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Difference between revisions of "Ground Control"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(wine - rewording to be more neutral)
 
(15 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 5: Line 5:
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|High Voltage Software|Dark Conspiracy|ref=<ref name="High Voltage Software">[http://www.high-voltage.com/games_add.htm High Voltage Software Additional Games]</ref>}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|High Voltage Software|Dark Conspiracy|ref=<ref name="High Voltage Software">[http://www.high-voltage.com/games_add.htm High Voltage Software Additional Games]</ref>}}
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Sierra Entertainment|Retail}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Sierra Entertainment|2000-2008}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Rebellion Developments|Digital}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Rebellion Developments|2008-present}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Sold Out Software|Retail re-release}}
 
|engines      =  
 
|engines      =  
 
|release dates=  
 
|release dates=  
Line 28: Line 29:
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|strategywiki =  
 
|lutris      = ground-control-anthology
 
|lutris      = ground-control-anthology
−
|mobygames    = ground-control
+
|mobygames    = 1714
 
|wikipedia    = Ground Control (video game)
 
|wikipedia    = Ground Control (video game)
 
|winehq      = 984
 
|winehq      = 984
Line 34: Line 35:
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
'''Key points'''
+
{{Introduction
−
{{++}} Ground Control has been released as a [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/191-ground-control/ free download].
+
|introduction      =
 +
 
 +
|release history  =
 +
 
 +
|current state    =
 +
}}
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''
Line 47: Line 53:
 
{{Availability/row| GamersGate | ground-control-anthology | Steam | Anthology. Also {{Store link|GamersGate|ground-control-collection|bundled}} with the sequel. |  | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| GamersGate | ground-control-anthology | Steam | Anthology. Also {{Store link|GamersGate|ground-control-collection|bundled}} with the sequel. |  | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | ground_control_expansion | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| GOG.com | ground_control_expansion | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
−
{{Availability/row| GMG | ground-control-dark-conspiracy-expansion | Playfire | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 254820 | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| Steam | 254820 | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| ZOOM | ground-control-1-anthology | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| ZOOM | ground-control-1-anthology | DRM-free | Anthology | | Windows }}
 
{{Availability/row| GamersGate | ground-control-expansion | DRM-free | Anthology. |  | Windows | unavailable }}
 
{{Availability/row| GamersGate | ground-control-expansion | DRM-free | Anthology. |  | Windows | unavailable }}
 +
{{Availability/row| GMG | ground-control-dark-conspiracy-expansion | Playfire | Anthology | | Windows | unavailable }}
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{++}} The base game has been released as a [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/191-ground-control/ free download] in order to promote the sequel.
 
{{++}} The base game has been released as a [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/191-ground-control/ free download] in order to promote the sequel.
Line 60: Line 66:
 
==Monetization==
 
==Monetization==
 
{{DLC|
 
{{DLC|
−
{{DLC/row| Dark Conspiracy | | Windows }}
+
{{DLC/row| Dark Conspiracy | To access, run {{file|gc.exe}} with the <code>-mod DARKCONS</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]. | Windows }}
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 128: Line 134:
 
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing              = false
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
 
|antialiasing notes        =  
 +
|upscaling                  = unknown
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 
|vsync                      = true
 
|vsync                      = true
 
|vsync notes                = Forced Vsync in hardware rendering, software rendering is uncapped.
 
|vsync notes                = Forced Vsync in hardware rendering, software rendering is uncapped.
Line 141: Line 150:
  
 
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
−
{{Fixbox|description=Use [https://gitlab.com/fkrull/gc-resolution-changer Ground Control Resolution Changer]|ref={{cn|date=April 2017}}|fix=
 
−
{{ii}} Improved successor to the below resolution changer application
 
−
}}
 
 
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Expack3|date=2016-06-30}}</ref>|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Expack3|date=2016-06-30}}</ref>|fix=
 
# Download the following [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/586-ground-control-resolution-changer/ archive].
 
