A Brief Guide to Gaming in Windows 95 by James Wilson (aka Shade) Cserve: 73651,2312 DISCLAIMER: The author of this guide presents the following in the hopes that it will help those using Windows 95 to make the most of their gaming experience, or help those considering Windows 95 to get a better picture of what it’s capabilities are. The following information was gleaned from about 4 months of regular use of two of the Final Beta Versions of Windows 95. The system used for testing was a Gateway 2000 Pentium 90 with 24mb of ram, a quad-speed CD-ROM drive, a Diamond Stealth 64 2mb VRAM video card, 2 EIDE hard drives, a 14400 modem, and a 16-bit network card. Differing systems may come up with differing results, the final commercial release of Win95 may behave differently from the Beta version. In other words, this guide should not be considered to be the final word, but more like some handy advice from someone who has been there. However, I must also mention that many of the results, barriers, and solutions I have come up with were echoed in the September issue of ‘Computer Gaming World’ in which they mention the setup problems they ran into with various games. I have every reason to believe that Windows 95 will behave similarly on a variety of systems. Index Intro 1. Me and Windows 95 2. The Tools of Win95 I. Shortcuts a. What are they? b. How do they work? c. How do I make one? II. The Properties Menu a. General Menu b. Program Menu c. Font Menu d. Memory Menu e. Screen Menu f. Misc. Menu III. Running Games! a. Games that Just Run b. Win95 Tweaking c. MS-Dos Mode IIII. Creating a Place for Your Games a. Creating a Folder of Games b. Adding Your DOS Games to the Start Menu c. Creating a Desktop Icon 3. Specific Cases Doom Nascar Racing Tie Fighter Doom 2 Full Throttle Aces of the Deep Rise of the Triad Wing Commander III Lemmings Terminal Velocity Magic Carpet Epic Pinball Descent Hi Octane Links386 Dark Forces FX Fighter Witchhaven (demo) Heretic Wings of Glory Simcity 2000 Strike Commander Master of Orion Mechwarrior 2 Wolf Master of Magic Uss Ticonderoga X-com 1&2 Armored Fist Apache (demo) Fade to Black (demo) Intro This guide is for introducing people to gaming under Win95, what it's like, some hints on how to do it, and to help you decide whether you should bother at all. I'll start off saying that: WIN95 IS COMPATIBLE WITH DOS APPLICATIONS! INCLUDING GAMES! This is not your Grandma's Windows. It has been specifically designed with gaming in mind. With that said, I'll get started. *Me and Windows 95* Now I'm sure a great many of you out there have already formed opinions and stances on Windows 95. If you are involved in any small way in the computer market than it is as impossible not to form such views as it is not to take a side on the OJ case if you live in America. Even if you don't have an opinion on it, you do. I did anyway. Eight months back, around Christmas, when it was announced that Win95 would be delayed (yet again) until the end of the summer I had quite a few four-letter opinions. I felt that it would be a travesty on the computer market, a idiotizing of computers to the point that all current users would be patronized just to please a few squeamish newbies. I felt that there so-called 'death of DOS' would be more akin to the death of computer gaming, at least the quality gaming that we knew and loved. We'd all be reduced to the limitations of Windows, playing games that a 'Super Nintendo' could put to shame until the hardware got to the point that it could force the sluggish operating system to do something other than hang at every sound effect and GPF all the time. So you'll probably be surprised to hear that when I had the opportunity to be a Beta Tester for Win95 a few months later I jumped at the chance. But I'll get back to that. Now you are probably waiting for me to start gushing all over the place. Sorry, not going to do it. Was Win95 the disappointment that I thought it would be? No, it wasn't. Was Win95 everything I could have ever hoped of from an OS? Almost. I'm going to say it: Win95 is an excellent, well thought out gaming platform. I honestly wouldn't be writing this if using Win95 didn't change my viewpoint 180 degrees. I have enjoyed Win95 a great deal, and it has made computing for me a much simpler and more efficient (productive? NONONONONO! I won't use that word! Never that word!) affair. Gaming under Win95 is a dream come true. But I don't want to gush, I want you to read on. Everything listed here are specific examples of what it is like to run games on Win95, what kind of time and tweaking it took me. The pros, cons, and compatibility of it all. Then and only then should you start to make up your mind as to whether my positive opinion of Win95 is well-founded. So why did I test Win95 in the first place? Because I was curious. I wanted to let it prove that it could be my next operating system, the first alternative that I've ever truly had in the world of IBM-compatible computing. It brings new problems with it, but I think that most of that comes from trying to learn new solutions. Anyone whose ever tried to make a boot disk for Wing Commander III will want to welcome Win95 with open arms. *The Tools of Win95* The following section is meant to orient you with the tools that will become common to anyone using Win95 to play games regularly. This section also contains the methods available for running games under Win95, and how to go about doing