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[Sambojin]

I finally got around to making a reasonable touch interface for the old dos version of DoomRL, so I figured I'd share the setup with others.

It requires the Dos version of DoomRL (0.8 or so), csdpmi*b.zip extracted into that directory (added below), and the paid version of MagicDosbox (available on the google playstore).

I'm pretty sure I've got every button you'll need to play configured and set up as a touch control. Other than a->t for inventory, but you can just use your soft keyboard for that. I might try to squeeze in a few extra buttons for that somewhere for version 2.0 though. Fair enough, someone could probably port a newer version if they wanted to these days, but at least this works NOW. Just import the overlay below, and change the directory in MagicDosbox to where you installed DRL.

The old dos version of DRL is pretty easy to find, so I haven't included it.

Here's the touch overlay for MagicDosbox and the csdpmi file required for the old version of DRL:

((oh, the heady old days where there was one difficulty setting, shotguns were 6d3, and sergeants carried combat shotguns by default :) ))

((Chaosforge doesn't seem to want these files attached (0 byte files?). I'll happily email the proper versions to any that want them))

[Sereg]

Interesting... I would definitely be interested in DRL for Android, but I'm not sure your solution is ideal for me. I wasn't even playing back during the version you're using, and I'm not really sure how to go about combining everything you've got there into a playable game - it looks like you have three different pieces, an ancient version of DRL I'd have to track down, download, and attempt to run(all from my phone instead of my computer), an emulator I'd have to buy and learn how to use in conjunction with the aforementioned DRL version, and the overlay you've made available for download.

Definitely a step in the right direction, but I don't think it'll quite do it for me =P still, good work, and hopefully it makes the game more available for others.

[Sambojin]

It's all pretty easy. A google search for "doomrl dos" gets you the DRL version, unzipping stuff into a folder isn't exactly rocket science, and MagicDosbox is about $4 and is pretty easy to use (as well as being one of the few playstore purchases that is definitely worth it. All the dos stuff that was annoying to play before is playable now). $4 for potentially 100's of hours of playtime is pretty good, since stuff like MoM, Civ, MoO, SC2000 all become playable with it (being able to rght-click or long-click are vital in these games).

I'm pretty sure all you need to do is "import" the file doomrl.mgc in MagicDosbox by clicking a plus button, and maybe change the directory to point to where you extracted DRL to. MagicDosbox has context sensitive pointy-clicky help for pretty much anything anyway.

Whatever. I know a few people have asked for DRL on mobile for a long time, so having to jump through a few hoops to get it going after all these years is to be expected. Someone would have to make a touchscreen interface even if they ported it from the source code anyway, so this might give people some ideas that it CAN be done in the screen size limitations of a phone. Even if this is the old version of DRL (no weapon switch button needed, but no up/down selectable equipment menus to save extra buttons either).


I'm just happy that I'm probably the only person in the world that can play DRL right now on their mobile in a pretty functional way. I might do up an overlay for Pyro II next, Dungeon Keeper, Stars!, or a proper one for Civ. Maybe the Eye of the Beholder series would be good to do as well.

Can anyone think of some other Dos era games that sorely need a keyboard shortcut or mouse click overlay to play properly? Even win 3.11 or 95 is possible, but usually just adding right-click is enough for most of them. I'm not going to bother to explain the extra hoops needed to jump through for that (even if it's still just unzipping stuff).


((attaching the Dos version of DRL here. Happy enough if a mod removes it. It's tiny (no sound version), but I'm not sure if it's allowed considering the current status of DRL))

((Huh. Chaosforge doesn't like the file :(. Maybe Kornel doesn't like hosting files for free :p. Just google search it.))

[Sereg]

To be fair, I'm not well-versed at all on things you can do with Android stuff other then pre-packaged apps - I knew there were folders behind the scenes somewhere, but I didn't know you could zip stuff there. And I don't mean to downplay your contribution, either. I think it's pretty cool; it just takes more knowledge of working with Androids then I have(or am willing to put forth the effort to learn, I suppose). I also heavily favor the latest version of DoomRL, even over more recent versions like 0.9.9.5, and I think I'd have a hard time getting used to the older style - even moreso for something as far back as 0.8.0 or whatever you are working with.

As far as other old DOS games... I'll get back to you. I used to play a bunch, but I can't come up with any off the top of my head just now.

[Sambojin]

I might have a crack at TIE Fighter and Elite 2 or 3 as well. They'll be tricky, but if I can do them (and a simple'ish roguelike), I can probably do anything.


Try grabbing ES File Explorer on Android. It's a really good file manager, very fully featured, and it's free. Makes your phone/tablet feel far more like a PC for whenever you need to do something more complicated than clicking an icon.