Problem with official DaggerfallSetup-3.0.1.zip

[Sporky]

The most recent upload of DaggerfallSetup-3.0.1.zip from February 2024 as posted here has a major issue...

When you perform a custom installation, all of the unofficial fixes are greyed out and forced to be installed!

(I am apparently not allowed to post non-Elder Scrolls URL links here, or I would post a screenshot of the launcher showing the options greyed out. The pic is located at i dot imgur dot com slash VQ4J6p4.png.)

A number of them are of questionable utility, and certainly not something that should be forced on someone who might want to experience the original game, bugs and all. If nothing else, it's useful to have an unmodified experience for the sake of testing the original release and updating info on UESP.

The previous version, DaggerfallSetup-2.17.0.zip, is also no longer available, as it was hosted off-site.

I've already previously been concerned about one of the "unofficial fixes," DagSkills, and tried to bring it up to Daneel53 (maintainer of DaggerfallSetup). Basically, the program is described this way: "Allow attributes and skills to up to 200 naturally and become "master of Skill"." If it does what it says it does...that's not a fix. That's a mod that goes beyond what the developers ever would've intended. And now you are forced to install it.

In my opinion, DagSkills shouldn't even be sorted as an unofficial fix in the launcher, it should be sorted under unofficial mods/utilities.

Does anyone still have an unmodified DaggerfallSetup-2.17.0.zip so it can be restored?

[MrFlibble]

Does anyone still have an unmodified DaggerfallSetup-2.17.0.zip so it can be restored?

I've never used DaggerfallSetup (although it incorporates one of my unofficial fixes), and I would suggest that you simply run the installation from the unmodified Bethesda freeware release yourself, using either DOSBox or 86box.

I would suggest taking DOSBox ECE over vanilla DOSBox, and configure it for either 33445 or 47810 cycles for smooth and errorless performance of Daggerfall by editing dosbox.conf:

Code: Select all

cycles = auto 6075 98% limit 47810

From my experience, it is best to not use the no-CD hack, but create a normal medium-size installation of the game, then patch it to 1.07.213 with the Bethesda patch. You can then add unofficial fixes as you please, with full control over what you do.

It is also advised to patch FALL.EXE with DOS/32A to avoid memory errors. BTW, I do not suggest to give DOSBox more than 31 MiB of RAM, there is no performance gain to be had from the extra memory.

If you want to use 86box, I guess that you'll need a CD image of the game, because the copy protection requires the disk label. You can create an image using CD burning software.

[legoless]

That's an awful lot of effort compared to the installer. Sad that it forces third party mods now.

[MrFlibble]

That's an awful lot of effort compared to the installer.

It isn't, really. But I've just thrown together a quick clean install of the game, patched to the latest version, with CompUSA quests, and the latest version of DOSBox ECE (for Windows, obviously) already configured to run in a portable fashion:
https://mega.nz/file/zM53UJib#e2x5D9-94 ... s4_3fGV0KU

To install this, unpack the archive into any older of your choice, then unpack the contents of the original Bethesda freeware release (DFInstall.zip) into the same folder. For clarity, the DFCD folder must be in the same directory as DOSBox.exe, and the DFCD folder must contain the INSTALL.EXE file. That's all, you're set. Run DAGGER.BAT to play.

I have patched FALL.EXE with DOS32/A, but if you want the original thing, it's still there, renamed to FALL.BAK. Note that DOS32/A notably reduces the risk of memory-related crashes. However, mods like AndyFall will not work with DOS/32A, so you need the original EXE for that. I also tweaked the texture and item cache settings in Z.CFG to avoid the insufficient memory crash.

Additionally I've taken the liberty to include my paperdoll and inventory fix. It does not affect gameplay in any way but fixes some nasty glitches with player character clothing. Again, if you want the game raw, the original unmodified files are found in the ARENA2/BAK directory. No other third-party files were included.

To alter any DOSBox parameters (for example, if you want to use a GLSL shader from this pack), just edit the included dosbox.conf with the text editor of your choice. You can also use the built-in FluidSynth version for better MIDI music. Here's a nice SC-55 soundfont.

[legoless]

Brilliant, that's a great asset to have! Thanks MrFlibble.