"hidden" PC Speaker option in Wolfenstein 3-D

K1n9_Duk3 · Post by **K1n9_Duk3** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:11

While I was implementing a PC speaker emulator for the Wolf4SDL port of Wolfenstein 3-D, I noticed there were routines in the original Wolf3D source code that could play digitized sounds via the PC Speaker.

Unfortunately, there is no menu option to select the PC Speaker as the device for digitized sounds, but as it turns out, you can enable the PC Speaker option by hacking the config file with a hex editor.

Long story short: It works!

I haven't been able to test it on a real DOS PC, but it works fine with the DOSBox emulator. If you want to test it yourself, edit your config file with a hex editor and set the value at offset 0x01D2 to 1. Or download a modified version of the config file here.

I wish I had known this back in the days of my old 80386...

MoffD · Post by **MoffD** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:28

Interesting find K1n9_Duk3, I'm gonna go check that out

Post by **Flaose** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 14:31

That's awesome K1n9_Duk3! I booted it up on my 486 and took a quick video. Here's the (nearly) raw video footage: http://youtu.be/1BtlsjJRnFU

Rorie · Post by **Rorie** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 2:49

back in the day the standard sound device in the 80386-486 was the pc speaker and by listening to the vid flaose posted reminds me of the days when the adlib/soundblaster or sound card whatever you like to call it did not come built into every pc as it does now and didn't back in the day.

when i was in my high school years i think. my now estranged father went to the computer store and bought a adlib card. the problem for him is that he does not know how to manage money soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog. despite of all this back in the day when i look back it was actually nice to listen to sounds not produced by the now old defunct pc speaker.

i got a lot of enjoyment out of these new sounds and made game play a lot more attractive not in the present but back in the days of dos gaming

neither me my siblings or mother have anything me to do with my father and believe me it is better this way my life has been better. i regret i had to break off contact but hey i am a adult now as my siblings are we can make decisions like this and he has to accept it if he likes it or not

Post by **Levellass** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:29

soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog

.

That's a sentence I never thought I would see.

Bernie · Post by **Bernie** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 14:06

hehe... rorie's issues kinda came outta nowhere

dont worry friend, we all got them.

Post by **Keening_Product** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 17:25

K1n9_Duk3, once again you have found something relatively spectacular hidden in code.

Maybe the PC speaker option was disabled because of its lack of definition in comparison to the other option? It might have just been Flaose's video (which was great by the way - thanks

), but the sounds seem a bit over the top. Then again, so is the game and why should it be removed just because it's less good?

guynietoren · Post by **guynietoren** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 17:43

Rorie wrote:when i was in my high school years i think. my now estranged father went to the computer store and bought a adlib card. the problem for him is that he does not know how to manage money soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog. despite of all this back in the day when i look back it was actually nice to listen to sounds not produced by the now old defunct pc speaker.

I have strong memories of that day for me. The card was huge, and I remember my dad bringing it home from work telling me how expensive it was. I used to play a lot with the text to speech program that it came with.

I still miss all the cool raspy sounds the PC speaker could make.

MoffD · Post by **MoffD** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 19:10

guynietoren wrote:
Rorie wrote:when i was in my high school years i think. my now estranged father went to the computer store and bought a adlib card. the problem for him is that he does not know how to manage money soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog. despite of all this back in the day when i look back it was actually nice to listen to sounds not produced by the now old defunct pc speaker.
I have strong memories of that day for me. The card was huge, and I remember my dad bringing it home from work telling me how expensive it was. I used to play a lot with the text to speech program that it came with.

I still miss all the cool raspy sounds the PC speaker could make.

That's why I made a Python script that bells out the time like Big Ben through the PC speakers

Rorie · Post by **Rorie** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 23:26

Levellass wrote:
soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog
.

That's a sentence I never thought I would see.

Levellass what i said about my father spending his entire disability pension every 2 weeks on liquor and bikes and crap is actually true. he is mentally ill and also does not take his medication when advised to. but as i said he is estranged from me. i do not talk or even have him in my life at all now. may i say that he was a terrible father to his children and me my siblings are awfully glad that he is no longer part of us. it is better this way and needs to stay like that

Rorie · Post by **Rorie** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 23:30

Bernie wrote: dont worry friend, we all got them.

if i have issues with one member of my family how about you bern?. you can drop me an pm or email if you want to let it out. i will listen to you mate.

Rorie · Post by **Rorie** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 23:48

Rorie wrote:
Levellass wrote:
soon as he gets his pension he blows it all on bikes and grog
.

That's a sentence I never thought I would see.
Levellass what i said about my father spending his entire disability pension every 2 weeks on liquor and bikes and crap is actually true. he is mentally ill and also does not take his medication when advised to. but as i said he is estranged from me. i do not talk or even have him in my life at all now. may i say that he was a terrible father to his children and me my siblings are awfully glad that he is no longer part of us. it is better this way and needs to stay like that

my dad might blow all his money but he is also lazy and expects the hard working australian to fund his lifestyle of do nothing and laziness.

he is illiterate and has blown his entire life away of ever having a chance to work he was born in 1950 so his chances of finding work now are over/

his entire life he has claimed an back injury as a disability and an excuse not to work.

i will safely say that i have not embarked on the same path. i am getting older but i am not as old as his is i am 29 turning 30 in october this year.

i am working but am still stuck on a state benefit as i do not earn enough to be cut off from the dsp.

i am also contributing to my superannuation that my employer has setup it is only about a grand at the time of typing this.

but hopefully when i turn 60 or if i even live that long. hopefully it will be enough to receive a part pension

Post by **Levellass** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:18

By the time you're 60 people of your age will be stored in digital rest homes to save taxpayer money.

I however will be dead after our country is nuked by China when they mistake it for Tazmania.

_mr_m_ · Post by **_mr_m_** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 15:59

I hope this is the only derp moment I have today:

In editing my config file, I forgot to think logically and disable music and adlib sounds.

Turns out the PC speaker digitized sound doesnt work with music and adlib sounds...Which makes complete sense.

I like the PC speaker digitized sounds better -- Especially the sound for the machine gun; it's got that raw sound to it. I'll have to set up my old 486 and test this on real hardware.

Levellass wrote:By the time you're 60 people of your age will be stored in digital rest homes to save taxpayer money.

I however will be dead after our country is nuked by China when they mistake it for Tazmania.

By the time I'm 60, the US will be annexed by China. I've bought a Chinese keyboard so I can start learning how to type.

MoffD · Post by **MoffD** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 17:03

_mr_m_ wrote:By the time I'm 60, the US will be annexed by China. I've bought a Chinese leopard so I can start learning how to type.

_mr_m_ wrote: the US will be annexed by China. I've bought a Chinese leopard so I can start learning how to type.

_mr_m_ wrote: I've bought a Chinese leopard so I can start learning how to type.