Usually when I play Daggerfall, it is a bit laggy. But when I went on today, it is SUPER SMOOTH, it runs really well! What happened?
Anyway, I'm really excited to play more now.

Holy @#$%! Indoors is freaking amazing! It's a miracle! :shocking:

Usually people here make threads about having problems with running daggerfall... Nice to see something else for a change.

Did you change any settings in your dosbox.ini perhaps?

Nope, and I'm scared it won't run nicely again the next time I play.

Were you not running some background program (i.e. antivirus) you typically have running when playing Daggerfall?

Post your config, pwease? :\

Why is Daggerfall so inconsistant?

When I play, the first time I load up the program it loads pretty well, but it will rarely start up well twice in a row. Usually if I've just exited and closed DOS box, when I start it back up and try to play again it hangs before the Bethesda screen or crashes. I usually have to close it and try again. This time though it starts in a matter of seconds. This is the general rule for me.

Also it doesn't seem to like loading a save while I'm currently in-game. So if I want to load a game, I generally have to close the program and take the above steps to get it running again. Which discourages frequent loading which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing, being more difficult is one of the aspects of Daggerfall I like.

Other than that I can usually play hours without crashes. Since I have installed it about a month ago, it has crashed maybe a handfull of times generating one of those "Daggerfall detected error: 214" messages and kicks me back out to DOSbox. (I forget the exact verbiage). That's the only kind of crash I've had besides the above mentioned loading issues. I haven't written down the numbers but I think the error #'s have been different, and I haven't been able to tell what causes it. A couple times I have been casting spells & in combat if I remember correctly.

I seem to remember getting more audio glitches when I played it in years past (tones getting stuck after loading an area). Now the only thing I run into is localized glitchy noise around some corpses/torches/dungeon objects.

It also seems strange that it runs so bad indoors, but not in dungeons. I thought it might have been the NPC sprites like in taverns, but it does seem to be just as bad inside residences and as I've read someone note, when looking at stairs. But in dungeons it runs great, even when you're going up one of those huge spiral stairwells.

BUT a palace (like Daggerfall Castle or Wayrest Castle) is a dungeon too, right? In this case my game runs choppy in these locations, I think mainly when I am in the main halls with the nobles, not in the dungeon areas. So maybe it has something to do with the sprites, maybe not.

Anyway those are just some of the inconsistencies I get with my current install.

My Daggerfall has similar inconsistencies. It loads up perfectly the first time, afterwards it can hang before the Bethesda logo as well.

What annoys me the most, however, is that I cannot seem to be able to load a saved game if I'm currently playing and still alive. The game freezes and crashes after a minute or two. I have to kill myself or restart Daggerfall to load a game undisturbed. It seems the longer I play, the more unstable the game gets (at least for that session) and the tendency for this to happens increases.

I believe the lower FPS in buildings is due to more complicated geometry, which can't be right, it's not THAT complicated compared to other things such as the castles and graveyards. As ridiculous as this sounds, I think 2D sprites lag one more than the 3D ones. Some bad optimization on Bethesda's part or what?

How do I post my config?

he probably means your system info + your DOSbox config files, and version etc.

Still don't know how to check those, hah. I'm not very good with computers.

No need to be embarrassed we all had to start somewhere

To post you're DosBox config go to your DosBox folder its usually in C:\program files, open the DOSBOX conf file with notepad then copy and paste the contents into one of your posts.

Actually there's an easy way to get to the DOSBox config file. A link to it is added into the DOSBox section in your Start Menu>All Programs (if you chose to install with start menu shortcut).

You're right. I forgot about that one, its a lot easier.

Yeah. Go into your DOSBox directory, open up dosbox.conf in Notepad or something, and post it here.

haha okay, just happened:
I went into my inventory and one of my bracers icons had been changed to a small animated figure (kind of looked like a villager with darker skin?) shirtless, gold-kilt type clothes. when i clicked on it, the game crashed to DOSBox with an error number


also, in a Wayrest town called "Uphead Hill", I found a thieves guild that looks like a tavern building on the outside (no sign though). Inside there are musicians, a joker, and inkeep. The innkeep wouldn't speak with me :\. The same town also has a large open area with a type of crossroad type ground texture.

earlier today I was in Lamwold, Wayrest, which is a walled city that has a cluster of 5 Taverns all together.

Very strange

I don't know if this is it, but it said Configuration Files...

[PROGRAM]
Title = HMI Sound Operating System Setup Utility
Copyright = © Copyright 1995 - Human Machine Interfaces Inc. - All Rights Reserved
ConfigFile = hmiset.cfg
DigitalTest = test.wav
MIDITest = test.hmi
MIDIMelodic = melodic.bnk
MIDIDrum = drum.bnk
Stereo = Yes
16Bit = No
EnableSCSI = Yes

