Hi.
If a game has had the DOSBox treatment so as to run on a modern machine, can anyone say where its saved games are likely to be stored

I'm playing Blade Runner and the original saves location would have been c:\westwood\blade\save.

However, I'm running the game on D Drive of my Win7 machine and can't find anything that resembles a save game file anywhere on the drive.
[Or on C Drive either. I've looked there as well ]

Cheers.

Mad

Doesnt Dosbox treat whatever drive/directory you mounted as, effectively, your c: drive? Start your search there. It's a long time since I used DB so it's a vague remembrance I'm afraid.

Thanks, mj2c

But as I said in my post, I've already searched my C Drive and can't see anything resembling a saved game for Blade Runner

Do you mean you've physically searched or used the Windows built in search? The Windows search doesn't search all paths (you probably know this:-)).

Done both !!

I wasn't much use then:-)

Don't say that !! Even if you don't have the solution you had the good heart to reply, thank you

Anyway, I contacted the man who did the DOSBoxing and he has now actually sent me the solution. [But it does involves stuff with which I wouldn't meddle ]

So I'll just happily carry on playing this wonderful old game

Blade Runner is a Windows game. Did this person hack together a DOS interpreter? The non-hacked game creates a subfolder called "SAVE" and the save files themselves are named "*.SAV". You said that you installed it on your D: drive, so this will not apply, but with UAC on, a legacy game installed in a system folder like "Program Files" will redirect file writes to the Virtual Store, if it is an allowed file type.

Anyway, I made an installer for Blade Runner. It works with either the 4CD or DVD versions. It includes a compatibility patch I made to allow it to run on Win7 and sets it up for disc-less play. Note that there is another installer out there does not have a compatibility patch and is of questionable legality as it includes the game's main data file. My installer properly concatenates the resources from the disc(s), so it includes no copyrighted game data.

Blade Runner Setup

Hi Collector

I have used some of your installers. However, I didn't know you had made one for Blade Runner.

Anyway, thanks for that info - even though I'm afraid I don't understand all of it.
My techie capabilities are very limited !!

Cheers.

Mad

Mad

Saved games in DosBox are pretty much like any other game. The problem is there is not "set" place. Presently I am using the DosBox frontend program (Defend Reloaded)

If you install a dosbox game using Defend all installations go into the same location. Such as C:Documents and Settings/user name/Defen reloaded/Virtual Hardrive/Sierra/Lost

Or in your case C:Documents and Settings/user name/Defen reloaded/Virtual harddrive//westwood\blade\save.

If you are using Dos Box without a front end the saves would go wherever you installed the game.

Games made prior to Win XP placed their saves in the game install folder. They were moved to my documents once XP was released because XP and Win 7 will not allow programs to write to files inside the Program Files folder where most programs are installed. Because of that saves had to go elsewhere.

If you installed to Program Files x86/westwood\blade\save. You won't have any saves. Because The save folder does not appear in the install file until you make a save. Program Files and program files x86 will not allow the program to make that save folder or put saves in it. So you won't have any saves. You must install those games elsewhere.

What you would need to do is reinstall the game to c:\westwood\blade\ by passing program files. The save folder will be added to c:\westwood\blade\save. when you make your first save.

When I had Gabtiel Knight and Lost in Time installed with dosbox only I kept it simple installing to C:Sierra/Lost and C:/Sierra/GKCD the saves went into the install file.

To find where your current game is installed.
Right click on the desktop icon of your game. Select Properties and look at the box that popped up. In the line labeled TARGET it will tell you where the game is installed. Look there for your saves.

Another problem, for old dos games is this. Lost In Time the saves are not called saves. They are stored in CAT.INF files You cannot see the individule save files. Lost has the following for saves
CAT.INF
CAT2.inf
CAT3.INF
CAT4.INF

I just made a new save and it changed the file modification date listed for the CAT.inf file but it does not show any details.

You will run into this for an awful lot of old games.

Thanks for all that info, oldmariner

I have to say that I always go for games that have already been "DOSBoxed" as my efforts to use the programme myself have proved futile
[And all the ones I have purchased so far have worked flawlessly.]

The only reason for wanting to find the saved games in THIS instance was that I was considering leaving the game permanently installed on my Win7 machine - just deleting only the saved games after I'd played the game.
But it's no problem to uninstall/reinstall - which is what I will do.

Cheers.

Mad

Mad,

You said "Dosboxed" Do you mean you are using something like a game from GOG? If so there is a different answer to where your saves are.

If that is the case they could be anywhere. I have the Longest Journey GOG version installed.

The game is installed in C:\program filesx86\GOG\The Longest Journey

The game saves are located in Documents and settings/ user name/ application data/The Longest Journey

Now then I have saves from GOG versions of Gabriel Knight 1 and Broken Sword 2 They are both in the same place. A real treasure hunt.

Documents and setting/user name/local settings/Virtual store/GOG.com/Broken Sword

For Gab it is the same except switch broken sword for Gabriel Knight.


It has been my experience that GOG saves will be placed somewhere in Documents and Settings but not always in the same place as illustrated by the convoluted nonsense with these games. Sometimes they go under application data before local settings. sometimes instead of Application Data they use App data. There is no consistancy to this irrational haphazard treasure hunt.


For Dot Emu and the new one shiny loot more than likely it is the same story

That is exactly why when I use Dosbox I direct the thing to C:\Gabrielknight
The game goes there and the saves follow. I know it is not MS correct but tell somebody who cares.

Mad probably got Blade Runner from the eBay guy who fixes old games so they run in modern OS.
www.ebay.com/itm/230886478373

I don't know if he uses DOSBox or something else.
The pictures of the game box at Mobygames say Blade Runner is for Windows 95 and NT, so I'm thinking he uses something other than DOSBox.

Yes. That's where I got it, Jenny100

And he DOES use DOSBox.

And this is the only game (so far) where the save games have not been easily and separately accessible.

As I have said, it's not a big deal. I'm very happy with the game. It runs perfectly

Is the problem with the way the game saves? I once played an old game that saved by putting entries in your registry -- not in any save file but inside files that were part of Windows. I didn't care for that save system at all.

I think it was Neverhood
http://www.chiptape.com/chiptape/misc/neverhood.htm