so. I. Shortcuts Shortcuts will probably be your most frequently used Win95 tool for DOS games. A shortcut is exactly what it sounds like, a quick way to get to something, be that a folder, executable file (like doom2.exe that starts up Doom 2), or an actual document of some kind. Shortcuts can be placed almost anywhere within Win95, even directly on the desktop. In techno-speak a Shortcut is a .PIF file. Some users of Windows 3.1 will be familiar with what a .PIF file is, but most of us aren't (I only have a working knowledge of it). Basically it is a series of instructions for the computer to follow to initiate a program. In Windows 3.11 and earlier .PIF files were created using the .PIF editor, and were a little on the technical side to create. In Win95 .PIF files are also called shortcuts and are as simple to create as pushing a button or two. They are the main means you will use to start all your DOS games, as they are basically a set of instructions for Win95 to follow to get your DOS game up and running. This can be as simple as right-clicking on the program you want and choosing the 'create shortcut' option and then just clicking on the shortcut you've created, or it could be as complex as defining an entirely custom Autoexec.bat and Config.sys specifically to run that program. It usually falls on the simpler side, and I have not yet been forced to specify any custom configurations. Shortcuts create their own settings when they are brought into existence, so it is only a matter of you scanning over its choices and deciding whether or not you agree. :) Again, using Doom 2 as an example, if you wanted to set up a shortcut for Doom 2 simply go to the Doom 2 folder using Explorer or the 'My Computer' icon and right click on the file that gets Doom 2 going, which is doom2.exe. It is typical for most DOS games to have an .EXE file to start them, although some have a .BAT file. If you are unsure just look in the games directory for a file with the command name you type to start the game, followed by a .BAT or .EXE extension. This is most likely the file that starts the game. There are two primary ways of creating a shortcut. The first is to right-click on the programs executable file as mentioned above, the other is to right-click-drag the program to wherever you want the Shortcut to be and then choose 'create shortcut' from the subsequent pop-up menu. It is a very simple procedure that will only have to be done once to get the hang of it. :) Say you want that shortcut to Doom 2 you've created to be right on your desktop where you can get at it. Well, just right-click and drag that doom2.exe to your desktop, let the button go and then choose 'create shortcut' from the menu that pops up. Your shortcut will appear on the desktop and you'll be ready to go. II. The Properties Menu The Properties Menu is where you define all the variables that make up a completed Shortcut. You can pull up your properties menu by right-clicking on the shortcut and selecting 'properties'. A box will pop up that contains several tabs that allow you to consult several submenus of the shortcut. If this is starting to sound complicated don't worry. It's not. Most of the submenus are self-explanatory, and half of them you'll probably never touch. Some of the functions of these menus I have not used yet, so I will only skim over the purposes of these menus, for a complete listing of all the functions of these menus pick up the current issue of PC Gamer (current as of this writing 8/20/95, I believe the September issue with the Longbow attack Helicoptor on the cover). It has an excellent article on Win95 and gaming that explains extensively the functions of these menus. Listed below are the menus and there general functions. -General Menu This menu gives you an extensive list of the files properties. Since a properties menu can be pulled up for almost any file this menu will tell you the type of file, location, size, dates that it was created, modified and accessed, and attributes. There is almost nothing on this menu that you can alter. -Program Menu This menu is used to define the command line that is used on the program to activate it, as well as define shortcuts to the file or program, batch files, and the state with which to begin the program running (in a normal window, as opposed to minimized or maximized). This Menu also includes the 'Change Icon' button that allows you to change the icon that represents the shortcut. There is also the very important 'Advanced' button. This button brings up the 'Advanced Program Settings' which allow you to state that the program not be allowed to detect Windows (some DOS games will refuse to run if they detect Windows in the background), or that the program be run in 'MS-DOS Mode' (to learn more about MS-DOS mode see Section III “Running Games”). This is also the place where you can specify a custom Autoexec.bat and Config.sys for programs that need special tweaking in MS-DOS mode. -Font Menu This is the menu where you choose what fonts are available to your DOS program. It has little if no importance to gaming. -Memory Menu This is the menu where you define the amounts and types of memory to give to your DOS program. I have never had to touch this menu, as Win95 configures its memory automatically, and will do so for your program when you start it. If you have to play with the settings in this section try setting the extended (or expanded) memory to equal the amount of memory that you