(Please do not copy this guide. However anyone is free to link to this page.)
I see a lot of people abandoning the idea of running their old favorite DOS games because of the frustration of running them on XP or Vista. When it comes to Under a Killing Moon this pretty much can’t be done without an emulator. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to get it running via this method and with a few exceptions it now runs better than it ever did. One of the key perks of running it now is that it can be seen in all its graphical glory (as long as you have a newer computer with the proper horsepower). Even more importantly though is that I found a way so that you don’t have to swap disks anymore! If you want to revisit this old classic you are in for a totally seamless experience. Without further ado let’s begin:
First Download & Install Dosbox:
Go To: http://www.dosbox.com > Downloads Tab > Click the Windows version (Under the Dosbox category)
Next: Run the Downloaded Installer file. Install Dosbox on your C:\ drive when asked and finally when finished rename your Dosbox folder Moon.
Next: Open the Moon folder then locate and run Dosbox by double clicking on the Dosbox program icon.
Next: At the the command prompt in Dosbox type "config -writeconf dosbox.conf" and then press the "Enter" key.
Next: Type "exit" to exit Dosbox.
Now: Locate and right click on the Dosbox config file. Click "open with" & select notepad.
Next: Now with the dosbox config file open scroll to the bottom. We are going to place some text below [autoexec]:
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
(note: replace the second d with whatever letter your CD drive happens to be, mine happens to be e)
After this save and close the config file, insert Under A Killing Moon (Disk 1) and run Dosbox.
At: The command prompt (Z:) type d: and press enter, then type install and press enter again. The install screen for Under a Killing Moon should come up, click Install Software.
Next: Select the c: drive and click ok. After installation is done you should see the message “Installation Complete”, click continue. At this point you should be returned to the c:\moon prompt. Type exit and press enter (this should close Dosbox).
First: Go to your Moon Folder and change the name of the Dosbox program file to Under A Killing Moon (optional).
Next: Create four folders and name them DISK1, DISK2, DISK3 & DISK4
Next: Copy the contents of Disks 1-4 into each folder. So the contents of the UAKM disk 1 would go in the DISK1 folder, the contents of the UAKM disk 2 would go into the DISK2 folder and so on. Its as easy as copying and pasting into each.
Next: We need to Modify the Dosbox Config File Again
First: Go to the dosbox config file and scroll to the [autoexec] section at the bottom. Below the text we have already added copy and paste the following. Then go to save and exit the config file.
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
It should look like this.
Next: Click the Under A Killing Moon file (formally the dosbox program). Follow the on screen instructions to configure your sound settings. If you have trouble try using the auto detect feature.
Finally: When you reach the screen after the sound config change the settings of each drive as seen and press ok.
Disk 1 = E:
Disk2 = F:
Disk3 = G:
Disk4 = H:
Well that should do it. Now you can revist this old classic and do it without the headache of disk swapping, enjoy!
FAQ:
The config file is missing what do I do?
The game won't run on Windows Vista. What should I do?
The game runs sluggish. Is there a way to improve this?
How do I make the game launch in fullscreen mode?
How do I change the amount of RAM available?
How do I mount a hard drive or CD-ROM drive in Dosbox?
How do I change my machine type in Dosbox?
How do I capture a screenshot during gameplay?
I can't download from Abandonia. What should I do?
How do I close or exit Dosbox?
119 comments:
hi I have a question. I couldn't select the drives at the end and when I click on them it says path not found. Am I doing somethign wrong?
No you're not doing anything wrong, the instructions appear to be incorrect. Remove the "-usecd 0" parameter from each CD-Rom image you issue a mount for.
Like so:
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
Looks like a minor typeo -
I open the Moon (dosbox folder) and right click on the config file and get Notepad, but there is no autoexec. the groupings are; Digi Config, Midi config, System, Pref, Video, Debug and CD-Map. Am I in the right place. Thanks, jim
jimfurnanz@dslextreme.com
Hi Jim you can just add it at the end of the file.
[autoexec]
Post code here below
-Glenn
Guys I've updated the guide to reflect some of the trouble people have been having. One tip is to make sure you are using dosbox 0.72 when you attempt the install guide. Good luck and post comments if you run into trouble.
-Glenn
Hey this is awesome ! I love this game (Just dug up my CDs and installed). Only problem I have is it runs very slow in full screen, especially when transitioning screens (fade to black).
