Drilling Billy - Problem running the exe

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi

I was not able to run Drilling Billy for OS/2 (beta) and I recently got time to check Dave's suggestions.

Try doing SET VESADLL=VESA_IBM or SET VESADLL=VESA_ALL in your full screen session before running os2billy. Can also try vesatest.exe
Still doesn't quite work here. Vesa.txt includes instructions to patch your video bios if you're really adventurous.
PS Running "markexe NOTWINDOWCOMPAT os2billy.exe" will force it to open a full screen session.

I created (on Arca OS 5.0.4 VM) a copy of the OS/2 "Command Prompt (Full Screen)" and added on Environment. First with SET VESADLL=VESA_IBM and later with SET VESADLL=VESA_ALL. No luck. Is it on "Environment" right?

Vesatest.exe gives me a message that says "VesaInitialize failed".

About "markexe NOTWINDOWCOMPAT os2billy.exe" where is markexe? I have never tried it.

Any other tips? Just trying to see if I can make os2billy.exe.

Regards

[Dave Yeo]

Hi

I was not able to run Drilling Billy for OS/2 (beta) and I recently got time to check Dave's suggestions.

Try doing SET VESADLL=VESA_IBM or SET VESADLL=VESA_ALL in your full screen session before running os2billy. Can also try vesatest.exe
Still doesn't quite work here. Vesa.txt includes instructions to patch your video bios if you're really adventurous.
PS Running "markexe NOTWINDOWCOMPAT os2billy.exe" will force it to open a full screen session.

I created (on Arca OS 5.0.4 VM) a copy of the OS/2 "Command Prompt (Full Screen)" and added on Environment. First with SET VESADLL=VESA_IBM and later with SET VESADLL=VESA_ALL. No luck. Is it on "Environment" right?

If you mean the Environment tab of the programs properties, leave out the set, eg VESADLL=VESA_IBM

Vesatest.exe gives me a message that says "VesaInitialize failed".

About "markexe NOTWINDOWCOMPAT os2billy.exe" where is markexe? I have never tried it.

It should be included with the toolkit and likely other places. Run markexe.exe /? for usage.

Any other tips? Just trying to see if I can make os2billy.exe.

Regards

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi

If you mean the Environment tab of the programs properties, leave out the set, eg VESADLL=VESA_IBM

Thanks, I noticed that the "Environment Tab" it automatically takes out the SET. I tried both without any improvements.

I'm still missing to give it a try to "markexe", I will see what happens.

Regards

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi

"markexe NOTWINDOWCOMPAT os2billy.exe"

markexe was good to run os2billy.exe in full screen at once. Its nice to learn a new thing

But the game still does not run. I get this message.

Vesa ikke initialiseret.fatalfejl
engine.exit without initCEngine::exit() completed succesfully.
DosMonReg()=382

According to the DosMonReg documentation it is "382 - ERROR_MON_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL "

FYI: Here it the file list.

Code: [Select]

12-18-20 10:50a         <DIR>    528 ----  .
12-18-20 10:45a         <DIR> 10,144 ----  ..
12-18-20 10:49a             0      0 a---  aflus.log
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    529 ----  all
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    531 ----  baner
 5-12-98  1:21p       518,283    405 a---  billy.exe
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  bosanski.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            25    418 a---  català.bat
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    532 ----  constr
 8-21-97 10:54a            24    417 a---  dansk.bat
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    528 ----  db
 8-21-97 10:54a            26    419 a---  deutsch.bat
 7-15-97 11:30a       265,396    418 a---  dos4gw.exe
 8-21-97 10:54a            26    419 a---  english.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            26    419 a---  español.bat
 8-21-97 11:25a           271    421 a---  esperanto.bat
12-18-20 10:49a           116      0 a---  fejl.log
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  français.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  føroyskt.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            25    418 a---  galego.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  hrvatski.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  italiano.bat
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    532 ----  jungle
 8-21-97 10:54a            27    420 a---  magyarul.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            29    422 a---  nederlands.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            24    417 a---  norsk.bat
12-18-20 10:49a       614,404    420 a---  os2billy.exe
12-18-20 10:50a         1,582      0 a---  out.txt
 8-21-97 10:54a            25    418 a---  polski.bat
 4-12-97 12:25a         4,170    246 a---  readme
 4-11-97 11:50p         2,769    284 a---  readme.os2
 8-21-97 10:54a            25    418 a---  româna.bat
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    533 ----  samples
 8-21-97 10:54a            26    419 a---  serbski.bat
 7-15-97 11:30a        46,396    420 a---  setsound.exe
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    534 ----  settings
 8-21-97 10:54a            25    418 a---  srpski.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            33    426 a---  srpskohrvatski.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            24    417 a---  suomi.bat
 8-21-97 10:54a            26    419 a---  svenska.bat
11-24-20  7:44p         <DIR>    508 ----  text
 2-10-95  9:05a        32,090    248 a---  vesa.txt
 2-16-96  2:35p        44,606    386 a---  vesatest.exe
 2-06-96  5:56a        20,764    304 a---  vesa_all.dll
 2-06-96  5:55a        19,176    303 a---  vesa_cl.dll
 2-06-96  5:55a        51,996    304 a---  vesa_clh.dll
 2-06-96  4:52a        11,965    304 a---  vesa_et4.dll
 2-06-96  5:54a        19,178    304 a---  vesa_et5.dll
 2-06-96  5:54a        20,736    304 a---  vesa_et6.dll
 2-06-96  5:55a        19,688    303 a---  vesa_s3.dll
 2-06-96  5:54a        19,178    304 a---  vesa_tr8.dll
 2-06-96  5:55a        19,176    303 a---  vesa_wd.dll

