WIR 'Windowed mode'

hogscape · Post by **hogscape** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 7:14 am

Hi folks, I'm playing War in Russia on a 17" monitor which bends the game area like a bubble! Does anyone know how to run the game in a window on the desk top (so I can specify the window size)?

Thanks

RickyB · Post by **RickyB** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 8:10 am

Originally posted by hogscape
Hi folks, I'm playing War in Russia on a 17" monitor which bends the game area like a bubble! Does anyone know how to run the game in a window on the desk top (so I can specify the window size)?

Thanks

It won't work, or at least not without some unknown special software to fool whatever needs fooling. I am guessing here, but I think that since the game is a DOS game running in a special video mode, Windows will not allow it to run in a window. Anyway, since the game was written a few years before Windows 95 came out, I don't think that it has code in it that forces Windows to run full screen - I think it is a Windows restriction based on something in the way the game runs.

mogami · Post by **mogami** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 8:12 am

Hi, Have you tried changing your display setting in the control panel?

hogscape · Post by **hogscape** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 8:29 am

I'm pretty sure I've tried everything the 'layman' can. If I right click on the Programme name on the 'bar' (windows) I can edit the DOS profile including the window size. However, after making the changes, it displays in full screen mode!

It's not the end of the world but it would have been nice to specify a window size and play on the desktop...

mogami · Post by **mogami** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 9:38 am

This game will not run in windows. To get to fit you have to set screem resolution etc try setting it for small fonts in control panel display settings.

Lokioftheaesir · Post by **Lokioftheaesir** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 3:38 pm

Originally posted by hogscape
I'm pretty sure I've tried everything the 'layman' can. If I right click on the Programme name on the 'bar' (windows) I can edit the DOS profile including the window size. However, after making the changes, it displays in full screen mode!

It's not the end of the world but it would have been nice to specify a window size and play on the desktop...

Hogscape

I dont know if this is a solution or if your ver of windows allows it (i run 95 wich does everything i need)
When you've got it in fullscreen/bubble mode, press Alt-Enter.(together)
On my machine that turns it into a 1/2 screen size window that can be dragged to size desired. It seems to run very slow like this though, maybe you have a much faster processor than i do however.

Best of luck

Loki

davewolf · Post by **davewolf** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 3:45 pm

Originally posted by Lokioftheaesir
When you've got it in fullscreen/bubble mode, press Alt-Enter.(together)
On my machine that turns it into a 1/2 screen size window that can be dragged to size desired. It seems to run very slow like this though, maybe you have a much faster processor than i do however.

Hmmm, on my platform (Win98) the result is that the application (WIR) is paused as long as the window isn't resized to full screen.

BTW you have Windows, Loki? But only for WIR I guess!

Lokioftheaesir · Post by **Lokioftheaesir** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 4:01 pm

Originally posted by davewolf

Hmmm, on my platform (Win98) the result is that the application (WIR) is paused as long as the window isn't resized to full screen.

BTW you have Windows, Loki? But only for WIR I guess!

Dave

Much as i dislike MS i do use Win 95. Its Fast, stable and it was free. If Linux did everything i wanted and was compatable with every game and system then i would do a bootdisk C:/ format and dump bills projeny even though i am very familiar with it by now. (so much of which was stolen from acorn and others)

Actually i have a DOS/Boot stand alone disk so i could play wir without windows on the machine.
(i think i've even got a copy of dos 6.2 around somewhere)

Loki

BTW Dave, i posted on source and left a question for you there.

davewolf · Post by **davewolf** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 4:17 pm

Originally posted by Lokioftheaesir
Much as i dislike MS i do use Win 95. Its Fast, stable and it was free. If Linux did everything i wanted and was compatable with every game and system then i would do a bootdisk C:/ format and dump bills projeny even though i am very familiar with it by now. (so much of which was stolen from acorn and others)

Actually i have a DOS/Boot stand alone disk so i could play wir without windows on the machine.
(i think i've even got a copy of dos 6.2 around somewhere)

Loki
I don't like Bill's empire either. Just think it's simply to huge. But I'm forced to work with all that Win stuff and I don't think about it very much any more.
Nevertheless I'd be glad to see Linux i.e. growing further. It won't become an 'empire' as long as it'll stay open source.
BTW I just wanted to make fun. (You surely know that.)

