RT3 running on Windows 10

[Gumboots]

The disc I have is definitely v1.04. It's not the original first disc ever, but is an OEM PopTop disc. It comes with the 1.05 patch as an optional extra, but doesn't come with CtC as an extra. So the disc's main version is 1.04 (even says so in the readme file) and they don't seem to count CtC as a version in itself.

[Hawk]

Ah! OK! The 2-disc set I have is V-1.0. That's what I was going by.

Interesting your disc doesn't count C to C as V-1.04.

[Gumboots]

Yes it's odd, but I'm used to RT3 being odd. As long as it all works I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

[kamyFC]

Thanks all for the extensive documentation here that enabled me to install RRT3 on Windows 10 in September 2021
1) Ensure you download the 1.0.5 patch and stay updated
2) I did not download the Unofficial 1.0.6 - Worried if some old maps wont work?
3) For 1920*1080 resolution download 2 ZIP files from this thread
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3128&start=20
- Custom_resolutions_engine_cfg.zip
- voodoo_dll_files.zip
Place the Voodoo DLL's in the installation folder and Place the 1920*1080p config.cfg file in 'Railroad Tycoon 3\Data\Configuration'
4) Run the game and you see the Voodoo text in bottom right. Also the resolution in the settings dialog - says 640*480. But we are in 1080p!
Also the 'disable hardware T&L' checkbox is unchecked, which is what we want - This ensures the GPU is used too.
5) Started a scenario and the graphics are improved dramatically, the water and waves are beautiful! There are day and night cycles and you see the building lights come on at night and they look great! This shows that my video card (GTX 980 with 4 GB VRAM) is doing some work.

Thanks all and hope this summary is useful for anyone.

Also for experienced members. Is 1.0.6 worth it? Will older maps work?

[sbaros]

maps always work between versions, albeit featuring only the industries that are common among these versions. Version-specific industries have to be entered from scratch in GMP's "borrowed" from other versions.
I find version 1.0.6 to be the most mature one in terms of cargo/industry economy (yet still in need of substantial improvements). It won't harm you if installed separately from other versions. Currently I keep 5 portable installations (2 "Trainmaster" and 3 "1.06" variants) in a single USB stick, which I carry along and run at any PC that may be available on the spot. My particular reason for this is that I work in parallel on alternative cargo/industry sets & parameters for each version, plus version-specific buildings and rolling stock.
Actually, a separate installation is required for every scenario, if adequate accuracy through customisation is to be achieved. Even the start dates of each industry sector and the relative commodity base prices vary considerably between continents. All in all, I have about 15 installations scattered in various hard disks and portable media (with the No-CD feature of course).

[Gumboots]

Also for experienced members. Is 1.0.6 worth it? Will older maps work?

1.06 is, in my opinion, a bit of a mixed bag.

Older maps will certainly work on it, but they may not play the way they were intended to play. This is because 1.06 adds extra industries and locomotives, as well as options like "haul at a loss". Generally, older maps will be truer to the author's intent if played on 1.05, but if you want to play them on 1.06 there is nothing stopping you.

The 1.06 locomotives are generally pretty rough hack jobs, in terms of mesh and graphics, and their stats aren't thought out that well either. Mind you, this also applies to a lot of the original PopTop locomotives, from 1.05 and earlier.

1.06 industries are, on the whole, not that well integrated into the game. How well they play in practice comes down to the skill of the scenario author. On the bright side, 1.06 does allow extra scripting and industry options, which can be very useful for replay value if used wisely.

Short version: personally I think 1.06 is worth having, but not perfect. Extra installations are easy with RT3. You just copy your existing basic installation to a new folder with a different name. The new installation can then be left as 1.05, or upgraded to 1.06, as you please.

[Pittman65]

I've attempted to "fix" RT3 to work on my computer. Tried so many different things that I think I have confused myself as to what I should be doing...i.e. use the Vista fix, don't use it, download this, twist this, pull that...etc. I guess either the many attempted fixes didn't work or more likely, I'm just not able to follow simple directions! I've been through 4 forums, some here and in other places, installed/deleted my files, downloaded patches, installed/uninstalled the game itself at least 5 times so far...and my game still crashes when I try to start it. Is there one single place that I can go to and follow it step by step to get my RT3 installed correctly? my last attempt was to wipe all my RT3 files completely and start with a fresh install, downloaded patch v1.03, then v1.04, then Coast to Coast, then v1.05. Didn't add v106 after seeing the many notes that said I may not need it. I hate to go and buy the game again, when I already have it! My apologies in advance!

[Gumboots]

Ok, first question: are you installing from an original PopTop disc? The reason I ask is because the GoG and Steam versions of the game have quirks of their own.

My installations were originally done from a PopTop disc, that came with v1.04 already installed. Unless you have a really old disc it is likely that you will not need the 1.03 and 1.04 patches. So, start by finding out which version(s) your disc comes with.

Avoid the Vista fix. It is outdated now. You don't need it, and does terrible things to graphics. dgVoodoo is a much better solution.

[Pittman65]

I am loading from the Original PopTop disc. I saw File Version 1.0.0.1 and Product Version 0, 2, 0, 1. I noticed when I tried to launch the game, in the bottom left corner, it showed Version 1.05. Not sure if that is what you were referring to?

