Widescreen Gaming Forum

can anyone explene how to fix work with AOC W7 color fix

it has a w7 colorfix built-in, if you use the BAT file it creates

stop killing explorer.exe, there is no longer a need.

just use w7ddpatcher or DirectDraw_Compatibility_Tool

Does anybody know if/how to get this working with Gameranger? It would be wicked cool in online matches! Or would those be considered hacks?

stop killing explorer.exe, there is no longer a need. just use w7ddpatcher or DirectDraw_Compatibility_Tool

It would be very helpful to link not only to the download link, but to a site with actual information about these solutions: it creates a creater sense of reliability. People don't like to download an executable without any information about how it works/what it does.
And, explorer isn't killed, just suspended :)
Anyway, did the work for you: Here is a forum where the tool is discussed: [url]http://www.nma-fallout.com/node/]
It seems to work by creating some registry entries, improving (fixing) the behavior of the vista/7 directdraw compatibility layer.
Haven't tested it myself, but sounds interesting.
And, sounds like smth. that the widescreen patcher could incorporate! Thanks for the tip!

w7ddpatcher also includes the source iirc.
the ddraw window id for 1.0c is different to that of 1.0e and 1.0a, and so on and so forth so you cannot just set 1 appid and have it work across all versions.

Well the patch file for the specific exe could include the dd window id, of course.

This patch looks amazing, but I'm having some issues.

I installed AOE2 and AOC using my CDs. I then applied the 1.0c patch. I then looked for a No CD patch and found one (mod edit: no link to questionable content on the forum ;)), but I'm not sure if it's right - it's one exe file called "Empires" and it says to replace the existing Empires.exe file, but there is none in my install. There is an empires2.exe, and I assume it wants me to replace that, which I tried. It sounded like here though the no CD patch was supposed to apply to age2_x1.exe? In any case, after doing that, I installed AoE2Wide, but when I run it, the console tells me that none of the age2_x1.exe files found (there is only one, and it is finding it just fine) are the right size for any of the available patch levels. My age2_x1.exe should be patched to 1.0c, and the 1.0c patch tells me that it's installed when I try to run it. What gives?

Also troubling is that while I can run the game fine with the CD, when I tried running the Empires.exe file (supposedly a no cd patch) I got a DirectDraw error. Any idea what's going on? Thanks!

Hint: Age of Empires is a different game.

age_2x.exe is the one you need

Ah, that was stupid. Not sure how but I guess I did end up with an Age of Empires 1 No CD patch. Okay, I have rectified this with what I am quite sure is supposed to be the Age of Conquerors 1.0c No CD patched age2_x1.exe file... and AoE2Wide still says that it is the wrong size. My patched age2_x1.exe is 914,196 bytes in size (not size on disk). Is this, too, the wrong file? Thanks!

Ah, that was stupid. Not sure how but I guess I did end up with an Age of Empires 1 No CD patch. Okay, I have rectified this with what I am quite sure is supposed to be the Age of Conquerors 1.0c No CD patched age2_x1.exe file... and AoE2Wide still says that it is the wrong size. My patched age2_x1.exe is 914,196 bytes in size (not size on disk). Is this, too, the wrong file? Thanks!

Sounds like the original, not the NoCD, which should be about 2.6 mb

Sounds like the original, not the NoCD, which should be about 2.6 mb

I assure you, the age2_x1.exe I have is a NoCD patched version. It launches Age of Conquerors 1.0c without there being a CD in the drive. The original, unpatched (by which I mean the 1.0c patched exe but not the NoCD patched exe) age2_x1.exe that I have is a mere 344,863 bytes. I suppose I'll just have to look for the specific NoCD version that Age2Wide wants. Thanks for giving me the approximate size to look for.

I have located the 2.6 MB No CD patch, and now the Widescreen patch is working like a charm. Thanks for the help! Perhaps a note should be made that you need the 2.6 MB No CD Patch, since it seems that there is more than one such working patch out there. Thanks again!

is this compatible with multiplayer. i cant get it to work on gameranger

Does anybody know if/how to get this working with Gameranger? It would be wicked cool in online matches! Or would those be considered hacks?

To answer my own question, I figured out how to play on the Gameranger matchmaking service with this.

After the patch is installed you have to copy the modified exe (in my case it is age2_x1_1.0e_1920x1080.exe) file into the game directory folder labeled as 'Age2_x1'.

in the Age2_x1 folder rename age2_x1 to something like age2_x1_old, and rename the copied file to Age2_x1

After you do that it should just work work in game ranger without changing anything in your game ranger settings.

(on my roomate's laptop I came across an issue where it would crash when we started the game, He has a low native resolution of 1200x800... i think. By switching to a lower resolution we solved the problem, and the 2nd resolution option was his native.

At first, I want to thank boekabart for this great Patch. But I have a request or a question:

As you can see in here, in the right bottom corner, there are some weird lines. But on this picture these lines are gone. I also have these lines. Is their a way to make the game look like in the second picture? Without the lines and the map in the right bottom corner.

At first, I want to thank boekabart for this great Patch. But I have a request or a question:

As you can see in here, in the right bottom corner, there are some weird lines. But on this picture these lines are gone. I also have these lines. Is their a way to make the game look like in the second picture? Without the lines and the map in the right bottom corner.

(About the 2nd picture: my guess, he plays on a 1024x600 netbook, where the patcher will use the 1024x768 graphics as base, so it has to remove some lines, not invent extra pixels.
Funny answer 1: Play the game in the original resolution (or at least, same horizontal resolution as original) just like in the 2nd picture
Real answer: Change the patcher so it 'invents' better looking imagery for the new (wider) part of the screen.
Funny answer 2: Wait for someone to do 'real answer' :)

Hi boekebart,

thanks for the answer, but i can`t select the 1280x1024 size. I guess that is the case because the maximum solution on my notebook is 1280x800. So how could the guy in the second picture pick an solution with more pixels than his notebook actually can handle?

Hi, I have a monitor with resolution 1360x768
In the options of AoE2 1280 x 1024 is not awaible.
The created bat file runs ageof in 1360x768 but cant I make it better?
In the options it stays on 1024x...

( AoE2Wide.exe writes a warning: No original exe found for patch file. [ I use a nocd crack. ])
But it creates AoC1.0c 1360x768.bat

Here I send a picture what I have:

Hi boekebart,

thanks for the answer, but i can`t select the 1280x1024 size. I guess that is the case because the maximum solution on my notebook is 1280x800. So how could the guy in the second picture pick an solution with more pixels than his notebook actually can handle?

For some resolutions the patcher will actually keep horizontal but 'scale down' vertical, rather than scale up either or both.

I guess I missed 1280x800 OR decided to do downscaling only for 1280x900... you _will_ have less screen real estate since the bottom bar is BIGGER/higher in 1280x1024 than 1024x768... so 1024x768 as 'source' resolution is in fact the better choice for you , you'll have to deal with the striping...

Hi, I have a monitor with resolution 1360x768
In the options of AoE2 1280 x 1024 is not awaible.
The created bat file runs ageof in 1360x768 but cant I make it better?
In the options it stays on 1024x...

( AoE2Wide.exe writes a warning: No original exe found for patch file. [ I use a nocd crack. ])
But it creates AoC1.0c 1360x768.bat

Here I send a picture what I have:

What's the complaint exactly? Don't look at the 'text' of the resolutions; AoE2Wide will use 1024x768 as 'source' resolution for yours, and will therefore disable anything higher than that (for technical reasons). So no, it won't get better... until you buy an even better monitor, that is :)