MihaiS_v2
17 Sep 2009, 04:00
http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/Sweat.png I'll start with a little story here (you'd better skip it and go straight to the tech part http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/Borg.png):
I love my new system so much that I purposely neglect all my other babies, so playing W:A on my main older system is not an option anymore. Having Windows XP at my fingertips for 7 years and a couple of hours of working with Windows Vista in my portfolio, dragged by curiosity and my cohones, I finally decided to replace my 2-3 months old WinXP SP2 x64 with Windows 7 Ultimate x64 which turned out to be a revealing experience. Win7 is simply ass kicking (though I had my doubts in the beginning mainly because of the retarded windows explorer, which I am using only in rare circumstances and when forced by applications... uh- xplorer² (http://www.zabkat.com/) powaaaaaaaaaarrr http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/LOL.png).
Okay: With the hardware specs mentioned below in my signature and Windows 7 Ultimate x64, CyberShadow's WormKit module called wkColorFix.dll solves the problem to an acceptable level.
For me, killing explorer.exe in Win7 is not as convenient as it used to be in WinXP because I have yet to find a tool that restores the system tray icons ( PS Tray Factory crashes Win7's explorer.exe... too bad, it was a great utility for XP).
So, yay wkColorFix.dll! (or, if you do not play fast paced games that imply using the rope to a great extent, just play W:A on a virtual computer loaded with XP - VMware or Virtualbox are the best for this. You'll find that it is to your advantage, being able to play full screen and minimize without problems)., but or, if you do not play fast paced games that imply using the rope to a great extent, just play W:A on a virtual computer doesn't apply to you happy Core i7 owners! http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/ROFL.png
Thus, in order to spend mind blowing time with your comput3r and W:A, here's what you need in addition to your lovely system running Win7 with 12GB of RAM:
- VMware Workstation (http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/index.html);
- VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/);
- A Windows XP ISO image or disc (32-bit OS please).
Reasoning:
W:A/Win7 Cons:
1. Windows 7 sucks when playing W:A because of the color bug, and I'm pretty sure you do not want to kill explorer.exe, unless you like to chop 2/3 of your system tray after re-launching explorer.exe;
2. Although CyberShadow did a great job with wkColorFix.dll, it is still buggy and there may also be other applications interfering with W:A (like that baştard BitDefender Activity Bar that doesn't really close when you hide it);
3. To many, W:A has always been an issue when minimizing it and you can't play windowed.
W:A/WinXP/Virtualization Pros:
1. No more color problems with W:A. You can kill the sh1t out of WindowsXP's explorer.exe- who cares, you're only using the virtual machine to play;
2. You can play the game windowed or full-screen. The main difference between virtualized full-screen and actual gaming in full-screen is that you can minimize the game without actually minimizing it. You've got the advantage of playing full-screen without dealing with minimizing/maximizing bugs that cause W:A to crash / mess up your colors;
3. Being able to minimize the virtual computer will give you the advantage of hearing what is happening in-game while you browse the Internet or chat with friends, or, if you don't like that, you can mute the game before minimizing or mute it from Windows 7's Volume Mixer (by lowering the volume of the virtual PC application only);
4. Having more than a screen gives you the possibility to leave the game maximized on one screen, and watch a movie on the other screen (or chat, browse the Internet, sort porn files, etc.). Dual-Screen/Triple-Screen owners are greatly advantaged because we all know W:A is messing up the other displays when starting the game (basically forcing us to use a single screen while playing).
5. You won't have to bother running key-changers in your main OS. Modify the virtual keyboard layout or simply run your AutoHotkey script within the virtual computer, leaving the main OS (the host) clean and safe (the same goes for porn browsing).
Virtualization Cons:
1. VirtualBox doesn't perform too well when it comes to playing at a high frame-rate and mouse movement in-game is messed up;
2. VMware crashes when you try to change/edit the map.
So, why do we need both if neither of them does the job? A: Because they complement each-other. VMware runs W:A like Wooooow and doesn't have mouse integration issues and can run full-screen and much more AND VirtualBox doesn't crash when you try changing/editing the map, so you can host from within VirtualBox and have people from WormNet join that game as well as yourself from within VMware. http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/Whistle.png
HERE COMES THE INTERESTING PART: I could write a book in regard to this setup, but I'll spread a few guidelines... All in all, a Power Users is not a nub and can probably figure out what needs to be done to start enjoying W:A in ways unknown to humble mortals (unless he's a ***** with rich retarded fat-ass parents that please their prodigies to stupidity of the purest kind).
