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How to play PC games under Windows? (Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master II)

What is a PC? Check the Wikipedia article about IBM PC compatible.

Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master II for PC (beta version and final version) only work well under DOS and not under Windows. You might be able to run the games directly under Windows, but you will probably have issues like no sound output. There are two ways to play these games:

  • Use DOSBox, a PC and DOS emulator. This is the easiest way and is recommended for modern PCs that have enough power to run emulation as well as PCs where you don't have any FAT16 or FAT32 hard disk partition (Windows 95/98/Me).
    Use at least Dosbox v0.56 for Dungeon Master, and at least Dosbox v0.61 for Dungeon Master II.
    You can also use other PC emulators like VMware or Virtual PC (free) but this page only provides instructions for Dosbox.
  • Use DOS mode if you're running Windows 95/98/Me or use a DOS boot disk if you run Windows 2000/XP and have a FAT16 or FAT32 partition (newer NTFS partitions used on Windows 2000/XP are not compatible with DOS). This is the recommended method for older PCs that cannot run emulation software fast enough.

Notes for Dungeon Master:

Follow these instructions to use the Dosbox emulator:

  1. Download Dungeon Master for PC, Dungeon Master II for PC or Dungeon Master II for PC v0.9 Beta.
  2. Decompress the game in a folder on your hard drive. Make sure your decompression utility creates the subfolder "DATA" (or "EUDATA" for the multilingual version of Dungeon Master). For Dungeon Master II for PC (final version), also decompress the patch and the HMI sound driver update, each in a separate folder.
  3. Download and install DOSBox.
  4. Run Dosbox using the shortcut installed in your Start Menu. The Dosbox window is very similar to a DOS command prompt, you can enter most DOS commands.
  5. Depending on which game you want to play:
    • Dungeon Master or Dungeon Master II v0.9 Beta
      1. If you have decompressed all the files in the folder "C:\DM", then type the following command: "MOUNT C C:\DM" and press enter. This will create a C: drive inside the emulator that will have the same content as you real C:\DM folder.
      2. Type "C:" and press enter. Then type "DM" and press enter to run the game.
    • Dungeon Master II (final version)
      1. Depending on which Dungeon Master II archive you downloaded, it can contain a pre installed version of the game or an exact copy of the original CD contents. If there is a file called DM2.BAT then the game is already installed and you can skip the following steps. Otherwise, follow these additional instructions:
        • The game must be installed with INSTALL.EXE. The source drive and the destination drive must be different. If you have decompressed all the files in the folder "C:\TMPDM2" then type the following command: "MOUNT D C:\TMPDM2". This will create a D: drive inside the emulator.
        • Type the following command: "MOUNT C C:\". This will create a C: drive inside the emulator.
        • Type "D:" and then type "INSTALL.EXE". Follow the instructions and install the game on the C: drive. Do not tell INSTALL.EXE to install the game in the folder where you decompressed the archive!
      2. Use the following commands to run the game:
        Type the following command: "MOUNT C C:\". This will create a C: drive inside the emulator.
      3. Type "C:". This will change the current drive.
      4. Type "CD INTRPLAY\SKULKEEP", this will change the current path.
      5. Type "SETUP.EXE" to configure the sound card.
      6. Type "DM2" to run the game.

Notes:

  • For the best sound compatibility in Dungeon Master II, you may need to use the original, non patched version of the game, or apply the HMI Drivers Update. You will have to test and see which configuration works the best on your PC.
  • Depending on the speed of your computer, you may have to change a parameter in the dosbox.conf file:
    [cpu]
    cycles=4000

    For me, the default value of 2500 did not work, but with the value 4000, the game runs fine.
    There is not a single value that works best for everyone, you will have to test to find which value works best on your PC.

Follow these instructions to use DOS mode

  1. Download Dungeon Master for PC, Dungeon Master II for PC or Dungeon Master II for PC v0.9 Beta.
  2. Decompress the game in a folder on your hard drive. Make sure your decompression utility creates the subfolder "DATA" (or "EUDATA" for the multilingual version of Dungeon Master). For Dungeon Master II for PC (final version), also decompress the patch and the HMI sound driver update, each in a separate folder.
  3. Boot your computer under DOS. If you use Windows 95 or 98, in the Start Menu, click "Shut Down...", select "Restart in MS-DOS mode" and click OK. Otherwise, you will have to use a DOS boot disk like this one:
    Tool~BootDisk~Software.rar Tool~BootDisk~Software.rar
    Decompress the archive, insert a blank floppy disk in your drive and execute BootDisk.exe to generate the boot disk. This boot disk will help you play PC versions of Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master II under DOS. It provides mouse support and sound support for Sound Blaster AWE64 (files supplied by Matthew Hill (Gambit, thegambit@hotmail.com) and for Sound Blaster Live!.
    Tool~Sound_Blaster_Live_Waveset~Data.rar Tool~Sound_Blaster_Live_Waveset~Data.rar
    Sound Blaster Live! users will also have to download this file and decompress it at the root of the C: hard disk. It should create a folder named "C:\SBLive" with a file inside that is required for emulation and does not fit on the floppy disk.
    Note: Sound Blaster Live! users won't get any sound output from Dungeon Master. The Sound Blaster emulation works fine with Dungeon Master II.
  4. Depending on which Dungeon Master II archive you downloaded, it can contain a pre installed version of the game or an exact copy of the original CD contents. If there is a file called DM2.BAT then the game is already installed and you can skip the following steps. Otherwise, follow these additional instructions:
    1. The game must be installed with INSTALL.EXE. The source drive and the destination drive must be different. You can burn the files on a CD or use this trick:
      • Go to the folder where you decompressed the files by typing "CD C:\DM2" (change the driver letter and folder name if you decompressed the archive elsewhere. If you used another driver letter, also type "D:" for example to change current drive to D).
      • Once in the correct folder, type "SUBST K: .". This will create a fake K: drive.
      • Type "K:" and then type "INSTALL.EXE" to install the game on C:. Do not tell INSTALL.EXE to install the game in the folder where you decompressed the archive!
    2. Copy the contents of the folders where you decompressed the patch and the HMI drivers update in the folder where you installed the game, and overwrite any existing files.
  5. You need a DOS driver for your mouse (usually MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.EXE). If you don't have one, you can download CuteMouse.
  6. In order to have sound in the game, you need a compatible sound card. Most old ISA cards compatible with Sound Blaster will work. If you have a modern PCI card, you might need drivers specific to your card, but they may not work with Dungeon Master. See your sound card documentation about compatibility with DOS games.
  7. Run the game:
    • For Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master II for PC v0.9 Beta: type "DM".
    • For Dungeon Master II (final version), Run SETUP.EXE to configure the sound card.
      Then run the game by typing "DM2".

With an Online emulator

You can play online here: