D-Fend Reloaded: Features
Overview
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Easy start:
The D-Fend Reloaded installer provides everything you need to run old DOS games
(D-Fend Reloaded GUI, DOSBox, language files, FreeDos commandline tools).
During the first start of D-Fend Reloaded everything is set up automatically.
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Searching and sorting games:
D-Fend Reloaded contains many service tools to keep the overview even in
large game archives. Games can be filtered by categories like genre and year
of publication, you can also conduct find-as-you-type searches. For every game
you can setup a data folder for manuals etc.
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Creating new profiles:
Besides using the normal profile editor, new profiles may be added by the profile wizard.
Additionally templates for different game types are integrated which need only the name
and the path of the game as input.
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Managing profiles:
D-Fend Reloaded collects all information regarding a certain program in its
profile (program directory, screenshot directory, manual directory, icon file etc.).
Therefore complete games may be deinstalled using D-Fend Reloaded and games can be
copied from one installation to another. D-Fend Reloaded is also able to build
installer packes to transfer games to other computers.
(To use this feature you need NSIS.)
Additionally complete games can be packed to zip and 7z files by the builtin zip support
for archiving or transfering.
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Language support:
DOSBox and D-Fend Reloaded are multilingual. The installer package contains all
currently available language files. D-Fend Reloaded automatically sets up the DOSBox
keyboard layout which refers to the language choosen for D-Fend Reloaded.
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Compability:
D-Fend Reloaded can read D-Fend and DBFrondend config files.
D-Fend Reloaded is completely compatible with Windows Vista
(in particular it runs without admin rights).
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More highlights:
- Games can be installed from zip files without any configuration..
- D-Fend Reloaded may be installed in a portable operation mode (for USB-Sticks etc.).
- Besides DOSBox you can also use ScummVM as emulator.
- Also Windows-based games can be managed in D-Fend Reloaded.
- With the integrated Bochs-FAT-Image-Creator
you may create floppy and harddisk images to be used with DOSBox directly from the D-Fend Reloaded GUI.
- D-Fend Reloaded can create images from CDs and floppy disks which can be used as drives in DOSBox.
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Easy start
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Complete installer:
Besides D-Fend Reloaded, the installation package contains the newest version of
DOSBox (including
all language files currently available).
As an option the commandline tools of FreeDos may be installed optionally simultaneausly.
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Automatic setup:
D-Fend Reloaded automatically searches for DOSBox during the first start.
(There is no need for the simultaneous installation of DOSBox with D-Fend Reloaded.
An existing DOSBox installation can be used with D-Fend Reloaded.)
Anyway, D-Fend Reloaded is ready for use immediately after the installation.
(A "DOSBox DOS" profile already exists by default.)
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Default directories:
You may set up a default directory for games. This directory is shown as first
in the "Select game EXE file" dialog, and all paths are stored relatively to
this directory. Applying relative pathes the transfer of profiles from one computer
to another is possible without changes. (Unlike D-Fend, D-Fend Reloaded does not need
any index files. In fact, copying the game files and the .prof file is sufficient.)
Searching and sorting games
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Automatic category lists:
For every game, you are able to define various categories
(e.g. genre, developer, publisher, year, etc.). The category tree in the left half
of the window enables you to select if either all records or just the games of a
special category should be shown. (Unlike D-Fend, D-Fend Reloaded does not need any
index files for this puprpose; the index is built on the fly.)
Furthermore, specific entries may be declared as favorites; these profiles are shown
in a special favorites category then.
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User defined categories:
Besides the default categories you can define your own categories. The category tree
will show this user-defined categories as well and you can filter your games by this
categories, too.
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Searchbox:
With a searchbox in the toolbar you are able to conduct 'as you type' searches
in the games list.
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Setup of the games list:
The configuration of the games list (shown information columns and their order) is done
by the setup dialog.
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Managing screenshots and sounds:
For every game, a folder can be selected, where DOSBox will store screenshots
(created by pressing Strg+F5) and captured sounds. The screenshots and sounds
of the selected game are shown below the games list in D-Fend Reloaded.
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More information about the games:
D-Fend Reloaded allows to register more information on the individual games than D-Fend.
In particular, for every game a specific internet address and its language may be defined.
Additionally, a specific data folder can be set up for every game (for manuals etc.),
which can be opened directly from the context menu of the profile.
Furthermore, the folders containing the game files may be assoziated with a game.
These folders are transfered or deleted during transfer or deinstallation of the game,
respectively.
Creating new profiles
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Adding games with the wizard:
Alternative to the use of the profile editor, games may also be added applying
the profile wizard which will setup most things automatically.
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Auto setup templates:
D-Fend Reloaded brings auto setup templates for about 350 games. If you add a game
via the wizard and D-Fend Reloaded recognices one of the known games it will offer
you to configurate it completely automatically.
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Template manager:
Using the template manager you can create profiles that are not connected to a special game.
When creating a normal profile, you may choose one of these templates for the new profile.
Since all relevant settings are defined in the template, you only need to setup the name
and the file of the game in the new profile. With the installation of D-Fend Reloaded
predefined templates for most game types are provided.
