Nephilim and Recluse and I worked out the IPX emulation within dosbox last night, which opened up the classic EF2000 dynamic campaign for co-op over internet. We were using a modded version of dosbox which permits the old 3dFx Graphics+ edition of EF2000 to run using Glide, on modern computers. mikew provided the linkages to this tool in an earlier thread on this forum. More recent editions of the modded dosbox have resulted in much better performance in terms of the frame rate vs sound stuttering issues of initial builds.

EF2000 may be old, but she isn't dead yet!

Good news, Eugene! I've recently gotten a rekindled interest in sims and was reading online about EF2000, F-22 ADF and TAW. I've got EF2000 V2.0 for WIndows, but I don't know if I've still got the original EF2000 for DOS. Incidentally, it was my first flight sim when I bought my first Windows machine...a Pentium 100MHz...a real screamer at the time. DID sure did some amazing stuff back in the day.

Hey, Spectre! Long time...hope you are well and enjoying this autumn. If you have EF2000 V2 - the set that has the Windows and the Graphics+ (3dfx and Rendition versions), and iirc a plain dos as well, you have it all. We are using the 3Dfx version with a modded dosbox that permits for the first time I know about running it without a Voodoo 1 or 2 card on a modern computer. There is a thread here that has info aobut it, and also a current one with links over at Combatsim on their EF2000 forum, if you are interested. Looks MUCH better than the Windows or plain dos versions. Dosbox is how we are able to connect for co-op campaign, etc, because it includes IPX emulation. Even if you don't want to try co-op and just want single player, the modded dosbox is really worth trying out.

Good to see you.

Oh man, this is my favorite sim. Might have to try this out even though I truly don't have the time (due to a seven month old).

hi guys,

i do not know how to provide a link to my other post in regard to EF2000. so here it is again....

I have been trying for a couple of days now to patch my EF2000 with tactcom.exe to be prepared for the 3dfx patch to run ef2000 with dosbox and glide. I meanwhile have
- EF2000 DOS german version (bought with huge pack of printed documentation)
- EF2000 englisch version from the web (oldsk)
- SuperEF2000 (W95) (bought with huge pack of documentation as DOS version)
- a diamond demo CD with glide version; this is unfortunately without the campaign (runs with doxbox SVN in glide on my W7Ultimate64x)
- EF2000 spezial edition from the web (oldsk) including tactcom.exe (needs dos to run)

unfortunately i do NOT own the tactcom extension. so i tried to download a version (see above). seems that it is not availiable to buy anymore.
i tried to install tactcom with all above mentioned versions but i always get an error message
- conflict.cg or _ef2000.exe does have the wrong size.

to be honest i am a bit lost.... any help is so much appreciated!!! thanks much in advance!!!

have fun... take care
flex

Have you looked at these patch download choices? Your best bet would be to stay with your first listed edition, which is not going to be suspect in any way...and try these patches for your German version. What I am not clear on at them moment is how cumulative some of the downloads are. That is, does the graphics + patch include the tactcom earlier patch or not.

What does (oldsk) mean? Why would you need to install tactcom on that last one in your list, which apparently is already patched with tactcom? I am not sure what "special edition" might refer to.

I do know that you most likely cannot "retro fit" an already patched alternate version of EF2000 into the 3dFX version. Nor will Super EF2000 do any good as that is the Windows only version.

Have you checked by running these to see whether any already appear to have Tactcom's upgrade? It sounds as if the last one does, and you haven't said enough about the second one on your list to be able to tell what version it is.

*Might* be able to help, with a little more information on what you have.

Good luck!

Eugene,

thank you very much for your quick reply!!! correction for my above mail: SuperEF2000 is not DOS related; it is W95.

oldsk is a webside for abandonware (www.oldgames.sk; hope it is ok to mention that link here; otherwise please delete).

unfortunately the last item ("special edition) contains the SuperEF2000 W95 game with a tactcom.exe which cannot be used with the W95 version.

so i tried to use my EF2000 DOS german version (1st item) to apply tactcom.exe but i received error message that a specific file does match in terms of bytes. error message: "unable to patch c:\ef2000\conflict.cg file is different size should be 629380". maybe this is related to the fact that it is a german version.
next step was to patch my german dos version to 2.04. result is NO graphics+ and NO tactcom extension. applying tactcom.exe results in an error (bytes do not match). applying the GFX patch results in an error that the tactcom directory is missing.

the 2nd item is from that abandonware webpage too; EF2000 englisch version but i do not know which version. might be an already patched one. trying to use tactcom.exe (from the last item) will produce errors again (a file do not match byte-length).

hmm... hope above is not too confusing... anyway.. any feedback/hint is most welcome as my goal is still to have ef2000 including campaign on glide.

thanks ... flex

p.s. what exactly do you mean by "Have you looked at these patch download choices"? is it related to SimHQ? sorry... no native speaker...

Sorry desmoflex! I forgot to include the link to the patches at The Patches Scroll.
http://dlh.net/cgi-bin/dp.cgi?lang=eng&ref=ps&sys=pc&cap=e

Also, your problem may be related, at least in testing any of the installed sim versions, that you are trying to start the sim using the tactcom file. That would not be correct. To see whether or not Tactcom patch is already included, start EF2000 with its regular executable, ef2000 iirc. Then see internally whether you have the features you want from Tactcom. Is that clear? In other words, you may have a version already patched to the Tactcom level. Just don't use the tactcom.exe to launch the sim.

