- This topic has 12 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 17 years, 11 months ago by
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Hey guys,
Does anyone else have this problem? I got the windows version of KQ6 running with VDMS, but the graphics for the mouse pointer don’t change as they should (i.e. If I select WALK/TALK/LOOK/GRAB from the menu, it doesn’t change. If I right-click, it doesn’t change). If I move the mouse outside the kq6 window and then bring it back in, it will change to what it should be, but this is really annoying. Is there any way around this? I’ve tried various settings in the Compatability tab and in VDMS… don’t think anything is working. I don’t have this problem with sq4.
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“… (by The Walker) Hey guys,Does anyone else have this problem? I got the windows version of KQ6 running with VDMS, but the graphics for the mouse pointer don’t change as they should (i.e. If I select WALK/TALK/LOOK/GRAB from the menu, it doesn’t change. If I right-click, it doesn’t change). If I move the mouse outside the kq6 window and then bring it back in, it will change to what it should be, but this is really annoying. Is there any way around this? I’ve tried various settings in the Compatability tab and in VDMS… don’t think anything is working. I don’t have this problem with sq4.
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Hey there (QFG3 reference in your nick?),Don’t play KQ6 *or* SQ4 WIN versions, they’re crap. 🙂
But if you will persist with it, I’d set your display to 256 colours and 680*480 resolution, which SHOULD fix the cursors. But if it doesn’t.. then just play the disk version (which is better).
VDM Sound won’t change anything to do with graphics, by the way.
regards,
– Alistair -
The Waffle Walker? Yeah, I’m just asking to be eaten, aren’t I?
I figured that VDMS wouldn’t change anything no matter what I did, but I guess I was at the point where I wanted to try anything. I already tried it in 256 colours and 640*480 res, but it didn’t work (I tried on two different computers).
It seems weird playing the DOS version … what with the huge mouse cursors and pixilated character portraits. It never seemed like the KQ6 that I’ve always known and loved.
Thanks for helping though!
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Me too. I initially played the game on the Mac, and the dialogue portraits were the same as in the DOS version. I just can’t get used to those Windows dialogue portraits… that’s not the Alexander I fell in love with! 🙂
We’ve had this discussion before, but I also prefer the opening movie on the Macintosh version to the one either of the PC versions…
BTW, I could never get the Windows version going on XP at all. I did play the DOS version with VDMSound, no problems.
-emily
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yeah, I suppose it does keep with the general art style. Still, KQ6win was the first sierra game I ever played. It came free with my Compaq 486 90MHz … I always felt that the game was worth a lot more than the computer. =P Back then, dial-up Internet cost $20 each month for 10 hours, so the game was my primary source of entertainment after school.
To run the windows version, you right click on SCIVW.EXE, go to properties, click on the compatability tab, check all the boxes (and run in windows 95 mode). Then you make new text file, type “SCIVW.EXE -o C:\SIERRA\KQ6\WIN\SIERRA.INI” (or where ever it put that file), save it as “run.bat”, and run run.bat using VDMSound. You might need to change the compatability settings of run.bat so that they’re the same as the compatability settings of SCIVW.EXE, too. The cursor bug might drive you nuts though. =(
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“… (by The Walker) yeah, I suppose it does keep with the general art style. Still, KQ6win was the first sierra game I ever played. It came free with my Compaq 486 90MHz … I always felt that the game was worth a lot more than the computer. =P Back then, dial-up Internet cost $20 each month for 10 hours, so the game was my primary source of entertainment after school.To run the windows version, you right click on SCIVW.EXE, go to properties, click on the compatability tab, check all the boxes (and run in windows 95 mode). Then you make new text file, type “SCIVW.EXE -o C:SIERRAKQ6WINSIERRA.INI” (or where ever it put that file), save it as “run.bat”, and run run.bat using VDMSound. You might need to change the compatability settings of run.bat so that they’re the same as the compatability settings of SCIVW.EXE, too. The cursor bug might drive you nuts though. =(
…”Ooh, tasty waffle. 🙂
But seriously folks- you MUST be kidding! All that nonsense for an inferior game? VDM Sound does nothing for Windows games, anyway, IIRC..
