Quick Guide to play Tomb Raider 1 with Dosbox (both Windows XP and Vista)

[gidierre]

This tutorial, instead of a possible excruciating series of 157 cascading instructions to attentively follow through, is fairly short and (hopefully) quite simple to apply
because it includes a handful of files I made to ease the install and play procedures required.
You only need to run a couple of batch files who know what to do for you.
My aim was: click once and you're through. First time one click to install, thereafter one click when it's time to play.
If I succeeded in making it simple yet effective, you try out and get back to tell me.


Quick start, for WinXP/Vista 32bit versions
-----------------------------------------

download dosbox (0.72 version) from
http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...ckage_id=46709

download glide patch from
http://www.si-gamer.net/gulikoza/

look up there among dosbox downloads and grab both
1.
DOSBoxcvs-080914.zip (14.09.2008)
and
2.
d3dx9_30.dll, download installer

install sequentially:

dosbox,
the glide patch (extract all files to the dosbox directory, that is c:\program files\DOSBox-0.72 overwriting every file as needed),
and DirectX 9
reboot (optional)

insert TR1 cdrom, if/when Windows autoruns it, refuse and close the window

get my zip here:

http://www.2shared.com/file/4740906/d19013f6/dbtr4.html

password: dosbox

then extract all files from this zip e.g. to your c:\tombraid folder

if no such folder exists yet, because you never installed TR1 on your machine, there's no problem at all.
You can create it now e.g. either on the fly right in the Winzip box, or in advance in Windows, before extracting the zip, or else you can always extract the whole zip contents in any folder of your choice and then work it from there

HERE WE GO
------------------

1.
to install, run Install Dosbox TR1.bat
as the usual TR1 install menu appears, proceed normally with customary installation routine
accept the c:\tombraid destination although actually it's fake (no worry--see more explanations on this in a moment)
when it's over don't play yet, better close both Tomb Raider and Dosbox now

2.
to play afterwards, each time just run Run Dosbox TR1.bat

that's all, folks.
Test it and please report.



EDIT Feb. 9th, 2009:

Added support for TR Unfinished Business too:

see ahead,
on page 3, message #29, dated Feb. 9th, 18:51


Some tips and comments
------------------------

To close Dosbox when it's fullscreen, type: exit and press Enter.
(I made sure that this tip will appear on screen at the right time)

A tip for Vista users only:

if the visual quality of the game doesn't satisfy you
you can try and improve it by tweaking the settings this way:

locate Run Dosbox TR1.bat in c:\tombraid or wherever you extracted it
to (don't run it by left, or double-left, clicking on it, right-click on it,
then in the popup menu left-click on edit)

in practice do a quick multiple find/replace:
find REM set
and everywhere
replace it with set

(the longer version: in all 23 lines reading: REM set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=windib delete the REM at the beginning so it becomes set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=windib only)

save and close the file
run the game as usual via Run Dosbox TR1.bat


Please note that if you have already installed the game in c:\tombraid, that earlier installation of yours is not going to be affected in the least by the current dosbox-related install process.
At any rate it's like the old one never happened for dosbox, the 2 batch files will take care that the installation be reenacted from scratch, as necessary, and under the hood will generate a new instance of it all automagically routing it to the brand new c:\dosbox\tombraid folder.
These operations you needn't worry about, for the 2 bat files I wrote can handle the magic on their own
that's what I made them for, after all.

Also notice that
-all new saves you're going to make will always be found in this c:\dosbox\tombraid, not in c:\tombraid!
and conversely
-if you want to load within dosbox any old savegames you have, you can, all you need do is copy your saves first in a normal Windows explorer session to c:\dosbox\tombraid, if you want dosbox to be able to recognize and load them at gameplay time.

Good thing that unlike other emulation software (like e.g. ScummVM) Dosbox makes non proprietary savegame extensions, so they're fully compatible/interchangeable with any other TR1 save you made outside Dosbox, like for instance those created when using Glidos or dgVoodoo.

