Gaming Guide

[Offler]

I have developed easy to use ranking system which will help us to find which games are able to work on win9x. It is quite simple.

Tools:

Dependency Walker

http://www.dependencywalker.com/

"Can You Run it?" web tool

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest

Explanation

Rank 1:

Game is officially able to run on Windows 9x systems and it works

Rank 2:

Game is oficially unable to run on Windows 9x but with updated system game runs. Edit: add here games which are officially unable to run on win9x but they run even without patching.

Rank 3:

Game is oficially able to run on Windows 9x but it does not run at all (due any reason).PLEASE ADD LIST OF MISSING DLL EXPORTS AND REASON WHY GAME DIDNT RUN

Rank 4:

Game is oficially not able to run on Windows 9x and it does not run even when kernelEX is applied. PLEASE ADD LIST OF MISSING DLL EXPORTS AND REASON WHY GAME DIDNT RUN

Rank 5:

Game or engine developed oficially for Windows 9x, which after years is losing its compatibility during updatin - updating of OS or Game itself.PLEASE ADD LIST OF MISSING DLL EXPORTS AND REASON WHY GAME DIDNT RUN

Some of Win9x users have new games. since Kernel and other system files have quite larga number of exports we can focus on those which are really needed to be added. When you come across a game which is unable to run due a missing export or message like "needs winXP to run" run dependency walker, open its main executable (and some other executables) and send with your report all exports which were missing, including files in which the export was missing.

KERNEL EX VERSION 0.3.2a

Ranking List Class "1":

Warcraft II: Battlenet Edition

Warcraft III: The Reing of Chaos

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Heroes Of Might and Magic III

Heroes Of Might and Magic IV

Might And Magic 6

Might And Magic 7

Grand Theft Auto 3

Diablo I

Diablo II

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

Far Cry 1

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

The Elder Scrolls III : Morrowind

The Need For Speed III

The Need For Speed 5: Porsche Challenge

The Need For Speed: Underground 2

Baldur's Gate 1

The Neverhood

KKND

KKND: Extreme

Command and Conquer

Command and Conquer: Red Alert

Command and Conquer: Tiberium Sun

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2

Command and Conquer: Generals

Command and Conquer: Renegade

Dungeon Keeper

Lands Of Lore 2

Lands Of Lore 3

StarCraft

StarCraft: Broodwars

Freelancer

Mafia

Unreal Gold

Unreal Tournament

Unreal II

Unreal Tournament 2004

Age of Empires I

Age of Empires I: The Rise of Rome Expansion

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion

Age of Mythology

Rise of Nations

Rise of Nations Gold Edition

Battlefield 1942

Battlefield 1942: Road to Rome

Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII

Halo

Quake III

Quake III: Team Arena

Red Faction

Half Life

Half Life: Team Fortress Classic

Half Life: Counter Strike

Alien Versus Predator 1

Mortal Kombat 4

NHL98

Dune 2000

Commandos

Ubik

Civilization II

Wing Commander: Secret Ops

Spellcross

Guildwars

Tomb Raider 1

Tomb Raider 2

Tomb Raider 3

Tomb Raider 4

Tomb Raider 5

Tomb Raider 6

The Need for Speed 1

The Need for Speed 2

The Need for Speed 3: Most Wanted

The Need for Speed 5: Porsche Challenge

The Need for Speed : Underground

The Sims 2 + All addition

The punisher

gothic 1

gothic 2

moto racer 3 gold edition

motoGP

motoGp2

call of duty + Addition

fifa 05

pes 05

bus driver

code of honor

gta vice city

splinter cell 1,2

swat 4

matrix (It is cut)

prince of persia Sands of times

prince of persia Soul of warrior

unreal 2004

wolfenstein enemy territory

flatout

guilty gear X2

guilty gear isuka (At hold-down xp office)

freedom fighters

XIII

chrome + addition

evil dead regeneration

suffering ties that bind

richard burns rally

midnight club 2

alarm cobra nitro

xpand rally

max payne 1

max payne 2

colin 3,4

bloodrayne

bloodrayne 2

Half life 2

Ranking List Class "2"

The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion (with trouble)

Prey

Doom 3

Quake 4

Grand Theft Auto III : San Andreas

Alien Arena

Torino 2006

Civilization IV

Civilization IV Warlords

Civilization IV Beyond the sword

Alpine Ski Racing 2007

Need For Speed : Most Wanted

Heroes of Might and Magic 5 (windows version masq. for install + kernelx + patch 1.41 (i think))

Heroes of Might and Magic 5 - Hammers of Fate (windows version masq. for install + kernelx + patch 2.0)

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate

F.E.A.R

Alarm Cobra Nitro

Alarm Cobra Crash time

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

The Mark

El Matador

Ranking List Class "3"

Halflife 2 - Episode One (Reason - SteamEngine)

BTAS: Zak McKracken - between time and space (http://www.zak2.org/zak2/cms/front_content.php?idart=33&idcat=1&changelang=2) (wxWidgets bug for windows9x systems, worked around by kernelx)

Ranking List Class "4"

S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl (Reason - unknown. Bugtracker error? exports are OK)

Age of Empires III (GDI32.dll : AddFontMemResourceEx)

Red Alert - A path beyond BetaFinal - (error message window not visible, exports ok)

Rank 4:

Heroes of Might and Magic 5 (with patch >= 1.5 - saving is not working anymore, no folder found)

Heroes of Might and Magic 5 - Hammers of Fate (with patch 2.1 - saving is not working anymore, no folder found)

Supreme Commander (numerous missing exports)

Ranking List Class "5":

Ultima Online (Reason - BSOD related to afvxd.vxd on logon)

Steam Engine (reason - artifical block, two missing exports)

Mechwarriors 2: Mercenaries (requires patch 1.05p or above when used with kernelEX)

The Need for Speed 4: High Stakes (Reason - unknown or KernelEX)

This list shall be updated, and reasons added.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Offler

[Offler]

Reserved for future use.

