[Ahcruna]

No, not that it wont run with a 386 (I've seen it run on some before with 40mhz), but that it will run fine.

I just need to find my pkzip files to split up the install for it and then I will try it out. my 386 is a DX model, but only at 20mhz.

[EDIT]

I'm pretty bad at expressing myself, or rather I have a problem doing it, but anyway here goes.

What I meant to say was that I was interested to know what one would need to actually play Duke Nukem 3D on a 386 while making it playable.
I know my 386 wont be able to handle it, but it was just something fun to do in this thread.

I'm not doubting that it is possible to have it playable on a 386. Just curious since I've never had the privilege to actually see a 386 handle that game well.

[MrFlibble]

For reference, the official system requirements (shareware v1.0) are:



I wonder what were the lowest system requirements at which the game was tested before the release. I think I heard somewhere that Doom was tested on various low-tech systems to insure maximum compatibility.

[High Treason]

If the 386 was an IBM it could have been a 386SLC or a 486DLC of their own making. These had an 8KB or 16KB internal L1 cache and very quick integer capabilities. Intel/AMD 386 chips have no internal cache (though External L2 cache is available if installed).

Another thing would be a rare 386 motherboard with VESA Local BUS or another form of LocalBUS. Not many exist but it would give a nice boost to the video card if you jammed something like an S3 or TSeng card in there.

[Kyanos]

How the hell do I install a copy of the atomic edition on a Dos machine? I did once own the disc but that was a long time ago, I've since bought this game twice, both GOG then on steam for the MP and addons. So I figured I could just use my officially downloaded classic compatible files, but when run in MSDOS I get this call for the CD.

[Hendricks266]

I'm not sure how GOG and Steam got away with including the DOSBox version without a CD image and the monstrous duke3d.idf file. You might want to simply apply a no-CD patch of your own. This might work: http://dukertcm.com/...chs/_Dukecd.zip

[Hank]

You could make an ISO image of your copy of the game. This copy needs the original Install.exe file though to make this work.
I use Deamon Tools for that.

OR just copy all files, say from your GoG version onto your dos machine, and make type SETUP to make the settings work on your machine, and when done, type DUKE3D to play it.

[Ahcruna]

No luck running Duke3D on my 386 because I don't have enough memory
So close though. 4.9 out of 6.8.

As for a digital version of Atomic, the GoG version works just fine with my retro rigs, but like Hank said, did you try to copy the whole folder?
I just did a copy with everything in it and it works just fine under DOS, without asking me for the CD.

[Hendricks266]

The CDROM.INI file is blank in my Megaton classic. If that's enough to do it, copy protection fail!

[Tea Monster]

I had 11mb on my 386 (Compaq ex-server). I had a floating point co-pro installed and no joy.
It was commonly assumed by others who had tried this that the game was coded to only run on a 486 or above. I never had any hard proof of this, but if it wouldn't even start up on mine, and Quake was quite happy to boot up (even if it didn't go very far!).

[Kyanos]

Hendricks266, on 10 July 2014 - 02:45 PM, said:

The CDROM.INI file is blank in my Megaton classic. If that's enough to do it, copy protection fail!

That did it, the blank file didn't get included in my .iso I had to manually drag it over.

[Ahcruna]

Tea Monster, on 10 July 2014 - 03:19 PM, said:

I had 11mb on my 386 (Compaq ex-server). I had a floating point co-pro installed and no joy.
It was commonly assumed by others who had tried this that the game was coded to only run on a 486 or above. I never had any hard proof of this, but if it wouldn't even start up on mine, and Quake was quite happy to boot up (even if it didn't go very far!).

That's good to know.
So the PC's that I saw running the game at a snails pace might have been 486's.

Still I remember them running worse than the i486SX 25 that I tried earlier in this thread.
I'm gonna try my 16mhz CPU if I can find it, just to see if there are any big differences.

Also, I couldn't upgrade the Compaqs RAM because it uses a RAM board and not sticks.

[High Treason]

Anyone want me to drop in the Am386DX-40 in place of the Ti486DLC chip and see what happens?

It just occurred to me that a 386SX would be incapable of running the game if that's what your 386 was, because that chip is 16-Bit and Duke requires 32-Bit Flat Mode to operate. 386DX is the only one with a chance... This of course doesn't carry to the 486 where the SX is identical aside from lacking an FPU (Or having it turned off) - Intel did some major rip-offs with the 487 back then, if you bought one it shut down the original CPU as it was just a full 486DX with different pinout, you thought you were saving money upgrading later, heh.

[Ahcruna]

High Treason, on 10 July 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:

Anyone want me to drop in the Am386DX-40 in place of the Ti486DLC chip and see what happens?

Go for it, there is no chance I'm going to find RAM for my 386 any time soon.

[Tea Monster]

High Treason, on 10 July 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:

Anyone want me to drop in the Am386DX-40 in place of the Ti486DLC chip and see what happens?

Give it a whirl.

I can't remember if mine was a DX or SX.

[Tea Monster]

Was probably a DX - http://www.computing...386-25-Type-38/

[High Treason]

Am386DX-40;


Also takes a silly amount of time to read the CON files.

Certainly would suggest that the CPU lacks some instruction/capability required to operate the game as the rest of the machine is certainly capable of running the game when a CxDLC chip is installed.

[Ahcruna]

High Treason, on 11 July 2014 - 08:09 PM, said:

Am386DX-40;
FUKE.jpg

Also takes a silly amount of time to read the CON files.

Certainly would suggest that the CPU lacks some instruction/capability required to operate the game as the rest of the machine is certainly capable of running the game when a CxDLC chip is installed.

Ouch, so the lowest CPU for it is at least a 486. Thank you for trying though.

as for the 486SX 16mhz, it really did make a difference and is mostly unplayable, with sound On it's completely unplayable.

[Person of Color]

High Treason, on 10 July 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:

Anyone want me to drop in the Am386DX-40 in place of the Ti486DLC chip and see what happens?

It just occurred to me that a 386SX would be incapable of running the game if that's what your 386 was, because that chip is 16-Bit and Duke requires 32-Bit Flat Mode to operate. 386DX is the only one with a chance... This of course doesn't carry to the 486 where the SX is identical aside from lacking an FPU (Or having it turned off) - Intel did some major rip-offs with the 487 back then, if you bought one it shut down the original CPU as it was just a full 486DX with different pinout, you thought you were saving money upgrading later, heh.

Didn't the 386SX have a 16-bit bus? I don't think it's a 16-bit chip internally.

My first PC was a Dell 316SX...in 1998. What a piece of shit. I ended up barely even using it lol.

[High Treason]

Ah yes, correct, 32-Bit Chip, 24-Bit Address BUS and 16-Bit Data BUS. I don't remember them running 32-Bit code. Early on, before the SX/DX naming system there were some faulty chips that were still sold however;


I wonder how the RapidCAD would fare up in all of this, it was Intel's attempt to squeeze the 486 into the 386 socket.

Similarly, my first PC was an IBM PS/ValuePoint around 1996/97 using a 386SLC-20, it's actually quite speedy for what it is but has been stuck where IBM left it as it will only take their stupid 72-Pin memory (Which costs silly money), hates most ISA cards (Ignores SoundBlaster cards) and won't let you change much of anything else either. Difference being that I used mine heavily when I wasn't borrowing the family Pentium.