Solving Color Problem In DirectDraw Games Updated Again

Just a quick note to mention that I've cleaned up my blog post from 2009 once again. The PalettestealerSuspender program has been significantly updated. Usage instructions and downloads (including the older version if you so prefer and full source code) have been moved to a separate blog page, which helps to keep things clean in the original post.

Get A List Of Steam Games (As Of May 2010)

Using Python and Beautiful Soup. This updates the previous script posted on this blog.

from BeautifulSoup import BeautifulSoup
from urllib import urlopen
import re

CATEGORY_GAMES     = '998'
CATEGORY_VIDEOS    = '999'
CATEGORY_DEMOS     = '10'
CATEGORY_MODS      = '997'
CATEGORY_PACKS     = '996'
CATEGORY_DLC       = '21'

html_text = urlopen('http://store.steampowered.com/search/?sort_by=&sort_order=ASC&category1='+CATEGORY_GAMES).read().decode('utf-8')

soup = BeautifulSoup(html_text)
f = open('./output.txt', 'w')

pages = 1
games = 0

print "-- Retrieving number of pages..."
for link in soup.findAll('a', attrs={'href' : re.compile(r"http://store.steampowered.com/search/.*&page=\d+")}):
 try:
  page = int(link.string)
  if page > pages:
   pages = page
 except ValueError:
  pass

print "-- Pages found:",pages

for page in range(1,pages+1):
 print "-- Retrieving page:",page

 html_text = urlopen('http://store.steampowered.com/search/?sort_by=&sort_order=ASC&category1='+CATEGORY_GAMES+'&page='+str(page)).read().decode('utf-8')
 soup = BeautifulSoup(html_text)

 for item in soup.findAll('a', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_result_row\b')}):
  games += 1
  
  #get information
  appname      = item.find('div', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_name\b')}).h4.string
  appprice     = item.find('div', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_price\b')}).string
  appscore     = item.find('div', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_metascore\b')}).string
  apprelease   = item.find('div', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_released\b')}).string
  appurl       = item['href']
  appid        = re.match(r"http://store.steampowered.com/(\w+)/(\d+)/", appurl)
  appimage     = re.sub(r"\?t=\d+","",item.find('div', attrs={'class' : re.compile(r'\bsearch_capsule\b')}).img['src'])
  
  #write information to file
  f.write(str(appname)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(appprice)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(appurl)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(appimage)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(apprelease)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(appscore)+'\r\n') 
  f.write(str(appid.group(1))+"/"+str(appid.group(2))+'\r\n')
  f.write('\r\n') 
  
print "-- Games found:",games
f.close()

Vice City (And Perhaps Other Games) In Wine - CD Error With ISO

So, you've just gotten yourself two .iso's for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (your backups, of course), which you want to play in Wine. What do you do?

That's easy, you say:

sudo mkdir /media/isoimage
sudo mount -o loop ./cd1.iso /media/isoimage

And start the setup with Wine.

Now the installer asks for the second CD, what do you do? Here we have to "eject" our "cd" first...

wine eject
sudo umount /media/isoimage
sudo mount -o loop ./cd2.iso /media/isoimage

And we're done. You want to start the game, but it requires the play disk, even although you're sure you've mounted it. Thing is, Vice City isn't looking at your /media/isoimage mount point, but it's looking at your drive letters... where could the cd be?

Take a look in ~/.wine/dosdevices (it's a hidden directory in your home folder). We're going to create two symbolic links there (in my case, there were a lot of symbolic, broken links already there, I deleted every one of them except c: and z:). One for the mount point, and one for the actual device (or in our case: the image).

ln -sf /media/isoimage ~/.wine/dosdevices/e:
ln -sf ~/cd2.iso ~/.wine/dosdevices/e::

Note the double colons (e::) in the second line. That's it, the game should start fine now.

Be sure to replace /media/isoimage, e:, e::, ~/cd1.iso, ~/cd2.iso and other displayed paths/locations with the ones relevant for you.

Sacrifice Revisited

A while ago I posted on this blog how you could resolve the "Insufficient page file space" problem in Sacrifice. Since then a few people have emailed me, saying that the fix described in that post does not longer work. After trying various things with various people (thanks for all the help and input by the way), a solution was found.

Problem
The problem is that XP does not longer present GlobalMemoryStatusTrim when running QFixApp.

First the good news. If you have Vista, the game works out of the box. Not because Vista has better memory management or something like that, but because Vista comes with lots of Compatibility Profiles built-in. I've looked into these profiles to see which ones were used with Sacrifice, being:

1) GlobalMemoryStatusLie
2) GlobalMemoryStatus2GB (this replaces GlobalMemoryStatusTrim and is also available in QFixApp when running XP)

So the solution seems simple, enable GlobalMemoryStatusLie and GlobalMemoryStatus2GB, and try again. However, when trying this under XP SP3, almost everyone gets the following (new) error: "error while trying to initiate the application (0x000005)".

