Dragon's Lair/Space Ace on Linux

J

Jarret W. Buse

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Dragon's Lair/Space Ace on Linux

At some point everyone has put the quarter(s) in the slot and played some great arcade game. Everyone has their favorites. In all the many classic arcade games, two stuck out more than any other because of the graphics. The games were amazing and unlike anything else around. They were like watching cartoons! Of course, I am speaking of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace.

If only it were possible to play these on your home system. Now it is. The answer is Daphne which can be found at http://www.daphne-emu.com/site3/index_hi.php.

Once you have the file extracted to a directory, you need to install the following requirements:

  • GTK v.2
  • SDL v.1.2
  • G++ v.3.4

The listed dependencies are as follows:

  • gcc-libs
  • glew
  • libxmu
  • sdl_mixer
  • zlib

Once all of these are installed, there is a file in the extracted folder called 'daphneloader'. The loader file is the one you need to run from a terminal. Switch to the directory where the extracted files are located and enter './daphneloader' at the prompt. If you get an error about the requirements listed above, you should make sure they are installed correctly. Also, it may be wise to install the developer files for the required files which load all the extended libraries which help.

A possible error is that the file 'libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0' is missing. To fix this error, perform an 'apt-get install ia32-libs-gtk' which will install the missing files.

One other error I came across is an 'unspecified error 255'. The only way to get rid of this is to delete the extracted folder, the .daphne folder in the Home folder and re-extracting the files again. Of course, this problem only occurred after the program was started and I was prompted to load an update.

NOTE: My suggestion is not to try the update. It failed for me numerous times and I had to simply start over.

Now, to have Daphne is not the only requirement. You also need to purchase the Dragon's Lair DVD or Space Ace DVD. For Dragon's Lair, you need one of the following:

  • Dragon's Lair - DVD-ROM
  • Dragon's Lair - DVD-Video
  • Dragon's Lair - DVD-Video - 20th Anniversary

NOTE: For all of the games, the list of required DVDs are different depending on the version of Daphne being used. After performing an update, the list may change.

Daphne's main screen for Dragon's Lair is shown in Figure 1

Figure 1.jpg

FIGURE 1

Once you have the disk, you can start Daphne and it will display a list of games which it supports. Select your game, Dragon's Lair, and then select Start. An alert should appear that you require a DVD and you can press OK. A message appears that files are required to be downloaded. Select OK and be prepared to wait awhile for the download to complete. Once the download is completed, you need to insert the DVD into your DVD drive. Daphne will now attempt to authenticate the DVD. If the DVD passes authentication, then you will be ready to play the game. The main screen is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.jpg

FIGURE 2

Space Ace was the other game which used a laserdisc for the video. The laserdisc provided the graphics which resembled cartoons. To install Space Ace you need one of the following:

  • Space Ace – DVD ROM
  • Space Ace – DVD Video
  • Space Ace – DVD Video – 20th Anniversary
  • Space Ace – DVD Video – PAL
  • Space Ace – DVD Video – PSW PAL

Daphne's main screen for Space Ace is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3.jpg

FIGURE 3

To install Space Ace, select it from the list on the main Daphne screen then select the 'Start!' button. A message is displayed which shows the list of the above Space Ace DVDs and that you should have one ready to complete the install. A message appears that files are required to be downloaded. Select OK and be prepared to wait awhile for the download to complete. Once the download is completed, you need to insert the DVD into your DVD drive. Daphne will now attempt to authenticate the DVD. If the DVD passes authentication, then you will be ready to play the game. The main title screen is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4.jpg

FIGURE 4

Keyboard controls are found in the Game tab of the main Daphne screen under Configure DAPHNE Options. Select the Input tab and the default keyboard controls are as follows and be configured differently:

  • Up – Up Arrow
  • Left – Left Arrow
  • Down – Down Arrow
  • Right – Right Arrow
  • Start 1 - 1
  • Start 2 - 2
  • Button 1 - Space
  • Button 2 – Left Alt
  • Button 3 – Left Shift
  • Coin 1 - 5
  • Coin 2 - 6
  • Skill [Easy] - /
  • Skill [Medium] - *
  • Skill [Hard] - - (dash)
  • Service - 9
  • Test - F2
  • Reset - F3
  • Screenshot - F12
  • Quit - Escape
  • Pause - p
  • Tilt/Slam – t

It takes a lot of practice and patience to play these games. For those of us who remember the crowds around these games at the arcades, this is a treat.

NOTE: Of course, for the more advanced electricians and carpenters, an actual arcade cabinet can be made with a computer and monitor using Daphne. Search the Internet for examples. One example is: http://www.dragonslairfans.com/emulatethelair/emulate.htm.
 

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