MarkEAW

okay after hours and hours (last night and today) of EAW not working at 1024x768, I found the one setting to get it to work. I'll try to upload some new DxWnd profiles when I get a chance, for non windows-full screen settings. I'm trying to have one set of profiles but might have to have two separate downloads, depending on what a player would want. https://eaw.neocities.org/files-my-downloads.html That links for a few profiles for FULL Screen use with a eaw.ini res setting of 1024x768 in some of the EAW games. They should work with window mode too and lower res. In general, It was a limit resources tweak that use to be an option, but the programmer moved things around on his DxWnd option screens. So I didn't have a clue (for hours, whew) once I set the 4 initial settings to get good full screen and I didn't know why it didn't work.

I'm now having issues with the resolutions at and higher ; 1024x768 (eaw.ini). The full screen is all red during the launch into the flight screen. So DxWnd seems the issue and not EAW as lower res works in full screen and so did 1024x768 before. Not sure which version of DxWnd it started in, however. So v1.2 set at 800x600 in the eaw.ini can run at full screen.

I got the settings for Full Screen use. You turn off a few and turn on about 4 other settings. I documented it on my troubleshoot wrappers help doc on my site. look for the DxWnd wrapper, should be the first one presented. https://eaw.neocities.org/troubleshoot-wrappers.html Refresh the page to get the latest!!

Yeah, your right....from everything everyone tells me GOG is better to deal with there site/software than steam, just in general. I pretty sure the GOG/Steam installer for EAW from these sites won't run on WinXP, not sure about Vista. I can't remember though if you could find a way to open there installer without running it, if you had too. I also read about Steam overlay software (I guess its called something like that) won't work on older systems soon. Just like Wizard43 said. :)

GOG was first and the Steam was 2nd to get EAW. They are both the same game; A super patched v1.2. Both require a new ddraw.dll to be present....... Read my GOG Patches Help Document. (be sure to keep reading CombatACE EAW forum for more hints for GOG users). https://eaw.neocities.org/gog-patches.html

I did a few test, and it's really touchy to get full screen for both the menus and the flight screens at the 'same time'. But I managed to get one or the other working at full screen. I do need help in discovering exactly what's going on and why the full screen mode / settings are touchy. I do still prefer a game in the windows frame, however while using the frame you can upscale the resolution and make it 'appear' as the screen is full. I use a 4:3 ratio (square) res on mine. If anyone finds anything that works for full screen, let me know please! I'm only mainly concerned with getting the flight screen in full, as the menu screens are fine to view at actual size.

Remember once you import the DxWnd profiles I made, (which give 64 FPS in Direct3D/DX mode on Win10, the preferred method on my flight screens), you can modify the profile for full screen. If you need help with getting the profiles to open to full screen, let me know. I don't normally play at full unless I have a special reason too. But I am willing to help.

Career "Crash To Desktop" (EAW error): From what I can tell, a (Dec 2023) security update to Win10 causes the career to fail to save every time. It appears to crash the game, however it is a giving a EAW write/create error. Since I don't remember this Pilot Career save error from before (and its not related to the films that play) I also have watched videos of the standard EAWv1.2 play natively on Win10, in Pilot Career, several times, without issue. So the GOG Wrapper/v1.2GOG eaw.exe won't be able to pull off this without an update from GOG, or a Win10 security change...... For now make a portable copy of your GOG download and patch it with 1.26, The 126 patch shouldn't have the save career problem when run natively. or just add a standard MPS v1.2 eaw.exe (as all other game data is identical to GOG, so the MicroProse's official exe will work). You can get the 126 patch or a 1.2 exe here at CombatACE. or my EAWHS mediafire download location: Files Link; https://eaw.neocities.org/files.html Use the DxWnd Wrapper by ghotik and use my profiles for the game. Download them from my help site. https://eaw.neocities.org/files-my-downloads.html PS: Sorry for all the directions and no links added (check around until I figure something out for links)

Various versions of the EAWv1.2 game.exes , in same game folder, using same ini and same gamedata. The modified dates are just the date I extract or copied out of an archive. (BTW, there are a bunch of hex edited v1.2's that I can add to test thing out quicker, I just haven't added them yet.)

Just a note, Normally running EAW natively on WinNT machines, EAW won't run or correctly if the filename is not eaw.exe. (Campaigns/Careers will not save correctly) However after some test when running EAW within a Wrapper Program you can have as many game.exe's in the games folder you want, they just need to be named differently, such as eaw12.exe, eaw12a.exe, eaw12x.exe, eaw126e.exe etc. (You should at least have one exe, preferably the standard 1.2 as eaw.exe in your games folder so the noCD function works with it). You just have to have a shortcut within the wrapper program pointing to each exe. (I've added this and more info to my web site now and continue to explore more ideas)

Here is one of my Icon shortcuts for the DxWnd Wrapper. The 12, 12(NoOs) ,12x ,12a, are all in the same game folder. The others are separate full installs; EAWPRO is patched over a v1.2 and v1.26 is patched over a v1.2. 1.28's are patched over v1.2/or came as a standalone.

