Minimal requeriments for XWAU2020.exe

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Minimal requeriments for XWAU2020.exe

Memnoch
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Post by Memnoch » Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:21 pm

Hi, i'm just a new registered member

First of all, THANKYOU to all the team members in this website for the job that the original company that make inicially the game just didn't. You fill a big hole with your time to make happy the fans of the Star Wars universe, it's very appreciated.

I succefully installed the game in my Windows 7 ultimate VMWare machine, this is how i did it:

·Install a brand new GOG version of X-Wing Alliance (setup_sw_xwing_alliance_2.0.0.9.exe)
·Run the xwahacker Hook(xwahacker-qt.exe) to set the screen 1600x1200: to 1920 1080 100 1.80; run the game, set the screen to 1600x1200, and it's in full screen
·Install the XWING ALLIANCE UPDATE 2020 (XWAU2020.exe). When try to run the game it hangs, so i read a post and substitute the ddraw.cfg y ddraw.cfg by the ones in xwa_ddraw_d3d11.1.3.11. The the game looks perfect due (again) to your colective efford :)
·Succesuffly run 2 virtual machines and play a game with 2 players in same LAN.

Now to the issue ;)

I want to install the game in a brand new Windows 7 ultimate, all goes OK (running GOG version in 1920x1080)...till i try to execute the XWING ALLIANCE UPDATE 2020 (XWAU2020.exe), it crush (APPCRUSH KERNELBASE.dll) so i'm guessing it has to do with some pre-requisites of the executable, maybe Microsoft Visual C++, maybe some application that update the kernelbase.dll?

I know you probably thinking "man, you already did it, so why loss time on this?". It's because i'm kind of "want-to-know guy", plus maybe it would help to other fans to easy do a step-by-step process to get all running ok and have fun with the game.

Yours Truly
Memnoch
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Memnoch
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Post by Memnoch » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:41 am

I just answer myself: It was the .net framework 4.5.2. I saw it in the readme of XwaHooksSetup.

So, in a brand new windows 7 ultimate 64 (Directx11), i install the XWA version of GOG (it adds the c++ 2008 redistributable).
Then i install the .net framework 4.5.2 and the c++ 2013 redistributable (just in case, i read some of you use this).
Then i can run the XWAU2020.exe, all seems OK.

01:xwa crush with "incorrect parameter", it is caused by Hook_normals.dll; I remove Hook_normals.
01.png
02:xwa show the DirectDrawInit failed at 0; I remove the ddraw.dll & ddraw.cfg:
02.png
03:xwa start in a small window but it crushes when i try to play. I put the ddraw.dll & ddraw.cfg in xwa_ddraw_d3d11.1.3.11.zip

04:xwa show the DirectDrawInit failed at 2; I remove all hooks...still crushing with DirectDrawInit failed at 2
04.png

Any ideas? it seems there's some basic incompatibility in a plain vanilla installation. Identify this could help all newbies like me to have the full update2020 running.

Plus i'm guessing this is the main trouble that causes all the others.
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DarHan
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Post by DarHan » Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:27 pm

First thing to check: is your Windows 7 up to date? XWAUP requires Windows 7 SP1 with the Platform Update installed.
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Memnoch
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Post by Memnoch » Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:46 am

Thanks DarHan, will check this

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Post by Memnoch » Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:32 pm

Thank you, finally get it working...it's amazing!!!!

