Adventure Game Studio

AGS Development => Engine Development => Topic started by: on Mon 02/09/2013 20:28:00

Title: Bug: strange video behaviour on Win7
Post by: on Mon 02/09/2013 20:28:00
Hello.
Today I went to an internet café to play OROW games. The PC I was given was running W7 ultimate.
When I tried to run a game (i.e. educating adventures of girl and rabbit) this appeared on the screen

(http://i.imgur.com/PdFioNY.png)

so, "transparent" window (even though I could hear music in the background. When I moved the window the graphics magically appeared, but the mouse was unresponsive.

No amount of fiddling with the setup got that to work.
No amount of admin privileges did it.
Other non AGS game ran just fine (e.g. HERO core by remar).
I randomly tried to find a working game in the OROW bundle: The butler ran without problem, other picks did not.

I am well aware this bug report isn't extremely detailed, but it wasn't my machine and I did not have time to fiddle with it.
Title: Re: Bug: strange video behaviour on Win7
Post by: Monsieur OUXX on Tue 03/09/2013 12:02:14
Hi, my favorite Italian!

After reading Dave Gilbert's pro-tip in another thread, here is the thing that comes to mind: does that game use a plugin that relies on an obsolete technology, such as 16-bits colors or DirectDraw or something? (regardless of what YOU choose in the setup). Only the developers can answer that, infortunately.
Title: Re: Bug: strange video behaviour on Win7
Post by: Crimson Wizard on Tue 03/09/2013 12:14:11
I too think that might be DirectDraw5 problem in Win7, although only test may show. What happens if you choose Direct3d9 in the setup?
Also, I think that turning off Aero, or explicitly setting display mode to 16-bit (in Windows screen setup) might help in some cases.
Title: Re: Bug: strange video behaviour on Win7
Post by: on Tue 03/09/2013 15:48:11
Quote from: Monsieur OUXX on Tue 03/09/2013 12:02:14does that game use a plugin that relies on an obsolete technology, such as 16-bits colors or DirectDraw or something?

no .dll in the folder, no so plugin!

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Tue 03/09/2013 12:14:11
I too think that might be DirectDraw5 problem in Win7, although only test may show. What happens if you choose Direct3d9 in the setup?
Also, I think that turning off Aero, or explicitly setting display mode to 16-bit (in Windows screen setup) might help in some cases.

I have tried switching between DD5 and D3d, with no luck.
I will try to torun off Aero / fiddle with the display mode, but that does seem a hackish workaround to me.
Given the fact that other games (non AGS) work, the average user would move (insert ags game here) to trashbin after such a failure.
Title: Re: Bug: strange video behaviour on Win7
Post by: Monsieur OUXX on Wed 04/09/2013 21:44:40
We should ask the developers if they used 16-bit graphics. I suppose very few game-makers do that.