Acquire Raptor: Call of the Shadows DOS version. Windows versions do not apply. On Steam it goes by the name Raptor: Call of the Shadows (1994 Classic Edition) and is bundled with DOSBox. It is also a part of the "3D Realms Anthology" pack which too is sold at Steam.

I'll instruct you to do the changes as if you bought the game from Steam though this will work as long as you have any DOS version of the game and DOSBox. Just use the correct file paths.
You'll need a shader supporting SVN version of the DOSBox (comes with Steam) or DOSBox with xBRZ scaling support if you want to follow the last part of the guide.

Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth is pretty basic and frankly there are better alternatives.
For this reason, download and install CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth. There exists some other software for providing your system with a decent software MIDI synthesizer, but I've been relying on this one since it is effortless and doesn't seem to drop notes.

Be warned though. Installing CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth will propably make it the first MIDI output device on your system and push the prior default down on the midi devices list. This isn't likely going to bother you if you won't be using MIDI for anything else than old games. Besides, any good MIDI related software should let you choose the output device rather than stick to the system default.

You won't be getting any audible music with your new fancy software synthesizer if you don't have a soundfont to use with it. Soundfonts that we are interested in come with the filename
extension "sf2". Sometimes soundfonts are packed with programs like "SFPack" and "sfArk" and thus need to be extracted from their archives with corresponding programs (find from internet).
The method of file extraction from user perspective is the same as with any other file archiver.

There are many soundfonts to choose from but some do not fit Raptor as well as the others. Part of their instruments are weak or downright irritating to begin with. Many great game soundtracks were produced with either MT-32 (mostly earlier games) or "Sound Canvas" type hardware back in the days that Raptor made it's first appearance. Therefore a soundfont whose instruments do not deviate too much from the Sound Canvas ones will likely sound most balanced. Internet is your friend. Find a soundfont, download it and extract it if needed.

Now, let's tell the synthesizer where to find that soundfont. CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth installer should have created a shortcut in your start menu with the name "VirtualMIDISynth Configurator". Use that. The program, when started, also has a tray icon which you can use to open the configuration window.




You should see the configurator application window with some tabs now. Open the "Soundfonts" tab.



There's a list of your soundfont chain, initially empty. On the right side of the list there are buttons that let you:

• add soundfonts to the chain
  
• remove soundfonts from the chain
  
• edit selected soundfont's properties
  
  Separate volume controls for soundfonts are useful for games
  that do not have an easy way to control MIDI volume level.
  
  
• move selected soundfont up or down in loading order
  
• import soundfont chain from a file
  
• export soundfont chain to a file

Add your desired soundfont to the chain with the button.

Since version 2.0 of VirtualMIDISynth you can now also have up to four VirtualMIDISynth devices.
This is particularly useful for example in use with DOSBox. Now you can have different soundfonts loaded for each device and change soundfont during DOSBox session without having to open VirtualMIDISynth interface for that. For Raptor alone or any one game you don't need multiple devices so you can move to the next section in the guide once you have at least one soundfont added to the chain. But feel free to read through if you are interested.

VirtualMIDISynth defaults to one MIDI device but you can add more on the "Options" tab.



Choose the number of devices and select "Ok". Answer "Ok" to the program restart prompt.

Return to your soundfont chain in "Soundfonts" tab.



The numbers on the left side of the soundfont chain represent the devices. Clicking a device number changes its color between green and gray. Green means that the soundfont on the right side is loaded on that device. Gray means that it is not. By default a newly added soundfont gets loaded on all active devices so you have to mark off the devices you don't want the soundfont loaded on.

If two or more soundfonts are added to the chain and loaded on the same device the one that is lower on the chain replaces all overlapping MIDI instruments with its own.

Navigate to "[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows". Edit file "SETUP.ini". To change controller type, edit the line that says "Control=0".

