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Olga

Warhammer 40k Chaos Gate on XP - help?

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Just a quick note.

 

Kudos to all of you who are trying to make this great game work again.

 

I just want to say that I doubt SSI has the license over Chaos Gate. All the WH40K series games are actually licensed under Games Workshop, and knowing them, I doubt they'd release it unless they get a big profit from it...

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Ok guys, the new Warhammer 40K "Dawn of War" is now out. Trying to fix Chaos Gate is now not really worth the time. Get this new game! The graphics are awesome, even zoomed in close up you can see killer detail. As for the gameplay, it is good too . . . . depending. Though all the previews I read said this was NOT going to be a resource building style game (ala C&C), it still is to a degree. And so far, having only done the tutorial and 1 mission, I have not seen the massive bloodletting they say is in the game. But, it is enjoyable to play! AND . . . . it has multiplayer!

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Quote:
I just want to say that I doubt SSI has the license over Chaos Gate. All the WH40K series games are actually licensed under Games Workshop, and knowing them, I doubt they'd release it unless they get a big profit from it...

SSI does barely exist now a days, it's just a brand name used by Ubi soft (who probably own the rights to their old games as well). It sure would be nice if they bundled all old Warhammer games together and released them for XP...

The new game "Dawn of War" is ok, but has one big flaw... It's not turn based!

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Has anyone figured out how to get this game going if you don't have gsedit.msc or whatever its called (for Win XP)? Wallace?

 

The black screen is definitely a resolution thing. But the crash when the cultists are moving is still plaguing me...

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I registered here, mainly to thanks all those who posted in threads connected to Chaos Gate. Thanks!

 

Besides that:

 

i tried running gate on two machines. Success rate is 50%.

 

I was tring w2k compatibilty layer for w95.

 

It worked on:

 

AMD 1Ghz

GeForce 2 GTS

Dx SDK 9.0b Runtime: 9.0b

Sound Blaster live

NO PATCH applied

 

Laspistol crashed on:

 

PIII 933Mhz

Geforce fx5600

dx sdk 9.0b runtime 9.0c

onborad sound

NO PATCH and PATCH 1.2 no difference

 

 

I havent tried patching working version, cos if it would stopped working, i would have to kill myself. Before my brother finds out wink.

 

Looking at above configs, it can be matter of

1) video card - works on gf2 series

2) dx runtime - i dont think so

3) sound card - that one is somehow possible

 

 

Ill try to test it on matrox, pII 300 and dx6, and AMD 2.6 fx5950, until then please try it on some machines!

 

I can tell you for sure that game itself is bugged like hell - i tried running it with debug dx libries, it crashes in menu with mem leaks.

 

And i dont think they will release XP version - one reason is that xp sucks, other is that CG is rather old and after disbanding SSI team no one knows how was it made... sad thing.

 

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what about SP2 for WinXP does it work with the above mentioned configs? ... because i don´t even get a console ... it just doesn´t start at all ... in the process view there is w40k.exe ... but thats all ... (yes i tried all above mentioned things smile but it doesn´t work ...)

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I'll try to summarize possible fixes for CGate on XP.

 

First, you MUST run setup from cd with compat mode for "Windows 95" or similar enabled in it's properties as described earlier or open registry for programs by my method before install. Otherwise, setup will fail to create needed registry keys and options in game will be unchangeable. CG keeps them in registry and cannot access them without compat mode, and can't create them w/o it in first place.

 

1) In "Run" dialog in Start Menu type

 

secedit /configure /cfg compatws.inf /db compatws.sdb

 

This will allow programs to modify registry, thus lowering security, but hopefully enable CG to run, because it wants to modify it on-the-fly. This will enable modifying and saving game options.

 

2) Install game by running setup from cd, you're no longer need to enable compat mode in it's properties. This way it will create all necessary keys in registry.

 

3) Go Brok way by running cg through command.com. Type in "Run" dialog gpedit.msc and click ok. Choose comp's configuration. Then expand Administrative templates and in Start menu group find parameter about "run in separate memory space" and make sure it's On. Close Group Policy window.

 

4) To run CG as Brok suggests type in "Run" dialog

command.com /c C:\Games\WH40K\WH40K.exe

or whatever path to CG is, checking option box "run in sep. memory space". It's unclear to me when this checkbox is enabled for modifying, so better ask Brok:).

