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.
http://one.megagames...es/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:
http://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"