Wing Commander IV (DOS): choppy sound and video - solution

[Robert]

I am running WC4, DOS version in DosBox on a WIN7-64 bit PC. I had trouble installing this game in DoxBox but reloaded DosBox 0.74 and was able to install and run. However, the sound was choppy and I found that the video was also choppy when I went to the game movie itself. The solution for me was to enter the DosBox config file and set the following parameters under [cpu]:

Core = Normal
Cycles = auto (This made the biggest change. For some games it needs a value, like 13908. This is the value I use for Tex Murphy games.)
Cycleup = 1500
Cycledown = 20

The above settings reduced the choppy sound and video to almost nothing.

 

[AD]

I am running WC4, DOS version in DosBox on a WIN7-64 bit PC. I had trouble installing this game in DoxBox but reloaded DosBox 0.74 and was able to install and run. However, the sound was choppy and I found that the video was also choppy when I went to the game movie itself. The solution for me was to enter the DosBox config file and set the following parameters under [cpu]:

Core = Normal
Cycles = auto (This made the biggest change. For some games it needs a value, like 13908. This is the value I use for Tex Murphy games.)
Cycleup = 1500
Cycledown = 20

The above settings reduced the choppy sound and video to almost nothing.

I'm glad those setting work for you. You definitely don't want to use auto core. However auto cycles does strange things too and doesn't always give consistent results. WC4 (and 3) require significantly higher number of cylces than 13000. If your PC can handle it I'd set it to 35000 minimum on normal core and up to 60000 on dynamic core mode.

 

[Robert]

I'm glad those setting work for you. You definitely don't want to use auto core. However auto cycles does strange things too and doesn't always give consistent results. WC4 (and 3) require significantly higher number of cylces than 13000. If your PC can handle it I'd set it to 35000 minimum on normal core and up to 60000 on dynamic core mode.

I chased this problem for a few hours and found a solution that works for me. If anyone else is having the same problem, this may point to a solution in DosBox.

 

[Madman]

Running anything so "new" in dosbox does require some fairly beefy hardware to back it up - i'd be tempted to suggest using the WC4 windows version if you could (or the DVD video version from GOG, which i believe is the windows version too?). Glad you found a working config though

 

[ptiluc]

The above settings reduced the choppy sound and video to almost nothing.

almost nothing means it happens rarely? almost never? or sometimes, but with very small skips?