In theory, all should work in the game, including options menu;)

 

Problem is, i myself plagued by problem which nobody other mentioned (probably they're just lucky): video cuts such as intro movie run ok, with sound and all, but i don't get any sound in main game menu or game mode itself. No music too. I've tried lowering HW acceleration for sound in dxdiag program or windows sound properties, tried switching from old SB 128 PCI (it's my second comp) to onboard sound - same effect. If someone knows a solution to this or have any idea, your help would be appreciated:)

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Addition to my previous post. Solution with compatws.inf doesn't seem to work all the time, so you may want to stick to comp. mode in executable file preferences (it may mess up with running it trough command.com though) or run game in compat mode, enter options menu (to make sure it will write settings to registry), exit game and then edit preferences directly in registry (do a searsh for "random games") if need arises.

No luck with my sound problem for now.

 

Dawn of War is surely very good game, but it's too short!!! I've completed it already, i think addon is on it's way - the ending is kinda... promising;)

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Originally posted by janfebmar:

Quote:
buy Warhammer 40k Dawn of war instead..

kickass game..

i even got it to work on win2k3 server

 

smile Hmm

 

I have played through DOW but it's terribly short. So I searched for other entertainement. Then I found my old Chaos Gate dosent work on Win2k, so here I am. A new game isn't a solution if you want to play with the good old one.

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Originally posted by janfebmar:

Quote:
buy Warhammer 40k Dawn of war instead..

kickass game..

 

One of the reasons I don't play DOW is my PC is mostly ancient components running top-of-the-line drivers, but the hardware isn't up to it!

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have anyone tried virtual pc? i'll tell you one thing guys...it wooooooooooooorks 8) laughshocked

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Hi guys, i found this forum by googling, thank god! I still have a problem with playing the game and I would really appreciate for a little help here smile I followed Sneaksie's instructions, but I can't perform "secedit /configure /cfg compatws.inf /db compatws.sdb". It goes to 11% and then crashes. Obviously, in the game this is the reason why the game crashes when cultists are going to shoot. All other features in the game are just working fine, video, music and sounds.

 

I have Windows XP Professional (2002) with Service Pack 1

 

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Has anyone here seen this post?

 

http://forums.relicnews.com/archive/index.php/t-22435.html

 

I'm going to try it today... and if this is the price to pay to play this great game on win2k, I have no problems with it.

 

as a side note, I tried everything that everyone here posted and no go for me on a win2k laptop. do any others have success stories...?

 

 

JSokko

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Fantastic to see I am not the only person to still want to play this game. Even more reassuring to see I am not the only person to have had problems. Particularly with those filthy cultists.

 

Not being so computer literate as you chaps, however I opted for the slightly low-tech solution of acquiring an old PC and peripherals which is now on its way to me and will be set up with win 98 so I can play Chaos Gate, Panzer General, and a bunch of other games in peace.

 

Dawn of War may look good, but frankly I think WH40k has gone a bit shiny and playstationesque since the days of Rogue Trader. Chaos Gate has darkness and squishy cultists ago go, not to mention some great music. But then I still remember Thrud the Barbarian being in White Dwarf, so I might as well be ranting on about the merits of triceratops.

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I agree tyrell.

 

Even though Dawn of war is a GREAT game.. it's like happy shiny fantasy war. Not at all like the grim and forsaken world the 40k universe are meant to be.

 

Anyway i also opted for buying an old computer... much easier. But what win versioon should i go for?? preferably one with nooo problems smile

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When I start chaos gate my cpu just waits and then nothing...

At first i had downloaded it full (wich of course took ages) that didn't work, err below, then tried the demo same eroor

 

When i look a ctrlaltdel wh40k.exe is at processes but not at applications, it just wont start up.

I work p3 666MHz (XP), 256 MB and a whopping TNT 2

Man i hope someone can help or im gonna throw this dinosaur out of the window

RAAAAA

plz help

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I had Chaos Gate in the old times on a Win 98 but it did not run under Xp so i decided to make it run again:) I have ran around for a while and in the and I have Installed VMware 5.0 then MAde a Virtual machine with Win98SE on it and after that INstralled DirectX9.0c on the Virtual Win98 and taramm!!! it runs again:) Buggy Just like in the old times:D

 

HAve fun all:)

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'Lo all, joined this forum after finding the thread on a google search.

