Games for Windows

Brink · Sep 7, 2008

ABOUT GAMES FOR WINDOWS

Information

SOURCE: About Games for Windows

For MORE GAME INFORMATION: Featured Games

You already know that Windows is a phenomenal gaming platform - the most popular gaming platform on the planet, in fact! That's why you're here.

But what you may not know is that Microsoft and some of the gaming industry's biggest names have worked together to make the gaming experience on Windows better than ever. And Games for Windows is the result. What is Games for Windows? It's a promise of games that deliver the great new gaming experiences on Windows.

The Games for Windows brand on games means four key things:

1) Quality. Games for Windows branded titles undergo extensive testing, and not just by the publisher. Microsoft also invests in quality checking each title to ensure they meet performance and reliability standards.

2) Compatibility. Games for Windows branded titles work on Windows XP and Windows Vista based PCs, including both 32 and 64 bit editions. Games for Windows titles that support controllers are also compatible with the Microsoft XBOX 360 controller for Windows, including the XBOX 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. They even support widescreen resolutions and more.

3) Safety features. You can be confident that any title carrying the Games for Windows brand will support the new parental controls and family settings features in Windows Vista.

4) Easy to Play. Games for Windows branded titles are easy to install, find and remove, especially in Windows Vista. Every Games for Windows title appears in the new Windows Vista Games Explorer (no more hunting around the start menu for that game you just installed). And Games for Windows branded titles all offer some form of “easy install”, putting you in the game more quickly.

Why are these important? Because Games for Windows is all about letting you focus on the FUN.

Many great titles already carry the Games for Windows branding with many more on the way in 2008. Be assured of these great new gaming experiences by looking for Games for Windows branded titles.

Thanks for stopping by. And have FUN!

jonesyx6 · Jan 5, 2009

Great but you forgot to leave out the fact that older games will not play on the new and improved Vista. I am tired of MS making things not backwards compatible. I have older games that will not work on may new machine because they run on directx8 or 9.

Do you have practical solution for this? how do we run these old favorites?

Thanks,
Lost in Vista

Brink · Jan 5, 2009

Hello Jonesyx6, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Have you tried using Compatibility Mode on them?

You can also install the DirectX version that the game is requiring from Microsoft to.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

jonesyx6 · Jan 5, 2009

Thanks for the answer. It did not work a few more settings but gets pretty tiring having to uninstall and reinstall over and over.

I will let you know. I saw on another forum that Vista directx10 leaves out or renames a lot of the components needed by earlier editions. Some said they manually installed things but did not say how. What is real scope with that?

Thanks

MrNeeds · Jan 5, 2009

jonesyx6 said:
Thanks for the answer. It did not work a few more settings but gets pretty tiring having to uninstall and reinstall over and over.

I will let you know. I saw on another forum that Vista directx10 leaves out or renames a lot of the components needed by earlier editions. Some said they manually installed things but did not say how. What is real scope with that?

Thanks

there is a few ways you can get games working on vista, for example, me and Dzomlija managed to get diablo and Ultimate doom working on vista, have a look here > http://www.vistax64.com/gaming/201861-blizzards-diablo-1-a.html

jonesyx6 · Jan 5, 2009

I tried lots of settings. By the way the specific game is Total War: Medieval. I am about to give up and try an old machine just for this and other games. Seems sad that MS does this all the time to their customers.

Thanks

FYI. The diablo example of putting it in a games folder did not work. It closes as you are starting the game.

Thanks for the help.

Brink · Jan 5, 2009

jonesyx6 said:
Thanks for the answer. It did not work a few more settings but gets pretty tiring having to uninstall and reinstall over and over.

I will let you know. I saw on another forum that Vista directx10 leaves out or renames a lot of the components needed by earlier editions. Some said they manually installed things but did not say how. What is real scope with that?

