PC too powerful to run SC4?

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

So my specs are a ryzen 5 3600 at 4.3ghz, a radeon 5600xt OC 16gb of ram. Whenever I try launching sc4 with the launcher mod it says something about not being able to initialize my graphics card. Every other game works but sc4 does anyone have a solution to this?

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

I suspect that the driver features that SC4 is attempting to use are no longer present in your modern system, as SC4 was made in the era of Direct X 7.0 - 9.0c. The best shot you have is to use one of the direct x wrappers that have been developed to translate these old system calls into something your current hardware can recognise.

This is probably your best starting point,

 

 

[markussaage 762]

Hi,

I am running SC4 on a fairly new Intel machine with 32GB RAM in Full HD without any launchers. The point is, you need to set game values in the target box of the shortcut you start the game with. Mine looks like this:

"G:\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -Intro:off -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -d:Directx -CPUCount:1 -CPUPriority:low

There are more switches, you can set, I have a complete list somewhere you can get, if you need them.

Additionally you need to modify two files in your SimCity4 installation directory and put in values of your current graphics adapter. The two files are:

Graphics Rules.sgr and Video Cards.sgr

They can be opened with any text editor. Every hardware has a vendor ID and a device ID. They can be found in Device Manager under the Graphic card.

In this case the vendor ID is 10DE, the device ID is 1E84. Those are the values you need. Now open the Video Cards.sgr file with a text editor and look for an entry like this:

vendor "ATI" 0x1002

There your have to put in the device ID of your graphics card. It should look like this (different ID and name of course):

card 0x1E84 "GeForce RTX 2070 Super" (that's only an example)

Save and close the file. Now open the Graphics Rules.sgr file with the text editor. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the file and look for this section:

      partialRule "Fast card" -any
         # We run well on these cards, so up the defaults.
        stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*RTX*2070*Super*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*GTX*680*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*GeForce*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*Quadro*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*9700*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*8500*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "Matrox*Parhelia*"

and put in the string for your graphics card like this. You might have to experiment with the actual name a little bit (see the first row with the 2070 Super.)

Save and close the file and try to start your game. Important to remember: it's an old game, it will only use 1 (one) CPU core. That's why you have to limit the cores to one
with the -CPUCount:1 value.

As I said, I don't use a launcher to start the game, just a homemade shortcut, and the game runs just fine

More questions? You know where to find me!

Kind regards!

[rsc204 21,808]

I’d have to agree that where possible, use of an additional wrapper is best avoided. But if your hardware has compatibility issues, that’s when it becomes worth a try. However despite some reports to the contrary, for most users using such modified variants results in no general performance improvements. Perhaps it requires a stupid-expensive GPU? But my GTX 960 runs worse with any config of DgVoodo or other wrappers than it does with the regular tweaks. I don’t use Win compatibility modes nor does my GPU require any manual setup. Of course YMMV and if you are motivated, you may be better off tweaking things. Just don’t see it as some magical fix for all, rather something that might be necessary for you. 

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

1 hour ago, markussaage said:

Hi,

I am running SC4 on a fairly new Intel machine with 32GB RAM in Full HD without any launchers. The point is, you need to set game values in the target box of the shortcut you start the game with. Mine looks like this:

"G:\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -Intro:off -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -d:Directx -CPUCount:1 -CPUPriority:low

There are more switches, you can set, I have a complete list somewhere you can get, if you need them.

Additionally you need to modify two files in your SimCity4 installation directory and put in values of your current graphics adapter. The two files are:

Graphics Rules.sgr and Video Cards.sgr

They can be opened with any text editor. Every hardware has a vendor ID and a device ID. They can be found in Device Manager under the Graphic card.

In this case the vendor ID is 10DE, the device ID is 1E84. Those are the values you need. Now open the Video Cards.sgr file with a text editor and look for an entry like this:

vendor "ATI" 0x1002

There your have to put in the device ID of your graphics card. It should look like this (different ID and name of course):

card 0x1E84 "GeForce RTX 2070 Super" (that's only an example)

Save and close the file. Now open the Graphics Rules.sgr file with the text editor. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the file and look for this section:

      partialRule "Fast card" -any
         # We run well on these cards, so up the defaults.
        stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*RTX*2070*Super*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*GTX*680*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*GeForce*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*Quadro*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*9700*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*8500*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "Matrox*Parhelia*"

and put in the string for your graphics card like this. You might have to experiment with the actual name a little bit (see the first row with the 2070 Super.)

Save and close the file and try to start your game. Important to remember: it's an old game, it will only use 1 (one) CPU core. That's why you have to limit the cores to one
with the -CPUCount:1 value.

As I said, I don't use a launcher to start the game, just a homemade shortcut, and the game runs just fine

More questions? You know where to find me!