 

I've been playing the Warhammer PC games since I got my first PC some years ago, and loved every one I could get my hands on, which was all of them apart from Chaos Gate.

 

I managed to get my hands on it recently, after playing Dawn of War make me hanker for the old days of things like Final Liberation and Rites of War, and I installed with great anticipation.

 

It works, sort of.

 

I don't have any of the problems with crashing that have been mentioned previously in this thread, if and when it does crash it seems to be pretty random. My problem is that it's dark, really dark, dark enough that on jungle levels I can't make out the terrain. It's not just in-game either, all the menu's and cutsequences are dark. I've tried changing my video brightness, and my monitor brightness is already at max but it's made no difference, it seems like when the game launches the video sets itself to hardware default, which is pretty day.

 

I've tried all the compatibility modes, rolling back my video drivers and what not, but they don't make a difference. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

I'm running XP Pro SP2, with a 2.6 Athlon XP, 1024mb Ram and a nVidia GeForce FX5600 with 256mb RAM

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That is great game, and luckily it almoust work in my computer (A64, R800Pro+Catalyst 4.12, XP Pro+SP2, 1GB RAM, WH40K CG whit 1.2 patch) whitout any trick. I can play it and even save, but game itself crash to windows randomly in battle (way too fast, just can play one round in battle). Any ideas what to do to get game stable?

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Originally posted by Andari:

Quote:
I've tried all the compatibility modes, rolling back my video drivers and what not, but they don't make a difference. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

Try to find some software (PowerStrip, Rivatuner?) whits let you to make quick key to brightnes or gammacontrols (I use ATITool, but it work only in ATI's card).

 

Edit: Additional info to crash, it crash only when cultist fire in laserpistol or when I hit cultist whit combat knife and cultist try to hit back, so I think that the fault is in cultist animation files attac animation (I tried to copy bolter stats to laspistol, but still crash). Any ideas how to replace cultist animation whit some other troops animation?

[Edited by Rambe on 2005-07-05 04:54:37]

 

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OMG, you people are going to love this. I don't know but Chaos Gate works perfectly fine and Im running OS Windows XP service pack 2! Heres how you get it running without tearing your PC into pieces!

 

1)First right click on the Wh40K.exe, then select compatibility. DONT STOP READING ITS MORE THAN YOU THINK!!!

 

2)Select run in "256 colors", and select run in "640x480" screen resolution.

 

3) Right click on your desktop, go to "display modes". Then look at either "True Color" or "High Color" for your display settings. Now write down your original display setting...somewhere?

 

4) Switch your display mode to "TRUE COLOR- 1024 by 768"

 

5) And,go to your prog. files or where ever you installed the game.(program files suggested) And Double-Click the Wh40K.exe. (duh!)

 

6) you might get a black screen in which you have to sort of "CLEAR the fog of war" (your mouse will come in handy as a windsheild whiper :P )

 

7) If you see the opening cinematic you know your good! Although "FOG OF WAR" MAY STILL APPEAR!

 

8)FINALLY Start your mission, and the screen should go all crappy and trippy when you enter the battle screen. To kill this and return the screen to normal "non-hippy mode".

 

Simply hit ALT+TAB, you will see your desktop looks like crap. Nevermind that and quickly....FAST! As you can click on the game again. BINGO! The screen is now clean of the psychadelica.

 

****WARNING**** Crashing will happen when the darn "Cultist" uses his laser. Or when the game feels like it?

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So basically there is no real fix to this game on win XP.

Then thats a good job I completed the whole game when I had Win 98 :P

 

My problems are that on the second campaign mission or any scenario mission the game will just crash when an enemy unit moves to a certain location. The whole first mission has no problems what so ever and this includes cultists fireing their lazers.

 

I'm usally good at getting things working, I'll try some stuff and post here if any luck.

Well I've still got to try the game out on my new PC (That too has win XP)

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Im not sure if this is ok to be posted hear but I got my copy of chaos gate working fine buy putting -WINCURSOR on at the end of the target line.

 

But the mane point is im now at the point when you first get to use terminators and all they get is one clip of ammo and that I can not add extra items and the spaces for the extra items are all white and fussy so I can not use them.

 

So I was just wondering whether this was support to happen or is it another error from running it on xp.

 

I have also tried the other methods of getting the game to work and the same thing happens.

 

Any help would be nice as i wish to carry on with the campaign.

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