Wrappers are not "fixes". They are wrappers.
You will help yourself becoming more reading person. GOG Support and links to PCGW (Support article explain the initial subj issue years ago), explanations on wrappers websites (githubs). And call a spade a spade. Uninstall trash apps solve many issues at once, instead of lurking solutions for each game blaming its them bad programmed, wrongly treat wrappers as "fixes" whcih they are not (their are Windows+DirectX fixes).
Windows UWP (10+) are mobile backported OS made for borderless fullscreen windowed apps and overlays indeed. Which is broke games made to work faster in native fullscreen which was Windows and Windows NT specifications and guidelines (it was _Windows_ handle games faster in fullscreen, not "games do"). You should chose what you prefer, modern "security" or old stability. Mixing it and blame perfectly programed apps make worse for yourself, forcing solving unexisting issues and ignore existing.
Install Linux OS and Wine and you find out old games are better programmed than nowadays ones. This is very bad attitude that for software old mean worst, it never was, never supposed to be. Its modern BS from smartphones, consoles and bad programmed Open-Soft especially github. Ofc there is no more stability there, where to get it after all that? We ended in sh!t apps always something not working (Steam and GOG Galaxy have everything broken nothing working properly until you downgrade them to nearly decade older builds)(browsers, mobile apps, slower and bugged some thing all the time) and month by month or even weekly hotfixes updates for any apps cause of that. 20 years ago software was way more stable. Such lame and lamo attitude remain even for those who decide goes coding, but learning it from internet and github. Dont know mathematics and linguistic. 20 and 30 years ago devs start to write an app with roadmap(!) writing on a paper with pencil(!). Today even whole Windows OS dont have a roadmap, getting "security" updates as weekly service, updates for updates to keep it at least one per week. Which CONSTANTLY broke functionality and compatibility with apps, not matter how old-new they are. Including wrappers - but that can be on purpose, happened in November last time. So make sure you download uptodate CNC-Ddraw wrapper.
In "good old days" there was hundreds (PC) and thousands (consoles) games without a single patch and that meant back then they are perfectly stable s is, not nowadays BS "abandoned game" that users themselves made up. Keep requests on some Steam game not needed update for finished singleplayer game already perfect as is, blaming devs there is no new update in 4 years (GOG offline version of that game need an update EXACTLY because its not perfect as it is, calling a spade a spade, FOR A REAL reason).
Back to subj game. GOG version of Warcraft 2 already come with better wrapper. Unlike Bnet Store version.
There is also Warcraft 2 widescreen hack mod based on cnc-ddraw which is also better for Wc2 (but for single-player only of course, or only War2Ru unofficial multiplayer which is support widescreen mode enabled sessions).
Want state something and even "guide" the troubleshoot - lurk better first. Internet is overwhelming by such guides "i dont know what i did(!) but that helped so i know what im talking about"(sic!). You want "teach" and have no idea what cnc-ddraw did to solve the issue.
This issues literally of bad programmed Nvidia drivers and Windows 10+, along with other overlay-injecting apps. Which is all what i did mention are trash apps, half of them posed as part of drivers. NV Experience literally the lame application, by lamers for lamers. Nvidia even promote it mainly as "auto configure the games apps". Nvidia dont have engineers or coders for decade, and want keep you not smarter than their staff.
You treat your PC as smartphone dont bother yourself to properly set-up it - you get what you deserve in result, sh!t "auto solution" apps by nowadays stupid developers and mobile Windows 10, for what you blame old games that OS can't properly launch them.
Even after Steam come, which is OS in OS, you still see it as "game launched and worked at Windows or not", but its "Windows launch the games and OS work with them or not". OS comes first.
With such attitude you end in situation no old games work for you properly, but "Windows 10 are great, EVERYTHING working there!!111". You do worse for yourself, making you lurk for "game fixes" (which you always do cause of Windows but denied that). For EACH game. CNC-Ddraw is not a game fix. There is no such things, let say. There is mods, wrappers and wrapper-mods. They not make game "work properly". You cant fix what is not broken, glitches are not the same as bugs. There is WC2 specific issues WITHIN the game - and they are bugs. Fixes possible only for such things. More specific: there is WC2 Bnet Edition specific issues - passive AI (and one beta video sequence instead of proper one). You cant fix anything else by game side, and cnc-ddraw dont do that either.
If you keep decide its one app issue instead of another by random result you dont understand what happened and helped - you keep get issues and force yourself lurk for solutions. That fact that some wrapper helped not mean anything except that you need such wrapprers for many else games too.
There is Narzoul Ddraw wrapper (two major version with and without INI cfg) which i can recommend for its simplicity. And GOG's Wrapper for simplest configurable one wrapper. You already have best solution come pre-installed. Simplest usually better, although it wont solve game specific cases such as been compatible in offcial matcmaking multiplayer.
Without wrappers no any pre-2010 games work properly on Win8/10+ and Intel+Nvidia (+ Steam Overlay for 15 years broke DX9 games for Nvidia make them launchonly on integrated video). AMD better at handle DX9 and DX10 games, so its about lower than pre-2010. Intel+NV increase it a bit higher than 2010. Windows entirely broke any pre-DX9 games. You CAN'T have them working properly without wrappers - ALL of them.. Thats why wrappers come to existence.
You must either go hard way of configure unknown tweaks experimenting with Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit, or install wrappers. They, including cnc-ddraw, exist cause of Windows, not cause old games are bad programmed. You dont even bother yourself reading what you downloaded, cause none of such wrappers authors said same BS as you did.
It is always newcomers like you who come to original project, blame old code for been old and start "fixing" it believes how much you are a better programmer. At the result indeed whole github is full of such attitudes that old soft are always bad and its only old soft. At further results old games are always most stable ones. In old days that was only web-coders curse, who blame old standards for been old. Good working websites are also long go. It is now more pain to browse internet supposed to be smartphones friendly from smartphones itself, half sites suggest install their one apps. Which apps always have issues. Its so much relief visit old forum - fast and bugs free browsing, with ability to find anything by forum Search. But ppl like you come there and ask "why no modern Discord App?".
GOG Support website - who visit it anyway, yeah? - for years provide solution for this KNOWN issue in both WC2 and Diablo. Overlay and inject apps broke this games. Which is case only for non-enhanced versions for multiplaer. GOG even mention one app that posed as part of driver, have overlay - but UNSEEN one on the screen. Literally trash app. Its no more them for your activity, its you and your activity are for that apps, they has overlay to spy your activity "for better experience and predict the actions". Come from smartphones. That apply for MSI and their non-original version of RTSS.
You also must uninstall any trash apps come pre-instaled. But you anyway must install OS by yourself, manually mark partitions on disks. No one would do it better for you except you yourself. Its your PC. You blame old games for what they not must to do, but accept anything trash making companies provide to you, are you?
Post edited January 14, 2025 by QWEEDDYZ
