Test of various DirectX Wrappers

[Dragonstar 53]

I think its a good idea to spread my experiences with different Direct X Wrappers.

My Specs

Lenovo e570: Intel i5-7200U, NVidia GTX 950M (Optimus Technology = means that SimCity 4 cannot be started with this GPU, although when binded the SimCity4.exe with the NVidia GPU in the NVidia Settings and with edited Graphics Rules.sgr and video Cards.sgr like this), 16 GB Ram

I have found six different DirectX Wrappers

dxwrapper elishacloud

Voodoo2 from dege-diosg

DDrawCompat from narzoul

cnc-ddraw from CnCNet

dxgl from dxgldotorg

ddwrapper from bitpatch

Why Direct X Wrappers?

In my case and for many other users (especially with Windows 10) it is otherwise not possible to start SimCity 4 with DirectX (= Hardware Mode). The more compatible Software Mode is slower in general and you aren't able to use HD Mods, e.g. Maxis HD Tree Replacement Mod. To start SimCity with DirectX use the SC4 Launcher, which I recommend, because of such useful functions like autosave and choosing what folders and files should be loaded from the Plugin Folder. But you can activate DirectX also with the command

-d:[renderer]

in this case

-d:[directx]

More about startup codes here.

General Use

The general use is to unzip the files and place the "ddraw.dll" into the same folder like your "SimCity 4.exe", e.g. "C:\Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps". Some Wrappers have additional files like config.files or separate Direct3D.dll's and so on. Just put the needed files into the folder of the SimCity 4.exe. And some Wrappers like the voodoo have graphical configuration UI's. In most cases here you have to specify which file or which folder you want to modify the DirectX Wrapper and apply to your configuration settings. Here you specify the "SimCity 4.exe" or the "C:\Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps" folder.

Sometimes there can be a Windows warning that the files could be dangerous. I think this happens because the files intervene deeply with the hardware of your system, but what I can say is, that all these wrappers looks very serious and I googled all of them for negative comments and found not a single one. 

Tearing problems

With all Wrappers and also in Software Mode I get tearing errors like this. But just when I had the graphics effects on high or medium. With low all tearing errors disappear completely. So I have to play withoud clouds and industrial smoke.

Now the tests :-)

I recommend to read @Raymond7cn test here before.

1) dxwrapper von elishacloud

In this thread there is explained how to use this Wrapper in resolutions above 1920x1080. This works fine, but you need a large monitor, because in resolutions above Full HD the UI is relatively tiny. In general the Wrapper works very stable and without noticeable errors beside of tearing (which I have with every! Wrapper and even in Software Mode). But it is not the fastest one.

This Wrapper is in active development (last Update 9th August 2020)

2) Voodoo2 from dege-diosg

A good and fast Wrapper, but in my case with sometimes heavy graphical glitches (for example in my case with Fullscreen 1920x1080), where I had almost just a white startscreen, which I had to hard-close with the Taskmanager (CTRL-ALT-DEL). In Windowmode everything was fine and fast and it has a lot of configuration options. If I choose my NVidia GTX 950M in the "Adapter(s) to use / enable" I get an error message when SimCity 4 is starting, that ddraw.dll couldn't be enabled and so it starts in Software Mode. But in the "DESKTOP-xyz-config-log" (you find this file in the folder where "SimCity 4.exe" is) it is stated that it starts with the NVidia GPU. I think this is a wrong message, because when I directly choose the NVidia GPU in the settings SimCity won't start in Hardware Mode. I was able to start SimCity in 2560x1440, but it was quite slow with this resolution. 

This Wrapper is in active development (last Update 2nd November 2020)

3) DDrawCompat from narzoul

The easiest and the fastest one. Just unzip the ddraw.dll into the folder, where the SimCity 4.exe is. No further configuration setting needed. Highly recommend. But the highest resolution I got is Full HD (1920x1080). With higher resolutions SimCity 4 won't start.

For me it's a bit unclear if this Wrapper is in active Development. The latest version is an experimental version from 13th July 2020. The last stable version before is from 2016, so I hope there will be further development on the experimental version.

4) cnc-ddraw from CnCNet

It was succesful to Start SimCity 4 in Hardwaremode, but it is relatively slow. Otherwise nothing special here.

This Wrapper is in active development (last Update 24th October 2020)

5) dxgl from dxgldotorg

I had expected a lot from this wrapper. It looks very modern, is in active development and has many configuration possibilities. One downside is, that you have to use an installer for this (not just unzip and place the files into the SimCity 4. exe folder).

Unfortunately I could not manage to start SimCity with any configuration :-(

This Wrapper is in active development (last Update 10th October 2020)

6) ddwrapper von bitpatch

A relatively old wrapper (from 2012) which hasn't seen an update since then. But it managed to start SimCity 4. It was also quite fast, but not as fast as DDrawCompat. Nevertheless this wrapper surprised me positively.

