DOSBox

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DOSBox is a free and open source MS-DOS emulator for a multitude of platforms including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. While most players run Quake with source ports, such as WinQuake, GLQuake and others, some die-hard oldschool fans might prefer to play the original DOS version of Quake. On modern computers, this requires the use of an emulator, such as DOSBox.

Running Quake
Open the DOSBox config file and find the "[cpu]" section of settings.

This configuration should produce good and smooth game performance on most computers. core=dynamic cputype=auto cycles=auto cycleup=1000 cycledown=1000 If the game seems slow or choppy, increase the value of "cycles" by 1000 (press CTRL-F12) at a time until it gets better.

Most of the time, the "auto" number of cycles should be just right for the game to run smoothly.

If the Mouse is too fast or too slow despite the in-game sensitivity adjustment, find the "sensitivity" setting in the "[sdl]" section of the DOSBox config file and increase or decrease it accordingly (default value is "100").

If the game is running too fast, then upon opening the game, enter "vid_wait 1" into the console. This should fix the problem on lower resolutions.

If you want to run the game at higher resolutions such as 640x400 but the game runs too fast, you will need to install an SVN build of DOSBox, which you can learn about here.

Running the Mission Packs
While starting Quake is as simple as changing to its directory, typing "quake" and pressing enter, the Mission Packs require some command-line parameters:

For Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon: quake -game hipnotic -hipnotic

For Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity: quake -rogue

Playing on a widescreen monitor
The old Quake games do not support widescreen resolutions. The best way to play them on a widescreen monitor is in Windowed mode.

''Note: Future versions of DOSBox might support Fullscreen aspect ratio correction. Until then, use the instructions below. The latest DOSBox version at the time of writing this page is 0.74.''

First, open the DOSBox config file and change the "fullscreen" setting to "false."

Second, change the "output" setting to "ddraw" or "opengl" (whichever works better for you, though "ddraw" is recommended).

Third, find the "aspect" setting (it's in the "[render]" section) and change it to "true."

Finally, it's the choice of resolution for the window that the game will be displayed in. Find the "windowresolution" setting and change it to "1024x768" - this should work fine for most widescreen monitors.

If the window seems too small, you can try "1152x864", "1200x900" or "1280x960" as well, although this could cause the lower part of the game screen to be cut off. In this case, go back to 1024x768. You can also try other resolutions, if you wish - just make sure they are in the 4:3 aspect ratio.

If only a very small part of the screen is cut off at the bottom, you can try fixing that by enabling the option to automatically hide the Windows taskbar. This will allow you to make a larger game window.

As for the resolution of the game itself - you can select it from the respective in-game menu (just as you would do in WinQuake or another source port). Keep in mind that the game will probably run a bit slower at higher resolutions. DOS Quake's highest resolution is 640x480 pixels.

Following these instructions should display the game in a window with precise proportions (no stretching at all) - just as it appeared on your old DOS machine. Enjoy oldschool Quake!