Topic: ST:Starship Creator Warp 2 + Windows 7 Ultimate x64

[Czar Mohab]

OK - so here's the problem: I've reinstalled this game because I was bored and I tried to import ships that I have had saved from the last time I had the game installed many many moons ago, they don't import; in fact, a new ship created from the new install exported OK but it also won't import. I get an error,

"Director Player Error

Integer expected

(window "E:\Program Files (x86)\SCW2\ShipMain\EXPORT\NCC0001")"

In the example above, Its the ship made with the new install. Suffice to say that no matter where the Import ship is on the PC the same error pops up. And yes, I realize that the game is on the "E" and not the "C" drive, which would probably be my next thing to try out; reinstalling to the "C" drive.

This game relys on quicktime. I thought that maybe this was the issue (based on some research I did before this); I started with the most up-to-date version (7 point something) installed on C, then E, then the same thing with the version on the disc (4!!) with the same error each time.

The machine is set to dual boot win7 Ultimate x64 or winxp pro x86, so that is the very next next step for me to try (which should help explain the "x86" on E:\Program Files (x86) - its for win 7 programs; E:\Program Files is for XP programs - not the smartest layout I guess but it works) after trying the install on the C drive.

The screwy thing is that other than this one issue the game runs awesome. Using the old version of quicktime makes the game sound like death being drug over gravel, though; so using the newer version would be preferable.

Worst case ontario I could probably put it all on the antique dell I have (its a wee bit closer to the recomended specs of the game, but its still XP Pro) but this is an undesireable outcome as booting that thing up takes around 7-10 minutes.

Any help would be appreciated, but I am willing to take the loss with this one - I do understand that this is an ancient game in software years and may never work 100% on Win7.

Cheers,
The Czar

[Sirgod]

I have the original Star Ship Creator , and I have never been able to get it to run on anything less then win 95.

That being said, Let me look into it again, as it has been years since I played around with it.

My first thought, is if you have Ultimate win 7, have you tried installing it with the XP emulator that you can DL through Microsoft? It may be a dead end, but it also may be possible.

As for me, I gave up on anything requiring quicktime also, as I can never get it to work with my PC. Now this also may be due to the fact , I am on a satellite connection, But even the movie trailers, I have to go elsewhere to view.

Stephen

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

Goodness this goes back.. and I remember it well too though lol..

What's in ...\EXPORT\NCC0001\? some sorta binary file? text file? multi-part files?

[Czar Mohab]

Goodness this goes back.. and I remember it well too though lol..

What's in ...\EXPORT\NCC0001\? some sorta binary file? text file? multi-part files?

Its an exported ship - saved as a file with no extension (e.g. ".txt"). Opened in Wordpad, its... a mess. I tried to bring over some choice lines, but it does not copy-paste well; rather, not at all.

My first thought, is if you have Ultimate win 7, have you tried installing it with the XP emulator that you can DL through Microsoft? It may be a dead end, but it also may be possible.

I tried long ago; my CPU does not support virtualization, unfortunately.

I won't have time to fart with it much tonight, but it seems to me that Win7 is a wee bit more advanced than what this antique program can handle. But it runs, at least.

[Czar Mohab]

Brief update:

Same occurs with Win7 Home Premium x64. Can't import with same error.

Darn these antique games and their lack of forward compatability...

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

My best guess is what has happened is they used an --old-- C programming style of writing a binary file and well, it led to this when the new C programming stuff doesnt support those calls leading to it writing in junk data, probably the only fix is finding whatever old DLL file (if any) was used for the binary file writing or other library they might have used not native to Windows 7 anymore

[Czar Mohab]

I installed it on the antique Dell (P3 Mobile 1Ghz; 256 MB RAM; 32Mb Nvidia Geforce2 Go; running Win XP Pro) and wouldn't you know, it works; I can import successfully.

The error comes from (nearest I can tell anyway) Macromedia (now Adobe) Director and/or Shockwave; which, based on the age of the game and the way it looks to be built, makes some sense. I guess. Just wish that they would have had Win7 in mind when they designed it. Or at least x64 systems - still have not tried it on a Win7 x86 box (or Vista x86 for that matter). Always worth looking into if I ever run across a box set up like that again.

Still going to be looking to make it 100% functional on Win7 x64 - its one of those things that would bug me until I knew 100% what the answer was, no matter what that answer is.

Cheers,
The Czar