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Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:16 pm
by TomasG
I've gotten magic Carpet to run properly but the enter key is required to open the map and set your spells. However when I press enter anymore than about 5 times Magic Carpet closes. Dos Box remains open with C:\ displayed(The game file is located in C:\).

Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 2:52 pm
by MrFlibble
It's a good idea to specify the following:
  • your version of the game
  • your DOSBox version
  • your DOSBox configuration file (mount commands etc.)
But at any rate, you'll likely get more help at the DOSBox forums, just ask your question here (don't forget to specify the above there too!):
https://www.vogons.org/viewforum.php?f=33

BTW, there's a support page for Magic Carpet at the DOSBox website (it's a good idea to check that first if the game is featured):
https://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?sh ... 2&letter=M

Apparently some other user mentions crashes which were only solved by getting the Magic Carpet Plus version.

Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 4:14 pm
by DosMan007
I bought Magic Carpet Plus on GOG a little while back, and just normal gameplay, the game crashed in DOSBOX. This would have been the DosBox version that comes with the game (not sure what version that would be) but I am feeling as if there are issues between games and DosBox.

Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2024 3:28 pm
by MrFlibble
DosMan007 wrote: I bought Magic Carpet Plus on GOG a little while back, and just normal gameplay, the game crashed in DOSBOX.
I'll be super honest, I don't really trust GOG's way of configuring DOSBox that they package with their games. I've never played the full Magic Carpet 2 since I don't have it, so I cannot try to reproduce your issue, but here's a couple of things you can try.

Switch to a different DOSBox fork. I use DOSBox ECE and it's really great (even though it is not updated anymore). Also do not just use auto or max cycles, use a cycles cap like this:

Code: Select all

cycles = auto 6075 98% limit 23880
This should give you a rough equivalent of a 486 when playing a protected mode game.

The second thing to try is run the game with DOS/32A. It's a replacement DOS extender that should fix most of memory issues when running games in DOSBox (it only works when a game uses the DOS/4GW extender). You can just extract DOS32a.EXE into the same directory as Magic Carpet 2 and start the game as follows:

Code: Select all

dos32a mcii.exe
(or whatever the game executable is called)

Finally, you can try using another emulator instead of DOSBox. For example, recently I wrote a quick guide on how to setup 86box with FreeDOS (even better if you still have the original MS-DOS). 86box attempts to be more accurate in how it emulates period hardware, but it also demands more resources than DOSBox.

Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2024 10:01 pm
by DosMan007
MrFlibble wrote:
DosMan007 wrote: I bought Magic Carpet Plus on GOG a little while back, and just normal gameplay, the game crashed in DOSBOX.
I'll be super honest, I don't really trust GOG's way of configuring DOSBox that they package with their games. I've never played the full Magic Carpet 2 since I don't have it, so I cannot try to reproduce your issue, but here's a couple of things you can try.

Switch to a different DOSBox fork. I use DOSBox ECE and it's really great (even though it is not updated anymore). Also do not just use auto or max cycles, use a cycles cap like this:

Code: Select all

cycles = auto 6075 98% limit 23880
This should give you a rough equivalent of a 486 when playing a protected mode game.

The second thing to try is run the game with DOS/32A. It's a replacement DOS extender that should fix most of memory issues when running games in DOSBox (it only works when a game uses the DOS/4GW extender). You can just extract DOS32a.EXE into the same directory as Magic Carpet 2 and start the game as follows:

Code: Select all

dos32a mcii.exe
(or whatever the game executable is called)

Finally, you can try using another emulator instead of DOSBox. For example, recently I wrote a quick guide on how to setup 86box with FreeDOS (even better if you still have the original MS-DOS). 86box attempts to be more accurate in how it emulates period hardware, but it also demands more resources than DOSBox.
Well, I'm not sure if that one time was a fluke, but I was playing yesterday and it didn't crash on me, and I actually beat the first 2 levels. I've only ever gotten as far as, flying around trying to figure out what to do, before I'm attacked and killed, all within the first 2 minutes. So taking my time to read material first to understand how the game works, definitely helps :bday:

Magic Carpet by Bullfrog having some issues in Dos Box

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:44 pm
by Bigdraka
Damn, havent played it since I was a small kid. But I beat the game! Collect mana and you can build your castle bigger. The castle give you protection when the wizards attack you. Guess I should play it again some time.