WBC3 - never again?

[Racocac]

I don't have the Steam version of this game - that's because I still have my original CD from a decade or so ago, and it still worked well enough to install it on my current computer. I've decided to post here, though, because I'm hoping my post will be read here.

My issue is that I've installed 1.03.25, set up compatibility mode (Win XP SP2), and followed every instruction here that promised to help with performance issues: http://the-protectors.forumstopic.com/t352-how-to-run-wbc-series-stably-on-modern-setups Yet the game still runs like garbage. For reference, I started a little skirmish against an AI with a 50-point fixed force, and it was EXTREMELY choppy, the troops moving at about half the speed or less than they were supposed to due to the lag spikes. Similarly, in the campaign, even the very first mission was slower than normal, and the snake ambush on the way to Kalpaxotl was almost unplayable. I know this is not normal - back when I played this game on my old computer, the game could get a bit laggy when the map was really full of troops, sure, but situations like these ran smoothly.

Is there some kind of additional secret tech I can try to improve the performance of the game? Or am I just screwed? At the moment, it's looking like I really can't play WBC3 again, and I'm wondering how all the people who can play it do it... are the Steam/GOG/whatever versions just inherently more stable than the CD version?

[Joe the Bartender]

I think a dev accidentally left debug mode on when 1.03.25 was released. Turning particle effects off might help, but if it remains slow I'd recommend getting The Protectors instead. It's like WBC3.5 and most vanilla bugs have already been patched.

[Racocac]

Originally posted by Joe the Bartender:

I think a dev accidentally left debug mode on when 1.03.25 was released. Turning particle effects off might help, but if it remains slow I'd recommend getting The Protectors instead. It's like WBC3.5 and most vanilla bugs have already been patched.

I see. Well, with a bit of un- and reinstalling and other troubleshooting, I've since then managed to determine that the 1.03.25 patch seems to be the problem - the official 1.03 version seems to be running fine performance-wise. Since I used to be able to play with 1.03.25 just fine, I'm not sure what the issue is now.

Is there some sort of full changelog for Protectors somewhere, and does it allow me to play the original campaign? (I'm instinctively hesitant to jump into such a big mod, but it might be cool.) Does it also allow me to play without the CD, like the unofficial patches?

[Joe the Bartender]

Yes to all questions. The Protectors is standalone and doesn't require the original game and can be installed alongside it too.

The changelog can be found here http://www.moddb.com/games/the-protectors/features/changelog-087 all the other changelogs should be in the Articles section as well.

The original campaign can be downloaded here http://www.moddb.com/games/the-protectors/addons/custom-campaign-the-hero-of-etheria (after installing it, click on Singleplayer > Custom Campaign and it should play the original Campaign instead of CW Magee's Conquest Campaign).