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General discussionSome (non-GOG related) retrogaming experiences on Windows 10(11 posts)(11 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted August 23, 2018
In my early tests, all things considered Windows 10 works surprisingly well as a retrogaming platform - except for Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, that's it.
Posted August 23, 2018
Not that I've thrown a huge number of games at it, but the only one I can think of that hasn't worked is the first Kohan game. And there's probably a solution out there but I haven't checked. So far for me, Win10 hasn't been anywhere near a disaster for games.
Posted August 23, 2018
Haven't had a single problem with 10 and my games either.
Posted August 23, 2018
It's a moving target so when you say "Windows 10" then the assumption has to be the latest build. This is the biggest reason I haven't updated my compatibility list for Windows 10 games. Don't have time to test every build of Windows 10 to compare compatibility like I did with earlier versions of Windows. Also "working" means different things to different people. Some will be happy it loads at all. Some will be happy with subpar framerate. Some will be happy with missing graphics, decreased sound quality. There may be a level you can't get past, a crash that occurs on a certain level, the mouse cursor may not work properly, some may be using a cracked copy whereas the non-cracked ver doesn't work, etc etc. Most people don't play or test a ton of games thoroughly so it's hard to get reliable responses.

If you haven't already try your games with dgvoodoo2 and see if that fixes the issues for the games you tried. If not try posting a bug report in the dgvoodoo2 thread at vogons. IMO, It's pretty much necessary for pre-dx9 games on Windows 10.

I think solutions such as the following will be our best bet for old Windows games:
WineVDM
BoxedWine
PCem



Also: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/unofficial-patches-for-thief-and-other-pc-games.90431/#post-3164647
Post edited August 23, 2018 by DosFreak
Posted August 23, 2018
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DosFreak: I think solutions such as the following will be our best bet for old Windows games:
WineVDM
BoxedWine
PCem
Or, in some cases, running Wine on an actual Linux system. For games that are not GPU dependent, one could even run Linux in a virtual machine and run Wine there.
Posted August 23, 2018
Call of Juarez 1/2 do not work on win 10.
Quite a few installers do not work on it.
Older protected discs do not work on it.
Otherwise, yes, it's ok in terms of coverage. What is most annoying is the constant, every time the machine is switched on, updating and things breaking. An average gaming session consists of load the machine, update windows, reset all settings, reinstall broken software, switch machine off as no time to play.
Thankfully I also have the totally offline win7/10 hot swap old machine as well.
Posted August 23, 2018
When I tested it, I found most games I own did run but there were more glitches & hoops to jump through. Eg:-

- No One Lives Forever "works" as in "you can play it", but earlier W10 builds had severe controllability issues whilst latter builds fixed that but now suffer from heavy stutter (non performance related) when zooming in (eg, using gun-scopes or the sunglasses). Using dgVoodoo2 solves that but in turn that breaks something else (eg, losing the mouse in menu's after ALT-TABBing). W7 by comparison is smooth as silk.

- Some older 2000-2005 era PopCap (pre EA acquisition) games don't work properly. Again, they run fine on W7.

- Anything using SecuROM / Starforce needs a NoCD crack. Fortunately I sourced them all for my old CD-ROM based games anyway (purely to save wear & tear on the discs), but it's now compulsory not optional.

- Deus Ex needs DX10 or OpenGL renderers (won't work with early DX7) and more tweaking to avoid looking abnormally dark. W7 works better out of the box with all renderers.
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DosFreak: It's a moving target so when you say "Windows 10" then the assumption has to be the latest build.
^ This is my biggest gripe and why after testing W10 my dedicated old game rig has gone back to using W7. It's not just compatibility now, but reliability of compatibility as the years tick by. The unwanted W10 bi-annual "feature" updates always break something and in the long run are completely unreliable & unpredictable. Eg, DirectPlay has been "deprecated" on W10, however it can still be manually added. But for how long and what happens if it gets removed from a future release? If that happens then a lot of older favorites like Diablo 1-2, Age of Empires 1-2 (non HD), Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, etc, will be permanently lost.

