df_install.md

Daggerfall: Manual DOSBox Install

These instructions describe how to install and run Daggerfall under DOSBox, in case you want to customize your installation or just experience the oldschool thrill of configuring your sound card and running installers.

If you don't care about the details and you just want to play the game, I'd highly recommend skipping these steps and just using DaggerfallSetup.exe: https://wiwiki.wiwiland.net/index.php?title=Daggerfall_:_DaggerfallSetup_EN

1. Create a DOS directory

Create a folder somewhere on your hard drive to contain your Daggerfall installation. For example, I'm placing my files in a directory called E:\dosgames.

2. Download the required files

Download the following files to your newly-created directory:

3. Install and configure DOSBox

Run the DOSBox installer and click through with the default options. Once the install is finished, you can delete DOSBox0.74-2-win32-installer.exe.

Start DOSBox 0.74-2 Options to open up the DOSBox config file. (On Windows, this file is written to %LOCALAPPDATA%\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74-2.conf.) Make the following changes:

Under [sdl]:

  • fullresolution=original -> desktop
  • windowresolution=original -> 1280x960
  • output=surface -> openglnb

Under [dosbox]:

  • memsize=16 -> 63

Under [render]:

  • aspect=false -> true
  • scaler=normal2x -> normal3x

Under [cpu]:

  • core=auto -> dynamic
  • cycles=auto -> 50000

Under [autoexec]:

  • mount c E:\dosgames -freesize 1000
  • c:

Be sure to replace E:\dosgames with the location you chose. You can customize windowresolution to your liking, and if you intend to always play in fullscreen mode, you can just set fullscreen=true.

4. Install Daggerfall in DOSBox

Before you start DOSBox, extract DFInstall.zip into the directory where you downloaded it. You should end up with, for example, E:\dosgames\DAGGER and E:\dosgames\DFCD.

Now launch DOSBox. To start the installation process, you'll first need to mount the Daggerfall CD in an emulated CD-ROM drive: this only needs to be done once. In the DOSBox prompt, type mount d E:\dosgames\DFCD -t cdrom -label Daggerfall.

Once the drive is successfully mounted, enter D:.

At the D:\> prompt, enter INSTALL.

Once the installer appears, accept the license agreement, then choose Install the game to your hard drive. Then select Change the install size and choose Huge installation. Click through the next few prompts to accept a Huge install in the default location of C:\dagger. This should begin the installation process.

When the installer finishes, you'll be prompted to set up your sound card. Choose Yes.

Navigate to Select Digital, then choose Sound Blaster 16/AWE32 and select Port 220, DMA 1, and IRQ 7. Then select OK.

Navigate to Select MIDI, then choose MPU-401 with Port 330 and select OK.

Choose OK and exit sound card setup, then click through to finish the Daggerfall installer.

Go back to your normal operating system (i.e. outside of DOSBox) and browse to E:\dosgames\DFCD\DAGGER\ARENA2. Select everything in this folder, copy it, then browse to E:\dosgames\DAGGER\ARENA2 and paste, overwriting any existing files. This will copy over all game data so we can run the game without emulating the CD drive.

5. Install patches and fixes

In DOSBox, make sure you're at a C:\DAGGER> prompt (type CD \DAGGER if not), then enter DAG213. Press y when prompted to install the latest official patch.

Back in your normal operating system, extract the contents of addquest.zip into E:\dosgames\DAGGER\ARENA2, overwriting any files that already exist. Then do the same with DFQFIX.zip, also extracting to E:\dosgames\DAGGER\ARENA2 and overwriting existting files.

Next, open dos32a-912-bin.zip, browse into the binw folder, and extract sb.exe and dos32a.exe into E:\dosgames\DAGGER. We'll use these files in a moment in order to patch the Daggerfall executable.

Before that, open E:\dosgames\DAGGER\Z.CFG in a text editor and make these changes:

  • Change the pathcd value from d:\dagger\arena2\ to c:\dagger\arena2
  • Change the controls option from betaplyr.dat to viewplyr.dat.
  • Add these two lines at the end: texturememory 20000 and objmemsize 20000
  • You can also add CheatMode 1 if you want to be able to teleport around dungeons in case you get lost, and you can use MagicRepair 1 if you want to have unlimited use of magic items.

Finally, return to DOSBox. From the C:\DAGGER> prompt, enter SB /R FALL.EXE.

With that, you're finished with the install process!

6. Run the game

Now, any time you want to play Daggerfall:

  • Open DOSBox
  • Enter CD DAGGER to enter the Daggerfall directory
  • Enter FALL Z.CFG to start the game.

You can also add those two lines to the end of your DOSBox configuration file, under [autoexec], if you want Daggerfall to automatically start when you run DOSBox.

With the modified control configuration from viewplyr.dat, Daggerfall is far more intuitive to control than it's usually given credit for. Once you've created your character and are in-game, I'd recommend enabling the Full Screen option from the pause menu.

Addendum: Character Creation for the Clueless

Like many great old RPGs, Daggerfall requires you to make lots of choices about up-front. If you're new to the game, the character creation process can be a little overwhelming, and it's entirely possible to make a character that stands very little chance of escaping the first dungeon. If you're not sure where to start, here's a quick blueprint to get you started:

  • Roll a high elf (from Sumurset Isle). They're good at magic and they're naturally immune to Paralysis.

  • Choose to pick your class from a list, then scroll down to the bottom and select Custom.

  • Give yourself the disadvantage of a Critical Weakness to Paralysis. Since you're immune anyway, this has no actual drawbacks and is just a cheap way to offset the balance and make your character a little more overpowered.

  • Give yourself the advantage of Increased Magery: 3X INT in Spell Points.

  • Allocate your stats in a way that maximizes INT and minimizes PER. LUC is OK if you want to find good items early, but it's not that important. SPD is good if you want to move faster (which I'd recommend). WIL is good if you want to focus on spells; DEX if you want to focus on combat.

  • If you want to level up faster, set Running as a primary skill.

  • Magic skills: Destruction lets you deal damage, Alteration lets you buff and debuff, Illusion lets you become invisible, Thaumaturgy lets you fly, Mysticism lets you teleport and open locked doors, and Restoration lets you heal. Pick a few to spread across your primary/major/minor skills. Restoration is fine as a minor skill, since higher levels of it are overkill.

  • Set Short Blade as a primary or major skill. Critical Strike and Dodging are good in major/minor if you want to focus on melee. Jumping and/or Climbing can be fun too. If you want to be less of a mage and more of a thief, Stealth and Backstabbing are fine too.

  • Make Medical at least a minor skill: you'll do a lot of resting in dungeons in order to heal, and having a higher medical skill means you heal faster.

  • Don't bother with Language skills.

  • When prompted to generate your character backstory, choose to answer the questions. If you've chosen enough thief-ish skills, you'll have the option to start with an ebony dagger. Always choose the ebony dagger.

Have fun!