DOS Games Discussion

Okay, I'm desperatly trying to get the last Steel Panthers game to work under Windows XP Home Edition. I am currently running a 64mb GeForce 4, and have DirectX 9.1 installed (if that means anything). I've gone through the tutorials and have mucked around with the execute file, but not much with the config.nt and autoexec.nt files (because I don't know what to add or where).

I feel like an idiot... I've tried starting the game up from both a shortcut and the execute file itself (both edited in the instructed manner). When I start either, the fake DOS prompt comes up and goes through the standard motions (displaying the program info at the top and so on), then it closes and the process stops, never actually opening the application.

Any help would be greatly apprieciated.

Sorry.

From this -
http://www.minnemacs.com/sandbox/xp.html
it appears that the problem is that your graphics card doesn't support the VESA mode required for Steel Panthers.

Hope that someone else has something more positive to tell you. Frankly I'm afraid to upgrade my GeForce2 in case I then can't run my VESA games. Why the manufacturers can't make these cards backwards compatible is beyond me.

Well that sucks...shit...thanks anyhow, at least I know what the deal is. Damn, Steel Panthers was such a good game...

Go to the closest thrift store and pick up an old pentium computer.

Hide the computer case under your desk somewhere.

And buy a cheap 2 PC KVM switchbox so you dont have to have another keyboard/mouse/monitor.

Here is an example (cables included):

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MPC2000

Have yet to try it out but found another thread at JP's Panzers at the same time I foun d this one. Hope it helps

If you want Modern Battles, then unfortunately Steel Panthers:Main Battle Tank (SPMBT) suffers from the same limitations (lack of VESA, but take a look at SPCamo anyway).

Otherwise, the best Steel Panthers game that I have found is Steel Panthers:World at War (SPW@W) by Matrix Games. It's one heck of a download - some 400MB+ (mostly sounds), but it's the most accurate that I have found, and more importantly uses the SP3 engine and hence is more stabl and compatible with XP.

Both the above games are freeware, so anyone can download them without fear.

There are ways around this problem though. You could try looking for a vesa card emulator such as VDMsound which you need to do a bit of ticking but it will work. I havent tested this game yet but i will get around to it soon.