The best thing to do if when starting your various (NON WIN 95!) versions you learn that you do not have tactcom already installed, is to next learn exactly what version number (the patch or sim version of your different DOS EF2000 editions. Not the verbal description/language version, etc. - the version number. That way your will know exactly what you have and what patch - if any at all - is needed before for your experiment with Glide.

But let me ask this: have you tried the modded Glide dosbox for EF2000 yet? On any of your DOS versions? What could it hurt?

I am not clear on whether you have tried applying the Graphics + patch to your DOS versions. That is the patch that - if not already applied to your versions, you will need in order to use the modded DOSBOX for EF2000 3Dfx version. That patch is at the top of the page I linked for you, above.

Eugene,
Again thanks so much for your time!!

- How can I exactly identify the version number of my EF2000 DOS version? During startup screen of EF2000? I could do that after patch 2.04 was installed (see below) but not for the initial installation.
- Is my understanding correct that the tactcom patch is necessary to apply the graphics+ patch?

Let me summarize:
- Goal: EF2000 DOS version in glide with a modded DOSBOX SVN (glide section always activated). Is this the modded DOSBOX version you use? If not pls provide a link.

• I run W7ultimate x64 on my PC (I7-920) and above mentioned DOSBOX version.
• I have the SuperEF2000 version, based on W95, up and running. Installation in XP and then copy to W7 environment. This version seems to have the tactcom extension in the campaign part. I compared a couple of screenshots I saw somewhere.

What I´ve tried so far (focus on my german EF2000 DOS version):

• Install EF2000 DOS under XP and copy to W7 environment; Runs perfectly fine with DOSBOX-SVN. No “speed” problem as with SuperEF2000. This fresh DOS installation do not have tactcom elements like SuperEF2000, as far i can see
• Next I ran tactcom.exe in DOSBOX to apply this patch to my fresh installed EF2000 DOS version . I
  did NOT try to start my sim (EF2000) via tactcom.exe. tactcom.exe ask for directory (C:\EF2000).DOSBOX was initialized to fit into that directory structure. Tactcom.exe ended with an error "unable to patch c:\ef2000\conflict.cg file is different size should be 629380".
• Next I tried to run the graphics+ update for german version. But this updates ask for a tactcom-directory which does not exist. Due to failed tactcom upgrade I presume
• Next I ran successfully the 2.04 patch for german version. Downloaded that patch from dhl.net.
• next i tried to run tactcom.exe again to patch my 2.04 version to tactcom. Same error message… problem with file size.

Best regards
flex
p.s. you may recall the diamond edition I mentioned above. I think this was a promotion with my monster glide graphic card. This is the only edition which runs with DOSBOX SVN in glide(!). so I know how it should look like. But unfortunately it is without the campaign part.

desmoflex, that was a very clearly explained post! Sadly, I don't have much I can add for solving your goal. I understand your goal - I can't tell you which versions you have, nor why your German version could not be updated with tactcom patch (I assume you were using a German version tactcom patch, if in fact there were different language editions for tactcom...as there were for the 2.04 patch).

Have you considered buying the final version - EF2000 v 2.0 - which is ready to work for using the DOSBOX-SVN on the 3Dfx installation of the sim? Given the amount of time you are spending on trying to make the original version work, acquiring v 2.0 might be wiser at this point. You also might try posting this over at Combatsim com, which has some active EF2000 and TAW people and a dedicated ef2000 forum.

Available at Amazon. New is $20, but used versions start at just $1.00!
http://www.amazon.com/EF-2000-V2-0-Pc/dp/B0016RQ23A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323229817&sr=8-1

Yes, DOSBOX-SVN is the one I have used.

Eugene,

i´ve send you an e-mail via SimHQ.

btw how many fps do you get with 3dfx and ef2000?

flex

Bloody hell, I'm up for giving this a go, got TS3/hamachi - where do I sign up?

Never had chance to try ef2000 in MP - 1)was a student, 2)was running it on a 486DX2/66 3)did not have the internet (see 1). Coop campaign sounds fantastic!

I'm still using the ykwong (spelling?) that I posted on months back as the new version linked gives me a CTD so hopefully the IPX emulation hasn't changed.

Graphics wise, I found that I could use D3D in dfend-reloaded and the optional pixelshaders. I find that the follwing works best in my DOSBox settings | custom settings:

glide=emu
[sdl]
pixelshader=GS4xScale.fx

Helps to smooth out some of the jaggies!

Now if only we could mouse look working - imagine locking up a target using TrackIR/FacetrackNOIR!

Wee Mac, thanks for those settings - will try them out when I have time. Didn't know about the pixelshader option(s)

Desmoflex, my FPS are not great at all, but better than the previous version of the modded dosbox. In that one, the sound stuttered if I increased cpu cycles enough to smooth fps. Now, the sound is ok. Improvements in dosbox itself have made it run a variety of older sims faster, not just this one (Longbow 1, for example). I am hoping for another update of dosbox, and then with any luck, an update of the SVN modded version.

Eugene,

I am still waiting for my EF2000 V2.0 copy....
how many FPS do you have with 3dfx and your DOSBOX version 10, 20 50?

flex