So I Just Want To Play Zoo Tycoon

[BanthaFodder]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUqvCCKuqZE[/media]

After being hit with a wave of nostalgia, I find myself wanting to play the original Zoo Tycoon again.
So I've got the game, I click setup, and it installs no problem. Seems perfectly cut and dry.

I go to click on the .exe file to start the game (or just hit "Start" in the setup launcher once installation is done), and the game won't open.
No error message or anything, it just opens and closes instantly.

I pull up Task Manager, it's not among the running programs.
I try running it in compatibility mode, no dice any which way.
I try all this while running it as an administrator, no change.
I adjust the launch resolution to fit my screen, still won't open.

I figure maybe the problem is the game itself; I download the Complete Edition (rather than using the default game and expansion packs separately like I'd been trying before), it's giving me the same issues.

I figure it might have something to do with DirectX; the game says it needs 8.0a, and that I can install it from the disk. I right-click the disc, hit "install DirectX", and it says it installs it.
I track down the folder it creates and it's empty.

If anyone could help me out on this, help me figure out what's wrong or how to get 8.0a, that'd be a big help, I just wanna feed tourists to my dinosaurs already.

[Taipan]

Direct x is all backwards compatible. So that cant be it.

[BanthaFodder]

I know that when I tried installing it offline, it would occasionally give me an error message regarding WinSock.
Just tried it again now, same story, nothing happened.

[th0rianite]

Have you tried the fix described here: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jISK17D_VD8[/url] ?

As a last resort, the game appears to work well in WINE if you're comfortable with linux: [url]https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=360[/url]

[Thelurker1234]

Also, if you've got a linux box laying around you might run it under wine, old windows games tend to handle very well with it, and according to winehq it's well rated.

edit: oy nice edit brah

[BanthaFodder]

[QUOTE=th0rianite;50282863]Have you tried the fix described here: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jISK17D_VD8[/url] ?

As a last resort, the game appears to work well in WINE if you're comfortable with linux: [url]https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=360[/url][/QUOTE]

Tried that, didn't fix it.

This WINE intrigues me though, but I've never heard of it.
Any chance I could get a cliff-notes description of what it is/does?

[editline]8th May 2016[/editline]

Don't run Linux by the way, I'm assuming that removes WINE from the equation?

[th0rianite]

My (crude) understanding is that it's a layer between the program and linux that allows the program to call native windows functions which are then translated by WINE to linux (or UNIX?) functions.

[Cold]

Try wine3d for windows, it converts directdraw/directx calls to OpenGL which fixes mostly the same problems as just running Wine on Linux does.
[url]http://adolfintel.com/index.php?p=wined3d/index.frag[/url]

[Thelurker1234]

[QUOTE=BanthaFodder;50282898]Tried that, didn't fix it.

This WINE intrigues me though, but I've never heard of it.
Any chance I could get a cliff-notes description of what it is/does?

[editline]8th May 2016[/editline]

Don't run Linux by the way, I'm assuming that removes WINE from the equation?[/QUOTE]

Wine essentially lets you run windows programs under *nix systems. It creates a little directory, and kind of recreates the windows environment in there so things are where programs expect them to be, and when you try to run a program, it downloads what it needs. It's pretty easy to use.

You could give it a test using a liveusb, a liveusb essentially lets you run a linux distribution off of a USB drive without installing it. Nothing will be saved of course. But if you say, grab a [URL="http://www.ubuntu.com/download"]ubuntu[/URL] (I'll recommend this because it's easy) iso, and put it on a usb and boot it you can then download wine, and install your game and see if it works.

You could also run it in a virtual machine, like virtualbox, that way you don't have to leave windows because linux will be running in its own window, but it might not run well.

[th0rianite]

[QUOTE=Cold;50282918]Try wine for windows...[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much for sharing this!

[BanthaFodder]

[QUOTE=Cold;50282918]Try wine3d for windows, it converts directdraw/directx calls to OpenGL which fixes mostly the same problems as just running Wine on Linux does.
[url]http://adolfintel.com/index.php?p=wined3d/index.frag[/url][/QUOTE]

I've downloaded it, what now?
The readme says to copy and paste specific .dll files into the game's executable folder.
I pasted it in and tried to run it, still having the same issue. Is there something I have to delete to force it to run through WineD3D? Or is it supposed to be automatic?

[Cold]

[QUOTE=BanthaFodder;50283083]I've downloaded it, what now?
The readme says to copy and paste specific .dll files into the game's executable folder.
I pasted it in and tried to run it, still having the same issue. Is there something I have to delete to force it to run through WineD3D? Or is it supposed to be automatic?[/QUOTE]

Copy pasting the .dll files is all you need to do, if that doesn't help the problem is down to something else.

[BanthaFodder]

Must be down to something else, I tried DX8 and DX9 and neither worked.

[BanthaFodder]

Anyone have any other ideas?

I might give that Linux on a USB dealie a shot, if anyone's got a guide to doing that so I don't massively ruin everything, that'd be much appreciated.

[th0rianite]

Not exactly a tutorial but this should be helpful:

[url]http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/[/url]

I like Linux Mint personally. It's a stripped-down version of Ubuntu, which is one of the more popular distros. I felt more at home with Mint coming from Windows.

[bassie]

With old games like this that refuse to run, I would try a virtual machine with XP or 98.

[lavacano]

[QUOTE=BanthaFodder;50283829]Anyone have any other ideas?

I might give that Linux on a USB dealie a shot, if anyone's got a guide to doing that so I don't massively ruin everything, that'd be much appreciated.[/QUOTE]

- Download an Ubuntu ISO (or Mint, but beware of its security concerns)
- Download Rufus
- Point Rufus to your ISO and USB drive. If it asks you a question, just do what it recommends.
- Reboot and boot from flash drive
- tada, Linux environment!

You can either install Wine in the live environment, which isn't a permanent process as far as I'm aware, or if you're feeling gutsy and like Linux enough, you can install Linux alongside Windows, and set up a dual boot with the installer. The installer is very good at holding your hand, you'll be fine.

[editline]9th May 2016[/editline]

if your flash drive has stuff on it already, back that up somewhere

otherwise my entire guide is idiot proof up until you actually decide to install it, and even then you'd have to be a colossal idiot to screw up the install and we'd all make a meme out of you