Master of Orion II - Anyone got it to work correctly?

I have gotten MOO2 to run with win 7 64 bit.

First I had it installed on a computer using windows xp and I copied the micropose directory to the program files (x86) directory.

I then copied the dplayx.dll file from the windows\sysWOW64 directory and renamed it dplay.dll and put it back in the sysWOW64 directory (be sure the dplayx.dll file is still there)

I then created a batch file in notepad

TASKKILL /F /IM "explorer.exe"
cd C:\"Program Files (x86)"\Microprose\Orion2
start /w C:\"Program Files (x86)"\Microprose\Orion2\Orion95.exe
start C:\Windows\explorer.exe

I named it MOO2.bat

MOO2 now runs great

I wish I could take credit but Lord_Xorn @ MOO2 DPLAY.dll error - Atari Forums posted this. He also has a bat file for 32 bit versions of win 7 in that thread.

Hi, Still trying to get MOO2 to run on Windows 7 Prof 64. Tried the solution by kiliddar and bat suggested by dumbfire still no joy.

I am not even sure it installed. When I tried to run it the screen flashes and then goes blank. I have to use Task Manager to kill the process to regain control.

Any other suggestions welcome....

I have been having the same color problems. I tried the method given by kiliddar, but after several screen flashes, I am taken back to the desktop and an error "fonts.dll [entry 0] was not found" appeared. I only get this error when running after disabling explorer.exe, and it seems run perfect after re-enabling explorer.exe (save from the original color problem). Any idea what this could mean?

I do not know what method was suggested by kiliddar was it the same bat file as I listed as I found this elsewhere in a post by Lord_Xorn on the Atari forum at http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=696418 but he did not reference where he found it. The color palette issues seemed to be caused by windows explorer which the bat file disables. If you have not tried the methods I have posted in this thread try them they work great on my laptop as well as others you have tried it. It may not be a cure all. There are a few screens where cursor movement is very sensitive, but that has been my only issue since using the bat file fix.

The batch file that you posted does the same thing as kiliddar's method. It is just an automation of that method that allows you to do it with a single button press. I am still running the release candidate, so that might be the problem. But I also don't have the "16 bit color" option, only the 256 bit color.

I suspect it is your version, as I am running only the windows xp sp2 compatibility option (the last one I tried before finding the bat file fix), though it susposedly does not need any at all.

I haven't been in these forums in a bit but I can confirm that on a Win7 (x32) Home Ed. the solution I found (through the Ages of Empire 2 thread) works. I played over 40 hours of it with only one crash (which was occasionally happening already with Xp and Vista).

As others had posted earlier, but fell short for me...

I had the game installed on a computer using windows xp
Then copied the Microprose folder found in Program Files to a flash drive and moved it to my laptop running Windows 7.
I placed the Microprose folder into the "Program Files (x86)" folder on my laptop.

I then made a copy of the DPLAYX.DLL file from the windows\sysWOW64 directory, renamed the copy as DPLAY.DLL and put it in the sysWOW64 directory (be sure the original DPLAYX.DLL file is still there)

I created a batch file in notepad that reads

TASKKILL /F /IM "explorer.exe"
cd C:\"Program Files (x86)"\Microprose\Orion2
start /w C:\"Program Files (x86)"\Microprose\Orion2\Orion95.exe
start C:\Windows\explorer.exe

then saved it as MOO2.BAT

This had all been explained before but the game still failed to run on my W7 Ultimate 64bit OS. I kept getting a black screen, nothing else.

Figured it was a compatibility issue so this is what I did to finally make it work.

First go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microprose\Orion2 > edit the ORIONCD.INI file to contain the proper path to your CDROM or MOO2 CD game files. For example my INI file reads

E:\

because that's the drive letter designated for my CD/DVD-ROM drive. Yours may vary. I had to check this because the XP computer I had originally installed the game on, had D:\ as the location of the MOO2 CD.

Second, you need to make one more modification to the MOO2.BAT file you created earlier. Right click it > select Properties > select the Compatibility tab > check and select mode Win XP SP2 > also check 256 color, 640x480 res. !!!Note that Run as Administrator is disabled and you can't check it. No problem. To run MOO2.BAT, ALWAYS remember to right click it (Not double-left click) and select "Run as Administrator" near the top of the drop-down menu.

That's it. Just run the MOO2.bat as Admin when you want to play the game.

Works like a charm now finally

I got it working on mine. What I had to do is use dplay.dll from my old laptop with XP. Just copy dplay.dll from an XP system, from the system32 directory, into the folder where MOO2 is and it will play fine. You must also have compatibility set to 256 colors and 640x480, anything else didn't seem to matter.