EMS Memory Requirements
Some IBM PC MS-DOS games require a certain amount of EMS memory in order to execute. EMS stands for Expanded Memory Specification. EMS is a form of high memory that is contrasted with 640K conventional memory, which is low memory.
The amount of EMS memory available can be checked via Microsoft Diagnostics (msd) or the chkdsk and mem commands.
Via expansion boards packed with bank-switched DRAM chips, LIM EMS (Lotus, Intel and Microsoft) 3.0 of 1985 supports 4 megs of RAM, LIM EMS 3.2 of 1986 supports 8 megs of RAM and LIM 4.0 of 1987 supports 32 megs of RAM. [1]
Thus, DOS games that adhere to EMS can take advantage of RAM far beyond the 640K limitation imposed by DOS. In some DOS games EMS memory facilitated the likes of digitized sound and SVGA display resolutions.
Expanded memory managers (EMMs) include QEMM, 386 MAX and EMM386. Via some EMMs XMS memory can be converted to EMS RAM.
The EMM386 driver of MS-DOS 5.0 provides only 256 kbytes of EMS RAM by default. Thus, for more demanding RAM-hungry games EMM386 will need to be manually configured in config.sys via:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE [RAM in kbytes].
EMS memory requirements for each game are given below. The requirement is not the absolute minimum requirement but rather the minimum requirement that executes all game features (such as digitized speech).
Format is: Computer Game / Developer / Year / EMS memory requirement.
- Aces of the Pacific IBM PC MS-DOS Dynamix 1992: 344,064 bytes
- Alien Breed IBM PC MS-DOS Team 17 1993: 192 kbytes
- Alone in the Dark IBM PC MS-DOS Infogrames 1992: 128 kbytes
- Beneath a Steel Sky IBM PC MS-DOS Revolution 1990: 2 megs
- Betrayal at Krondor IBM PC MS-DOS Dynamix 1993: 1,048,576 bytes
- BloodNet IBM PC MS-DOS Microprose 1993: 800 kbytes
- Command and Conquer IBM PC MS-DOS Westwood 1995: 6 megs
- Dark Sun Shattered Lands IBM PC MS-DOS SSI 1993: 1 meg
- Dark Sun Wake of the Ravager IBM PC MS-DOS SSI 1994: 2 megs
- Darklands IBM PC MS-DOS MicroProse 1992: 176 kbytes
- Dungeon Hack IBM PC MS-DOS Dreamforge 1993: 960,000 bytes
- Earthworm Jim IBM PC MS-DOS Shiny Entertainment Inc 1995: 8 megs
- EF2000 IBM PC MS-DOS Digital Image Design 1995: 5 megs
- Elder Scrolls: Arena IBM PC MS-DOS Bethesda 1994: 2 megs
- Eye of the Beholder 3 IBM PC MS-DOS SSI 1993: 983,040 bytes
- F-15 Strike Eagle 3 IBM PC MS-DOS 1992 MPS Labs: 752 kbytes
- Falcon 3.0 IBM PC MS-DOS Sphere Inc. 1991: 4 megs
- Frontier Elite 2 IBM PC MS-DOS David Braben 1993: 768 kbytes
- Heroes of Might and Magic IBM PC MS-DOS NWC 1995: 5 megs
- Jazz Jackrabbit IBM PC MS-DOS Epic MegaGames 1994: 2.5 megs
- Joe and Mac Caveman IBM PC MS-DOS Ninja Elite Systems 1992: 288 kbytes
- Last Eichhof, The IBM PC MS-DOS Alpha-Helix 1993: 4 megs
- Master of Magic IBM PC MS-DOS Simtex 1994: 2.7 megs
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 IBM PC MS-DOS Bruce Artwick 1993: 2 megs
- Moonstone IBM PC MS-DOS Images Software 1992: 400 kbytes
- Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe IBM PC MS-DOS LucasFilm 1991: 560 kbytes
- Space Hulk IBM PC MS-DOS Electronic Arts 1993: 260 kbytes
- Star Wars X-Wing IBM PC MS-DOS Totally Games 1993: 896 kbytes
- Star Wars TIE Fighter IBM PC MS-DOS Totally Games 1994: 2,084 kbytes
- Steel Panthers IBM PC MS-DOS SSI Gary Grigsby 1995: 6 megs
- Strike Commander IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1993: 2,765,000 bytes
- Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo IBM PC MS-DOS Eurocom 1995: 4 megs
- System Shock IBM PC MS-DOS Looking Glass 1994: 7,168 kbytes
- TFX IBM PC MS-DOS Digital Image Design 1993: 1 meg
- Ultima Underworld IBM PC MS-DOS Blue Sky Productions 1992: 480 kbytes
- Ultima 7 Black Gate IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1992: 491,520 bytes
- Warlords 2 IBM PC MS-DOS SSG 1993: 2 megs
- Wing Commander IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1990: 2 megs
- Wing Commander 2 IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1991: 2 megs
- Wing Commander: Academy IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1993: 2 megs
- Wings of Glory IBM PC MS-DOS Origin Systems 1995: 6,225,920 bytes
[1]
RAM expansion boards were often stacked. For example, install 4x 2 meg boards jam-packed with 64K-256K DRAM chips in order to get 8 megs of RAM.
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