Video Problems in WC4

Starkey

Starkey

Avenging Rooster
I changed my old videoboard for an 8 Mb SiS 6326, but now WC4 won't work. Everytime I start the game, the video locks, but the music keeps playing. If I press Esc repeatedly, I can play the missions, but I am not able to see the movies. I've tried to switch to 8-bit SVGA but it did not work too. help.

The machine is a P166, 40Mb Ram, Sound Blaster PCI 128.

To save your time, my autoexec and config are fine, thanks. I can play every other WC game with my current configurations. I am pretty sure that this is a video problem.

I know that there's a 16-bit SVGA patch link in wcnews.com. What does that patch do? I think it might solve this issue but, since Blacklance's FTP is off (at least now), where else can I find that patch?
thanks in advance.
 
Download the Wing Commander IV 16 bit SVGA Patch.
https://www.wcnews.com/files.shtml#wc4
http://www.blacklance.org/loaf/tech/gamefaq/wc4.html

Update your vesa drivers.
http://www.sis.com/support/faq/general.htm
5. Does SiS6326 support VESA 2.0? Where can I get the driver for it?
Yes, SiS6326 is compliant to VESA 2.0 specification. Because the codes have been included in BIOS, SiS6326 can support VESA 2.0 compatible programs directly without needing any extra driver installed. If there should exist display problems or compatibility issues, one can try to update SiS6326 BIOS by the file Tsr.exe. (File Tsr.exe is on SiS6326 Win98 driver page) In this way, the VESA 2.0 supporting can be updated at the same time and the VESA program compatibility can be enhanced.
http://www.sis.com/support/driver/6326.htm
Make sure you have the most updated drivers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
new developments...

http://www.blacklance.org/loaf/tech/gamefaq/wc4.html

Thanks John, the link above really helped, and I figured out that my SB PCI 128 is causing the video problems. I am getting the following error, as described in the Origin tech support page that LOAF saved for us:

"The movies lock up, but if I hit ESC, I can get past them!
This problem is related to your sound card configuration. Run INSTALL.BAT from the C:\WC4 directory and re-configure your sound card. The 'Autodetection' option would be best for this stage. Once complete, run the game again. If the problem persists, try running with 'NO SOUND' selected. If the problem goes away with 'NO SOUND' running, you will need to reconfigure your sound card manually. See our Sound Card Help Page for more information."

The problem goes away with NO SOUND selected. But, of course, there's no fun playing WC4 with no sound. My Sound Blaster works with all the other DOS games I have.

So far, I've tried these things:

- Autodetection: it detects my card as a SB 16, but the problem still happens.
- Configuring my card as "Sound Blaster and compatibles" also did not help.

I will try the tips available at http://www.blacklance.org/ loaf/tech/hardware/ sound/sndhelp.html, and get back here later.

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions...
 
Thanks again, John.

The IRQ is set to 7.
I don't think this is a driver problem, but a configuration issue. As I said, I get sound in all the other WC and non-WC DOS games.
Okay, :o here goes the autoexec and config:

autoexec.bat

@echo off
set dircmd=/o/p
set blaster=a:220 i:7 d:1 t:2
set sbpci=c:\arquiv~1\creative\audio\dosdrv
set temp=c:\windows\temp
lh c:\arquiv~1\creative\audio\dosdrv\sbinit.com
lh c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d:mscd000 /m:5

config.sys
device=c:\windows\setver.exe
device=c:\windows\himem.sys
device=c:\windows\emm386.exe ram
dos=high,umb
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\GSCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD000 /v
 
I am pretty sure the DOS version of WC4 can play in windows. To change the IRQ to 5 go into the BIOS and under PCI/PNP Configuration set IRQ 5 to Legacy.
 
Starkey, WC4 DOS can play in windows. Go to https://www.wcnews.com/files.shtml#wc4 and download the Win95 patch. You may need to use mirror site 2. Blacklance server has been having problems lately.

This will give WC4 native Win95 support with DX. It's been a while since I played the DOS version. I have the DVD version. The movies look so much clearer in DVD. Once you gone DVD your never go back.:D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Originally posted by Johnl12
Starkey, WC4 DOS can play in windows.
Click to expand...

I've downloaded the patch and now it plays well in Windows. Beats trying to solve the problem of how to make a new sound card work with an old DOS game.

Thanks a lot, John, I am now even tweaking with the WC4 starting command line in Windows to get rid of interlace and stuff. :)
 
No problem. Playing the game is whats important not getting it to work under DOS. I haven't played the DOS version of this game for like 4 years. Which is why it took me so long to remember about the patch. Plus since it was you I assume you knew about the patch. It was till you post your bootdisk that I realize what was happening.
 
Also in windows from the RUN command type sysedit. The RUN for Win9x is on the start button. In Win3.x it's in the File Manager under "File"
 
Originally posted by Wedge009
Why would you want to do that?
Click to expand...

According to the readme.txt file in the Win95 patch for WC4, it eliminates the "black horizontal lines" in the movies.

It really works, all you have to do is change your shortcut command line to "c:\wc4\wc4w.exe -no_interlace".
 
It doesn't add any new data though :) So it just stretches the existing lines out and makes it look, IMHO, worse.
 
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