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Need for Speed II and SE Windows 7 x64 Guide

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First post, by RoyBatty

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Need for Speed II and SE on Windows 7 X64

This is an update to my previous guide on Need for Speed II SE, and also covers Need for Speed II.

This guide is specific to Windows 7 X64 (probably works also for Windows 8/8.1). I cannot guarantee this guide will work for your hardware setup and may require some tweaking on your part for specific graphics and game pad features. It has been tested and works on the following hardware configuration. However I will note that it has not changed that much since the previous guide for Windows XP.

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OS: Windows 7 X64
MB: ASUS Z-97 Pro
PROC: Intel i4790k
GPU: NVIDIA GTX980ti
PAD: Microsoft XBox One Controller

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0. Prerequisites

Need for Speed II SE Original CD
Need for Speed II SE Update Patch : http://www.giffer.com/public/dos/pgam3/Files/NFS2SE_U.ZIP
nGlide : http://www.zeus-software.com/downloads/nglide
Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/deta … ls.aspx?id=7352
Creative ALchemy Anywhere : http://nightfire.no-ip.org/files/ALchemyAnywhere.zip

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1. Installing the game

The game's installer is 16 bit, and will not run on x64 systems. There are several ways around this. I have chosen to use a VM to install the game, you can either use VMWare (player) with an XP install or Microsoft's XP mode. You can also copy the files from the CD directly, but this method requires you to build the registry entries by hand and I am not covering this method in the guide. The registry entries need to be modified for X64 installations. I am aware that someone has made a 3rd party installer for it, but it patches the files with unknown versions and that is not something I am comfortable with.

Install the game from CD in your chosen Virtual Machine and afterwards install the patch linked above by unzipping the patch in the installation directory and executing patch.bat. Once this is completed you only have to export a few registry keys, and copy the game folder over to your desired installation location on your host OS.

Open regedit and export the following keys, this will be identical for Need for Speed II except "SE" will not be part of the keys.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Electronic Arts\Need For Speed II SE]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Electronic Arts\Need For Speed II SE\1.0]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\nfs2sea.exe]

Edit the first one you exported, copy the remaining two exported keys and sub keys into the first one.

For the parent keys you need to add \WOW6432Node to them after the SOFTWARE branch so they end up looking like this;

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Need For Speed II SE]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Need For Speed II SE\1.0]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\nfs2sea.exe]

The last key entry you need to edit the path to be the same as where you copied the game's folder.

EXAMPLE:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\nfs2sea.exe]
@="J:\\Games\\Need For Speed II SE\\nfs2sea.exe"
"Path"="J:\\Games\\Need For Speed II SE"

Once you've completed this step you can save the reg file and merge it on your host OS.

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2. Installing nGlide

Download and install nGlide from the link provided. Once it is installed you can run the configurator and set it to your desired settings. I have chosen native resolution (1920x1080) and the rest to default.

This step is not necessary if you want to run in software mode, or for Need for Speed II as it is software mode only.

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3. Application fix

Download and install the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6

From the program menu, choose Compatibility Administrator.

Under Custom Databases there should be a New Database entry, right click it and choose Create New > Application Fix.

Under Name of the program to be fixed: type Need for Speed II SE

Under Name of the vendor for this program: type Electronic Arts

Hit the browse button and navigate to the installation directory for the game, and select nfs2sea.exe

Click next

Click next again

On this screen you need to check the following boxes;

EmulateCDFS
EmulateGetDiskFreeSpace
GlobalMemoryStatusLie
IgnoreException
MapMemoryB0000
SingleProcAffinity

Click next, and click finish. Click save, and give the database a name (Need for Speed II SE), and a filename (Need for Speed II SE) and click save.

Then click on the file menu, and choose install. This will solve all the errors with running the exe.

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This step is optional, and solves the cracking/distorted audio problem. Step 3 and 4 will require admin priveledges and/or UAC disabled and/or ownership taken of the folders.
You can either do this or take dsound.dll from your XP installation and put it in the game folder, either will work. For Need for Speed II you will have to use XP's dsound.dll as creative's does not work properly for it.

4. Installing ALchemy Anywhere ( Thanks to click4dylan and MST Emulating EAX on any onboard sound hardware? )

Step 1: Download and unzip ALchemy Anywhere package

Step 2: Install CTShared\CTRedist\HOAL\Setup.exe

Step 3: Copy CT_OAL\System32\ct_oal.dll to C:\Windows\System32

Step 4: Copy CT_OAL\SysWOW64\ct_oal.dll to C:\Windows\SysWOW64

Step 5: Execute Keygen\RUN.BAT as admin

Step 6: Install ALchemy\Setup.exe If step 6 fails, try Step 7.

Step 7 (optional): Copy ALchemy_AnyOS\Support.cab to ALchemy and rerun ALchemy\Setup.exe

Step 8 (optional, only do this if you have problems): This fix removes the device restrictions in Alchemy and Dsound. If you can't get dsoundlog.txt to show Using Native OpenAL Renderer, try this: Copy

ALchemy_Fix\dsound.dll and ALchemy_Fix\ALchemy.exe to C:\Program Files (x86)\Creative\ALchemy

Reboot

Open the Creative Alchemy Application

Click Add

In the Game Title box put Need for Speed II SE

Select Use Game Path

Click the browse button (...) and choose navigate to the Need for Speed II SE installation directory

Leave the other options default and press OK

Double click the new profile you just made to enable it.

