F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon Forum

I got a DVD Directors edition and the installer start but errors almost immediately.

This error happened with recent versions of Crossover, as it did not happen before. It also seems to happen under windows too and the reason isn't exactly clear. I have a solution though...

Copy the content of the first disk to the hard drive. The install will work and when your second disk is required, just point to your drive (/media/dvd or something like that). At least, that's what I did to solve this problem, oh, and google is my friend! 😊

Well, it installs with my solution, but it doesn't launch. I'll try to find a solution to that one too.

Thanks for the tip. I actually ended up using a Windows machine to install and copied the Sierra folder into a new XP bottle in CG 9.2. The game starts now and I can hear the various splash screens and movies but I just get a black screen with a white mouse cursor and the menu audio playing. I have tried emulating a virtual desktop but the same symptom was present. The game is responding to key presses as I tried using the cursors and pressing enter and ended up with an updater program loading.

I downloaded a 1.08 updater but this appeared to be a 1.07 to 1.08 one so I then tried to install the 1.07 "full" patch but the installer says I don't have the game installed - presumably because I didn't do a normal installation. I'm not sure what version is on this Director's DVD - I am assuming 1.0 because that is what the read me file say.

If you're getting a black screen, can you run a log? Often with me, it's because my computer doesn't like FBO, so I have to run the regedit command and go to hkey current user, software, wine, and create a key called direct3d, and then create a string called OffScreenRenderingMode, and set the value of the string to backbuffer.

If you need more help on that, let me know, and I'll walk you through the steps. I don't know if that's the problem without knowing what the log says, but I've had similar issues with other games.

Thanks for the quick response. I tried using the run command to generate a log and to my surprise with the log option enabled the game actual ran in a virtual desktop at 1024x768! Once in game I went through all the graphics options I could find and changed them to maximum. I then ran the suggested test which was all worked fine. I then tried playing the first few seconds of a new game and that was fine as well. I saved my game and quit from the main menu then tried running the game again without a log option enabled and got the black screen again.

My next test was with the log enabled but without the virtual desktop. This time the game loaded to the main menu but then froze immediately with the audio looping although the mouse cursor was visible and still movable I couldn't click on anything. I tried to refresh the display but no change. I had to quit the bottle and got a "program not responding" terminate option which worked to get me out. I then tried going back to emulating a virtual desktop and running a log expecting it to work again but unfortunately got the same crash on the main menu.

I now have four log files and a screenshot of the one time it was working - not sure how best to share the log data?

Ideally I think I need to find a way to apply the patches as it seems the game is known to be a bit buggy and my aim if possible was to run it fullscreen at 1680x1050 but version 1.0 at least doesn't seem to support widescreen and full screen with CG only seems to be possible the title will run without the virtual desktop enabled.

Have you looked through the log data? With me, when something doesn't work, lots of times there's a repeated message that says something isn't recognized or wasn't responding. Can you look through the log and see anything out of place?

Try the patches, and keep trying the resolutions. I hate to say it, but you might try to reinstall and see if you can recreate that earlier success. Try the logs first.

The logs all look very similar even the one successfully launch. Here is an example - I have removed lines that were repeated several times to save space:

