Win3xO Collection
Release 1.0
[email protected]
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Contents
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Description.......................................Sec01
Front-End.........................................Sec02
Setup.............................................Sec03
Emulators.........................................Sec04
Playing the Games.................................Sec05
Directory Structure & Usage.......................Sec06
Missing Games?....................................Sec07
Volumes...........................................Sec08
Troubleshooting...................................Sec09
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Description Sec01
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This pack includes 1,089 Windows 3.x games. This covers
all genres and includes both commercial and shareware/
freeware release games.
The games included were identified by scanning Mobygames,
Legends World, Eli's Software, my own collection, and many
many searches on eBay. Unfortunately the Win 3.x era is
highly undocumented. The primary hurdle in adding games to
this collection is simply identifying them. Many games are
simply listed as "Windows" games, which does not specify
whether they are Win 3.x compatible. Sites such as Mobygames
are notriously wrong when it comes to listing platform. Many
contributors have added Win 3.x as a platform to all Windows
games before 1998 simply to get extra contribution points.
If a game is listed for Win 3.x at Mobygames and is not in
this package, then either the entry is wrong or it is one
of a handful of games that are currently missing. A
constantly updated list of all missing titles can be find
below.
All games have been pre-setup and are immediately playable,
no configuration required. A one time setup is required
by the front end.
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Front-End Sec02
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The front end used is MEAGRE, created by Donarumo. The
front ends website can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/site/meagrefrontend/home
Donarumo has graciously made several improvements to
the frontend for the benefit of this collection.
Current version in this collection is:
2.5.2.3, March 8th, 2015
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Setup Sec03
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The Win3xO collection can be run from any directory, as
all launch files are designed to use relative paths to
eachother. The front-end however does require knowledge
of what directory it is sitting in. Simply running the
"Setup Win3xO.bat" file will automatically setup MEAGRE
to run from your current directory.
If you have previously released eXoDOS volumes, you may
combine them and then run the "Setup Win3xO" file. This
will detect the eXoDOS packs and add them as well.
This file also decompresses the GamesWin.zip file, which
contains all of the manuals, art, and game information
for each title. This will take some time to decompress.
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Emulators Sec04
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This collection only uses DosBOX, which is located in
the following directory:
\MEAGRE\Dosbox
Dosbox 0.74 is included in this collection as well as several
SVN versions to enable advanced Windows emulation features.
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Playing the Games Sec05
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Upon downloading the collection and running the setup file,
simply run the MEAGRE.EXE file. You will be presented
with a list of all included games. To play a game for
the first time, click the "Install.bat" link under the
Setup heading on the games detail page. The install
process also allows you to set whether you like fullscreen
or windowed and any scalers. To change these options, run
the install a second time, but choose to not uninstall.
This will decompress the game, which may take some time
depending on the size (some of these games are upwards of
8 cds!).
If you run the install file a second time, it will ask
if you would like to uninstall the game. Choosing
"yes" will erase the installed files from your disk, but
keep the original ZIP file. You will loose any saved
games, high scores, or other settings you have defined
since the game was installed.
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Directory Structure & Usage Sec06
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dosbox - Place your copy of DosBox here.
Games - All the games, compressed and t-zipped.
util - files called by the launch batch files.
\Games\!win3x - Within the games folder is another folder
called !win3x in which all the art, manuals,
and game information for each title reside.
The ini file within the inifile directory points to all
artwork, game info, manuals, extras, launch files, and
install files. To add an art asset, simply drop it in
the proper folder, and add the name of the file to the
ini file. It is quite easy to figure out. Much credit
to Donarumo for such a versatile front-end.
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Missing Games? Sec07
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Unfortunately Win3.x games have not been preserved very well,
leading to many games that are currently missing. A list of
known missing titles can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/ns6tyy9
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Volumes Sec08
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Current:
eXoDOS Volume 1: The Adventure Collection
eXoDOS Volume 2: The RPG Collection
eXoDOS Volume 3: The Strategy Collection
eXoDOS Volume 4: The Simulation\Sports\Educational Collection
eXoDOS Volume 5: The Action Collection
Win3xO: The Windows 3.x Collection
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Trouble Shooting Sec09
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Q: When I run MEAGRE.EXE it gives an error and no games
show up.
A: Make sure you have run the "Setup Win3xO.bat" file.
If you still have issues, open the MEAGRE.INI file and
check to see that the fourth line down (UFEPath=), is
set to the directory you are running the collection
from. If it is not, then change it and rerun MEAGRE.EXE.
Also verify that there is a folder called "!win3x" under
the Games folder:
ex. c:\exodos\games\!win3x\
This folder contains all the front end game information.
If it is missing then the GamesWin.zip file has not been
decompressed by the "Setup Win3xO.bat" file yet.
Q: You're missing a game!
A: See the section on missing games.
Q: You're missing a manual/cover/extra/etc....
A: Yes, I am missing many. If you know of a place to
obtain any missing assets you can contact me at
[email protected].