Carmageddon Max Pack

Carmageddon Max Pack

70 ratings
Quick tweak guide to SVGA software mode + higher res 3dfx mode
By damson
Few tips to improve graphical presentation of the game.
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Editing DOSBox conf files (if you want to run the software SVGA mode)
Navigate to your Carmageddon1 folder either by "Browse Local Files" or manally - it's usually located in ..\Steam\steamapps\common\Carmageddon1.

Open dosboxCARMA.conf file with notepad and change those parameters:

• fullresolution=original -> fullresolution=desktop - this will scale whatever res the game is displaying to your desktop resolution, you can also specify desired resolution directly eg. 1920x1080

• output=surface -> output=overlay - this video output method works faster and looks cleaner in my experience with running DOS games on DOSBox, at least on nVidia GPUs, if you have AMD you can try output=ddraw or opengl.

• aspect=false -> aspect=true - along with those two above it will provide nicely looking sharp image with correct aspect ratio (the image will not be squished vertically)

It should look like this:



Do the same for dosboxCARSPLAT.conf to apply those settings to Splat Pack.

If you wish to run the games in software (non-3dfx) high resolution mode (640x480) open dosboxCARMA_single.conf file with notepad, scroll all the way down and find this line:

voodo2c.exe -novoodoo

add the -hires switch:

voodo2c.exe -novoodoo -hires

It should look like this:



Save and close the file. You can do the same for Splat Pack, just edit the dosboxCARSPLAT.conf file in the same way.

Note that you will need powerful CPU tu run the game with high res in software mode in DOSBox.

Now run the non-3dfx version and admire the end result - glorious chunky SVGA software mode (640x480 upscaled to 1920x1080 with side black bars for correct 4:3 aspect ratio):

Increasing resolution in 3dfx mode beyond 640x480.
Originally the game run at 640x480 in 3dfx version. Because this version uses nglide 3dfx wrapper you can increase internal rendering resolution to whatever one you like. Keep in mind that only 3d world will benefit from it, all 2d art elements such as HUD and cars interiors will be scaled up and depending on the final resolution may look distorted. That's why I recommend using 1280x960 or any higher multiply of 640x480 (next one would be 1920x1440 if your monitor can handle that).

Navigate to ..\Steam\steamapps\common\Carmageddon1\DOSBOX folder and run nglide_config.exe

Change the Screen Resolution from default to 1280x960 which is multiplication of original 640x480 resolution which the game runs at. By doing so the 2d art (cockpit and HUD elements) will not be distorted as the pixels are nicely scaled up by exactly 2x.

Note that this change will affect both Carmageddon and Splat Pack as they both use the same nglide config.



You can bump this up to whatever res you like though, keep in mind that the 3d world will look fine but the 2d art may not look as crisp as with 640x480 or its muliply. If the image looks stretched, change Aspect Ratio from Fit to Screen to 4:3.

Here are few examples, for better comparison open this guide in Chrome browser and righ-click each image and "open in new tab":

Screen resolution: By app (Default)
Aspect ratio: Fit to screen (Default)

Original 640x480 resolution


Screen resolution: 1280x960
Aspect ratio: Fit to screen (default)

For a nice scaled up (non distorted, pixel perfect) 2d art and 2x higher res 3d world


Screen resolution:1920x1080
Aspect ratio: Fit to screen (default)

Full HD but stretched horizontaly to fit whole 16:9 aspect ratio screen, distorted 2d art (HUD elements, cockpit)


Screen resolution:1920x1080
Aspect ratio: 4 : 3

Full HD with correct aspect ratio, distorted 2d art (HUD elements, cockpit)
9 Comments
damson  [author] 21 Oct, 2024 @ 1:42am 
Update: the easiest way to enjoy carmageddon now is to use the reverse-engineered port: dethrace:
https://github.com/dethrace-labs/dethrace
JonnyLectron 6 Sep, 2022 @ 5:10pm 
Thanks!

I find the best settings on my PC (with default DOSBox settings) are to use no car shadows, far scenery cut off, no fog and darkness, and far car details. Everything else set to the highest setting, and using 1920x1080 in nGlide with the 4:3 aspect ratio ticked makes this game run very well. Setting the sound quality settings to medium makes the game considerably more smooth, but sounds like crap.
I'm using a Zotac en970, with a 16gb of ram, an i5 5200u, and a gtx960 3gb.
Boardgame Heaven (Ray) 9 Apr, 2022 @ 12:24am 
Is there a way to run it windowed? When streamning, I'd like to be able to move my mouse out of the game window.
Sergeant Waste 4 Mar, 2021 @ 8:27am 
ok i will try
damson  [author] 4 Mar, 2021 @ 7:42am 
Do you see any difference when you run it without the "-hires" switch applied to the voodo2c.exe -novoodoo" line in config file? 640x480 resolution is still pixelated by todays standards but not as much as 320x200. You should see a difference.
Sergeant Waste 4 Mar, 2021 @ 7:32am 
Yes, it did the job but game still look very pixelated
damson  [author] 4 Mar, 2021 @ 7:23am 
Try changing output to ddraw or opengl in dosboxCARMA.conf (for Carma) / dosboxCARSPLAT.conf (for SplatPack) and see if it helps if output=overlay doesn't work for you.
Sergeant Waste 4 Mar, 2021 @ 7:14am 
non-3dfx doesnt really work, the dos emulator is now full hd but now when im opening non 3dfx carmageddon it just have very small window and everything is black around it
KingLich 3 Mar, 2021 @ 6:16am 
great stuff. Thank you.