LiqMat: So replying to your Windows 8 midi post. Thanks for the info. I mentioned to gully_dwarf that it probably has to do with Windows 8 and how they changed the midi access. So irritating Microsoft had to go screw with that. I downloaded the midi outsetter just to see what it looks like and that totally makes sense. Set the default midi device which in that case is 0. Set the bassmidi driver to the same. Then go in and change midiconfig=0 as well. I am so glad that worked. Just curious. In the Windows 8 setup do you still leave the TN.CFG file with the midi_num and midi_io values that I mentioned?
Rezorrand: Hi, yeah. I did a bit of more experimenting (with
tn.cfg) and noticed that with the default values of :
midi_num 3 midi_io 544 The music was the standard meh-sounding ones, but changing to the
midi_num 12 midi_io 816 Really gave some depth to it. (after doing the BASS MIDI changes as well of course). I reverted the changes in TN install directory with the help of Galaxy Client ("
verify / repair" helps quite a lot and
gully_dwarf might have benefited from that instead of reinstalling) and there's a certain difference.
I also checked the
dosboxTerraNova.conf and it wasn't restored after
verify / repair. I took out the 0 (zero) in the:
midiconfig=0
and the music didn't work. So yes, your midi_num and midi_io definitely affected the quality of the sound (along wih the soundbank changes of course). Leaving them at the original values seems to use some other (worse / default) sound bank instead. Totally recommended to change the num and io. :)
EDIT: fixed some issues
The original GOG install sets the music card to the Sound Blaster 16 which uses the very weak OPL-3 synthesis which is why people bought the AWE32 back in the day in the first place and that is to get away from the OPL FM synthesis which was pretty terrible and had no sampling ability. The midi_num 3 would be the OPL synth ID and the midi_num 12 would be the general midi ID since DOSBox does not emulate the AWE32's EMU chip directly (the AWE32 was midi_num 13). Midi_num 12 would be handled by DOSBox as a pass-through to whatever is installed in your Windows midi mapper which in our case would be whatever is loaded in the bassmidi driver's assigned soundfont port. Windows 8 made a change from Windows 7 in that the midi mapper device 0 was not directly adjustable like Windows 7. I am just glad through our research we could get this all working for a very wonderful game. I just wish the original devs would do something like what the Outcast team did with Outcast 1.1 on GOG and that is alter the original code to support higher resolutions, etc. I would love nothing more than to see a reboot or sequel to this game via crowdfunding like Kickstarter.