moo2 graphics glitch for win 2000

darknight · November 20, 2003, 22:14

When I try to run moo2 in win 2000, I click a button, and the screen gets screwed up
and tries to show 15 copies of the same image overlaping each other.

Than I click another button and it becomes normal again. etc. etc.
I can keep playing like this, but does anyone know how to fix this?

system370 · December 22, 2003, 22:19

Win 2000 is NT based , Moo2 was written as Win 95 was being developed, so your bound to have some problems. But I have heard some W2K users use a DOS Emulator which gets the game running OK.

I run the DOS version under WIndows 98 SE

bakalov · January 6, 2004, 05:21

Moo2 was running pretty good under win NT (I have tried it). The problems under win 2K seem to be DirectX related. Disabling DirectDraw seems to help to big extent but there still are problems.

macraig · January 16, 2004, 10:25

Disabling DirectDraw won't help: it solves one problem and creates bigger ones.

The ONLY solution I found is to use a "Compatibility" mode to make the game run as though it thinks it's running in Windows 9x. There are two of these modes: one for Windows 95, and one for Windows 98.

You can visit Microsoft Support's Knowledge Base and find an article that details how to install the Windows 95 Compatibility Mode retroactively, but my experience with my current install of Windows 2000 is that this approach DOES NOT help either.

Apparently the ONLY way you can get BOTH compatibility modes and make MOO II work properly, except for a panning problem in the combat screen, is to install Windows 2000 OVER/ON TOP OF an install of Windows 98.

I know that's a pain in the ass, but it works. Selecting the Win 98 Compatibility Mode after such an install will cure all but the panning problem.

Edit: you can specify this Mode by opening the Properties for a shortcut to the game; you will then see a tab labelled Compatibilty (if you've done things right), which will contain the Mode to enable.

vmxa1 · January 16, 2004, 14:15

I had problem on NT and I see players by the tons have problems with Win2000. Many never getting it to run. It works in XP.
Time to migrate or dual boot.

macraig · January 16, 2004, 17:53

Dual boot is going to be my choice now... I'm NOT going to reinstall Win98 and then Win2000 all over again just for that, as much as I liked MOO II and Ascendancy. If I'd known that was the only way to get those modes when I upgraded and reinstalled everything last summer I could have done it then, but it's months of customization too late for that now. I've got a copy of BootIt NG, and I've been planning to repartition and install Win98, Debian Linux, and even my old copy of OS/2 Warp.

I have no doubt that the reason XP might work better is because those compatibility modes were integrated into it from the start. I hadn't mentioned that possibility because I tend to mentally write-off and exclude XP myself (but that's a personal problem).

vmxa1 · January 16, 2004, 18:48

I can't remember if I had Moo2 run on OS/2, but I did paly Moo1 on OS/2.
I have ran all the MicroSoft OS's, and I prefer XP so far. Hot swap of mouse or keyboard, support for most things and is going to get any new stuff.

One issue I ran into in the last month was Serial ATA. Not supported by Win98SE or ME, but no sweat for XP.

vmxa1 · January 16, 2004, 18:49

Oh, Ascendancy works on XP as well, I even had MoM working. Star Generals and Pax.