Working games under VirtualBox (Linux host - Windows guest)

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Wow!

Post by crhylove »

This thread is COMPLETELY UP MY ALLEY!

I've been doing lots of various experiments with what old non d3d games would work on Virtualbox.... (really looking forward to vmgl or another system adding d3d/ogl support though in the near future!).

One of the primary games I set up and use on client's machines and on my own machine is Zsnes. None of the SNES emulators work very well at all under Linux, and none of them have a UI that is remotely worth attempting to decipher. I do however get full speed emulation with Zsnes under vbox.

You have to turn off mouse integration to program the controller, but most of the UI is keyboard controllable other than that anyway, so I just leave mouse integration on after I configure the controller. You also need to keep the graphics unfiltered, as attempting to put the graphics into a mode where filters are possible crashes the emulator immediately.

Still LOTS Of great games to play in zsnes in vbox, and they take up very little room, so having a MicroXP VDI with zsnes and a few classic SNES titles (Tetris, Dr. Mario, Super Mario All Stars & World, Super Metroid, Zelda, Bust a Move, Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat II, Super Mario Kart, Fzero....) on a USB stick to go is really fun and handy!

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People are amazed when I download vbox onto their machine, plug in a USB stick, and have super nintendo games fired up in less than 60 seconds, with a working controller!

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Probably my FAVORITE game that works perfectly in vbox is Civilization II. The graphics are pretty horribly dated, but for raw gameplay, there is no better game than Civ II and it works PERFECTLY with no flaws or limitations in vbox.

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Another great game I play a lot in vbox is Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit. The cops are such pricks in that game, and it's a really fun old game that can render in software mode, complete with great weather effects, and really, really fun gameplay.

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Finally a game that works, and is an AWESOME GAME, but I can't seem to get very good FPS is Quake 2. It runs in software mode just fine, but I have yet to get good enough performance to make it playable which is unfortunate, because Quake 2 is one of the greatest games EVER MADE!

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Looking forward to hearing about other great games that work well in vbox, and REALLY looking forward to when vmgl allows ogl or even d3d to work! Thanks Sun! You've finally made up for all those years of suffering with how crappy and bloated java is/was!!!

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crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Wow....

Post by crhylove »

OK, so I was trying out some more old school games, and I thought, "If Quake TWO doesn't run well, maybe I should try Quake ONE", and with that in mind went to download the demo. Tried to run install.exe, and hard crashed the VM. Had to restart X to get vbox to open again, and it shows the VM as aborted and can't start again till a REAL reboot.

Interesting crash.... Dunno where to report it, but seems like someone might see it here, or try Quake the demo installer to corroborate!!!

Even after reboot X there was crashed and zombified vbox components that are killable in the system monitor. So rebooting isn't the only option.
Technologov
Volunteer
Posts: 3342
Joined: 10. May 2007, 16:59
Location: Israel

Post by Technologov »

>Interesting crash.... Dunno where to report it, but seems like someone might see it here, or try Quake the demo installer to corroborate!!!

Report here:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Bugtracker

And drop a link in this forum.

-Technologov
crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Post by crhylove »

http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/2032#

Yes sir!

Also, for the record it is possible to play this game fully in the vbox using DosBox. An emulator in an emulator!!!
vkov_tinsky
Volunteer
Posts: 218
Joined: 5. Apr 2008, 20:18

Post by vkov_tinsky »

VBox version: 1.6.4
Windows version: Windows XP Professional SP2
Host O/S: Ubuntu 8.04 / Windows XP Professional SP2
VBox additions installed?: Yes

Game names: Abe's Oddysee / Abe's Exodus (both via Steam)
Workarounds/notes?: For windowed mode a utility called DXWnd is required.
Screenshots:

Image

Image
vkov_tinsky
Volunteer
Posts: 218
Joined: 5. Apr 2008, 20:18

Re: Wow....