# Download the following [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/586-ground-control-resolution-changer/ archive].
Line 236: Line 242:
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support notes        =  
 
|eax support notes        =  
 +
|royalty free audio      = always on
 +
|royalty free audio notes =
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 291: Line 299:
 
|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play notes      =  
 
|lan play notes      =  
−
|online play          = true
+
|online play          = false
 
|online play players  = 8
 
|online play players  = 8
 
|online play modes    =  
 
|online play modes    =  
−
|online play notes    =  
+
|online play notes    = The official WON service has been shut down.
 
|asynchronous        =  
 
|asynchronous        =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
Line 308: Line 316:
 
|self-hosting      = true
 
|self-hosting      = true
 
|self-hosting notes =  
 
|self-hosting notes =  
−
|direct ip          = unknown
+
|direct ip          = false
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
}}
 
}}
Line 319: Line 327:
  
 
==Issues fixed==
 
==Issues fixed==
 +
===Crash on start on Windows 10===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref={{cn|date=February 2024}}|fix=
 +
# Download this [https://www.moddb.com/mods/ground-control-windows-10-crash-fix patch]
 +
# Extract the zip folder and copy paste the .dll file into your installation directory.
 +
# If you are not using widescreen mod you need to add argument -1600 to the gc.exe file or its shortcuts for the base game and expansion.
 +
}}
 +
 
===Poor framerate on Windows 8===
 
===Poor framerate on Windows 8===
 
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 
# Download the following [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/587-windows-8-custom-directdraw-dll/ archive].
 
# Download the following [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/587-windows-8-custom-directdraw-dll/ archive].
 
# Go to the installation folder, and extract the file.
 
# Go to the installation folder, and extract the file.
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Poor framerate on Wine===
 +
Ground Control does leverage the DrawPrimitive() Direct3D 7 call, which has some overhead. It is patched in old versions of Windows, but not recent ones anymore as it isn't really an issue on modern hardware. Yet, in Wine this call has a significant overhead, even on modern hardware. There's a user space patched ddraw.dll that does convert that call to a batching one, removing the overhead. Note that this patch also works & improves the framerate in recent Windows, but is less needed.
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Instructions|ref={{cn|date=April 2024}}|fix=
 +
# Follow the instruction at https://github.com/steveschnepp/d3d7batch to have a patching ddraw.dll.
 
}}
 
}}
  
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{{ii}} If [[Nvidia Control Panel#Dynamic Super Resolution|Dynamic Super Resolution]] or [[AMD Catalyst Control Center#Virtual Super Resolution|Virtual Super Resolution]] is used to achieve [[Glossary:4K Ultra HD|4K resolutions]], the game's text and buttons will become nearly illegible due to the downsampling involved.
 
{{ii}} If [[Nvidia Control Panel#Dynamic Super Resolution|Dynamic Super Resolution]] or [[AMD Catalyst Control Center#Virtual Super Resolution|Virtual Super Resolution]] is used to achieve [[Glossary:4K Ultra HD|4K resolutions]], the game's text and buttons will become nearly illegible due to the downsampling involved.
  
−
{{Fixbox|description=Use dgVoodoo2|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Expack3|date=2016-06-06}}</ref>|fix=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Use dgVoodoo 2|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Expack3|date=2016-06-06}}</ref>|fix=
 
# Follow all instructions for the [[#Widescreen resolution|widescreen resolution fix]], ensuring width and height are set to one of the following:
 
# Follow all instructions for the [[#Widescreen resolution|widescreen resolution fix]], ensuring width and height are set to one of the following:
 
## '''16:9 monitors:''' '''1024''' width, '''576''' height
 
## '''16:9 monitors:''' '''1024''' width, '''576''' height
Line 334: Line 356:
 
## '''21:9 monitors:''' '''1024''' width, '''432''' height
 
## '''21:9 monitors:''' '''1024''' width, '''432''' height
 
# Download the latest version of [[dgVoodoo 2]].
 
# Download the latest version of [[dgVoodoo 2]].
−
# Extract <code>D3Dlmm.dll</code> and <code>DDraw.dll</code> to {{P|game}} from the downloaded ZIP file.
+
# Extract {{file|D3Dlmm.dll}} and {{file|DDraw.dll}} from the {{file|MS\x86|folder}} subfolder to {{file|{{P|game}}|folder}} from the downloaded ZIP file.
−
# Extract <code>dgVoodooSetup.exe</code> to the folder of your choice from the downloaded ZIP file.
+
# Extract {{file|dgVoodooCpl.exe}} to {{file|{{p|game}}|folder}}.
−
# Navigate to the folder your extracted <code>dgVoodooSetup.exe</code> to, then run <code>dgVoodooSetup.exe</code>.
+
# Run {{file|dgVoodooCpl.exe}} and click on the <code>DirectX</code> tab.
−
# From the window which appears, click <code>Add</code> under <code>Config folder / Running instance</code>.
 
−
# Navigate to {{P|game}} using the window which appears, then click <code>Select Folder</code>.
 
−
# Ensure {{P|game}} is selected in the dropdown box <code>Config folder / Running instance</code>.
 
−
# Click on the <code>DirectX</code> tab.
 