Any tip to make os2billy.exe run is welcome. I'm trying it on a test VM, so I have no worries to experiment more things.

Regards

[Lars]

I get a very different error:
I get a trap in VESA_ALL.DLL (the only DLL that actually makes sense these days). It's trying to write to a NULL pointer.
The log file tells me it's because VESA_ALL.DLL thinks I am running 800x600, 8-bit color depth where I am running 1920x1080, 32-bit color depth.

This program is completely out of date. I guess, you would need to rewrite VESA.DLL but there is only an list on which routines it contains but not how these actually work. Seemingly, there used to be source code for the VESA drivers (by the author Johannes Martin) but it has likely vanished into thin air and forgotten in the myths of time.

[Lars]

Actually, I found the source code for the various VESA DLLs:
https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/dev/emx/contrib/vesa19.zip

[Dave Yeo]

The log file tells me it's because VESA_ALL.DLL thinks I am running 800x600, 8-bit color depth where I am running 1920x1080, 32-bit color depth.

The full screen session probably was running at 800x600x8. The question is whether your (and Martins) video bios or perhaps the driver, supports enough of the VESA stuff to run the game.
Running SNAP might help as Scitech got started by supplying a universal VESA driver for DOS games.

[Dave Yeo]

I tried this. With VESADLL=vesa_all.dll the vesatest program runs fine and seems to see all my video resolutions. Trying to run os2billy.exe gives the error "Unable to set videomode nr 65535" twice.

[Lars]

vesatest.exe also works on my system, that's not going to help.
By looking at the source code I can take an educated guess that it already traps on loading the DLL. I would need to build vesa_all.dll with the VAC toolset and debug into it. Maybe I will have the time to do that.
I don't think SNAP will make a difference: I am using GENGRADD which is also a GRADD driver and SCREEN01.sys provides basic video bios support that will hopefully suffice. Don't forget that this game was written when Warp3 was out, but Merlin and newer had added a lot of generic video support.

[Lars]

...as an example, VIDEOPMI.DLL offers support to execute any vesa bios interrupt call in real mode.
Maybe vesa_all.dll needs to be modified to use all that newer support.

[Dave Yeo]

Well, it never trapped here, just not initializing the correct video mode. My Bios supports some pretty high resolutions in VESA mode which usually aren't supported.
The gdb debugger worked pretty well with EMX, if rebuilding with current GCC, and the right flags (-Zomf -g) gcc builds can be debugged in the IBM debuggers. Whether the source will build with current GCC hasn't been tested but most EMX stuff with minor makefile editing does build.

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi

vesatest.exe was not working for me.

I set the OS/2 Full screen session "VESADLL=vesa_all.dll" on environment as suggested. vesatest is now working showing that full list with numbers.

os2billy.exe says:

Drilling Billy demo V1.12 Apr 14 1997...
Unable to set videomode nr 65535.
Unable to set videomode nr 65535.

Just like it was reported.

Thanks for you help. This hacking is out of my knowledge, let hope something can be worked out.

Regards

[Dave Yeo]

Might want to reboot with 256 colours and test.

[Martin Iturbide]

Might want to reboot with 256 colours and test.

I tried it as you told me. Set the colors to 256, rebooted, the desktop looked 256 awful , run OS/2 command line full screen with "VESADLL=vesa_all.dll".

OS2Billy gave me the same error:

Drilling Billy demo V1.12 Apr 14 1997...
Unable to set videomode nr 65535.
Unable to set videomode nr 65535.

Regards

[Lars]

Well, it never trapped here, just not initializing the correct video mode. My Bios supports some pretty high resolutions in VESA mode which usually aren't supported.
The gdb debugger worked pretty well with EMX, if rebuilding with current GCC, and the right flags (-Zomf -g) gcc builds can be debugged in the IBM debuggers. Whether the source will build with current GCC hasn't been tested but most EMX stuff with minor makefile editing does build.

Hi Dave,
are you sure that the VAC debugger can source code debug objects produced by EMX/GCC ?
As far as I understand, the -Zomf only creates object output in OMF format ("Microsoft") instead of ELF(?) ("Unix") which helps in using a different linker (for example the VAC linker or the WATCOM linker) instead of the EMX provided linker. But I think gcc still creates debug info that is incompatible with the CODEVIEW or HLL debug info that the VAC debugger can understand and interpret.

Or are you actually source code debugging Seamonkey and the like ?