HomeObviously an extremely popular/classic mod, I've been working my way through all this over the last week or so. I felt the idea of no weapons on the first (two) scene(s) was not a good way to introduce things, but once past that point, this has been fantastic, professional enough that it really could have been a completely different game released commercially in the Wolf3D engine! But what's your thoughts regarding this classic?
+4
Dean
ronwolf1705
Thomas
Schabbs
8 posters
Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
Poll
As one of the all-time classics, what's your take on this mod?
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Total Votes: 6
WolfForever- Senior Member
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Age : 34
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- Post n°1
Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:14 pm
WolfForever- Senior Member
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- Post n°2
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:46 am
Played a little further, love the choice of two secret levels in Act 2. 
Schabbs- Extreme Wolfer
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- Post n°3
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Schabbs Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:43 am
Yes, it's one of those mods that seems like a new game. Virtually everything has been replaced and it has all been done so very professionally. It is an excellent game all round.
I didn't mind having no weapon for the first level and part of the second level though I can see why it can be annoying and I would have agreed with you had it gone on for much longer.
It would be good to see the game in an SDL version with the higher resolution etc. to see if it can be even better.
I didn't mind having no weapon for the first level and part of the second level though I can see why it can be annoying and I would have agreed with you had it gone on for much longer.
It would be good to see the game in an SDL version with the higher resolution etc. to see if it can be even better.
Brian.
Cat Productions - mapper
WolfForever- Senior Member
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- Post n°4
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:48 am
I can get it to run okay (as in, accpetable) for the most part in DosBox. But yes, an eventual SDL version would always be most welcome.
I was turned off the first time I tried to play the game by the no weapons problem at the beginning. That was around 2008, I think. But this game has its status as such a classic that I felt I needed to give it a second chance, and after slogging my way through the beginning*, it has been an absolute blast since, and I've just about forgotten my negative first impression.
*Shameful to admit but I actually semi-skipped the beginning. I played the first two scenes on easy just ignoring most of the bad guys, then used orb -butcher and warped myself to scene 3 (which only has one entry point as far as I know) on medium, playing as normal since. I'm so glad Adam Biser didn't freeze your score for cheating. Honestly, I do regret cheating any time I have to, but I didn't see need to "torture" my way through the ill-fated beginning to play the rest of a wonderful TC, or play the rest on a skill level that would be too easy for me. Sorry, but being forced to exclusively melee bad guys whose attacks themselves are melee just isn't my thing.
But yes, an eventual SDL version would always be most welcome.I was turned off the first time I tried to play the game by the no weapons problem at the beginning. That was around 2008, I think. But this game has its status as such a classic that I felt I needed to give it a second chance, and after slogging my way through the beginning*, it has been an absolute blast since, and I've just about forgotten my negative first impression.
*Shameful to admit but I actually semi-skipped the beginning. I played the first two scenes on easy just ignoring most of the bad guys, then used orb -butcher and warped myself to scene 3 (which only has one entry point as far as I know) on medium, playing as normal since. I'm so glad Adam Biser didn't freeze your score for cheating.
Honestly, I do regret cheating any time I have to, but I didn't see need to "torture" my way through the ill-fated beginning to play the rest of a wonderful TC, or play the rest on a skill level that would be too easy for me. Sorry, but being forced to exclusively melee bad guys whose attacks themselves are melee just isn't my thing.
Thomas- Veteran
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- Post n°5
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Thomas Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:08 am
I have only played this for two minutes - only because DOSBox simply performs disastrous. If this came out in SDL, I'd definitely play it and experience it like everyone else has. I really felt I was missing out on something when this came out.
WolfForever- Senior Member
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- Post n°6
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:22 pm
Thomas, make sure that when you start up DosBox, you type the following two lines verbatim:
core=dynamic [hit return key]
cycles=max [hit return key]
before attempting to run any advanced games. This seems to make performance okay in 95% of cases for me; otherwise if I don't do this performance is terrible in games with advanced features like textured ceilings/floors, etc. Also try reducing the screen size to about 50%.
EDIT: Also make sure you have the latest version of DoxBox - 0.74.