actually have available. I've heard this solves many if not all memory problems. -Screen Menu This is where you define your screen characteristics. The only thing that I ever modify on this screen is setting the window size to 'full screen'. Most DOS games will not run in a window on the desktop, so Win95 allows them to bypass the GUI and access the video hardware directly (this is a simplified explanation), running them full screen and pretty much the exact same way they would look and run in DOS. Win95 will automatically switch these games to full screen when they are started up, but it is usually a good idea to go ahead and tell it to run the program like that from the beggining, as I have experienced that some programs relinquish there hold on the graphical interface while loading data to change from one section of the game to the other. Sometimes this will cause Win95 to reclaim the display, and your desktop will appear momentarily while you wait. This tends to slow things down, and can sometimes even confuse games to the point that they will lock up. Turning on the 'full screen' switch generally prevents this. -Misc. Menu This menu allows you access to several other functions including mouse, pasting, and screen saver options. Most of this is not important for running DOS games, but three things are. The first is the 'Always Suspend' button. Turn this off. I honestly don't remember the exact reasons why, but having it on can possibly cause a little slowdown. The 'idle sensitivity' lever controls how much and often Win95 will try to steal the CPU away from the game during idle time. For maximum speed set the lever to the lowest selection possible. The last function that you can use are the Windows shortcut keys, or hot keys. The two important ones to remember are 'CTRL-ESC', this minimizes the program you are in and allows you access to your desktop. The other is ALT-ENTER, which allows you access to the properties menu of the program you are in. :) I'm sure all of you net-surfers will be jealous to hear that I often use 'CTRL-ESC' to jump out of Doom or Tie Fighter so I can see how a particularly long and boring download is progressing, or to check on the status of a print job that is running simultaneously in the background. Just one of the advantages of a good multi-tasking OS, and there's no slowdown in my game! (unless I'm printing AND downloading, then there is a little drag). III. Running Games! Running games under Win95 is an easy prospect for the most part. Over half of the games listed later in this guide needed little or no tweaking at all to run, but there are a few stragglers that demand to have there own way with things. For that reason Win 95 offers a few different ways that you can start games up. Of course the first option would be to play around with your settings. Shortcuts are easy to create, never forget, and are small enough that you can copy them at will, and basically mess around with them forever. They are simple and menu driven to the point that no level of tweaking can match the pains of any one of dozens of potential DOS problems. But what if your game won't run even then? Well that is where MS-DOS mode comes in. MS-DOS mode (also known as single-application mode) is a lot like what it sounds. You exit Win 95, shutting down all programs running and start up your MS-DOS program all with a simple double-click on the shortcut. Admittedly this takes longer than just starting a game right up in Win95, but not nearly as long as exiting Windows 3.1, moving to the right directory, and typing in the games start command. And when you consider that you can specify your own configuration for every Shortcut that goes to MS-DOS mode you are saving even more time. That's right, the disadvantage to MS-DOS mode is that is has the limits of DOS, namely good old Autoexec.bat and Config.sys. The days of Memory Managers are not over! It can be even MORE difficult to get a good amount of memory in MS-DOS mode. I have been lucky enough that most of my memory intensive games have worked fine in Win95, but if you are having problems getting enough memory I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of QEMM, Quarterdeck's excellent memory manager, and make sure that it is in your Autoexec.bat and Config.sys that are used to go into MS-DOS mode. Don't be too afraid of MS-DOS mode. Win95 will take a prefab .sys and .bat and specify them as your working configurations. These have worked very well for me and I have never had to modify them. The last option, for those who are having no end of problems, is to press F4 while you are booting the system up. This will give you the option to go into an older version of DOS so that you can run your game the way it was intentionally meant to be run. You must, however, reboot the system to go back into Win95. So Win95 offers a variety of ways, at a minimum of inconvenience, to play your games, one is sure to work. IIII. Creating a Place for Your Games This section contains a couple of hints that make your games easier to manage, and your HD easier to monitor. The way that I set my system up was I created a folder directly on my desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, moving over the 'new' option and then selecting 'folder'. I then created shortcuts to all of my games in this folder, and renamed everything appropriately. I then dragged this folder to the 'Start' button on the taskbar. I now had a folder on my desktop that