 
# Under <code>Resolution</code>, select your monitor's native 4K resolution from the dropdown list.
 
# Under <code>Resolution</code>, select your monitor's native 4K resolution from the dropdown list.
 
# Click on the <code>Apply</code> button to save the configuration, the click <code>OK</code>.
 
# Click on the <code>Apply</code> button to save the configuration, the click <code>OK</code>.
Line 347: Line 365:
 
{{ii}} This fix has been tested with [[Nvidia Control Panel#Dynamic Super Resolution|Nvidia Dynamic Super Resolution]].
 
{{ii}} This fix has been tested with [[Nvidia Control Panel#Dynamic Super Resolution|Nvidia Dynamic Super Resolution]].
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Issues unresolved==
 +
===Crash related to wireless peripherals===
 +
{{--}} The game crashes on startup if the user has wireless peripherals (headsets, mice...), either with a black screen or with an error message reporting an access violation. Before the game is run, the USB dongle needs to be unplugged, and only plugged back in when the game's intro/menu is shown.<ref name="GroundControl2Crash">{{Refurl|url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/254840/discussions/0/530646715641614989/?ctp=3#c3051737712175732203|title=Game won't start / Black Screen :: Ground Control II General Discussions|date=2022-09-11}}</ref> <ref>{{Refcheck|user=Plok|date=2023-01-11|comment=Confirmed with the Logitech G533 wireless headset.}}</ref>
  
 
==Other information==
 
==Other information==
 
===API===
 
===API===
 
{{API
 
{{API
−
|direct3d versions      =  
+
|direct3d versions      = 7.0a
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
Line 373: Line 395:
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = unknown
 
|windows exe notes      =  
 
|windows exe notes      =  
 
|macos intel 32-bit app =  
 
|macos intel 32-bit app =  
 
|macos intel 64-bit app =  
 
|macos intel 64-bit app =  
 +
|macos arm app          = unknown
 
|macos app notes        =  
 
|macos app notes        =  
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 
|linux 64-bit executable=  
 
|linux 64-bit executable=  
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
Line 405: Line 430:
 
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium II 233 MHz
 
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium II 233 MHz
 
|minRAM  = 32 MB
 
|minRAM  = 32 MB
−
|minHD    = 465 MB
+
|minHD    = 250 MB
 
|minVRAM  = 4 MB
 
|minVRAM  = 4 MB
 
|minGPU  =  
 
|minGPU  =  
 
|minDX    = 7.0a
 
|minDX    = 7.0a
 +
|minother = 4X CD-ROM
  
 
|recOS    = 2000, XP
 
|recOS    = 2000, XP
 
|recCPU  = Intel Pentium II 333 MHz
 
|recCPU  = Intel Pentium II 333 MHz
 
|recRAM  = 64 MB
 
|recRAM  = 64 MB
−
|recHD    = 1.5 GB
+
|recHD    = 450 MB
 
|notes    = {{ii}} The game has software rendering mode, which may have lower system requirements.
 
|notes    = {{ii}} The game has software rendering mode, which may have lower system requirements.
 
{{--}} Windows 98 and ME are only supported with the original ATI Radeon, ATI Radeon 7200, and Nvidia video cards
 
{{--}} Windows 98 and ME are only supported with the original ATI Radeon, ATI Radeon 7200, and Nvidia video cards

Latest revision as of 15:49, 23 April 2024

Ground Control
Ground Control cover
Developers
Massive Entertainment
Dark Conspiracy High Voltage Software[1]
Publishers
2000-2008 Sierra Entertainment
2008-present Rebellion Developments
Retail re-release Sold Out Software
Release dates
Windows June 1, 2000
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view
Controls Multiple select, Point and select
Genres RTS
Themes Sci-fi
Series Ground Control
Icon overlay.png
Ground Control on HowLongToBeat
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Ground Control on MobyGames
Ground Control on Wikipedia
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
Ground Control
Ground Control 2000
Ground Control II: Operation Exodus 2004

Ground Control is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view RTS game in the Ground Control series.

General information

Ground Control Veterans
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
 SecuROM DRM.
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
 Anthology. Also bundled with the sequel.
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
 Anthology
Windows
Steam
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
 Anthology
Windows
ZOOM Platform
DRM-free
 Anthology
Windows
GamersGate (unavailable)
DRM-free after installation (requires an internet connection during installation)
 Anthology.
Windows
Green Man Gaming (unavailable) Playfire Client Anthology
Windows
The base game has been released as a free download in order to promote the sequel.
A free demo version is available from SierraHelp.