fixme:exec:SHELL_execute flags ignored: 0x00000100
fixme:system:SystemParametersInfoW Unimplemented action: 59 (SPI_SETSTICKYKEYS)
fixme:system:SystemParametersInfoW Unimplemented action: 53 (SPI_SETTOGGLEKEYS)
fixme:system:SystemParametersInfoW Unimplemented action: 51 (SPI_SETFILTERKEYS)
fixme:dinput:get_osx_device_elements Unhandled type 513
fixme:dinput:get_osx_device_elements Unhandled usage 1
fixme:dinput:get_osx_device_elements Unhandled type 513
fixme:dinput:get_osx_device_elements Unhandled type 129
fixme:dinput:get_osx_device_elements Unhandled type 513
fixme:win:EnumDisplayDevicesW ((null),0,0x33ea3c,0x00000000), stub!
fixme:win:EnumDisplayDevicesW ((null),0,0x33d650,0x00000000), stub!
fixme:win:EnumDisplayDevicesW ((null),0,0x33cb3c,0x00000000), stub!
fixme:win:EnumDisplayDevicesW ((null),0,0x33cbfc,0x00000000), stub!
err:avicap:query_video_device Video 4 Linux support not enabled
fixme:devenum:DEVENUM_ICreateDevEnum_CreateClassEnumerator Category {cc7bfb41-f175-11d1-a392-00e0291f3959} not found
fixme:devenum:DEVENUM_ICreateDevEnum_CreateClassEnumerator Category {cc7bfb46-f175-11d1-a392-00e0291f3959} not found
fixme:win:EnumDisplayDevicesW ((null),0,0x33e8dc,0x00000000), stub!
fixme:d3d:IWineD3DDeviceImpl_SetSoftwareVertexProcessing (0x172c20) : stub
fixme:d3d_surface:IWineD3DVolumeImpl_LockBox (0x2d4bc58) : pBox=0x0 stub
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate DirectSound not implemented
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate The (slower) DirectSound HEL mode will be used instead.
fixme:wave:AudioUnit_SetVolume independent left/right volume not implemented (1.000000, 1.000000)
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate DirectSound not implemented
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate The (slower) DirectSound HEL mode will be used instead.
err:gsm:GSM_DriverProc libgsm support not compiled in!
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate DirectSound not implemented
fixme:wave:wodDsCreate The (slower) DirectSound HEL mode will be used instead.
fixme:d3d:state_zfunc D3DCMP_NOTEQUAL and D3DCMP_EQUAL do not work correctly yet
fixme:d3d:state_clipping Clipping not supported with vertex shaders
fixme:font:WineEngRemoveFontResourceEx (L"C:\users\crossover\Temp\Intd51.tmp", 0, 0x0): stub
fixme:font:WineEngRemoveFontResourceEx (L"C:\users\crossover\Temp\Intd54.tmp", 0, 0x0): stub
fixme:font:WineEngRemoveFontResourceEx (L"C:\users\crossover\Temp\Intd57.tmp", 0, 0x0): stub
fixme:font:WineEngRemoveFontResourceEx (L"C:\users\crossover\Temp\Intd59.tmp", 0, 0x0): stub
err:msacm:MSACM_GetRegistryKey No alias needed for registry entry
fixme:winmm:MMDRV_Exit Closing while ll-driver open
err:mmtime:TIME_MMTimeStop Timer still active?!

I am tempted to try a re-install if I can get it to work - I'm not sure what files to copy of the DVD first to stop the installer failing immediately. I'm guess that way the correct entries would be added to the registry and that might fix the updater saying the game isn't installed?

J-P Simard wrote:

Copy the content of the first disk to the hard drive. The install
will work and when your second disk is required, just point to your
drive (/media/dvd or something like that).

I took your advise and copied the DVD content to a folder on a hard disk. I removed my original bottle and ran the installer again from the hard disk into a new XP bottle. The install went ahead normally (thanks!). I then ran the windows media audio installer and applied the 1.08 patch which now worked following a regular install. The game loaded OK and I changed the resolution to 1068x1050 (now available in game with the patch). I changed the performance setting from medium to high and ran the test. This ran fine with 0% in the low frames (less than 25fps I think is the group). On starting a new game it played through all the cutscenes and the bit where they are talking to you then as it went to load the first playable bit (in the car) it crashed with the exception dialogue and a black screen. I managed to force quit the bottle in the bottle manager as the WIndows close button didn't work.

Edit: I tried the game again switching performance back to medium and got into the first level (I skipped the cinematics as I've seen them a few times now). It seemed to work OK despite me thinking it had hung again when saving my game as it took a while with no real sign of activity. I'm out of time for now but will try it again soon.