Topic: Vista users.. Need testers to verify Vista Fix for Dynaverse

[Pestalence_XC]

OK

Thanks to Bonk pointing something out to me a few moments little while ago, I decided to try something I hadn't tried before.

OK.. Installation Rules Simplified

1. Turn Off Anti-Virus

2. Install Game, say no to Gamespy Arcade and DirectX

3. Patch using v2.5.5.2

4. Go to your Starfleet Command Orion Pirates directory, right click the folder, select properties
   
   a. In Security Tab, click Edit and set all users to Full Access, Click OK when done.

   b. Go to General Tab, Uncheck Read only, Click OK, in pop up window, click all files and folders and click OK.

5. Go inside the Starfleet Command Orion Pirates folder, find all the EXE files, right click and select properties (you have to do each file individually). Select the Compatibility tab, click Compatibility Mode for XP SP 2 and Check Run as Administrator. Click OK

6. Find the SFCOP.exe file rename it to SFCOP.old.

7. Find the StarfleetOP.exe

   a. Right click and select Copy.. go to desktop and right click, select Paste.

   b. Rename StarfleetOP.exe to SFCOP.exe

   c. right click file, select Cut, go back to Starfleet Command Orion Pirates folder and right click, select Paste. (This keeps GSA compatibility)

8. Right click this file and select Copy, go to desktop and select Paste Shortcut.

9. Install OP + v4.0

10. Install the Enhanced DLL files.

11. From here you can install any extra scripts, models, enhancement packages, server installers, etc..

12. Make sure yo edit your Gamespy Arcade settings for Orion Pirates to launch from the SFCOP.exe file from now on.

13. Make sure your DirectX is up to date.. Latest version is November 2008.

14. Preferrably try playing with Anti-virus turned off and Firewall Disabled or ported correctly.

====================================================================

As a side note.. Server kits will need to have the SFCOP.exe file added to Validate Client Files.

Currently Hardcore is up and online for Vista Testing... DB has been reset.

Now if you are still having movement problems on the Dynaverse .. then you may want to install Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 and the Microsoft Application Verifier to ensure compatibility..

Vista has compatibility set up for the SFCOP.exe file but does not recognize the StarfleetOP.exe file.. by renaming the StarfleetOP.exe file to SFCOP.exe, Vista applies the compatibility fixes to the main program file.. As such, I just had 6 missions on Hardcore without incident.. Movement on the server seemed normal to me as well as resupply, shipyards, viewing ships, repairs, news, map updating after missions, instant DV info.. everything..

I believe the same fix can be applied to Empires at War as well.

I need others to test and confirm that this work around indeed works as it is showing on my end.

[knightstorm]

I can't wait to try this out!  YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

[Pestalence_XC]

Installer located at

http://warpcore.110mb.com/Downloads/Hardcore_Installer.zip


If you already used the installer, all you need is the updated scripts.

http://warpcore.110mb.com/Downloads/HC_Scripts.zip

[Braxton_RIP]

If this does turn out to work, let me know and I will see about setting up an installer of sorts to complete the process automatically.

[Bonk]

Very interesting... Steps 7 and 8 of your instructions are a little confusing though. But I think I know what you mean.

Perhaps we could just get MS to add StarFleetOP.exe to the compatibility database in addition to SFCOP.exe? I know you can manually edit that database yourself, but then we would have to distribute it... (if this actually works out).

I will attempt to give this a try tonight.

[Pestalence_XC]

OK.. Today i am getting mixed results.. I launch 1 game.. and play for 2 hours.. works flawlessly..

then I launched after i got back from shopping and it ws working like it did before with lagging.

But I think we are getting a bit closer.. Bonk.. we need to see about the mitigation and  virtualization of OP and see if we can get more compatibility.

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve, but I need help with this.

[Bonk]

Indeed, I'm here for ya buddy! I'll get testing tonight, I just have to take care of some communications with Symantec and Grisoft first.

[Bonk]

This hardcore shiplist is not the same as this one?:
http://www.dynaverse.net/downloads.php?id=57&game=SFC2%20OP
 

[Pestalence_XC]

No.. I'm using DieHard's shiplist from AOTK 4 with matching ftrlist and the few extra models needed for Diehard's shiplist, as based on OP + v4.0.

to play, you need patch 2.5.5.2, OP + v4.0, and then the Hardcore installer. DLL update recommended.

the XC Hardcore shiplist is not Dynaverse compatible.. it is a GSA shiplist only.

[Bonk]

the XC Hardcore shiplist is not Dynaverse compatible.. it is a GSA shiplist only.

Duh... right, I forgot!

I ran the Hardcore Server Installer, but I'm still getting a bad shiplist and fighterlist CRC. (I have not implemented your compatibility scheme yet to establish a baseline)

[toasty0]

Vista Ultimate with duo core and 3 gigs ram.

Not sure if I have the install disc anymore though. Let me know.

[FPF-DieHard]

Vista Ultimate with duo core and 3 gigs ram.

Not sure if I have the install disc anymore though. Let me know.

Bit Torrent!!!   

[Pestalence_XC]

To be on the safe side, I re-upped the installer and the scripts.

the installer has all the files included.

Bonk.. make sure that you have full access set for the Starfleet Command Orion Pirates Folder in the properties of the folder itslef.

