Uhm... uploaded on MyAbandonware, lastly one of the more active sites.
Looking at the screenshots, it seems a game that is worth fixing and playing.
But after some attempts to run it (no matter with or without DxWnd) it seems also a tough one.
There's a systematic exception and I fear it could depend on relying on codecs and legacy DirectPlay stuff, but it's just a guess. I tried the RIP, maybe in the full CD image there's also some better installer that completes the installed components.
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I think I have nothing to test. The game launches with videos fine, game runs properly and I don't need Handle Exceptions too. The problem comes in fullscreen mode, let me see what can be done. But without DxWnd, game runs in fullscreen but there is no video.
My theory is that DxWnd forces some privileged instruction that would otherwise get skipped, it could be related to the intro since that's the only thing that doesn't work without DxWnd
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The problem gets solved by not using DxWnd DirectX at all, but for the intro to be visible I had to press Windows button first, get out and in again :P
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-22
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With DxWnd the game starts, but I had to enable Window hook + Hot patch. There are some problems with the mouse cursor, but it works somehow.
In the beginning, it writes a problem with the library C:\Windows\ehome\ehtrace.dll (what the hell is that?) But then it continues.
Only Ngslogo.ngs in the Movie folder on the CD is avi Intel Indeo 4, the others are in unknown format.
Curiously, on my Win11 I have another situation: when starting or ending the game each intro/outro movie is not played and a popup message is shown. Since the intro is made by several movie files (see the MOVIE folder, you can play the movies by using VLS with each .ngs file) I see the message and press the spacebar many times, then in the end the game starts and work pretty well. There must be something with the movie codecs...
Only Ngslogo.ngs in the Movie folder on the CD is avi Intel Indeo 4, the others are in unknown format.
I found. that the all other videos in the MOVIE folder are .MPG (MPEG 1). Nil.ngs and thq.ngs, despite the different header, probably too, but nothing appears when played by the player.
Mplayer reports an error with these two videos [mpeg1video @ 0000000002b5d440] Requested frame threading with a custom get_buffer2() implementation which is not marked as thread safe. This is not supported an ymore, make your callback thread-safe.
Last edit: huh 2022-04-23
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This is not supported an ymore, make your callback thread-safe.
Is this a message to gho or it's the Mplayer error message line?
Anyways, Windows XP, just like my Windows 11 also can run the game without DxWnd but falls into problem when DxWnd is used, again recovering when not using DxWnd DirectX. Let me try Windows 7 now.
Edit: Game doesn't run on Windows 7 at all. I also get a new type of error.
I tried DDC too and it managed to return the video in Windows 11. But it neither worked in Windows 7. I will write to Narzoul about this game, maybe he knows.
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Strange game, it seems to behave in a different way for each one of us!
In my Win11 I can't see the movies no matter what, either with DxWnd or without. But all the movies are perfectly playable dropping the files over the VLC window.
In any case, there are two files that look interesting:
CONFIG.CFG is a text file with a lot of options for video, sound and gameplay. I wonder what that uncommented option "adult=0" is ...
CDROM.LOG is not fully text, but the first line points to the CD drive letter and this could be handy to move the game movies (and maybe other stuff) in a local folder.
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In my Win11 I can't see the movies no matter what, either with DxWnd or without.
Neither can I. I need DDC for that. These video problems were talked about earlier, probably in Icewind Dale OGL version (where the video plays if you go out with Windows button and come back) but you forgot it ;)
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-23
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Is this a message to gho or it's the Mplayer error message line?
This is an Mplayer error message line.
Strange game, it seems to behave in a different way for each one of us!
I will upload my profile for comparison. In Win7, the most important thing was to turn on the Window hook + Hot patch as I wrote. I'd like to get rid of the annoying message
The file image C:\Windows\ehome\ehtrace.dll is valid, but for a different type of computer than the current computer. Click OK to continue, or CANCEL to cancel the loading of the DLL (in translation). I have to put 4x CANCEL to make it work.
Update:
Actually, it's different. Now I've tried it and it works without the Hot patch.
The annoying message remained.
Update2:
That's funny. Async blit mode fixes the problem with the blinking mouse cursor, but if I click on the place where the main character should go, now he will do 1 step in 1 click :-)
This effect is also with SDL, SDL2, OpenGL and D3D9 renderers.
Hmm it does this even if I change scrmode = in CONFIG.CFG so it's really perverted.