Also this is not meant as an accusation or assumption that you have not done that already; it is just an instruction on how to maximize performance with DosBox, in case you haven't already tried any of the options.
core=dynamic [hit return key]
cycles=max [hit return key]
before attempting to run any advanced games. This seems to make performance okay in 95% of cases for me; otherwise if I don't do this performance is terrible in games with advanced features like textured ceilings/floors, etc. Also try reducing the screen size to about 50%.
EDIT: Also make sure you have the latest version of DoxBox - 0.74.
Also this is not meant as an accusation or assumption that you have not done that already; it is just an instruction on how to maximize performance with DosBox, in case you haven't already tried any of the options.
Thomas- Veteran
Number of posts : 1739
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- Post n°7
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Thomas Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:46 pm
I know - my DOSBox setting are exactly this. But again, I'm running on a 28" flat screen with Windows 7. DOS-based games should very well look out of place! 
- I'll keep a heads-up for the SDL version.
- I'll keep a heads-up for the SDL version.
WolfForever- Senior Member
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- Post n°8
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:01 pm
If you're screen's that big, then yes, Dos games would run quite slowly. I guess the only solution then would be to get a smaller screen or wait for SDL. Sorry then that I couldn't help.
ronwolf1705- Hardcore Wolfer
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- Post n°9
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by ronwolf1705 Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:27 pm
I'm hoping for an SDL version as well. I've played quite a couple of levels (I think I made it till level 17 or so) and really loved it till that point (then my computer broke, got a new one and had trouble with dosbox. Then I decided to only play SDL mods). I personally didn't mind the first two levels but to each their own. But ack's mapping might just be the best mapping ever for a TC. Overall it's an excellent TC, a real classic.
But ack's mapping might just be the best mapping ever for a TC. Overall it's an excellent TC, a real classic.
Andy- Seasoned Wolfer
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Registration date : 2007-12-22
- Post n°10
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Andy Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:58 am
Run DOSbox in a window!
In the .conf file, make fullscreen=false. For me, Orb runs fine.
Here's my "all-purpose" .conf file for running Wolf3d mods on my Vista machine (I hid it only because it's so big):
In the .conf file, make fullscreen=false. For me, Orb runs fine.
Here's my "all-purpose" .conf file for running Wolf3d mods on my Vista machine (I hid it only because it's so big):
- Spoiler:
- # This is the configurationfile for DOSBox 0.73.
# Lines starting with a # are commentlines.
# They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.
[sdl]
# fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen.
# fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen.
# fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original or fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
# output: What video system to use for output.
# Possible values: surface, overlay, opengl, openglnb, ddraw.
# autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen.
# sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized. (pause is only valid for the second entry)
# Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
# mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from.
# usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.
fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=original
output=overlay
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true
[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
# machine: The type of machine tries to emulate.
# Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
# captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
# memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
# This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
# though few games might require a higher value.
# There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.
language=
machine=svga_s3
captures=capture
memsize=16
[render]
# frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
# aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!.
# scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes. If 'forced' is appended,the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
# Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.
frameskip=0
aspect=false
scaler=normal2x
[cpu]
# core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and appropriate.
# Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
# cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
# Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
# cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond. Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags. Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
# 'auto' tries to guess what a game needs.
# It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
# 'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually need if 'auto' fails.
# (Example: fixed 4000)
# 'max' will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to handle
#
# Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
# cycleup: Amount of cycles to increase/decrease with keycombo.
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.
core=dynamic
cputype=auto
cycles=max
cycleup=500
cycledown=20
[mixer]
# nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
# Possible values: 2048, 4096, 8192, 1024, 512, 256.
# prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.
nosound=false
rate=22050
blocksize=2048
prebuffer=10
[midi]
# mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
# Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
# mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
# midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id of the device you want to use. See README for details.
mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=default
midiconfig=
[sblaster]
# sbtype: Type of sblaster to emulate.
# Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, none.
# sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
# oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
# Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, none.
# oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat or old might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
# Possible values: default, compat, fast, old.
# oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
# Possible values: 22050, 49716, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000.
sbtype=sb16
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
sbmixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplemu=default
oplrate=22050
[gus]
# gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
# ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
# there should be a MIDI directory that contains
# the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
# with Timidity should work fine.
gus=false
gusrate=22050
gusbase=240
gusirq=5
gusdma=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND
[speaker]
# pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
# Possible values: auto, on, off.
# tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).
pcspeaker=true
pcrate=22050
tandy=auto
tandyrate=22050
disney=true
[joystick]
# joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
# 2axis (supports two joysticks),
# 4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
# 4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
# fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
# none disables joystick emulation.
# auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
# Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
# timed: enable timed intervals for axis. (false is old style behaviour).
# autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
# swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. can be useful for certain joysticks.
# buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.
joysticktype=auto
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=false
buttonwrap=true
[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
# Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
# parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq.
# for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
# (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
# for modem: listenport (optional).
# for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
# transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
# Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled
[dos]
# xms: Enable XMS support.
# ems: Enable EMS support.
# umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).
xms=true
ems=true
umb=true
keyboardlayout=auto
[ipx]
# ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.
ipx=false
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
mount d C:\Users\Andy\Wolfenstein
D:
cd wolfmenu
wolf
Dean- Spear of Destiny
Number of posts : 590
Age : 52
Location : Australia
Hobbie : Being smarter then everyone else in the room...
Registration date : 2007-04-16
- Post n°11
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Dean Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:16 pm
I've tried to play it a few times but never seem to get very far into it. I'm in total agreeance that the first 2 levels are rather average and don't really inspire me to play much further. i do understand why they were made that way. It's a mod I always feel disappointed at myself for not playing through though.
I tried a couple of months back to play it and even installed DosBox again but still got the awful issues I had the last time with it. An SDL version would be something really great and worthy of a mod of this reputation and complexity.
I tried a couple of months back to play it and even installed DosBox again but still got the awful issues I had the last time with it. An SDL version would be something really great and worthy of a mod of this reputation and complexity.
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WolfForever- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 864
Age : 34
Registration date : 2010-12-05
- Post n°12
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:26 pm
Once you get to scene 3 (of act 1), this thing really starts to rock. Seriously. If you can't stand the lame beginning, type "orb -butcher" and use normal debug activation keys then TAB+W to level 3. Your score will not be frozen, you can play as usual from there.
As for DosBox, type "cycles=max" and "core=auto" before running the game (hitting return after both commands). Run on 50% view and/or in a window is performance is still poor. This seems to make it okay. Nonetheless, an SDL version would be great.
Seriously. If you can't stand the lame beginning, type "orb -butcher" and use normal debug activation keys then TAB+W to level 3. Your score will not be frozen, you can play as usual from there.As for DosBox, type "cycles=max" and "core=auto" before running the game (hitting return after both commands). Run on 50% view and/or in a window is performance is still poor. This seems to make it okay. Nonetheless, an SDL version would be great.
Andy- Seasoned Wolfer
- Number of posts : 280
Registration date : 2007-12-22
- Post n°13
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Andy Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:58 pm
Dean,
IMO, Spear Resurrection and End of Destiny both started off kind of slow too, but they were great mods. Orb is in their class, without a doubt.
As they used to sing in the late 60's, Give Orb a Chance.
IMO, Spear Resurrection and End of Destiny both started off kind of slow too, but they were great mods. Orb is in their class, without a doubt.
As they used to sing in the late 60's, Give Orb a Chance.
WolfForever- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 864
Age : 34
Registration date : 2010-12-05
- Post n°14
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by WolfForever Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:01 pm
Maybe the true best mods are the ones that don't just show it all off from the start.
Nexion- Seasoned Wolfer
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Age : 111
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Message : Planet N
Registration date : 2008-02-27
All these settings don't matter much if the cpu of the computer is too weak. For a "standard" mod even 700mhz might be enough for dosbox.WolfForever wrote:core=dynamic [hit return key]
cycles=max [hit return key]
If you run 69 heavy programs at same time while playing it in dosbox without having a triple cheese cpu you won't gonna get a Big Kahuna Burger. You can also cycle the cycles over the max manually and melt away your cpu live while burning some fresh meat on it hehe.
Dark_wizzie- I am Death Incarnate!
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Registration date : 2007-03-24
- Post n°16
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
by Dark_wizzie Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:01 pm
Not in SDL? No? Ok then.
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- Post n°17
Re: Orb of Dilaaria, by Adam Biser (w/ other contributors, many maps by ack)
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