I hope this thread can be helpful for those who search in Google for advice with their hardware problems or how to run SimCity 4 smoother. I will test from time to time the updates from the Wrappers mentioned above. If anyone knows from other Wrappers, which ideally got good results in SimCity 4, I would very appreciate it, if you could tell them here :-)

[Propfam 2,305]

What a nice bundled information! Thanks for helping people out there (me included in the past)!

[Raymond7cn 6,776]

Hiya @Dragonstar, It's a wonderful idea to have this thread where we can provide more possibilities to others, 

On 11/7/2020 at 7:36 AM, Dragonstar said:

. If I choose my NVidia GTX 950M in the "Adapter(s) to use / enable" I get an error message when SimCity 4 is starting

May i ask all of your configurations about dgvoodoo, have you modified that two rule files? how about the settings of your Nvidia control panel? and also the details of DirectX tab, since Dege (the author) seems has the GTX 950M as well and he told me that his SC4 is ok with his comp, Thank you!

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[Dragonstar 53]

@Raymond7cn
 

Quote

May i ask all of your configurations about dgvoodoo, have you modified that two rule files? how about the settings of your Nvidia control panel? and also the details of DirectX tab, since Dege (the author) seems has the GTX 950M as well and he told me that his SC4 is ok with his comp, Thank you!

I will do it in December. I write my exam at November 25th, so I have not much time at the moment. I know, that I have chosen many settingsoptions, but either the ddraw couldn't load and SC4 started in Softwaremode or it started in hardwaremode, but with the Intel GPU and the Frames per Second were rather slow.

But when I have more time I will investigate this further!

[ohdude 2,353]

3) DDrawCompat from narzoul

The easiest and the fastest one. Just unzip the ddraw.dll into the folder, where the SimCity 4.exe is. No further configuration setting needed. Highly recommend. But the highest resolution I got is Full HD (1920x1080). With higher resolutions SimCity 4 won't start.

For me it's a bit unclear if this Wrapper is in active Development. The latest version is an experimental version from 13th July 2020. The last stable version before is from 2016, so I hope there will be further development on the experimental version.

 

*** THERE IS A NEW STABLE VERSION RELEASED 27 DAYS AGO: DDrawCompat v0.3.0  ***

Theorically it has support for large 3D resolutions (above 2k pixels)

 

[Flann 1,709]

2 hours ago, ohdude said:

3) DDrawCompat from narzoul

The easiest and the fastest one. Just unzip the ddraw.dll into the folder, where the SimCity 4.exe is. No further configuration setting needed. Highly recommend. But the highest resolution I got is Full HD (1920x1080). With higher resolutions SimCity 4 won't start.

For me it's a bit unclear if this Wrapper is in active Development. The latest version is an experimental version from 13th July 2020. The last stable version before is from 2016, so I hope there will be further development on the experimental version.

 

*** THERE IS A NEW STABLE VERSION RELEASED 27 DAYS AGO: DDrawCompat v0.3.0  ***

Theorically it has support for large 3D resolutions (above 2k pixels)

 

Trying it out now, it works for me at 2560x1440

[ohdude 2,353]

55 minutes ago, Flann said:

Trying it out now, it works for me at 2560x1440

 

That is good to know because i'm using SimCity 4 at 2048x1152 and it does not work well:

 

[ohdude 2,353]

@Flann Does the Ddraw.dll size is 559 KB in your case?

[Flann 1,709]

Hi yes, it is 559 Kb.  I think you may need to remove some of the other dlls if they are vestiges of another direct x wrapper.  I had the same issue, previously I was using the wrapper by elishacloud.  Now my folder looks like this

[ohdude 2,353]

Thanks @Flann. I've done what you did and now it is working for me in 2560x1440x32.

[tgp1994 29]

Sorry to hijack the topic, but how is everyone getting DDrawCompat working? I've tried 0.3.0 and 0.3.1, extracted to the Apps folder. When it's there, I get a pop up saying "Could not initialize Direct Draw", then "Falling back to software rendering". The DDC log file is never created. Any ideas?

(Note: I'm launching the game using the SimCity4Launcher. I've tried software and hardware rendering modes, and resolution is set to 1080p.)

Note2: When using the DDC wrapper, the cardName, version, and ID are all blank in the game's config log.

  Edited August 31, 2021 by tgp1994  

[grossmanbr 2]

Lots of good info here, but it all went well over my head.  If the game has been working fine, is this something recommended? I tried to follow for as much as I could, but it seemed like it slowed the game down for me. It is also very likely that I missed a step or something along the way.  I guess mostly, what would I be gaining from this? 

 

Thanks! 

[tgp1994 29]

6 hours ago, grossmanbr said:

Lots of good info here, but it all went well over my head.  If the game has been working fine, is this something recommended? I tried to follow for as much as I could, but it seemed like it slowed the game down for me. It is also very likely that I missed a step or something along the way.  I guess mostly, what would I be gaining from this? 

 

Thanks! 

If you're happy with the way your game is working, then I wouldn't go through the trouble. In my case, I'd like to push the game beyond its 1920x1200 resolution limit so that's why I'm fiddling with wrappers.