There must also be some bug in the OpenGL renderer, because I don't have Locale turned on by any means.
There's something wrong with this game. The gameplay window isn't taking the fullscreen and thus I can't move my mouse much to right. I attached mine for reference.
Here is my second experimental profile, which somewhat reduces the blinking of the mouse cursor, but at the same time does not limit the movement of the character. With my previous profile, in some cases the mouse arrow is almost invisible (fight in the rain, etc.).
Despite what I wrote yesterday, a Hot patch is needed here on Win7, today the game didn't work without this flag.
The game is definitely not one of the winners of last year's stability competition...
Before I forget, I stumbled o this: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17782332/mysterious-mfsourcefilter
the page tells about the problems of rendering MPEG2 movies on Win7 with components that rely on DirectShow. The page contains several GUIDs that are also present in the game logsand in particular on this line
that is printed just before a dialog box complaining about the ehtrace.dll library (see screenshot) and the game crash happens.
I don't know what it means, but I just take note of this.
@gho
Yes, this is exactly the case I described. But as BEEN_Nath_58 writes, a few clicks to Cancel will start the game with intro and movies. In my opinion, this has something to do with the Microsoft DirectX® Media redistributable package that is on the CD. ehtrace.dll is a Media Center Event Trace Module library, so it's possible that some of these features later moved to Windows Media Center.
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The Scan EXE PE mistake was heavy. That's all this game ever wanted mainly. Early Hook works now as well. But it is difficult to get windowed mode now.
Edit: Technically another game with DirectX issues. v2.05.82 with Hot patch + Inject DLL + Scan EXE PE works quite fine.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-05-04
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Inserting ~20ms delay in each page flip seems to fix the movement problem. Not sure why it's needed, since the game limits its own frame rate anyway by busy waiting on QueryPerformanceCounter apparently
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Well here's an issue on my side. DDC with 20ms delay works, but DxWnd didn't. Maybe it's just my PC. On another note remember that the game needs Scan Exe pe
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Uhm... uploaded on MyAbandonware, lastly one of the more active sites.
Looking at the screenshots, it seems a game that is worth fixing and playing.
But after some attempts to run it (no matter with or without DxWnd) it seems also a tough one.
There's a systematic exception and I fear it could depend on relying on codecs and legacy DirectPlay stuff, but it's just a guess. I tried the RIP, maybe in the full CD image there's also some better installer that completes the installed components.
I think I have nothing to test. The game launches with videos fine, game runs properly and I don't need Handle Exceptions too. The problem comes in fullscreen mode, let me see what can be done. But without DxWnd, game runs in fullscreen but there is no video.
I am using CD.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-22
My theory is that DxWnd forces some privileged instruction that would otherwise get skipped, it could be related to the intro since that's the only thing that doesn't work without DxWnd
The problem gets solved by not using DxWnd DirectX at all, but for the intro to be visible I had to press Windows button first, get out and in again :P
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-22
I'm not sure if I have the same version, but this one writes a error (without DxWnd)
With DxWnd the game starts, but I had to enable Window hook + Hot patch. There are some problems with the mouse cursor, but it works somehow.
In the beginning, it writes a problem with the library C:\Windows\ehome\ehtrace.dll (what the hell is that?) But then it continues.
Only Ngslogo.ngs in the Movie folder on the CD is avi Intel Indeo 4, the others are in unknown format.
Curiously, on my Win11 I have another situation: when starting or ending the game each intro/outro movie is not played and a popup message is shown. Since the intro is made by several movie files (see the MOVIE folder, you can play the movies by using VLS with each .ngs file) I see the message and press the spacebar many times, then in the end the game starts and work pretty well. There must be something with the movie codecs...
But are you on windowed or real fullscreen mode?
Also did you install with CD
EDIT: Message invalid. @ghotik 's problem disappeared ;)
@huh2
The game surely has DirectX problems. Yours happen without DxWnd, mine happen with it.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-23
Update:
I found. that the all other videos in the MOVIE folder are .MPG (MPEG 1). Nil.ngs and thq.ngs, despite the different header, probably too, but nothing appears when played by the player.
Mplayer reports an error with these two videos
[mpeg1video @ 0000000002b5d440] Requested frame threading with a custom get_buffer2() implementation which is not marked as thread safe. This is not supported an ymore, make your callback thread-safe.
