NEC PC-98 owners in here? Flame Zapper question

[robivy64]

I picked up a PC-9821 Cs2 a few weeks ago, and I am having one hell of a time getting Flame Zapper Kotsujin running on this machine.

My machine:

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PC-9821 Cs2
CPU: 486SX 33MHz
16 MB RAM
340 MB HDD
YM2608 FM (86) built-in to mainboard
MS-DOS 5.0

Any game that uses the NAX.COM audio driver fails with the following message:


"Palloc Error.
NAX3 HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED"

The BATCH file that executes the game looks like the following:

Code: Select all

echo off
nax -t -f6 -b00
nax -r
rem (Japanese message)
nax -t -f6 -b00 -3
gjload
cotsujin
nax -r

If I remove "b00", which is the SSGPCM memory allocation switch, it boots the game but with no sound.

I've tried 7 different versions of the NAX.COM driver. I've tried b00-bFF. Me and NAX.COM are not BFFs at the moment.

Does anyone else have this game running on their PC-98?

[trap15]

Don't have my PC98 hooked up at the moment, but my assumption from the error message is that you do not have enough RAM. How much do you have installed?

[robivy64]

16 MB, which should be plenty for this game.

I also have EMS (EMM386 and HIMEM.SYS) configured correctly.

Only the games using NAX.COM do not work.

Rude Breaker and the Touhou stuff works perfectly.

[papa_november]

Funny, because on my machine the Touhous die on the sound driver. Weird because my machine is almost the same (it has a Pentium 1 and not a 486). In fact, I'm pretty sure the sound hardware is identical, as from what I'm reading both systems have the next-generation version of the 86 board onboard.

This is a long shot, but how did you copy the game over? I have a really ghetto setup at the moment, which is why I basically copied it over on two floppies and then did my best to maintain the directory structure.

You can always try throwing more RAM at it? I have something like 72MB of RAM and 72-pin memory is stupid cheap.

I can't think of any BIOS settings that would change the behavior either.

Try a later DOS? I'm running 6.2.

[robivy64]

I extracted the files from the .HDI image and copied them. Upgrading to 6.22 is a good idea. If that doesn't work I don't know what else to try. Finding MSDOS for PC98 will be as fun as a vacation to Highland Park Michigan.

Your system probably has the YMF228 chip right? Maybe that's why you are having issues with the Touhou games. Mine has the original 86 board built in, with YM2608.

[papa_november]

Yeah, mine has the YMF228. If yours has a real 2608 onboard then your sound problems are even more puzzling.

How do you make the Touhous play nice with the YMF228?

[robivy64]

Im not sure. I had read about some compatibility issues with some of the Windows 95 capable machines, so that's why I opted for an older model + CPU accelerator (got a 133MHz CPU board in the mail!)

[papa_november]

What do your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files look like?

[robivy64]

I assume you mean for the game itself? I'll have to check.

I did a clean install of DOS 6.2 (replaced original HDD with CF) and I am still getting the PALLOC error

[CkRtech]

Hey robivy64 -

I have no experience with PC98, but a few of the questions asked here (including your mention of DOS 6.2) sound just like configuring DOS...something I did quite a bit back in the day.

Assuming it works the same way and DOS is DOS...

papa_november asked what your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files look like. I am not sure what you meant by "for the game itself," but you should have those two files in the root directory of your boot drive. You also said you had HIMEM and EMM386 configured correctly. If so, those should both be in your CONFIG.SYS file. I assumed that was what you meant at the time when you had them configured correctly.

Could you include those two files here as papa_november requested and also give us the output of command: mem /c

[robivy64]

Thanks for the help guys . I'm genuinely stumped on this issue.

I am familiar with autoexec and config.sys on the boot partition, but there are also versions of this file contained within each folder where the game is stored. Sometimes the file will be "autoexec.bat" or a similarly named batch file like "start.bat" or "game.bat".