Here goes step-by-step:

(prerequisites)
· Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1: Windows6.1-Kb976932-x64 (Windows 7 Service Pack 1).exe
· Microsoft Windows 7 Platform Update: Windows6.1-KB2670838-x64.msu
· Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2: NDP452-KB2901907-x86-x64-AllOS-ENU.exe

(actual installation)
· X-Wing Alliance [GOG]: setup_sw_xwing_alliance_2.0.0.9.exe
· X-Wing Alliance Update: XWAU2020.exe (16:9 ratio)
· XWA_TourMultiplayer_Hook_2.1.1.zip decompressed in C:\GOG Games\Star Wars - X-Wing Alliance

(tunning)
When i try 1st time xwa shows the "DirectDraw failed at 0", so i change "ddraw.cfg, ddraw.dll" from the ones in xwa_ddraw_d3d11.1.3.11 and then it works. I don't even need to set the screen size, just appears at the size of my monitor 1920x1080, plus, i test succefully multiplayer missions (in LAN), it seems all of them are made up tor 8 players...with debriefing and all!

So it seems XWAU2020.exe install the one in the left and the one in the right is the one that works.
Imagen10.png
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Vader424242
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Post by Vader424242 » Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:06 pm

Hi Memnoch,

I am also running XWAUP 2020 in a Windows 7 VM (VMWare 12.5.7 for me). A couple of questions, if I may. First, do you get an "Application has stopped responding" info box when you exit the game? Also, is your dynamic cockpit working? Everything works fine, but I cannot figure out how to get the dynamic effects working: they seemed to have defaulted to the static configuration...? Thanks!

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DarHan
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Post by DarHan » Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:17 pm

Hey. According to this:
Vader424242 wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:20 pm
One final thing I needed to do was replace the DDraw.dll in the XWA folder (XWUA 2020 installed version 1.1.4.1) with version 1.3.11.0
it seems that you replaced the effects dll with a non-effects dll.

To be clear: there are THREE different DDraw dlls:
  • Jeremy’s DDraw, currently version 1.3.11 - This is the base DLL. No effects, high performance, high compatibility.
  • Reimar’s DDraw, currently version 1.5.13 - Based on Jeremy’s, but adds compatibility with X-wing, TIE Fighter, and XvT.
  • Blue_max’s DDraw, currently version 1.1.4.1 - Based on the previous two. This is the one included in the 2020 mega pack. This is the only one of the three that enables the graphical effects.
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Post by Vader424242 » Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:34 pm

Well, shazzbot (thanks for the explanation, DarHan...:)). Using Blue_max's dll results in the DirectDraw problem detailed above ("incorrect parameter ...failed at 0"). Replacing it with Jeremy's DDraw is the only way I could get around this. At this point, I am thinking that the virtual GPU is the limiting factor (some shading or other that Blue_max used that it won't emulate completely...?), which is surprising since it has been compatible with everything else I have thrown at it. Is there another tweak I am missing (I am running SP1, Platform Update, .NET 4.5.2)...?

If anybody out there has this running in a Windows 7 VM and has the dynamic effects working, I would very much like to hear from you!

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Post by dhollinger3 » Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:42 pm

Vader424242 wrote:
Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:34 pm
Well, shazzbot (thanks for the explanation, DarHan...:)). Using Blue_max's dll results in the DirectDraw problem detailed above ("incorrect parameter ...failed at 0"). Replacing it with Jeremy's DDraw is the only way I could get around this. At this point, I am thinking that the virtual GPU is the limiting factor (some shading or other that Blue_max used that it won't emulate completely...?), which is surprising since it has been compatible with everything else I have thrown at it. Is there another tweak I am missing (I am running SP1, Platform Update, .NET 4.5.2)...?

If anybody out there has this running in a Windows 7 VM and has the dynamic effects working, I would very much like to hear from you!
What is the host OS? If it's Linux, there's an automated installer for Lutris that works just fine with running XWAU2020 in WINE with DXVK and enables effects.This isn't maintained by the XWAUpgrade project themselves at all, but it's been working well for me.

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Post by Vader424242 » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:26 pm

dhollinger3 wrote:
Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:42 pm
Vader424242 wrote:
Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:34 pm
Well, shazzbot (thanks for the explanation, DarHan...:)). Using Blue_max's dll results in the DirectDraw problem detailed above ("incorrect parameter ...failed at 0"). Replacing it with Jeremy's DDraw is the only way I could get around this. At this point, I am thinking that the virtual GPU is the limiting factor (some shading or other that Blue_max used that it won't emulate completely...?), which is surprising since it has been compatible with everything else I have thrown at it. Is there another tweak I am missing (I am running SP1, Platform Update, .NET 4.5.2)...?

