Graphics issues under VirtualBox

[ls256 4]

Using SC4 Deluxe (GOG) under Windows 10 1909 on VirtualBox 6.1 (both Mac and Linux host OSes) results in a strange graphics issue - the game will not run in resolutions over 1024x768, regardless of changing in-game settings or using a custom resolution. Running windowed works for a few lower 4:3 resolutions, but going higher makes the game run full screen 1024x768 (seemingly ignoring the setting) and trying to use any other ratio leads to the game not launching at all. I could not find anyone else with the same problem online - yet have been able replicate it on two different host systems.

Any advice?

[catty-cb 4,396]

Am now using crossover .... but a couple of years ago I was using virtualbox ..... not sure but I may have kept a backup .... it may not help if I did as I was using WinXP Pro but I'll have a look next time I'm on my home computer .... use Linux Mint

[ls256 4]

Thanks - I'll have a go with Windows XP. Still can't see where this problem's coming from though.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Clean install of Windows 10 Pro x64 in VirtualBox 6.1. Install Guest Additions and enable display auto-resize
2. Install SimCity4 from GOG.com (though I guess this will work with any distribution of the game)
3. Run and try changing graphics settings - on restarting the game, observe no difference in resolution.
4. Try using a custom resolution (in my case through SC4Launcher) - also no effect.

I'll also try disabling the Guest Additions WDDM driver - although this will greatly limit the resolution anyway, there might be some change.

[ls256 4]

Disabling WDDM does not help at all - it simply limits the resolution to 1024x768 for the whole VM and SimCity behaves in exactly the same way. I tried enabling 3d acceleration, but ran into the well-known flickering graphics bug that Oracle have failed to fix for years. Ignoring the rapidly colour-switching taskbar and the wandering text, nothing changed with SimCity - the resolution would not change and trying to enter windowed mode gave the same bizarre results.

Not quite sure what to try next - I've used VBox for years but never tried to use it for anything graphically demanding. Likewise, I've only ever played SC4 on Bare-metal Windows or through Wine - which isn't an option in this scenario.

Any more help would be greatly appreciated.

[catty-cb 4,396]

2 hours ago, ls256 said:

Any more help would be greatly appreciated.

Don't think its an issue with Guest Additions as I definitely had that on my version of Virtualbox which would have been on my old computer as have recently upgraded to a new computer, I was really hoping I'd kept a backup of my Vbox setup but unfortunately I haven't and its no longer possible to retrieve it from my old computer as I'm now working from home due to the Covid-19 virus so needed a Windows computer as our IT people won't support Linux PCs

Quote

Side Note - My old computer originally ran Windows 7, but it never had any backup disks when I had to install Windows 10 on it I'd read somewhere that you could use your old Win7 license and the Win10 install would accept it as a valid license - I tried it and it worked

Checked my current SC4 install and it seems I'm running the steam version with a custom resolution of -r1600x900, but equally fairly certain that wasn't the resolution I used to use in GOG.

Sorry I can't help, have you done a rummage around in google it seems to have been a issue that's come up a few times

https://virtualbox-gaming.fandom.com/wiki/SimCity_4

Even searches in Simtropolis show its come up in the past

https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/58126-cant-get-SimCity-4-to-work-on-virtual-machine/

I'll just stick to those two links, hope you can fix what's causing the problem.

-catty

[ls256 4]

Right, I've had a bit more of a play. It seems to be related to the DirectX support in VirtualBox. Changing the renderer to OpenGL seems to allow a few more resolutions to run - I managed to get it to 1152x864 in both fullscreen and windowed. Still no higher or any 16:9 though. The game doesn't even start up.

I tried XP - which announces that DirectDraw is not available, the same as in https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/58126-cant-get-SimCity-4-to-work-on-virtual-machine/. Other than that, there are exactly the same issues as on Windows 10 - and again, OpenGL seems to unlock a few more resolutions.

I think this is something wrong with VirtualBox - their graphics stack seems to have been a bit buggy in the version 5 and 6 releases. Hopefully they'll sort out 3d acceleration and fix their guest display drivers!

 

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

An alternative might be to try VMware Workstation Player, this apparently has support for dx9. Might need VMware Tools for it to work, haven't read all of it yet.