Do you have GliDOS emulating VESA?

I'm not sure what you mean. If you're referring to the "VESAsupport: Yes" line, of Glidos.ini, I have removed it. Leaving it in eliminates the problem but then the FMVs run slow.

Ah, was it you that I promised a new version of GldVESA.exe? If so, it isn't going to work. My thoughts were based on thinking you had the problem when using VESA support.

Yes it was! Thanks anyway though. Do you have any other theories to its cause?

I'm say 95% certain its the video drivers. When an FMV plays (without using Glidos's VESA support), TR pushes your computer into a fullscreen DOS mode; at the end of the FMV, TR opens a Glide Window, which Glidos handles by seting the DOS window to a text mode and openning a full screem OpenGL window. Probably the OpenGL window is trying to open while the DOS window it still fullscreen, and Windows decides to minimise the OpenGL window.

The answer is to use Glidos's VESA support, but it does push a lot of data about at speed, and presumably your Celeron can't quite handle it.

I'll keep thinking about it. Maybe there's something I can do.

Many thanks

As a sidenote, I have a second system, which uses a Radeon All In Wonder instead of the Radeon LE, and it doesn't exhibit this problem. Same Glidos/VDMS/OS and video driver version.

More evidence that it is video driver related (in that drivers act differently for different cards).

Thanks Paul. I'll try other driver versions and report back if it corrects the problem. I didn't use to have this problem, but that was with very old drivers. Maybe more recent drivers work fine as well.

Here's a follow-up to my Radeon driver-test ...

I tried a wide variety of drivers (Catalyst 2.1 through Catalyst 3.4), and the problem of getting bumped back to the desktop during an FMV persists. However, I then tried earlier versions of Glidos, going all the way back to version 1.16, and that fixed the problem. Glidos version 1.16 plays the FMVs without a hitch. Starting with version 1.17, and every version past, the problem returns. I'm not using the VESA support line, in later versions of Glidos.ini, as it slows down the FMVs dramatically. It also causes broken audio and unfinished scenes.

Incidentally, I transplanted the pollpipe.dll file from v1.24, and replaced the version that comes with v1.16. That fixed the sporadic lockups. Only two problems remain: Lara's movements are sometimes faster than natural, and sometimes she appears twice as close to the camera when a level starts ("St Francis' Folly" and "City of Khamoon" in particular). I can fix this last problem by entering, then exiting, the inventory screen.

Are there other files I can transplant, from a later version of Glidos, to correct these two things? Many thanks.

Very useful info. So it isn't video driversl it is at least partly to do with Glidos.

Transplanting Glide2x.dll is worth a try. Find out if the problem is dependent on the version of Glide2x.dll or the rest of Glidos.

Thanks.

Hi Paul,

I tried transplanting a new version of Glide2x.dll but the zoom-in-on- level-start still occurs (occasionaly, as with the original Glide2x.dll). However, with the new version of this file, there's now a long delay before inventory access.

To correct this I also tried transplanting a new version of glide2x.ovl, but that locks up the PC immediately (I don't even get as far as the FMV of the Core logo). I also tried your special version of this file (glide2xwithnolfbread.zip) but again, total lockup at launch.

As I mentioned, when using the original v1.16 version of these files, opening and closing the inventory screen eliminates the zoom-in-on-level-start problem. And I have also discovered that Lara seems to "run off" the extra speed, after a few seconds, during those times when she's moving too fast. This seems to occur only at a level-start also.

Hope this is helps.

Unregistered wrote:

Hi Paul,

I tried transplanting a new version of Glide2x.dll but the zoom-in-on- level-start still occurs (occasionaly, as with the original Glide2x.dll). However, with the new version of this file, there's now a long delay before inventory access.

That's very interesting. I've had people complain about very slow inventory access, and never dreamed that it could be connected with the Glide2x.dll file.

To correct this I also tried transplanting a new version of glide2x.ovl, but that locks up the PC immediately (I don't even get […]
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To correct this I also tried transplanting a new version of glide2x.ovl, but that locks up the PC immediately (I don't even get as far as the FMV of the Core logo). I also tried your special version of this file (glide2xwithnolfbread.zip) but again, total lockup at launch.

As I mentioned, when using the original v1.16 version of these files, opening and closing the inventory screen eliminates the zoom-in-on-level-start problem. And I have also discovered that Lara seems to "run off" the extra speed, after a few seconds, during those times when she's moving too fast. This seems to occur only at a level-start also.

Hope this is helps.

That bits probably not surprising. I've probably changed the protocol with which Glide2x.ovl talks to the rest of Glidos. Strange that you didn't get an error message about protocol mismatch, but I guess I fogot to update the version number.

In any case, this is all very useful.

That info was enough to track it down. v1.17 was the first version with mouse support for Descent II, and that requried a change in which window was foreground.

Not sure how to fix it, but I can try a few experiments. Here is a new Glidos.exe. It should be used with the v1.24, replacing the Glidos.exe from that version. Probably wont help, but there are other things I can try.

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for your efforts. I tried the new executable with v1.24, but no change - I still get bumped back to the desktop during an FMV.

Thanks for trying it out. Here's another to try.

Just tried the new one. No change, unfortunately. Still getting bumped to the desktop during FMVs.

Can any hekp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
my level4.phd "St. Francis' Folly" is error from were i down load it

plaese is any one know that send linke to my email Moh_kbc@yahoo.com , i will very thank it