tnova3_20040307.jpg
    Filename
    tnova3_20040307.jpg
    File size
    49.66 KiB
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    13256 views
    File comment
    Terra Nova, normal HUD mode, aspect ratio lock off
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • tnova5_20040307.gif
    Filename
    tnova5_20040307.gif
    File size
    71.62 KiB
    Views
    13256 views
    File comment
    Terra Nova, 320x400 mode (*very* slow, and unstable)
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by Sol_HSA on 2004-09-16, 08:05. Edited 2 times in total.

http://iki.fi/sol - my schtuphh

Reply 1 of 12, by Stiletto

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Suggestions for the future:
DirectX/Direct3D scaling
Scale2x/3x/4x, hq2x/3x/4x support and other filters
the other stuff I said already (VESA2/LFB - there are games w/o proper fallbacks, I have to go dig up what they are in VOGONS)

"I see a little silhouette-o of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you
do the Fandango!" - Queen

Stiletto

Reply 2 of 12, by Sol_HSA

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Available at:
http://iki.fi/sol/zip/solvbe_11b.zip

Sources at:
http://iki.fi/sol/zip/solvbe_11b_src.zip

Changes:
- Commandline options to toggle the behavior of some (possibly) troublesome options off.
- Small bugfixes that may or may not have any effect.

If you had problems with 1.0b (or if you have problems with 1.1b), please report if this version helps (or not), and which options you used.

For "tn freezes at startup", I recommend trying things in the following order:

1. SolVBE -t0
(disable high freq timer)

2. SolVBE -v1
(disable vrc emulation)

3. SolVBE -m8
(move mouse from irq12 to timer)

4. SolVBE -t0 -m8 -v0
(same as the alpha versions, ie. no tweak mode support, mouse in timer, no high freq timer)

http://iki.fi/sol - my schtuphh

Reply 3 of 12, by Targaff

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Maybe it's just me being a muppet, but those 11b links aren't working here - just takes me to a page on your site saying you may have moved it elsewhere (custom 404, I presume).

Any chance you could just upload as attachments to the BB?

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Reply 4 of 12, by Sol_HSA

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ah, my bad.

Wrote the links in a too lazy way:

Binaries available at:
http://iki.fi/sol/zip/SolVBE_11b.zip

Sources at:
http://iki.fi/sol/zip/SolVBE_11b_src.zip

..case matters.

http://iki.fi/sol - my schtuphh

Reply 5 of 12, by [vEX]

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A little suggestion, edit the first post and add the info there and it will be easier too find (you can even changed the thread title I believe).
Haven't had time to test this yet, but I plan on doing that later tonight.
Keep up the good work!

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Reply 6 of 12, by Sol_HSA

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For those interested, I wrote some bits about the internals of SolVBE at http://iki.fi/sol/solvbe.html

..and 'solvbe' seems to be a *very* common typo of 'solve'. 😀

http://iki.fi/sol - my schtuphh

Reply 7 of 12, by Jiri

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Thanks for your effort to make SolVBE. I think such utility is needed - some VESA games are slow in DOSBox, others do not work at all. Also some VESA games do not work in XP and seems that there is no possibility to increase low screen refresh rates for those that work, at least with NVIDIA FX cards. The problem is, that with SolVBE are the games often too slow regardless of fiddling with SolVBE config.

The games I have tested with SolVBE 1.2b (Windows XP, Intel Celeron CPU 2.5 GHz, NVIDIA FX 5200 graphic card):
Shannara - good graphics, very slow, CPU usage 100%
Sherlock Holmes: Case of the Rose Tatoo - good graphics, very slow, CPU usage 90-100%, mouse moves only in part of the screen
Ark of Time - good graphics, very slow, CPU usage 100%
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh - no mouse, I could not start the game from the menu (good graphics there)
So if speed and mouse problems were solved, SolVBE would be really a great utility.

Reply 9 of 12, by ragnic

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I've tested wing Commander 3
it runs with -v0, except for th fmv which is squashed in upper halfscreen.
(i remember they used a special mode)
it is not playable right now with my athlon 700 and geforce2mx, but i know i have an old machine 😊
maybe when i upgrade it will be playable
Keep up the good work!