launchbox for windows 98

[iamjen023]

hi i like to try to develope a launch box app for windows 98 not for emulaters but just a nice frontend for old 98 games like rollercoaster tycoon and dos games more like a big box setup that will auto launch

 

what i need help with is im young and didnt get into programming tell a few years ago and i know time have chagned what do i need to get started developeing for windows 98 when i had whens 98 i would have been 8 so any info be great i really like to do it in dot net but could do it in C++ also if anyone has links for the software to install on the 98 system to start

[Pyrometheous]

You will probably need to start out by downloading and installing a version of the Microsoft Visual Studio for Windows 98. .NET is a sort of library of commands that you can call upon when writing in C++/C#, so instead of having to write a function to do something, if that same command is within the .NET Framework you have installed, you can save yourself some time and call on the pre-made version of what you're trying to do. (someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this, It's been a while since college, and I'm rusty.)

Here are some playlists on YouTube that you can check out to get started. I wouldn't advise diving into the complicated stuff, but you can start off with the simple "Hello World" programs that most folks start out with. It gives you the basic understanding about how to present text on screen, and how your script should be formatted. Then just build from there as you go. C#, I think, is the easiest language to work with in visual studio, because it has a GUI builder and you can quickly make something look pretty, but I think I'd recommend C++ to get started. Even C# might be easier at first, you will miss out on a lot of the logic you learn from C++, and in the end, once you understand the basics of how programming logic works, it's pretty easy to pick up another programming language.

I hope that helps a bit. I'm actually going to be diving back into programming myself soon(ish), I've had to do a lot of adulting lately and haven't found the free time I'd like to play around with things like that.

[Zombeaver]

While not quite what you're looking for, Jason did make an MS-DOS version of Launchbox (mostly for giggles) which should at least work in 98. I think it's only been tested in an emulated (DOSBox) environment though.

 

[SentaiBrad]

It should theoretically work on a real DOS Machine too. On Windows 95/98, it should too, but I don't know if it's the same level of access. @Jason Carr could give you a few points on where to start though. If he even knows where to begin for W98.

[Jason Carr]

5 hours ago, Zombeaver said:

While not quite what you're looking for, Jason did make an MS-DOS version of Launchbox (mostly for giggles) which should at least work in 98. I think it's only been tested in an emulated (DOSBox) environment though.

 

Oh I use it on actual DOS machines.

[Jason Carr]

11 hours ago, iamjen023 said:

hi i like to try to develope a launch box app for windows 98 not for emulaters but just a nice frontend for old 98 games like rollercoaster tycoon and dos games more like a big box setup that will auto launch

 

what i need help with is im young and didnt get into programming tell a few years ago and i know time have chagned what do i need to get started developeing for windows 98 when i had whens 98 i would have been 8 so any info be great i really like to do it in dot net but could do it in C++ also if anyone has links for the software to install on the 98 system to start

Welcome to the development community @iamjen023.

It might be a challenge to develop on actual Windows 98 these days. I would suggest developing on a modern OS and then deploying to your older Windows 98 machine for testing. All of Microsoft's latest development tools (even Visual Studio 2017) will allow you to build apps that work on those older platforms. You'll want to target the .NET Framework 2.0 and use either Visual Basic or Visual C#. You'll want to create a Windows Forms project to start off with.

You can download the free version of Visual Studio (Community 2017) here: https://www.visualstudio.com/

That should have everything you need.

[iamjen023]

thanks so much guys if i get anything worth sharing i will

[ThePolish]

On 5/16/2017 at 11:00 PM, iamjen023 said:

thanks so much guys if i get anything worth sharing i will

I would highly HIGHLY suggest getting true windows 98 hardware (p2 or piii with board and assorted hardware) rather than any VM environment. It is darn near impossible to get windows 98 working on any modern hardware and any VM that will run 98 uses pretty poor graphics card emulation which would take away from the elements LB can showcase including videos.

[syntax_X]

I would suggest simply creating batch files to start your games, and import these into Launchbox.  Super easy.
From there you can make your own custom theme ect.

**Edit** Misunderstood the OP. I'm sure there's something 95 compatible you could work with like MAMEWAH?

Edited May 29, 2017 by syntax_X