UESP Forums

Trying to get my favorite game to play...

Questions:
1. Is the version of Daggerfall sold with the big Anthology, the latest patched version?
2. Is there any problem with running Daggerfall on Windows 7 64-bit?
3. Should I apply the 213 patch if I can't tell if it is already patched? How do I do it?


System:
Windows 7 Pro SP1 64-bit
Intel Q6600 w/8GB RAM
Anything else relevant?


I tried installing the free download from the Bethesda website along with DosBox and it just didn't go well. The instructions seem simple, but then so much wasn't as described, that I just gave up after wasting so much time.

I then tried the DaggerfallSetup.exe install by AncestralGhost. It seemed to work okay, but every game would quickly become unplayable due to fast travel problems, quest issues, etc. I tried reinstalling it with different settings so many times, never found a combo to work.

So I bought the Elder Scrolls Anthology and installed Daggerfall from the CD. It automatically installs DosBox and the game and sets all the parameters, similar to DaggerfallSetup.

It seemed to work great at first and I've been able to play a game much, much longer than with other attempts, but I have a quest problem right now which has led to lots of problems/questions. I tried to install the "CHEATMODE 1" line to the "Z.CFG" file to look for the missing item, but it doesn't work. So I thought maybe this isn't the patched version of Daggerfall? Really? Would Bethesda do that? Make us pay for a big anthology and not even provide the latest patch for the game?

I have read that the game version number should be displayed in DosBox when you exit the game. It is not. It is not displayed when loading either, other than something about Version 1 from 1996, but I think that might just be the original copyright line. So I have no idea which version of the game is included with the anthology.

I thought I'd try to apply the patch anyway, but as you can see from this thread: it is extremely difficult.

I think a lot of the problem comes from how DosBox and Daggerfall install on Win7. I thought that would be the most common, but I keep seeing people who are helping others not understanding how convoluted it is.

DaggerfallSetup and the Anthology CD both install this same way:

The main files are located at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Bethesda Softworks\daggerfall
This folder has two folders in it "DF" and "DOSBox-0.74".
The DF folder has "DAGGER" and "DFCD" in it. (DAGGER has a Z.CFG file in it and all the main files and save folders.)

The setup appears to put the save files in a second location along with other items at:
C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Bethesda Softworks\daggerfall
This folder also has the "DF" and "DOSBox-0.74" folders in it.
The DOSBOX folder contains only "stderr.txt" and "stdout.txt"
The DF folder has only a "DAGGER" folder in it.
The DAGGER folder has a "ARENA2" folder, plus five save game folders (SAVE0-SAVE4), plus another Z.CFG file.
The ARENA2 folder has "BIO.DAT", "MAPSAVE.SAV", and "RUMOR.DAT"

The first location gives "need administrator permission" type errors whenever trying to change something. I don't have multiple User accounts on this computer, just the one.

I tried putting the CHEATMODE 1 line in both of the different Z.CFG files, neither worked.

The DaggerfallSetup installer would put FIXSAVE in the main location, but it never worked. I tried moving it to the second location where it seemed to work (but the games would still be fatally flawed).

The Anthology install includes no FIXSAVE. I thought at first that was because they fixed the whole program before selling it to us, but now I doubt that.

So...

Where exactly to I put the Patch 213 file to run it and how do I run it? Should I run it?

Where should I put the FixSave file, or do I need it with the Anthology install?

Do I need to change permissions on any of these files or folders? I can't find anything official on doing it.

Is this installation setup really that different from the norm? I don't understand why almost everyone else seems to be using the DaggerfallSetup and having no problems with errors or using FIXSAVE.

I'm so frustrated!