Hey, Wobble. I learned of this through playing Falcon 4. You can visit Frugal's F4 site and hunt up the SuperF41 tweak (zip) file (or follow the link below if it still works). The only thing you will be missing is the batch file (the rest posted here). Just modify the process to reflect AH rather then F4.
The process in the main is to avoid loading the GUI. However, there are other processes that will help. I am posting the process, plagiarized directly from the SuperF41 readme, here. Italics comments are my own.
I hope this helps, and good luck! <S>THE PROCEDURE
1) Make back-ups of the following files:
system.ini
win.ini
the registry
msdos.sys
autoexec.bat
config.sys
2) Copy your current system.ini to your root directory (C:\)
Then rename the one in the root (C:\) directory to system.nor
3) Get my NEW ADVANCED version of SuperFalcon 4.1 batch file (4k) found here:
http://ghost01.home.mindspring.com/superf41.zip (modify this batch file for AH)If you have the previous version, just overwrite it with these files.
(Note New version for this advanced method ONLY)
Unzip the files into your C:\ root directory.
4) Remove EVERYTHING in your config.sys (Use Sysedit to do this)
5) Remove everything in your Autoexec.bat except CALL Superf41.bat and
any Siatek, Thrustmaster and Voodoo Set commands you may have. try to minimize the most items you can in your Autoexec.bat
Remember: Add the line:
CALL SUPERF41.BAT
(I recommend renaming it so you remember it is for AH)If the line CALL Superf4.bat is still in there, remove it.
6) Right click on the MSDOS.SYS file in your root directory.
Uncheck the Read-Only attribute
7) Now open MSDOS.SYS with a text editor ONLY
Do Not use WORD, or WORDPAD as they make
formatting which could screw up the file.
This is what I have under the [options]
[Options]
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1
DoubleBuffer=0
AutoScan=0
Logo=0
BootDelay=15
BootMenuDelay=15
DblSpace=0
DrvSpace=0
WinVer=4.10.1998
Try and make yours reflect that.
DO NOT change anything else in the file.
DO NOT delete anything in the file.
8) Save the file as MSDOS.SYS.
If Notepad changes the extension to msdos.sys.txt make sure to rename it to only msdos.sys
9) Right click on the msdos.sys file after saving it and recheck the Hidden and Read-Only attributes.
Uncheck the Archive attribute.
NOTE!!! Steps 10 through 15 are NOT required. I am putting them here for those power hungry souls (like me) that want to get the absolute best frame rate in Falcon 4.0
10) Set your Windows Desktop to 640x480 and 256 colors.
Set your refresh rate to 60 (I know its ugly but that won't matter.
Also set your 3D card to 60 hz... this DOES speed up rendering.
11) Turn off font smoothing, turn off hi-color icons, turn off
wallpaper, active desktop, and windows animations.
12) Turn off system sounds ( example: tada!)
13) Turn off ANY thing that loads when windows does.
(News tickers, any taskbar item, even the system clock, it polls the cpu for the time update.)
14) Remove any non-essential fonts in your windows\fonts folder.
Make a directory called Xfonts in your Windows directory.
Move all non-essential fonts that windows does not use to this folder.
That way you can just move them back when you need them.
Fonts I know Windows uses are:
Times New Roman
Small Fonts
Terminal
Arial
Comic sans
Impact
Lucida
MS Sans Serif
Marlett
Symbol
Tahoma
Verdana
Webdings
Wingdings
and any font that has the *.fon extension
15) Turn CD-ROM supplemental cache settings down to minimum.
Change Optimize Access Read Pattern to: No Read Ahead.
16) Open your System.ini file located in Windows\System
and change the line that reads
shell=explorer.exe
to
shell=X:\microprose\falcon4\falcon4.exe
(Where X is your installed game drive)
Save this file into your root (C:\) directory and name it system.f41
Again, modify to reflect aceshigh.exe17) If you have Windows 98 Hold down the
CTRL key when you see the
"Starting Windows 98" message.
You must do this as soon as you see that message.
If using Windows 95 hold down the F5 function key
Don't know about Windows ME or other derivatives18) You will see a menu come up with several choices.
19) Choose the "step -by - step confirmation" choice.
20) It will then prompt you for each item to be loaded for windows.
21) Here is a list of what should and should not be loaded.
Note: Some of these items may or may not appear on your system.
If you are unsure about a request just answer yes.
Process System Registry = No
Create Bootlog.txt = No
Process your config.sys = YES
Device = Himem.sys = YES
Devicehigh = Ifshlp.sys = YES
Process Autoexec.bat = YES
CALL Superf41 = YES
ECHO OFF = YES
choice /c:yn Load SuperFalcon 4.1 Mode = YES
Load SuperFalcon 4.1 Mode[Y,N]?= YES
If Errorlevel 2 goto SYS = YES
If Errorlevel 1 goto F41= YES
goto F41 = YES
:F41 = YES
Copy System.f41 \Windows\system.ini = YES
Goto Done = YES
one = YES
WIN = YES
Load All Windows Drivers? = YES
vnetsup.vxd = No
ndis.vxd = No
ndis2sup.vxd = No
JAVASUP.vxd= No
Windows\System\vrtwd.386 = YES
Windows\System\vfixd.vxd = YES
vnetbios.vxd = No
vredir.vxd = No
dfs.vxd = No
Lmouse.vxd = No
Mouse.vxd = No
NOTES
You MUST answer Y or N to the above requests
to get this to work correctly.
If you answer N or Y to the wrong ones it could mess
up the way Falcon 4 or Windows starts.
Now from now on all you will have to do to
get SuperFalcon 4.1 mode is to perform steps
17 through 21
You will have to play around with these
settings a bit but it is WELL worth it.
You are basically giving the ENTIRE
system to Falcon 4.0
Aces High at this point.
This is the closest you can get to
having a pure DOS mode for F4.
RESTORING THE SYSTEM TO NORMAL
So how do I get back to normal Windows you may ask?
Very simple.
1) When rebooting do not hold down the CTRL key.
2) When the Question to load SuperFalcon 4.1 pops up answer NO.
3) Badda Bing Badda Boom, your back in normal windows.
FINAL WORD
Please do not send me questions
asking what other items not listed here.
As those idiots once said, "Ditto."