BTW Dave, i posted on source and left a question for you there.

It's answered right now. It seems Heiks is around too at the moment. So it may be a good time to talk.
Dave

Ed Cogburn · Post by **Ed Cogburn** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 9:21 pm

Originally posted by davewolf

Hmmm, on my platform (Win98) the result is that the application (WIR) is paused as long as the window isn't resized to full screen.

This needs to be in a FAQ.

The game is a DOS mode app that runs in the standard EGA graphics screen resulution. It is a not a Windows app, Window's screen resolution, its fonts or font sizes have NO EFFECT on WiR. When WiR runs, Windows allows it to take control of the video hardware and set the 640x350x16 EGA resolution, at this point Windows is "hidden" so to speak, untill the program finishes or the user switches back to Windows using Alt-Tab or Alt-Enter. Finally, when doing Alt-Enter, Windows takes a snapshot of the screen and displays it in a window on the desktop, thats true, but WIR IS STILL A DOS APP. It knows nothing about Windows and the desktop or how to run in a desktop window. The game is simply frozen untill you switch back to the fuillscreen EGA mode where the game can continue from where it was paused. It is impossible to play any DOS app that runs in a graphics mode in a Window's desktop window.

IronManBeta · Post by **IronManBeta** » Sun Apr 14, 2002 10:12 pm

Is there a contractual reason why this ega limitation has to remain in force? It seems to me that this is the first thing that would be 'fixed' in a modernized version of the game. I had always assumed that it was not being fixed to honour the terms of the original agreement and to leave room open for a revamped successor game in due course.

Just my $0.02 worth, but I am truly interested in finding out!

Cheers, Rob.

Ed Cogburn · Post by **Ed Cogburn** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 4:40 am

Originally posted by RobertCrandall
Is there a contractual reason why this ega limitation has to remain in force? It seems to me that this is the first thing that would be 'fixed' in a modernized version of the game. I had always assumed that it was not being fixed to honour the terms of the original agreement and to leave room open for a revamped successor game in due course.

There is no contract stopping Arnuad AFAIK. You just can't take a complex, graphical, DOS program and turn it into a Windows program by waving a magic wand over it.

The only way to "fix" this problem would require a complete rewrite. Seriously. Arnaud is the only programmer who can work on WiR, he's the only one with an NDA to even see the code, and he can only do this part-time. So please don't expect miracles, or even major changes for that matter, they aren't going to happen. Sorry.

If you want a Windows version of this game, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Gary's WIR3, assuming that project ever gets off the ground. Right now its just an idea, nothing else. Gary and his team are working right now on Uncommon Valor, and then they'll create War in the Pacific, and only after that will we see if WIR3 becomes a reality.

Lokioftheaesir · Post by **Lokioftheaesir** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 4:45 am

Originally posted by Ed Cogburn

......The game is simply frozen untill you switch back to the fuillscreen EGA mode where the game can continue from where it was paused. It is impossible to play any DOS app that runs in a graphics mode in a Window's desktop window.

Ed

Really?

I just started a wir game to the game selection screen, then i used alt/enter. The game went into a 1/2 screen window. I then clicked the buttons for a Hum/Hum '41 game and proceeded through all the screens to the game, selected units, plotted then executed combat.
Impossible?

Not where i'm sitting.

Loki

Ed Cogburn · Post by **Ed Cogburn** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 11:07 am

Originally posted by Lokioftheaesir

Not where i'm sitting.

What version of Windows are you using? With Win2k or XP it might be possible to run it in a window. They are based on WinNT, and don't have any 16bit code in them, as I understand it they literally emulate a DOS machine for DOS apps. I have no experience with them.

