Question Retro games on Win11 - Compatibility help!

[LauraL]

Grabbed an old childhood game (2003) from an abandonware site. It's an ISO file I was able to mount and install, but unable to actually play (freezes, closes). It's not a fan of my Windows 11 Home/DirectX 12.

The game is The Saddle Club: Willowbrook Stables or Willowbrook Stables: Search for the Golden Horseshoe (same game, rebranded).
Requirements listed as:
Processor Type - Intel Pentium II
Processor Speed - 350MHz
OS - Win 95/98, 2000, ME, XP
Video - 16MB 3D graphics card
Sound - DirectX 8.0-compatible card

I'm thinking VMware is the way to go..? I already have a VMware Horizon client installed for my remote work. Not sure if that is something I can take advantage of or if I need a different version. I have zero experience with VM short of logging in for work, but I've managed to find my way around virtual drives and basic emulators... In other words, I can follow instructions well.

Anyone want to do some trial and error, walking me through this?

 

[stonecarver]

Well this is what the game should look and play like.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxkc3FNlo4g


I thought I would see if there is any help. I just got the game and wow your right super glitchy.

A few thoughts I will try tomorrow look for a patch.

I want to get into the game files and see if there is an inf file that I can preset game resolution as that also might be an issue the game being so aged trying to play off newer gear as when you launch game it goes jumbo.

In game there is no setting to adjust resolution.

I also got a second copy from another source and ran slightly better but still a disaster.

I did run it in compatibility mode for XP service pack 3 no change horrible.

One of the hardest road block when we moved to windows 11 is the early .nets from Microsoft will not install on the newer OS. Not having those could be an issue.

Also the game was Direct-X 8. That in and by itself is not a big deal but again Microsoft has removed a couple of .dll that went to the old Direct-X 8. On the second copy of the game I got it has the Direct-X 8 install files.

So tomorrow I will see if I can come up with a solution IF there is one to be offered to you.

 

[TerryLaze]

I'm thinking VMware is the way to go..? I already have a VMware Horizon client installed for my remote work.

Vm will not work because it does not emulate any particular video or sound card so the game will have no idea that there is video and sound installed.
If you are not afraid of VMs then you should try PCem it will emulate an old CPU 3d virge/voodoo and soundblaster so it will be a perfect system to run old games on, it's pretty involved to set up the first time though.
(After you install windows, backup the file so you don't have to re do it and you always have a fresh windows install to go back to)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx2H3IV9SG4


We had a post about this game before.

[SOLVED] - OLD GAME HELP

Hi, I recently want to replay all the old games I played when I was younger (around 2001-2005). I recently got my hands on one of them, (finally) and I installed it on my PC fine, however - when I open it up, it changes the resolution like most old games do - but then it crashes with no...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Yup, VMware is not gonna work ! Try some other software. Personally I have used PCem, and it's very good. Give it a try. Installation might be a bit complicated at first, but it's worth it.

 

[35below0]

Have you tried dxwnd? https://sourceforge.net/projectsdxwnd/

It may be a nightmare to configure if it doesn't work on the first attempt, but i've managed to get some old games to work using it. Viper Racing, Birth of the Federation or Pharaoh windowed for example.

Edit - So, i went and gave this a shot myself. I got it to run in Win 11 Home, though it was a bit clumsy. The Save Game dialog slowed the mouse cursor to a crawl. No idea why. The game, well it runs.
I don't know what to compare it to since i had never seen this game before. I'm not sure if it's playable or if something is missing.

Next i tried dxwnd. It did not like the game at all. Refused to start it and complained a LOT.

I went back to the drawing baord and tried using the game's own config menu to try and run it natively.
Set the resolution as high as it goes, 1280x1024, 32 bit, windowed, vsync on.

And it worked, ran a bit smoother than last time, but still got massively slow in the save game menu.
Also got both the mouse cursor in the game and the Win11 mouse cursor moving simultaneously.

But it's playable. Got to walk around and talk. Not sure how to stop people talking in this game. Exits ok, no crashes in the few minutes i've played.


So, what's your full system specs?

Because i can play it in Win 11 Home, and so should you.
The ISO i got is the UK version and it's 246Mb in size. Started the game using it's own autorun menu and exe file. Both work.


I'll give dxwnd another go. It might help with the slowdown, but the game does seem to work in Win 11.

Edit 2 - bleh. dxwnd cannot seem to work unless the Hook disabled option is ticked. But then it just does nothing.

The double mouse cursors is a little bit of a problem but some game menus can be navigated using a keyboard.
The slowdown is very annoying but saving and loading can also be done using a keyboard.
Adjusting gfx settings needs a mouse but maxing it out once isn't that hard.

Few issues but it seems to work.

