X-wing vs TIE Fighter in Win2K

[KlumpDud]

Gripped by nostalgia, I dug up my old X-wing vs TIE Fighter CD and installed it on my system currently running Win2K. Everything seemed to be going fine, but when I went to play, I got to the startup screen of the game, but then it says I must install DirectX. I have DX 8.1, but it shows the subsystems and says that Direct3D is not installed. I ran the DX diagnostic tool and tested Direct3D and it's working fine.

I'm so close...

Anyone know what to do? Much thanks.

[mike breck]

Hi KlumpDud,

Try this.

Right click on the desktop and click on "New", then "Shortcut"
Use 'Browse" to go to the proper XvTF folder
Select the 'Z_XVT__.Exe' file and click "OK".
Click on the path and filename in the dialog box to "unhighlight" it.
Use your right arrow key to move the cursor to the end of the line, and just after the end quotation marks, add a space with the Spacebar and type 'ishost' (without the quote marks).
Click "Next".
Give the shortcut a name like XvTF and click "Finish".
That should make the new shortcut on the desktop.
Click on this new shortcut to start the game.
You may miss out on the opening movie but it may just get the game running.

[KlumpDud]

mb,

I don't know how in the world you knew how to do that, but you sir are a genius!

[Demosthenes]

Perhaps not a genius, but smart. Read other boards:
http://www.serve.com/frost/xvt/messages1/337.html
You can always find answers by typing in the problem on Google.

By the by, have you played the original X-Wing. I am a relic of the times, but I have been dying to meet anyone who has played the original.

Respectfully,

Demosthenes

[doctorgonzo]

Demosthenes, I have played it. It has been seven or eight years, but I still remember it. Actually, I wish I still had it; it may be on my dad's computer somewhere.

Ahh, the days of DOS games. Fooling around with loading drivers, trying to get as much free conventional memory as possible...it was an art that people who have only played games in Windows can't appreciate!

[KlumpDud]

Of course I've played X-wing; I have it. That's what got me hooked on the series (X-wing, TIE Fighter, X-wing vs TIE Fighter, Balance of Power).

By the way, do you have XvT? I'd love to be able to play someone...

[mike breck]

No KlumpDud, as Demosthenes has so kindly pointed out, not a genius. It's a well-known fix in the gaming community.
I had to troubleshoot this same problem for a friend of my son after his Dad changed to W2K last year. My boys were playing it as well but didn't have problems because they were still using Win98.

[Iman74]

Would a fix like this work in just about any game. What I mean is, creating a shortcut to the game's *.exe and then adding that switch you mentioned in the post?

I had a similar problem with MCM2 but Microsoft had me reload a utility and it fixed it. But I am wondering if this fix you posted would work on any game that plays the little movies before the game starts.

[mike breck]

I've never had to use this switch in any other game, so I don't know.

[Demosthenes]

Have XvT, but lost my joystick and the game will not play without it. Could probably fool Windows into thinking one existed, but a flight sim is not all it is cracked up to be without a joystick.

Personally, I preferred the original X-Wing and Tie Fighter than XvT. They fouled up the shield system in order to make it a fair fight between an X-Wing and Tie. Besides, it has no single player value really, unlike the pre-netplay X-Wing and Tie Fighter which had Training Grounds, Historical Flights, and Tours of Duty. I would rather they use the same or refined version of the engine which created XvT in order to remake the originals. But, I have been met half way with X-Wing Alliance.

Respectfully,

Demosthenes