Obviously, given the amount of dosbox settings to fix, I tried to pursue a middle "universal" point fit for a variety of PC configurations, adjusted to what my many years' experience (hopefully not pointless) with Dosbox instructed me to.

For issues like Dosbox performance, fine tuning, rendering output options etc.
besides asking my advice, there's the readme in Dosbox folder to browse first, a wiki page
http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Main_Page
and in general the great Vogons Forum to search
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/
with 6 sections dedicated to various Dosbox subjects and issues.

[freeze10108]

I got as far as using the Install Dosbox TR1.bat thing, but then it gave me these error messages. I do have the disc in the computer and the autorun feature works fine. Maybe I have a different version?

[EscondeR]

^ You have CD-drive letter higher than G: simply
Reasign drive letter for CD/DVD-drive to have at least G:

[gidierre]

Originally Posted by freeze10108

I got as far as using the Install Dosbox TR1.bat thing, but then it gave me these error messages. I do have the disc in the computer and the autorun feature works fine.

Yes, as EscondeR already noted, I designed the Can't find TR1 cdrom. Is it in the drive? warning to appear in case of drive letter mismatching (or if the cdrom is actually not there , which obviously is not your case).

Reassigning the cdrom drive a letter e.g. between d: and g: (g included)
as long as this is feasible and doesn't interfere with your settings, of course,
should indeed solve the issue.
If you can do it, you should then rerun the installation batch from the start and it should come through.

Just for my info, what letter does your cdrom drive has received?
Is there a reason for its naming as h: or above? Partitions or something?
Not that there's anything wrong with that, obviously this is just to know.

Anyway, in case you can't (or don't want to) swap the letter,
please post again specifying what that letter currently is that makes it crash,
and I'll be glad to send you that couple of files that need customization edited to suit your combo, OK?

[EscondeR]

Come to think about it, maybe it'll be easier to include verification for all possible drive letters then (D to Z)?

[gidierre]

Originally Posted by EscondeR

Come to think about it, maybe it'll be easier to include verification for all possible drive letters then (D to Z)?

OK I'm going for it

it'll get more robust,
but otoh the bulk of the files and their checks will become larger.

[freeze10108]

Originally Posted by gidierre

Reassigning the cdrom drive a letter e.g. between d: and g: (g included)
as long as this is feasible and doesn't interfere with your settings, of course,
should indeed solve the issue.
If you can do it, you should then rerun the installation batch from the start and it should come through.

So a letter that comes before g in the alphabet, or one that comes after? I'm going to guess after, because I have D and E in use—I saw no reason to change the defaults—right now, and they didn't work and I want to make sure that I use the right letter.[IMG]http://i43.************/t7odj4.jpg[/IMG]

[gidierre]

Originally Posted by freeze10108

because I have D and E in use right now, and they didn't work and I want to make sure that I use the right letter.[IMG]http://i43.************/t7odj4.jpg[/IMG]

no, wait, I'm rewriting it

when I'm done I'll edit the link to the new zip
hopefully within half an hour

[freeze10108]

Originally Posted by gidierre

no, wait, I'm rewriting it

when I'm done I'll edit the link to the new zip
hopefully within half an hour

Okay. I'll wait(please disregard impatient smiley[IMG]http://i40.************/2uj42e9.jpg[/IMG]). I'm having trouble finding out how to change the drive letters anyways[IMG]http://i40.************/2uj42e9.jpg[/IMG].

[gidierre]

OK
hopefully this is it

I changed the link in the first post to the new zip

practically lots of things have been edited
but you needn't worry about that

the Install Dosbox TR1.bat
and Run Dosbox TR1.bat
are still there,
the drive letter mess shouldn't be broken anymore, from d: to z:
(are there any more letters? )

all the process should be as automatic as possible
although the devil is in the details (and also outside )

Please, grab, test and bring out the news.