Descent 3 windowed mode, anyone know how?

[1ACE1]

Does anyone know how to run Descent 3 in windowed mode?

[CDN_Merlin]

Not possible. D3 wasn't made for it and also not mad to ALT+TAB back into windows.

[Xamindar]

I just hit [ALT]+[ENTER] and it goes into windowed mode. Runs just the same as full screen too.

[FunkyStickman]

You could launch it with the -w switch, that's what I do, since fullscreen at 2048x768 doesn't work too well...

[1ACE1]

I tried ALT + ENTER, it didn't work...

[DCrazy]

ALT+ENTER doesn't do it. Add the -w option to your command line parameters in the Launcher's Setup window. Read the FAQ for how it works.

Merlin: ALT+TAB works on some computers and crashes on others. It depends a lot on which graphics driver you're using. ALT+TAB in Glide is a guaranteed crash, whereas it often works in OpenGL.

[Xamindar]

Ok, ALT+ENTER works on the Linux version.

[BUBBALOU]

Wow, now i just want to run out and grab me a copy !

[1ACE1]

Tried the -w option and I couldn't get it to work. I also couldn't find it in any of the faqs or readmes.

[DCrazy]

Maybe I'm confusing it with SimCity 4... the FAQs and READMEs don't mention windowed mode at all? I could be sorely mistaken. I apologize if that's the case.

But my point about ALT+TABbing still stands.

[1ACE1]

I can succesfully alt+tab, but it takes about five seconds.

[kurupt]

every time i did it i got this annoying white box right on my reticle. so i always closed d3 and opened it back up again.

[Duper]

wow.. if I hit Alt-Tab, it reduces and proply crashes.

[Krom]

Alt-tab has always worked here since I got a geforce. Also, the white box reticle problem can be cured by changing the resoultion in D3. If you are using ANY mode other then 640x480 while playing going into the automap and back will do it.

[Xamindar]

Wow, now i just want to run out and grab me a copy !

Are you serious or just being an idiot again?



A note on alt-tab. It works fine for me in Windows on my PC but crashes D3 on my friends PC. We both have geforces as well. So I don't know what causes it to work or not work.

[Krom]

Driver version? Using OpenGL?

[DCrazy]

Xamindar:

It depends a lot on which graphics driver you're using. ALT+TAB in Glide is a guaranteed crash, whereas it often works in OpenGL.

[Xamindar]

Hmm, I'm using OpenGL. I'll have to ask him what he uses.

Yeah, I believe you DCrazy.

[BUBBALOU]

Are you serious or just being an idiot again?

Wow, obviously you are very pompous and extremely clueless...


With the truth being said...Linux for Gaming ®öf|måö

[FunkyStickman]

It's okay, Bubbalou... Xam and I are laughing all the way to the bank. There's more games every day ported to Linux, and I'm not ever going back. If I want Windows games, I'll get an X-box. I don't like risking my computer to viruses just so I can play Mechwarrior.

On topic, if you run "MAIN.EXE" with switches "-launched -windowed" it should work, there's a whole section on this at the D3 FAQ site.
http://www.descent-3.com/faq/

When I ran D3 in Windows, I found that when I alt-tabbed the game, it would shrink okay, but to restore it you couldn't click on it in the taskbar, only alt-tab would bring it back correctly. Very weird.

[Krom]

It's okay, Bubbalou... Xam and I are laughing all the way to the bank. There's more games every day ported to Linux, and I'm not ever going back. If I want Windows games, I'll get an X-box. I don't like risking my computer to viruses just so I can play Mechwarrior.

Proof that even people "smart" enough to run linux can still be morons. Do you really think linux is more secure then windows? Wait till linux is popular enough to become a hacker and virus target, it is likely more full of holes then windows. And if you got a lot of viruses in windows it means you were careless as a user, no amount of antivirus software can protect a computer from a stupid user.

[DCrazy]

Oh will you babies ★■◆●ing shut up already?

Ace, did the -windowed parameter work?

[1ACE1]

It's okay, Bubbalou... Xam and I are laughing all the way to the bank. There's more games every day ported to Linux, and I'm not ever going back. If I want Windows games, I'll get an X-box. I don't like risking my computer to viruses just so I can play Mechwarrior.

Proof that even people "smart" enough to run linux can still be morons. Do you really think linux is more secure then windows? Wait till linux is popular enough to become a hacker and virus target, it is likely more full of holes then windows. And if you got a lot of viruses in windows it means you were careless as a user, no amount of antivirus software can protect a computer from a stupid user.

Actually, only one virus has been successfully made for Linux, and you have to click yes to install it and stuff. Linux has been running servers for years, and the Windows ones get hacked way more. The only time Linux servers really get hacked is when the admin does something dumb.

I'll check the windowed thing tonight!

[1ACE1]

I tried that just now; didn't work...I couldn't find anything in the faq about it.

