Overview
An efficent and easy way to install and play Daggerfall using DOSBox on Windows 10
Disclaimer
I’m aware there is already an existing guide on how to do this, but I found it to be inefficent and tedious in some areas. This is going to be similar to that guide, but with my own steps replacing some of his. The guide i’m refering to is by ColaKong and can be found here: [link]
Step One
Visit here: [link] to download the newest version of DOSBox. Once downloaded, install it. It installs into (HardDrive/SSD root) :Program Files (x86)DOSBox-(Version Number). Make a shortcut of the .EXE to the desktop.
Step Two
Visit here: [link] to download the game. Once downloaded, make a folder in the root of your HardDrive/SSD called “DOS”. Extract the contents of the .zip you just downloaded into a new folder inside “DOS” called “Daggerfall”. Your “Daggerfall” folder should have 2 new folders called “DAGGER” and “DFCD”. If it does, you’re good to go from here.
(My Example)
Step Three
Make your way to (HardDrive/SSD root) :Users (Your username on the PC) AppDataLocalDOSBox. You’ll notice that there’s a .conf file inside this directory, copy it and paste it into (HardDrive/SSD root) :DOSDaggerfall. Once it’s there, rename it to Daggerfall.conf. Leave this for now because we still need to install the game.
If it is not there, go into the DOSBox prompt and type in “config -all -wc dosbox.conf”. This will generate a .conf file in the same directory you ran DOSBox in. Copy and paste that .conf file into (HardDrive/SSD root) :DOSBlood.
Step Four
Open the DOSBox shortcut you made to the desktop and type these commands into it. Make sure to spell it right or else it won’t work:
mount c c:DOSDaggerfall -freesize 1000
mount d c:DOSDaggerfalldfcd -t cdrom -label Daggerfall
D:
install
(No, you can’t Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V this, you gotta type it)
Now the game’s install screen should appear. Click the options here:
Agree to the terms of service
Agree to install on the HardDrive
Change the Installation Size
Huge Installation (450mb)
Yes, this installation size is fine
Yes, I want to install the game here
Go ahead and install the game
Wait for the game to install. It should ask you to configure your soundcard once it’s done. Click “yes” to setup the soundcard. (Use Arrow keys for this) Go into “Select Midi” and look for “SoundBlaster 16”. Press enter until you get booted back into the DOSBox prompt
Once it boots you back to the DOSBox prompt, type in “dag213”, then type in “y”. This updates the game. It’ll ask you for another yes or no question after this, type in “y”
To make sure it works, type in “DAGGER” to make sure the game boots up.
If it does, good, if it doesn’t, read this again carefully to find your mistake.
Step Five
Go back into (HardDrive/SSD root) :DOSDaggerfall and open Daggerfall.conf in Notepad.
Scroll to the very bottom and find [autoexec]. Delete everything already inside it and Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V this into it:
mount c (HardDrive/SSD root) :DOSDaggerfall -freesize 1000
mount d (HardDrive/SSD root) :DOSDaggerfalldfcd -t cdrom -label Daggerfall
c:
cd dagger
dagger
(My example)
Step Six
Find the shortcut you made of DOSBox and go into it’s properties.
Find the box called “target:” and make a space at the end of the quotation already there, then Ctrl+C Ctrl+V this to it, but edit the bracket to the HardDrive/SSD root.
-conf “(HardDrive/SSD root):DOSDaggerfallDaggerfall.conf”
Step Seven
Open the DOSBox shortcut you were just making edits to, and it should open the game automatically.
P r o f i t
You should probably rename the shortcut to The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, so you don’t forget what it does.
Differences between this guide and ColaKong’s guide
The installation process is the same thing. We used different directories n all that but it’s pretty much the same thing but in my own words. Where it starts to differ is how he makes his [autoexec] commandlines.
ThePilgrim used the default configuration file for all of DOSBox, meaning that if you opened DOSBox at all, those commands would run automatically. I found this to be annoying because it pretty much limits DOSBox to only that one game and purpose. I myself play multiple games using DOSBox, so this was an issue.
What I did different is making a seperate configuration file ONLY for Daggerfall (You can do this with any game) so that I can still make other shortcuts for other games. With this, I can have multiple shortcuts that only launch games and another shortcut just for the DOSBox prompt.
For example, I have a configuration file for Wolfenstein 3D and Daggerfall seperetly. I never touched the default configuration file that DOSBox uses. The editting of “Target:” was to tell DOSBox to use that specific configuration file instead of the default one, thus, running those specific commandlines when opened.