Info: RE: Windows 7 *registry hack* potential fix

[SP4EVER]

I wanted to post this here,
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=45462
but that thread has been closed.

Just for reference here is a link to an interesting Blog article I found on the net which deals with the color issues on Vista/Win7.
http://go.hopx.net/2010/05/256-color...tdraw-and.html

It details information on an alternate way of fixing the colors instead of closing explorer.exe.

I thought this was well writen and informative so I wanted to share it here.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by SP4EVER

I wanted to post this here,
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=45462
but that thread has been closed.

Just for reference here is a link to an interesting Blog article I found on the net which deals with the color issues on Vista/Win7.
http://go.hopx.net/2010/05/256-color...tdraw-and.html

It details information on an alternate way of fixing the colors instead of closing explorer.exe.

I thought this was well writen and informative so I wanted to share it here.

Already mentioned in posts 8 onwards of this thread:
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=47112

And the method is already rejected, since end users are not 'hackers' and cannot be expected to manually edit the registry every time the exe changes on a patch.

In any case - totally unnecessary by the end of next week when the 5.5 patch will be released, as it uses the batch file method, integrated in the GameOptions programme launcher.

Andy

[SP4EVER]

For a less hackery way there is the fan made "Direct Draw Compatibility Tool" available that automates the registry editing process. The user only needs to run the Tool once and browse to the games .exe file he wants to patch and hit apply.

DL link:
http://www.4shared.com/file/xeIljXSm...ity_Tool_.html

Please note that as of WinSPMBT v.5.5 and WinSPWW2 v.4.5 you need to start the game directly from WinSPMBT.exe or WinSPWW2.exe if you want to use this *registry hack* method. If you use the ...GameOptions.exe the build in .cmd fix will be used.

Here's some info about the Direct Draw Compatibility Tool taken from the programs Help function:

================================================== =============
DirectDraw Compatibility Tool
================================================== =============

[ Program purpose ]

DirectDraw Compatibility Tool is designed to fix color palette corruption
in the old games (Fallout, Age of Empires, Worms Armageddon, Theme
Hospital and other from the second half of the 90th).
Corruption occurs because of incompatibility between graphical
interface Windows Aero and games intended to work with DirectX 7
DirectDraw or an older DirectX version. Both Windows Vista and
Windows 7 have built-in compatibility tools for such games. But to invoke
compatibility mode there should be information about specific exe-file in
the corresponding part of the registry. DirectDraw Compatibility Tool allows
to completely automate process of compatibility rules creation.

[ Program functions ]

DirectDraw Compatibility Tool has two operation modes:
- create compatibility rules for a given game;
- save compatibility rules to the reg-file.

'Apply' button allows to automatically create compatibility rule. When
field 'Pathname of the target exe-file' contains desired game, on button-
press it will be analyzed and corresponding rule will be formed. If problems
where caused by incompatibility on DirectDraw level they should cease
immediately after rule creation. But it's probable that there are some other
problems which have to be solved with different tools or could not be
solved at all. For example Worms Armageddon version 1.3 doesn't run
under Windows 7 x64, meanwhile version 3.6.29 processed with the
Compatibility Tool runs smoothly under that OS.
If 'Pathname of the target exe-file' is empty, button 'Apply' will open the
file selection dialog.

'Create reg-file' button allows to export compatibility rule as a Windows
registry file. This file could be imported into the registry manually or
distributed along with the game. I need to admit that reg-files are different
for 32- and 64-bit Windows (64-bit version has keys in the additional registry
brunch). In the case of the automatic rule creation ('Apply' button)
DirectDraw Compatibility Tool detects Windows version itself. Manual
application of the reg-file from the 32-bit Windows most probably will not
give a positive result on the 64-bit OS but reg-file from the 64-bit Windows
could be used on the 32-bit OS version seamlessly. In the latter case one
redundant registry key will be created.

[ Supported games ]

Updated list of the supported games will be published on the DirectDraw
Compatibility Tool web-page. Click 'homepage' link in the upper right
corner of the program window to get there. If you managed to solve
problems with a game which is not in the list, you could help the project
leaving a comment on the site.
At the current moment color corruption has been fixed for Fallout 1,
Fallout 2, Worms Armageddon (version 3.6.29), WarCraft 2 Battle.net
Edition and Theme Hospital. This method should work for Age of Empires
as well but has not been really tested.

[ From author ]

Hope I made a life of an old-gamers and fans a little easier. Any
comment and suggestion are welcome, especially since the program
homepage is my blog.

Copyright 2010 Galogen
English Localization by ALCHEMIST

[Rosollia]

Old thread I know, but this actualy worked for me!

The download link for that DirectDraw Compatibility Tool is dead now, but I found a working link in this forum:
http://www.sevenforums.com/gaming/29...ly-cow-22.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/attachmen...ility-tool.exe

You need to run that tool and select your WinSPMBT or WinSPWW2 exe file. Then just hit Apply. The program then writes the needed registry changes automaticaly. Or if you want you can create a .reg file instead and run it manualy.

Now at first this did not seem to work. I still got distorted colors. But then I applied the 256 color compatibility mode to my WinSPMBT and WinSPWW2 exe files and that did the trick.

To set up 256 color compatibility mode:
- Go to your games install directory and right-click on WinSPMBT.exe, and then click Properties.
- On the Compatibility tab, click the box that says "Run in 256 colors".

For me this is better than running the game in a 800x600 windowed mode (I have the free version). Also in fullscreen I get full windows functionality with explorer.exe running now.

[DRG]

......OR you could actually buy the game and run it windowed in desktop mode.


Don

[Rosollia]

Sorry, I do not buy anything from the internet. Should these games become available in a retail strore in Finland I probably would purchase them.