Destroyer Command Tips

Installing the game  -- Start the installation as normal and install the game
into a new bottle using the win98 bottle profile. Choose the FULL installation
type and continue with the installation. Once the actual game files have finished
copying, you will be asked whether or not you wish to install Quicktime/Adobe-Reader
(the directx-8 target should report that you have the necessary version required).
.
At this stage, do not install the required Quicktime player from the CD ; simply untick
these targets and complete the base installation. Exit the installer when finished.

Note: The Adobe installation is optional, but Quicktime 5 is mandatory


Do not install the directx-8 distribution contained on the CD! It is not required
and will/may only break things.


Running COG in windowed-mode -- This title uses one native fullscreen resolution
 - 640x480. If you have a widescreen or 16:9/10 display type or otherwise cannot
use this fullscreen 4:3 aspect resolution, you will have to run things in windowed
mode (Emulate a virtual desktop) for the game to start/run.

To do this, use cxsetup to configure the bottle, and then use winecfg to configure
wine to run in windowed mode ('Emulate a virtual desktop');

0. Start  cxsetup

1. Highlight the bottle you installed the game into

2. Click on 'Configure' => 'Control Panel' => 'winecfg' -- the Wine Configuration GUI will appear




3. Now click on 'Graphics' tab => tick  'Emulate a virtual desktop'





4. After enabling virtual desktop mode, you will see 'Desktop size' element becomes active => change this to 640 x 480





5. Click on 'Apply' => 'Ok' => 'Ok"
6. Exit  cxsetup



Installing the Quicktime 5 player  -- You need to install the Quicktime 5 distribution
on the CD into the same bottle as you installed the game into. The reason we're doing
that here, is I found it became confused/stuck when used as part of the main installation
routine.  There's a few different ways to do this, but here I'll outline using cxsetup to do this.

0. Start  cxsetup
1. Highlight the bottle you installed the game into
2. Click on 'Install software' => 'Install other game' => 'Next' => 'Other installer file'
3. Use the 'Browse' button to navigate to the Quicktime installer file contained on the CD
    (in the 'QuickQuickTimeInstaller.exeTime502' directory on the disc, the file is named 'QuickTimeInstaller.exe')
4. Click on 'QuickTimeInstaller.exe' => 'Open' => 'Next' ...the installation will begin.
5. The quicktime player will go through a post-install setup routine -- just accept the defaults.
6. Exit cxsetup


Installing patches for Destroyer Command -- there are 2 patches available for this title that
correct some errors and add some extra elements to the game itself. I'm loath to include any
URL pointers here as in the future they might end up as dead links -- so instead, I'll include
the actual filenames themselves, and you should be able to use your web-browser and a
search engine to locate them. Remember, this is optional - the game still runs unpatched.

a. Apply this patch first -->   DCPatch1.1.exe
b. Then apply this patch -->  pmdc103install_eng.exe

To apply these patches, copy them into the bottle's virtual drice_c location. In linux, this
path will be ::  /home/[username]/.cxgames/[bottle_name]/drive_c

Follow the procedure described above for installing Quicktime to successfully install these
files into the same bottle as you installed the game.

Note: The first patch was the last official update patch from Ubisoft, the second patch is an
unofficial set of game MODS that enhanced the gameplay, and had official approval.


Create a shortcut for the actual game binary -- The reason we are doing this step, will become
apparent in a moment (see below). Here, we will use cxsetup to create a shortcut (desktop icon)
to the actual game binary itself -- 'Sim.exe'

0. Start  cxsetup
1. Highlight the bottle you installed the game into
2. Click on 'Configure' => 'Control Panel' => 'Run...' => 'Browse'
3. Navigate to the actual sim.exe file in the bottle - in linux, the path will be ::
    /home/[username]/.cxgames/[bottle_name]/drive_c/Program Files/Destroyer Command/Sim/Sim.exe
4. Click on Sim.exe => 'Open' => 'Create Shortcut' => 'Close' => 'OK'
5. Exit cxsetup

Now you should find a little icon for Sim.exe on your desktop named 'Sim'

Note: If you plan to have both Destroyer Command and another game like this (Silent Hunter II
is one such example) that requires the same installation method and desktop shortcut being
created as per the above to Sim.exe, you will need to rename the desktop-icon created above
to something more meaningful..ie; changing it from 'Sim' to 'Destroyer' is a logical choice.
Then you will have two(2) desktop icons, one called 'Destroyer Command' and the other being
'Destroyer' -- you must do this =before= you install any other title requiring a desktop link
to Sim.exe, otherwise things are prone to be over-written and not work as expected.


Usage -- When you start the game by double-clicking on the 'Destroyer Command' shortcut, the
game launches by starting 'DC.exe', which immediately calls the quicktime player to play the
intro movie, and then you are presented with the game's main menu. This all works, and any
changes made are saved to disk, and this includes the mission/task details you've just selected.
When the game goes to start, it promptly dies and you're left with a 'dead' black window. Just close
this window. Now, start the game itself by double-clicking on the 'Sim' (or 'Destoyer' if you renamed
 it as suggested) shortcut created above, and the game will start and run good, with the settings/
selections you just made in the main menu. Game saves and so on all seem to work fine in-game.

Note: what should be happening, is at game start DC.exe should call quicktime player again to display
a cutscene, and then call sim.exe with the current menu settings, however a debug log inside the Sim
execdir says it failed to start, because it wasn't given any valid options - somewhere in this second
transistion to quicktime player, the wheels fall off..  .