Just play the DOS CD game with VDM Sound.. I can fix any problems with it..
– Alistair
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KQ6 in *any* version is far from inferior. 😉 But to each their own.
The weird thing about some of the early Sierra games for windows is that they need to start up within an active DOS-based environment since Windows acted like a frontend for DOS. So while VDMS doesn’t do anything for the game itself, you need it to simulate that environment before the game can start up. Otherwise, if you double click on the shortcut or the EXE itself, it won’t do anything. Space Quest 4 for windows was like this, too.
I wouldn’t say that the steps are nonsense since I’ve spent a few hours getting all my old DOS games to work in windows XP without requiring their CD’s to play. KQ6 just ended up being the biggest problem. Getting KQ6 for DOS to work is easy, but I like to challenge myself. =) It feels good to get things working where the solution isn’t obvious. But since there doesn’t seem to be a quick magical fix to this cursor bug aside from installing VirtualPC or an older version of windows, looks like I’m out of luck. I’m in no mood to design a full-scale 16-bit Windows emulator project. =P
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“… (by The Walker) KQ6 in *any* version is far from inferior. 😉 But to each their own….”
*roll eyes*Quote:
“…The weird thing about some of the early Sierra games for windows is that they need to start up within an active DOS-based environment since Windows acted like a frontend for DOS. So while VDMS doesn’t do anything for the game itself, you need it to simulate that environment before the game can start up. Otherwise, if you double click on the shortcut or the EXE itself, it won’t do anything. Space Quest 4 for windows was like this, too….”
Yes, that’s very weird, and likely incorrect.VDM Sound does nothing for Windows games. if you can get KQ6 (for example) Windows version to run by right-clicking and selecting “run with VDMS” that’s nothing to do with DOS/Windows. It’s either to do with the NTVDM system loading (which I guess is sort of what you’re saying) or simply letting the game run because it allows you to use correct res’s or something.
SQ4 for Windows is even worse. KQ6 has ugly pictures, SQ4 is simply crap in Windows. Download the CD-fixed version that’s much much better at http://www.SpaceQUest.Net if ya get a chance..
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“…I wouldn’t say that the steps are nonsense since I’ve spent a few hours getting all my old DOS games to work in windows XP without requiring their CD’s to play. KQ6 just ended up being the biggest problem. Getting KQ6 for DOS to work is easy, but I like to challenge myself. =) It feels good to get things working where the solution isn’t obvious. But since there doesn’t seem to be a quick magical fix to this cursor bug aside from installing VirtualPC or an older version of windows, looks like I’m out of luck. I’m in no mood to design a full-scale 16-bit Windows emulator project. =P…”
Absolute nonsense. And it’s not rocket science to get CD games to run off your hard disk..Yes, challenge yourself by making problems and solving them. Excellent.
Instead of being ‘out of luck’, why don’t you go do something useful for yourself and play the DOS version using VDM Sound? Honestly. Some people amaze even me! 🙂
– Alistair
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Jeez man, I’m not asking for any trouble here! All I wanted to know is if someone out there has the same techie problem as me, and if they found some way to solve it. I mean, if I buy a Honda and it breaks down, I’d like the mechanic to tell me if they can fix it… not tell me to buy a Chrysler before even looking at it. I got some more useful replies at a different forum, so don’t worry about it.
And if you have a better way of getting KQ6win to run without having to use VDMS (which, by the way, a lot of people have to do), then by all means… let us know! Please don’t belittle me for choosing not to use something else. I’m quite aware of the alternatives. That’s not the issue. Just try it for yourself and tell us how it goes. Maybe then we can discuss theory. I never said this stuff was rocket science, but it’s certainly not no-brainer material either. That’s why we have these forums and people coming up with “nonsense” methods to get their software to work in the first place. I certainly owe a lot to them.
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“… (by The Walker) Jeez man, I’m not asking for any trouble here! All I wanted to know is if someone out there has the same techie problem as me, and if they found some way to solve it. I mean, if I buy a Honda and it breaks down, I’d like the mechanic to tell me if they can fix it… not tell me to buy a Chrysler before even looking at it. I got some more useful replies at a different forum, so don’t worry about it….”