Post by vkov_tinsky »

crhylove wrote:OK, so I was trying out some more old school games, and I thought, "If Quake TWO doesn't run well, maybe I should try Quake ONE", and with that in mind went to download the demo.
Unless I'm mistaken Quake and Quake 2 work natively under Linux just fine so there's no point in running those under Virtualbox... or am I missing the point?
crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Post by crhylove »

Yes, more specifically, Quake 2 Evolved works PERFECTLY in WINE, so there isn't much point, but it's nice to have a .VDI that I can give people with DM built right in and preconfigured. Consequently, I got Quake running perfectly in DosBox in my XP VM.
phantomcircuit
Posts: 1
Joined: 5. Sep 2008, 02:46

Re: Working games under VirtualBox (Linux host - Windows gue

Post by phantomcircuit »

DARKGuy wrote: Game name (developer, publisher): Diablo II - Lord of Destruction (Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard North)
VBox version: 1.5.2
Linux version: Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10
Windows version: Windows XP Professional SP2
VBox additions installed?: Yes
HowTo install/run/uninstall: Just follow the instructions like in Windows.
Workarounds/notes?: Works perfectly. It also works with seamless mode :). Internet play works too.
Screenshots:
Image
Lies... if you have mouse integration turned on you do not pickup items when you hit alt and click the items name.
vkov_tinsky
Volunteer
Posts: 218
Joined: 5. Apr 2008, 20:18

Re: Working games under VirtualBox (Linux host - Windows gue

Post by vkov_tinsky »

phantomcircuit wrote: Lies... if you have mouse integration turned on you do not pickup items when you hit alt and click the items name.
That's most likely because Alt+Mouse1 is assigned the "move window" functionality which you can disable. Under Ubuntu for example this can be changed in the "Movement Key" section under System->Preferences->Windows.

Regards,
VT
HolgerB
Posts: 58
Joined: 28. Jul 2008, 23:36

Winquake / Quake running in WinXP VBox

Post by HolgerB »

Hi all,

just a little update on Quake:
I know that Quake is available for Linux natively. So there is no big sense in running it within a WinXP VBox. Nevertheless one of the postings above made me want to test this.

1st:
The Quake installer (be it Demo or full version) is not able to run under WinXP (don´t know about other WinNT based M$ OS but my guess is that it crashes everywere). Even a physical WinXP machine "crashes" the installer reporting that it relys on the Win16 subsystem. A VBox will completely freeze, when starting the installer. You have to grab DOSBox to install. Once the files are available everything is fine.

2nd: The native quake.exe doesn´t run in WinXP either. Grab Winquake to do so.
Other Quake-Engine might work also although I´m not shure if there are any ports out there supporting anything else for rendering than OpenGL.

My host is CoreDuo E2200 with Debian Etch with 4GB running VBox 2.0.2. Guest was a WinXP SP2 with 1GB assigned.

Winquake runs fine in 640x480 and fullscreen. I did play around for a few minutes and found no glitches.

Here is a little screenshot:
ImageImage

Cheers,
Holger
Ene Dene
Posts: 23
Joined: 6. Nov 2008, 00:30
Primary OS: Ubuntu other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Debian, pfsense, Ubuntu

Post by Ene Dene »

Does anyone know does civilization 4 works on Virtualbox? I use 2.04 version.
crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Post by crhylove »

No. Currently Direct3d and OpenGL do not work in vbox. I'm not sure which one Civ 4 uses, but it uses one of them, I'm sure..... Civ 2 plays perfectly though, and I like it a lot better than Civ 4..... A lot of people do, actually, though the graphics are horrendously inferior.
Znupi
Posts: 9
Joined: 28. Aug 2008, 00:07

Paint.NET

Post by Znupi »

Is this thread restricted to games? This should be like an appdb wine has. Anyway, the main reason I installed VirtualBox was to use Paint.NET. And guess what, it works perfectly :D. So here goes:

Application Name: Paint.NET (developed and published by Rick Brewster & co.)
VBox version: 2.0.4_OSE
Linux version: Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex
Windows version: Windows XP Pro SP2
VBox additions installed: yes + seamless
How to install / run / uninstall: as usual, but first install the .NET framework, of course.
Workarounds/notes: you might want to turn off guest additions, especially Mouse Pointer Integration if you want to move selections by holding left click and using the arrows. When doing this, after releasing the mouse button the selection moved jumps back -- a bit frustrating if you struggle to get it just right :P.
Screenie:
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:)
crhylove
Posts: 31
Joined: 31. Aug 2008, 19:02

Post by crhylove »

Well, I'm not going to be a nazi about it, but I would prefer more game compat postings.... Almost ALL software works in a VM, after all, I use my VM for literally everything. The only things I don't do in a VM are play newer 3d games, and burn CDs. Everything else is almost unilaterally in a VM, and I can back up my whole system instantly by saving a duplicate VDI somewhere.
hsofco
Posts: 2
Joined: 12. Nov 2008, 06:59

civ 3 on vb2?

Post by hsofco »

Hi,
I just installed vb2 on my mac os, windows xp guest.
I installed civ3, but the game doesnt start, just shows a black screen

any idea why?

thanks
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