[j7n]

Rank 1:

Need for Speed Underground 2

Rank 2:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (shouldn't run on Win98 but runs anyway)

I wonder why GTA-SA has Win2000 as a system requirement. It could be possible that some secondary bloat bundled with the game requires WinNT, while the real game itself runs. Is there a Steamless HL2?

Perhaps specify exactly how old games may be listed.

Edited February 16, 2008 by j7n

[Offler]

Rank 1:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (shouldn't run on Win98 but runs anyway)

Need for Speed Underground 2

I wonder why GTA-SA has Win2000 as a system requirement. It could be possible that some secondary bloat bundled with the game requires WinNT, while the real game itself runs. Is there a Steamless HL2?

Perhaps specify exactly how old games may be listed.

I am looking for steamless HL2 but i found only crack 1,8Gb large. Also if San Adreas has written on booklet and in "Can you run it" tool "Required Win2k/XP" and the game runs it belongs to rank 2 no matter if it needs kernel ex or not.

Also age... i am not sure about it. Still complete list of win9x games is much longer as games which are not compatible and quite much of them are still available. And not only low rated products, but very good games. Add them all

[awergh]

Rank 1:

Unreal Gold

Unreal Tournament

Unreal II

Unreal Tournament 2004

Age of Empires I

Age of Empires I: The Rise of Rome Expansion

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion

Age of Mythology

Rise of Nations

Rise of Nations Gold Edition

Battlefield 1942

Battlefield 1942: Road to Rome

Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII

Halo

Quake III

Quake III: Team Arena

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2

Command and Conquer: Generals

Red Faction

Half Life

Half Life: Team Fortress Classic

Half Life: Counter Strike

Rank 4:

Age of Empires III

GDI32.dll : AddFontMemResourceEx

[Offler]

Demos are not suitable - they contain some bugs which may be not connected with windows 9x.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Offler

[Zoinkity]

Class 5

Mechwarriors 2: Mercenaries (requires patch 1.05p or above when used with kernelEX)

Specificly, there's a CD read error when going into a stage on all v1.0 games. It's present in XP and oddly enough becomes present in OS's with the kernelEx patch applied. Patching the game with the official 1.05p, 1.06, or 1.1 patches should remedy this. Worth noting at least.

[tonich]

It’s about time for this thread, eh?

Rank 2:

Torino 2006 (shouldn't run on Win98, but runs flawlessly, no patching!)

------------

As for HL2, I’m pretty sure win98 handles it perfectly, but as long as it uses Steam, it is unable to get the game working.

Need a workaround to get rid the steam.

On the other hand, Source engine is fully Win98 compatible!

Valve had fully working Steam under win98 until last summer, when they stopped to support this OS via Steam.

Steamless HL2 is the only way to go under Win98. (Assuming you own the game)

[Offler]

some people requested Crysis... i am too lazy to download demo... anybody tried it?

[glocK_94]

Very nice idea Offler... once more!

Here's an important rank 2 game and add-ons (it uses Python and works just fine on Win9x):

Civilization IV

Civilization IV Warlords

Civilization IV Beyond the sword

PS: I confirm what tonich said about HL2...

You shouldn't use steam anyway. The idea to ask a server if you can play a game you bought is just beyond my understanding.

oh, and what category games that work with KernelEx go?

[Offler]

games able to run on Win9x with kernel ex go to "rank 2". if i understand your question...

also about HL2. i asked support if there should be added to steam a command line switch to skip OS check and try to run Steam on any system. i have to write down the missing exports for steamengine. if they shall be fixed steam and steam shall have a cmd line swith it could work even on Win9x with KEX.

[Offler]

I have analyzed steamengine executables:

Steam.EXE - all exports OK

execution is blocked due error message

steamTMP.exe - all exports OK

SteamService.exe - Kernel.32dll: GetConsoleWindow and Advapi32.dll: ChangeServiceConfig2A

At least missing exports, but file can be executed

GameoverlayUI.exe - user32.dll: LockSetForgroundWindow

Writeminidump.exe - all exports OK

[tonich]

Anyone else on steam workaround?

--------------------------------

Rank 2:

Alpine Ski Racing 2007 (shouldn't run on Win98, but works fine, no patching)

Note: I installed it under WinXP, as I have a double boot system.

Not sure whether it can be installed under Win98, thought. I just didn't try.

Edited February 27, 2008 by tonich

[Offler]

i have added some new games in list. i think that i can change version 0.3.2 to 0.3.5 without trouble

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Why not merge it with the Compatibility Database i started? It's useless to have 2 topics on the same thing. I'm running KernelEx 0.3.5.

On topic: Steam sucks. I am a moderator of a non-steam gaming forum and will always run non-steam. Steam CS 1.6 takes 1 minute to open on my main rig, non-steam CS 1.6 takes 3 seconds. Not mentioning Source games... Besides, HL2 is a singleplayer game. Why should i need an internet connection to play it?

I'll be back with my own crappy games list.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Th3_uN1Qu3