I think the last time I ran into this problem, it was because my primary video card's drivers supported a higher version of DirectX than my Voodoo2 drivers.

Maybe you should try some of the drivers from 3dfxzone.it ? Perhaps there is something there you can use without having to upgrade your DirectX.

Also, does your Voodoo2 work with other games? (Because of course you'd also get a black screen if it isn't plugged in properly.)

yes, tested and working with other games. As seen using dxdiag some time ago in a previous win98 installation where I used directx 8 (and same problem with the game here), the primary card (an s3 virge dx/gx) is compatible until direct3d 7 (the s3 failed the direct3d 8 test) and the voodoo direct3d works well until directx 8.

does wargods use d3d all the screenshots ive seen of it look like it doesnt

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2667/wargodz.jpg

As you can see from the sshot, the game can use 3d card during rounds. The problem is that if you check the option, when the round starts it goes black screen but the game does not crash.

1. a voodoo 2 card cannot run in a window
2. it wont run at 320x200 or 320x240

On legacy pc it automatically goes fullscreen during battle rounds but uses primary card's direct3d (an s3 virge). If I force it to use voodoo2 direct3d (using an app called "3dcc" it goes black fullscreen and nothing happens).
If I try to run it on modern pc (xp sp3 with ati hd4650 card), it goes black fullscreen aswell.

It worked in the past (don't know why and how) because I remember it switched to fullscreen during rounds and it played with good framerate and smooth textures. Maybe when I had an old voodoo1 can't remember.

So have you tried the drivers from 3dfxzone.it? To be specific, I think the DirectX support they offer is different from the reference drivers.

An alternative that occurs to me is that you could try to uninstall whatever drivers you have installed for your S3.

yes, I tried latest voodoo2 reference drivers and fastvoodoo drivers from 3dfxzone.it I suspect it might be a game bug or weak compatibility with after-voodoo1 cards.

note: I looked at wargods box and it says "Direct3d is supported although it is not a requirement"

this was a common problem in the past where voodoo1/2 support in windows was in it's last. Not all games allow the use of 3D in secondary devices and only allow the primary one to be used.... there is nothing you can do really, except get a voodoo3 perhaps... 😁

I'd play it on my actual pc but unluckily it has the same problem (black screen with my ati hd4650). I suppose I have to stick to ugly software mode, at least it is fast with my modern pc. 😒

At this point, that can't be fixed, unless someone out there will make a patch to fix direct3d for modern cards. Unfortunately I'm not so good at programming to do something like that.

I added experimental patch by Aclair: http://www17.zippyshare.com/v/CbjEXqH9/file.html

It uses modified ddraw.dll (thanks to William Feely for original Dxgl) and game executable
to properly run the game.

Instructions:
1-Copy ddraw.dll and WARGODS(3).EXE (or WARGODS (2).EXE) in the game directory
2-Start the game (use 640x480 compatibility mode)
3-Select use 3d mode during rounds
4-Alt-Enter, then press alt-tab (or Windows key)
5-Click on wargods icon on the taskbar
5-Play the shit!

Note: you can enable bilinear filtering
Just select "game>properties>smooth textures"
Warning: WARGODS(3).EXE only allows you to change settings at the beginning (before pressing Alt-Enter)

*update*
Dege fixed direct3d problem that plagued this game since voodoo2 days!
You can now play the game in 3d accelerated mode without any wrapper dependency
(just use new exe and remove/rename ddraw.dll).
Link: http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/GoYfVz64/file.html

Note:
1- Use old archive for Nvidia cards (and integrated Intel?).
New one crashes nvidia rigs for some obscure reason, even Dege still doesn't have a clue!.
2- Use new exes for Amd cards and legacy computers. Select 3d mode, go fullscreen and push Alt button during match until filtered 3d mode is triggered.

Nice, I have the CD for this somewhere...

Nice! Testing on as many machines as we can is really appreciated here. If only we could fix the crash with nvidia cards...