Thanks

Some older games may require that you also install DirectX 9.0 for them to work.

jonesyx6 · Jan 5, 2009

Do you have instructions on how to do that. I tried installing it and it gave me the 'untrusted cabinet' error. I have seen a lot of problems with it. This is getting to be more trouble than it is worth. I have to be a programmer just to play a game. :D

Let me know if there is a work around. Thanks again

Brink · Jan 6, 2009

If that is what the program says it needs, then you would just need to install the 9.0C DirectX.

Download details: DirectX 9.0c Redistributable for Software Developers

jonesyx6 · Jan 7, 2009

I downloaded the 33MB file and ran the install for DX9. The install program went from start install to all components installed in less than two seconds. In other words, it did not install anything but stated that it installed components. As for the game, it still stops working (closes) as it starts loading the first game screen.

I'm lost. Any other ideas? I hate to ask this but is their a manual way?

Thanks for all your help.

Brink · Jan 7, 2009

Jonesyx6,

The only other thing I can suggest is to go to the game's website to see if there are any updates or patches available for it that may resolve the issue you are having with it.

stormy13 · Jan 8, 2009

Jonesyx6 have you had a look on the official TW forums to see what others have done to get the game to work on Vista?

Total War Forums

jonesyx6 · Jan 8, 2009

After looking around more, it seems that it is a combination of Vista and the newer video cards. I have a new laptop with ATI radeon x1250 running the 8.4 driver. I am cautious on downgrading the drivers and losing the whole computer. I will just have to say good buy to the game or play it on an older XP machine. I may actually try running it on a linux machine with wine.

Too bad but technology moves on. They will remake it some day. Thanks for the help.

Brink · Jan 8, 2009

You're welcome Jonesyx6,

You should not lose anything by uninstalling the video driver and reinstalling a newer or older version though. If you already had the older driver installed before, then you may be able to simply rollback the driver in Device Manager.

I hope that they come out with a new version for you soon.

Heffernan · Feb 24, 2009

the nature of the beast, i am not fooled and know why.

DaKine73 · Mar 6, 2009

I'm with you in this Jonesyx6 for i'm a big fan of MOHAA and i can't just run it in vsta x64. i tryed the compatability mode, and it don't work. installed dx9 and dx90c and still dont work.
well to be specific. the game loads to the main menu screen. but when its time to play it goes in to a gray screen and it stays there untill i get uot the task manager to force the program to close.
I know MOHAA is old but its a cool game. I have also ran doom 3, crysis, call of duty, far cry, burnout paradise ultimate box. and they all run good. not great but good.(thats due to hardware issues may need to update my SLI rig XFX force 8600 GT x2 with something with more thump!)
Also I have played the infamous MS flight simulatos 9 and 10.
All run good but still the MOHAA issue

linkman88 · Jun 8, 2009

I thought i would post this for some help
if you have a game that is not compatible with your computer check and see if it is on steam or a program made by Microsoft called games for windows live if its on there either sell or return your game then by it on one opf those programs and your computer should run beter than how it was on the disk or it should be able to run period!:D
Just Some Help
-Linkman88

Knossos · Jun 28, 2009

If you really really want to play an old game you could try a virtual machine.

Personally, I have my old XP software running in a virtual machine incase I get something that doesn't run in Vista so well. And if it doesn't run in XP (because it is REALLY old) then I use a program called DosBOX.

I haven't found a game that I couldn't find a way to play yet.

MDA400 · Aug 5, 2009

Brink.

You should try posting the latest Games For Windows update on this thread, like you do with ATI and NVIDIA Drivers.

If you cant because permissions may be needed, then i understand.

Malick555 · Aug 22, 2009

APPCRASH problem

Hi,

i m also having a problem while trying to play Dawn of war 2 the application gets stop after showing the intro movie, and displays the following message.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: dow2.exe
Application Version: 1.0.0.33333
Application Timestamp: 49429d1a
Fault Module Name: DbgHelp.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Fault Module Timestamp: 4549bcc9
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000166bb
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 6eee
Additional Information 2: 7af0855a3d2dc3b99576c539772b48b4
Additional Information 3: 220e
Additional Information 4: ddcbad31770343c4c62d4e5c120ffc4d

want to resolve it badly.

Best regards,
MALICK...

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