Vista Games

[Vorpal word]

Hi all, I was just wondering if certain PC games detailed as "Windows 2000/XP only" would run on Windows Vista as well.

Specifically, I'd like to get Heroes of Might and Magic 5, but I'd also like to know about other strategy games (Warcraft 3, Starcraft, Stronghold 2, Civilization 4, etc) if possible.

My PC has:
-2.2 GHz quad-core processor
-3 GB of RAM
-Direct X 9 or 10, I'm not sure
-32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1
-About 74 GB free on my main hard drive, and a second hard drive with 143 GB free.
-A 3.1 Windows Experience index score (lowest score is gaming graphics)

Would the games I mentioned work on this?

[Erloas]

Chances are if a game says "2000/XP only" they probably came out long before Vista was even a choice and almost no one ever updates system requirements on games once they've released.

What they probably mean is that it won't run on 95/98, because those were a lot different in how they worked compared to 2000/XP.

I haven't yet ran into a game designed for XP/2000 that didn't run on Vista. I have found quite a few 98 or earlier games that have issues, some are minor issues and some are major.
I have one of the Heros of Might and Magic, but I'm not sure if it was V or VII (I think Heros is 5 and the normal M&M is 7, but I would have to check) and it works fine.

I haven't heard of any issues with Warcaft or Starcraft, but I haven't tried to play either in a long time. I have Stronghold 2, but I don't remember if I've installed it since I switched to Vista. As for any specific game, a quick search on the net should show that right away.

[toasty]

I needed to patch Starcraft for Vista.

Heroes of M&M worked fine, it said it was for XP only. Didn't matter.

[Rustic Dude]

Almost always, what works for XP, works for Vista.

[dragoonsgone]

Warcraft 3 works fine. The newer the game, the more like it is to work.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

The only game I've had not work under Vista x64 is Megaman X4. Anything else that ran fine under 2000/XP will work under vista. Games that ran under windows 95, but not 2000/Xp will still probably not work right (Master of Orion 2).

[JabberwockySupafly]

I'll give you a magic 10-step cure that should fix almost any issue you have with virtually any game made during the 95-XP eras (Except Thief II. I STILL can't get the blasted thing to run!).



1. Install the game/program
2. Download and install any patches and/or updates the game/program may need.
3. Right-click the icon for said game/program
4. Click Properties
5. Choose the Compatibility tab
6. Check the box marked "run this program in compatibility mode"
7. Choose the relevent compatibility mode from the drop down box (in this case Windows XP Service Pack 2 would do)
8. click Apply
9. Click Ok
10. Run and enjoy said game/program :)

I'm running Grim Fandango (1998) AND Planescape: Torment (1999) on a Vista PC and neither have ever given me a problem.

[Kris Strife]

Almost always, what works for XP, works for Vista.

and take about 20x the system resources too. :smallmad:

[Ailurus]

With a very similar system, I've had Warcraft 3 (plus frozen throne), starcraft (plus broodwar), heroes 5 (plus tribes of the east) and Civ 4 (just vanilla) all work fine with no compatibility changes needed once patched up.

Other similar games I've had no problems with include Dawn of War (plus all expansions), Galactic Civilizations 2 (again plus all expansions), and Supreme Commander.

[Vorpal word]

OK, thanks all for that.

To avoid making this thread small and pointless, if anyone wants to discuss the aforementioned games, they may go ahead:smallbiggrin:.

[Nano]

Almost always, what works for XP, works for Vista.

Except for KotOR.

I am a bitter man.

But I've played all of those on my system, actually, which does run Vista.

[MrPig]

Except for KotOR.

I am a bitter man.

But I've played all of those on my system, actually, which does run Vista.

I believe there are 3rd party patches that fix that. At least there are for KoToR2.

[Mr. Mud]

All my strategy games worked on Vista. Which was very surprising... They included, Warcraft 3 (And Frozen Throne) Starcraft, Civ 3 and 4, And Heroes 4. This did require a bit of patching though, but still. You should be good with those... not sure about Heroes V.