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Profile editors:
D-Fend Reloaded has two builtin profile editor: The classic D-Fend style profile editor
has the same tabs like the profile editor in D-Fend to make changing from D-Fend to
D-Fend Reloaded easier. The modern profile editor is more clearly organiced and has a
tree structure on the left for selecting the topic you want to configurate.
Managing profiles
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Transfering profiles:
You can transfer complete profiles (profile file, game folder, screenshot folder,
manual folder, ...) from one installation (for example the normal desktop installation)
to another installation (for example an USB stick installation).
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Deinstaller for games:
With D-Fend Reloaded you can not only delete profile files but also complete games
(inluding all game files like game folder, screenshot folder, manual folder, etc.).
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Own installation packages:
You may create your own installation packages (which contain everyting including manual
folder etc.). You only have to select games from the list and D-Fend Reloaded will create
a nsi script for you. With Nullsoft Installer-Makers
you can create and exe package. When you start this installer on another computer with
D-Fend Reloaded you are able to transfer the games to this D-Fend Reloaded installation directly.
Additionally you can create zip or 7z archive files from your games. This archive file
can be used for longterm archivation (because they can also be unpacked with out D-Fend Reloaded)
and of course for transfering games. A game can be installed to D-Fend Reloaded from
a zip/7z file just by dragging the archive file to the program window.
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Changing multiple profiles simultaneously:
Yo can change settings like "Genre", "Developer", "Publisher", "CPU cycles" and so on
for multiple selected games at once. This makes setting up meta information much
easier and faster.
Language support
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D-Fend Reloaded user interface:
The complete D-Fend Reloaded user interface is multilingual. You are able to add
more languages via simple ini files. The current interface language can be changed
without restarting the program. (At the moment Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese & Turkish are available.)
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DOSBox:
The installer contains all DOSBox languages currently available. In the D-Fend Reloaded
setup dialog you may choose the language to be used by DOSBox. Additionally, you may
open the DOSBox Readme file in all installed languages from the help menu.
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DOSBox keyboard layout:
In every D-Fend Reloaded language ini file there is a predefined keyboard layout
to be used with profiles that do not define a specific DOSBox keyboard layout.
For example an English D-Fend Reloaded installation will use an English keyboard
setting by default for DOSBox, but a German installation will use a German keyboard
setting by default for DOSBox.
Compability
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Compability with D-Fend:
D-Fend Reloaded is 100% compatible to D-Fend. You may replace the DFend.exe from
D-Fend directly with the DFend.exe from D-Fend Reloaded and keep the rest.
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Importing of DBFrontend conf files:
D-Fend Reloaded can read the extended DBFrontend fields from DOSBox conf files.
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Vista-Compability:
D-Fend Reloaded uses the program folder (and its subfolders) for the setup files
(like D-Fend) or the C:\Users\<YourName>\D-Fend Reloaded folder.
In the latter case D-Fend Reloaded does not write to its program folder after installation.
More highlights
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Importing any zip file:
Many people have archived their good old DOS games as zip archives. D-Fend Reloaded
can import this zip archives directly and in my cases there is no need for any
configuration at all (if D-Fend Reloaded has a matching auto setup template for the game).
The easiest way of adding a game from a zip file is just dragging the zip file to
the program window.
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D-Fend Reloaded portable:
You may install D-Fend Reloaded in a portable operation mode on a USB stick.
In the portable operation mode the base directory will be stored relative
to the program folder. (And all other directories are stored relativ to the base
directory.) This enables D-Fend Reloaded to find its files independendly from
the drive and directory it is run from. There is also an PortableApps
installation package of D-Fend Reloaded.
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ScummVM support:
In D-Fend Reloaded you cannot only manage your DOSBox based game but also your
ScummVM-based games.
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QBasic support:
If you have installed a QBasic interpreter, you can also define a *.bas file as a program file
in the profile editor. D-Fend Reloaded will call QBasic with the bas file a parameter inside
DOSBox.
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Using virtual harddisks:
Compared to D-Fend, the mount dialog has been extended representing all features
of DOSBox. Additionally, the D-Fend Reloaded package contains the
Bochs-FAT-Image-Creator.
With this tool you may create harddisk and floppydisk images to be used with DOSBox.
(Of course, this commandline tool may be controlled from the D-Fend Reloaded GUI directly.)
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Reading CDs and floppy disks:
The content of CDs and floppy disks an be read and stored as ISO or IMG files. This drive images
can be used in DOSBox as virtual drives.
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Screenshots, sounds and videos:
D-Fend Reloaded has a screenshot, sound and video manager for previewing and saving the
captured images, sounds and videos. The images can be stored as jpeg, gif, png and bmp images
and the captured wave sounds can be encoded to mp3 and ogg format.
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Update checker:
The Update checker can manually or automatically (at program start up) looks for updates
and offer to download and install them.
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Usage of Windows-based games:
You can also manage and start your Windows-based games via the D-Fend Reloaded user interface.
This allows you to manage all your games (old and new ones) in one place.