If need be, run the installer in elevated mode (right click and select "Run as Administrator")

[toasty0]

To be on the safe side, I re-upped the installer and the scripts.

the installer has all the files included.

Bonk.. make sure that you have full access set for the Starfleet Command Orion Pirates Folder in the properties of the folder itslef.

If need be, run the installer in elevated mode (right click and select "Run as Administrator")

When you write that you re-upped the install files are you referring to somewhere on D.Net?

[Pestalence_XC]

No, to the links above.. they are on my hosting site.

I need to get with Bonk or Frey so that I can access FTP transfers to D.Net... I lost my old account sign in information.

[Lepton]

Dumb question.  How do we know that SFCOP.exe is compatible with Vista and StarFleetOP.exe is not?  I haven't had any problems playing OP on GSA and it references starfleetop.exe.  Sounds like placebo effect to me.

[Lepton]

Movement was as slow as ever with the suggested steps.  I didn't feel the need to go beyond that.  This was with the PC in the DMZ, so ports were of no concern.  No firewalls.  Anti-virus on.

[Pestalence_XC]

By using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 and going into Compatibility Administrator in Admin mode, this shows the compatibility executables that Vista has programmed into it (at least the basics).

Now by the picture at the bottom of this post, you cn see SFCOP.exe being set with compatibility shims in the Vista Environment, however StarfleetOP.exe does not have any such entry, thus Microsoft did not include compatibility shims for StarfleetOP.exe

Now GSA, TCP/IP will not be effected at all with the compatibility shims with the Vista install instructions provided.

It was my hope that Single Player (slight lag when map updates after mission) and Dynaverse would be more coorporative with using Vista's native compatibility by replacing SFCOP.exe with the game's proper executable renamed.

Now this did solve the minor lagging in Single Player, and 2 of 4 tests on the Dynaverse, the game worked like it did under XP.. however the other 2 tests on my end had the same lagging effect as before.

Now Bonk and I are looking at the Executable and what we need to do to fix the errors with the calls the EXE does.. and seeing if applying Mitigations and also seeing if removing OP from Virtualization under Vista will fix some problems.

Anyhow, here is the screen shot for the Native SFCOP.exe shims ... Maybe submitting OP to Microsoft and letting them look at the game with their tools can provide maybe a OP Vista Hotfix in the near future.. I will see if I can get ahold of them tomorrow.

[Bonk]

Bonk.. make sure that you have full access set for the Starfleet Command Orion Pirates Folder in the properties of the folder itslef.

If need be, run the installer in elevated mode (right click and select "Run as Administrator")

I had set the permissions, didn't run it as admin though. I was pooped last night and passed out at 8:30! I'll give it another go tonight.

I need to get with Bonk or Frey so that I can access FTP transfers to D.Net... I lost my old account sign in information.

Frey is in charge of the FTP server, so he'll need to update your account. You can use the community account to send to the various "upload" folders or use the Library Upload front page to upload to a specific folder for now. (note that both the ftp server and the upload page are configured to use the ClamAV virus scanner, so this would be a good opportunity to see if our reports on the Clickteam false positives have been added to the definitions.)

Dumb question.  How do we know that SFCOP.exe is compatible with Vista and StarFleetOP.exe is not?  I haven't had any problems playing OP on GSA and it references starfleetop.exe.  Sounds like placebo effect to me.

You're my favorite Dynaverse critic, we can always count on you to cut to the chase. Yer a good old curmudgeon Lepton.    (That is a sincere compliment.)

I think this avenue is worth further investigation, as the virtualisation is definitely an issue, if you look at the "compatibilty files" for some of the OP folders, I can see that OP is not going to lke that at all. Thanks for testing, and I'm sure we can count on you for other tests. I will have The Forge up again soon and will be taking a much closer look at OP on Vista, and if this approach does not help then we'll try something else until we find something that does work!

[Bonk]

I think you may be going about this the wrong way with the file renaming scheme, and as Lepton suspected I think there was a placebo effect, as the GameUX compatibility fix applies to the Game Explorer gameux.dll which I believe does not apply in this case.

In experimenting with launching OP from the Standard User Analyser I have pretty much established that virtualisation must be disabled for OP and all related installers - as when launching with virtualisation disabled, no WinXP compatibility or elevation, the D2 login works just like it did on WinXP - bang I'm right into the serverlist. But when I try to login to the Hardcore server, it says the scripts are not there, but they are...  or were... I need to establish that in the procecss of a clean install with appropriate compatibility settings for the OP install, patch and mods.

So I think the correct approach is to establish exactly what compatibility mitigations are required and create a custom database for the Compatibility Administrator and distribute it (and update it with each new mod installer.... ugh). I suspect that the OP install location will be an issue though.

The summary of this first experiment is attached. The Standard User Analyser Wizard also suggested another mitigation or two...

I think ditching Vista's virtualisation features is the key here, OP wants access to its own files - the actual files - not some virtualised copies... based on this experience I'm confident we can get it working with tenacious persistence.

What the hell was microsoft thinking? This is not how user space is implemented. Sheesh, you'd think none of them had ever worked on a *nix box. They went way over the top in trying to do it in an original and "compatible" way. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think they were just too proud to copy the tried and true methods. Look where it got them.