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5. Software Mode

By using the above application fix, and Creative ALchemy (or XP's dsound.dll) you may also run the game in software mode without issues.

Create another application fix as detailed in section 3, however this time choose nfs2sen.exe and add Software to all the names; f.e. Need for Speed II SE Software. You may then run the game in software or glide mode.

Before you run the game in Software mode there is an additional step, right click your desktop, select screen resolution, click advanced settings.

Select the Monitor TAB and in the colors drop down box, select High Color (16 bit).

The game should now run flawlessly in software mode.

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6. Need for Speed II

Need for Speed II runs only in software mode. The above application fix, and the use of XP's dsound.dll will allow the game to function properly.

Create an application fix as detailed in section 3, however this time choose nfsw.exe and add remove "SE" from all the names; f.e. Need for Speed II.

Before you run the game there is an additional step, right click your desktop, select screen resolution, click advanced settings.

Select the Monitor TAB and in the colors drop down box, select High Color (16 bit).

The game should now run flawlessly.

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7. Optional Enhancement

If you have an NVIDIA card you can further enhance the game by enabling AA and AF. In order to do this you need NVIDIA Inspector http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/nvidia-in … r-download.html

Start NVIDIA Inspector and press the Wrench and Screwdriver icon to open to profile manager.

Press the yellow gear/sun icon to create a new profile and give it a name : Need for Speed II SE

Now press the Folder icon with the green plus sign to add an exe to the profile. Navigate to the game folder and select nfs2sea.exe

Scroll down to the Antialiasing section and for mode select Override any application setting.

Under the Antialiasing Mode setting, select your desired AA level and type. I have chosen 8xQ

Scroll down to the Texture Filtering section and for mode select User Defined / Off

Under the Anisotropic Filtering setting select your desired amount of AF. I have chosen 16x

It may be possible to do this with ATI cards as well creating a new profile or using Radeon Pro. If someone knows how to do so, I will gladly incorporate it into the guide with credit.

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8. Additional tweaks

If you want all the data from the CD to be used from your hard drive or SSD follow these simple steps.

Open the install.win file in notepad, look for the lines which have the drive letter of the DVD/CD drive you installed from.

Copy the folders following the drive letter to the game directory under the same path

Once all the folders are copied, remove the drive letter and colon from the path in the install.win file and save it.

You can now play the game without the need of your CD.

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Run the game and setup your graphics options and controller setup and you're ready to play.

I hope you find this guide useful, Enjoy.

Thanks to VOGONS for being an awesome site and great community.

Last edited by RoyBatty on 2016-03-08, 11:17. Edited 5 times in total.

Reply 1 of 16, by VirtuaIceMan

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I did a guide covering the install, it doesn't need much: Need For Speed 2 Special Edition on Win8.1 64bit running perfectly

My PC spec: Win10 64bit, i7-4970K (not overclocked), KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, Creative Soundblaster ZXr, 16GB RAM, Asus Z97-A motherboard, NZXT 410 case, ROG Swift GSYNC monitor

Reply 3 of 16, by RoyBatty

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I updated the OP with optional enhancement instructions.

VirtuaIceMan: Ah cool, I did not see that. I was updating my older guide, so I must have missed it. Interesting about the software mode also not working, I will see if I can get that going.

:EDIT:

Added running in software mode to the OP. Added running Need for Speed II. Added additional tweak info.

Reply 8 of 16, by RoyBatty

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Bucko: Should work fine with dgvoodoo2, used it in XP for the game. Most of the later games need the reg keys, so I figured II also did.

ZellSF: smooth as butter here, what's your hardware setup? I get audio stutter in II software mode, so I had to use the dsound.dll from XP and it went away. Do you have a 144hz monitor? It doesn't like anything but 60hz.

Reply 9 of 16, by ZellSF

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RoyBatty wrote:

Bucko: Should work fine with dgvoodoo2, used it in XP for the game. Most of the later games need the reg keys, so I figured II also did.

ZellSF: smooth as butter here, what's your hardware setup? I get audio stutter in II software mode, so I had to use the dsound.dll from XP and it went away. Do you have a 144hz monitor? It doesn't like anything but 60hz.

Running vsynced at 60hz. Still microstuttering 😒

Asus VII Hero + i7 4790k + GTX 680.

Reply 11 of 16, by laxdragon

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I recently stumbled upon a SDL2 port of NFS2se. Check it out here: https://github.com/zaps166/NFSIISE

I was able to compile it on Linux and it works nicely there. It should be able to be compiled for Windows as well.

laxDRAGON.com | My Game Collection | My Computers | YouTube

Reply 13 of 16, by ZellSF

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laxdragon wrote:

I recently stumbled upon a SDL2 port of NFS2se. Check it out here: https://github.com/zaps166/NFSIISE

I was able to compile it on Linux and it works nicely there. It should be able to be compiled for Windows as well.

There's now a build for Windows available as well. Don't get a smooth framerate with that either 😒

Reply 15 of 16, by mirh

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zerker wrote:

Now if only there were a way to fix the absurd deadzone issues when playing with a Wheel 🙁. Though to be fair, this is the first I heard about the SDL thing; I may try that next time I feel like playing NFS2.

Mhh, no. More probably it's due to older DirectInput versions magically sucking.

Said this, I'd recommend you to check this.

pcgamingwiki.com