Sad to say but given MS's borked updates and "unknown" future upgrades and "service" based plans, the only long-term reliable version of W10 for older games is Enterprise LTSB, ie, the decr*pified version that receives 10 years worth of security updates, lowest possible Telemetry level, but otherwise the core code remains "static". Of course, that highly desirable version that's probably the closest thing to W7 isn't available for ordinary consumers to buy...
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dtgreene: Or, in some cases, running Wine on an actual Linux system. For games that are not GPU dependent, one could even run Linux in a virtual machine and run Wine there.
I really, really want that to work in the long run (and hopefully see cross-platform Vulkan kill off W10-only DX12 too). The past couple of times I tried Linux + Wine (as a relative Linux newb), it didn't work for a lot of games. Sometimes, the versions of games had changed, or the "wrong" version was supported, eg, Wine install scripts were supported for Bioshock (Steam) but not Bioshock (DRM Free Humble). If someone came along with a pre-packaged one-click install Linux Mint + pre-configured "hassle free" Wine, I'd happily use & donate to that.
Post edited August 23, 2018 by AB2012
Posted August 23, 2018
Just to clarify: the games shown in my post aren't just "loading" on Windows 10 (1703, that's it): they run, and work, as good as you could expect to enjoy the experience in full. And not just for a level or two.

In particular, I've already cleared the Diablo dungeons twice (warrionr, sorcerer) and I had no technical issues at all. As for DRM unsupported by Windows 10, it should be fine installing the game in a VM and then copying the files (+Registry entries, eventually) on the host. Or using the exe of the eventual GOG version of the game, for instance.
Post edited August 24, 2018 by KingofGnG
Posted August 23, 2018
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AB2012: - Anything using SecuROM / Starforce needs a NoCD crack. Fortunately I sourced them all for my old CD-ROM based games anyway (purely to save wear & tear on the discs), but it's now compulsory not optional.
I never understood why they didn't just add an option to allow it (like 8.1 has) but just said you enable this at your own risk.

I've found some will run under 10. I recently tried Dino Crisis under it and it ran, but it runs in a fullscreen window (like Tomb Raider II does until you use a wrapper.) Under 7 Dino Crisis runs fine, and full screen with no problems.

I also tried Blast Thru recently again, after admitting defeat last time I tried it. In the end I had to download a copy as my CD versions were having none of it. The downloaded version ran, but was very jumpy so I had to run it under dxwnd and that runs fine under 10 now. (Though my CD copies still didn't run under dxwnd.) Under 7 my CD versions run fine straight away.

I also recently brought Dungeon Siege 2 on disc. It and its expansion run under 10, but the mouse will not show. The only way I got it running was through the Borderless Gaming software. Again 7 runs fine no issues.

I could go on but i'll end my examples there.

Its not so much that things don't run under 10 in a game capacity its that you usually have to jump through alot more hoops to get them running whether its finding NoCD cracks, fan made patches or the many wrappers that are out there like full screen game, dxwnd. It just gets a chore tbh.
Posted August 24, 2018
So far, I've had good luck with many older games I've thrown at Windows 10 like Virtua Cop 2, House of the Dead 2, Resident Evil, Nuclear Strike (needed nGlide), and Wheel of Time. Starlancer required a no-CD crack to work and I assume Dead to Rights (SecuROM protected) does too, but I haven't tried that one yet. Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza needed a FPS-throttling program, and WarGames is completely unplayable for now. Master of the Skies: The Red Ace and Star Trek: Armada have also given me a lot of trouble, and I can't even install SimCity Classic, House of the Dead 1, or Return Fire because their installers are too old, and I can't install my Max Payne disc because of DRM. =\
Posted August 24, 2018
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SCPM: I can't install my Max Payne disc because of DRM. =\
Max Payne Installs fine on mine. Running you'll need fixes but install for it should be fine under Windows 10. Same for Max Payne 2 if you have that.
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General discussionSome (non-GOG related) retrogaming experiences on Windows 10(11 posts)(11 posts)
(11 posts)