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Active: 2380 users

DxWnd dev working toward Bnet GUI fix for Win8/10

Forum Index > BW General
Post a Reply
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ScOULaris
Profile Joined June 2015
26 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-10-01 17:50:48
October 01 2015 17:48 GMT
#1
I've already posted this on Reddit, but I figured I'd share it here as well.

Brood War/Battle.net SourceForge Thread
DxWnd Homepage


Anyone who has tried playing Brood War online in Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 has seen how jacked up the Battle.net interface is. Since Windows 8 and above did away with DirectDraw in favor of an emulated solution, the text boxes that make up much of the Bnet interface overlap each other and make it impossible to read map names, map descriptions, and all sorts of other UI elements.

While the game is still perfectly playable despite this, you can imagine how much of a pain it is to find certain custom maps to play when all of the descriptions are overlapping each other as you scroll down your list.

But despite years having passed with no hope for a fix, one stalwart developer going by the alias ghotik on SourceForge is making strides toward making Bnet render properly in Windows 8 and above.

He is the developer of DxWnd, an impressive hooker program that allows you to play older full-screen PC games in window mode as well as fixing various compatibility issues associated with older games on modern versions of Windows.

If you want to see this fixed, please chime in on the SourceForge thread for this specific issue.

[image loading]
bypLy
Profile Joined June 2013
757 Posts
October 01 2015 18:51 GMT
#2
amazing work
mca64Launcher_
Profile Joined June 2015
Poland629 Posts
October 01 2015 19:38 GMT
#3
full screen or wmode?
KameZerg
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Sweden1770 Posts
October 01 2015 19:54 GMT
#4
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.
asdasdasdasdasd123123123
ScOULaris
Profile Joined June 2015
26 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-10-01 20:39:35
October 01 2015 20:38 GMT
#5
On October 02 2015 04:38 mca64Launcher_ wrote:
full screen or wmode?


Should work in either mode if he succeeds. The solution entails hooking certain DLLs and then emulating GDI panels or something to that effect. It's a bit over my head, but I understand the general concepts at play.

On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.


I agree, but we both know that's never gonna happen. The issue started with Windows 8 because the problem is caused by DWM (Desktop Window Manager). In Windows 7 DWM would be automatically disabled when Starcraft launched, so all the Bnet menus rendered properly. In Win8 and above, DWM has to be running all the time and cannot be disabled without serious OS-level issues arising. As long as DWM is running, what you'll see is the result of GDI and DirectDraw elements both trying to render on the same image (Bnet) but with the GDI elements (textboxes) overlapping one another indefinitely instead of being erased as needed.

I've probably butchered that explanation, but it's the best I can do.
TelecoM
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States10726 Posts
October 02 2015 02:33 GMT
#6
Wow amazing, I really hope this happens! Thank you so much for your contribution!
AKA: TelecoM[WHITE] Protoss fighting
xboi209
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States1173 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-10-02 02:35:21
October 02 2015 02:34 GMT
#7
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.
http://www.reddit.com/r/broodwar/
mca64Launcher_
Profile Joined June 2015
Poland629 Posts
October 02 2015 03:40 GMT
#8
on win 8 DWM can be disabled and problem is the same..
ScOULaris
Profile Joined June 2015
26 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-10-02 13:42:12
October 02 2015 13:41 GMT
#9
On October 02 2015 12:40 mca64Launcher_ wrote:
on win 8 DWM can be disabled and problem is the same..

Oh, right. It's only on Windows 10 that DWM can't be disabled.

Either way, I hope gho is able to eventually find a way to draw the DirectDraw and GDI elements on the Bnet menus together properly. He seems pretty confident that he'll be able to crack it with some more time, so I'm remaining optimistic.
KameZerg
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Sweden1770 Posts
October 02 2015 14:04 GMT
#10
On October 02 2015 11:34 xboi209 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.


A substantial playerbase is more than enough reason to fix it. And im taking in the sales as a consideration, since they are still making a profit out of it, why not make the game more compatible with modern operating systems.
asdasdasdasdasd123123123
sabas123
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Netherlands3122 Posts
October 02 2015 15:05 GMT
#11
On October 02 2015 23:04 ICanFlyLow wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 02 2015 11:34 xboi209 wrote:
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.