[SYSTEM]
Devices = 1
DigitalPFX = DIGITAL
MIDIPFX = MIDI

# < ID String > = < name >, < ID >, < Port >, < IRQ >, < DMA >, < MIDI Index >
[DIGITAL]
Device000 = No Digital Device , -1 , 0 , 0, 0, 0, No, No
Device001 = Sound Blaster , 0xe000, 0x220, 5, 1, 1, No, No
Device002 = Sound Blaster Pro , 0xe001, 0x220, 5, 1, 1, No, Yes
Device003 = Sound Blaster 16/AWE32 , 0xe015, 0x220, 5, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device004 = Ensoniq SoundScape , 0xe01d, 0x330, -1, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device005 = Microsoft Sound System , 0xe00b, 0x530, -1, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device006 = Pro Audio Spectrum 16 , 0xe003, 0x388, 7, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device007 = Gravis UltraSound , 0xe023, 0x220, 11, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device008 = Gravis UltraSound Max , 0xe027, 0x220, 11, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device009 = ESS AudioDrive , 0xe019, 0x220, 7, 1, 1, No, No
Device010 = Roland RAP-10 , 0xe021, 0x330, 9, 5, 1, No, No
Device011 = Toptek Golden 16 , 0xe00b, 0x220, 7, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device012 = Thunderboard , 0xe000, 0x220, 7, 1, 1, No, No
Device013 = Adlib Gold , 0xe009, 0x388, -1, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device014 = NewMedia .WAVJammer , 0xe02b, -1, -1, -1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device015 = I/O Magic Tempo , 0xe02f, 0x38c, 11, -1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device016 = ARIA Chipset , 0xe000, 0x220, 7, 1, 1, No, No
Device017 = Sound Galaxy NX Pro 16 , 0xe000, 0x220, 7, 1, 1, Yes, Yes
Device018 = Reveal FX/32 , 0xe01d, 0x330, -1, 1, 1, Yes, Yes


[DETECTION]
DeviceOrder = 6, 7, 4, 5, 3, 2, 1, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15

# < name >, < ID >, < MIDI Type >
[MIDI]
Device000 = No MIDI Device , -1 , 0
Device001 = MPU-401 , 0xa001, 0
Device002 = Roland Sound Canvas , 0xa001, 0
Device003 = MT-32 , 0xa004, 0
Device004 = Sound Blaster , 0xa002, 1
Device005 = Sound Blaster Pro , 0xa002, 1
Device006 = Sound Blaster 16 , 0xa009, 0
Device007 = Sound Blaster AWE32 , 0xa008, 0
Device008 = Ensoniq SoundScape , 0xa001, 0
Device009 = Microsoft Sound System , 0xa009, 0
Device010 = Pro Audio Spectrum 16 , 0xa009, 0
Device011 = Gravis UltraSound , 0xa00a, 0
Device012 = Gravis UltraSound Max , 0xa00a, 0
Device013 = ESS AudioDrive , 0xa002, 0
Device014 = Roland RAP-10 , 0xa001, 0
Device015 = Gravis UltraSound Ace , 0xa00a, 0

# < Default >, < Port >, ....
[MIDISETTINGS]
Device000 = 1, -1
Device001 = 4, 0x300, 0x310, 0x320, 0x330, 0x340, 0x350
Device002 = 4, 0x300, 0x310, 0x320, 0x330, 0x340, 0x350
Device003 = 4, 0x300, 0x310, 0x320, 0x330, 0x340, 0x350
Device004 = 1, 0x388
Device005 = 1, 0x388
Device006 = 1, 0x388
Device007 = 1, 0x620, 0x640, 0x660, 0x680
Device008 = 4, 0x300, 0x310, 0x320, 0x330, 0x340
Device009 = 1, 0x388
Device010 = 1, 0x388
Device011 = 1, 0x220
Device012 = 1, 0x220
Device013 = 1, 0x388
Device014 = 4, 0x300, 0x310, 0x320, 0x330, 0x340
Device015 = 6, 0x210, 0x220, 0x230, 0x240, 0x250, 0x260



No, we're looking for the section in your dosbox.conf containing, most notably, well, here:

fullscreen=falsefulldouble=falsefullresolution=originalwindowresolution=originaloutput=surfaceautolock=truesensitivity=150waitonerror=truepriority=higher,normalmapperfile=mapper.txtusescancodes=true[dosbox]# language -- Select another language file.# memsize -- Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.# machine -- The type of machine tries to emulate:hercules,cga,tandy,pcjr,vga.# captures -- Directory where things like wave,midi,screenshot get captured.language=machine=vgacaptures=capturememsize=48

As well as:

core=dynamiccycles=maxcycleup=500cycledown=20

I don't know how to get there. I'm stupid!

I found it, but there's a problem.

Windows cannot open this file:

File: dosbox.conf

To open this file, Windows needs to know what program created it. Windows can go online to look it up automatically, or you can manually select from a list of programs on your computer.

What do you want to do?

[] Use the web service to find the appropriate program

[] Select the program from a list

[X] Select the program from a list

and use notepad to open it

I believe this is it:

fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=original
output=surface
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true

[dosbox]
# language -- Select another language file.
# memsize -- Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
# machine -- The type of machine tries to emulate:hercules,cga,tandy,pcjr,vga.
# captures -- Directory where things like wave,midi,screenshot get captured.

language=
machine=vga
captures=capture
memsize=16

core=auto
cycles=auto
cycleup=500
cycledown=20

There was a ton of other stuff, but I only pasted what you wanted (Frog)

yeah you'll probably want to at least change memsize=16 to something more like memsize=32. highest possible is memsize=63, that would work too.

and then core=dynamic and cycles=max might help

edit: remember to save changes when you're done and restart DOS-Box after any changes.

How do you change them?

Just directly edit dosbox.conf in notepad. Change the values you want to change and save it. You can also edit them in DOSBox by typing, as an example, "core dynamic" to change the core to dynamic. But the settings won't save that way if you do it in the program.

Jammer, what do you mean by 'restart DOS-Box'?