I'm on vista and running the game in 640x480 but doesn't help. (all other res's are slow too).
figured it out, just had to switch the render mode to opengl and fix my resolution settings in the dosbox config file. runs and looks great in full screen now !
Hi Tripclaw, glad to see things worked out for you. I'm working on a troubleshooting guide for this game and will keep your comments in mind for it. I'm always glad to see others are interesting in revisiting this classic!
-Glenn
Hi,
I have the dosbox.conf file open in notepad and I type
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
and I get this error message when I try to save:
cannot create the C:\program files\dosbox-0.72\dosbox.conf file.
Make sure that the path and file name are correct.
Any suggestions? I'd just like to start playing the game we all enjoy.
Thank you.
Are you creating a new file from scratch or opening the existing config file and adding the code?
I must be opening existing config file because there is all the code on the screen. Same as on your example. It just wont let me save it.
Many Thanks to all! It works great!
Here is what I had to do to the dosbox config file:
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount d d:\moon
mount e d:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f d:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g d:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h d:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
d:
cd moon
moon
This also works for Pandora - now I can final get beyond Day 5 after 7 years!
Victor (from Ontario, Canada)
I've followed the directions step by step--several times. I have the correct version of Dosbox. I can't get past the first addition to the config file. The error reads "Cannot create the C:\Program Files\Moon\dosbox.conf file. Make sure that the path and file name are correct.
Hi, the moon directory shouldn't be within the program files directory. It should be under the address c:\moon .
-Glenn
I now have it in the correct directory: C:\moon. I have altered the config to read:
mount c c:\moon
mount e e:\-tcdrom-usecd 0
Questions: should the second line read e (my cd drive) and e again?
Is there a space in front of -tcdrom and in front of -usecd? Is the last figure a zero or "o"?
I've tried all combinations but when I have saved and open dosbox it says there is no "e" drive.
Hi, you need to put spaces between each command and its a zero for the second line. Also you can leave the dosbox drive as d but yours should be e, it would look like this.
mount c c:\moon
mount d e:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
Best,
Glenn
Hi Glenn
I've successfully installed the Dosbox and am about to Install Software when my computer says that no drivers were found with enough space to install. (I have about 190 GB on my c: drive.) From there I cannot access the c: drive, only click exit.
Have you got any advice for this.
Btw, thank you big time for a blog like this for us non-computer savvy adventure gamers. :)
jelena
Hi Jelena, what OS are you using XP or Vista. It sounds like the mount command you entered might be incorrect. I'd double check the dosbox config file and cross reference it to the commands in the guide, there could be a typo when you entered it.
Thanks btw, I'm really glad I'm getting positive feedback. I started this guide because it took me so much time learning the ins and outs of Dosbox that I wanted to share what I ended up learning so more people wouldn't be stuck in the situation I started in. Plus I love this stuff so its a lot of fun too.
Best,
Glenn
I noticed the Moon folder had ended up in c/programs so I moved it to c: and my problem disappeared.
My current problem is that I can't change the settings on the last screen where DISK 1 =E and so on. I can only click on the the test buttons in that specific area of the screen.
This is what I've got in my config.file:
( i) is my cd driver)
mount c c:\moon
mount i i:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -usecd 1 -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -usecd 2 -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -usecd 3 -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -usecd 4 -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
What do I do?
jelena
Hi Jelena, first you need to change
mount i i:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
to
mount d i:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
Try rerunning UAKM with that change.
I just reinstalled the game following the guide I made just to make sure something wasn't wrong with it and I got UAKM working perfectly like before on Windows XP. If the correction to the dosbox config file you made above doesn't work I'd try doing all of the steps over again. Being this is your first time using the guide and you made a few mistakes (which is normal if you're new to dosbox) you might have overlooked something. Also you would need to have the code and files for all of the CD drives set before you open UAKM and finished the installation with setting the sound and drives. If the dosbox config was corrected after this step UAKM might not recognize the drives. Keep me posted, I hope this helps.
Best,
Glenn
Glenn,
Thanks so much! It is running fine and I am enjoying the game again for the first time in years. Question: I've just come across Martian Memorandum, one of the series that I don't have. It's available for download. Could I download it and use the same procedure for playing it on Vista? If so, it comes in zipped files. Would I extract these first?