Version differences

Ground Control Anthology includes the base game and the Dark Conspiracy expansion pack.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Dark Conspiracy To access, run gc.exe with the -mod DARKCONS command line argument.
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest official patch is 1.011, and is available from Patches-Scrolls.

Map packs

Five official map packs are available from Patches-Scrolls.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\data\games\settings.dat[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/254820/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\data\games\game*[Note 1]
Steam Play (Linux) <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/254820/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game general video settings.
In-game general video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
 
 Only supports 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768 by default. See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
 
Ultra-widescreen
 
4K Ultra HD
 
 See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Forced Vsync in hardware rendering, software rendering is uncapped.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Follows display refresh rate.

Widescreen resolution

Instructions[2]
  1. Download the following archive.
  2. Go to the installation folder.
  3. Extract all the files from the archive and overwrite.
  4. Open Resolution Changer.exe, then set the desired Width and Height.
  5. Launch the game through the Launch Ground Control.bat file.

Notes

If using Dynamic Super Resolution or Virtual Super Resolution and 4K Ultra HD, see this fix.

Input

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game mouse settings.
In-game joystick settings.
In-game joystick settings.

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Game uses "software mouse". This means cursor will be laggy at lower frame rates.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Very limited modern controller support.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
Retail and GOG.com only.
German
Retail and GOG.com only.
Italian
Retail only.
Spanish
Retail only.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
8
Online play
8 The official WON service has been shut down.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Requires download of official files.
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 15001, 15101, 15200, 20000-21000, 25000-25499
UDP 20000-21000
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

Issues fixed

Crash on start on Windows 10

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download this patch
  2. Extract the zip folder and copy paste the .dll file into your installation directory.
  3. If you are not using widescreen mod you need to add argument -1600 to the gc.exe file or its shortcuts for the base game and expansion.

Poor framerate on Windows 8

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download the following archive.
  2. Go to the installation folder, and extract the file.

Poor framerate on Wine

Ground Control does leverage the DrawPrimitive() Direct3D 7 call, which has some overhead. It is patched in old versions of Windows, but not recent ones anymore as it isn't really an issue on modern hardware. Yet, in Wine this call has a significant overhead, even on modern hardware. There's a user space patched ddraw.dll that does convert that call to a batching one, removing the overhead. Note that this patch also works & improves the framerate in recent Windows, but is less needed.

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Follow the instruction at https://github.com/steveschnepp/d3d7batch to have a patching ddraw.dll.

Near-illegible text and buttons when using downscaling

If Dynamic Super Resolution or Virtual Super Resolution is used to achieve 4K resolutions, the game's text and buttons will become nearly illegible due to the downsampling involved.
Use dgVoodoo 2[3]
  1. Follow all instructions for the widescreen resolution fix, ensuring width and height are set to one of the following:
    1. 16:9 monitors: 1024 width, 576 height
    2. 16:10/8:5 monitors: 1024 width, 640 height
    3. 21:9 monitors: 1024 width, 432 height
  2. Download the latest version of dgVoodoo 2.
  3. Extract D3Dlmm.dll and DDraw.dll from the MS\x86 subfolder to <path-to-game> from the downloaded ZIP file.
  4. Extract dgVoodooCpl.exe to <path-to-game>.
  5. Run dgVoodooCpl.exe and click on the DirectX tab.
  6. Under Resolution, select your monitor's native 4K resolution from the dropdown list.
  7. Click on the Apply button to save the configuration, the click OK.

Notes

This fix has been tested with Nvidia Dynamic Super Resolution.

Issues unresolved

Crash related to wireless peripherals

The game crashes on startup if the user has wireless peripherals (headsets, mice...), either with a black screen or with an error message reporting an access violation. Before the game is run, the USB dongle needs to be unplugged, and only plugged back in when the game's intro/menu is shown.[4] [5]

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Multiplayer World Opponent Network

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98, ME 2000, XP
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium II 233 MHz Intel Pentium II 333 MHz
System memory (RAM) 32 MB 64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 250 MB 450 MB
Video card (GPU) 4 MB of VRAM
DirectX 7.0a compatible
Other 4X CD-ROM
The game has software rendering mode, which may have lower system requirements.
Windows 98 and ME are only supported with the original ATI Radeon, ATI Radeon 7200, and Nvidia video cards


Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:

References

  1. ↑ High Voltage Software Additional Games
  2. ↑ Verified by User:Expack3 on 2016-06-30
  3. ↑ Verified by User:Expack3 on 2016-06-06
  4. ↑ Game won't start / Black Screen :: Ground Control II General Discussions - last accessed on 2022-09-11
  5. ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2023-01-11
    Confirmed with the Logitech G533 wireless headset.