Making the game graphics and text a bit sharper using 2xsai scaler etc.

[Azureblaze]

Hello! I posted this as a reply to someone but wanted to make a separate thread so it's more easy to find.

You can make the text more readable but it also changes all the graphics a bit by making them more blurred to appear sharper, it's possible you won't like it - takes a little getting use to but imo being able to read the text easier makes it worth it.

Using DOSBox DAUM (way easier and works better it seems):

1. Go to your Games Library > Right Click Darklands > Select Play with DOSBox DAUM
2. Press ALT+ENTER to bring it into Window Mode.
3. Go to Video on the menu, select SCALER.
4. Change it to for example 2XSAI and see the results.
5. Use ALT+ENTER to go back to full-screen once you having it looking pretty.



Using DOSBox manual config instead of DAUM (older way of doing things)

You can turn on these "Enhanced" options in DOSBox similar to options in for example SNES9x or other emulators; see my notes below:

1. Games Library > Right Click Darklands > Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files
2. Navigate to the "dosbox_windows" folder.
3. Right click the doxbox_darklands file and select OPEN.
4. It's going to ask you what to open it with, click NOTEPAD.

5. Change these options under [sdl]:

output=overlay to output=ddraw

6. Scroll down to [render] and change to below:

aspect=true
Scaler=normal2x to scaler=2xsai

7. Go to file > SAVE. (This step is important)

8.Launch Darklands from your desktop shortcut, you should see quite a difference.

You may want to experiment with other options besides 2xsai but be aware that some may look odd or make the game unstable, I'm still playing with it myself sometimes these older games can still look great and be more readable by enabling scanlines, I may try that next.

[robomagon]

Go download the SVN Daum version of DOSBox. output=direct3d
Have fun with a whole new world of pixel shaders. And savestates. And MT-32 emulation.
And a whole bunch of other stuff not supported by vanilla DOSBox.

[Azureblaze]

You can actually run SVN Daum from the Game Library, will try it out thanks.

[Azureblaze]

Wow that's much easier..blame me for going old school with things and doing it the hard way. lol

[Makraiz]

For those having trouble with the sounds (no speech during intro video): enter Darklands - Configuration and select Soundblaster Pro, Address 220, IRQ 7 (default 5), DRQ1 then save and exit configuration.

[Azureblaze]

Makraiz is right, I had to do the same.

[Infinite Pudding]

This should be stickied.

[The Black Baron]

Solid tip from Makraiz. This also fixes the ingame sounds, like the clash of arms in combat.

I also noticed that this made the game run smoothly for me. Before the Soundblaster Pro tweak, combat was choppy and slow.

[APBT82]

Thanks, it made the game look much better. Can this be done with the sid meier's classics as well?

[Azureblaze]

APB, if it's a Dos game that you can run in Dosbox/DAUM , sure. Any classic DOS game really. I use simliar settings with the old Might and Magic games.

[LordFrobozz]

It is a little blurry, but it does help. Thanks very much!

[Godsdemon 03]

Could you suggest another font for me to use ? I tried the 2xsai and its a little bit better on the eyes but I would like something more modern.

[robomagon]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Kinslayer:

Could you suggest another font for me to use ? I tried the 2xsai and its a little bit better on the eyes but I would like something more modern.

hq2x gives a nice smooth look without blurring, though I still prefer scale2x (or 4x) for certain games as it's more faithful to the original graphics while still making them easier on the eyes.