Steam on Windows XP Emulator

[McCore]

I enjoy some classic games like Shogun and Medieval Total War on Steam, games that really don't work well on Windows 10 so I used to run them through a Windows XP emulator (Vitualbox). Surprise surprise Steam no longer supports Windows XP. While I understand the reason it makes it increasingly difficult to play classic games which are not meant to run on newer operating systems.

Solution to this?

I can't agree with a decision which limits us playing games we own and it's increasingly difficult to find workarounds outside emulators for playing these games as they were meant to be played. Shogun Total War plays without sound and I'm lucky to get 10 years into Medieval Total War before it crashes.

As operating systems get newer this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Abandoning players of classic games seems an ill advised idea.

[Darren]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Guys, I am aware that there are workarounds. That's not the point. The point is that creating workarounds shouldn't be necessary. Steam abandoning XP is not an ideal situation and cases like this will get worse and worse for classic game players as operating systems continue to advance.

Sorry I wasn't clear.

I'm sorry you are already using a workaround (running an XP Virtual Machine on a Windows 10 box to run the games), now that this one doesn't work I am telling you the far easier workaround you should have been using to run it on Windows 10 to start with.

You can't say you don't want to use a workaround at this point you are clearly okay with that and a quite over the top one as well.

Now it would be nice if they shipped a Common Redist VM of various flavours to make running older games easier (similar to what is done for old DOS games with DOSbox) or a quick patch to the exe or update the default launcher path to make it just work on Windows 10. But if you can get it working anyway that is all that really matters.

[76561198001062896]

Hyphae eredeti hozzászólása:

I agree with you that it sucks how some of the older titles, which were designed to run on OSes of the day, sometimes may get left behind.

It's probably not the solution or fix you want to hear, but you can still find copies of boxed versions to this day which do not require a Steam account or any such DRM like Steam. For Shogun 2, I think you will be out of luck as it kind of came about while Steam was in the prime of their monopoly. EDIT: I actually did find a legit boxed copy of Medieval 2 even which works without any DRM.

Check out Amazon or eBay, I found lots of boxed copies of older games, which work perfectly for the way you are looking to play them. Just be very careful because their are counterfeits, presented as being real, which still work but of course they came from the seven seas arrrr...

GOG and other places that sell DRM free games (Humble, Gamersgate, etc...) are good alternatives. But as mentioned the selection is somewhat limited. Just look at Steam as more of a rental service with no guaranteed long term worth.

almost every old games on steam can be made to run on modern OS-es so theres no need for XP.

At least i have yet to see any old title that has zero workarounds to launch it on Win 10 and alikes

[secuda]

Daynox eredeti hozzászólása:

XP?

Time to upgrade.

Pretty much, XP is not a validate OS anymore.you are not protected for latest viruses just get Linux or WIndows 10.

[McCore]

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? Not every game is Total War with enough fans to explain how to get them working on newer operating systems. Are we all expected to learn programming? I'm a geologist, not a computer programmer.

As we go forward there needs to be a solution for even casual fans. Abandoning operating systems because they're too old is not an ideal solution.

[dont add me]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? Not every game is Total War with enough fans to explain how to get them working on newer operating systems. Are we all expected to learn programming? I'm a geologist, not a computer programmer.

As we go forward there needs to be a solution for even casual fans. Abandoning operating systems because they're too old is not an ideal solution.

Wine/proton, though far from ideal, is at least better than nothing.

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

I enjoy some classic games like Shogun and Medieval Total War on Steam, games that really don't work well on Windows 10 so I used to run them through a Windows XP emulator (Vitualbox). Surprise surprise Steam no longer supports Windows XP. While I understand the reason it makes it increasingly difficult to play classic games which are not meant to run on newer operating systems.

Solution to this?

I can't agree with a decision which limits us playing games we own and it's increasingly difficult to find workarounds outside emulators for playing these games as they were meant to be played. Shogun Total War plays without sound and I'm lucky to get 10 years into Medieval Total War before it crashes.

As operating systems get newer this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Abandoning players of classic games seems an ill advised idea.

Compatibility mode and DOSBox. I actually can run Rogue Squadron 3D from both its native disc version and Steam version using no compatibility settings for the exe outside of disabling full screen optimization and high DPI scaling for it. There’s a bunch of C++ Runtines and a directX june 2010 runtime to install.

If anything, I would also recommend checking out PCGamimgWiki for compatibility fixes for some games.

[Crazy Tiger]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? Not every game is Total War with enough fans to explain how to get them working on newer operating systems. Are we all expected to learn programming? I'm a geologist, not a computer programmer.

As we go forward there needs to be a solution for even casual fans. Abandoning operating systems because they're too old is not an ideal solution.

XP is unsupported by many parties, including its creator. The part of the userbase that uses XP is so small that it's considered insignificant. Valve has upgraded their process in a way that XP simply doesn't support. There is no valid reason to keep support for it.

So they cut it, rightfully. If you want to play an older game, you may have to take some effort to get it working properly. When I reinstalled UT99, I downloaded an OpenGL renderer to make it run better. Works perfectly now.
It's part of PC gaming. It always has been, that hasn'tchanged in the past decades. When XP just came, I had quite some trouble getting certain DOS games to run. It's part of PC gaming.

You're not expected to learn programming. You are, however, expected to make some effort to get an ancient game working these days.

[Aachen]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? ....

Where’s your concern for Win95?