A substantial playerbase is more than enough reason to fix it. And im taking in the sales as a consideration, since they are still making a profit out of it, why not make the game more compatible with modern operating systems.

because why waste so many hours on something that wouldn't change the sales by maximum 10 extra people?
The harder it becomes, the more you should focus on the basics.
FFW_Rude
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
France10201 Posts
October 02 2015 15:08 GMT
#12
Each time i see a picture of Battle.net it makes me smile

Especially when it's not blurry with rainbow pixels all over the screen.
#1 KT Rolster fanboy. KT BEST KT ! Hail to KT playoffs Zergs ! Unofficial french translator for SlayerS_`Boxer` biography "Crazy as me".
xboi209
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States1173 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-10-02 18:14:53
October 02 2015 18:00 GMT
#13
On October 02 2015 23:04 ICanFlyLow wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 02 2015 11:34 xboi209 wrote:
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.


A substantial playerbase is more than enough reason to fix it. And im taking in the sales as a consideration, since they are still making a profit out of it, why not make the game more compatible with modern operating systems.

The playerbase doesn't generate additional revenue after the game is sold, if the game is even sold(note the highest population is at Fish, which doesn't require a valid cd key). How many people do you estimate will suddenly decide to purchase the game just because some gui bug in the battle.net menus are fixed? Does that amount of people * $20 USD cover the cost of 1-12 months of a(not even two or three) programmer's(with years of experience) time?
Also it wouldn't make sense to fix a gui bug that occurs on a operating that isn't officially supported by the game. If they're going to officially mark Windows 7, 8, and 10 as supported operating systems, I'm sure they would have to overhaul the game since it uses very outdated API's(namely DirectDraw, which was deprecated like 15 years ago), and then you'll get a wave of people asking why the newer Mac operating systems aren't supported either, and then a wave of more people asking why the other games aren't getting attention.
http://www.reddit.com/r/broodwar/
Piste
Profile Blog Joined July 2006
6183 Posts
October 02 2015 20:49 GMT
#14
oh wow cool news! I'm still on win7 but maybe I'll "upgrade" one day.
Chef
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
10810 Posts
October 03 2015 00:36 GMT
#15
On October 02 2015 11:34 xboi209 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.

Meh, I don't think that's really fair. That's not a reasonable expectation to say people should have an OS that is not even being sold anymore to run your game. Most people will think 'well what I have is better right? and they wouldn't be selling it if it didn't run correctly." Unless they put a big warning before the user purchases it 'significant issues in Windows 8 and Windows 10,' like the user can't miss it or misunderstand it, it's underhanded / irresponsible. $15 is also not cheap enough in today's market to pretend they're giving it away. It's kind of at just that threshold where if you can't get it working, you're not invested enough to demand a refund.
LEGEND!! LEGEND!!
TelecoM
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States10726 Posts
October 03 2015 03:50 GMT
#16
lol stop being such a negative nancy xboi, I think you are just jealous because you could never do this yourself. T_T

This is amazing, and I really hope this happens! Thank you for the work!
AKA: TelecoM[WHITE] Protoss fighting
Probemicro
Profile Joined February 2014
3708 Posts
October 03 2015 04:35 GMT
#17
i like all the people dissing on the opinions of an actual programmer (xboi209). Looks just like real life
mca64Launcher_
Profile Joined June 2015
Poland629 Posts
October 03 2015 06:38 GMT
#18
blizzard is a bitch. Selling a game when 99% users will have problems
sabas123
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Netherlands3122 Posts
October 03 2015 11:52 GMT
#19
On October 03 2015 09:36 Chef wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 02 2015 11:34 xboi209 wrote:
On October 02 2015 04:54 ICanFlyLow wrote:
blizzard should fucking fix it themselves, i mean the game is still being sold in their battle net online shop, and last time i checked it was still being sold on the shelves in actual stores. Jesus, just go to gog.com They are selling games from as far back as 92 but they've updated it all to be compatible with Win10 yet blizzard cant even think about doing it.

To be fair, their game requirements specifically says it supports certain operating systems, which do not include Windows 8 and Windows 10, so you shouldn't be surprised or complaining if you bought the game without checking it.
And being sold physically in stores do not mean anything, there are no officially authorized/recognized retailers other than Blizzard themselves.
Unless they put a big warning before the user purchases it 'significant issues in Windows 8 and Windows 10,' like the user can't miss it or misunderstand it.

Sounds like a decent thing to do, and pretty much the only reasonable thing imo.
The harder it becomes, the more you should focus on the basics.
JieXian
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Malaysia4677 Posts
October 03 2015 12:13 GMT
#20
very nice we await the results
Please send me a PM of any song you like that I most probably never heard of! I am looking for people to chat about writing and producing music | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noD-bsOcxuU |
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