Shellhead
07-30-2007, 08:24 AM
I enjoy playing PC games, but I only got into them a few years ago, because I didn't have a good computer at home. Recently, I've been picking up games on deep discount that I've heard great things about. And I'm finding that Windows XP doesn't play nice with older games, especially with the Service Packs installed. (Goddamn you, Bill Gates!) My great deals at GameStop and Goodwill (!) have turned into frustrating challenges.
Riven: This sequel to Myst is supposedly a great puzzle-solving type game, but the first puzzle was getting it to install on my computer. I had to go in and manually set the compatability on my computer for the .exe file to run as Windows 98. I had to download an old, old version of DivX, something like 2.0 or 3.0, just so the graphics would display properly. And then I had to set the compatibility of the installed game to Windows 98. This took about 4 hours of trial and error and research on the internet.
Fallout 1: I really wanted to play this legendary rpg, especially since it had a theme that really interested me, plus the turn-based combat that I prefer. I ran into similar installation problems as with Riven, and ultimately managed to get it done simply by old-school hacking... trying over and over with minor variations until I got it up and running. But now I'm up against a dreaded black screen problem. Every 5-20 seconds, the whole screen goes black, though I can "wipe" away the blackness by sweeping my mouse back and forth like I'm wiping the screen with my hand. Moving my character also clears away the screen as he moves, simulating limited vision even when the character is in the desert at high noon. The game is so good otherwise that I'm playing through the pain. I can totally see the influence on later rpgs that I've enjoyed, like Temple of Elemental Evil and Vampire: Bloodlines.
Fallout 2: I haven't even messed with this one yet, but I hear that I may be facing a blue screen problem, and possibly crashes to desktop.
Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth: Actually, even though I bought this game used, this is not really a case of backwards compatability. Installation was easy, but now I need a new 3d video card.
Anybody else here struggling with compatability issues? Have Microsoft's Service Packs prevented you from playing some old favorites?
Riven: This sequel to Myst is supposedly a great puzzle-solving type game, but the first puzzle was getting it to install on my computer. I had to go in and manually set the compatability on my computer for the .exe file to run as Windows 98. I had to download an old, old version of DivX, something like 2.0 or 3.0, just so the graphics would display properly. And then I had to set the compatibility of the installed game to Windows 98. This took about 4 hours of trial and error and research on the internet.
Fallout 1: I really wanted to play this legendary rpg, especially since it had a theme that really interested me, plus the turn-based combat that I prefer. I ran into similar installation problems as with Riven, and ultimately managed to get it done simply by old-school hacking... trying over and over with minor variations until I got it up and running. But now I'm up against a dreaded black screen problem. Every 5-20 seconds, the whole screen goes black, though I can "wipe" away the blackness by sweeping my mouse back and forth like I'm wiping the screen with my hand. Moving my character also clears away the screen as he moves, simulating limited vision even when the character is in the desert at high noon. The game is so good otherwise that I'm playing through the pain. I can totally see the influence on later rpgs that I've enjoyed, like Temple of Elemental Evil and Vampire: Bloodlines.
Fallout 2: I haven't even messed with this one yet, but I hear that I may be facing a blue screen problem, and possibly crashes to desktop.
Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth: Actually, even though I bought this game used, this is not really a case of backwards compatability. Installation was easy, but now I need a new 3d video card.
Anybody else here struggling with compatability issues? Have Microsoft's Service Packs prevented you from playing some old favorites?