I’m not suggesting you buy a new computer.. interesting choice of analogy.My analogy would be (in relation to your car one) that why would you try and use an incompatible Chrysler motor in a Honda vehicle, and then complain that the car won’t start. 🙂
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“…And if you have a better way of getting KQ6win to run without having to use VDMS (which, by the way, a lot of people have to do), then by all means… let us know! Please don’t belittle me for choosing not to use something else. I’m quite aware of the alternatives. That’s not the issue. Just try it for yourself and tell us how it goes. Maybe then we can discuss theory. I never said this stuff was rocket science, but it’s certainly not no-brainer material either. That’s why we have these forums and people coming up with “nonsense” methods to get their software to work in the first place. I certainly owe a lot to them….”
I already gave you a more than viable alternative; play the DOS version. No ugly ‘portraits’, no audio bugs that may crop up in XP when playing in Windows, fixed cursors..I apologise for ‘belittling’ you, such as it was- I admit I got frickin’ irked. Doing Sierra tech support over the years gets to me sometimes.. my bad. Anyways..
Sadly, in the realm of Sierra tech support, *especially* Windows games (ergo: Windows versions of DOS games) people simply know not much and plaster awful ‘solutions’ onto people. Whereas yours is quite clever, others, such as collector on these forums, give people these long complex “no-brainers” to either sound important or who simply don’t know what they’re talking about. I apologise again- you don’t fall into that category. Need anything, you know where to find me..
By the way- with regards to KQ6 Windows, there really isn’t a viable solution. The audio doesn’t playback correctly (MIDI doesn’t anyway), the cursors are in some weird res and every Sierra Windows game has weird code which renders it barely playable, even on old systems; let alone modern ones. But as you say, it’s your choice, hell it doesn’t bother me. 🙂 I’ll help you out if you have any other questions..
Regards,
– Alistair -
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“…Doing Sierra tech support over the years gets to me sometimes…..”
then dont do iti see the logic in using vdmsound even with older windows games. these games were designed to run with old soundblaster, adlib, and midi systems, so todays new soundcards probably present some incompatibility, even with the nice hardware abstraction that the windows programming model presents. the windows functions that outputed sound back in the win16 days were designed to work with those old cards. im sure that microsoft has made every effort to make them run in the win32 environment, but that emulation might be flawed in a way that vdmsound could help fix. who knows. certainly not you or i since neither of us developed windows or vdmsound. i haven’t taken the time to look into the source of vdmsound, so i cant say for certain if it helps or not. i doubt that you have either. you are just being rude.
and if someone prefers the windows version over the dos version, good for them. does it really matter to you?
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“… (by JT Harkey) Doing Sierra tech support over the years gets to me sometimes..
then dont do iti see the logic in using vdmsound even with older windows games. these games were designed to run with old soundblaster, adlib, and midi systems, so todays new soundcards probably present some incompatibility, even with the nice hardware abstraction that the windows programming model presents. the windows functions that outputed sound back in the win16 days were designed to work with those old cards. im sure that microsoft has made every effort to make them run in the win32 environment, but that emulation might be flawed in a way that vdmsound could help fix. who knows. certainly not you or i since neither of us developed windows or vdmsound. i haven’t taken the time to look into the source of vdmsound, so i cant say for certain if it helps or not. i doubt that you have either. you are just being rude.
and if someone prefers the windows version over the dos version, good for them. does it really matter to you?
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I do it; because usually I can provide a simple, concise answer and fix a simple problem. The concept of ‘making tech support a challenge’ annoys me.But yes, I was rude. I think I apologised.. or if I didn’t, then shame on me. 🙂
Today’s new sound cards are rubbish. I hate the new Creative lines, they’re really not much of an improvement, especially when you look at other audio devices on the market, and especially especially when you see an Audigy costs more than a hundred buckazoids!!
VDM Sound is awesome for sound cards- love it. I think you must’ve misread earlier posts.
Then again, you shouldn’t have bothered replying at all.. 🙂Yes, you’re quite right with your last comment. I think I already made the same point, however..
Regards,
– Alistair
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