AGS DirectDraw5 no longer seems to work

[subspark]

Hi guys, for a long while now the older AGS games simply wont run. Even compiling with 3.2 and running under DirectDraw5 will just blank out.

Symptoms:

• Running full screen just ends up in a silent and frozen black screen in which I have to end the process through the Task Manager.
  
• Running in windowed mode simply draws an empty window where the desktop will show through from behind.
  
  This is most distressing and I'm surprised that no one else has complained or reported this problem.
  I can simply ~not~ run any game using DirectDraw.
  
  This is the same on all four of my machines including a 5th (a laptop).
  One desktop is running Win 7 where the other four machines including the lappie are running Vista SP2 (DirectX 11)
  
  Can anyone else validate and reproduce this issue?
  
  Cheers,
  Sparky.

[DoorKnobHandle]

Can't reproduce that, must be something specific to your set up.

[subspark]

Aditional notes:
When I click the title bar of a windowed DirectDraw game and move it 1 pixel, the graphics show up. There is no sound but the cursor sprite appears to animate. (I'm trying Maniac Mansion Mania btw http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=39932.0)

As soon as I let go of the mouse button, the game goes back into a freeze until I hold the title bar again. It is almost as if the engine has the focus backwards. When the game is focused it is paused and when the mouse is outside the play area and on the window itself it is unpaused.

Download Maniac Mansion Mania, Jan and see if that produces these symptoms.

Cheers,
Sparky.

[LRH]

What kind of video card do you have?

[DoorKnobHandle]

That MMM episode runs fine here with the standard settings it comes with. In both fullscreen and windowed mode.

You DID unzip it, right? Because when I don't, I do get a black screen that crashes...

[subspark]

Lol. I can't run the game unless I unzip it first.

Anyway my Mac Pro (Boot Camp - Vista Ultimate x64) is running a GeForce 8800GT, Windows box #1 is running a GeForce GFX 295, #2 is running a 9800GT, and the lappy is running a GeForce GTS 350M.

And still no luck with even the broadest range of hardware. I'd be willing to bet its down to the software.
Who else is running similar or exactly the same hardware as I am? Can anyone help me put the hardware side to rest?

Cheers,
Sparky.

[LRH]

Oh wow, didn't realize it was more than one  PC. Yeah, it has to be a software issue, but I'm wondering what the heck it could be. There are very few things you can do to screw up the graphics handling in AGS, all I can suggest is thinking about any edits before this happened... =/

[Gilbert]

Try updating DirectX9 maybe?

DX10 and DX9 are completely different things and with DX10 alone programmes supporting only DX9 or earlier cannot be run properly.

So, to be able to run these programmes on Vista or 7, actually these new OSes are shipped with BOTH DX9 and DX10. However, from what I've heard, for unknown stupid reasons, the version of DX9 shipped with these OSes was extremely outdated, so programmes may not work properly. This was one main reason people complained a lot about compatibilities of software. Sometimes, after updating DX9 manually the problems were solved.

[SSH]

By the way, its "a mite frisky" not "a might frisky". 

[subspark]

Oh thanks SSH. I'm about to change it anyway. I have another awesome quote.

Btw, all my machines are running DirectX 11 not 10. I wonder if thats the issue at hand?

Cheers,
Sparky.

[Gilbert]

I don't think that's the problem, whether it's 10 or 11 it doesn't really matter, as I mentioned before, they're not responsible for supporting software for DX9 or earlier. What matters is DX9. Try to update it (as well as the graphic cards' drivers), though there's no guarantee that this must be able to solve your problems.

[subspark]

I don't think I can update DirectX 9 any further than 9.0c. It's been a good couple of years since Microsoft last touched DX9.
Do I require a DirectX redistributable package or something? Is there something everybody else has that I don't? I'm speaking purely about software here-on (drivers/installations).

Cheers,
Sparky.

[Khris]

I tested the MMM game on my Windows 7 Ultimate, Radeon X1800 GTO.
Apart from Win switching to its basic color scheme, the game runs fine.

If there's something installed on you machines(s) that prevents that switch, maybe that's the reason.
It has to be some software you're using.

[Dataflashsabot]

I believe DX9 has been updated several times since then, even though it's the same version number. I remember having to install a winter update or some such to get Construct working.

[Gilbert]

Yeah. DX9 is still at V9.0c and it's most probably not going to see an increment in the version number anymore, but M$ is still discreetly updating it from time to time.

Think of it like this, the most "recent version" of WinXP is SP3, but this does not stop M$ from frequently providing hot-fixes and the like via Windows Update without really change the "main" version number.

So, having DX9 V9.0c doesn't mean you are having the most updated version and for unknown (possibly very evil) reasons M$ shipped Vista (and curiously, 7) with a very outdated version of DX9, which was one main reason for some people having loads of compatibility issues with "legacy" programmes.

[subspark]

Thanks Gilbet. Appreciate the lend of hands here from all of you. However, the issue is still present. DirectX Installer reports that a newer version of DirectX is already installed.
I also re-installed the August 2009 DirectX bundle to no avail.

Boy, I'm stumped.

Edit: I'm running Vista Ultimate 64 bit btw.

Sparky.

[Pumaman]

This sort of problem is usually resolved by updating DirectX or your graphics card drivers, so it's strange that you're having it on multiple PC's. What is your desktop colour depth in Windows?