Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0: Running in PCem
- alexfrancis70
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
A guide to running Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0 under PCem emulation. The Battlecruiser franchise has had a long and tumultuous history. The original Battlecruiser 3000AD went through a number of publishers before a very broken commercial release. Controversy followed and the rest, as they say, is history.
Version 2.0 (v2.09 to be exact) was made free to download in July 2001. So rather than cover old ground, this is a guide to get it running under Windows 10 (Win10) using the PCem emulator. A chance for a new generation of players to give a try, if they wish.
This guide will cover PCem setup and configuration, obtaining Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0 (or BC3KAD), installation, configuration and where to find further information.
PCem setup
If you're completely new to setting up PCem or need a refresher, I highly recommend the excellent YouTube tutorial video by PhilsComputerLab, PCem Windows 98 Setup.
Before following the steps in the tutorial, take a look at the advice in the Sound card section below.
Once you have a basic, clean Windows 98 (Win98) virtual machine and hard disk image, I recommend:
Taking a copy of the basic virtual machine to create a game specific virtual machine.
Taking a copy of the basic hard disk image to create a game specific image.
Use PCem and reconfigure the game specific virtual machine to use the game specific hard disk image.
If things go badly wrong, you'll always have the basic image to try again with and it'll save a lot of time and effort if you ever want to try a different game with PCem.
Sound card
The sound card specified in the tutorial is the Soundblaster PCI 128, however running BC3KAD with this emulated card results in distorted audio during gameplay. It's recommended to replace the PCI 128 with a Creative AWE 32 sound card.
The PhilsComputerLab website has drivers for the AWE 32 as a self extracting archive executable. When installing drivers, Win98 may request the Win98 installation cd, so make sure it is mounted in the virtual PCem cd drive. The process to follow is:
Shutdown the PCem emulated machine if it is running.
Download the AWE 32 drivers, from the link above.
Mount the PCem emulated hard disk in Win10 (open the .vhd file in Win10).
Copy the driver executable file to a new subfolder under 'My Documents'.
Eject the hard disk in Win10.
Change the PCem emulated machine config to use an AWE 32 soundcard.
Start the PCem emulated machine.
Once Win98 has started, run the driver executable file to extract the contents of the zip archive. It extracts to the current directory, which is why it was placed in it's own sub folder.
Use the 'Add hardware wizard' to search for the AWE 32 soundcard. The AWE 32 is not plug and play so you need to use the wizard.
Specify the location of the AWE 32 drivers, if asked (the subfolder under My Documents mentioned earlier).
Restart the machine when instructed, as new AWE 32 hardware is installed.
Once complete you may wish to take a copy of this clean Win98 AWE 32 machine config and hard disk, for future games that struggle with the Soundblaster PCI 128.
Additional software
Once BC3KAD is installed, it includes a complete manual, however many of the documents will be in pdf format. Win98 does not have a default pdf viewer, so if you wish to view documents within PCem, a pdf viewer will need to be installed. Alternatively the documents can be copied to Win10 after BC3KAD installation.
A recommended pdf viewer is Foxit PDF Reader v2.3.3309. This older Win98 compatible version can be found at OLDVERSION.COM. Note: despite the website stating this version is not compatible with Win98, it does work.
The process is similar for the sound card drivers: shut down the emulated machine, mount the emulated hard disk in Win10, copy the installation executable onto the hard disk, eject the hard disk and run up the emulated machine. Installation within Win98 should be straightforward and complete without issue.
Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0
The latest version is v2.09 which was released for free in July 2001. It is available from FILEPLANET. Once again the executable installer should be copied onto the virtual hard disk before the starting the emulated Win98 machine.
A list of old download locations is available on a BC3K page still hosted by 3000ad.com.
Installation
The most important point to note about installation is that it can take longer than usual. It may seem as if the installer has frozen, but remain patient and it will eventually complete without issue.
Running the installer will update the Win98 installer components. This will result in a Win98 restart. Following the restart, the installer will automatically continue and begin installing the game. It's worth stressing again, this can take some time, so remain patient, give it a few minutes, it will eventually complete without issue.
