There are two ways you can run Lemmings 3D - manually, or via the launcher in
L3DUtils. I recommend using the launcher; the setup is slightly less complicated, and starting up L3D after the initial setup is a matter of launching L3DUtils then clicking a button - plus L3DUtils gives you some other nice features, like being able to save and share your level solution replays.
There are some common steps that must be done either way, plus some steps that are specific to one way or another.
Firstly, you must obtain and set up DOSBox. DOSBox is free software, in both senses of the term:
https://www.dosbox.com/Secondly, you must configure DOSBox. Open your DOSBox options and change core to "dynamic", and cycles to "max". Optionally, change the output display options if you wish.
Thirdly, you must acquire a copy of Lemmings 3D. You can acquire a legitimate copy via your preferred source. Otherwise, you can obtain a copy of the game:
- Non-CD Version:
https://www.camanis.net/lemmings/3dlemmings.php- CD Version:
https://archive.org/details/lemmings-3D (requires torrent client)
Extract (or copy, in the case of a CD version) the files to somewhere on your hard drive.
Running Lemmings 3D via L3DUtils - Preparation (You only need to do these steps the first time you run the game)
1. Download L3DUtils and put it in the same folder as Lemmings 3D.
2. (Optional, but recommended) Launch L3DUtils, go to "Game Patches", and apply the Music Patch. (If you're using the above copies, you don't need the Pyramid Texture Patch - although you can apply it anyway if you want, it won't do any harm.) Pay close attention to the options here - if you're going to be using custom levels, make sure to select the correct option for that,
especially if you've already copied the custom levels into L3D's folder (it doesn't really matter, if you
haven't copied them yet).
3. Where L3DUtils asks for a path to DOSBox, click the "..." and locate your DOSBox EXE. This is usually in either "C:\Program Files\DosBox\" or "C:\Program Files (x86)\DosBox\".
4. If you have a real L3D disc, or an ISO image of one, select the "ISO" or "Drive" option respectively and, as applicable, find your ISO file or enter your optical drive letter. If you do not have one (eg. when using the non-CD version above, or most abandonware copies of the game), select "No Disc". *
5. Click the "Run Setup" button. This will open L3D's setup utility. Go to Setup Hardware -> Sound. Under "Select Music Card" select either "Soundblaster" or "General Midi" (or "None", if that's your preference), and under "Select Sound Card" select "Soundblaster" (or "None"). You can also turn CD Music on if you're using a CD version of the game. Make sure to exit out of the setup utility via its menus, rather than by X'ing DosBox. **
* If you want to use the CD version with no CD, or if you want to use a CD (for CD audio) with the non-CD version, L3DUtils has a patch to switch the EXE between the two versions.
** It is possible with some extra work, to get Gravis UltraSound working in DOSBox, but that's beyond the scope of this tutorial. I think that's the only other one that's supported. I know for sure AWE32 is not.Now, with the above setup done, launching L3D is as simple as opening L3DUtils and clicking "Run L3D". L3DUtils will take care of mounting folders / etc for you, and can even swap between multiple save files.
Running Lemmings 3D in DosBox manuallyUsing L3DUtils is recommended, but if you don't want to use it (or can't, eg. due to using a Mac / Linux system), you can do it manually instead.
1. Mount a folder as C drive. This can be the Lemmings 3D folder, or a folder that contains it. For example, if you extracted / copied L3D to "C:\Games\Dosbox\L3D", you might want one of the following:
- MOUNT C C:\Games\Dosbox\
or
- MOUNT C C:\Games\Dosbox\L3D
Make sure you are mounting the same folder every time, because Lemmings 3D stores its save files in (what it believes to be) C:\LM3D.CD\, even when using a non-CD version of the game.
2. If you're using a CD version of Lemmings 3D, mount your optical drive or the ISO as D drive:
- MOUNT D D:\ -t cdrom
(if using a physical disc, or a virtual drive via external software like Daemon Tools)- IMGMOUNT D C:\Games\DosBox\L3D.CUE -t iso -fs iso
(if using an ISO file)3. Navigate to L3D's folder in DOSBox and type "SETUP" then hit enter. *
4. Configure L3D's sound options; see Step 5 of the L3DUtils method above, the same settings apply here too. *
5. Type "L3D" then hit enter, to start the game.
* You only need to do steps 3 and 4 the first time you run L3D, not every time.
Some useful information that's not really needed with the new guide:
- If you have a CD version, and L3D won't start up, try using L3DUtils's "CD / Floppy EXE Patch". This will turn it into the non-CD version which tends to give people less problems. The downside is that you lose the option of CD Audio - the setting is still there in the options menu / etc, but it won't work. (CD animations still work, as long as the files are present.)
- Although AWE32 isn't supported by DOSBox, you can get pretty close: set music to "General Midi", install
VirtualMIDISynth (freeware), and use the
AWE32 rip soundfont.
- If you're using DOSBox with a floppy version (not the above "easy setup" download), you can download and extract
this ZIP, and use the CUE file as a "dummy" CD, either by directly mounting it as the D drive in DOSBox, or via selecting it as the ISO in L3DUtils. This will both allow for CD audio in-game, and bypass the CD check. Note that you also need to be running the CD version of the game (again, L3DUtils can patch between the two versions) in order for CD audio to work. (This download has tracks ripped from the PS1 version, which are identical to PC CD audio but without some of the issues the PC CD audio has, such as Circus 2 cutting off early.)
- If you've accidentally un-applied the music patch (usually by restoring the original contents of the SOUND folder), remove the file "patched" in the SOUND folder and you'll be able to apply it again.
