RayStorm

RayStorm

Developers
	Taito
Publishers
Europe	Empire Interactive
Japan	CYBERFRONT Corporation
Release dates
Windows	April 6, 2001
Taxonomy
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Top-down view, Scrolling
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Arcade, Shooter
Vehicles	Space flight
Themes	Sci-fi
Series	RAY

RAY
Layer Section	1997
RayStorm	2001
RayCrisis	2001
Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute	2022
Ray'z Arcade Chronology	2023

Key points

The PC version is also known as Operation: RayStorm 2291 in Europe.

Runs at a higher resolution than the PlayStation version, along with more audible sound effects and faster loading times due to being a port of the arcade version.

Runs badly on Windows 8 and 8.1. See low frame-rate fix for these operating systems.

Missing the "Neu Tanz" soundtrack for the Extra Mode from the PlayStation version.

General information

Official Taito Corporation website

Cuirous Cat — a fansite dedicated to the RAY and Ace Combat series (Japanese)

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Can be played without the disc after launching the game, but music will not play and load times increases. See Run without the CD for a workaround.

Although it was not released in North America, it can be played on any system regardless of region settings.

PC version is not available digitally.

Essential improvements

Run without the CD

_inmm allows the music tracks to be swapped between the original arcade and "Neu Tanz" soundtrack from the PlayStation version.

Does not make the game portable for certain releases.

Create a hglcore.ini in <path-to-game> and use _inmm.dll

Download and install the patched _inmm.dll 2.38 from PC Gaming Wiki here. Rip the game's music from the CD drive using a program such as foobar2000 and its encoding packs as MP3 files and store the music files in a convenient location (e.g. My Music). Eject the game's CD the music has been ripped. Go to <path-to-game> and drag and drop the game's RayStorm.exe onto _inmmcnf.exe in _inmm.dll's installation folder to patch the executable. A back up of the unpatched executable is also created to undo changes. Create a new folder in <path-to-game> with a descriptive name for the game's music (e.g. AUDIO, MUSIC), then move all of the ripped MP3 files of the game's music to this new folder. While in the game's installation folder, create a new text file and name it hglcore.ini and fill in this fill with the following with a text editor such as Notepad: hglcore.ini: AllDevicePass=true FullScreen=true UseZBuffer=true UserHEL=true CDCheckPass=true Run _inmmcnf.exe, then from the Method tab set *.mp3 to DirectShow, then go to the _inmm.ini tab and click the Add button, add all of the game's MP3 files in the dialogue window when prompt, and click Open. Click the Save button and save this file to <path-to-game>. Launch the game. The game should launch without needing the disc in the CD drive and _inmm.dll should play the game's music.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\CONFIG.SGS

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\bu00_BISLPS_00678

Video settings

External configuration tool.

Windowed

Use wndmode
Download wndmode here. Extract to the contents of wndmode.zip to <path-to-game>. Right-click RayStorm.exe, go to "Properties" from the context menu, then go to the Compatibility tab in the Properties window, then set the game's Compatibility Mode to Windows XP (Service Pack 3), and then click Apply to save the changes.

Input settings

Remapping.

Controller support

A fix is required for the game to recognize XInput D-pad and analog triggers when assigning controls.

Use XInput Plus

Download and run XInput Plus. Set the Target Program to RayStorm.exe. Go to the Key Assign tab, then go to Left Stick and assign it to Multiple Key, then check Left Stick and DPAD. Go to the DirectInput tab, then check Enable DirectInput Output. Click Customize, then assign the following buttons: Left and Right Triggers as Button 7/8, respectively Back/View and Start/Menu buttons as Button 9/10, respectively Left and Right Stick buttons as Button 11/12, respectively And the Guide button as Button 13 Click Apply to save settings and install DLLs into the installation folder. Configure your controller settings with the external configuration tool and remap the in-game controls accordingly from the Options menu. The game should be able to register XInput D-pad and analog triggers as DirectInput buttons.

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				Only chatter from commanding officer can be heard.
Japanese				In-game chatter is in English.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		2	Co-op
LAN play
Online play
Asynchronous multiplayer

Issues fixed

Low frame-rate on Windows 8 and 8.1

The game will run at half speed on Windows 8 and 8.1 due to poor implementation of older Direct3D support. This issue however is not present on Windows 10.

Make sure to use one of these fixes at a time.

Force windowed mode

Use Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit
Follow the instructions found here to learn how to install and use Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit. Notes Frame-rate my fluctuate during gameplay.

Use a modified DDRAW.dll
Download the modified DDRAW.dll. Extract the contents of the archive anywhere on your computer, then copy the DDRAW.dll from the folder that matches your operating system and place the file into <path-to-game>.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	7

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	98, ME, XP, 2000
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 233 MHz or AMD equivalent
System memory (RAM)	64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	60 MB
Video card (GPU)	4 MB of VRAM DirectX 7 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible
Other	CD ROM drive speed x2