Post by eye on Feb 15, 2011 21:58:20 GMT -6
Installing and running Starsiege under Win7
Installing and running Starsiege under Win7
by Rock on Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:28 pm
Here are full, and complete instructions for a fresh Starsiege install to a Win7-64bit machine. This should work for Vista too. If not, you're on your own, but since it works for Win7, it should also work for Vista. I am currently running a Core2-Duo, 4 Gigs of RAM, Geforce 9800GT video card with the latest nvidia Drivers, Win7-64 Pro. I have a 1680x1050 flat-panel, so I run the game in 1440x900 mode to maintain the proper display aspect ratios. This installation works just fine, AND I get a full-screen, high-resolution display in all its glory.
You should download the following package of files and unzip them to your desktop or to a temporary folder:
www.mossbackgeezers.org/Starsiege/StarsiegeWin7.zip
This zip file contains 4 files:
The Win2k Installer
The Starsiege 1.000-to-1.004 patch
The "Vista Fix" which is the mem.dll file
These Readme instructions.
1. Insert the Starsiege Buddy Disk (Disk 1) into your CDROM drive. Shut down any AutoPlay that pops up.
2. Execute the Win2K Installer, i.e. the StarsiegeWin2K_US.exe file. It will put a Dynamix splash logo in the center of the screen and it will look like it's just hung there. Be patient. It will eventually kick into gear and do the installation. Once it kicks in, I recommend you use all the default selections when prompted.
3. Now apply the 1.000 to 1.004 patch, i.e. run the s1000to1004_usa.exe file. It will ask you to locate the folder where the Starsiege.exe file resides. If you took the defaults in step 2 above, then you will need to browse to your c:\Dynamix\Starsiege folder.
4. Move the mem.dll file in the c:\Dynamix\Starsiege folder. This gets your mouse to work in-game.
5. Right-click on the new Starsiege Icon on your desktop, select Properties, then the Compatibility Tab, then check the box for "Disable desktop composition". This will let you run the game at full-screen. I have nothing else checked in the Compatibility Tab.
The game is now correctly installed. You shouldn't have to do anything else to run it, but there may be some display issues concerning aspect ratio. Here are the technical details that you should accommodate in your display setup:
Starsiege runs in two different video modes. In the opening/game setup screens and menus, Starsiege uses fixed aspect ratio images. These will all be in the old standard 4x3 aspect ratio of CRT-based displays. Once you're in-game, it switches to the video-display resolution that you selected in the Options Menu. Because of this, there are a couple of gotcha's that will cause display distortion of the opening screens/menus (horizontally stretched displays) if your video is not setup correctly.
Firstly, in the Nvidia Control Panel, under "Adjust desktop size and position", I always use the default selection of "Use NVIDIA scaling with fixed-aspect ratio". I use this setting for everything anyways, but it also assures the game's opening screens and menus will display with their proper aspect ratio. Since most people now have wide-screen displays instead of CRT displays, this will result in some black-space on either side of the display. This is normal. It appears to be the way the game-developers constructed these opening screens. Once the game switches to in-game mode, you will get your full-screen display in all its glory.
Your in-game resolution is set via the game-menu for Options, General, Full Screen Resolution. I use the following settings:
Windowed Mode - Software
Full Screen Mode - OpenGL
Full Screen Resolution - 1440 x 900 - It is important that you select a pair of numbers that have the same aspect ratio as the native resolution of your display, otherwise you will get a stretched display. See example below.
3D Hardware Type - Other
For example, the native resolution of my ViewSonic display is 1680 x 1050. Dividing 1680 by 1050, I get 1.6. So I need to select the largest setting that has a 1.6 ratio, yet still fits within my maximum display parameters, otherwise I will get a distorted image. For me, the proper setting is 1440 x 900, which is also 1.6 when I divide one by the other.
My display is a 16x10 display, but true widescreen is 16x9, typically something like 1920x1080. If you have a 16x9 display, then you would choose 1600x900 as your game resolution, to maintain the proper aspect ratio.
Rock D."I like a man who grins when he fights."