My system's autoexec.bat is as follows:

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@echo off
path a:\dos;a:\
set temp=a:\dos
set dosdir=a:\dos
a:\dos\smartdrv.exe /x

config.sys:

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file=30
buffers=10
shell=\command.com /p
device=a:\dos\himem.sys
device=a:\dos\emm386.exe /umb /t=a:\dos\extdswap.sys
device=a:\dos\setver.exe
devicehigh=a:\dos\print.sys /u
devicehigh=a:\dos\rsdrv.sys
devicehigh=a:\dos\kkcfunc.sys
device=a:\dos\necaiki1.drv
device=a:\dos\necaiki2.drv a:necai.sys
dos=high, umb

===================================================

Flame Zapper's autoexec is in the first post. Config.sys looks like:

Code: Select all

files=30
device=himem.sys
device=emm386.exe
dos=high, umb
shell=command.com /p

mem /c shows 35,584K memory free (recently upgraded to 38MB total memory)

[CkRtech]

So basically you are booting off of the Flame Zapper disks? The config.sys and autoexec.bat on that disk won't matter unless you are booting off of them. If you boot off your system disk with your included (longer) config.sys and autoexec.bat files, those files are what determine what is loaded into memory prior to manually executing Flame Zapper by typing start.bat or game.bat.

The included CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files for Flame Zapper are pretty stripped down, and that is good....if you can boot off that disk, you should at least be able to get the software to run...

mem /c should give you a long set of details of where drivers are loaded as well as your free Extended/Expanded memory as well as conventional.

My guess is that your system is booting, loading all of those drivers, and that is taking up too much memory. Alternatively, one of them is causing issues with whatever that thing is that needs memory allocation prior to running your game.

You could try adding REM in front of SMARTDRV.EXE line in your autoexec.bat on your system drive. You may also want to move DOS=HIGH, UMB up to the top just underneath the HIMEM.SYS line.

There is a lot of STUFF in those system config and autoexec files. Potentially worth tweaking entirely, but maybe a few simple things will be good enough.

[robivy64]

I do start the games by executing the batch files from within their subdirectories, but I don't boot them from a separate disk.

If I modify this portion of the Flame Zapper autoexec file:

echo off
nax -t -f6 -b00
nax -r
rem (Japanese message)
nax -t -f6 -b00 -3
gjload
cotsujin
nax -r


"B00" which is the SSGPCM memory allocation switch, it boots the game but with no sound.

I found the NAX.COM audio driver switches. Here is a rough translation from the /? command:

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-A  to ensure the main memory instead of using the EMS to PCM buffer. x is with the amount of memory to ensure, to 1-8 units of 32KB (32KB ~ 256KB). In addition, PCM.DTA does not load. Please use only user registration PCM.

-Bxx   Specifies the SSGPCM buffer capacity. xx or 00 ~ FF of 256 bytes in (0 ~ 6 4 KB).

-Fx   Specifies the music fade-out speed. x until 0 ~ 9, A ~ Z. The slowest 0 and Masu Kunari. The initial value -F4 is.

-I  Disables interrupts from the external performance routine.

-Lxx   Specifies the function vector number. The default -L60 is.

-Mx   Specifies the DMA channel of WSS-PCM. x 0, 1, 3 specify possible. Peripheral care must be taken in order to avoid conflicting with the DMA device.

-Oxx I xx00h byte area reserved in the main memory as a buffer performance. Lack enabled the function 10 by specifying this option you Ri.

-P   I read the PCM.DTA the resident at the time.

-Q   I want to enable SSGPCM. I read in the resident at the time of SSGPCM.DTA / TBL wrapping test.

-R   I will release the resident.

-T   Do not display the error message TONES.DTA, HLP even in the file is missing. 

-Vxx Specifies the timer A interrupt vector number. More on this below   MUAP98. COM be in the same at all and. 80

-Yx, x   Specifies the port number of YM2608. I will automatically search for non-specific. It is exactly the same as MUAP98.COM. -2 I as a substitute instead of YM2203 YM3438 the 12-14 channel. Usually it does not specify will be automatically determined. -3 I It is prohibited to use the PC-9821 expansion PCM. Speak board also be present in the Ru case, you can specify when you want to use the Speak board. -6 I use in 16KHz mode SSGPCM. The default is 8KHz is. You will want to use the double SSGPCM buffer. -8 I will ensure 1024KB buffer capacity of the 9821PCM (EMS). The initial value is 512KB. -. Sets the sampling frequency of (x 9821PCM MUAP98.COM and see it because it is the same.
-? Show me the help of options.
◎ environment variable
(Karentode If you do not specify an environment variable to the path of the environment variable DTA resident at the time there must be TONES.DTA in ~Irekutori). Environment variable PCM also must exist PCM.DTA and PCM.TBL directory.

