DirectDraw to Direct3D9 Conversion

Dd7to9 Introduction

Over the past couple of years I have been working on creating a feature to be able to convert ddraw's DirectDraw/Direct3D to Direct3D 9 (d3d9). The goal of this project is to fix compatibility issues with older games that use ddraw, as well allowing these games to use newer tools that require Direct3D 9 or higher.

The feature is built in dxwrapper and is called Dd7to9. So far most of the DirectDraw APIs have been implemented, while only a handfull of the Direct3D APIs have been implemented.

Note: To view the status of the DirectDraw to Direct3D9 Conversion check out the Status Page.

Installation

To use this feature you can do the following:

1. Download the latest dxwrapper release.
2. Extract ddraw.dll, dxwrapper.dll and dxwrapper.ini files from the release and copy it to the game folder.
3. Open the dxwrapper.ini file and enable the Dd7to9 feature.
4. Disable all application compatibility setting in the application.
5. Start the game and enjoy.

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues try the following things:

• If the game is running in a window and graphics look messed up, try:
  • disable in-game windowed mode and use fullscreen. Dd7to9 does not fully support in-game windowed mode for many games.
  • enabling FullscreenWindowMode. Some older games may not have a fullscreen option, using this option may override the game and set it to fullscreen.
• If the movies/videos are not showing up or just displaying as black, try:
  • enabling FullscreenWindowMode. Some older games use a mixture of GDI and ddraw. With Direct3D 9 a surface can only be shared with GDI when using windowed mode.
• If the game crashes after alt+tab, try:
  • enabling the DdrawEmulateSurface. This preserves the surface memory to fix bugs in some older games.
• If the game crashes, try:
  • enabling the DdrawEmulateSurface. This preserves the surface memory to fix bugs in some older games.
  • enabling the SingleProcAffinity. Some games are not properly synchronized to run on multiple CPU cores, or simply don't properly handle powerful CPUs.
  • setting DdrawLimitDisplayModeCount to a value between 32 and 145. Some older games cannot handle a large number of display mode options.
  • enabling the HandleExceptions. This option tries to fix several common exceptions, such as the divide by zero exception in old games that were trying to calculate the CPU speed.
  • running the game with administrator rights. Some older games require admin rights to function properly.
  • making sure you are using the software rendering and not 3D rendering, if the game supports it. Currently this only works with the 2D APIs. Some games only support 3D rendering and won't work with this feature.

Supported Games

Game	Notes	Support
Abe's Oddysee	Requires DdrawEmulateSurface to allow alt+tab	Full
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic	Only works if Direct3D is disabled	Full
Age of Wonders 2	Only works if Direct3D is disabled	Full
Alien Nations	Requires "Hardware Accelerator" option to be disabled	Full
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World		Full
Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura		Full
Atlantis: The Lost Tales (DirectDraw1)	Textures on faces missing	Partial
Atlantis 2: Beyond Atlantis		Full
Atlantis 3: The New World	May require running with admin rights on some systems	Full
Caesar 3	Requires UseNativeResolution	Full
Call To Power 2	Intro video just shows black screen	Partial
Castle Adventure		Full
Chris Sawyer's Locomotion		Full
Close Combat 2		Full
Close Combat 3		Full
Close Combat 4		Full
Close Combat 5		Full
Command & Conquer Gold		Full
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun		Full
Command & Conquer: Red Alert		Full
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2		Full
Commandos 2		Full
Commandos BCD		Full
Creatures 2: The Albian Years	Requires enabling DdrawWriteToGDI and setting DdrawOverrideBitMode to 16	Full
Creatures 3: Exodus	Requires enabling DdrawWriteToGDI and setting DdrawOverrideBitMode to 16	Full
Dark Reign		Full
Deus		Full
DOSBox		Full
Diablo	Corrupted images in menu, requires DdrawEmulateSurface to prevent crashing on some systems	Full
Diablo Hellfire	Recommended to enable DdrawEmulateSurface	Full
Diablo Spawn	Recommended to enable DdrawEmulateSurface	Full
Digger XP		Full
Dune 2000	Requires FullscreenWindowMode for mouse cursor to work	Full
Geneforge Saga 1		Full
Geneforge Saga 2		Full
Geneforge Saga 3		Full
Geneforge Saga 4		Full
Heroes of Might & Magic 3		Full
Heroes of Might & Magic 4	Requires fullscreen mode in game settings	Full
Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus		Full
Jagged Alliance 2		Full
Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business		Full
Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire		Full
Jazz Jackrabbit 2		Full
King's Quest 8	Requires running in DirectDraw (Software) mode, can be configured by modifying Options.cs and setting this line assignGModeName Software	Full
Konung 1	Requires FullscreenWindowMode for movies	Full
Konung 2	Requires FullscreenWindowMode for movies	Full
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader		Full
Majesty Gold HD	Requires windowed mode to be disabled in the MajXPrefs under %userprofile%\Documents\My Games\MajestyHD\	Full
Metal Gear Solid		Full
Moto Racer	Requires "DirectX 3D" option disabled and EnableVSync enabled to slow down menu animation	Full
Moto Racer 2		Full
Nethergate Resurrection	Part of the background is cut off on some of the menus when starting a new game	Partial
Outlaws + A Handful of Missions		Full
Pacific General		Full
Patrician 3	Requires running in Windows 7 compatibility mode with admin rights and setting DdrawLimitDisplayModeCount to 145	Full
Pax Imperia Eminent Domain		Full
Populous: The Beginning	Requires the non-3D version and DdrawEmulateSurface, videos are not clear	Partial
Pro Pinball Big Race USA		Full
Pro Pinball Fantastic Journey		Full
Rage of Mages		Full
Rage of Mages II		Full
Return of TIM		Full
Runaway: A Road Adventure		Full
Septerra Core	Recommended to enable DdrawEmulateSurface	Full
SimCity 3000	Landscape is missing items	Partial
SimCopter	Requires FullscreenWindowMode for intro movies	Full
Shogo	Requires software rendering and DdrawEmulateSurface	Full
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds		Full
Star Wars: Jedi Knight Dark Forces 2	Requires 3D acceleration disabled and if using GOG version requires launching JK directly and bypassing GOG	Full
Star Wars: Jedi Knight Mysteries of the Sith	Requires 3D acceleration disabled and if using GOG version requires launching JK directly and bypassing GOG	Full
Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter	Requires Power VR 3D Card to be disabled	Full
StarCraft		Full
StarCraft: Broodwars		Full
Stronghold	Note: if display looks messed up in the game try changing the resolution.	Full
Stronghold Crusader	Note: if display looks messed up in the game try changing the resolution.	Full
Stronghold Crusader Extreme HD	Note: if display looks messed up in the game try changing the resolution.	Full
Stronghold HD	Note: if display looks messed up in the game try changing the resolution.	Full
Throne of Darkness		Full
TIM Even More Contraptions		Full
Total Annihilation		Full
War Wind		Full
War Wind II	Minor corruption in the intro video	Full
Warcraft 2		Full
WarGames	Requires "Software Rasterizer" and SingleProcAffinity	Full
Warhammer 40K: Final Liberation	Requires DdrawEmulateSurface	Full
Warhammer 40K: Rites of War		Full
Warlords Battlecry		Full
Warlords Battlecry 2		Full
Warlords Battlecry 3	Crashes when clicking More Info	Partial
WinQuake	Does not work with in-game windowed mode	Full
Worms 2		Full
Worms Armageddon		Full
Zeus and Poseidon	Requires UseNativeResolution	Partial

Note: To view the status of the DirectDraw to Direct3D9 conversion check out the Status Page.