Launching the game without the configurator (and other fixes)

How to set Steam to launch the game directly, skipping the configuration tool. Also covers some other fixes for the game (like setting Windows compatibility or forcing the game to run on your main NVIDIA GPU).

Introduction

GT Legends' configuration tool seems to be the source of at least some of the problems with the game, e.g. looping back into the config tool instead of launching the game proper, not recording your playtime, etc. Circumventing the launcher is covered in the final point of the guide, the earlier ones are dedicated to solving common compatibility issues.

1. Set older Windows compatibility

Open the game's main folder. If you're unsure where it is, right-click on the game in your Steam library (or in the game's Steam library page, click on the cog icon to the right under the game's banner), mouse over Manage > and click on Browse local files.



Remember where the game is installed, you'll need this information for steps 2 and 4.

Find the GTL.exe file (your system may be set to hide file formats, it might just show as GTL), right-click on it and click on Properties (most likely the last option on the list).



In the window that opens, switch to the Compatiblity tab, tick Run this program in compatiblity moder for: and select Windows XP (Service Pack 3), tick Run this program as an administrator below, then hit Apply and OK. Repeat this step for GTLConfig.exe as well.

2. Force the game to use your main NVIDIA GPU

If your PC or laptop has an NVIDIA graphics card, older games - especially those running on DirectX older than 9.0c - will likely default to using your integrated graphics card, which might be too weak for the job.

To set which graphics processor the game will use, open your NVIDIA Control Panel. It can be found in the bottom right area of your screen. Find the NVIDIA Settings icon, right-click on it and left-click on NVIDIA Control Panel (the icon design and names may be a little different if you're using older drivers).



In the window that opens (it could take a few seconds, so don't worry if it doesn't show up immediately), select Manage 3D settings from the left side menu and switch to the Program Settings tab in the main part of the window.



Click on Add. In the window that opens (again, it may take a few seconds), click on Browse... and find and Open the GTL.exe file (if you're unsure where the game is installed, have a look at step 1 of this guide). From the list below the Add button, select High-performance NVIDIA processor and click on Apply in the bottom right of the Control Panel. You'll need to repeat the process for GTLConfig.exe as well. That done, you can close the Control Panel window. It's possible that the game itself will already be set to the NVIDIA processor by default, while the config tool will not.



For some reason setting the High-performance NVIDIA processor doesn't always stay set after the first time, and GT Legends' configuration tool will insist you only have an integrated graphics card. In that case you'll need to re-open NVIDIA Control Panel and go through the process again (likely only for the configuration tool), but it should "take" after two or three times at most.

3. Verify the game's files

Some users reported that verifying the game's files helped them launch the game, so I'll cover this process in this guide as well.

To do that, right-click on the game in your Steam library list (or on the cog icon to the right, under the game's banner in the game's Steam library page) and click on Properties.



Switch to the Local files tab and click on Verify integrity of game files...



Since the game is quite small, the process should only take a moment and be followed by a tiny download.

4. Launch the game without the config tool

Now for the main attraction of this guide: getting rid of the pesky configuration tool.

For this step, you'll need to know EXACTLY where your game is installed. If you're unsure, have a look at step 1 of this guide.

Before you say goodbye to the configuration tool, make sure you've actually configured the game. Go into the game's main folder (again, covered in step 1 of this guide) and run the GTLConfig.exe file. If the config tool insists on an integrated card, have a look at step 2 of this guide. Configure the game as you see fit (likely set the resolution to your native/desktop one, refresh rate to 60Hz, render type to DirectX 9, enable anti-aliasing and set it to Level 4) and click OK.



Now go back to Steam, right-click on the game in your Steam library list (or on the cog icon to the right, under the game's banner in the game's Steam library page) and click on Properties.



In the empty text box under Launch Options, you'll need to enter the following: the exact path to the GTL.exe file with " before and after, followed by a single space and %command%, like in the image below.

For instance, my game is installed at D: > Steam > steamapps > common > GT Legends, so the correct text to enter into the box for me is:



For you, this text will likely be something like:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GT Legends\GTL.exe" %command%
or
"C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\GT Legends\GTL.exe" %command%
or
"C:\Games\GT Legends\GTL.exe" %command%

If so, copy-pasting it directly from the guide should work.


This trick should help with other classic SimBin games (Race 07, GTR2, etc.) as well as other games for different reasons, e.g. for Sid Meier's Civilization VI to circumvent the awful performance-impacting launcher, or for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to play an OpenMW installation elsewhere on your hard drive and have its playtime count as the normal game's.


I hope the guide helped. Enjoy the game!

[hayerenders]

Thanks for this solution. This was a hundred times easier then all the other thing's and downloadable programs that should fix it.
This even helped me with my 0% knowledge of Pc's lol .

[UthersonL]

@B. Sure thing, you got yourself a deal.

[B.]

There's already a guide, it's just not as clear as yours for this game (and I haven't got a clue). If you do ever take a stab at it, leave a link in the replies here and I'll leave you a big fat Steam award (I know, I know).

[UthersonL]

@B. I'm afraid not. I could have a stab at it sometime soon, look into different approaches to running GTR2.

[B.]

By any chance did you ever make a dummy-friendly guide like this to getting GTR2 to work on modern systems? I really want to give it a try but never found a guide that's as concisely laid out like this for it.

[UthersonL]

@tjbork123 Great to hear that, I'm glad it helped

[TheEdge29]

Awesome job! Works perfectly