Getting MoO2 to work in Vista

[malicious bloke]

It installed normally, then it installed DirectX 2.0, then when I tried to open the game it claimed it couldn't find DPlay.dll (which I think is one of the directX files).

Any hints as to how I fix this?

 

[vmxa]

Never install my Vista upgrade, so I can't help. Try Microsoft as they will have some people posting on this I wold expect.

 

[Megafrost]

I tried looking around on Google since I don't have Vista either. Here's what I've come up with:

If the missing dll file is the only problem you're having, you can download it here. I don't know where the dll file needs to go, but in WinXP it went in the \windows\system32\ directory. Then open up a run box (right click and run as an administrator), go to the directory where you put your dll file and type the following:

regsvr32 DPlay.dll

Give this a shot and tell us how it works.

 

[malicious bloke]

Cheers mate

I had pasted dplay.dll into the main orion2 directory. Once I pasted it into the system32 folder it worked first time.

I'd never have thought of that.

Thanks a lot

 

[malicious bloke]

OK, now i'm having trouble getting MoO1 to run in vista. I set the expanded memory to 1024 as usually works (in XP, anyway) and it still throws up the error

 

[vmxa]

I don't have Vista installed. Have you tried DosBox? What is the error msgs, is it no EMS?

 

[malicious bloke]

If I go through DOSBox it asks me to run the install program, which is a bollocks since I don't have the discs it wants, if i click the program itself it just tells me I need 1024KB of extended memory, even after I set EMS to 1024.

 

[vmxa]

I could not find any of my notes, but I ran into that was well. I have two CD's of Orion, but I gave my diskettes away long ago. I forgot how I got it to install. It seems to me there is a way to point it to the CD or even the HD.

I would change the EMS from 1024 to any and try that.

 

[sargon0]

I'm also running MOO1 under Dosbox on Vista. Native MOO1 is problematical on modern PC's because they do not leave room for EMS so unless you are good at configuring the BIOS options I wouldn't go there. If you have a new MOO1 install you have to run the INSTALL EXE before playing to set the sound config. INSTALL.EXE should be part of the MOO1 installed files and can be run from Dosbox - configuring should not require any external files. Good luck.

 

[vmxa]

Yes it is all about the mother board, not the OS. I have had PC's that were fine and some that would not support EMS.

 

[hossam]

this needs to be stickied.

 

[Tarvok]

I tried this, and I get this message:

The module "DPlay.dll" may not be compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check if the module is compatible with an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of regsvr32.exe.

To those of you saying "just DOSBox it", I ask: where can I get a clean copy of the dos version of this game? I just bought the download version from Atari, figured it was a very reasonable price to get the game at... but it lacks a dos version. I found the most popular torrent... but Avira antivirus reports it (Master_of_orion_2_Full.exe) contains TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen. I didn't worry about that sort of thing back when I was running Linux, but Star Trek Online has drawn me back into the world of Microsoft.

 

[vmxa]

I would send them a msg and see if they will email you the Orion2.exe, it is actually larger than the Orion95 (windows) version. It comes with Moo2 CD and they should have given you all the product.

I suspect they did not offer it at good price either. I still see it in some stores for 9.99. I know of know way to get the 16bit app to run on Win7 and probably Vista. Wjat I am not sure about, is if any other pieces are missing for Orion2.

 

[barseer]

http://masteroforion2.blogspot.com/2006/05/dosbox-guide.html

FAQ there, take the 1.31 offered there:

B) I have installed the Windows version orion95.exe. Why should I read this guide?

First, most MOO2 CDs contain both versions, i.e. orion95.exe and orion2.exe. Second, even if you own just a "Windows only" release (e.g. the Atari Download version), you should take into account that there are just minor differences between Windows and DOS version. It is patchable with the last official 1.31. Proceed with step 1B in this case.

 

[katriennaissacs]

Hello, I'm new to this forum site and found it because of having a problem running master of orion 2 on a windows 7 vista. I'm actually having the same problem that malicious bloke had, which is that when I try to run master of orion 2 it says it couldn't find Dplay.dll. When I tried going to the site megafrost linked to his post i found I had already used that site to "repair" my computer. Then I looked into \windows\system32 directory and found display.dll which I assume is the same as Dplay.dll, however I don't know how to run it in administration. Also tried to paste it to the master of orion 2 directory like malicious bloke did, but that didn't work either. An other pointers would be helpful. What else should I try?

 

[vmxa]

I am running Moo2 in Win7, which is basically the same as Vista. I finally broke down and used DosBox to play the dos version. There are a number of tools to help with the setup.

I happen to like ProGrammax and use it to run Moo1/2 Alien Legacy, Ascendancy and a few other games.

You can usually got to the folder for the app and select properties. Then go to compat and select the box for always run as admin.

 

[Zeraan]

I have MoO 1 (two cds, one for PC and one for Mac), and MoO 2. But after trying to figure out how to play MoO 2 multiplayer with a friend, we decided to just get it off of gog.com. The MoO 1/2 is $6 from their site, and comes with an installer that will set up everything for you so you can simply launch it and it'll play.

But if you have MoO 2 CD, and don't want to spend the extra money, download DosBox from http://www.dosbox.com/ (it's free), and run the DOS version of MoO 2 (it's less bugged than Windows version).

Link for the gog.com version: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/master_of_orion_1_2

 

[vmxa]

Yeah GoG is fine and I have gotten games I still had to avoid needing the CD to play. I am quite familiar with Dosbox and setting up some of the utilities (free) that provide a one click start up. So I did not get the Moo combo, but it is a great deal.

The only reason I have not gotten the Might and Magic VI offer is the d/l is large and I have a patch to let me not use the CD.