I will keep up the good work, thank you! I just don't know what direction to take with things, as feedback is thin. Anyway, I still need to update this help doc a bit. Anyone having issues with this help doc?

New Help Document of sorts. (I'm still working on it) This doc tells you the three methods I know to have multiple installs of EAW. Most of us just to full installs and copy the game folder to make new installs. The other methods are not much use anymore, other than for testing stuff out. https://eaw.neocities.org/many-copies.html

I've updated the first post. I figured out the issues and now can launch each version of eaw.exe and save correctly career files. See the DxWnd post I made about downloads pre configured profiles for that wrapper.

Something changed in the hacked 1.26e by Sybod. It allows Careers to run correctly, or at least avoids career save crash. heh. So try it out if you got GoG game. You just won't be using Gogs Wrapper anymore. EDIT: If you choose a new wrapper such as using the the DxWnd Wrapper, you need to set a Tweak called 'patch:IgnoreFileSysErrors' to get the same behavior out of v1.2 as v1.26. meaning saved careers/campaigns will save correctly. However I'm not sure or don't remember if the 1.2GOG version can be used with another wrapper. Its best (easiest) for GOG users to try the v1.26e un-official patch, available here at combat ace downloads. EDIT: Sorry its apparently a standalone archive here at CombatACE EAW downloads. I don't think you need to really disturb your GOG version. Meaning you should bea ble to use the standalone just by itself.

More testing finds the noCD function is not working correctly if the eaw.exe is renamed. I'm not sure whats going on......

Has any GOG user that has Campaign Crashes in Career Mode, found out if the game locations improves the CTD occurrences? These Crashes I would not think are effected by the Compatibility Fixes applied to the eaw.exe by the publisher. But more about the location of the game and the saved files...... EDIT: Well I just tried 1.2 standard version. I enter the Capaign and abort while on flight screen, I get a CAREER can't be saved in \savedata error. Just pointing this out. Also, try full screen when running the game, that's about the only thing that seem to work for me to abort and auto save. Though I need to do more testing..... More: I tested the hacked 1.26e exe and the FXEXE exe and they both can save careers. It maybe a fix for perhaps NT machines...? in the exe (I tested the CDF's with v1.2 ,no go). Its not a wrapper issue as I ran these versions in the wrapper when eaw succeeded in saving a career.

okay, well not much going on then. I worked on the site more again, this time besides re writing and filling in gaps of text. I split the Troubleshoot Help Doc up in to several topics. I Improved formatting a bit on a few of them, and corrected or updated text where needed.....

Anything going on with EAW? I get plenty of visits still to my site. I wonder if the few pilots are getting enough help?

Oh no, I think he fell into the depths of EAW compatibility issues. :) 'Cause he's not posting. lol. Hi, 13sq_Axe, So how you coming along with EAW and Win11?

I think it will be very similar to Win10 and the current Wrapper. The DxWnd Wrapper is a W32 program from what I read. yeah to bad not 64 bit :( , but who really cares at this point. It runs on old systems to. I think the author indicated Win2000 and XP. He may have recently made/tweaked one version for Win9x/Me systems. I don't know if Win11 will have what windows 10 has, Legacy Components, like DirectPlay 8 support? Its an options that windows ask you if you want to install it since EAW wants it for Multiplay use. (This occurs when EAW is loading up, a small windows pops up asking you, Y/N.) Alright, Tell us about how Win11 behaves with EAW, if you could, like VBH said it will help others too :)

I don't have or never used Windows 11, but I think the DxWnd wrapper works the same for it.

I'm not MarkShot, but I think i have that article linked to combatsim where its still at. If not, its downloadable from my mediafire account. ewww Celeron, lol If I remember it was a weak cpu in comparison. I think I had a Duron?? back then. and I only seen pictures of the Voodoo GPUs, 5, I didn't even know existed until a few years ago. Read my EAW install doc, you'll want to copy and paste the specific files off the CD, rather than trying to install it. If you need clarity or re written portions of my site, I usually can do that to help explain something , if I know enough about it. So your going to be using Win10 then? EDIT: As far as actual help regarding EAW internet play. I only have a half ass help doc for that. But It might help. VBH plays online so he'd know a bit more.

Yeah what VBH said. Get the original 1.2 and perhaps add 1.26 on top of it, but not necessary. With a wrapper or Glide wrapper you can use the default res in EAW and upscale it (double size it) in the wrapper. This way you have the detailed cockpits. With the wrapper you should have little hassle on modern WinVista and up. There are instructions at my site, under Troubleshooting. Ask anything you want for more info.......

I don't think there's a special IPX server for old games at gog or steam. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. Happy new Year to you too.