The Need for a True Game Blaster

[robertmo]

Are there any Game Blaster back pictures to check whether it uses IRQ or DMA? Or does anyone already know it?

[mace]

Are there any Game Blaster back pictures to check whether it uses IRQ or DMA? Or does anyone already know it?

I believe there are even entire schematics floating around.

[robertmo]

Cloudschatze made some tests.

Autodetection method is not very complicated:

1. So what games/programs expect card to do is just mirroring value written to 226 port so it can be read from port 22a.
2. Same with 227->22b
3. Same with 227->22a
4. Also 224 is always read with 7f
For point 1. some games try to interfere port 22a by writing sth there too.

All GameBlaster games/programs work in dosbox SVN now

[jharris01]

That's great news!

[Great Hierophant]

Cloudschatze made some tests.

Autodetection method is not very complicated:

1. So what games/programs expect card to do is just mirroring value written to 226 port so
it can be read from port 22a.
2. Same with 227->22b
3. Also 224 is always read with 7f
For point 1. games try to interfere port 22a by writing sth there too.

All GameBlaster games/programs work in dosbox SVN now

Has anyone found a PC or DOS game that utilizes the noise channels or envelope generator of the SAA-1099 chips found in the Game Blaster and Sound Blaster 1.0 and upgradeable in the 1.5 and 2.0?  It always seemed as if the companies were using it as an adlib emulator and not taking care of its full capabilities. 

[robertmo]

In cms drivers package there is INTELLIGENT ORGAN floppy with installer that makes it possible to install one of two drivers for organ:

1. Cubic Audio I/O Card (for Cubic CT or XT users with Audio I/O Card)
2. CMS Music Synthesizer Card

After choosing Cubic Audio I/O Card I found out with dosbox port logging that it doesn't have auto detection and uses different ports than CMS Music Synthesizer Card:

220 -> 4a0
221 -> 4a1
222 -> 4b0 
223 -> 4b1

[endre1952]

Battle Chess 2 does let you select CMS Game Blaster for sampled sound effects. Seems to work in DosBox, I cannot test it on real hardware - it seems hopeless to get the chips for my SB 2.0, and I haven't found anything older for a reasonable price...

[robertmo]

I have tested Battle Chess 2 in this thread
http://queststudios.com/smf/index.php/topic,2590.0.html