[DarkFlameWolf]

I tried Alt-Tab, that only shrinks it to the task bar, not in windowed form. Alt-Enter doesn't seem to work either.
I tried launched the main.exe with -launched -windowed command lines, no luck there either. Full screen only.

I plan to record some video on Descent 3, but my program needs it in Windowed mode and I can't seem to get the damn game into that. Any help?

[snoopy]

Get a new recording program.

I think windowed mode is a pipe dream.... D3 just wasn't built for it.

[CDN_Merlin]

Use FRAPS

[Heretic]

Looks like Linux has few more than just one Virus or Malware to contend with. Not to mention that unprotected Linux servers are causing havac with the UPNP bugs

http://blogs.cio.com/security/17744/hac ... and-spying

Rootkits
Snakso-A - 64-bit Linux webserver rootkit

Trojans
Kaiten - Linux.Backdoor.Kaiten trojan horse
Rexob - Linux.Backdoor.Rexob trojan
Waterfall screensaver backdoor - on gnome-look.org

Viruses
42
Arches
Alaeda - Virus.Linux.Alaeda
Bad Bunny - Perl.Badbunny
Binom - Linux/Binom
Bliss - requires root privileges
Brundle
Bukowski
Caveat
Coin
Diesel - Virus.Linux.Diesel.962
Hasher
Kagob a - Virus.Linux.Kagob.a
Kagob b - Virus.Linux.Kagob.b
Lacrimae (aka Crimea)
MetaPHOR (also known as Simile)
Nuxbee - Virus.Linux.Nuxbee.1403
OSF.
PiLoT
Podloso - Linux.Podloso (The iPod virus)
RELx
Rike - Virus.Linux.Rike.1627
RST - Virus.Linux.RST.a
Satyr - Virus.Linux.Satyr.a
Staog
Vit - Virus.Linux.Vit.4096
Winter - Virus.Linux.Winter.341
Winux (also known as Lindose and PEElf)
Wit virus
ZipWorm - Virus.Linux.ZipWorm

Worms
Adm - Net-Worm.Linux.Adm
Adore
Cheese - Net-Worm.Linux.Cheese
Devnull
Kork
Linux/Lion
Linux/Lupper.worm
Mighty - Net-Worm.Linux.Mighty
Millen - Linux.Millen.Worm
Ramen worm
Slapper
SSH Bruteforce

[Krom]

IIRC a few years back there was a method to get D3 to run in a window, however it required a program that ran like a wrapper and/or used code injection to work and was pretty buggy.

An alternate method would be to install windows XP inside a virtualbox virtual machine, turn on 3D acceleration support and run D3 inside it. D3 will still think it is running full screen, but that only applies for the guest OS inside the virtual machine, at the host OS level you can run the virtual machine in a window and get the desired result.

[roncli]

It's funny this got necro'd, I was looking at this very thread about a week ago, because I want to run some D1, D2, and D3 (and Retrovirus, and WoW, and whatever else I play) over Twitch.tv with my new computer. The problem was I had no way to broadcast D3 because all the recording tools I had couldn't do D3.

That brought me to this thread. However, I quickly abandoned the idea of D3 in a window and ended up downloading the XFire client, which can broadcast Descent 3 to Twitch. Encoding performance on my current computer is terrible... but my current computer is terrible in general, so I'm hoping the new computer will improve encoding.

[roncli]

An alternate method would be to install windows XP inside a virtualbox virtual machine, turn on 3D acceleration support and run D3 inside it. D3 will still think it is running full screen, but that only applies for the guest OS inside the virtual machine, at the host OS level you can run the virtual machine in a window and get the desired result.

I thought about doing this, but didn't think D3 would perform well under a VM. Has anyone tried this with any measure of success?

[Krom]

The question is if D3 will work in a VM at all (and how to get your input devices working right). As long as it runs, performance should be a non-issue because D3 is ultimately a 1999 game and doesn't demand much.

[Sirius]

Some hypervisors can redirect devices to the VM at the USB level - if it supports that you can probably get it to work with a joystick. Mouse is theoretically a bit easier as long as the VM can grab the mouse. Things can sometimes still be screwy with VMs though, but it's probably the best shot short of finding a video capture device that can handle D3's brand of fullscreen.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Okay, so recording my D3 levels is a pipe-dream, got it

[snoopy]

Okay, so recording my D3 levels is a pipe-dream, got it

No, I'd just get FRAPs.

[Foil]

x2 to FRAPS. It works with D3 with zero issues.

[BUBBALOU]

DXTORY if you despise video lag


http://dxtory.com/v2-home-en.html

[roncli]

New computer's in, and decided to test Xfire with Descent 3. It seemed to do alright. There are some bugs with the website, though, where the audio doesn't always play, especially if you try to seek ahead of where it's preloaded.

http://www.twitch.tv/roncli/b/370364936

[Vanguard-741]

I thought it was just " descent 3 --windowed "

worked for me just fine, at least the Linux version.

[Krom]

Comically it is the windows version that doesn't support windowing.