Need info for building Falcon 3.0 486 PC
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My 486 computer arrived today, I cant wait to fire it up and hit the skies of Panama, Kuwait and Israel!
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Even QEMM didnt guarantee success getting conventional (lower) RAM free.
I still have nightmares tweaking autoexec.exe and config.sys for hours on end in the Dark Days of DOS.
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autoexec.bat lol not exe… yeap nightmare and all those tricks emm high and etc to gain some kbytes… and now we have 8gb and we say we need more…
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got it all working last night!
oh the things we take for granted these days. Like simple things looking left and right! Falcon 3 had a boot disk maker so it wasn’t too bad getting it to work. Basically i installed using a CD rom, then had falcon create a boot disk and manually added the soundblaster lines to config.sys and autoexec.bat.
I am currently flying in Panama! in 256 colors!
Also I finally proved there is a massive difference between running it on real 486 hardware and emulated Dosbox 486. on real hardware the High fidelity is smooth as butter. The timing is spot on.
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got it all working last night!
oh the things we take for granted these days. Like simple things looking left and right! Falcon 3 had a boot disk maker so it wasn’t too bad getting it to work. Basically i installed using a CD rom, then had falcon create a boot disk and manually added the soundblaster lines to config.sys and autoexec.bat.
I am currently flying in Panama! in 256 colors!
Also I finally proved there is a massive difference between running it on real 486 hardware and emulated Dosbox 486. on real hardware the High fidelity is smooth as butter. The timing is spot on.
Have you explored running DOS natively on your current PC? Even modern systems can still run DOS natively.
The code shouldn’t be slaved to the clock of the system, although if it is that would be an issue.
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Screenshots or you’re making it all up.
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hi, just found your thread.
I am very happy, i am not the only one flying Falcon 3.0 (+ datadisc) today! I can say… after these years… I fully enjoy the sim finally. I had rather unpatched version back in 90ths(many bugs and pain), no 3rd party patches(shoulder launched missile patch is must have imo) and utils as well…
Without mentioned missile patch, Strelas and Stingers will kill your wingmans (and u) at 20K, 600kt! It was frustranting very often before…
Another great util is fce.exe - u can port your next camp. mission into redflag, adjust flights, enjoy non Nevada terrain and put it back to campaign.I run floppy version (F3.05, Hornet,MiG). It is not compatibile with Falcon Gold in multiplayer. But there is nothing additional in Gold version regarding simulation, just missing multiplayer Hornet model in database!* So F-18 is invisible in MP during Gold session. So it is better to patch floppy version. It take some time, but its worth it.
BTW i also use “sobject” - “object” trick to see detailed(tacref) models in game 3D.I have it on two laptops and one inetPC with (dosbox 0.74 - has IPX emulation …not like 0.73). I run MP missions with my two sons without problem. F3.0 has great feature - it has AI autopilot. So if in trouble, my youngest son can press “A” and watch AI maneuvers. F3 stylized graphics is also great to his eye, he is not schoolboy yet and he draws MiG-29 perspectives with ease.
to your DosBox problem
about year ago, i posted this dosbox setup:
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?15138-bandit-bandit&p=215321&viewfull=1#post215321
it is not bad, but it is missing frameskip 1…it is quite essential if u have stutters and bad timing…do not care about intro timing - this one is not good (you can enjoy intro on youtube)
I play it with CPU speed 20000-25000, frameskip 1 and it is smooth.
I also like Dosbox upscaler - i fly 966x625 resolution with black right and left borders on my “wide” laptop LCD.yesterday I had some fun with Kuznetsov carrier (i have horizon gradient off not because of framerate, but because I like it more unshaded):
I would like to post some videos, but youtube is enlarging and screwing my small and sharp tapes (i use dosbox for video capture and original 320x200).But there is still something missing on my hardrive to unleash full potential of this sim. I try hard to find some falcon utils - StratFalc(by Bill White) and Falcon Test Pilot(by Greg Pierson). It is imposible to contact authors today. I know it was problem even around 2000.
*I would be able to put MP Hornet model into Gold databse with Test PilotWhen i did some inet search, i found some old util screenshots using wayback machine. I also found threads, where authors claimed, they would provide utils for free, if they can find them…
If someone could help me, I would be very happy.
thanks in advance. -
BUMP about StratFalc and Falcon Test Pilot utils
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Hehehehehhee…
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many of you are probably wondering why I am even bothering running Falcon 3.0 and anyone under the age of 28 probably hasnt seen Falcon 3.0. This sim is still great today. I think BMS is amazing, and DCS A10 equally amazing, but I do think there is a bit too much realism at times. I think that is what falcon 3 balanced so well. You could really concentrate on flying, and the war, and the missions and not have to worry about how complicated it is to work the cockpit in BMS. I wish I had the time to make a sim as simple to operate as falcon 3, but still ahve the same complex war engine and have the incredible graphics as BMS. I still think there is the market ot there for that type of sim. I think Flaming cliffs is kind of there. When I first ran Falcon AT on my dads IBM 5150 in 1987, I was hooked, then I grew up with Falcon 3.0 in high school and college. Falcon 4 was just too buggy to even run. Then things got too complex. As much as I love BMS and the better part of my life has been spent simming the F-16, I just dont play BMS that much. I spend most of my time with DCS flaming cliffs or Allied Force. BMS is just too complex and takes a good chunk of the fun out of it.
The reasons above are all the reasons I love 90’s sims. They crammed as much realism in as possible while keeping in mind you were just playing a game/sim. In today’s products, it seems it goes to an extreme, with either cheezy arcadiness, or excessive detail. The sims of the 90’s, I’d like to think, tried to maximize the effectiveness of the FM while giving the simmer a reasonable UI. I really wish someone would just take that model and run with it! I don’t want an arcade-game fighter or bomber, but I don’t want ten million controls, either. I want something that flies as realistically as possible while being easy to manage with 26 letters, some other numbers, and some other keys. A stick is good to throw in there, too.
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I had a hi-end 486 DX4 120 MHz (in 1994), the fastest one I heard about had a 166 MHz clock.