[Gumboots]

If it already says Version 1.05, straight from a new installation, then you don't need that patch or any of the earlier patches. If your disc is 1.05 by default it should already include Coast to Coast (because that has to be installed before v1.05).

This is what worked for me (starting with a PopTop disc that was v1.04 by default): viewtopic.php?p=46891#p46891

Based on that, and assuming your disc really is 1.05 by default, I would proceed like this:

• Install the game a folder on desktop* and do not Install DirectX 8 when asked

• Install No_CD patch

• Install dgVoodoo, but ignore the official dgVoodoo instructions

• Instructions for dgVoodoo on 64 Bit OS say to use one file (D3D9.dll) from the MS/x64 folder

• Instructions for dgVoodoo on 32 Bit OS say to use all four files from the MS/x86 folder

• What worked for me was to use all four files from MS/x86, even though I run 64 bit W10.

• Leave dgVoodoo set to its default card emulation, and set a virtual 2048 meg of RAM.

That should get the game running. Try it and see how you go.

*It is best not to install the the suggested default location inside C drive. This can screw with any modifications to the default game files. Installing to a custom folder on desktop is much more forgiving and flexible.

[Pittman65]

I've got the install in a completely different folder on my desktop, without any upgrades so far! When you say install dgVoodoo, (I clicked on your link) and it takes me to 3 download files--3DfxSplashDlls.zip, D3DRM.zip , and D3DCompiler_47. Then you stated that downloading all four files from MS/x86 worked for you...but like I said I only see 3 files. Do I have the wrong files...and the next question is...where am I downloading them to? I downloaded and extracted the 3 files listed above, into my game folder for RT3. Perhaps I am lost! Sorry...

[Gumboots]

Ok, leave this for a while. I have some things I have to do today. I'll take a look at the latest version of dgVoodoo tonight, and see what it contains. It may have changed. If all else fails you can always grab the version I used (2.6.3) as I know the game runs with that.

[Pittman65]

Okay, thanks! I appreciate your help!

[Gumboots]

Ok, I had a look. The three files listed at the top of that page are optional ones for some specific purposes. You shouldn't need any of them. You should remove them for now.

What you want are the files inside the zipped installation pack: http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/bin/dg ... PI_277.zip

If you unzip that to a folder on desktop you will find a folder called MS. Inside that is another folder called x86. The four files in that folder are the ones I used. They get copied to your RT3 folder (ie: the same folder that RT3.exe is sitting in).

The basic FAQ for dgVoodoo can be found here: http://dege.fw.hu/dgVoodoo2/QuickGuide/

The general documentation for installing dgVoodoo is here: http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/ReadmeGeneral/

There is also some documentation specifically related to DirectX: http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/ReadmeDirectX/ (you probably don't need to read this)

See how you go after reading the docs.

---

NOTE: My advice would be to not mess with screen resolution via dgVoodoo. Everything else about it seems to be good, but screen resolution is better handled via the game's Data/Configuration/engine.cfg file.

If you know your monitor resolution, it's easy to make a custom engine.cfg that will give the game full native monitor resolution. I run the game on 2560x1440 with no problems at all.

This post contains a zip that includes custom engine.cfg files with a range of resolutions: viewtopic.php?p=48357#p48357

Any other resolutions are easy to do too, if yours is not the same as any of those files.

[Pittman65]

Okay, so I wiped out everything in my folder I downloaded to, and just reloaded RT3 again in this folder. Then you said:
What you want are the files inside the zipped installation pack: http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/bin/dg ... PI_277.zip
If you unzip that to a folder on desktop you will find a folder called MS. Inside that is another folder called x86. The four files in that folder are the ones I used. They get copied to your RT3 folder (ie: the same folder that RT3.exe is sitting in).
After unzipping, here are the folders inside of it:
Bin
Doc
Inc
Lib
SampleApp

No MS folder!
I tried copying everything into the folder and launching...no change...
Sorry...definitely feel like I'm missing something!

[Gumboots]

Sorry, I linked to the API zip for devs. You want this one: http://dege.fw.hu/dgVoodoo2/bin/dgVoodoo2_77.zip

[Pittman65]

Well Sir...it is a success, you're a genius! It works, I ran through a couple things and while a little "glitchy"...studdering a bit...it does seem to be working! I need to do some more reading and see if any adjustments need to be made! Thank you so much for the help and for your patience with me!

[Gumboots]

If it's shuddering for you, you could try using the single file (D3D9.dll) from the MS/x64 folder. I tried that and it didn't work for me, but it's easy to swap dll's, so you could try it and see if it works for you.

Just note that it has the same file name (D3D9.dll) as a file in the x86 folder, but the file content is different. Don't get them mixed up.

[Pittman65]

Thank you, I will give it a try...worse comes to worse...I swap it back! Appreciate your help and advice....Merry Christmas!

Jeff

[RayofSunshine]

Just heard the latest of "possibly" NEW WINDOWS 11. Due to all the changes of Windows 10, I still have to maintain another computer with my PX program, so as to use some of my older programs. A person "again" will have to be on the watch for any "bugs" which are not caught during production, or at least, "thrown onto the market", and THEN try to fix the complaints.