OS2 World Community Forum
OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Games => Topic started by: Jochen Schäfer on January 14, 2026, 04:46:09 pm
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I have built a new Dosbox package from the newest Dosbox source code.
I also built a package for Dosbox-X for OS/2! I couldn't test every feature, but most things should work.
You find both packages here: https://joschs-robotics.de/dosbox/dosbox.html (https://joschs-robotics.de/dosbox/dosbox.html).
Have fun.
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Awesome, I will be trying it out tonight !!
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I have built a new Dosbox package from the newest Dosbox source code.
I also built a package for Dosbox-X for OS/2! I couldn't test every feature, but most things should work.
You find both packages here: https://joschs-robotics.de/dosbox/dosbox.html (https://joschs-robotics.de/dosbox/dosbox.html).
Have fun.
That's great news, Jochen!
I remember I gave a try at Dosbox-x but eventually had to give up because of too little spare time.
I'm trying to get back at my VM to complete and test some ports before releasing them.
Keep fingers crossed 8)
Mentore
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As a celebration to Dosbox by Jochen, I've created a tool with DrDialog that download DOSBox-X/2 (2026-02-10) and the free EA game Red Alert 1
It can use the version of DOSBox already installed.
Rename this updated version to CCRA.pat to CCRA.EXE and double click it to try it out.
Information
If you instead choose OS/2 DOS and have problems that OS/2 DOS stall... your system may stall as you try to run this DOS game as well.
Run DOS in full screen mode and use Alt + Home to switch to windowed mode.
Yes, the DOS setup application run after download, unpack, patch etc. to allow you to run it locally without CD or ISO image.
You can of course run against the ISO image as well, but must then mount it in OS/2 if you use it with OS/2 DOS and use "ASSIGN" or "SUBST", while DOSBox can mount ISO-files itself.
The patched _setup.exe can't detect your sound hardware, but do allow you to test the sound.
The suggested sound hardware work well with Dosbox and Dosbox-X/2 while it may freeze in OS/2 DOS if you don't have the hardware selected. Use Ctrl + Esc to escape back to the OS/2 Desktop to close manually then.
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Hi All
Silly question: How do I get full screen use for games in dosbox-x?
Currently trying to run any game results in the game appearing in the top left corner of the screen - dosbox-x is running full screen.
The same games run full screen in dosbox.
I am using the same [sdl] section settings that work for dosbox.
I can only guess there is a setting that I am not aware of in dosbox-x...
Regards
Pete
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Have you tried ALT-HOME?
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Hi Dave
Not sure what that is meant to do - but it doesn't whatever it is.
To clarify: dosbox-x runs full screen but any game is loaded into the top left corner of that screen rather than full screen.
Regards
Pete
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OK, I mis-understood. ALT-HOME may switch from window to full screen and back.
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I dropped a new release, fixing the crash if a mount doesn't succeed.
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Thanks Jochen.
Thanks Jan-Erik your software runs fine to get Red Alert, it is very interesting. I'm only missing the icon in PNG format since I use a "Dynamic Icons" template. (Check image)
Regards
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Hello Jochen
Windows 98 (https://archive.org/details/windows-98-in-dosbox-x) runs, but I can not control the mouse.
I just switched dosbox-x.conf that comes on the package to connect to the .img.
Regards
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Choose something appropriate for the other files.
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Hello Jochen
Windows 98 (https://archive.org/details/windows-98-in-dosbox-x) runs, but I can not control the mouse.
I just switched dosbox-x.conf that comes on the package to connect to the .img.
Regards
I will look into it. But I have to setup Win98 first ;-)
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Sure, the image I'm using I got it from internet archive.
- https://archive.org/download/windows-98-in-dosbox-x
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Sure, the image I'm using I got it from internet archive.
- https://archive.org/download/windows-98-in-dosbox-x
That was easy ;-)
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Hello Jochen
Windows 98 (https://archive.org/details/windows-98-in-dosbox-x) runs, but I can not control the mouse.
I just switched dosbox-x.conf that comes on the package to connect to the .img.
Regards
I can't reproduce your problem. I click in the Dosbox-X window, the mouse gets captured and then drag around windows etc.
But, at least, I know now, I have to fix the video capture ;-)
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Thanks for giving it a try. Maybe it is some limitation with the VirtualBox mouse. I will give it a try on real hardware and post back.
Regards
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Hi All
Posting to correct my previous statement that dosbox-x runs fullscreen.
It does not.
If I start dosbox-x windowed and then use F12+F to switch to fullscreen dosbox-x blanks the whole screen but only runs in the top left corner.
I get the same result when starting dosbox-x in fullscreen.
What should I change in the following [sdl] section settings to get dosbox-x running fullscreen? - Note: output=overlay does not work at all, surface and openglnb both give the above result.
fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
aspect=true
windowresolution=original
# output=surface
# output=overlay
output=openglnb
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper-SVN.map
usescancodes=true
Regards
Pete
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Hi Pete. look at the beginning of dosbox.conf,
# fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original, desktop or a fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# Using your monitor's native resolution with aspect=true might give the best results.
# If you end up with small window on a large screen, try an output different from surface.
[\code]
Unluckily, any attempt to use other then "fullresolution=original" so far causes a crash. Only tried desktop and 1024x768. Otherwise, like you I get a small display, maybe 640x480 in the upper left.
Need to research what else can be used for "output" besides surface.
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Hi Dave
Yet again dosbox(-x).conf gives an answer for output options:-
# output: What video system to use for output (surface = software (SDL_Surface); openglnb = OpenGL nearest; openglpp = OpenGL perfect; ttf = TrueType font output).
# Possible values: default, surface, overlay, ttf, opengl, openglnb, openglhq, openglpp, ddraw, direct3d.
So far default, surface, ddraw and the opengl* variants all give the same result: dosbox-x does not run fullscreen; overlay results in dosbox-x crashing on startup.
Regards
Pete
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Yes, I saw that after. Unluckily the only ones that make sense for our platform are surface and ttf. TTF does sorta work and fills up the desktop when choosing full screen. Not sure what would happen using a graphical mode.
Seems there are limits to the SDL surface, at least with Panorama.
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Hi Dave
Yes ttf nearly uses the fullscreen; trying to run heretic results in the game occupying the top left corner of the screen though.
Wonder what has changed between dosbox and dosbox-x with regard to the surface option as surface works fine in dosbox.
Regards
Pete
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Yes, I saw that after. Unluckily the only ones that make sense for our platform are surface and ttf. TTF does sorta work and fills up the desktop when choosing full screen. Not sure what would happen using a graphical mode.
Seems there are limits to the SDL surface, at least with Panorama.
The dosbox-x code is limiting the ability. the SDL bitblt function is not used at that point.
But if you maximizes the window, SDL (I think) will scale it up, not respecting the aspect ratio. The Windows port will not allow you to maximize the window, most likely because of that.
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Hi Dave
Yes ttf nearly uses the fullscreen; trying to run heretic results in the game occupying the top left corner of the screen though.
Wonder what has changed between dosbox and dosbox-x with regard to the surface option as surface works fine in dosbox.
Regards
Pete
I don't know exactly, I would have to diff the code to look why.
This also bugged me, but I have no solution at the moment.