A guide to running Jetfighter III in DOSBox-X with Glide passthrough. Jetfighter III is a late era DOS game, created by Mission Studios, that can utilise the graphics capabilities of a Voodoo or Voodoo2 graphics card. In order to enjoy the greater graphical fidelity provided, the DOSBox-X emulator can be integrated with a Glide wrapper.
It's recommended to read the earlier article on Glide wrappers and DOSBox-X, 'Glide Wrappers: Last Man Standing or Peace and Harmony?' for background information.
As usual I'll be using a cd image rather than the physical cd to prevent wear and tear on discs and the drive. Jetfighter III does not use cd audio so your physical cd can be ripped to a data only iso cd image.
Version
The original base game, Jetfighter III was released in 1997 and followed shortly by the one and only expansion pack, Jetfighter III: Enhanced Campaign CD in the same year. A compilation edition, of the base game and expansion pack was also released in 1997, this was Jetfighter IIII+, also known as Jetfighter III Platinum Edition. In 1999 the final edition, Jetfighter III Classic was released, this was equivalent to the Platinum Edition but also included a mission editor.
The preferred version of Jetfighter III is the Platinum Edition or Jetfighter III Classic. Both versions should have a readme.txt file which lists the version as Jetfighter III Platinum Edition v1.63.
Game folders
I use my DOSBox game folder scheme described in DOSBox game management. So in my case I have a D:\games\dos\Jetfighter III folder with the following sub folders:
hdd (hard disk drive, DOSBox C: drive), folder used as hard disk by DOSBox.
cd (cd drive, DOSBox D: drive), cd images.
conf (DOSBox configuration file).
patches (a folder to store the patches).
DOSBox-X settings
As DOSBox-X is used in preference to DOSBox Staging some of the configuration options will be slightly different.
General settings
I generally keep fullscreen set to false when testing. The preferred output is pixel perfect opengl in DOSBox-X.
[sdl]
fullscreen = false
windowresolution = 1600x1200
output = openglppYou can set a title for the DOSBox-X window.
[dosbox]
title = Jetfighter IIIThe aspect ratio should be set to true when using pixel perfect opengl.
[render]
aspect = trueSetting vsync on, helps with tearing in the video when navigating the ship.
[vsync]
vsyncmode = onThese cycles are appropriate for a Pentium 75 - 90Mhz. The minimum specs call for a 486DX4, so this should make for fluid performance.
[cpu]
cycles = fixed 48500
cycleup = 1000
cycledown = 1000Autoexec iis where the hard disk and cd image is mounted. The jf3 folder is where my game is installed on the mounted C: drive. The jf3 command is used to start the game. The exit command will close DOSBox-X when you quit the game.
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# You can put your MOUNT lines here.
mount c "D:\Games\Dos\Jetfighter 3\hdd"
imgmount d "D:\Games\Dos\Jetfighter 3\cd\jf3c.iso" -t cdrom
c:
cd jf3
# jf3
# exitGlide passthrough
To enable Glide passthrough we set the internal 3dfx Voodoo card rendering to false and set the glide passthrough option to true.
[voodoo]
voodoo_card = false
glide = trueGlide wrapper
The preferred Glide wrapper is nGlide v2.10 as it provides fluid performance at high and low altitudes in the sim. I have this version installed as the system Glide wrapper so I didn't need to install it. If you need to install nGlide take a look at 'Glide Wrappers: Last Man Standing or Peace and Harmony?'Â if you haven't already, for installation options.
Glide library
The DOSBox-X Glide library, glide2x.ovl must be copied from the DOSBox-X system folder to the game install folder of the mounted C: drive. So after starting DOSBox-X, use the following DOS commands:
z:
cd system
copy glide2x.ovl c:\<Jetfighter install folder>
e.g. copy glide2x.ovl c:\jf3If glide2x.ovl can't be found then nGlide (or your preferred Glide wrapper) can't be found by DOSBox-X. Check the steps you took when you installed the wrapper.
Midi setup
For a discussion on midi setup see DOSBox midi. Jetfighter III can be configured to use a Soundblaster 16 (emulated in DOSBox) as the digital music device. However, it can also be configured to use general midi, which makes Jetfighter III an ideal candidate for trying out fluidsynth and various soundfonts in DOSBox-X.
These settings allow the defined soundfont to be used with Fluidsynth for midi music.
[midi]
mididevice = fluidsynth
fluid.driver = dsound
fluid.soundfont = "D:\Midi\Soundfonts\Timbres Of Heaven GM_GS_XG_SFX V 3.4 Final.sf2"Controller setup
For an in-depth look at modern HOTAS controller configuration for retro flight sims, take a look at my series of posts, Controllers and retro sims.
For a controller with only 4 axes, DOSBox-X should be able to find and assign them, although you may need to swap the 3rd and 4th axes.
I'm running a TM TARGET profile for my TM Warthog HOTAS, as it has more than 4 axes iit needs a virtual controller to define only 4 axes used by Jetfighter III. My profile defines these 4 axes:
DX_X_AXIS (Joystick x-axis)
DX_Y_AXIS (Joystick y-axis)
DX_Z_AXIS (Throttle)
DX_XROT_AXIS (Rudder pedals)
These 4 axis allow for complete joystick, throttle and rudder control in Jetfighter III.
