Outpost 1.5 Download & Run

[leeor_net]

Meh, it just emulates a machine and the DOS internals -- FreeDOS is a good alternative, I'm not sure there's any IP infringement going on with DOSBox and if there was I'm pretty sure Microsoft would have shoved a Cease & Desist up someone's ass by now Hogwarts Style:

I tried to get Windows 3.1 to work on VirtualBox... and it works. Sort of. Performance is actually really really bad -- a bit of research shows why, VB isn't intended for anything less than Windows 95 to run in. -_-

I'll try to work with the current emulation package and see how I can streamline it and get it working better on shitty budget friendly CPU's.

[faultydet]

Hi all.
I have a CD copy of outpost. Can someone please explain in VERY simple terms how I can get it running on my laptop?
I dont even know where to start.

Thanks

[leeor_net]

"Simple" is relative.

Let's start with the basics. What version of Windows are you running? More specifically, are you running a 64-bit OS or a 32-bit OS?

If you're running a 64-bit OS (most likely), long story short, you can't run Outpost as-is. You'll need to set up a virtual machine to emulate a 16 or 32 bit operating system. There is no other way around this.

[faultydet]

Windows 10
64bit
ive dwnloaded the DosBox but have no idea how to get it working, either with the download program, or the cd

[leeor_net]

Sorry about the delayed response -- It's been kinda busy at work (among other things).

Anyway, as per the first post:

Basically, just extract the archive and run either of the two batch files in there. The 'High Performance' batch file is for newer computers that can run at higher clock cycles vs the plain one which is designed for older machines (like my laptop).

The file you download is a compressed folder also called an archive. It's in a format called ZIP which makes it simple enough for the average user to use -- Windows can view it without needing to download additional software.

Anyway, open the archive. You will need to move all of the files in it into a folder on your computer... for example, create a folder on your desktop called Outpost and move all of the files from the ZIP archive into the Outpost folder. Then, double click on one of the batch files. Try "Outpost - High Performance.bat" first. If that doesn't work well for you, use the other one "Outpost.bat".

[Catasbrina]

Absolutely stellar job!!! With the help of this thread, I had no issues getting the program installed and working. This used to be one of my favorite games and I have not played it since I was a teen. My BFF introduced me to it along with tabletop gaming. I am beyond excited that I can play again. However, I do not remember the instructions being so vague. I suppose the was typical back then. I do remember that there used to be walkthrough guides. Do those still exist? Is there a website where I can find information on the best way to set up my ship and build my colony?

[leeor_net]

Welcome to the forums!

As much as I hate to say it, GameFAQ has a couple of guide/walkthrough type deals that could be useful. I have the 'official strategy guide' that I started to transcribe into the wiki but didn't get very far. There are some useful posts you can find in the OP1 section that provide information on star systems and planet types. For example:

Star Systems
Planet Types

There's also the Wiki that several of us have been contributing to. It's not complete but it does put a lot of available information in an easier to browse method.

The biggest issue with OP1 is its vagueness. Literally that's what defines it. Even with the strategy guide it doesn't really do much talking about what everything actually means or does or what effects come into play with research, etc.

Anyway, hope this helps!

[leeor_net]

Hey all, wanted to provide a quick update.

I've updated the current download that should make it a bit easier to run (only one .BAT file now instead of two to choose from). I tweaked the DOSBox environment configuration so it should run a lot better now on less powerful hardware without having two configurations to choose from. The current configuration takes advantage of dynamic emulation cores and multi-core processors without using a fixed cpu cycle.

I also added a Read Me file which really just restates a bit of what's already in this thread and where to go to get assistance if things go sideways. I also used a better compression method to trim about 35MB from the overall download size without actually removing anything.

I already downloaded this, how can I update without losing my save files?
Extract the contents of the ZIP file over top of your current install. This will overwrite the necessary files but will not affect your save games. After the update, double click on "Outpost.bat" and proceed normally.

[Hooman]

Nice. Sounds like a good all around update.