Kind regards!

Thanks for all the help, I figured out that weirdly changing the rendering from directx to software fixes the problem somehow. I hope this thread can help other people running into the same problem, there doesn't seem to be too many guides on how to fix it. I'd give everything for EA to just optimize sc4 for modern machines but I know that's never going to happen lol.

[rsc204 21,808]

But that is the function of the wrappers. If your GPU/drivers don’t support legacy DirectX well, then try using a wrapper to force it. It’ll be better than Software rendering for sure. 

[Propfam 2,288]

But my Ryzen iGPU runs the game fine. Wrappers are still recommended especially for those who want to play in higher than 1080p panels and/or those with compatibility issues, with some performance drop. Since I'm not a user of wrappers yet, I can't say about the performance. Still a solution worth trying.

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

55 minutes ago, chfzdn said:

my Ryzen iGPU runs the game fine.

The ryzen in question here does not have a built in GPU. There are no Vega cores on it at all.

[rsc204 21,808]

21 hours ago, chfzdn said:

But my Ryzen iGPU runs the game fine

But that’s like saying all NVidia cards work, because mine does. The experience of others and their troubles tells us this is not the case. Hardware changes and so do standards, it’s not surprising that backwards-compatibility is not the #1 priority when making GPUs. Not to mention, sometimes to better support what the bulk of the market uses them for, it’s impossible to keep legacy support. These wrappers do a great job of bridging those gaps, which at least allow people to keep playing old games.

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

14 hours ago, markussaage said:

Hi,

I am running SC4 on a fairly new Intel machine with 32GB RAM in Full HD without any launchers. The point is, you need to set game values in the target box of the shortcut you start the game with. Mine looks like this:

"G:\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -Intro:off -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -d:Directx -CPUCount:1 -CPUPriority:low

There are more switches, you can set, I have a complete list somewhere you can get, if you need them.

Additionally you need to modify two files in your SimCity4 installation directory and put in values of your current graphics adapter. The two files are:

Graphics Rules.sgr and Video Cards.sgr

They can be opened with any text editor. Every hardware has a vendor ID and a device ID. They can be found in Device Manager under the Graphic card.

In this case the vendor ID is 10DE, the device ID is 1E84. Those are the values you need. Now open the Video Cards.sgr file with a text editor and look for an entry like this:

vendor "ATI" 0x1002

There your have to put in the device ID of your graphics card. It should look like this (different ID and name of course):

card 0x1E84 "GeForce RTX 2070 Super" (that's only an example)

Save and close the file. Now open the Graphics Rules.sgr file with the text editor. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the file and look for this section:

      partialRule "Fast card" -any
         # We run well on these cards, so up the defaults.
        stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*RTX*2070*Super*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "GeForce*GTX*680*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*GeForce*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "NVidia*Quadro*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*9700*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "ATI*8500*"
         stringMatch cardIdentity "Matrox*Parhelia*"

and put in the string for your graphics card like this. You might have to experiment with the actual name a little bit (see the first row with the 2070 Super.)

Save and close the file and try to start your game. Important to remember: it's an old game, it will only use 1 (one) CPU core. That's why you have to limit the cores to one
with the -CPUCount:1 value.

As I said, I don't use a launcher to start the game, just a homemade shortcut, and the game runs just fine

More questions? You know where to find me!

Kind regards!

I followed your steps, but sc4 is still crashing. I'm pretty sure I did something wrong but I don't know what, I double checked everything and all the information about my gpu is correct. I tried messing around with the name too and it still didn't help. Does it matter where in the ATI vendor I put it? or the Fast Card?

[markussaage 762]

9 hours ago, Lowfat Milk from Walmart said:

I followed your steps, but sc4 is still crashing. I'm pretty sure I did something wrong but I don't know what, I double checked everything and all the information about my gpu is correct. I tried messing around with the name too and it still didn't help. Does it matter where in the ATI vendor I put it? or the Fast Card?

Well,

it doesn't matter, where in the ATI vendor section you put your card. I put mine at the end. In the Fast card section it put it first. BTW: there is a logfile called

<NameOfYourComputer-config-log.txt>

in the game installation folder under SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps, that holds all the necessary information as well, so you can confirm all the values you need to put in.

What is the SimCity 4 version you are using? Steam? GOG? Amazon? Origin? Is it fully patched? And did you apply the 4GB patch to the game.exe, so it can address more memory?
If not, you can find it here:

https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371

Kind regards!

[rsc204 21,808]

So we need to clarify a couple of details:

1. Does the game CTD before you make it to the Region View screen?
2. Are you trying to use DirectX (Hardware) Rendering when it CTDs?
3. If you are using mods, have you tried moving them somewhere SC4 can't see them?