Glenn,
I did it all over again as you suggested with the change you mentioned. I also think I might have misunderstood you in the section called "Next Install Under a Killing Moon" Where it says "type d:" I originally had typed i: since I thought I should replace all the d with i. This time I typed d: and installed. Still I can't replace the letters in the Disk 1=E screen. It says D: on all the lines and I can't change it with the up and down arrows.
The game is running although I have to swap discs. That's OK, I'll settled with that and I'm grateful for all your help.
jelena
Holy Cow I feel so saavy zipping along through dos, thanks glen!
That said, Im having the same problem jelena is (and was, though the first was fixed) I dont seem to be able to switch the drives from D drive, rendering it nessisary that I switch cds. Any advice?
Karl
Hi Karl thanks for the positive feedback. I just went back to UAKM on my setup and tried something. I can't seem to replicate the problem some have been having on my machine but I found that the game still worked perfectly when I removed the -usecd command, you might want to give that a shot (I posted what it would look like below). Let me know if this works out for you and I'll add info on it in the guide.
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
Best,
Glenn
I don't know what that did, but yes! Like a charm!
Thanks
Hey Glenn, you are the man! I really appreciate your site man, seriously. I have been stressing over how to play my UAKM, PD, and Overseer games on XP and you have definitely shown me the light. You're a life saver man.
Thanks, it was all the crazy frustration and time spent learning Dosbox and making mistakes that motivated me to make this blog. I appreciate your response a lot. I'm glad I'm helping get these old games working for people, have fun!
-Glenn
It works!! Man, I´m amazed! Thought that I would never play this DOS game again, and with your tutorial, it worked! Thanks!
Regis Navarro - Sao Paulo - Brazil
No problem, I appreciate the response it keeps me blogging and making these guides. Its one of my favorite games too. Have fun!
WOW! What can I say...
It works like a charm!!
I finally got the guts to try and get one of my absolute no1 game carracters working under Win XP.
Thanks to your simple, easy to follow instructions I'M TEX again!
Cheers & I Salute you
"Lagavulin"
Thanks :) I'm always glad to hear others are still looking to play one of my all time favorites, long live Tex!
thanks for everything glenn, game works great. the only problem that i am having is that the game stays in the small window that dosbox provides. i tried to resize it under the config screen in the game and i also tried going under properties of dosbox and running it as a 640X480 program, one is too small the other too big. sure i am being an idiot and missing something simple, but any help would be much appreciated. great job by the way.
thanks
wes
Hi I'm glad you got the UAKM running on your machine. This is one of the titles that inspired me to make these guides and this site. I actually have a guide on how to do full screen mode so you're in luck. Here's the link:
http://www.glennsguides.com/2008/01/dosbox-emulator-faq-how-to-make.html
Best,
Glenn
Thank you for this, I was able to get my old copy of the game up and running painlessly.
Thanks Dan and have fun replaying the game its a ton of fun.
Best,
Glenn
i get to the last step where it says to configure the sound and nothing happens.. this is what i have typed in
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
Hi another visitor had a similar issue a while back. If you check out the comments from jelena on January 3rd and my response on January 5th this might help.
Hi there
Could you please tell me if you already have under a killing moon installed what do you do if want install another game using dosbox like Alone In The Dark? Do you have keep changing the DosBox config file everytime you want to play a different game? Is there any info on this please.
Thanks in advance
Hi Audrey each game installs in a separate directory like a normal game so you don't need to change the config file each time. Basically each game folder has its own copy of Dosbox that when using the instructions in my guides acts an executable file that launches the game.
Glenn,
Many thanks for your help - I've now got the really old (but very good!) Killing Moon game running on my vista laptop. For many years - until I found your site - I felt sad that it was a game I loved but could never play with the newer Widows.
Dick Taylor
Thanks, I'm glad you got the game running again. Getting my old Tex games running again was actually what started me down the road to creating this site. Have fun with UAKM as you already know its a true classic!
Best,
Glenn
hi
i like to download the english version of this game
please tell me where i can download it for free from
thanks
email me : asif@outspandbn.co.za
Hi, at the moment although the game could be considered abandonware since it isn't available to buy I don't think any site will have it on the web. The reason for this is the game is simply to massive (4 CD's total). I think your best bet is to buy a used copy on ebay at the moment.
Best,
Glenn
hanks for doing this. This is the game that hooked me on adventure gaming when it came out. I've tried to get it to run under various versions of windows with minimal success. Never good enough to play the game. Your instructions are AWESOME. The game runs great!!!
