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Playing older games on PC is a minefield?
- Thread starter nkarafo
- Start date
In my experience most games work out of the box, and for those which don't all that is needed is generally listed in the PC gaming wiki. Having to go beyond that is exceedingly rare.
There's always some tradeoff between freedom and convenience, having almost 100% and improved forward compatibility across vast sets of hardware and software is something that will occasionally lead to a few hickups. It's honestly a monumental achievement across all the layers of the PC ecosystem that it works as well as it does.
There's always some tradeoff between freedom and convenience, having almost 100% and improved forward compatibility across vast sets of hardware and software is something that will occasionally lead to a few hickups. It's honestly a monumental achievement across all the layers of the PC ecosystem that it works as well as it does.
shanafan
Member
Thanks! Good tool to have.
The only old game that I can't play is Double Switch. The error I get is that it can't run on Windows NT systems. The game is from the mid-late 90s.
Can confirm the issue with a GTX 760 on 381.65 drivers, although it doesn't look nearly as bad as in your screenshot.
I've never really had a game that outright refused to work on Windows 7 (with tweaks if necessary).
As far as vsync is concerned, I always turn it off (although this topic is a minefield in itself).
Having a dedicated 98/XP PC is sometimes necessary to play obscure old games, but those aren't the ones you're talking about.
rakkadakka
Member
Playing older games at the time they were released on PC was a minefield.
Better now but PC gaming in the past required more tinkering.
Worst on games that were also on console.
Better now but PC gaming in the past required more tinkering.
Worst on games that were also on console.
I don't even think it is an older game thing, it is more of a your mileage may very thing on any title.
My front room PC refused to play To The Moon. Didn't even launch. My laptop ran it fine. No idea why. Nobody else seemed to be suffering from it too.
It's just a bit of a pisser if you happen to be one of the people hit by an issue. Worse if there is no help on the community for it.
My front room PC refused to play To The Moon. Didn't even launch. My laptop ran it fine. No idea why. Nobody else seemed to be suffering from it too.
It's just a bit of a pisser if you happen to be one of the people hit by an issue. Worse if there is no help on the community for it.
nkarafo
Member
Oh, so it's not a Pascal Nvidia cards issue. It affects all Nvidia cards.
Yeah, the severity of the problem varies. In the same level, after you complete it, the first floor texture you see after the elevator is more severely affected.
Peter Ian Staker
Member
99% of Windows games that run on DX9 or newer should work well even on the most modern hardware without major tweaks.
Pcgamingwiki tweaks and the dgVoodoo wrapper usually fix the rest. You will be amazed how many pieces of ancient win 9x software can run on windows 10.
If the game is obscure enough not to have a community patch and dgVoodoo doesn't fix it I have my restomodded old Windows XP laptop on standby but that's very rare.
Pcgamingwiki tweaks and the dgVoodoo wrapper usually fix the rest. You will be amazed how many pieces of ancient win 9x software can run on windows 10.
If the game is obscure enough not to have a community patch and dgVoodoo doesn't fix it I have my restomodded old Windows XP laptop on standby but that's very rare.
Wowfunhappy
Member
Meanwhile, all iOS games more than five years old are about to stop working, but it's okay because if the developer isn't around or can't be bothered to spend time and money on a free update, their game clearly isn't worth playing anyway.
The fact that most people are okay with this speaks volumes about the overall value of iOS apps, and is everything I hate about the platform in a nutshell.
The fact that most people are okay with this speaks volumes about the overall value of iOS apps, and is everything I hate about the platform in a nutshell.
Turin Turambar
Member
I'm played RA1 right now, it works fine.
Well, the only problem is having problems when I press by mistake the Windows key. Which I've done a few times.
Well, the only problem is having problems when I press by mistake the Windows key. Which I've done a few times.
mindatlarge
Member
I think we all feel your pain, OP. Windows 10 can be very frustrating at times with older games, especially Steam releases of newer and older classic games. On the flip side, many GoG classic releases are much, much better, due to the work they put in to try and ensure their releases are more compatible with today's OS offerings and such. Thankfully, we have quite a wealth of information available to us from forums like this one and others, like GoG's that are full of helpful people that love classic PC gaming and that are willing to help others out.
It can be a pain in the ass sometimes but it's rare I can't get a game working at all. I'm thankful the option is there even if I have to spend some time on a workaround. It's why I buy most games on PC now as its better spending time tinkering with them then being stuck on a platform that doesn't support old games at all or only supports them selectively.