If you get this error, you now have the following options:
1) Upgrade to Vista (yuck);
2) You could disable virtual memory and/or use the /BURNMEMORY=N boot.ini-switch (adventurous and bad/ugly);
3) Use the solution below (clean and works).

Solution
It turns out there is a patch available over here which removes the memory-check from the game. This patch was created a while ago by Luigi Auriemma, but is still quite difficult to find. Follow the following steps to get your game working:

1) Download and extract Lame Patcher from here.
2) Download and save the Sacrifice .lpatch file from here (search for: "sacrifice" or direct link no hotlinking :( direct link is back thanks to a friendly e-mail from Luigi, the author - thanks!).
3) Open lpatch.exe.
4) The program will display a message asking you if you want to select a .dat or .lpatch file, choose "Yes".
5) Pick the sacrifice_pagefile.lpatch you have saved in step 2.
6) The program will display some information, press "OK".
7) Another file chooser dialog opens, locate your Sacrifice.exe and select it.

All done! You should be able to enjoy the game now.

One last thing. If you're too lazy to follow the steps above, or you don't have Sacrifice but would like to play this (and other old) games, then check out Good Old Games. They've just went into public beta and are offering MDK2, Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Sacrifice (for $5.99). They also offer support, so your game'll probably work without complaining out of the box it seems they provide the Virtual Memory tip as well.

Game: Overlord

This game took me a little longer to finish: two days.

The game itself is actually pretty good but not that special. I had expected a bit more from it: being more evil for example.

Pros:

• Nice story.
• Minions.
• Graphics are decent.
• Sound is nice.
• Maps and environments are awesome.
• Will remind you of Dungeon Keeper (and Fable too).
  

Cons:

• Not evil enough.
• Very, very linear. No replay value, apart from the different endings (which you can watch anyway by installing RADTools).
  
• Could do with a bit more spells.
• Just needs more tweaking, Overlord 2 could be something really worth your while tho, so why not pick up this one?
  

Games: Supreme Commander And Command And Conquer 3

I've just finished all the campaigns of Command And Conquer 3. I must say I am pretty impressed.

I also played a bit of Supreme Commander but I didn't really like that game and I've already uninstalled it.

Supreme Commander is good because:

• Huge maps.
• Cool units.
• Strategic zoom is really helpful.
• Multiplayer.

But bad because:

• Boring maps.
• Though you can build hundreds of units, they are all so tiny...
• Repetitive missions... always the same.

Command And Conquer has:

• Kane!
• Kaaaaaane! (Yes, he counts for two points!)
• Full-motion video is back and you can't help but love the cheesy acting.
• Nice detailed maps.
• A superb engine. The maps load incredibly fast, and there is no huge framerate drop - ever! Even with a lot of units on screen... how do they do it? (Supreme Commander takes ages to load.)
• Cool units.
• Fun multiplayer.
• Did I mention Kane?
• Spectacular effects.

It does need better patching though (especially for people without high-end systems). On my system however the game ran like a dream in 1600x1200 with all options on highest (except AA, which is level 1).

However, if you adored Total Annihilation, you will like Supreme Commander. If you loved C&C, you'll love Tiberium Wars. I liked both, but I do prefer to play a game of CC3.

Game: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade

I've playing a bit of W40k-DoW-DC over the past few days. It's still a great game with fast-paced action. It's especially enjoyable when playing quick skirmish or multiplayer battles. ("Okay... one more game.") But the single player campaign is nice too.


If you've picked up the original and the first expansion, I suggest you definitely buy this one too. It is a stand-alone expansion though: so you can play it without the previous ones...

I still need to try Company Of Heroes. And I can't wait for Supreme Commander too.

Game: Neverwinter Nights 2

I finally found some time to spend some time on the sequel of what was a fantastic game: Neverwinter Nights...

People who played the first game will not feel right at home immediatly, lucky there's a friendly tutorial to make you feel at home. The story is nice so far (I only played a few hours). The graphics are nice too, but I don't understand why the system requirements are so high, the game isn't that advanced, so I'm forced to play at 1024x768.

In short:

+ Plot.
+ Many classes.
+ Many side-quests.
+ Interesting companions.
+ Toolset!
+ Great multiplayer opportunities.
+ Sound and music.
+ Graphics are nice (especially spells).
- Other graphics are less nice.
- Also: high system requirements.
- Interface could be better.
- AI is sometimes stupid.
- Camera could be better.