Thanks again
Willi
Thanks Willi, the Tex games actually got me into adventure games too. I really wish they made more great games for the genre, it's still my favorite(the last really good one I played was Dreamfall), . Have fun playing UAKM again!
Best,
Glenn
hi
can someone please tell me where i can downlaod the game from or where i can purchase it
i am from Durban
reallywant this game
thanks
asif@outspandbn.co.za
Hi Asif, your best bet would probably be ebay. They usually have at least a few copies on their site at any given time.
Best,
Glenn
In reference to Ed December 9 2007:
I had the same error message when trying to run Transport Tycoon in DOSBox on Vista. It turned out to be a problem with permission. I right clicked on the DOSBox logo,selected properties, security tab, change permissions, edit, and allowed my user self to modify. After doing this the edits to the config file were saved OK. But when I tried to run DPOSBox it ignored my edits to config. So I right clicked the DOSBox logo and clicked run as administrator and it then responded to my edits and at last I got the game to run.
Hello and thank you from the depths of my heart for these great instructions.
On thing tho:
When I try to exit Tex's apartment I receive a "NOT ENOUGH MEMORY" Error and I get dumped out to the Dos command prompt. To which memory does this error refer and I'd appreciate any help solving the problem. (I have raised the memory size for DosBox but still no luck).
Thanks in advance!
Hi Peter, thanks this was actually one of the first guides I wrote. It is what started me on the road to making this site.
This error that appears did it happen right when you started the game or are you a few days into it? I played the game through earlier this year without encountering this but the game is very open ended so I'm thinking it could also be an error in the game code itself. Did you install the patch that Access Software released for the game way back? If you type in Under a Killing Moon patch on google it should come up.
Also what OS are you using? I have played UAKM on XP and OS X but haven't tried it on Vista yet. You might also want to try the travel option in the game to get out of the office instead of walking out of it and see if that works. Let me know if any of these ideas help.
Best,
Glenn
Well it happened just as I started playing the game Glenn. Since I havent stepped foot outside the office, I cannot use the travel option to leave it.
I am using WinXP SP2 and I have 2 patches 1.95 and 1.97. I tried the renaming the TEX197.EXE to TEX3.EXE but still no luck :( I'm really gonna cry if I dont get a chance to re-experience UAKM !!!
I am using WinXP Media Center SP2 btw, not WinXP SP2. I tried both patches 1.95 and 1.97 but still no luck :( I think I'm hopeless...
Hi Peter, sorry for the delayed response. What memsize are you running the ram at right now? Also did you make any modifications of your own to the config file. This is a longshot but you might want to try copying the contents of Disk1 again and see if anything happens. This was an unrelated issue I've run into a few times of Windows not copying every file and then running into an error because of it on my own system.
Best,
Glenn
memsize=64 modified by me.
New disk1 copying didnt work :/
That's on the high end of the spectrum for DOS. I'm running my game at 48 MB so give that a shot and maybe 32 and 24 and see if that has any impact. Let me know if you make any progress.
Best,
Glenn
Nope, nothing changed at all :(
This will take a little longer but if you have the time maybe try deleting the original install (save for the four Disk folders to save time) and then reinstall the game with a different version of dosbox (say 0.65, 0.70 or 0.71 if you are using 0.72).
Best,
Glenn
YOU ARE MY GOD! It worked fine with 0.65! I just need to tweak the speed of the cpu cause the movement is totally choppy!
Thank a million mate!
Ok all set! In case anyone needs this info:
Change the following inside the dosbox.conf:
fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=640x480
frameskip=1
core=dynamic
cycles=auto
At last I can enjoy my first time adventure game experience once more!
Thanks Peter, I'm glad this worked I kind of had a feeling this might have been it after talking with you for bit. I'm sure your enjoyment from playing through UAKM again will make you want to replay some of the others like Pandora when you're done!
PS - The guys behind the Tex games are making a new adventure game of another title after all these years. If you don't already know about it they have info on their site www.bigfinishgames.com
Best,
Glenn
Hi Glenn,
Eveything seems to work well - except when I try to switch to fullscreen mode (alt enter), then the picture quality is poor...brightly colored pixels, etc. Any thoughts...would like to fun is bigger screen than what you get with dosbox. Mark
Hi, I would try changing the output setting in the Dosbox config file. This is found under the section labeled [sdl] and should be output=surface by default. There is a list of all the options in this section. I would try opengl and ddraw and see if that improves anything.