K.N.W.
Member
Yep, two 42" tvs, their main use is for internet while gaming, but I had to try giant ass/bad aspect ratio Vice City. The downside is have to play very very far away!
MrCunningham
Member
MS-DOS ERA: Mostly solved through DOSBox these days, but given how much software there is from this generation, it is hard to say what the percentage of working and non working games are. Video driver issues can be sorted out through some extent through DOS Box as well.
Windows 9x (Win95, Win98, WinME) era: This one is a minefield for sure. There are all sorts of weird issues from the DirectX 6-7 era. Though I noticed that OpenGL games this old generally have a better success rate. Also disc installers and some early DRM can cause issues too. I guess Windows 10 does have compatibility for for the 9x kernel, but this is generally one of the most hit or miss eras. I notice that on Linux, using WINE is a pretty good solution to running some of this older software, but there is also visualizing Windows 98SE as well.
Windows XP/ Vista era: Generally speaking I don't think most DX8 or DX9 games are hard to get working on current machines. But I notice that disc installers and some DRM can cause headaches of running from the original media.
Overall, I would say yes... yes it is a minefield.
Windows 9x (Win95, Win98, WinME) era: This one is a minefield for sure. There are all sorts of weird issues from the DirectX 6-7 era. Though I noticed that OpenGL games this old generally have a better success rate. Also disc installers and some early DRM can cause issues too. I guess Windows 10 does have compatibility for for the 9x kernel, but this is generally one of the most hit or miss eras. I notice that on Linux, using WINE is a pretty good solution to running some of this older software, but there is also visualizing Windows 98SE as well.
Windows XP/ Vista era: Generally speaking I don't think most DX8 or DX9 games are hard to get working on current machines. But I notice that disc installers and some DRM can cause headaches of running from the original media.
Overall, I would say yes... yes it is a minefield.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Literally the only unplayable old game I've ever tried to play are the three Blair Witch games included in the triple pack they released back in the early 00s. Windows 10 64-bit for some reason just won't run them no matter what I try.
Other than that, every other game either works out the box or with some minor adjustments, with a fan made patch or some workaround but is still playable at the end of the day.
Other than that, every other game either works out the box or with some minor adjustments, with a fan made patch or some workaround but is still playable at the end of the day.
Mr_Antimatter
Member
I've been quite sad to see some of the GOG games i've gotten have been minefields. Many require quite a few tweaks to get running. Blood 2, Sin, and Shogo have been a bit of a pain for me.
MrCunningham
Member
I was really in the mood to play Zoo Tycoon a few months ago. I still have my old disk, but no matter what "patches" I downloaded or compatibility mode I set my computer to, it simply refused to work. I never got to scratch that itch
PCGamingWiki might help: https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Zoo_Tycoon
If you own the retail version, then it is probably the SafeDisc DRM.
TwiztidElf
Member
When Rockstar put GTA1&2 out for free and said "you're on your own running it". I'd only ever played it on PS1, so I was super excited to play it at the proper resolution. wooohooooo!
Then I tried to run them. Sadness.
Then I tried to run them. Sadness.
I'll look into this. Though honestly I would prefer it being added to GOG at this point.
edit: I think Microsoft owns the brand? I guess there goes all hope for GOG getting it. :|
MrCunningham
Member
I'll look into this. Though honestly I would prefer it being added to GOG at this point.
I think the game is owned by Microsoft Studios, and sadly they do not have any interest in selling their older games on GOG. Which is a shame.
Augemitbutter
Member
it's a minefield. luckily, i have older machines around.
you'll always run into issues with computers. better have some time.
you'll always run into issues with computers. better have some time.
robgrab
Member
Compatibility is MUCH less of a problem than it used to be. With tons of resources on the internet like PCGamingWiki and miracle workers, like Durante, most older games not only "work" but look and perform well beyond what they were ever designed to do. Plus the addition of programs like Reshade that can add shaders that add things like post-processing Antialiasing, Ambient Occlusion, and Depth of Field, etc.. It's a glorious time to be a PC gamer. That being said there are still a few that are beyond help.
SirMossyBloke
Member
I've been trying for YEARS to get The Settlers IV Gold Edition to work above Windows 7 and it just refuses to load properly. I've seen fixes online that are supposed to help, but they never do. I have a feeling the game boots into a resolution that my flatscreen TV can't handle, and there's no way around it.
Other than that, it's been fairly smooth sailing.