What happens is the old titles become the concern of preservationists, archivists and hobbyists. If the game is fondly enough remembered, there will be a scene.

How IP law addresses that is up in the air, but this is not some new situation unique to WinXP.

[Ruse]

https://support.ubi.com/en-gb/Faqs/000027439/Activate-DirectPlay-or-DirectDraw-Direct-3D-on-Windows-10

[Start_Running]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10?

The same thing that happened when Dos, windows 3, and windows 98 were abandoned.
We move on.

What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer?

Would anyone honestly care? If no one's playing it, at all then who would care if it doesn't run on the current OS.

I mean I don't here anyone complaining about Champions of Zulula not running on modern OSes.

Not every game is Total War with enough fans to explain how to get them working on newer operating systems. Are we all expected to learn programming? I'm a geologist, not a computer programmer.

If the gme is worth while enough to you, you'll learn what you need to get it. It doesn't atke that many fans so long as the game falls under a blanket umbrella.

As we go forward there needs to be a solution for even casual fans. Abandoning operating systems because they're too old is not an ideal solution.

Neither is holding everyone back for the sake of less than 1% of the userbase.

Aachen eredeti hozzászólása:

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? ....

Where’s your concern for Win95?

What happens is the old titles become the concern of preservationists, archivists and hobbyists. If the game is fondly enough remembered, there will be a scene.

How IP law addresses that is up in the air, but this is not some new situation unique to WinXP.

The thing is. Its because of STeam and GoG that developers and publishers have come to realize the long term value of these old games. In many cases the original source code for games has quite literally been lost because no one developing thoughtit was worth while.

[Aachen]

Start_Running eredeti hozzászólása:

The thing is. Its because of STeam and GoG that developers and publishers have come to realize the long term value of these old games. In many cases the original source code for games has quite literally been lost because no one developing thoughtit was worth while.

O, surely. Even the perception of games, and their long-term place in society, is very actively evolving. I’ve not been actively following developments, but the attention from rightsholders has been a bit double-edged, hasn’t it? Better chances that important material is preserved, but greater chances also that it remains gated due to hypothetical future profitability.

Still, I can painlessly run quite a few games that I grew up with on a whim, and without the greater risk-exposure past unavailability made a fact of computing. Handling the occasional compatibility tweaking is no major barrier, in comparison.

[Fierman]

Windows 7 will be abandoned in a few months by Microsoft. Steam client might follow suit in 2 years or so. There are still hundreds of games on Steam that do not work on Windows10, and are abandoned by their developers.

[Start_Running]

Aachen eredeti hozzászólása:

Start_Running eredeti hozzászólása:

The thing is. Its because of STeam and GoG that developers and publishers have come to realize the long term value of these old games. In many cases the original source code for games has quite literally been lost because no one developing thoughtit was worth while.

O, surely. Even the perception of games, and their long-term place in society, is very actively evolving. I’ve not been actively following developments, but the attention from rightsholders has been a bit double-edged, hasn’t it? Better chances that important material is preserved, but greater chances also that it remains gated due to hypothetical future profitability.

Or just the rights holder not even realizing they own the rights. It happens. But yeah,. Though as the barrier to entry into the market drops...thanks to STeam and GoG...that question becomes increasingly less of an issue.

Fierman eredeti hozzászólása:

Windows 7 will be abandoned in a few months by Microsoft. Steam client might follow suit in 2 years or so. There are still hundreds of games on Steam that do not work on Windows10, and are abandoned by their developers.

You didn't bother to understand the reason behind Steam dropping XP did you. Might I suggest you do so. It will more or less speak to this concern of yours.


Also the list of non working games on 10 shrinks every month. and in the worst case scenario someone will in variable invent winBox

Snapjak eredeti hozzászólása:

Fierman eredeti hozzászólása:

So to answer OP's question: the only moral thing to do, when the software you paid money for does not work anymore, is to pirate it.

What an incredibly stupid idea.

Though a perfect illustration as to why I put no stock in human ethics or morality. People will happily find ways and means to justify even the most blatantly wrong thing if its something they want to do.

Translation. You can always find an excuse to eat icecream cake.

[TheRandomGuy]

McCore eredeti hozzászólása:

Okay, you guys aren't thinking ahead.

What happens when they abandon Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10? What happens in 10 years or more when old titles nobody plays anymore have nobody figuring out how to make them work any longer? Not every game is Total War with enough fans to explain how to get them working on newer operating systems. Are we all expected to learn programming? I'm a geologist, not a computer programmer.

As we go forward there needs to be a solution for even casual fans. Abandoning operating systems because they're too old is not an ideal solution.

Valve is kinda working on that, with Windows at least. Valve is currently developing Steamplay Proton as a tool to run PC Games without Microsoft Windows. It's basically WINE from Linux in combination with DXVK for DirectX 10/11 Emulation. Generally most games work, provided they don't use anti-cheat or invasive DRM.

That being said, if in the future, Windows 10 does get abandoned, most of your library will be playable without Microsoft Windows, and you could easily use an Open-Source Operating System like any Linux distro to play them.

Windows 10 shouldn't get abandoned anytime soon, seeing as how Microsoft is insistent on how it's "The Last Windows" and will give it continual updates, like Service Packs, for the foreseeable future. 8 and 7 however will get abandoned in the next couple of years (2020 for 7, 2023 for 8.1).

[Start_Running]

Where there is a demand, there will be a solution.