Best,
Glenn
Glenn...right on the money!! Both settings corrected my problem. I will enjoy tho old Tex Murphy games. Then its off to Magic Carpet!!
Dear Glenn,
Thank you sir, you have made my life come true. You are a scholar and a gentleman.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Adam
Thanks, have fun playing one of the best adventure games of all time!
Best,
Glenn
Just wanted to be the first in 2009 saying: THANK YOU! :)
Thanks a happy new year to you as well!
-Glenn
thanks for this. I've been checking out some of these old fmv games, but needless to say some of them are a challenge to get running
Hi Jen, I definitely agree it also seems more and more difficult with each new version of Windows too. It's a shame Microsoft doesn't pay more attention to legacy support. Although I have a feeling this might have to do with them making money off of the same games recoded for new operating systems, especially on Xbox live.
I unfortunately sold many of my old games when I was younger but I plan to get all of them and more back off of ebay to replay them. As I do I will defiantly be making guides for each as they come in. Adventure games is such a neglected genre but I hope as gamers get a little older and slow down a bit from their youth maybe their palate will change and the genre could one day see a reemergence.
Have fun enjoying UAKM!
Best,
Glenn
Hi!
Thanks a lot for your install guide! I had trouble mounting the cd dirs - but I just forgot to add the disk label in "mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1"
Now everythings runs pretty smooth on my new build retro PC:
Mainboard:Gigabyte GA-7IXE4 + 1 GHz Athlon (will upgrade to 1.4)
Roland LAPC-I + SC55 (external)
Gravis Ultrasound (hope I get it to run using dosbox)
BTW:The UAKM Roland SC-55 music is awesome - works perfect with dosbox (setting "true MPU-401")!
BTW2: I use the frontend "Dosbox Game Lancher" - IMO a great tool!
http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/blankendaalr/dbgl/
Greetings!
Lutz
Thanks for visiting and have fun playing Tex again!
Best,
Glenn
Hi Glenn
Followed your instructions, but unfortunately I get an error message:
DOS/4GW Professional error (2001): exception 0Bh (segment not present)
Followed by a lot of output.
Any idea what caused it and how to solve it?
Thanks. Martijn
martijnkuip@hotmail.com
I followed the instructions as far as I could but when I opened DOSbox to configure my sound settings I got the message "No CD-ROM drive available, aborting the game".
I have Windows XP home and am using DOSbox 0.72. My CD-ROM drive is "D".
My DOSbox config says:
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
[ipx]
# ipx -- Enable ipx over UDP/IP
ipx=false
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\moon
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
d:
cd moon
moon
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really would like to play UAKM, as it is from my childhood and I never finished it.
Thanks!
CORRECTION:
my config box says:
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
[ipx]
# ipx -- Enable ipx over UDP/IP
ipx=false
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\moon
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
Hi sorry it took so long to get back to you on this. You will need to keep the 1st Disk in the drive until the end of the guide and you have changed all of the drives in the UAKM in game config to the virtual drives mounted in Dosbox. The game will still be looking for that original install disk until all the changes are made.
Let me know if this helps.
Best,
Glenn
In response to Martijn above it sounds like a problem with the game itself. First you might want to try recopying the disk 1-4 folders from the CD's as it could be a corrupt file.
Best,
Glenn
Hey, Glenn...
I really appreciate all the help you're giving everyone here, and your ridiculously nice attitude throughout. I'm having the problem that some people described awhile back where I cant change the Drive Assignments with the arrows in the game settings. I looked through all of your responses, but nothing seemed to remedy the problem.
Currently, my dosbox config file says:
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
Any advice, or will I have to suck it up, and swap disks like they did back in the day? Thank you for your time, in any case...
When Dosbox is loading before the game does does it load drives e through h without any problems or is it giving any issues with mounting them? I've had a few others experience this issue but I'm not sure what to make of it since I can't reproduce it so far on my own machine or others I've used. You could try another install keeping Disk 1 in the entire time until this step is hopefully changed. You might also want to try a different version of Dosbox as I've seen issues resolved with this method as well sometimes. Let me know if any of this helps or you make any progress.
