dosbox help

Tube

So I'm running the delightful Theme Park through dosbox, and every time I start it up I have to
1. mount c to C:/theme
2. change directory to C:
3. run main.exe

Is there a way to set this up so I can just click on a shortcut and dosbox will run theme park automatically?

Bethryn

Apparently you can do this simply with a desktop shortcut targeted as follows:

e.g. "E:\Games\DOSBox-0.74\DOSBox.exe E:\Games\UFOCD\ufocd.bat" will start DosBox and then immediately make it run UFOCD batch.

I know you can also write batch files for DOSBox if you need to also alter other settings like cycles etc., but that's probably the simplest way of just running a game without any other fuss.

TychoCelchuuu

http://www.sierrahelp.com/Utilities/Emulators/DOSBox/DOSBoxGameShortcut.html

Tube

I think I may have made myself sound more competent than I actually am. I don't know how to write a batch file and the sierra link made me cry.

Bethryn

A "batch" file would just be writing those three lines of code you wrote earlier; it's just the technical term for short DOS 'programmes' that are collections of simple commands.

As to how to do this, I would say.

Create New Shortcut
Point it to dosbox.exe wherever it is.
Go to the properties of the shortcut, and where target is listed, add in the shortcut to Theme Park's exe.

So you'd get something like

"E:\Games\DOSBox-0.74\DOSBox.exe C:\theme\main.exe"

And that should just make it start DOSBox and then have DOSBox run that programme without any of the hassle of mounting a drive in DOSBox beforehand.

If that doesn't work, I can probably dig up a set of instructions for doing it the other way.

Tube

That worked, thank you!

Tofystedeth

Alternatively, you can download a graphical frontend for DOSBox like D-fend which lets you set up different profiles for your various games and change the various settings in a graphical way. And you can tell to make a desktop shortcut to launch your game.

Echo

Batch files typically begin with an @echo off.

This drives me insane on Twitter.

Sir Carcass

There's also a section at the bottom of the config file (accessible from a shortcut in the DOSBox start menu folder) where you can type in commands that it will automatically run upon starting it up.