Topic: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work) (Read 15616 times)

Sensei · « **on:** August 23, 2011, 01:41:33 pm »

Hey guys! I picked up a copy of Crimson Skies recently, a game that was released in 2000. I've got a couple problems though:

First, it doesn't recognize my joystick, a Saitek Cyborg 3D gold, which is normally something I'd just chalk up to incompatibility with new hardware but, no, this joystick was released in the same year as Crimson Skies.

Then there's the bigger issue- which is to say, I'd really like to figure it out because it messes with other games too. While using hardware acceleration, sometimes (in most games, as soon as 3D graphics are drawn, but in some it seems to be triggered by arbitrary areas or models) big chunks of the screen will stop being drawn, left either black or just cutting through UI/3D models/backgrounds individually. In crimson skies, it looks like this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Now, in CS and other games that have this problem, I can 'fix' it by running graphics on software instead of hardware, however, they look hideous and run slow, and Crimson Skies has a maximum resolution of 640x480 in software.

For the record, I have DX11, and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card.

Edit: Oh, OS would probably. I am, naturally, using Vista.

Comp112 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:58:08 pm »

I dont have much to add other then.

Crimson Skies was an amazing game.

Sensei · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2011, 02:03:30 pm »

Yeah, I've really been hoping to actually play it. Fun fact, by-the-by: The person who co-founded the game's setting, a Mr. D. McCoy, lives down the street from me. Small world, huh?

sluissa · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2011, 03:02:43 pm »

Amazing game, still wish I had my copy, but I guess it'd be hard to run anyway. As was said, good luck. It might just be one of those things though.

Itnetlolor · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2011, 03:45:03 pm »

I know the solution to the graphics, found it long ago, didn't go on past the first encounter with Balck Swan's team (coping with the color blocks) thanks to the graphics, I couldn't tell which fighter was Black Swan herself, and I got shot out of the sky after my 3rd BSS kill; after fixing them, things started crapping out for some odd reason. Maybe an nVidia update caused it. I dunno. Now tell me how to get the game working again, and we'll have something.

Here it is anyway:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?p=1488032

(In case the links within don't work, then google: "csfix2 7z download" and check those links)

It worked, but the game's not working for me anymore. I just can't get past the intro movies. I might have to do an absolutely thorough uninstall and try once more; because it worked before, even with the graphics fix, but for a short time. You shouldn't have any trouble however.

EDIT:
I heard that if you tinker with the INI file that comes with the GFX patch, it's generally a good idea to adjust the resolution in the patch to be the same as your current resolution. Rebuffering (going down from a higher resolution) could cause graphics issues or something. I'm not sure if the game can be played windowed or not. This would be fun to livestream.

EDIT EDIT:
Total uninstall, reinstalled (full), and ran the game from there. I didn't install the GFX patch, and I'm still getting the white screen of death from the intro movies (Microsoft globes thing, and/or the intro movie). Still puzzled about how to either work around it or prevent the intro movies from bugging things out. I can't play the game from there. Only other solution I could think of is to reduce my color profile or something (32 bit to 16 bit).

EDIT EDIT EDIT:
Even hitting space, enter, and/or escape to skip my way to the menu, still white screen. Reducing colors was no help either.

Using the patch's settings, I am stuck with the startup screen, but no movie plays (although I get audio).

Compatability mode doesn't work any better, in any mode. And even with bypassing, still white-screening the menu as well. ARGH!!!!

I wonder if it's possible to install previous versions of DirectX under DX11? I may need to install DX5-7.0.

EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT:
Reinstalling DirectX from early to recent didn't do the trick. Really, this game doesn't want to run on my machine anymore. I know I got it to work before, but now it doesn't. WHY WON'T YOU PLAY?!

Funny, I looked through the game's files, and I can watch the movies just fine. The game however, no.

Oh yeah, my settings, in case you're curious:

Spoiler: According to Speccy (click to show/hide)

Found an error log file:

Spoiler: gamez.err file (click to show/hide)

Fikes · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2011, 05:21:14 pm »

Crimson Skies was a fun, silly game. I remember it took me like 100 tries to beat the mission where you have to rescue the guy off the train or the one where you had to do the stunt course. Good times.

Anyways, sorry about your compatibility. Those suck big time. If only every game worked easily.

Itnetlolor · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2011, 06:00:22 pm »

Compatibility aside, I remember making it to the last chapter in the game, but never finishing it. Having to race auto-gyros through Manhattan? That was a brutal mission alone. Let's not forget those Hollywood Hijinks missions... This was a fun game. Mind you, I made it fairly distant through the game via keyboard on a laptop (if I recall correctly). I wish virtual machines would make things more forgiving though, but no.

Here's something interesting to know. In the Hawaii missions (or instant action maps), you can always visit the other island you raid in mission 3 and shoot down the zepplin anytime you want. I always gave myself a bunch of self-made missions where I had to shoot it down. The Boeing fields were pretty fun to just airstrike like mad all over as well. Downing the drydock in the mountains is always quite fun, and awesome devastation to witness as well. Simply put, anything that can be done in missions (not placed into them) that's part of the scenery, you can do in instant actions as well. Yes, you can even wreak havoc in Hollywood (and the race doesn't penalize you for doing so either). You unfortunately can't dock with anything in IA missions though. Oh and speaking of docking, try manually docking into places/Pandora. It's a bit of a challenge, but worthy of doing so for the challenge.

One mission type I always wanted to try out was zepplin vs. zepplin. Unfortunately, one of the pacific missions is the closest things to it (although it was fun having to fire your munitions into the torpedo slots to shoot out a zepplin from the sky; essentially a battleship in the sky). The following missions to repair the Pandora were also pretty fun too.

Sensei · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2011, 08:55:18 pm »

Well, I installed the fixes, and the TEXT is fixed now, and the drawing issues in the menu correct themselves if I enter a flight and then return to the menu, but when actually playing the game there's been no improvement. Darnit ATI drivers.

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Author Topic: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work) (Read 15616 times)

Sensei

Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Comp112

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Sensei

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

sluissa

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Itnetlolor

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Fikes

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Itnetlolor

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)

Sensei

Re: Crimson Skies (and getting it to work)