Best,
Glenn
I appreciate your help, but I got over eager and just played through the whole game with old fashioned disk swapping. :P It was my first time through, as I was only 2 years old when it originally was released, and am ready to move onto the copy of Pandora Detective I found in a thrift shop. Thanks anyways.
-Ross
You have good taste in games. I'm jealous as the first time is always the most fun. Have fun with Pandora! Many people feel it's the best of the series.
Best,
Glenn
In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed with UAKM. I know that it has a somewhat legendary status and accomplished a lot of firsts, and I can appreciate that, but on it's on merits I think it's a sub-par adventure. The story was just plain silly, and the puzzles....weren't really puzzles. All you ever really had to do was search a room and talk to random people until you get an item with an extremely obvious use. No real thought involved for 99% of it. I've heard that Pandora is a bit meatier in the puzzle department, so hopefully that will satisfy me. As I said, UAKM is a game that I can appreciate for what it accomplished, but not necessarily one I think has stood the test of time for a new player to enjoy. The sarcastic humour still works, though. :D
-Ross
I think it would be a game most appreciated if played in its time. It's hard to translate the experience as it was back in 94 with all the advancements made since then in terms of graphics, sound, interface and gameplay. The silly nature of the characters was intentional but its something some like and others don't. It kind of reminds me of the movie Big Trouble in Little China. When it came out it bombed in the box office only to find a huge following later. The reason was at the time many people didn't get or weren't into the silly nature of many of the characters and story elements. Many realized later this was intentional by the director and watched the movie with different expectations.
Everyone's different but there are a lot of excellent adventure games from the period with different themes so if you like the genre there are many others that I'm sure you'd love. Unfortunately the genre is mostly dead now although a few years ago there was a game called Dreamfall that was excellent and is definitely worth checking out also.
Best,
Glenn
Yeah, I didn't so much have a problem with the characters being a bit silly, as I did the plot itself. The whole cult business was pretty bland, and hard to give a damn about. But, as I said before, I realize it made some big steps forward back in '94. I'm just a bit too late for the party...
Stylistically, it felt pretty similar to Beneath A Steel Sky, and that game didn't do it for me either. In terms of old adventures, I'm more of a Lucas Arts kinda guy. ;)
The more I think about it, I realize that my problem with the game is that it was nothing but a glorified scavenger hunt. At no point did I have an object and go "What in the world will I need to do with this?!?" The obstacles were made by making it difficult to find an object instead of making it difficult to figure out what to do with it. This made "solving" the "puzzles" to be very unsatisfying, and just not much fun.
But I'll stop clogging up your guide with my opinions.
-Ross
Don't worry about it that's what the comments section is here for :) . I can see many of your points I guess I just appreciate it in a different way. Of course nostalgia plays a big part too. I love the Lucas Arts titles and I'd say they are the most popular of the genre and for good reason. I hope you have more fun with Pandora but if not there is a whole lot of other great ones to try.
Best,
Glenn
At 65 years old couldnt believe my luck in getting this game to run again after all these years.Thanks for clear insructions.
Thanks, enjoy playing it again it's still a ton of fun!
Best,
Glenn
Would just like to thank you for this wonderful guide. Followed it right down to the tee and ive been playing it (on day 4 right now) with no problems whatsoever. Thanks!
Thanks, I have a guide for Pandora too if you still have it as well. Enjoy playing UAKM it's one of my all time favorites!
Best,
Glenn
Thanx Dude !
With your excelent guide i could play it again, after the gamebox have been a desk warmer for years =)
No problem have fun playing UAKM again! It's still one of my all time favorites.
Best,
Glenn
when i get to the end of the game's config i try to change the cd drive, but i can do anything?
Hi Wolfking, when Dosbox is launching before the game loads do you see any error messages assigned to the CD-ROM drives or is everything loading ok?
Best,
Glenn
Hi,
I have followed the instructions to the letter, and I unfortunately appear to be getting an error message telling me:
"This program cannot be run in DOS mode"
What should I do?
Thanks!
hi
im at the stop were u gotta copy the content of each disk in each folder
but when i copy and paste content of disk1 and want to paste it in disk1 folder i get asked to merge a file, then get asked to copy and replace, not copy and replace or keep both files continusly...what do i do?
when I open the DOSbox it says
Z:\>mount (e-h) c:\moon\DISK(1-4) -t cdrom - baleb DISK(1-4)
MSCDEX: mounted subdirectory: limited supprot
Drive (e-h) is monted as CDRom c:\moon\DISK(1-4)\
then says
Z:\>d:
D:\>cd moon
unable to change to: moon.
then boots up and says This program will not run properly form the CD-ROM you must first run the install program, and then run the program from your hard drive.
