mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:I've heard Fallout 3 won't work properly on Windows 7 without patching.
I've got a release-day DVD copy and it installs and runs fine on Win7x64 out of the box. Now I have patched it up (and I suggest anyone else to do the same) because it fixes various things in the game itself, and a lot of mods (and some of the official DLC (interestingly you can actually install all of the DLCs without patching, and the ones that aren't supported just silently fail to load - nothing crashes or breaks though)) require the game to be patched to latest (including FOSE, which requires latest build). I didn't have to mess with Aero or mess with any other compatibility settings either - I could've just installed and played the base game right out of the box with no problems. There is a switch in the conf file for multi-threading (mirh linked to it) that can improve stability for SOME systems IME - on my Core 2 Quad system it never made a difference on XP or 7 (I never needed to set it, and setting it didn't hurt or help anything), on my Core i5 (Win7 only) it seems to help (it wasn't really a "crash fest" beforehand, but all-day gaming sessions weren't always possible - with that switch set it isn't a problem).
Oblivion also works fine on Win7, and I've got release-day DVD of that too. It also requires patching for DLCs and mods, especially if using OBSE.
Fallout New Vegas also works fine on Win7, again have release-day for that, and again it requires patching for DLCs and mods, especially if using NVSE.
In all cases these games require patching for some DLCs, and many mods, especially if you need script-extender. The patches also fix various issues in the games, so there's no reason not to patch (I'd also suggest the various "unofficial patches" for them too - as those fix a lot of other problems). I would also suggest using the GFWL disabler for Fallout 3, as GFWL can cause problems with save-games and DLC/mod content. It also makes the game start and load faster with GFWL disabled.
Something else to keep in mind for all of these (the above) games (and Skyrim): the most common cause of crashes that seem to "develop" as you get into the game is save-game corruption. If you have a save-game that crashes on load, crashes shortly after load, crashes upon a new cell load after you restart, etc the save is very likely corrupted. For Skyrim (and I think NV) there are utilities that attempt to clean the saves, but I've seen very mixed results with those over the years. It's usually easier to just dump the bad saves and try again. Much like The Sims 2, corruption-creep is a problem with these games, and is something to keep an eye on; it's best to keep back-up copies of known-clean saves if you're worried about losing a favorite character. You may have to re-play some quests or re-tread some territory, but it's better than continuing on a broken save (because it only gets worse as you go along).
As far as games I've had trouble with in Windows 7 (and run on my XP box):
- I've had consistent problems with Morrowind (crashes, doesn't install right, bad performance, etc) on multiple Windows 7 builds that represent all three major graphics vendors (Intel, nVidia, and ATi) and a fairly broad range of other hardware.
- ORB's CD installer does not work properly in Windows 7, and I've never gotten the game to even install.
- I've gotten Empire Earth to work with compatibility mode changes (set to Admin + WinXP), but the performance is very bad.
Overall that's a pretty short list compared to the number of old games that've worked right out of the box or with very minimal intervention under 7x64 IME.
Some quirky-mirky stuff:
- The Sims 2 from the original release CDs will usually appear to have issues with modern machines. The root of the problem is that it uses a hand-written text file to compare your VGA adapter's ID string to in order to set display options (including what display options you're allowed to change in the game). If your adapter doesn't appear on the list (and anything newer than around 2005 when the game came out won't 🤣 ) you will have extremely limited choices as a result, because it drops into a fail-safe mode (all minimum settings, no shaders, etc). The Origin release of the game has an updated list that includes modern adapters, or you can add your card to the list by hand (or even easier, just bypass the list and force all "Settings tiers" in the conf file to whatever settings you want so it has no other choices). There's guides online for this if you're stuck in this situation.