Windows 10 Possible General Lag Solution for Geneforge 1, 2, 3 and 4.

[Ignatius Vulcan]

(Tested on Geneforge 1 successfully as of now, will continue to test if you request me to do it)

(Tested on Geneforge 2 successfully, remember to not use any compatibility settings for the changes to take effect)

Well, for those who want to play, and can't, because of the game-breaking lag that there's in the game. I present to you a fix that has been around for some time in the Spiderweb Forums (and it's still working! The topic has been around for 2 years, but it's easier if you guys come here and see it!)

Step 0: Make sure you don't have any compatibility options enabled, or anything that you tried to alter the .exe file of the game, since it might cross with these settings, making the settings I'm giving you not work as intended.

Step 1: Download the ADK (Assessment and Deployment Kit) for Windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/dn913721.aspx

Step 2: Install it (Remove anything that is not related about ADK by unchecking the other tools that appear in "Select the features you want to change"

Step 3: Open the 32-bit version (If you open the 64-bit one, it will tell you the executable (example: Geneforge 1) will not work for that version of the ADK, and you need to go to the 32-bit version anyways)

Step 4: Select "New Database" from "Custom Database" in the middle left of the program box.

Step 5: Click on "Fix"

Step 6: In "Program File Location", search the game you want to fix (example: Geneforge 1), also, type the name of the program to be fixed in "Name of the Program to be Fixed".

Step 7: Click Next.

Step 8: Click Next.

Step 9: Search for "ForceDirectDrawEmulation" and tick it.

Step 10: Click Next.

Step 11: Click Next. That should finish the custom database settings.

Step 12: Click on Save, ADK will tell you to name the database created. Name it "Geneforge X (the version that you want to fix.)

Step 13: It will then open a "Save as..." for the .sdb file that is going to be created, name it again "Geneforge (X)"

Step 14: Click on "Save".

Step 15: Now we need to run those changes, right-click on "Geneforge (X) [Program File Path], and select "Install".

Step 16: The database should have made the changes now.

Step 17: Now you can try running the game via your library in Steam, the changes are automatically made everytime the game is run.

If any problem arises from this, or you don't understand something in this guide, please let me now!

Happy shaping!

[agent2112]

Hey. I tried this and the game is working fine for me on Windows 10. Just so everyone knows...

[MAGNUS CATTUS]

Thanks. I was getting the mouse lag on Windows 10 but this fixed it.

[deadering]

Ok so this immediately fixed my issue with lag but introduced a screen flicker... very odd! It's quite distracting, do you know if there is a way to fix this new issue? Either way thanks for the help with the lag! It's at least playable for me now on my new tablet

Edit: Suppose I should be more clear. What happens is the screen will occasionally flash black for a moment and back to normal. Sometimes it happens very frequently, several times within a second, and sometimes it does not happen for a while.

The lag is 100% gone though when it was quite unplayable.

LAST EDIT: FIXED!
Ok so for me if any windows or anything are open it will cause these black boxes in the game. I thought the screen was flickering but it was a full size window! When I alt-tabbed after trying a few other things I realised these new boxes I was seeing were smaller windows and the taskbar.

Tl;Dr Make sure to close everything else before playing, any windows will flicker black during gameplay

[Mouth]

which of the components of adk should be installed? instructions do not seem clear.

[Mouth]

ahhh. It is "compatibility assistant" that is the relevant one.

[Panchira Joey]

I get all the way to step 15, but when I right click on the sdb file there is no option for "install" just the usual cut, copy, rename, etc. The closest option is "open with", but I have no idea what to select after that. :(

[Ignatius Vulcan]

panchirajoey님이 먼저 게시:

I get all the way to step 15, but when I right click on the sdb file there is no option for "install" just the usual cut, copy, rename, etc. The closest option is "open with", but I have no idea what to select after that. :(

Can you screenshot where you are, please?

I can try and guide you a bit through it, if I still remember, lol.

[Panchira Joey]

I would love to, but I'm working from a tablet and after finally figuring out how to take a screen shot, Steam won't let me paste it into a reply. >_<

[Ignatius Vulcan]

panchirajoey님이 먼저 게시:

I would love to, but I'm working from a tablet and after finally figuring out how to take a screen shot, Steam won't let me paste it into a reply. >_<

Can't you post the screenshot on IMGUR? You can then add the link here.

[Panchira Joey]

Geneforge screen shot[imgur.com]

That was a good idea!

[Scrundle]

This fix worked for me on the GOG version of the game, many thanks!

However, my generated .sdb file did NOT have a right-click "install" option so I used the commandline "sdbinst.exe" command to install it manually.

It is very simple to use, simply open a commandline window, and type "sdbinst.exe <location of your .sdb file>"

For example : "sdbinst.exe C:\Geneforge1.sdb"

This solved my game lag issue.

[Greggster]

How do you open the ADK?

[Ignatius Vulcan]

Greggster님이 먼저 게시:

How do you open the ADK?

Did you installed it?

[Ignatius Vulcan]

panchirajoey님이 먼저 게시:

Geneforge screen shot[imgur.com]

That was a good idea!

Oh my! I have no idea why I never answered you. I deeply apologize.

You were supposed to select "Install" inside the program, not outside (Example: File Explorer)

[TangoThree]

Anyone had success with this recently? I can't get the compatibility tool to work at all, it just tells me the App Compatibility Toolkit doesn't work on my version of Windows and refuses to launch.

Win10 Home, used the ADK to download it, but it stubbornly refuses to work.