Game: Sid Meier's Railroads And Trackmania Sunrise Extreme

I picked up two games recently: Sid Meier's Railroads and Trackmania Sunrise Extreme edition too. Trackmania is a nice game but quickly gets boring in my opinion: you have to play the tracks over and over again to unlock new ones. Multiplayer and the editor are fun, though.

I'm still going to get Need For Speed: Carbon though and see how that turns out...

Also: I've been spending a lot of time with Sid Meier's Railroads lately. The game itself is simple to learn but - typically Sid - hard to master. You build railroads and stations and connect cities and industries, then you buy trains and let them travel between them. Seems simple, but you have to watch out for your rivals, finances and economy. You buy patents and better trains over time. This is another great Sid Meier game. Nothing special, but it will keep you entertained until the late hours of the night if it's your kind of game.

Game: Lego Star Wars 2

I played a bit of Lego Star Wars 2 last night, I haven't gotten very far yet but it's quite an enjoyable game so far. People who've played the first one will feel right at home, since the two are almost identical in gameplay and graphics.

The game itself is - of course - very cheesy (it's Lego!). But everyone who touched the little stones in their childhood (who hasn't?) will love the little blocks and characters.

LSW2 is enjoyable in single player mode, but it becomes really fun when you press F2 (I have the PC version, of course) and a friend takes control of the other character: pure fun.

Platformers are rare these days, so LSW2 is one of the best platform-games today. together with Beyond Good And Evil, Psychonauts, and the first Lego Star Wars.

The graphics aren't next-gen, but the bright side is that you won't need a powerbox to run it.

If you've played the first one and loved it, you will love this one too. If you didn't like number one or don't like platformers in general, then you won't pick up this one.

Now This Is A Game I Am Looking Forward To

Introversion Software presents its third title, DEFCON, a stunning online multiplayer simulation of global thermonuclear war.

You play the role of a military Commander hidden deep within an Underground bunker. Your mission - to successfully exterminate your enemy's civilian population whilst disabling their ability to attack your own. Start by launching your battleships, subs and bombers in order to decimate your opponent's defences. Scramble together your alliances but remember only one can stand victorious.

Prepare your pre-emptive strike before one of your supposed allies gets the same idea. Choose the perfect moment for betrayal, obliterating your opponents with an apocalyptic thermonuclear barrage, but get it wrong and their devastating counter attack will bring you to your knees!

That really sounds cool. Remembers us of the movie Wargames of course. Check the videos on their website. Uplink and Darwinia were such great games too, try the demos if you haven't altready.

Linux Games

I've been checking out some games for my Linux machine recently (that almost sounds like an oxymoron). I'm not going to go all whiny on you with a "Linux does have games!"-post, but will just review a few of them (the most popular ones).

• Planet Penguin Racer (a fork of Tux Racer): I never wanted this game, when all those Linux-sites/posts/magazines said: "hey look we have a racing game with a penguin" it just looked too kidish. However: it is quite entertainable, and making some maps is quite fun. This is a nice quickie-game for the people with direct 3d rendering enabled ;).
• Neverball: a game where you tilt the play field to make a ball roll and pick up coins. It's fun and looks quite nice but I suck at it.
• Freecraft: it's an RTS, with poor graphics (sorry), I didn't like it that much and wish there was a good RTS game for Linux. I don't have anything against sprites (I loved Age of Empires 1 and 2, Age of Wonders, Starcraft, Kohan, etc...), but this can look better.
  
• Globulation 2: also an RTS. Also not bad but I don't like it that much.
• Tuxkart: fun for a while but not fantastic.
• Frozen Bubble: the game everyone knows, and still great fun too!
• Pingus: a Lemmings clone. Well done game, will keep the oldskool puzzlers really entertained!
• Rocks And Diamonds: an all-in-one Boulderdash clone. Which I absolutely love because I can even play the Supaplex levels.
• Wesnoth: another instant-classic, hexgrid fantasy strategy game, well done graphics and great tactical fun both online and offline.
• Crimson Fields: Battle Isle clone, not bad but the graphics aren't that great.
• Advanced Strategic Command: also a Battle Isle clone: better (traditional) graphics and AI, but the interface/polishing could be better.
• SCUMMVM: absolute favorite. Grab this program together with some fat old-Lucasarts-adventures torrents and relive all those classics... A fantastic game for those long train-trips. Ah... the memories of playing Broken Sword 2 and really diggin' the characters and story. They don't make such games anymore since Grim Fandago[1].

That's it. It's not F.E.A.R., no Civilization 4, no GTA and no Age of Empires 3, but it is enough to kill a few minutes. After all, my Linux computer is my work machine, so the less I play, the more work I get done...

[1]: Actually I'm lying: Dreamfall, Fahrenheit (a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy) and others are great recent adventure games.