For those who wish only to join games (or host with HostingBuddy):
1. Install VMware;
2. Set up WinXP on VMware;
3. On the host OS, share the folder that contains WA.exe (call it WA or WormsArmageddon or whatever);
4. On the host OS, scan the registry with RegScanner (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/regscanner.html), looking for the string team17;
5. Select all the keys that have been found and export them to a .reg file (can be done from within the application);
6. In VMware make sure you can access the shared folders on the host and that you have access to the Internet (this shouldn't be a problem whatsoever);
7. In VMware map the shared WormsArmageddon folder (chose W: for the sake of what's to come);
8. Edit the .reg file you created earlier (step 5) and using a word editor replace all instances of the W:A installation path on the host with W: (example: replace C:\\Team17\\Worms Armageddon with W:) and also replace Wow6432Node\ with nothing, because you'll be using a 32-bit OS;
9. Save and close the .reg file that you just edited then merge it from within the virtual computer. (This is for not having to install W:A on the virtual computer, thus using the resources from the host- wormkit.exe and modules, maps, soundbanks, schemes, everything. Also, everything will be saved on the host so you don't have to worry about losing a replay and you know that there won't be reading speed issues because the virtual PC is running on the local computer, lol);
10. Tweak the guest hardware acceleration (keep it closer to none) so the screen doesn't flicker in-game, also merge SlowFrontendWorkaround_Off/On from the Tweaks folder if needed.
11. Good luck & Have fun! You're ready to kick ass without having problems ever again from minimizing just because you want to do something else while those nubs kill each other.
For those who wish to host their games:
- You can either host on your host OS and minimize just once after the games has started or: follow the same steps as above to set up VirtualBox! (skip the .reg file procedure... just merge the one that you have). And perform the required port-forwarding operation (thanks to CS for reminding!) Helpful tips here: free hosting || use a budy to host || the ultimate hosting resort (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38267) .
Aaaaaahahahahamuxxxaxaxaxawwaaaaaahahahahahaaaaaaa aa, ye... and there are tons of other advantages playing worms this way, but just those worthy of knowing them should know them, if that sounds familiar to y'all.
Note: The above may apply to you, even if you do not own a Core i7 System, but I am not responsible by any means if you'll start crying while slowly realizing you're two paid-jobs away from your dream.
>>> Major edit: <<<
Just to clear things up regarding mouse/pointer speed issues , screen flickering and black screens in Virtual Machines:
To solve the black screen problem in both VirtualBox and VMware: merge SlowFrontendWorkaround_Off from the Tweaks folder.http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7430/vmblack.png
VirtualBox:
I. When Mouse Integration is enabled, there are speed issues in-game, but the pointer performs well on the interface.
II. When Mouse Integration is disabled, the pointer is glitchy when moving it over the interface, but performs well in-game.
Mouse Integration options can be find in the Machine menu and it is a toggle:
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9874/vbdisable.png and http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2559/vbenable.png
VMware:
To solve the speedy pointer/mouse issue in VMware, deselect Never optimize mouse for games (Edit>Preferences...>Input) http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9240/vmoptimize.png
To solve the screen flickering issue in VMware, you need to set Hardware acceleration to the 1st, 2nd or 3rd setting closer to None: http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7972/vmaccel.png
Thing is that when you get rid of the flickering, the mouse gets retarded again (because hardware acceleration is not set to full). To fix this, you need to do this once every time you start your virtual machine:
1. Set hardware acceleration to full and apply so it can register the mouse;
2. Set hardware acceleration back to the 3rd setting closer to None (the 4th and so on causes flickering);
3. The mouse works fine over the interface and in-game.
When you have mouse intergration altered in both VirtualBox and VMware, remember the hot-keys used for releasing the pointer from the guest OS.
Hope this cleared things up a bit.
