Metadata-Version: 2.1
Name: ialauncher
Version: 2.0.3
Summary: DOSBox frontend for the Internet Archive MS-DOS games collection
Home-page: https://github.com/rtts/ialauncher
Author: Jaap Joris Vens
Author-email: jj@rtts.eu
License: UNKNOWN
Description: Internet Archive Launcher
        =========================
        
        **A DOSBox frontend for the [Internet Archive MS-DOS games
        collection](https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos_games)**
        
        *IA Launcher* is a graphical games launcher for all those georgeous
        MS-DOS games from yestermillenium. It uses the Internet Archive to
        download games on-the-fly and DOSBox to play them offline.
        
        ![Screenshot of IA Launcher](https://i.imgur.com/WQhGrQy.jpg)
        
        
        Features:
        ---------
        
        - Batteries included! Thousands of games playable out-of-the-box
        - Graphical user interface for quickly browsing through title screens
        - Easily add new games to the list (if you do, please send me a pull request!)
        - Automatically downloads game data from archive.org
        - Saves state such as savegames and settings for each game
        
        
        Installation
        ------------
        
        First of all, get yourself a snazzy retro looking PC. Or just use your
        current computer running your operating system of choice. Start by
        installing the following dependencies:
        
        * [Python](https://www.python.org/) version 3.8 or higher
        * [DOSBox](https://www.dosbox.com/) version 0.74 or higher
        
        Now you can install IA Launcher using `pip`. Open a command-line
        window and type the following command:
        
            pip install ialauncher
        
        Depending on your system, you might have to use `sudo` and/or the
        `pip3` command instead of `pip`. If the previous command didn't work,
        try this one:
        
            sudo pip3 install ialauncher
        
        You can now launch the interface using the `ialauncher` command. To
        see the available options, type `ialauncher --help`
        
        
        Special Keys
        ------------
        
        - Arrow keys: navigate through the games list
        - Enter: launch the selected game
        - Alt-Enter: open DOSBox without starting the game
          (usefull for debugging, see "Troubleshooting" below)
        - Space: jump to a random game
        - A-Z: Jump to the first game that starts with the letter A-Z
        - Esc key: exit
        
        During gameplay, you should also be familiar with the [DOSBox Special
        Keys](https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Special_Keys). The most important
        one is probably `Ctrl-F9`, which immediately exits DOSBox and
        returns to the games menu.
        
        
        Troubleshooting
        ---------------
        
        ### Help, my game doesn't run correctly / has no sound!
        
        Welcome to the world of MS-DOS where you are constantly fighting with
        IRQ values, memory managers and setup programs. Thankfully, the
        default DOSBox configuration runs nearly all DOS games perfectly out
        of the box. Also, all the games in the `games` directory have custom
        DOSBox configurations (where needed) and startup commands in their
        `metadata.ini` files. However, you will certainly end up in situations
        where you have to reconfigure a game. Try the following:
        
        - Press Alt-Enter to start DOSBox with the game directory mounted as
          the `C:` drive.
        - Use the `dir` command to see which files are present
        - Use the `cd` command to change to the game subdirectory, if needed
        - Look for a file named `install.{bat,exe,com}`,
          `setsound.{bat,exe,com}` or `setup.{bat,exe,com}` and execute it
        
        Hopefully, the setup utility will allow you to change the sound card
        parameters. DOSBox emulates all kinds of sounds cards, so try the
        following and it will probably work:
        
        Sound card: Soundblaster or AdLib\
        Address/port: 220\
        IRQ: 7\
        DMA: 1
        
        
        ### Help, my game doesn't run at all!
        
        Each game's metadata, including the command that starts the game, is
        stored in a file called `metadata.ini`. In many cases IA Launcher
        provides the needed commands to install and setup the game when run
        for the first time. However, in other cases the commands listed in
        `metadata.ini` simply assume the installation was already done with
        default settings. In these cases, try the following:
        
        - Press Alt-Enter to start DOSBox with the game directory mounted as
          the `C:` drive.
        - Type `mount a .` to mount the game's directory as the floppy drive
          (many games assume they are being installed from a floppy disk)
        - Type `a:` to switch to the mounted floppy drive
        - Type `install` and follow the installation procedure, accepting all
          the default values
        
        After the installation has finished, try launching the game again and
        hopefully the default startup command will now work. If not, keep
        reading...
        
        
        ### Help! The default startup command is incorrect!
        
        Here is how you can easily change the command(s) that launch a game:
        
        - Press Alt-Enter to start DOSBox with the game directory mounted as
          the `C:` drive.
        - (optionally:) Type `echo cd [directoryname] > dosbox.bat` to put the
          `cd` command in the file named `dosbox.bat`
        - Type `echo [command that launches the game] >> dosbox.bat` to append
          the command that launches the game to the file `dosbox.bat`
        - Execute `dosbox.bat` and verify that your game now launches correctly
        
        When you exit the emulator, IA Launcher will save the contents of
        `dosbox.bat` to the `emulator_start` variable inside the game's
        `metadata.ini`. The next time you launch the game, the `dosbox.bat`
        file will be run automatically.
        
        More advanced logic can be created with batch file syntax. As an
        example, here is the contents of `emulator_start` for the game SimCity
        2000:
        
            if exist sc2000 goto run
            mount a .
            a:
            install
            :run
            cd sc2000
            sc2000
        
        You can also [mount CD images](https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/MOUNT) and
        get CD audio while playing:
        
            imgmount d Quake.cue -t iso
            if exist quake goto run
            d:
            install
            :run
            cd quake
            quake
        
        Did you get a previously not-working game running by changing the
        `emulator_start` variable? Or did you add a new game and captured a
        nice title screen? Please send me a pull request!
        
Platform: UNKNOWN
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v3 or later (GPLv3+)
Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
Requires-Python: >=3.8
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
