Strike Commander: DOSBox mercenary staging area

A guide to running the 1993, Origin Systems sim, Strike Commander in DOSBox Staging. The original version of Strike Commander was released on 8 x 1.44MB 3.5" High Density (HD) floppy disks.

This was followed by the Strike Commander: Speech Pack released on 3 x1.44MB 3.5" HD floppy disks, which added digitized speech to in-flight comms and cinematic sequences. In the same year, 1993 an expansion campaign and general MIDI support was added with Strike Commander: Tactical Operations, distributed on 3 x 1.44MB HD floppy disks.

The Strike Commander: CD-ROM edition, distributed on (unsurprisingly) a single CD-ROM combined the original game, speech pack and expansion as well as adding further digitized speech and intro video.

Version

This guide will be using the digital edition released in 2013 on gog.com, which is comparable to the Strike Commander: CD-ROM edition. The digital edition is currently bundled with vanilla DOSBox and this guide will cover running Strike Commander with DOSBox Staging, providing enhanced features and capabilities.

Speed sensitivity

A point worth noting is the speed sensitivity present in this digital/CD edition. At higher DOSBox cycles the effectiveness of AAM's and Mavericks can vary along with the AI use of countermeasures. This is discussed at length in the gog.com Strike Commander forum post 'Missile gullibility'.

Game management

I recommend using my DOSBox game management strategy. As the gog.com digital version is used and installed by the GoG client or offline installer, only the following folders are recommended:

• conf - to store any DOSBox Staging/HOTAS profile configuration files.

• docs - to store any documents, manuals, etc.

• patch - to store a copy of the recommended patch.

Installation

The gog.com digital release should be installed using either the Strike Commander offline installer or Galaxy client. Installation should be straight-forward and complete successfully.

HOTAS config

Joystick and rudder pedals are supported. Configuring axes may not be required if your HOTAS has 4 axes or less. When using devices totaling more than 4 axes, a virtual controller can be used, limited to 4 axes.

Despite not supporting a throttle it is included in the profile to allow keyboard throttle commands to be mapped to the throttle axis in HOTAS profiling software. The physical axes to Windows axes were configured as follows:

Physical axis	Windows axis
Joystick x-axis	DX_X_AXIS
Joystick y-axis	DX_Y_AXIS
Throttle	DX_Z_AXIS
Rudder	DX_XROT_AXIS

DOSBox Staging config

This guide assumes the latest version of DOSBox Staging v0.82.1. Changes from the default configuration are detailed below, except MIDI options which are considered later, as both Roland and General MIDI support is available:

[sdl]
host_rate           = vrr
vsync               = off
presentation_mode   = vfr

[dosbox]
dos_rate                    = 1000

[cpu]
core                 = normal
cpu_cycles_protected = 25000
cycleup              = 100
cycledown            = 100

[voodoo]
voodoo                    = false

[mouse]
dos_mouse_immediate       = true

[mixer]
reverb     = large
chorus     = normal

[joystick]
joysticktype                = ch
timed                       = false
swap34                      = true
deadzone                    = 0

[autoexec]
mount c "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Strike Commander"
mount c "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Strike Commander\cloud_saves" -t overlay
imgmount d "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Strike Commander\sc.dat" -t iso -fs iso

c:
sccd.exe
pause
exit

The [sdl], [dosbox] and [mouse] settings are suitable for high frame rate gaming as described in this article by Omniclyde. These settings aren't strictly required and can be omitted to use the default settings.

In [cpu] settings, the core is set to normal and the cpu_cycles_protected set to 25000 cycles, to try and alleviate the speed sensitivity issues whilst keeping framerates fluid. The cycleup/cycledown settings allow for a suitably small increment/decrement in finding an optimum setting for a particular machine.

Voodoo emulation isn't required and can be disabled.

The [mixer] settings enhance the music and audio. They are a personal preference and can be adjusted as desired.

In the [joystick] section, setting the joysticktype to ch allows the use of the hat available on most joysticks. [timed], [swap34] are suitable settings for my HOTAS (TM Warthog), however you may need to adjust these for your own joystick or HOTAS. [deadzone] is a personal preference and should be adjusted as desired.