If anybody out there has this running in a Windows 7 VM and has the dynamic effects working, I would very much like to hear from you!
What is the host OS? If it's Linux, there's an automated installer for Lutris that works just fine with running XWAU2020 in WINE with DXVK and enables effects.This isn't maintained by the XWAUpgrade project themselves at all, but it's been working well for me.
The host OS is Ubuntu 16.04. I never even thought of running it through WINE... I will have to look into that. Thanks!

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Post by dhollinger3 » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:49 pm

Vader424242 wrote:
Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:26 pm
dhollinger3 wrote:
Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:42 pm
Vader424242 wrote:
Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:34 pm
Well, shazzbot (thanks for the explanation, DarHan...:)). Using Blue_max's dll results in the DirectDraw problem detailed above ("incorrect parameter ...failed at 0"). Replacing it with Jeremy's DDraw is the only way I could get around this. At this point, I am thinking that the virtual GPU is the limiting factor (some shading or other that Blue_max used that it won't emulate completely...?), which is surprising since it has been compatible with everything else I have thrown at it. Is there another tweak I am missing (I am running SP1, Platform Update, .NET 4.5.2)...?

If anybody out there has this running in a Windows 7 VM and has the dynamic effects working, I would very much like to hear from you!
What is the host OS? If it's Linux, there's an automated installer for Lutris that works just fine with running XWAU2020 in WINE with DXVK and enables effects.This isn't maintained by the XWAUpgrade project themselves at all, but it's been working well for me.
The host OS is Ubuntu 16.04. I never even thought of running it through WINE... I will have to look into that. Thanks!
Here's the Lutris game page. This all assumes you're running Lutris on the desktop. I'm not sure what the support status is for Lutris on Ubuntu 16.04 since 16.04 goes End of Life in a couple months.

https://lutris.net/games/star-wars-x-wing-alliance/

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Post by stroeum » Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:44 pm

Hi, I am running macOS big sur and was wondering if there was a how to install using wine and/or lutris? Alternately, what would be a configuration (especially a graphic card to run the latest XWAU2020.exe) without being a total overkill?

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Post by Vince T » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:46 pm

Well regarding the hardware requirements, the short answer is:
Do not expect it to run properly on a 10 year old office laptop. The game engine is really old and was not optimized for modern hardware like multicore CPUs. With the detailed models of recent years as well as the new shader effects you will need a machine capable of running vaguely contemporary games.

As a benchmark: I used to run it on a I7 @3.4 GHz with a GeForce 1060 without problems.
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Post by Vader424242 » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:30 pm

OK, for anyone trying to run this inside of a VMWare VM with the dynamic cockpit and effects, the" problem" is with the virtual GPU (VMWare SVGA II). While it does an admirable job most of the time, there are some more modern shading effects it does not support. I have tried everything, and short of going with the generic DDraw.dll, nothing works. On the bright side, I installed XWA in all of its glory on a bare-metal Win7 installation, and let me just say that there is a dent in the floor where my jaw hit... My highest compliments to you guys!

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Post by stroeum » Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:52 pm

Vince T wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:46 pm
Well regarding the hardware requirements, the short answer is:
Do not expect it to run properly on a 10 year old office laptop. The game engine is really old and was not optimized for modern hardware like multicore CPUs. With the detailed models of recent years as well as the new shader effects you will need a machine capable of running vaguely contemporary games.

As a benchmark: I used to run it on a I7 @3.4 GHz with a GeForce 1060 without problems.
Thank you. That helps. Basically, I was wondering if using my external GPU would make sense.

Regarding running on macOS other than through bootcamp, any luck?

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