Might & Magic 7 w/ Direct3d WORKING!

[JediBaron 0]

I don't know about anyone else with this game, but I haven't been really able to play it since I upgraded to Win2k that first time. In Win2k you could get the game started, but if you tried to use any DirectX 3D or sound it would just crash out to the desktop. Now without at least the Direct3d stuff, the graphics in the game were really bad, ie - all spells simply looked like little spit fireballs looked exactly the same as the magic missle, etc. So I didn't play it anymore and it remained my only game on the shelf that I couldn't use with Win2k. And 3do just said that 'Windows 2000 is not a gaming OS' line when I contacted them.

Well recently I just installed Windows XP Pro on my system. So I decided to give the game another shot. Now when I started it up even in software mode it just crashed. Well I was like this will not do. So I was finally able to get it working again after running the WinXP Compatibility Wizard on it and setting it to either Win2k or 98. For some reason though it HAD to be done through the wizard, just setting the compatibiliey mode through the shortcut wouldn't work (weird).

So it worked again, but only 100% in software mode . Well I was not ready to give up on it so quickly so I download the new Application Compatibility Toolkit 2.5 from Microsoft (It's made for XP and it will for Win2000 when sp3 is released so this may work for 2k systems later). Now i was trying verious things when i came across the Application Verifier 2.19 tool. This tool's job is to run a prog looking for certain things that you tell it to and log them so you can maybe figure out where your compatiblity issues are. I added the MM7Setup.exe to the list of apps and was checking a few items. And then I found out something weird . . . just by adding the app to the list it all of a sudden let MM7 run and not only run, but run in Direct3d mode!! And it is even working without any Compatibility Modes set in on MM7Setup.exe, just simply adding it to the verifier's list and not checking any options to log causes the game to run fine.

[jdulmage 0]

Yea, it was the same with me and the Superbike series, it was like "wow, I update to the latest drivers, then switch compatibility modes to Windows 98/Windows Me" and they both work now.

 

It's amazing isn't it

[JediBaron 0]

Yeah but this isn't a compatiblitly mode fix. I used the Application Verifier 2.19 tool to fix the program. I've been thinking about it all day and I think I know the reason that this worked:

 

The App Verifier is a program that simply runs another program and then monitors outside function calls, etc. and logs them. So I'm supposing that the reason it fixed Direct3D support in MM7 is because in the process of filtering functions (even though I don't have it monitoring anything in specific) whatever illegal function call that it makes to DirectX is accidently squashed.

And since the App Verifier tool ataches itself to the program file that your monitoring via a registry hook so that it can monitor it whenever it's run, all you have to do is set it in there once, tell it to log nothing and never mess with it again (as long as the Application Compatibility Toolkit stays installed of course )

 

This may actually turn out to be a new way to get other programs to work also, not just MM7.

[jdulmage 0]

Ohhhh, ok, I see it...you're just trying to brag

[JediBaron 0]

No actually I just wanted to PLAY It's like coming back to an old addiction - I have put in like 15 hours in 2 days back into the game, LOL

I'm hopelessly lost in primitive 3D world now

[Tubber 0]

What Application Verifier 2.19 tool does is making sure that the program gets the right DirectX information....

 

When i installed MM7 it sayes that my DX faild, it requires DX6, BUT i have installed DX8.1b on my Win2k........

 

Then i figured that Application Verifier 2.19 tool tels MM7 that the DX version is 8.1b and NOT DX6 like the MM7 program thinks......

[benbergl 0]

I am trying to do what you have suggested, but it doesn't work for me. I'm using application verifier 2.50... I add the MM7setup file to the verifier, and I have tried adding msiexec sins verifier suggests it. Any ideas?

benjberg@online.no

[ben leong 0]

Yes, i did the same as u guys mentioned too.

Same, nothing works, can anyone there help?

[Rivx 0]

ok I tried this on mm8 and it ran first time it's ever ran for me. but when I realized it wasn't in hardware mode I exited out and switched it. Now it wont run at all again.

[georgebeee 0]

actually I've been doing some looking into MM7 and it's compatability issues with windows xp and it appears there is a lot more to it than just direct x issues. MM7 was made for a windows that didin't have all the security issues. as such there are a lot more folders in xp and the registry is different as well. if you run some of the tests in application verifier and take a look at the log it will tell you what all the various problems are. I'm not sure if one can actually try to work through all the tests to try and solve the problem but I'm guessing not, or we wouldn't be getting blown off so badly by 3DO support. looks to me like we may as well just face the fact that we bought into a company that wasn't willing to return the favor.

 

myself...? done with 3DO

[Rivx 0]

If I'm not mistaken 3do was just the publisher. Besides they are kaput now you wont get anything from them. I heard somewhere that another company was making a new homm game and that they might do another m&m.

[claws_33 0]

iiiii, i could kiss you jedibaron! yay! to waste my time more.. i never did beat mm7 all those years ago...now i can, if i can stop playing warcraft2 hehe

[digger1701 0]

When I put MM7 on my computer it said I didnt have direct X6... so I downloaded the latest version of DirectX from microsoft.. 9.0.. yet the game still wont run... I get to the creating charaters part in the begining, but as soon as I am done, and I press "OK" the game freezes.... any ideas what I need to do?