These are the settings I use for my virtual controller, you may need to change these depending on your own setup. I set the deadzone to 0 as a personal preference.
[joystick]
joysticktype = 4axis
timed = false
swap34 = true
[mapper]
joy1deadzone0- = 0
joy1deadzone0+ = 0
joy1deadzone1- = 0
joy1deadzone1+ = 0
joy1deadzone2- = 0
joy1deadzone2+ = 0
joy1deadzone3- = 0
joy1deadzone3+ = 0
joy1deadzone4- = 0
joy1deadzone4+ = 0
joy1deadzone5- = 0
joy1deadzone5+ = 0
joy1deadzone6- = 0
joy1deadzone6+ = 0
joy1deadzone7- = 0
joy1deadzone7+ = 0
joy2deadzone0- = 0
joy2deadzone0+ = 0
joy2deadzone1- = 0
joy2deadzone1+ = 0
joy2deadzone2- = 0
joy2deadzone2+ = 0
joy2deadzone3- = 0
joy2deadzone3+ = 0
joy2deadzone4- = 0
joy2deadzone4+ = 0
joy2deadzone5- = 0
joy2deadzone5+ = 0
joy2deadzone6- = 0
joy2deadzone6+ = 0
joy2deadzone7- = 0
joy2deadzone7+ = 0To calibrate your controller(s) in game you must start a mission and choose the calibrate option from the in-flight options menu. I would suggest starting a free flight mission for this purpose (see screenshot below).
My DOSBox-X config
Putting it all together we end up with the following DOSBox-X configuration:
[sdl]
fullscreen = false
windowresolution = 1600x1200
output = openglpp
[dosbox]
title = Jetfighter III
[render]
aspect = true
[vsync]
vsyncmode = on
[cpu]
cycles = fixed 48500
cycleup = 1000
cycledown = 1000
[voodoo]
voodoo_card = false
glide = true
[midi]
mididevice = fluidsynth
fluid.driver = dsound
fluid.soundfont = "D:\Midi\Soundfonts\Timbres Of Heaven GM_GS_XG_SFX V 3.4 Final.sf2"
[joystick]
joysticktype = 4axis
timed = false
swap34 = true
[mapper]
joy1deadzone0- = 0
joy1deadzone0+ = 0
joy1deadzone1- = 0
joy1deadzone1+ = 0
joy1deadzone2- = 0
joy1deadzone2+ = 0
joy1deadzone3- = 0
joy1deadzone3+ = 0
joy1deadzone4- = 0
joy1deadzone4+ = 0
joy1deadzone5- = 0
joy1deadzone5+ = 0
joy1deadzone6- = 0
joy1deadzone6+ = 0
joy1deadzone7- = 0
joy1deadzone7+ = 0
joy2deadzone0- = 0
joy2deadzone0+ = 0
joy2deadzone1- = 0
joy2deadzone1+ = 0
joy2deadzone2- = 0
joy2deadzone2+ = 0
joy2deadzone3- = 0
joy2deadzone3+ = 0
joy2deadzone4- = 0
joy2deadzone4+ = 0
joy2deadzone5- = 0
joy2deadzone5+ = 0
joy2deadzone6- = 0
joy2deadzone6+ = 0
joy2deadzone7- = 0
joy2deadzone7+ = 0
[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
# You can put your MOUNT lines here.
mount c "D:\Games\Dos\Jetfighter 3\hdd"
imgmount d "D:\Games\Dos\Jetfighter 3\cd\jf3c.iso" -t cdrom
c:
cd jf3
# jf3
# exitInstallation and setup
The game should be installed from within DOSBox-X by running the install.exe installer app. Installation should be straightforward. Once installed you will be asked to configure the game by setting display, sound and music options.
If you wish to re-configure the game after installation, simply run the install.exe app from the game installation folder on the mounted C: drive.
To calibrate your controller(s) in game you must start a mission and choose the calibrate option from the in-flight options menu. I would suggest starting a free flight mission for this purpose.
Patching
There are two recommended patches, they should be installed in the following order:
Jetfighter III update 3
Â
This is last official patch from Mission Studios, it enhances the installer and the game, including adding 3dfx/Glide support and fixes a training mission. It upgrades the version to v1.67. The patch is available from The Patches Scrolls and is compatible with the Platinum Edition and Classic. The patch should be executed from within DOSBox-X.
JetFighter III Platinum Edition Unofficial Update 4
This is a fan made file replacement patch, compatible with the Platinum Edition and Classic, it was produced by VOGONS member rfnagel and can be found in this forum post, so a huge thank you to rfnagel. Taken from the readme file:
This unofficial update fixes problems with several of the campaign mission files where the next mission in the campaign would constantly loop back to the current mission, REGARDLESS if you win or lose the current mission.
This unofficial update also fixes problems with several other campaign mission files where the next mission in the campaign would constantly loop back to the current mission, unless that you LOSE the current mission.These fixes now force the next mission in the campaigns to continue to the next mission, as they should.
Game shortcut
All that remains is to set up a suitable DOSBox-X game shortcut. I would recommend taking a look at the earlier article, 'DOSBox game management'.
Good hunting!
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