Recommended patches
There is a single recommended patch for v2.09, the 'BC3K 2.09 Freeware intro anim fix'. It removes the CD check when not running in debug mode and fixes a crash in the intro movie. The patch is available at FILEPLANET.
Again, the executable patch should be copied onto the virtual hard disk before the starting the emulated Win98 machine. Like the installer, it can take some time, so some patience is needed. The patch should complete without issue.
Finishing touches
Debug mode
With v2.09, both the software rendered and Glide versions of the game have the debug mode enabled by default. Debug mode may cause unforeseen problems and issues, so it is recommended to disable debug mode.
Debug mode is disabled by removing the debug flag (d1) in the batch (.bat) files used to run the game. For software rendering, the bc3k.bat file should be edited, with the line:
bc3000ad /d1becoming:
bc3000adAnd for the Glide batch file, bc3k3dfx.bat, the line:
bc3000ad /g /v1 /d1becomes:
bc3000ad /g /v1DOS extender
The Game Builder System (GBS) uses the old (and buggy by today's standards) DOS extender DOS/4G and can be replaced by DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender. The dos4gw.exe files present in the GBS and GBS\BIN folders should be renamed, as a backup (e.g. dos4gw.bak).
A modern DOS/32 extender and utilities can be found at the amindlost/dos32a GitHub repository in the binw folder. Download the dos32a.exe DOS extender, copy it into the GBS and GBS\BIN folders and rename it dos4gw.exe.
If the modern DOS/32 extenders cause issues they can be deleted, and the old DOS/4G extenders returned to their original filename.
Game icons
As a purely optional and cosmetic step the bc3k and bc3k3dfx shortcuts do not set the icon properly. The shortcuts can be changed to use the bc3k.ico icon file in the game folder.
Windows versions
There are native Windows 9X versions present and packaged in the bc3k209win.zip file, located in the game folder. However the Windows executables were always unsupported, lack certain features and exhibit spurious issues and can only run in a software rendered mode. As such they are not recommended.
Configuration
Configuration covers the sound, in-game options and finally HOTAS setup.
Sound configuration
Before running the game the sound options should be set by running the 'BC3K Sound Setup' from within Win98.
As the emulated machine is using the AWE 32 sound card, the Auto Detect option can be used to set the digital device to 'Sound Blaster 16/AWE 32'.
The MIDI device should be set to 'Sound Blaster AWE 32' (as shown in the screenshot).
Both digital audio and MIDI can be tested to ensure they are working.
In-game configuration
In-game configuration options are available from the title screen 'Configure' option. Most (if not all) graphics options can be set to their maximum settings (see screenshot).
HOTAS setup
The previous article 'Controllers and retro sims part 5: PCem' covers creating a suitable virtual controller and adding it to PCem as a custom 4-axes, 4-button controller.
Once complete, I found the 'CH Flightstick Pro' joystick option (in the in-game configuration) provided joystick and throttle control (see screenshot). You may need to experiment with your own setup to find a suitable option. You may be asked to calibrate the controllers in-game before continuing. The 'Xtreme Carnage' option drops you straight into a fighter, which is useful for testing.
Running
After installation and patching the following should be completed before running the game:
Disabling the debug flag (see Finishing touches)
As the PCem emulated machine includes an emulated 3dfx card, the game can use the Glide version available from the Win98 start menu 'BC3K v2.09 Freeware' folder as 'BC3K 3DFX Glide'. The software rendered version is available as 'BC3K'.
Manuals and further information
The game comes with a manual found in the 'BC3K v2.09 Freeware' start menu folder, under the 'BC3K Docs' folder. Alternatively the 'BC3K Docs' folder can be copied to Win10 after BC3KAD installation, if you wish to view docs without PCem.
There is a steep learning curve, so new players may appreciate a gentler introduction and tutorial provided by Tim Howgego on his Battlecruiser 3000AD page. Tim's info is based on BC3KAD v2.0. Thank you to Tim for his newbie friendly info.
There is also a FAQ/guide available at GameFAQs on the Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0 page.
Good hunting!
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