[CorinaMarie 29,892]

2 hours ago, tgp1994 said:

If you're happy with the way your game is working, then I wouldn't go through the trouble.

I concur. While I have read and followed this topic, I've not tried any wrapper since I'm completely happy with how my game runs and appears.

[rsc204 21,866]

10 hours ago, grossmanbr said:

If the game has been working fine, is this something recommended?

Absolutely not, it’s a compatibility layer so actually takes more toll on your system. Unless you need it to force a higher resolution or otherwise for compatibility reasons, I’d stick with running without it. 

I did some tests before upgrading to QHD monitors and now I need a wrapper, Elisa Cloud’s DXWrapper is working well for me. But dgVoodoo2 is easier to setup and has more options which are especially useful for owners of Laptops with NVidia Optimus technology. 

[CorinaMarie 29,892]

21 hours ago, tgp1994 said:

Note: I'm launching the game using the SimCity4Launcher.

While I'm not at all familiar with wrappers, it might help to skip the Launcher during the troubleshooting phase.

(Removing that as a variable.)

[tgp1994 29]

Good point to bypass the launcher, although even then DDC still was not happy. I've just installed DxWrapper and things seem to be much better, thanks everyone!

[Daeris 1,116]

On 5/6/2021 at 8:55 AM, Flann said:

Trying it out now, it works for me at 2560x1440

Hey Flann, I just tried this and it didn't seem to want to launch at 2560x1440 for me.

I placed the ddraw.dll file directly in my folder with the simcity4.exe as was indicated.

Then I attempted to launch through steam with:

Quote

-CustomResolution:enabled -r2560x1440x32 -intro:off -CPUCount:1 -w

 

Wondering if a I overlooked something for this particular wrapper.

EDIT: Oh wait I see more posts above on this topic!

[Daeris 1,116]

Working! 2560x1440 windowed! Soooo pretty! I am wondering how much this might impact performance though. =/

[Daeris 1,116]

So in region view it looks great, however in a city tile I seem to be having some issues with zooming.

I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Hardware rendering vs. Software rendering being selected?

[Turnstyled 539]

I decided to build DxWrapper from the latest code. I created a virtual machine for that because I didn't want to muck up my Windows installation with development tools. I was able to successfully build DxWrapper.

I looked through DxWrapper's documentation and I set my dxwrapper.ini settings based on the documentation. I don't know if it all made anything "better," but if you have the know-how to do it, building from the latest code is something that can be done.

[Turnstyled 539]

I had plenty of questions for the creator of DxWrapper. A link to my GitHub issue can be found here: https://github.com/elishacloud/dxwrapper/issues/156

I don't think that GitHub is going anywhere anytime soon. Still, for the sake of potential preservation, I will paste a screenshot of my created issue below. The log that I mentioned in the issue can be found attached to this post.

I said it in another thread in the past, but I prefer to use DxWrapper because dgVoodoo2 gives me grid lines on buildings and such.

dxwrapper-SimCity 4.log

Edit: I had hoped that by setting DisableHighDPIScaling = 0, then SimCity 4's user interface wouldn't be so miniscule in 4K by adjusting DPI-related compatibility settings within Windows. The user interface scale had not changed after doing all of that.

[Turnstyled 539]

Alright, so my questions were answered. When using DxWrapper, the only stub .dll that needs to be copied to SimCity 4's .exe directory is ddraw.dll. Below are the only changes that I made to dxwrapper.ini.

[Compatibility]
Dd7to9                     = 0
D3d8to9                    = 0
DDrawCompat                = 0
Dinputto8                  = 1
DisableGameUX              = 1
DxWnd                      = 0
EnableDdrawWrapper         = 1
EnableD3d9Wrapper          = 0
EnableDinput8Wrapper       = 0
EnableDsoundWrapper        = 0
HandleExceptions           = 1
SingleProcAffinity         = 4

I enabled Dinputto8 because I have seen here on Simtropolis that it fixes a double input issue with mayor mode ploppables.

I enabled DisableGameUX because I don't need the Windows 10/11 Xbox Game Bar present while playing SimCity 4. 

I enabled EnableDdrawWrapper. DxWrapper's documentation says "This option enables the built-in ddraw wrapper which has some built-in fixes for specific ddraw bugs." Bugfixes are good.

I enabled HandleExceptions. In the GitHub issue, I was told that it was probably doing nothing, but that it doesn't hurt to keep it enabled.

I also set SingleProcAffinity to 4 so that SimCity 4 uses CPU 3 on my Intel i9-12900K CPU. If the value set for SingleProcAffinity is greater than the number of CPUs that are present in your system, then CPU 0 will be used.

The GitHub issue can be found linked to in my previous post. Below, screenshots of the issue can be found.

[Jasoncw 11,949]

I don't know much about this stuff to know about any technical implications or nuances, but he may have thought that SC4 is a 2d game based in its appearance, similarly to how SC3K is a 2d game, without knowing that all of the objects in SC4 (except I think for the interface) are 3d objects.