kept me a simple double-click away from a list of all my games. This also allows me to monitor what is still sitting on my HD, better never getting played. Nothing gets to hide in a back corner taking up precious space! And if you don't like that folder on your desktop, by dragging it to the 'Start' button you recreate the folder there were you can access your games through the convenient and omnipresent button. You can then create a shortcut to that folder and place that shortcut on your desktop. This will allow you to change the icon, since you can't change the icon for just one folder, it's an all or nothing deal, but you can create a shortcut that does the same thing. These are just some suggestions. There is almost no end to the degree you can go to customize your filing system. *Specific Cases* This section deals with all of the games that I have personally tried on Win95. They are listed below with a description of the actions that I had to take to get them running, as well as a listing of the estimated time it took to get the game up and running, and performance notes. Most of these games were played fairly extensively, but a few have only been fiddled with. I will indicate the games that have not been thoroughly tested. So here they are in no particular order: -Doom 1 & 2 I figured I'd start with an obvious one. Doom 1 & 2 were as simple Heretic- to run as creating a shortcut or even simply double-clicking on there .EXE files. Initial load time is a little slower, as well as loading up the first actual level, but after that it runs superbly. Every bit as fast as it runs in DOS with no hang ups. Estimated Setup Time: 30 seconds -Rise of the Same deal as Doom. It's only a double-click away. Triad- Estimated Setup Time: 30 seconds -Terminal Considering this game will basically be re-released as a Win95 game Velocity- entitled 'Fury3' it better run well. No tweaking at all, ran nice and smooth. Estimated Setup Time: 30 seconds -Full Full Throttle did not want to run initially because it detected Windows. I Throttle- went into the 'Advanced Program Settings' under the Program Menu in its properties sheet and told it not to detect Windows. It ran perfectly after that. Estimated Setup Time: 3-4 minutes -Nascar- Nascar was the first real problem that I ran into. First off, I had to create a .BAT file so that I could start Nascar in high res (it requires the command parameter -h attached onto the end of the normal typed command line, i.e. 'nascar -h'). So I created the batch file 'nascar -h'. At first it didn't want to run (Win95 usually suggests MS-DOS mode when it thinks a program won't run well), but then I switched its screen option to 'full screen' and this seemed to do the trick. The problem was that it seemed a little slow. My roommate said it was my imagination, but I know my racin' sim, and I like it fast and smooth. I changed it to run in 'MS-DOS mode' and it worked wonderfully with the configuration provided. No slowdown whatsoever. Estimated Setup Time: 45 minutes including playtesting, 10 minutes of actual configuring. -Tie Fighter- Just run it. It runs great in Win95. Estimated setup time: 30 seconds (getting tired of that) -Aces of the Another one that you can start right up. Deep- Estimated setup time: guess -Magic MS-DOS mode all the way! It runs in Win95, but its incredably slow. Carpet- It's the only game I've run into that experiences such extreme slowdown. EST: 5 minutes -Descent- Spelunkers rejoice! Descent (like most DOS Protected mode games) runs without a hitch. EST: 30 seconds -Wing Surely the mighty WC3 needs tons of configuring. Right? Big game like Commander that? Probably spend all night, if not all weekend trying to get it to run, III- and then it would probably still run slowly. It started up the first time, ran every bit as quickly as it did under DOS. EST: 30 Seconds -Links386- While Links ran fine under Win95 I have never been able to get the sound to, well, sound good. It is scratchy and loud and pretty much not discernable as anything other than loud scratches. Running the game in MS-DOS mode solves this problem. No custom configuration. EST: 5 minutes -FX Figher- I had to put this one in DOS mode, but a friend of mine got it running great under Win95. Forgot to ask him the recipe for that. EST: 5 minutes -X-com 1&2- Both UFO Defense and Terror from the Deep run very well in Win95, although set the screen options to 'full screen' as this is a game that has that screen problem mentioned in the screen menu section. EST: 3-4 minutes -Wings of Glory- MS-DOS mode, no special configuration. EST: 5minutes -Mechwarrior 2- Starts up ok, but likes to crash a lot. Run it in DOS mode to avoid this. EST: 5 minutes The Following Games all ran perfectly, with little or no tweaking or apparent slowdown Epic Pinball Hi Octane Dark Forces Witchhaven (demo) Simcity 2000 Strike Commander Master of Orion Wolf Master of Magic Uss Ticonderoga Armored Fist Apache (demo) Fade to Black (demo) Outro As you can probably see, I'm very impressed with Win95. I hope this guide will help everybody out there interested in gaming on Win95. I can tell you it's a blast. *LEGAL NOTE* This guide may be passed out freely. If you bought this you are not a wise individual as no one I know pays me for my opinions. If you distribute this guide it must retain the name of the author and its original content unaltered unless written consent is received from the author allowing any specific alterations.