+ Help running Falcon 3.0

[Unknown]

I need help running Falcon 3.0. Whenever I try to run the game-Dos or Windows- I get an error saying I need at least 602k to run- and I have 64MB! Could someone help me with this? That would be great.

[Kazer0]

join and send a PM to procreos (spelling?) He is the best at memory. But i think that there is a certain amount of a type of memory. The 64mb is extended memory, It needs conventional i think.

[486 player]

If thou haven't DOS write c:\windows\command instead o' c:\dos.

autoexec.bat:

prompt $p$g
path c:\dos
lh c:\mouse.com
soud card

config.sys:

device=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
device=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS frame=e000
dos=high,umb
files=30
buffers=30

[procerus]

Yes, Unknown, it's "conventional memory" you're lacking. This is an historical thing caused by someone called Bill Gates who, in 1982, decided that "640K ought to be enough for anyone". All Microsoft's subsequent efforts to create operating systems have been hamstrung by his stupidity ever since. Even NT/2k/XP are hobbled in some ways in order to attempt to make them compatible with this limitation.

Conventional memory is a configuration thing and has nothing to do with how much RAM you have. We need to free up space in the bottom of the first meg of memory in order to run the game.

First question. What OS are you trying to run the game on?

[Guest]

Dear Procerus,

In reply to your question on the OS, I am using Windows 98.

[procerus]

My favourite OS!

Try the following. If the first one doesn't work then try the second suggestion. The first suggestion below will attempt to run the game inside Windows.

1/ Go to the folder where you installed the game. Find the file that runs the game (this may be an .exe file or a .bat file). Right-click it and select "Create Shortcut".

A shortcut to the game will appear in the same folder. You can move this to the desktop or the Start Menu by dragging it if you wish. You can rename it by right-clicking too.

To set up the memory right-click the shortcut and select Properties. Go to the Memory page. Under the Conventional Memory section where it says "Total" select 640 and click on Apply. Now try to run the game by double-clicking the shortcut.

Any good? They say it won't work inside Windows here-
http://www.ina-support.com/faq/falcon30_pc.asp
but the second method is more technical.

2/ For this we need to set up a proper DOS environment. Windows will exit and reboot to pure DOS. When you exit the game Windows will reload itself. Because we're in DOS we need to install drivers for CD-ROM, mouse and sound.

Open your C: drive and right-click the background. Select New and then Folder. Name the folder "Dosdrive". Download CuteMouse 1.9 from the link in my sig. Extract just ctmouse.exe from the download into the new folder.

Download vide-cdd.sys from here-
http://dos.li5.org/downloads/drv.htm
place the file in that same folder.

You need to find out what sound card you have. You need to find out (search on Google if necessary) what commands you need to load the sound drivers. We can proceed without this although the game will (surprise) then be silent. Or you can post below what sound card you've got and I'll find the stuff for you.

Now we need to set the game up to run in DOS with those drivers. So we go back to that shortcut we made in the first attempt.

Right-click the shortcut again. Select Properties. This time select Program and click the Advanced button. Check the "MS-DOS mode" item and check the "Specify a new MS-DOS Configuration". Copy and paste the following into the config.sys window-

DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM AUTO I=B000-B7FF
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOSDRIVE\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:MYCDROM

then copy and paste the following into the autoexec.bat window-

SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
LOADHIGH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /E /D:MYCDROM
C:\DOSDRIVE\CTMOUSE.EXE /R1

***If you can find out what your sound card drivers need then add them to the end of this***

Then click on OK and Apply and stuff.

As a final precaution get hold of a floppy disk and go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Click on StartUp Disk and make a disk.

Now you can play the game by double-clicking that shortcut. The computer will reboot and the game will run. When you exit the game the computer reboots again and Windows reloads.

If ever you get stuck with the game just loading every time you boot then start the machine with the StartUp Disk. Log onto C: (just type it and hit enter). Type the following commands, hitting enter at the end of every line and then remove the disk and reboot-
del config.sys
del autoexec.bat
ren config.wos config.sys
ren autoexec.wos autoexec.bat

Phew! Seems like a lot of hassle? It isn't really. It can be fun. Print out these instructions and take your time.

Post again if you get stuck.

[486 player]

proc, didn't thou see my answer?

[procerus]

I did 486. But I thought I'd explain more thoroughly. And besides, Falcon 3 needs EMS and not XMS. But great minds think alike, eh?