Nothing to do with Arcanum, but maybe you can help?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by labyrinthian, Oct 12, 2003.

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  1. labyrinthian

    labyrinthian New Member

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    Hi all, I'm only asking this here since I already asked atUnderdogs, and they plum ignored me. So if you can help, please do.

    I took Milo's advice and downloaded System Shock 2 (abandonware, NOT WAREZ) from Underdogs. It's a Win95/8 game, and I'm running on XP, but I've had some success before fiddling with compatibility and running older games. This time, however, I'm stumped. I get a black screen freeze immediately after the startup screen. and I've tried everything on the Underdogs FAQ, including the following:

    Tried all possible compatibility settings.
    Installed latest video driver
    Adjusted frame rate to all possible settings.
    Adjusted resolutions and colors to all possible settings.
    Futzed as much as I felt comfortable doing with various viseo card settings.

    I am running WinXP Home on an Athlon 1800+ with a GeForce 4 MX 440. I have DirectX9, and know that might be it, but I'd prefer a sure answer before unistalling and going back to 7 or 8.

    I'd really like to be able to play this thing, a) because it's supposed to be good and b) because I spent 12 hours downloading it on my dialup payperhour connection.

    Thanks, y'all!
     
  2. EvilEyesBan

    EvilEyesBan New Member

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    Whoa that sucks. I was just going to suggest that you try to make XP run it as Win98 or 95 compatability wise but it seems you've already done that.
    Are you sure you got the latest version of the game, and it doesn't need to be patched or anything?

    I'd go with your hunch on installing an older version of Direct X before I tried to tweak with it anymore though. Goodluck working it.
     
  3. labyrinthian

    labyrinthian New Member

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    Thanks, EEB. Unfortunately(?), the version downloadable from underdogs comes replete with the final patch. Yeah, it's actually called "final patch." Before I screw with DirectX, can anybody tell me what version I should go back to? Will 8 do the trick? Does it have the complete backwards compatibility that 9 seems to lack? And if not, how far back can I go without sacrificing XP compatibility?

    Please help. I know some of you are experts. I'm afraid I'll never rise above the level of newbie-with-a-clue when it comes to troubleshooting.
     
  4. Jarinor

    Jarinor New Member

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    I bought System Shock 2, and I've successfully run it under Win XP...but then, I have the service pack installed, and you don't mention having it. That could be the difference, but I don't see how it could help. I'm also pretty sure I've run it with DirectX 9, because I definitely installed that soon after I got XP (got it off Impossible Creatures).

    So yeah, the only thing I can think of is the service pack issue (and that's a hefty 100meg download), or that it's your crappy Nvidia video card :). Is that thing onboard? If it is, it could be an issue, but I could also be speaking out of my arse on this point.

    Or it could be that you're using XP Home, and I've got the Pro version which could, in MS's wonderful world, make a difference in how games are run. I doubt it though.
     
  5. labyrinthian

    labyrinthian New Member

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    Thanks Jarinor. Hmmm, maybe I'll bite the bullet and get the service pack. Ugh. Nine more hours.

    My card's not onboard, no. I've got the KT3 Ultra2 motherboard with nothing onboard. I have 512Megs of DDR, so that shouldn't be the problem. Soundblaster Live. Uh, well, black screen usually is a video card issue, but NVidia, though not the best, is on brand and usually supported.

    Basically, my deal with older games is that anything designed for 2000 or NT will work fine, while with 98 designed stuff or older, it's hit or miss. Usually miss. I've been trying to get Krondor to work, too, but I can't. Black screen crash. Does NVidia extrasuck with reverse compatibility? If so, does anyone know of some kind of driver util that can fix it?
     
  6. Chalupa Cobra

    Chalupa Cobra New Member

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    Over at the Home of the Underdogs, I've learned that the term "Windows XP" is something of a taboo. The reason for this is related to your not being able to run System Shock 2: Windows XP is very "hit or miss" when it comes to older -- and especially DOS-based -- games. I myself was able to get that program running on my system and I have DirectX 9.0, Windows XP Professional, and a Voodoo video card (with some numbers and other bits that I forget). I had no problems. Music worked, voices worked, video was great and with no tweaking on my part. Other games I've downloaded from Underdogs haven't been so fortunate and I've seen the Black Screen of Final Death a fair share. The problems that come up between Windows XP and older games seem to be very system-specific and getting certain games to work under that OS can be nearly impossible unless you are an expert at computers. If I can't get one of Underdogs's games going and there isn't anything on all three (or is it two??) tech help forums then I usually give up.
     
  7. Silvio-Arjunza

    Silvio-Arjunza New Member

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    I am currently (just upgraded, today, actually) a dual OS set up- I've got both Win ME and Win XP. I keep ME installed because I've discovered that it won't play some older games... some work fine, and other don't work at all, and I don't have a clue as to why, so it may, in fact, be your operating system... though that may be solved when LongHorn comes out next year.
     
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