The [autoexec] section mounts the gog.com installation folder under the Galaxy client as the c: drive. gog.com releases often provide a facility to save your game in the cloud, it does this by providing an overlay mount in the gog.com DOSBox config. I've recreated this mount in the DOSBox Staging config.

I'm not 100% sure if it works correctly (it seems to), so please be aware and don't rely on it!

The Strike Commander cd image is included in the release as sc.dat and is mounted as an emulated cd d: drive.

The remaining commands run Strike Commander and after quitting the game will pause allowing the goodbye message to be read before closing the DOSBox Staging app. It is recommended to leave these commented out until configuration is complete.

MIDI options

As general MIDI support was introduced with the expansion campaign, both Roland and general midi options are supported. Once configured, you may wish to adjust mixer settings to your preference. Taking a look at each in turn:

Roland

[midi]
mididevice      = mt32

[mt32]
model       = cm32l
romdir      = "D:\Midi\Versioned"

In [mt32] the model is set to cm32l as the install utility allows the selection of the compatible Roland LAPC-1 sound device. Versioned roms are used, as described in the earlier article 'DOSBox midi'.

Fluidsynth

[midi]
mididevice      = fluidsynth

[fluidsynth]
soundfont     = "D:\Midi\Soundfonts\Shan SGM-X48 v2.0.SF2"

The soundfont is an example and an alternative can be used, based on preference. All soundfonts are kept in the same folder, as described in the article 'DOSBox midi'.

VirtualMidiSynth

[midi]
mididevice      = win32
midiconfig      = 0

Setting the mididevice to win32 allows the VirtualMidiSynth app to be used. The midiconfig setting can be found using the method as described in the article 'DOSBox Staging and VirtualMIDISynth'.

Patching

There is a single recommended fan made patch to try and alleviate the speed sensitivity issues. A result of the work done by Harr-Nuta and others over on the gog.com forums, so credit and thanks to those individuals. Depending on the DOSBox cycles used, you may find this patch unnecessary.

The Strike Commander CD Missile Fix can be found at PCGamingWiki. It is a file replacement patch, replacing the existing strike.exe executable. It is recommended to backup the original file.

It is also recommended to keep a copy of the patch in the game management folders, in case the gog.com Galaxy client is ever used to verify the game installation folder, as this may replace the patch executable with the original one.

Configuration

The Strike Commander installer utility

It is recommended to run the installer app (install.exe) to set the hardware configuration options at least once and then each time the Sound Blaster or MIDI options are changed in the DOSBox configuration.

To set the configuration:

• Select 'Change the hardware configuration'.

• Select 'Roland/LAPC-1' if you wish to use Roland music, or...

• Select 'General MIDI' if you wish to use Fluidsynth or VirtualMidiSynth.

• Select 'Sound Blaster Pro' as the sound effects card, this is compatible with the default DOSBox Staging Sound Blaster 16 device.

• Select the default I/O address (220H) for the Sound Blaster.

• Select IRQ 7 for the Sound Blaster (this is different from the suggested default).

• Select the default I/O address (330H) for the MIDI device.

• Select 'Yes' for a local bus video card.

• Select 'Yes' if satisfied with the current configuration, or 'No' to go back and change options.

Once configured commands in the [autoexec] section of the DOSBox Staging configuration can be enabled.

Running

Strike Commander can now be run by calling the sccd.exe executable.

In-game configuration

In-game configuration options

It is recommended when first starting the game to perform the in-game configuration. Any training mission should be started. Once in-mission open the in-game configuration options (alt-o).

• Select FLIGHT options.

• For FLIGHT CONTROL

  • Select FS PRO.

  • Select RUDDER if you wish to use rudder pedals or a separate rudder control.

• In the centre menu, the following options would affect frame rates on period hardware but can be enabled with DOSBox Staging:

  • SHOW WEAPONS can be enabled.

  • REALISTIC can be enabled

• For PANNING CONTROL

  • Select FS PRO.

• Select CALIBRATE JOYSTICK and perform the calibration.

  
  

• Don't forget to SAVE the in-game configuration.

Documents

It's recommended to grab the full suite of documents (and store them in the docs game management folder), supplied by gog.com, including:

• The Strike Commander manual

• The Strike Commander: Tactical Ops manual

• The reference card

• The Playtester's Guide

• The Strategy Guide

Good hunting!