Last edit: huh 2022-04-23
Is this a message to gho or it's the Mplayer error message line?
Anyways, Windows XP, just like my Windows 11 also can run the game without DxWnd but falls into problem when DxWnd is used, again recovering when not using DxWnd DirectX. Let me try Windows 7 now.
Edit: Game doesn't run on Windows 7 at all. I also get a new type of error.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-23
I tried DDC too and it managed to return the video in Windows 11. But it neither worked in Windows 7. I will write to Narzoul about this game, maybe he knows.
Strange game, it seems to behave in a different way for each one of us!
In my Win11 I can't see the movies no matter what, either with DxWnd or without. But all the movies are perfectly playable dropping the files over the VLC window.
In any case, there are two files that look interesting:
CONFIG.CFG is a text file with a lot of options for video, sound and gameplay. I wonder what that uncommented option "adult=0" is ...
CDROM.LOG is not fully text, but the first line points to the CD drive letter and this could be handy to move the game movies (and maybe other stuff) in a local folder.
Neither can I. I need DDC for that. These video problems were talked about earlier, probably in Icewind Dale OGL version (where the video plays if you go out with Windows button and come back) but you forgot it ;)
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-23
This is an Mplayer error message line.
I will upload my profile for comparison. In Win7, the most important thing was to turn on the Window hook + Hot patch as I wrote. I'd like to get rid of the annoying message
The file image C:\Windows\ehome\ehtrace.dll is valid, but for a different type of computer than the current computer. Click OK to continue, or CANCEL to cancel the loading of the DLL (in translation). I have to put 4x CANCEL to make it work.
Update:
Actually, it's different. Now I've tried it and it works without the Hot patch.
The annoying message remained.
Update2:
That's funny. Async blit mode fixes the problem with the blinking mouse cursor, but if I click on the place where the main character should go, now he will do 1 step in 1 click :-)
This effect is also with SDL, SDL2, OpenGL and D3D9 renderers.
Hmm it does this even if I change scrmode = in CONFIG.CFG so it's really perverted.
There must also be some bug in the OpenGL renderer, because I don't have Locale turned on by any means.
Last edit: huh 2022-04-23
There's something wrong with this game. The gameplay window isn't taking the fullscreen and thus I can't move my mouse much to right. I attached mine for reference.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-04-23
Here is my second experimental profile, which somewhat reduces the blinking of the mouse cursor, but at the same time does not limit the movement of the character. With my previous profile, in some cases the mouse arrow is almost invisible (fight in the rain, etc.).
Despite what I wrote yesterday, a Hot patch is needed here on Win7, today the game didn't work without this flag.
The game is definitely not one of the winners of last year's stability competition...
i don't need hot patch on win 7
Yes, I didn't need him yesterday either. But today... it's different.
Before I forget, I stumbled o this:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17782332/mysterious-mfsourcefilter
the page tells about the problems of rendering MPEG2 movies on Win7 with components that rely on DirectShow. The page contains several GUIDs that are also present in the game logsand in particular on this line
that is printed just before a dialog box complaining about the ehtrace.dll library (see screenshot) and the game crash happens.
I don't know what it means, but I just take note of this.
Well IIRC, clicking cancel ensured the game doesn't crash and the video loaded with something else.
@gho
Yes, this is exactly the case I described. But as BEEN_Nath_58 writes, a few clicks to Cancel will start the game with intro and movies. In my opinion, this has something to do with the Microsoft DirectX® Media redistributable package that is on the CD. ehtrace.dll is a Media Center Event Trace Module library, so it's possible that some of these features later moved to Windows Media Center.
The Scan EXE PE mistake was heavy. That's all this game ever wanted mainly. Early Hook works now as well. But it is difficult to get windowed mode now.
Edit: Technically another game with DirectX issues. v2.05.82 with Hot patch + Inject DLL + Scan EXE PE works quite fine.
Last edit: BEEN_Nath_58 2022-05-04
About the flashing cursor:
By narzoul
Thanks for the tip, I'll try it tonight.
Well here's an issue on my side. DDC with 20ms delay works, but DxWnd didn't. Maybe it's just my PC. On another note remember that the game needs Scan Exe pe
It also doesn't work here in Win7, so I went back to my profile, which is very imperfect, but the mouse cursor flashes a little less.
In my case, it has no effect. I still have to use Hot Patch and Scan EXE PE does not affect it.