Apocalypse under XP - a solution!

[jeff303]

WARNING: I do not condone software piracy of any kind. The following

"trick" must only be used to get a LEGALLY owned copy of X-Com Apocalypse to work under Windows XP. If any game deserves your hard earned dollar - it's Apocalypse (and that's about how much it costs so there is NO excuse for piracy). There are a variety of reasons why one must use this method - mainly because dual-booting is impossible with your current hardware configuration, or you do not wish to purchase another OS. This solution is for the "after viewing or skipping the intro movie, a blinking cursor briefly appears in the top left corner of the screen, and then returns the user to Windows with no explanation," from my observations, the most common Apoc problem. The problem arises from the fact that Windows doens't like programs to try to directly access drives without going through Windows. Also note, I will not be held personally responsible for any damage your computer or its files may suffer as a result of using this method. That said...

 

First, you must download the xcom3_cd.zip file.

 

https://one.megagames.com/pcgamefixes/XCOM3_CD.ZIP

 

If for some reason the link above doesn't work, I will be glad to e-mail the

file to whomever needs it. Once downloaded, unzip the file to your

Apocalypse directory. To run the game, use the "Run X-com.bat" file

included with the zip. To get sound to work, go to:

 

https://vdmsound.sourceforge.net/

 

Download the newest version of VDMSound. After installing it, set up

Apocalypse to use a Sound Blaster, 220, IRQ 7, DMA 1 (the default for SB

emulation under VDMSound). Exit and save from the setup program. Finally, edit the run x-com.bat file that came with the zip from the first step. Add the command "dosdrv" on a new line between the "xcom3_cd.com" and "xcomapoc.exe SKIP" lines. This will invoke a VDMSound session inside the DOS box of the batch file, which will end when the game is exited.

 

I did not discover this for myself. I just thought it would be nice to post for those who didn't realize it existed. Many thanks to the dedicated users on the WWW forums who realized this solution. Personally, I've been trying to get this to work for months, and I'm thrilled it's now possible. I hope this helps others run the game. Good luck. Remove ".FILTER" to send me e-mail.

jwevans1@uiuc.edu.FILTER

 

--

Jeff Evans

"I swear - by my life and my love of it - that I will never live for the

sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." -John Galt from

Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"

[Brattern]

I'm the ONE to discover the fix. i had been without apocalypse for 8 months. and was sick and tired of playing shoot them up games. then i got a tip of using vdm sound, didnt work. then i downloaded the crack from megagames (my favourite gaming crack site). i tried to get it to work in about 6 min. KABANG, everything worked exept the mouse it was to slow, so i sat the speed and acellration to the top.(bad grammar)

 

only one thing. i didn't use irq 7, i used irq 5

 

This is the first time i ever solved a BIG problem in a game. DAMN I FEEL GOOD.

 

i'm sure i did help a lot of people. so enjoy people, have a good time playing X-COM Apocalyse.

 

DON'T USE PIRAT COPIES, USE LEGAL COPIES:

[jeff303]

Lots of people have mentioned to me that the link is broke, so I've put the file on my webspace. PLEASE REMEMBER THE LEGITIMATE USE! Thanks.

 

https://www.ktis.net/~kevans/XCOM3_CD.ZIP

[Cyalume]

now i kno i aint posted for a LONG time but during this time i have found a patch for X-com apocalypse to work under XP.

 

 

 

xcom3fix.zip

 

X-COM: Apocolypse FAQ

 

1. Running X-COM: Apocalypse (all versions) in Windows 2000/XP

2. Saving Your Game in X-COM: Apocalypse (Hard Drive Version)

3. Running X-COM: Apocalypse (CD Version) on Windows 2000/XP

4. Fixing the Sound in X-COM: Apocalypse under WinXP (and possibly Win2000/ME)

5. Files/Buffers Error

 

 

1. Running X-COM: Apocalypse (all versions) in Windows 2000/XP

 

There are lots of things that go wrong when trying to play Apoc in Win2k/XP. The most common can be fixed by setting the game's compatibility settings to an older version of windows. Edit the properties of whatever file starts Apoc (whether it's xcom3.bat, xcomapoc.exe) and set the program to Windows 95 compatibility with 256 colors. Now run that file.

 

2. Saving Your Game in X-COM: Apocalypse (Hard Drive Version)

 

The version of Apoc on this site does not create an empty directory called "savegame" that is necessary to save a game in Apoc. You must create a new folder, "savegame", in the main Apoc directory. This will enable your saved games to be written to the hard drive.

 

3. Running X-COM: Apocalypse (CD Version) on Windows 2000/XP

 

Most of the following, with a little editing from myself, was posted by Jeff Evans on X-COM: Tactical Command Forums on 2 Sep 2002.

 

Using the following method, you can make the CD version of X-COM: Apocalypse work with Windows 2kXP. There are a variety of reasons why one must use this method - mainly because dual-booting is impossible with your current hardware configuration, or you do not wish to purchase another OS. This solution is for the "after viewing or skipping the intro movie, a blinking cursor briefly appears in the top left corner of the screen, and then returns the user to Windows with no explanation," from my observations, the most common Apoc problem. The problem arises from the fact that Windows doens't like programs to try to directly access drives without going through Windows.

 

First, you must download the xcom3_cd.zip or xcom3fix.zip file

 

x3cdfix.zip

x3cdfix.zip (Mirror)

 

Once downloaded, unzip the file to your Apocalypse directory. To run the game, use the "Run X-com.bat" file included with the zip. To get sound to work, read the following:

 

4. Fixing the Sound in X-COM: Apocalypse under WinXP (and possibly Win2000/ME)

 

Note from me: This fix will give you sound, but it may be choppy and not as good as you hope.

 

SVDMsound.Sourceforge.net

 

Download the newest version of VDMSound. After installing it, set up Apocalypse to use a Sound Blaster, 220, IRQ 7, DMA 1 (the default for SB emulation under VDMSound). Exit and save from the setup program. Finally, edit the run xcom3.bat file that came with the zip from the first step. Add the command "dosdrv" on a new line between the "xcom3_cd.com" and "xcomapoc.exe SKIP" lines. This will invoke a VDMSound session inside the DOS box of the batch file, which will end when the game is exited.

 

You will need to edit the properties of xcom3.bat and set the program to Windows 95 compatibility with 256 colors. Now, run the batch file and enjoy!

 

5. Files/Buffers Error

 

Remember, Apoc was made for old DOS and it requires a few things that most DOS machines already had running, including the right numbers of buffers and files that a program could manipulate at once. From the start menu, run sysedit.exe A lot of little windows will appear in the sysedit window. Find the one called config.sys Go to the bottom of the file (or the top if it is empty) and enter these commands, on seperate lines:

buffers=20

files=20

Save the file, exit the program, and restart your machine. Theoretically, this should fix the problem.