(And, of course, to get rid of the color bug anytime, anywhere: just kill explorer.exe)
I love my new system so much that I purposely neglect all my other babies, so playing W:A on my main older system is not an option anymore. Having Windows XP at my fingertips for 7 years and a couple of hours of working with Windows Vista in my portfolio, dragged by curiosity and my cohones, I finally decided to replace my 2-3 months old WinXP SP2 x64 with Windows 7 Ultimate x64 which turned out to be a revealing experience. Win7 is simply ass kicking (though I had my doubts in the beginning mainly because of the retarded windows explorer, which I am using only in rare circumstances and when forced by applications... uh- xplorer² (http://www.zabkat.com/) powaaaaaaaaaarrr http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/LOL.png).
Okay: With the hardware specs mentioned below in my signature and Windows 7 Ultimate x64, CyberShadow's WormKit module called wkColorFix.dll solves the problem to an acceptable level.
For me, killing explorer.exe in Win7 is not as convenient as it used to be in WinXP because I have yet to find a tool that restores the system tray icons ( PS Tray Factory crashes Win7's explorer.exe... too bad, it was a great utility for XP).
So, yay wkColorFix.dll! (or, if you do not play fast paced games that imply using the rope to a great extent, just play W:A on a virtual computer loaded with XP - VMware or Virtualbox are the best for this. You'll find that it is to your advantage, being able to play full screen and minimize without problems)., but or, if you do not play fast paced games that imply using the rope to a great extent, just play W:A on a virtual computer doesn't apply to you happy Core i7 owners! http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/ROFL.png
Thus, in order to spend mind blowing time with your comput3r and W:A, here's what you need in addition to your lovely system running Win7 with 12GB of RAM:
- VMware Workstation (http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/index.html);
- VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/);
- A Windows XP ISO image or disc (32-bit OS please).
Reasoning:
W:A/Win7 Cons:
1. Windows 7 sucks when playing W:A because of the color bug, and I'm pretty sure you do not want to kill explorer.exe, unless you like to chop 2/3 of your system tray after re-launching explorer.exe;
2. Although CyberShadow did a great job with wkColorFix.dll, it is still buggy and there may also be other applications interfering with W:A (like that baştard BitDefender Activity Bar that doesn't really close when you hide it);
3. To many, W:A has always been an issue when minimizing it and you can't play windowed.
W:A/WinXP/Virtualization Pros:
1. No more color problems with W:A. You can kill the sh1t out of WindowsXP's explorer.exe- who cares, you're only using the virtual machine to play;
2. You can play the game windowed or full-screen. The main difference between virtualized full-screen and actual gaming in full-screen is that you can minimize the game without actually minimizing it. You've got the advantage of playing full-screen without dealing with minimizing/maximizing bugs that cause W:A to crash / mess up your colors;
3. Being able to minimize the virtual computer will give you the advantage of hearing what is happening in-game while you browse the Internet or chat with friends, or, if you don't like that, you can mute the game before minimizing or mute it from Windows 7's Volume Mixer (by lowering the volume of the virtual PC application only);
4. Having more than a screen gives you the possibility to leave the game maximized on one screen, and watch a movie on the other screen (or chat, browse the Internet, sort porn files, etc.). Dual-Screen/Triple-Screen owners are greatly advantaged because we all know W:A is messing up the other displays when starting the game (basically forcing us to use a single screen while playing).
5. You won't have to bother running key-changers in your main OS. Modify the virtual keyboard layout or simply run your AutoHotkey script within the virtual computer, leaving the main OS (the host) clean and safe (the same goes for porn browsing).
Virtualization Cons:
1. VirtualBox doesn't perform too well when it comes to playing at a high frame-rate and mouse movement in-game is messed up;
2. VMware crashes when you try to change/edit the map.
So, why do we need both if neither of them does the job? A: Because they complement each-other. VMware runs W:A like Wooooow and doesn't have mouse integration issues and can run full-screen and much more AND VirtualBox doesn't crash when you try changing/editing the map, so you can host from within VirtualBox and have people from WormNet join that game as well as yourself from within VMware. http://web.stardock.net/images/smiles/themes/digicons/Whistle.png
HERE COMES THE INTERESTING PART: I could write a book in regard to this setup, but I'll spread a few guidelines... All in all, a Power Users is not a nub and can probably figure out what needs to be done to start enjoying W:A in ways unknown to humble mortals (unless he's a ***** with rich retarded fat-ass parents that please their prodigies to stupidity of the purest kind).
