Front-end / launcher for v1.4

[philcha]

I've developed a launcher for MOO II v 1.4, which:

• * Presents a form to specify switch values.
  * Checks that switch settings do not produce a command line which exceeds the DOS length limit.
  * Saves favourite settings and the last settings used.

It's for any Windows installation which does not require DOSbox or similar - Win 95 & 98; some ME installations; some NT, 2000 and XP installations.

It runs as an HTA (Hypertext Application) and uses Windows Scripting Host (WSH is on the Win 98 CD and can be downloaded for Win 95).

Current status:

• * Runs MOO II v 1.4 OK, with correct switch settings.
  * Readme.htm virtually complete - I'd attach the current version if this forum would let me (no, I haven't uploaded it, but will do if there's enough interest).
  * User interface needs tidying up.

How many players would be interested?

[siron]

Nice work

Though I have to admit that I generally use DOSbox now. But I am sure that LB will add it to his DL section here...IIRC he thought about a menu screen inside MOO to add the "switches" there. Dunno if this is still on his to do list.

BTW. Whats the limit in DOS regarding the cmd line? Can you exceed it currently? It never happened to me using DOSbox. But I remember it under Windows...so I thought this trouble is mainly caused by WIN.

[philcha]

limit on DOS command line

• Raymond Chen, member of MS backward compatibility team for Win 95 & 98, says "For historical completeness: The DOS command line length limit was 127 characters" - but this is in a discussion at http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archi ... 56028.aspx which I found confusing.
• But http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-pa ... 02316.html says the physical limit of 128 can only hold 126 bytes of data because internally it starts with a 1-byte length and ends with CR
• For safety I went for 125, in case it really ends with CRLF

If anyone knows better, I can easily change the number in the launcher.

I read that DOS truncates over-long lines, so you lose the excess switches - can't remember where, either here or at http://masteroforion2.blogspot.com/

DOSbox

I don't use it for MOO 2 on Win 98, because I like the freedom to ALT+TAB, and DOSbox seems to dislike ALT+TAB. I've only used DOSbox via D-Fend for MOO 1, but I can see how to create a .conf file and test it via D-fend, copy it to a launcher folder then use a launcher to change ORION2nnn.EXE to ORION2nnn.EXE /... /... ............. If someone else wants to adapt my code for that, it's fine by me, but I have no plans to do it - especially if there's any chance that If Lord B will produce a menu for MOO 2.