Change accordingly:

• for keyboard control change line to "Control=0"
  
• for mouse control change line to "Control=1"
  
• for joystick control change line to "Control=2" (may be flaky)

You can also alter the controls and more by running the "SETUP.EXE" with DOSBox. Easiest way to do this is to drag the "SETUP.EXE" to "dosbox.exe" which is one folder higher at
"[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows\Dosbox". I trust that you know how to handle this.

For music card keep the General Midi setting with port 330. For sound FX card keep the Sound Blaster with settings 220, 7, 1, Eight. These are the defaults and don't need to be changed.
When you're done, save the settings and exit the DOSBox session. Make sure the resulting "SETUP.INI" file is afterwards located in the same folder as the "RAP.EXE" file.



Next we'll go through two different choices for tinkering with graphics. Both are equally easy to do and the choice is up to your personal preference.

Navigate to: "[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows".

Make these changes to the file "RAPTOR.CONF":

Section called [sdl]:

Change line "fullresolution=Fixed" to "fullresolution="0x0"
Leave line "output=direct3d" as it is
Add line "pixelshader=myprefshader.fx"

Section called [render]:

Change line "aspect=false" to "aspect=true"
Change line "scaler=normal3x" to "scaler=none"

Section called [mixer]:

Change line "prebuffer=10" to "prebuffer=20"

Save and close the file "RAPTOR.CONF".

Now follow either part 5a or 5b according to your preference.

Go to folder: "[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows\Dosbox\SHADERS".
Make a copy of file "CRT.D3D.br.fx" or your preferred shader. I recommend the CRT types
with "D3D.br" in their name. Rename the copy as "myprefshader.fx".

Make these changes to the file "myprefshader.fx":

• If you don't care about the screen curvature effect, change the line with
  "#define CURVATURE" to "// #define CURVATURE"
  Otherwise you can leave that as it is.
  
  
• If you want a brighter picture, experiment with the values of lines with
  "#define inputGamma = 2.4;" and "#define outputGamma = 2.6;"
  The bigger the output is compared to the input, the brighter the picture will be.
  You'll likely only need a maximum of 0.5 difference between these.
  I'm currently using values of 2.3 for input and 2.6 for output with my current monitor setup.

Save and close file "myprefshader.fx".

Download ZenJu's "DOSBox +xBRZ" from sourceforge.

Extract the three (3) files "DOSBox+xBRZ.exe", "SDL.dll" and "SDL_net.dll" to:
"[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows\Dosbox".

Create a copy of a batch file with the name "Raptor.bat" in folder:
"[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows".
You could rename the copy for example as "Raptor+xBRZ.bat" if you wish.
Edit the new file in following way:

Change the line with "start dosbox -conf "..\RAPTOR.conf" -noconsole -c" to look like
"start dosbox+xbrz -conf "..\RAPTOR.conf" -noconsole -c"
Save and close the file. It will now point to the "DOSBox+xBRZ.exe" file instead of the
normal "dosbox.exe". You can create a windows shortcut for the batch file as you normally would. Put it where ever you wish to start the game from.

If you want xBRZ scaling as your default graphics choice when starting the game through Steam, rename "dosbox.exe" in: "[replace with your Steam library folder]\steamapps\common\Raptor Call of the Shadows\Raptor - Call of the Shadows\Dosbox"
to something else, like "old_dosbox.exe". Then rename "DOSBox+xBRZ.exe" to "DOSBox.exe".
Change the filenames back if you don't want to use the xBRZ approach to graphics anymore.

Start the game. Set proper volume levels with menu entry "Game options". Preferably drop the sound effects a lot to hear the music better. I have mine set to "80" for music and "24" for sounds
in "SETUP.INI".

Be prepared to party like its 1994! With stereo sound!

• Windows updates may revert the changes made in step 2 and you'll need to reinstall your software MIDI Synthesizer.
  
• If you ever use the "Verify integrity of game cache" option for this game or Steam pushes update for it, all the game files you changed during the process will be reverted to their original state and you need to redo the changes.

Comparison of Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth and an alternative soundfont synthesized by CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth. Old DOS program GSPLAY by Mark Fontana is utilized for presentation aid.