 

[LauraL]

Well this is what the game should look and play like.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxkc3FNlo4g


I thought I would see if there is any help. I just got the game and wow your right super glitchy.

A few thoughts I will try tomorrow look for a patch.

I want to get into the game files and see if there is an inf file that I can preset game resolution as that also might be an issue the game being so aged trying to play off newer gear as when you launch game it goes jumbo.

In game there is no setting to adjust resolution.

I also got a second copy from another source and ran slightly better but still a disaster.

I did run it in compatibility mode for XP service pack 3 no change horrible.

One of the hardest road block when we moved to windows 11 is the early .nets from Microsoft will not install on the newer OS. Not having those could be an issue.

Also the game was Direct-X 8. That in and by itself is not a big deal but again Microsoft has removed a couple of .dll that went to the old Direct-X 8. On the second copy of the game I got it has the Direct-X 8 install files.

So tomorrow I will see if I can come up with a solution IF there is one to be offered to you.

The effort is most definitely appreciated. You guys are some of the best puzzle solvers I’ve seen.

 

[LauraL]

Yup, VMware is not gonna work ! Try some other software. Personally I have used PCem, and it's very good. Give it a try. Installation might be a bit complicated at first, but it's worth it.

I will look into that this week, not familiar with it.

 

[LauraL]

Edit - So, i went and gave this a shot myself. I got it to run in Win 11 Home, though it was a bit clumsy. The Save Game dialog slowed the mouse cursor to a crawl. No idea why. The game, well it runs.
I don't know what to compare it to since i had never seen this game before. I'm not sure if it's playable or if something is missing.

Next i tried dxwnd. It did not like the game at all. Refused to start it and complained a LOT.

I went back to the drawing baord and tried using the game's own config menu to try and run it natively.
Set the resolution as high as it goes, 1280x1024, 32 bit, windowed, vsync on.

Where are seeing you a config menu? Only options I see are in the game itself, setup screen which is basically low res or high res as a choice. Happy to try messing around and seeing if it will work for me but I'm not sure where I'm looking.

EDIT: Found them. Off to play around and see if I get anywhere.

So, what's your full system specs?

Because i can play it in Win 11 Home, and so should you.
The ISO i got is the UK version and it's 246Mb in size. Started the game using it's own autorun menu and exe file. Both work.

Specs:

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[35below0]

Good luck.

In my attempts, the game looked exactly like in the video @stonecarver posted, only with more foliage and trees after i cranked the visuals all the way.

One possible explanation for different experience may be the DirectX redistributables installed on a PC. Some older games i have on Steam will trigger Steam to find and download .NET or DirectX or DirectPlay or whatever else it detects as missing when i start the game first time.
Other times Win 11 figures this out and asks to install whatever stuff needs installing.

So just maybe, i have some of the neccessary files lying around and you do not.

 

[LauraL]

Good luck.

In my attempts, the game looked exactly like in the video @stonecarver posted, only with more foliage and trees after i cranked the visuals all the way.

One possible explanation for different experience may be the DirectX redistributables installed on a PC. Some older games i have on Steam will trigger Steam to find and download .NET or DirectX or DirectPlay or whatever else it detects as missing when i start the game first time.
Other times Win 11 figures this out and asks to install whatever stuff needs installing.

So just maybe, i have some of the neccessary files lying around and you do not.

That might be the case... I was able to get past the first video screen and into the actual game play, but then it crashed. Tried a few more times and I wasn't able to get much past that

 

[35below0]

That might be the case... I was able to get past the first video screen and into the actual game play, but then it crashed. Tried a few more times and I wasn't able to get much past that

Got all the updates for Win 11? Just to confirm we're using the same build.

Try this: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dow...35&url=/windows/directx/downloads/default.htm
It doesn't list Dx8 unfortunately but it may help.

 

[LauraL]

Got all the updates for Win 11? Just to confirm we're using the same build.

Try this: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dow...35&url=/windows/directx/downloads/default.htm
It doesn't list Dx8 unfortunately but it may help.

DirectX installed. Windows up to date.
Still no dice...

 

[NedSmelly]

If you want to continue trying the VMware path: it's been a while since I played with VMs for Windows 98/XP, but I recall that VMware permits GPU PCI passthrough. info link here

Not sure if Horizon can do this, but they've just made VMware Workstation Pro free for personal use.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Older builds of VirtualBox emulate a GeForce 6800 if the guest is Windows XP and 3D acceleration was installed from the guest additions.

I think version 5.2.x was the cut off for this. But it also could've been version 6.0.x

 

[stonecarver]

Okay I have some good news. I got it playing really good with the exception of in a menu but even the menu flows better now.

So there are three things I did.

