Here's Help Running ScummVM Itself (Maybe): 2 Ways

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GusCE6
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:50 pm

Here's Help Running ScummVM Itself (Maybe): 2 Ways

Post by GusCE6 »

Guess this is my contribution, even if it isn't much...maybe this post belongs here?

There are two parts to this: Swiftshader and 3-D Analyze.

If anyone has installed the ScummVM application successfully but when trying to actually run it it just crashes- maybe without even an error message- what may help is what worked on my old 2001 Sony XP laptop: Swiftshader, in my case Swiftshader 2.1. :D

It consists of three files: d3d8.dll, d3d9.dll, and SwiftShader.ini files. You simply copy them into the same folder as the ScummVM EXE file, you do not replace anything in the Operating System.

Swiftshader 3.0 may work too (it does not have a d3d8.dll file), but it requires SSE2 to work- so older computers, like those with Intel Pentium 3, cannot use it.

If the administrators here would like and it doesn't violate any policies I can e-mail them to this site so others can use them too. I do not remember where I downloaded them from, but they haven't ever caused me any trouble and have gotten games like "Deepica," "The Golden Path of Plumeboom," "Plumeboom the First Chapter," "Inherit the Earth(?!)," "Elementals the Magic Key," "Ancient Wonderland," and "Mythic Pearls" running too.

Oh- in the SwiftShader.ini file under

[Processor]
ThreadCount=0


add this line:


EnableSSE=1

It usually makes things run better.




****PART 2: 3-D Analyze****


The second way of getting ScummVM working on your computer if it keeps crashing just after being activated is with an application called "3-D Analyze (v2.36b)." Note that earlier versions, like the commonly-found v2.34, should work too.

3-D Analyze is an application meant to "fool" games into thinking a computer can do something it normally can't, although it does also add certain abilities. Its main advantage over Swiftshader is that it moves faster, when you have a choice between the two. It is not difficult to find this application online, luckily, here is what you do:


1) You fire up 3-D Analyze, use "Select" to find the ScummVM.exe file, then choose that file.

2) Check the following boxes:

* "Skip pixel shader version 1.1"

* "Skip pixel shader version 1.4"

* "Skip pixel shader version 2.0"

* "Emulate max. sim. textures"

* "force reference rast."

(That last one is VERY important!)



Now just click "Run" and ScummVM will hopefully work.

You can click "Save batch file!" at the bottom to save a batch file in the same folder as the ScummVM.exe file; this saves the settings and you can just click it to fire up 3-D Analyze with the settings intact and ScummVM already selected and running!

There does seem to be somewhat smoother and faster movement than with Swiftshader, although not really significant. This is really just so anyone here having trouble getting ScummVM to run now has two options that can be tried.

The script error message that appears when trying to play "Foxtail" does not appear in either case, by the way: with Swiftshader you get a black screen and the cursor is an hourglass; with 3-D Analyze ScummVM simply shuts down- briefly an error line about SDL appears in the command window. This worries me.

Both ways of getting ScummVM working here have been tested with "Inherit the Earth" and "The Legend of Kyrandia," as well as with "Foxtail." Except for what's mentioned above they work the same. I do not have any other game ScummVM recognizes.


UPDATE: When trying the WME Demo- the one with the woman in the red dress and the flashing red "WME" sign- it works fine with Swiftshader but the ScummVM application crashes when trying it with 3-D Analyze. So at this early stage of testing Swiftshader 2.1 has proven more reliable.



Good luck!

:)
User avatar
TerryLewis
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:02 am

Re: Here's Help Running ScummVM Itself (Maybe): 2 Ways

Post by TerryLewis »

Guess this is my contribution, even if it isn't much...maybe this post belongs here?

There are two parts to this: Swiftshader and 3-D Analyze.

If anyone has installed the ScummVM application successfully but when trying to actually run it it just crashes- maybe without even an error message- what may help is what worked on my old 2001 Sony XP laptop: Swiftshader, in my case Swiftshader 2.1. :D

It consists of three files: d3d8.dll, d3d9.dll, and SwiftShader.ini files. You simply copy them into the same folder as the ScummVM EXE file, you do not replace anything in the Operating System.

Swiftshader 3.0 may work too (it does not have a d3d8.dll file), but it requires SSE2 to work- so older computers, like those with Intel Pentium 3, cannot use it.

If the administrators here would like and it doesn't violate any policies I can e-mail them to this site so others can use them too. I do not remember where I downloaded them from, but they haven't ever caused me any trouble and have gotten games like in writemyessay review "Deepica," "The Golden Path of Plumeboom," "Plumeboom the First Chapter," "Inherit the Earth(?!)," "Elementals the Magic Key," "Ancient Wonderland," and "Mythic Pearls" running too.

