Bioforge, keyboard problems

Spek · Post by **Spek** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:40 pm

Hi,

Finally got some old games like Crusader working with Virtual PC 5.1. Works fine, except for Bioforge. The game runs, the mouse in the menu works, music works(dunno about sfx yet) but then I can't control that lazy cyborg.

You start the game on a bed and if I remember right (9 years ago), you just hit some walk keys to stand up and destroy that robot thing. But the character doesn't react on anything, it just keeps lying on the bed.

I think the keyboard if f*cked up somehow. The monitor in the scene and the robot are animating, the music keeps playing and if I hit 'L' (strange key for a menu isn't it?), the load/save menu appears. In other words, I don't think it hangs. I checked the 'install.opt' file, keyboard was in E (english mode). I tried German and French as well but no result

The readme file says something about mixed up keys: "You may have your keyboard commands remapped by programmable software or
BIOS. You will need to disable this function to play BioForge properly.". How to do that with Virtual PC? Or any other trick to get it working?

Thanks!

Elign · Post by **Elign** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:56 pm

The keyboard driver provided inside Virtual PC may not be compatible with the keyboard routines within the game. Some games use their own independent method of handling the keyboard (like Indenture).

Since you have no problem with other games, it would appear that Bioforge is programmed in such a way that clashes with the way Virtual PC does things, and as such I recommend using a different environment to run the game, like DOSBox or Windows itself (NTVDM/COMMAND).

It is likely that is either a bug/glitch in Bioforge or VPC, since the keyboard functions operate at such a low-level on the machine.

Spek · Post by **Spek** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:20 pm

Hmm, got it working but still not right I think. I disabled sound and set keyboard on French. Now the screen shakes a few times in the beginning (earthquake or something?) and the cyborg finally stands up. I didn't see those shakes the other time so maybe it was hanging somehow after all.

The music works but when I enable SFX, I can't control my bot and the shaking screens aren't there. The music is set on Soundblaster, but what to do with the Soundcard? Normally I choose Soundblaster 220,5,1 but maybe it causes problems now...

BTW, how to fight in Bioforge, forgot it! When pushing 'c' your in combat modus. Then with ctrl and the arrows you can kick but I'f I'm right, there were more moves than only kicks, a head-but and a ridiculous salto backwards.

Greetings

Post by **dosraider** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:39 pm

Strange , your keyboard .
Anyway:
http://www.replacementdocs.com/
They have the bioforge manual / quick reference...etcetera....

Spek · Post by **Spek** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:48 am

Thanks for help guys!

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:22 am

The keyboard problem has to do with soundcard configuration. I'm not sure what the correct settings in VirtualPC are (see below), but I had the same problem in DOSBox and had to reconfigure the soundcard emulation to IRQ5 in order to get out of that situation at the beginning of the game.

But I have a question of my own, too...

I also tried to run the game in VirtualPC 2007 and MS-DOS 6.22 because it gives better performance. But whenever I try to start the game (installing went without problems), the game immediately, before doing anything else, kicks me back to prompt with this:

Code: Select all

Exception 14
AX=3006 BX=0A7A CX=0278 DX=0000 SP=063E BP=0634 SI=4DF3 DI=0A2E
DS=0010 ES=0010 SS=19C8 CS=0008 IP=23DB Flags=3006 Error=0002

I heard other people had the same problem, but noone mentioned to have found a solution. I sure wonder what could trigger that exception. Configuration seems fine, and so does install.opt.

Post by **dosraider** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:49 am

Daniel, maybe you don't know but VPC2007 doesn't directly** support MSDos anymore (a real shame) so you d'better of with VPC2004.
You must run the MSDos VPC_additions inside VPC2004/DOS to get the soundcard support needed for Bioforge.
(You simply mount the floppy image or click on 'install or update VMADD blabla' in the 'action' menu, run the bat file that's on it)
Bioforge is very tricky about the soundsettings.
The Soundcard settings for bioforge in VPC are:
Soundblaster, A220, IRQ5, DMA1.
Choose something else and the game will hang.

Good news however is that Dosbox 0.70 runs the game flawless, IF your PC is recent (powerfull enough).
Soundsettings in Dosbox are different, soundblaster again but IRQ7.

**
If you know French ( I do

) you can find a full 'howto' for VPC2007-MSDos @
http://perso.orange.fr/ms-dos/
But I really don't feel the urge to translate the whole thing, really not.

Post by **Larry Laffer** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:20 pm

We've got Google, y'know?

*** That google translation is complete SHIT. ~dosraider**

Post by **dosraider** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:37 pm

Larry Laffer wrote:We've got Google, y'know?

LMAO.

If that's the best google can do ..... good luck.

LMAO, really.

*Edit
Will write a howto for Bioforge in Dosbox0.70.
....soon.

*Edit²
Nightshift on the techboard, not much to do, will write it.
Bored to death anyway.

*Edit³
Done:
http://www.dosgames.com/forum/viewtopic ... 8983#78983