◎ description of the function
Function No. Function Register
Acquisition of AH = 0 status (output) AL = 0: to the sound board
AL = 1: standard sound board
Only YM2608: AL = 2
AL = 3: +2203
AL = 4: +2608 / 3438
AL = 7: YM2608 + ADPCM
AL = 8: +2203
AL = 9: +2608 / 3438
AL = 12: YM2608 +86 BPCM
AL = 13: +2203
AL = 14: +2608 / 3438
Segment (input) DX = performance data AH = 1 start playing
※ -Oxx option Shitei-ji not required
AH = 2 to stop playback,
AH = 3 fade-out
AH = 4 play resumed 81
AH = 5 bank switching (input) AL = 0: play back buffer bank
Not switching bank: AL = 1
(Default)
※ - O option is meaningless Shitei-ji
AH = 6 YM2608 compatible parts directly to the output (input) DL = address
DH = data
AH = 7 YM2608 extension directly to the output (input) DL = address
DH = data
Chane number that is AH = 8 @ STOP from (input) DL = the beginning of the @ STOP
From the position you specify Le DH = channel number (1-11)
Resume (sound effect output)
Monitoring of AH = 9 fade-out (output) AL = 0: end fade-out
AL = 1: fade-out during
DX = address of the path name: (input) DS and included reading of AH = 10 performance file
Mito performance start (output) AL = 0: Good Read
AL = 1: buffer performance undefined
AL = 2: read failure
AL = 3: performance buffer capacity shortage
Donation of AH = 11 performance buffer (input) AL = channel number (1-11) head To gain (output) AX = play backup of the channel beginning offset of file playing Baffu playing DX = current offset §
Sleeping flag Exit: AL = 0 (output) reading of AH = 12 performance end flag @ init command: soup AL = 1 is executed
Store addresses of DX = lyrics data: information of AH = 13 lyrics relationship (output) ES
AL = oddity digit position (0 ~)

[robivy64]

Any suggestions for piping mem /c to a text file? It's a wall of Japanese text

[CkRtech]

I think you can use greater than? It has been awhile.

mem /c > mem.txt

Something like that.

[robivy64]

hahaha my laptop translates it as garbage (probably because of the Japanese characters).

Anyway, here is a screenshot:

[CkRtech]

Oh good.

OK. So I would recommend editing your system's CONFIG.SYS and Autoexec.BAT and move DOS=HIGH,UMB to the top of CONFIG.SYS under the HIMEM line...I do not believe that MSDOS is currently loading that way because of the location of that line. If you bump it to the top under HIMEM, the amount of conventional memory it is taking up should shrink quite a bit from 35 (possibly to under 10k).

Also, as expected, SMARTDRV appears to be eating conventional memory for breakfast. Temporarily REM it out of Autoexec.bat just to reclaim that 30k.

That should get your conventional memory back up over 600k easily...which might be enough if that is where your software wants to do its allocation work.

[robivy64]

You fixed it!

Moving "DOS=HIGH,UMB" did the trick!!

THANK YOU!

[CkRtech]

Excellent!

Glad I could help out. Have fun!

[xybots]

Hey Guys

i wonder if you can help me i have a pc-9821 and i cannot get sound to work on my pc-9821, i have a addon YM2608 FM (86) card not built in, the flame zapper game runs but no sound comes out.

do i need drivers for the sound card for dos, also there is a dc in power connect on the sound board, does it need external power.

other than the pc9821 cs2 does any one know what other pc9821 models have the YM2608 FM sound board built into the pc-98, like the pc-9821 XS series ?

thanks

[papa_november]

Does your machine have onboard audio? Try the game without the soundcard installed and see if you get better results. Can you hear any sound from the machine?

Flame Zapper should work just fine with the 26K and -86 boards, and it even plays nice with the YMF288.