Daphne Dragon Lair

[latin625]

Hi,  I have tried to follow the guide here

on how to install and run Daphne laser disk games , but after 3 hours.  I am baffled.  I have all the files.  I get  a DOS window but no game. If there a video or guide someone can help me with.

Thanks

[Lordmonkus]

If you read a bit further down that page you would have come across a simpler way to get Daphne working in LB.

Here's a quick and simple way to get your Daphne games working in Launchbox. It may not be an elegant solution but it is simple and it works as long as you have your games loading through the DaphneLoader.exe.

Step 1) Make a batch file for each game, call the batch file whatever you like. I made these batch files right in the directory which contains the daphne.exe

Step 2) This step will be repeated for each game. Open your DaphneLoader.exe and for each game you have and want to import into Launchbox  click the Configure button and go to the Advanced tab. The bottom drop down menu "Display command line", set this to Enabled, click apply and ok. Now when you start that game it is going to popup with a bunch of text, select it all and copy. The game will launch but just exit back out.

Step 3) Open the batch file you created for the game in notepad you just copied the command line information from and paste it in and save.

Step 4) Drag the bat file into Launchbox and put into whatever platform you choose. I use the platform Daphne.

Step 5) Right click the game and click edit. Go to the emulation tab and uncheck "Use an emulator to play this game". After you click apply it will popup with a message saying you need to specify and emulator do you want to do this now, click no.

Now you can go back into each game and reverse Step 2 to disable "Display command line"

When you launch a game from Launchbox if you get an error message repeat Step 5 just to double check it.

Like I said this may not be an elegant solution to this emulator and Launchbox but it is the simplest that I know of and it does work.

[latin625]

Thanks!

I cant get it to run in Daphneloader.exe, attached is a screengrab.

I do have it running  in rocketlauncher via HS though. her is the line command from RL:

vldp -blank_searches -prefer_samples -fullscreen -noissues -opengl -fastboot -x 1024 -y 768

 

It works, just not when I try and launch it from Daphne.

[Lordmonkus]

RocketLauncher is doing something else behind the scenes to extract the ace.zip file by the looks of it.

I don't use RL so I am unable to help you with that and my Daphne setup does not use any zip files, it is all extracted.

[latin625]

Thanks,  I was able to follow the directions and get the daphneloader to launch, but I still cant get launchbox to launch it.  I have all the files and can unzip them.  Where woudl they go?

 

Ihave HS, thatis why I said they worked there.  I wasnt to stop using RL, and useonly LB.

 

Thanks!

[Lordmonkus]

All my Daphne stuff is contained in a Daphne folder. If your stuff is extracted and works through the Daphne launcher if you follow my guide it will launch through Launchbox.

[latin625]

I GOT IT TO WORK!  FOLLOWING YOUR DIRECTIONS! AWESOME! ASTRON BELT Do I do the same from DRAGONS Lair? 

[Lordmonkus]

Yup, just repeat the steps for each game you have and make a bat file for each. Pain in the ass but it's the best we got for now.

[latin625]

Thank you , thank  you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!

[Lordmonkus]

No problem. Glad you got it working.

[latin625]

I do get this when I try Drgoins LAir. 

[Lordmonkus]

No idea what that error means. I couldn't find anything with a Google search. Check the tab in the screenshot I provided and see if any those help out.

[latin625]

Did a bit more tinkering and got it work.  Thanks again.!

[latin625]

If it helps anyone in the future.. If you get this error, delete or move your .md5 file and let it create a new one.

[ckp]

Hi

Is there any way to just add a Daphne emulator that runs the daphneloader.exe and set the default command line parameters, so you don't have to create all the batch files?

[ckp]

like could you add these real command line parameters:

vldp -framefile framefile\lair.txt -blank_searches -min_seek_delay 1000 -seek_frames_per_ms 20 -homedir R:\Arcade\Daphne -bank 0 11111001 -bank 1 00100111 -nocrc -noissues -fullscreen -noserversend -sound_buffer 2048 -x 640 -y 480 

so it becomes something like this (not sure about the %1 but it's being passed in somehow when launched from LB):

vldp -framefile framefile\%1.txt -blank_searches -min_seek_delay 1000 -seek_frames_per_ms 20 -homedir R:\Arcade\Daphne -bank 0 11111001 -bank 1 00100111 -nocrc -noissues -fullscreen -noserversend -sound_buffer 2048 -x 640 -y 480 

 

 

[ckp]

%1 doesn't work. how to pass in the game name?

edit: never mind, i'm not really sure how to set this up. maybe there is a way though...

 

Edited September 14, 2016 by ckp

[Lordmonkus]

Your only other option is to use a custom command line parameter for each game but it still involves most of the same steps as the batch file method. You would import the txt files as roms.

Here is what I have for Dragon's Lair:

lair vldp -framefile %romfile% -blend -ignore_aspect_ratio -blank_searches -precache -min_seek_delay 1000 -seek_frames_per_ms 20 -homedir H:\Emulation\Roms\Daphne -fastboot -bank 0 11011001 -bank 1 00100111 -nocrc -noissues -noserversend -sound_buffer 2048 -fullscreen -x 1600 -y 1200

The very first word in the line "lair" will change on a game to game basis and this is why setting this system up like any other regular emulator does not work. For Dragon's Lair 2 it would be "lair2" and for Space Ace is would be "ace".

There is no easy way to do Daphne but the bat file method is the easiest I have found.

[ckp]

that's a bummer. probably best to just leave mine in Rocketlauncher until LB enhances this and then switch over.

i suppose i could also add to the batch file so it can set a variable for the the "lair" part or whatever game it is and then just substitute the lair above with %mygamevariable% (that might just be stripping the extension off of %romfile% or something. 

[latin625]

HI,  I would recommend following LordMonkus tip on bat files.  I did it and all my problems went away.  Yes, it is a bit more work, but you only have to do it once.  It also encouraged me to make bat files when need with confidence.  My advice...  Try doing just one...  Pick a game and do that one only and see if it is worth it to you do do the rest. Thanks!!!