>>> Program Aborted <<<
I probably screwed up somewhere, but I thought I followed everything like you said, here's what my conf file says.
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount c c:\moon
mount d d:\ -t cdrom -usecd 0
mount e c:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount f c:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount g c:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount h c:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
d:
cd moon
moon
if I have c like what you put above cd moon it says illegal command moon, and such instead of booting up and failing.
Timmy, when I did this it did the same thing to me...instead of c:\moon try c:\Program Files\moon; maybe that will work?
And to Mr. Glenn, sir: THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I despaired of ever getting this game running again, and with your guide it runs BEAUTIFULLY and with no trouble whatsoever. I am very happy I found your site!!
Not to pester you, but I used your guide to get "Riddle of Master Lu" running under DOSbox, also...thanks again!! Never thought I'd play that one again!
Hi Dredzman, which exe file is it saying this for?
Best,
Glenn
Hi PurpleButterfly, it sounds like the system is finding existing files in the folder. Is there other files in there before you copy the disks content?
Best,
Glenn
Hi Timmy first type install to install the game and once the game is installed those commands should work.
Best,
Glenn
KT & kglaser no problem. Enjoy the games UAKM is one of my all time favorites.
Best,
Glenn
mount c c:\
mount e e:\-tcdrom-usecd 0
mount g d:\moon\DISK1 -t cdrom -label DISK1
mount h d:\moon\DISK2 -t cdrom -label DISK2
mount i d:\moon\DISK3 -t cdrom -label DISK3
mount j d:\moon\DISK4 -t cdrom -label DISK4
c:
cd moon
moon
Above is my additions to the config file and everything seems to e ok but it comes up with the message that this program does not run under DOS. If I can make this work my wife will be ever grateful, she has wanted her game back for years.
Thanks........
A question:
I have typed install, gotten the install page up and pressing it and I then get a message saying it couldn't find a drive with enough space to install the game and that I should select drive by pressing drive buttons but I can't move the cursor from the cancel button and I do have space on all harddrives.
Please help!
Hi Steve see if changing the "moon" command at the end of the list to tex3 has any effect.
Best,
Glenn
Hi Isabelle what version of Dosbox are you running?
Best,
Glenn
I have DOSBox-0.73
Sincerely,
Isabelle
isabelle@bareessentials.se
Hi Isabelle I would give 0.72 a try and see if that has any effect. I wasn't able to replicate the issue but it could have to do with some updates made in the newest version of dosbox causing issues like this.
Best,
Glenn
Thank you, it worked but I get so much graphics corruption I cant play the game, not even in windowed mode.
That's weird, are you running the game with any changes to config like frameskip or any changes to the cpu cycles setting?
Best,
Glenn
I have to say that you are a genius. I followed your instructions and it worked perfectly. I'm flashing back to the mid 90's and playing one of my favorite games again. Thanks again.
Hi,
I was so happy I found this page and hoped that finally I would get UAKM up and running on my Windows XP (SP3) or maybe even under Windows 7, but I failed!
;-((
I followed the instructions carefully, but still I have
2 Problems:
1.) my Operating System is NOT installed on the "C:\"-drive, but on "E:\"
May that be a problem?
Do I have to make changes in the dosbox.conf file?
2.)
When I try to install the game, I inadvertedly end up with a screen that tells me that no Harddisk-drive was found with enough space to install the game!
And my cursor is stuck in the little box at the right hand bottom of the screen where the only choice is to click on "Cancel" !!!
No need to say that (of course) there is plenty of diskspace on various HD-drives available!
Could anyone possibly help me?
I am eager to play that game again but pretty much frustrated by now, so any help would be very much welcome!
Please E-Mail me at:
tgt@chello.at
Many thanks in advance,
Tom
I loved this game as a kid and now I can relive fond memories. The instructions were perfect. Thank you!
It's one of my all time favorites too :) , enjoy!
Best,
Glenn
You are awesmoe...thank you soooo much... missed this game
I am at the install screen form the game, it's telling me that I don't have enough space on my c drive or all of them to install, I have over 30 Gb of space, can you help me with this
Post a Comment