Hey, I cannot launch IWD Complete. I tried compatibility modes, running as admin, installed a fixpack, DirectPlay enabled, installed Direct X 9, no luck. I am on Windows 10 64 bit.

edit:
I managed to get the game running, however the cursor cannot seem to stop flickering. Anybody got advice?

Hello discohijack!

I do not know, if you managed in the meantime to solve the launching (and mouse flickering) problems that you had, or not.

For me the answers in the following subforum thread helped me with my issues on Windows 10, although they are originally intended for "Icewind Dale II Complete":

How to run IWD 2 on Windows 10?

In my case, removing the "ddraw.dll" file from within the game's main directory (folder) that comes with the GOG installation of either "Icewind Dale Complete" as well as "Icewind Dale Complete II" solved my starting issues of both games on Windows 10.
By the way, I did not deleted the file, but rather moved it to a folder outside of the game's install directory. And, of course, I did install both games outside of the Windows Programs / Programs (x86) directories and checked the "Launch as Administrator" option in the compatibility tab.

Maybe it is still useful for you.

Kind regards,
foxgog

Had a similar problem with IWD2 and moving the 'ddraw.dll' out of the main directory solved my problem so thank you very much!

*** PLEASE POST THIS FIX TO USERS THAT NEED HELP IF IT WORKED FOR YOU FOR VISIBILITY ***
*** CURRENLY A BETA FIX AS OF 4/15/2021, HAS GRAPHICAL GLITCHES & NEEDS TESTING ***

There's a project called cnc-draw on Github that seeks to modernize DirectDraw/GDI/OpenGL/D3D9 rendering for 90s/early 2000s games. The author of the project has created a version of ddraw.dll that should fix many of the performance, rendering, and crash/freezing issues of games like IWD & IWD 2 for Windows 10.

Download latest version of cnc-ddraw and extract to IWD Folder - github.com/CnCNet/cnc-ddraw/releases
(Just use the latest version and ignore the following step if there is a release after 4/15/2021; likely changes are integrated)
Overwrite ddraw.dll w/ this dll - github.com/CnCNet/cnc-ddraw/files/6369974/ddraw.zip
Edit ddraw.ini for your resolution, borderless windowed, shader preference, etc.
Disable any Compatibility Modes

There are also additional patches for Widescreen and UI:

G3 Widescreen: gibberlings3.net/mods/tools/widescreen/
UI Centering Patch: sorcerers.net/community/threads/icewind-dale-2-widescreen-ui.68556/
Bigger Fonts: shsforums.net/topic/38626-bigger-fonts-for-bgiitob-and-other-ie-games/

There is also a similar project DDrawCompat: github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat

It's also possible to enable the old DirectDraw via Windows Features currently, although there is no guarantee that this legacy feature won't exist in future versions of Windows.

Deleting ddraw.dll from the game folder can also fix the issue (Perhaps the renderer falls back on GDI?), but it's a very hacky and non-performant fix that might not work in the future.

IWD2 Fix Thread: github.com/CnCNet/cnc-ddraw/issues/87