I'm using Win98SE. If I use the "Run" button on Win's menu, and execute "c:\games\wir\wir.exe", it will switch to DOS mode, and start the game normally. At that splash screen I type Alt-Enter. There will be a little delay and then a blue screen pops up and says WIR can only be run in fullscreen mode. If a press a button to continue, Windows crashes. I normally run a copy of command.com (actually 4dos.com but the same happens with command.com) first, then switch to c:\games\wir and then run the game from the DOS prompt. Using Alt-Enter gets me the windowed screen, but it also gets me a prompt saying this graphics application cannot be run in a window. I click to clear the popup message then switch to the WIR window. There is no reaction whatsoever to any mouse or keyboard action, except for error beeps. On my system, Win98SE, the game cannot be played in a window. The same must be true for Win95 as well. What's your setup? 2K or XP?

Lokioftheaesir · Post by **Lokioftheaesir** » Mon Apr 15, 2002 2:22 pm

Originally posted by Ed Cogburn
..What's your setup? 2K or XP?

Ed

Win95

Loki

PS.
I turn on the machine and Win95 boots up, all the tsr stuff loads and i end up with my desktop (with a nice pic of the german orbital bomber from the luft '46 site) I open explorer, goto the Wir folder of chioce and double click on Wir.exe.
The game starts up full screen (no windows) like it should, i never have any trouble from wir, it starts flawlesly every time and i've never had any warning screens or anything like that from windows or the game, in fact i once started the executable 5 times in a row (using the 'windows' buton to the right of the L/alt key to minimise) and all 5 ran fine.
If i hit alt/enter the game simply turns into a 1/2 size window that can be drag/resized from the bottom right corner. It runs very slow in this mode but it does run and all screen buttons and map/unit functions work. If i hit alt/enter again it returns to normal full screen.

My OS is definately Win95 as i built the machine myself and loaded the HD with '95 at that time.

I have put a chunk of a screen shot on the Yahoo site called Image1.psp that shows the OS version number and type exct if you want to look at it (yahoo is on the Dave and Heiks thread)

Ed Cogburn · Post by **Ed Cogburn** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 9:13 am

Originally posted by Lokioftheaesir

Win95

I just checked my old copy of Win95 on my old machine. It won't run the game in a window either. Its behavior is the same as Win98. You 've got an unusual version of Win95. Even if they added this ability in a late version of Win95, why disable it for Win98? I don't get it.

Lokioftheaesir · Post by **Lokioftheaesir** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 2:28 pm

Originally posted by Ed Cogburn

I just checked my old copy of Win95 on my old machine. It won't run the game in a window either. Its behavior is the same as Win98. You 've got an unusual version of Win95. Even if they added this ability in a late version of Win95, why disable it for Win98? I don't get it.

Ed

Well the version# does say 'B'. Why it works and other versions dont? I have no idea.
Dos'nt really matter either as i dont play it in this mode anyway. Just thought it might help hogscape get 'round his problem.

Loki

hogscape · Post by **hogscape** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 2:55 pm

Thanks very much to everyone who replied to my original post. I'm running XP on a P4 and I was unable to 'windowize' the game no matter what I tried.

Thanks again

davewolf · Post by **davewolf** » Tue Apr 16, 2002 8:04 pm

Originally posted by Ed Cogburn
This needs to be in a FAQ.

Ed
It's done.

Loki
Certainly I do believe you that it works on your machine. But it actually 'shouldn't' so I just didn't know how to classify this information and to add it to that certain FAQ section without confusing anyone.
Maybe you or Ed know how this should be done correctly.

Dave

Ranger-75 · Post by **Ranger-75** » Thu Apr 18, 2002 8:13 pm

hi,

I get the same results as Ed with winblows 98 SE, little warning box and a suspended app. I can re-size it but no action. Perhaps winblows 95 gave a little more freedom. I'll check it on my winblows 95 box later.

I do remember having WIR, and Western Front and WordPerfect 5.1 all running in wondowed mode on OS/2 3.0, that was cool, I could take notes on the OOBs while playing the game. But I haven't re-loaded OS/2 in a while (I still save 250MB of space on a partition in case I get really ambitious.)

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