For those who wish only to join games (or host with HostingBuddy):
1. Install VMware;
2. Set up WinXP on VMware;
3. On the host OS, share the folder that contains WA.exe (call it WA or WormsArmageddon or whatever);
4. On the host OS, scan the registry with RegScanner (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/regscanner.html), looking for the string team17;
5. Select all the keys that have been found and export them to a .reg file (can be done from within the application);
6. In VMware make sure you can access the shared folders on the host and that you have access to the Internet (this shouldn't be a problem whatsoever);
7. In VMware map the shared WormsArmageddon folder (chose W: for the sake of what's to come);
8. Edit the .reg file you created earlier (step 5) and using a word editor replace all instances of the W:A installation path on the host with W: (example: replace C:\\Team17\\Worms Armageddon with W:) and also replace Wow6432Node\ with nothing, because you'll be using a 32-bit OS;
9. Save and close the .reg file that you just edited then merge it from within the virtual computer. (This is for not having to install W:A on the virtual computer, thus using the resources from the host- wormkit.exe and modules, maps, soundbanks, schemes, everything. Also, everything will be saved on the host so you don't have to worry about losing a replay and you know that there won't be reading speed issues because the virtual PC is running on the local computer, lol);
10. Tweak the guest hardware acceleration (keep it closer to none) so the screen doesn't flicker in-game, also merge SlowFrontendWorkaround_Off/On from the Tweaks folder if needed.
11. Good luck & Have fun! You're ready to kick ass without having problems ever again from minimizing just because you want to do something else while those nubs kill each other.
For those who wish to host their games:
- You can either host on your host OS and minimize just once after the games has started or: follow the same steps as above to set up VirtualBox! (skip the .reg file procedure... just merge the one that you have). And perform the required port-forwarding operation (thanks to CS for reminding!) Helpful tips here: free hosting || use a budy to host || the ultimate hosting resort (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38267) .
Aaaaaahahahahamuxxxaxaxaxawwaaaaaahahahahahaaaaaaa aa, ye... and there are tons of other advantages playing worms this way, but just those worthy of knowing them should know them, if that sounds familiar to y'all.
Note: The above may apply to you, even if you do not own a Core i7 System, but I am not responsible by any means if you'll start crying while slowly realizing you're two paid-jobs away from your dream.
>>> Major edit: <<<
Just to clear things up regarding mouse/pointer speed issues , screen flickering and black screens in Virtual Machines:
To solve the black screen problem in both VirtualBox and VMware: merge SlowFrontendWorkaround_Off from the Tweaks folder.http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7430/vmblack.png
VirtualBox:
I. When Mouse Integration is enabled, there are speed issues in-game, but the pointer performs well on the interface.
II. When Mouse Integration is disabled, the pointer is glitchy when moving it over the interface, but performs well in-game.
Mouse Integration options can be find in the Machine menu and it is a toggle:
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9874/vbdisable.png and http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2559/vbenable.png
VMware:
To solve the speedy pointer/mouse issue in VMware, deselect Never optimize mouse for games (Edit>Preferences...>Input) http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9240/vmoptimize.png
To solve the screen flickering issue in VMware, you need to set Hardware acceleration to the 1st, 2nd or 3rd setting closer to None: http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7972/vmaccel.png
Thing is that when you get rid of the flickering, the mouse gets retarded again (because hardware acceleration is not set to full). To fix this, you need to do this once every time you start your virtual machine:
1. Set hardware acceleration to full and apply so it can register the mouse;
2. Set hardware acceleration back to the 3rd setting closer to None (the 4th and so on causes flickering);
3. The mouse works fine over the interface and in-game.
When you have mouse intergration altered in both VirtualBox and VMware, remember the hot-keys used for releasing the pointer from the guest OS.
Hope this cleared things up a bit.
(And, of course, to get rid of the color bug anytime, anywhere: just kill explorer.exe)