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View Full Version : DK2 1.51 doesn't even start / Win10 / Ryzen



ptna1990
February 8th, 2020, 21:13
Hi all,

So I decided to replay DK2, and remembered playing 1.5/1.51 as a child (I played a patched version without elite creatures, so that leaves one possibility). I gave the GOG version a spin and found the AI during campaign abysmal --which I had previously found challenging--, and lo and behold, turns out it was due to version 1.7 changing the way the AI behaves.

Thus I set myself on the task of re-installing good old 1.51, but I've run into the issue of the game not running at all! I run the DKII.exe, the hourglass spins for a few miliseconds, and that's it. It doesn't load up anything...

I have Windows 10, the dgVoodoo2 wrapper, a Ryzen processor (which is the only component shown as 'not meeting requirements' in the game's compatibility diagnostic), and have also tried setting a myriad of compatibility options (Windows 95/98/XP SP1,2,3)... to no avail.

Thus I decided to register in these here forums to ask the experts themselves. Do you have any idea what could be causing this problem, and possible ways to fix it?

ptna1990
February 8th, 2020, 21:42
Nevermind, I solved it thanks to DragonsLover's sticky post, it was SafeDisc causing trouble.

Yay! I can finally replay a non-lobotomized version of DK2! And the moral of the story is, always check the stickies :p

YourMaster
February 9th, 2020, 01:22
Welcome.

Yes, if you're lucky enough to have a disk you can simply not update to 1.7 which breaks the AI.
For people who only have GOG, or can't find a way to remove SafeDisc, download GIM to get the 1.51 AI on GOG with Elites.

ptna1990
February 9th, 2020, 10:30
Welcome.

Yes, if you're lucky enough to have a disk you can simply not update to 1.7 which breaks the AI.
For people who only have GOG, or can't find a way to remove SafeDisc, download GIM to get the 1.51 AI on GOG with Elites.
From what I've read, GIM introduces more things besides 1.51 AI and Elites, it alters a lot of other things -- after all, as the name implies, it's a mod.

It'd be cool if the author released a more 'purist' version so people can enjoy 1.7 with good AI without any additional modifications.

YourMaster
February 9th, 2020, 11:51
That's what he did. The latest version is mostly the purist version, because people complained so much about his changes.

ptna1990
February 10th, 2020, 00:43
Would that be G.I.M. Version 1.05?

Because the changelog for this version includes doubling HP for vampires, double HP for warlocks, double HP and damage for goblins, double cost for graveyard, extra spells on creatures (the list goes on...)

Far from purist if you ask me :p

Edit: Not that I'm saying the changes are bad, because clearly some people do enjoy them

YourMaster
February 10th, 2020, 08:08
I believe it sorta is compared to some other versions. But he also added some old versions before the other changes here: https://keeperklan.com/threads/3417-General-Improvement-Mod-A-New-Unofficial-Patch-for-DK2

ptna1990
February 10th, 2020, 21:53
I believe it sorta is compared to some other versions. But he also added some old versions before the other changes here: https://keeperklan.com/threads/3417-General-Improvement-Mod-A-New-Unofficial-Patch-for-DK2
I just went through the changelog (all changes made throughout versions are cumulative), and can confirm it's a full blown-out mod. Why it's marketed as 'purist', 'patch' or 'improved' I don't understand :confused:

The "least" intrusive is version 0.15 which he posted, but it still includes questionable content:

- Quadrupled the attack damage of the basic arrow attacks of the Dark Elf and the Elven Archer.
- Multiplied the attack damage of the guided bolt attacks of the Dark Elf and the Elven Archer by eight.
- Dark Elves and Elven Archers bolts and arrows now have a range of 25 instead of five.
- The range and attack damage of the Knives spell has been quadrupled.
- The damage the Grenade spell deals per tick has been multiplied by twenty (from 60 to 1200) and its area of effect has been increased by one tile (from 2 to 3).

...and some which are outright whimsically bad:

-Renamed some of the AI Keeper personalities: Master Keeper renamed to Moron, Stalwart to Brainless, Psychotic to Pathetic, Guardian to Vegetable, Thick Skinned to Thick Skulled and Paranoid to Stupid.

Guess I'll stick to 1.51 :D

YourMaster
February 10th, 2020, 22:13
It's this kind of talk that made him delete his mod and every single one of his many posts on this forum. ;)

ptna1990
February 10th, 2020, 22:38
What a guy :rolleyes:

YourMaster
February 10th, 2020, 23:05
I asked around, and impboy on the discord (https://discord.gg/zKTjfDh)game me the answer. All those balance changes are the edited levels. You don't have to take them. All you need are the exe files, the dll files, and the icd file for fixes without the 'balance changes'.

ptna1990
February 10th, 2020, 23:26
I asked around, and impboy on the discord (https://discord.gg/zKTjfDh)game me the answer. All those balance changes are the edited levels. You don't have to take them. All you need are the exe files, the dll files, and the icd file for fixes without the 'balance changes'.
If it's like that then it sounds like the best of both worlds

Thank you for your kind help and patience YourMaster :)

YourMaster
February 11th, 2020, 00:24
Happy to help, be sure to report back with your findings.