- Winston Churchill
Rock
Master Po
Posts: 1240
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2002 7:30 pm
Location: Merrimack, NH
Website
www.mossbackgeezers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1088
Installing and running Starsiege under Win7
by Rock on Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:28 pm
Here are full, and complete instructions for a fresh Starsiege install to a Win7-64bit machine. This should work for Vista too. If not, you're on your own, but since it works for Win7, it should also work for Vista. I am currently running a Core2-Duo, 4 Gigs of RAM, Geforce 9800GT video card with the latest nvidia Drivers, Win7-64 Pro. I have a 1680x1050 flat-panel, so I run the game in 1440x900 mode to maintain the proper display aspect ratios. This installation works just fine, AND I get a full-screen, high-resolution display in all its glory.
You should download the following package of files and unzip them to your desktop or to a temporary folder:
www.mossbackgeezers.org/Starsiege/StarsiegeWin7.zip
This zip file contains 4 files:
The Win2k Installer
The Starsiege 1.000-to-1.004 patch
The "Vista Fix" which is the mem.dll file
These Readme instructions.
1. Insert the Starsiege Buddy Disk (Disk 1) into your CDROM drive. Shut down any AutoPlay that pops up.
2. Execute the Win2K Installer, i.e. the StarsiegeWin2K_US.exe file. It will put a Dynamix splash logo in the center of the screen and it will look like it's just hung there. Be patient. It will eventually kick into gear and do the installation. Once it kicks in, I recommend you use all the default selections when prompted.
3. Now apply the 1.000 to 1.004 patch, i.e. run the s1000to1004_usa.exe file. It will ask you to locate the folder where the Starsiege.exe file resides. If you took the defaults in step 2 above, then you will need to browse to your c:\Dynamix\Starsiege folder.
4. Move the mem.dll file in the c:\Dynamix\Starsiege folder. This gets your mouse to work in-game.
5. Right-click on the new Starsiege Icon on your desktop, select Properties, then the Compatibility Tab, then check the box for "Disable desktop composition". This will let you run the game at full-screen. I have nothing else checked in the Compatibility Tab.
The game is now correctly installed. You shouldn't have to do anything else to run it, but there may be some display issues concerning aspect ratio. Here are the technical details that you should accommodate in your display setup:
Starsiege runs in two different video modes. In the opening/game setup screens and menus, Starsiege uses fixed aspect ratio images. These will all be in the old standard 4x3 aspect ratio of CRT-based displays. Once you're in-game, it switches to the video-display resolution that you selected in the Options Menu. Because of this, there are a couple of gotcha's that will cause display distortion of the opening screens/menus (horizontally stretched displays) if your video is not setup correctly.
Firstly, in the Nvidia Control Panel, under "Adjust desktop size and position", I always use the default selection of "Use NVIDIA scaling with fixed-aspect ratio". I use this setting for everything anyways, but it also assures the game's opening screens and menus will display with their proper aspect ratio. Since most people now have wide-screen displays instead of CRT displays, this will result in some black-space on either side of the display. This is normal. It appears to be the way the game-developers constructed these opening screens. Once the game switches to in-game mode, you will get your full-screen display in all its glory.
Your in-game resolution is set via the game-menu for Options, General, Full Screen Resolution. I use the following settings:
Windowed Mode - Software
Full Screen Mode - OpenGL
Full Screen Resolution - 1440 x 900 - It is important that you select a pair of numbers that have the same aspect ratio as the native resolution of your display, otherwise you will get a stretched display. See example below.
3D Hardware Type - Other
For example, the native resolution of my ViewSonic display is 1680 x 1050. Dividing 1680 by 1050, I get 1.6. So I need to select the largest setting that has a 1.6 ratio, yet still fits within my maximum display parameters, otherwise I will get a distorted image. For me, the proper setting is 1440 x 900, which is also 1.6 when I divide one by the other.
My display is a 16x10 display, but true widescreen is 16x9, typically something like 1920x1080. If you have a 16x9 display, then you would choose 1600x900 as your game resolution, to maintain the proper aspect ratio.
Rock D."I like a man who grins when he fights."
- Winston Churchill
Rock
Master Po
Posts: 1240
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2002 7:30 pm
Location: Merrimack, NH
Website
www.mossbackgeezers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1088