In your game files in your Program Files (x86) --- Infogrames Interactive---Saddle Club---Willowbrook---Extra--- to the--- config---app

Open that and set to 1280x 1024 and set it to 32bit.

Than go into the ----Video--- folder and click to play the video there are two in there. You will get a pop up saying it can't play video as it's missing a mpeg codec.

Windows 11 will offer you a download for that missing codec. Click yes. I always get file did not download correctly over on the left there will be a try again button just do it again and it will install.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...a-player-d5c2cdcd-83a2-4805-abb0-c6888138e456

The third item I added into the the game file folder is--- DirectInputFpsFix_v1_0---dinput8.dll that comes from another game that needed a fix.

DirectInput FPS Fix

TL;DR The DirectInputFpxFix fixes an input related FPS drop/slowdown problem that occurs in FEAR, its expansions, Condemned: Criminal Origins and other games. It is easy to install and does not require manual disabling of HID devices. Quick start guide: Extract the file dinput8.dll to the folder ...

community.pcgamingwiki.com

So here is where things are now. The cut scene video now is buttery smooth.

The game now lets me hit Esc key as before just nothing. I can save game and game play is now consistent. The sky is now not blinking in and out.

I turned up all the video settings and the eye candy with the grass and textures all look great.
The girl walking , running and interactions are all working great now.

But again in the menu for video settings your mouse is on drugs. just time it to get what you need done in there and that is the worst of the mouse.
But game now works.

 

[35below0]

Awesome work @stonecarver

But again in the menu for video settings your mouse is on drugs. just time it to get what you need done in there and that is the worst of the mouse.

I discovered that a keyboard can be used to select menus or files. Except for graphics quality settings which need a mouse, and some of the diary menus, try to use the keyboard arrow keys instead. Easier to navigate than with a timetravelling mouse.
Saving and loading, i just hit Enter twice.

Edit - Videos always played fine for me, and Windows never offered any codecs. I have the VLC player, latest version installed. Trying to play the files with Windows Media PLayer gets me a blank screen, audio only.
No way to add codecs. Maybe it's part of some Intel program or idk, or if having VLC installed makes a difference but the videos always played ok.

I added dinput8.dll but i don't think it made any difference. Everything plays the same as before. It look good though.

The only gltch i noticed is that the sky is visible through the roof of the house you start the game in.
Other than that, no flickering or obvious issues.

 

[stonecarver]

I added dinput8.dll but i don't think it made any difference. Everything plays the same as before. It look good though.

I figured it couldn't hurt adding that. I was throwing everything at it including the kitchen sink

Where I was hoping to find an inf file to put in custom values I passed right over a game file called ---trace---

It seems like what I was looking for that an inf game file gives you.

So I will make a copy of that ---trace--- file and put safe out of harms way and see what if any game improvement can be made manually setting custom values.

 

[faalin]

Well this is what the game should look and play like.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxkc3FNlo4g


I thought I would see if there is any help. I just got the game and wow your right super glitchy.

A few thoughts I will try tomorrow look for a patch.

I want to get into the game files and see if there is an inf file that I can preset game resolution as that also might be an issue the game being so aged trying to play off newer gear as when you launch game it goes jumbo.

In game there is no setting to adjust resolution.

I also got a second copy from another source and ran slightly better but still a disaster.

I did run it in compatibility mode for XP service pack 3 no change horrible.

One of the hardest road block when we moved to windows 11 is the early .nets from Microsoft will not install on the newer OS. Not having those could be an issue.

Also the game was Direct-X 8. That in and by itself is not a big deal but again Microsoft has removed a couple of .dll that went to the old Direct-X 8. On the second copy of the game I got it has the Direct-X 8 install files.

So tomorrow I will see if I can come up with a solution IF there is one to be offered to you.

For windows 10 and 11,

click start and type control panel
in control panel in the upper right set view by to small icons, then click programs and features.
In program and features on the left had side click Turn windows features on or off.
the very first check box is to install .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)

 

[stonecarver]

I have went down that path trying to give permission to let the early .nets install but hit a wall and still refused to install. That was a couple years ago so I will try again . Thanks for the heads up faalin .

 

[stonecarver]

Same thing install starts than hangs.

Than pop up Windows couldn't be completed. Please reboot your computer and try again. Error code: 0x800F0950

So for me I still can't get the .nets to install.

 

[faalin]

Hmmm thats strange, I just did it on my home computer but im also running window 11 pro and my user account has admin privileges, maybe its a home thing thats causing issues

 

[stonecarver]

Yeah I'm running pro as well ?

 

[faalin]

it looked like the download hung a few times but did the install and told me to reboot. I wont do that till i get home in 15 min....


Did the reboot, no issues and shows the older .net's installed.