Oh- in the SwiftShader.ini file under

[Processor]
ThreadCount=0


add this line:


EnableSSE=1

It usually makes things run better.




****PART 2: 3-D Analyze****


The second way of getting ScummVM working on your computer if it keeps crashing just after being activated is with an application called "3-D Analyze (v2.36b)." Note that earlier versions, like the commonly-found v2.34, should work too.

3-D Analyze is an application meant to "fool" games into thinking a computer can do something it normally can't, although it does also add certain abilities. Its main advantage over Swiftshader is that it moves faster, when you have a choice between the two. It is not difficult to find this application online, luckily, here is what you do:


1) You fire up 3-D Analyze, use "Select" to find the ScummVM.exe file, then choose that file.

2) Check the following boxes:

* "Skip pixel shader version 1.1"

* "Skip pixel shader version 1.4"

* "Skip pixel shader version 2.0"

* "Emulate max. sim. textures"

* "force reference rast."

(That last one is VERY important!)



Now just click "Run" and ScummVM will hopefully work.

You can click "Save batch file!" at the bottom to save a batch file in the same folder as the ScummVM.exe file; this saves the settings and you can just click it to fire up 3-D Analyze with the settings intact and ScummVM already selected and running!

There does seem to be somewhat smoother and faster movement than with Swiftshader, although not really significant. This is really just so anyone here having trouble getting ScummVM to run now has two options that can be tried.

The script error message that appears when trying to play "Foxtail" does not appear in either case, by the way: with Swiftshader you get a black screen and the cursor is an hourglass; with 3-D Analyze ScummVM simply shuts down- briefly an error line about SDL appears in the command window. This worries me.

Both ways of getting ScummVM working here have been tested with "Inherit the Earth" and "The Legend of Kyrandia," as well as with "Foxtail." Except for what's mentioned above they work the same. I do not have any other game ScummVM recognizes.


UPDATE: When trying the WME Demo- the one with the woman in the red dress and the flashing red "WME" sign- it works fine with Swiftshader but the ScummVM application crashes when trying it with 3-D Analyze. So at this early stage of testing Swiftshader 2.1 has proven more reliable.



Good luck!

:)
Hey GusCE6,

I had install SwifShader just to get Pirates of the Caribbean run ok. Should I rewrite the data in engine.ini to make the changes? For example, if I need a full screen mode? Thanks.
GusCE6
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:50 pm

Re: Here's Help Running ScummVM Itself (Maybe): 2 Ways

Post by GusCE6 »

"Engine.ini?"

I'm afraid I don't know much about "Pirates of the Carribean."

Which version of "SwiftShader" are you using? Does it have a "SwiftShader.ini" file with it? To adjust SwiftShader aspects you'd need that.

If you don't have it paste this on a Word document page (or type it in) and save it as a "txt" file. Then just change the extension fron "txt" to "ini"

Note that this is from version 2.1.





; SwiftShader Configuration File


[Capabilities]
PixelShaderVersion=30
VertexShaderVersion=30
TextureMemory=256
Identifier=0

[Caches]
VertexRoutineCacheSize=1024
PixelRoutineCacheSize=1024
SetupRoutineCacheSize=1024
VertexCacheSize=64

[Quality]
TextureSampleQuality=2
MipmapQuality=1
PerspectiveCorrection=1
TranscendentalPrecision=2
TransparencyAntialiasing=0

[Processor]
ThreadCount=0
EnableSSE=1
EnableSSE2=1
EnableSSE3=1


[Testing]
DisableServer=1
ForceWindowed=0
ComplementaryDepthBuffer=0
PostBlendSRGB=0
ExactColorRounding=0
DisableAlphaMode=0
Disable10BitMode=0
FrameBufferAPI=0
Precache=0
ShadowMapping=3






You just change the numbers to get the best you can- mainly "Capabilities," "Caches," and "Qualities." I added "EnableSSE=1" since it affects games like "Sid Meier's Pirates! 2K." You can remove it as a test though. As a rule of thumb the lower the numbers the faster the game will move, but only testing will know.

Put the "SwiftShader.ini" file in the same place as the other SwiftShader file(s).


If that "engine.ini" file has a Fullscreen settings you could try that. In the case of "Sid Meier's Pirates! 2K" you added the line

fullscreen = 0

to its "Config.ini" file in order to disable Fullscreen mode, which some computers needed. It would seem that changing it to "1" would enable it. You just have to tinker around, but of course if such an option is already there you can try it.

But ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, make backup copies of such files- in case you forget what the original settings were.

Good luck!
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