Utility + Extender = FAIL

[sPOONz]

Ok, so Ive been trying to get Xcom Utility and Extender mods to work together. However, I suffer from this scrambled graffics issue. Ive run them both separately with no issues. And running them together works fine until I enter a battle, once the inventory screen loads the graffics go all psychedelic.

 

Im confused as I intially suffered from this graphics problem and got it resolved by using extender. Ive read Blade Fire Lights comment confirming they do work together and followed the install instructions from Caboose_Nor from the same thread. This didnt work until I ticked all the boxes in my compatibilty options from the properties menu (right clicking on the RunXcom.bat) I could then enter the game with no problems up until the inventory screen.

 

When the game loads to a battle from the geoscape, the game flickers out as utility does its thing, then flicks back to the battlescape inventory menu upon which the graffics go garbled. From then on the graffics remain naff.

 

I assume there is some conflict caused when utility does its bit just before the battle inventory appears causing extenders graffics fix to fail. And hopefully theres a work around for it.

 

Any advice? Is there perhaps another install method or some other patch I can use as well what utility and extender offer?

 

Also, I understand disabling the directdraw is meant to work, but this is not possible on window 7 which is my os.

 

Some details on my system...

 

Windows 7 32bit

Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q9450 @ 2.66GHz

NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT

 

 

This pic only shows some of the colours from this graffics error, if you could see my monitor it looks like my PC has chundered after eating a rainbow.

[sPOONz]

Hmmm... well Ive failed at getting this to work.

 

It seems, that as I have windows 7 I need to disable the DirectDraw Acceleration as this is causing the grabled graphics issue. In order to disable this I need to use an Application Compatibility Toolkit. Now, Ive no idea what that is or how to use one. Interestingly tho, on Blade Fire Lights website he states that in order to use his Xcom Utility mod you do need this Application Compatability Toolkit. For vista/windows 7. Only there have I seen this mentioned.

 

"XCOM CE runs in Vista and Windows 7 if you install a Application Compatability Toolkit Shim that disables Direct Draw Accelloration. I have created a installer to set this up. The installer is included with XcomUtil 9.7 and later"

 

I cannot find this in my XcomUtil 9.7 download however. If anyone can shine some light on this I'd be very interested to hear from you. In the meantime I shall get on with playing Xcom and not probing it.

[Bomb Bloke]

I took a quick hunt through the 9.7 beta-442 zip, and I think I found what you're after in the XcomUtil\Patches folder - "xcom vista patch.exe". When I run it, it tells me it'll setup XcomUtil to work with Vista or 7, though at the moment I'm in front of my XP rig so it didn't get much further then that.

[ck07]

A long-ago veteran, I am re-discovering the enjoyment after 12-13 years.

[Bomb Bloke]

There'll be "UFO Defense.exe" and "UFO Defense_Patched.exe". If neither works, then give more info on what happens instead.

 

Savegames between Windows/DOS should be compatible. You can start using XcomUtil midway through a campaign.

[ck07]

There'll be "UFO Defense.exe" and "UFO Defense_Patched.exe". If neither works, then give more info on what happens instead.

 

Savegames between Windows/DOS should be compatible. You can start using XcomUtil midway through a campaign.

Thanks!

-CE, purchased from Gamersgate 12/2010. XP SP 3.

-I managed to install XComUtil--sort of: I copied the whole business to the correct directory this time. Xcesetup patched the Windows (XP SP 3) version--including splitting it into two parts as promised--but, as far as I can tell, not the DOS. (I am unclear whether the DOS executable and the (unmofied) Windows .exe are the same--to run the DOS, I start a 3 meg. DOSbox file which either contains or starts the executable, I cannot tell which.)

-Can't actually run XComutil. Cannot run it from the Windows command line because there is both an xcomutil .exe and an xcomutil directory (containing data files) in the same folder. I created a small .bat to run it from the same directory. Contents: "xcomutil game_2 wrt" Did not get the acknowledgement message though and the savegame was not modified. Dunno what that is about.

-Am also experiencing a problem with f0dder's loader and a gameplay bug but will create separate threads for those.