Other than that, it's been fairly smooth sailing.
Fuck, you'd hate to know what I had to do to get F1 Challenge '99-'02 to work on Windows 10 x64 with mods. It involved, amongst other things, using a hacked "EA 3D Config tool" to select widescreen resolutions, and modifying the .exe in Compatibility Administrator to emulate the functionality of Windows 9x heap manager. Whew.
Nascar Racing 2003, Richard Burns Rally and Grand Prix Legends all took a lot of time but I did get them working in the end.
Nascar Racing 2003, Richard Burns Rally and Grand Prix Legends all took a lot of time but I did get them working in the end.
petran79
Banned
I was really in the mood to play Zoo Tycoon a few months ago. I still have my old disk, but no matter what "patches" I downloaded or compatibility mode I set my computer to, it simply refused to work. I never got to scratch that itch
Awesome game.Have the CD too but havent played that game for years. Zoo Tycoon 2 runs fine fortunately.
Problem with Dosbox is that CPU performance matches that of a 100 mhz Pentium 1 on a high end PC,so for more demanding games in the late 90s you'd struggle to reach optimal performance.
For Win9x games sometimes it is better to play on Playstation and Saturn emulation. Eg Resident Evil 1 Windows requires a fat32 partition to save a game. Bust a Move 3 runs only on specific video card drivers of the 90s.
Only solution is to have an actual Windows98 PC.
The only title ive ever had not work was Echelon Wind Warrior, and I haven't found and plausible solutions for Win10 anywhere.
Otherwise, I've alwasy kind of enjoyed the idea of being able to tinker with older games to get them to work. It makes me feel like I have more control over the games I own (like cracking open Thief2 with a hex editor at one point)
Otherwise, I've alwasy kind of enjoyed the idea of being able to tinker with older games to get them to work. It makes me feel like I have more control over the games I own (like cracking open Thief2 with a hex editor at one point)
nkarafo
Member
Seems like i have mostly problems with older Windows 7/10 compatible games.
MrCunningham
Member
Yeah, I was commenting on the title of the thread in general, and not really addressing your problems with those particular games. To be honest, I am still using Windows 7 and have been avoiding the jump to Windows 10 on purpose, so I can't really comment on running Win 7 era games on 8.1 or 10.
Oh yeah that is a good point.
I agree that it is generally easier to just emulate the PS1 and Saturn equivalents, but there are still some PC ports out there from the Windows 9x era where these games have things like perspective correction and hardware acceleration. Like the PC port of Metal Gear Solid 1. There are all sorts of weird issues running games from this generation. one of the worst issues I have run across are DirectX 6 and 7 games. Not all graphics cards that came after 2000 support these mode. I bought Moto Racer from the mot recent GOG summer sale and I had a hard enough time getting hardware acceleration to work.
Running Windows98se on a VM may also be a solution. But even that can get a little messy.
Wowfunhappy
Member
Can't you just use Virtualbox?
daninthemix
Member
Thought I'd bump this as I finally bought Viva Pinata from eBay. Installs fine, runs fine, I can use an offline GFWL profile file, just one problem - I can't save.
Or rather, when it prompts me to create a save, it does it. But then whenever it tries to read or save over that created save it says "the file is unreadable. It may be read-only or you could be out of disk space".
It's very unlikely, but is anyone successfully running Viva Pinata on Win 10 (I have tried compatibility mode for various OSs)
Or rather, when it prompts me to create a save, it does it. But then whenever it tries to read or save over that created save it says "the file is unreadable. It may be read-only or you could be out of disk space".
It's very unlikely, but is anyone successfully running Viva Pinata on Win 10 (I have tried compatibility mode for various OSs)
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
tried running as administrator?
MrCunningham
Member
Yeah, this is a fairly common issue or GFWL titles. The game relied on the GFWL for saving. Doing a quick search, there might be a solution here:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...a-pinata/c3fc98a3-c4cd-49ca-a9f8-45f71c058809
The Baron Count
Member
Well it's hard to complain when you are given the option to play all this old stuff at all, but yes it's a colossal pain in the ass at times.
daninthemix
Member
This worked, thanks. I then ran Process Monitor and saw that it was trying to do something in the TEMP folder that it didn't have rights to, so I set Everyone Full Control on the Temp folder. Now it works for non-admins, too!
My next challenge was that the Steam Controller config crashes the game if I try and use my Dual Shock 4. Luckily I have an XBO pad too, and the game works fine with that.