If the answer to all three of those is yes, then the most important aspect to consider is the following:

On 02/03/2021 at 11:00 AM, Lowfat Milk from Walmart said:

it says something about not being able to initialize my graphics card

What is happening, is that like most PC games, SC4 relies on DirectX as a sort of translator between the game and your hardware. But, DirectX is now at version 12, whereas SC4 was designed with version 7. If your drivers or the GPU itself, is unable to support vital commands required to draw graphics, you will get the precise behaviour you are describing. In some cases a different, typically older driver may support legacy DirectX functions better, but I suspect this won't help you. The latest cards from the last few years seem to be having ever more problems working with SC4, I think a lot of people just set Software Rendering and move on, it is after all the simpler fix.

But setting up say DGVoodoo is ridiculously simple, you just download the 'app', extract 4 files into the same folder as SC4, then run the application. You can then specify a few settings so that SC4 will run on this "virtual Graphics card". It just has the ability to convert the DX7 "methods" into commands your DX12 card can work with.

Really at this point though, Software Rendering or a wrapper are probably the only viable options for playing SC4 on your system.

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

18 minutes ago, rsc204 said:

So we need to clarify a couple of details:

1. Does the game CTD before you make it to the Region View screen?
2. Are you trying to use DirectX (Hardware) Rendering when it CTDs?
3. If you are using mods, have you tried moving them somewhere SC4 can't see them?

If the answer to all three of those is yes, then the most important aspect to consider is the following:

What is happening, is that like most PC games, SC4 relies on DirectX as a sort of translator between the game and your hardware. But, DirectX is now at version 12, whereas SC4 was designed with version 7. If your drivers or the GPU itself, is unable to support vital commands required to draw graphics, you will get the precise behaviour you are describing. In some cases a different, typically older driver may support legacy DirectX functions better, but I suspect this won't help you. The latest cards from the last few years seem to be having ever more problems working with SC4, I think a lot of people just set Software Rendering and move on, it is after all the simpler fix.

But setting up say DGVoodoo is ridiculously simple, you just download the 'app', extract 4 files into the same folder as SC4, then run the application. You can then specify a few settings so that SC4 will run on this "virtual Graphics card". It just has the ability to convert the DX7 "methods" into commands your DX12 card can work with.

Really at this point though, Software Rendering or a wrapper are probably the only viable options for playing SC4 on your system.

It barely even starts. I'll see the SC4 window in my hotbar for a second and then it disappears. I'm using directX and I tried setting up dxwrapper but it did nothing, I assume I did something wrong. Thanks for your help with this I hate SC4 sometimes lol.

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

1 hour ago, markussaage said:

Well,

it doesn't matter, where in the ATI vendor section you put your card. I put mine at the end. In the Fast card section it put it first. BTW: there is a logfile called

<NameOfYourComputer-config-log.txt>

in the game installation folder under SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps, that holds all the necessary information as well, so you can confirm all the values you need to put in.

What is the SimCity 4 version you are using? Steam? GOG? Amazon? Origin? Is it fully patched? And did you apply the 4GB patch to the game.exe, so it can address more memory?
If not, you can find it here:

https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371

Kind regards!

I'm using the steam version, its fully patched and I have the 4gb patch on it. Thanks for all your help with this.

[rsc204 21,808]

4 hours ago, Lowfat Milk from Walmart said:

It barely even starts. I'll see the SC4 window in my hotbar for a second and then it disappears.

This sounds suspiciously like you've an older disk-based install still lying around. Did you previously use such a thing? If you forgot to uninstall it before installing the Steam Version, you might be having problems because the wrong version is being launched. This fails because the drivers needed to validate the on-disk DRM have been removed from Windows. If this sounds like it might be an issue, you should uninstall all versions of SC4, reboot your computer, then install just the new one.

Usually the problem failing to initialise Direct Draw or something else graphics related, wouldn't occur unless either your computer couldn't display the archaic Intro video format, solved with -Intro:off command or until it gets past the splash screen, showing the SC4 logo.

[rsc204 21,808]

Just to add, here are some step-by-step instructions for switching to dgVoodoo in case you need that.

Download the latest version as a .zip file, inside the zip are two files:

dgVoodoo.conf & dgVoodooCpl.exe, copy both to your INSTALLDIR\SimCity 4\Apps folder (i.e. where the main SimCity 4.exe file resides). Now, still in the .zip file, open the MS\x86 folder, additionally copy the following four files from there, D3D8.dll, D3D9.dll, D3DImm.dll & DDraw.dll, into the same folder as before.

Now your Apps folder should have all these files present (1):

On the left I've ran dgVoodoo from the Apps folder (double click (2)).

Check the Yellow Box shows the correct path for your SC4 Install, but if you've followed along it should already be correct.

At the bottom, on the left is the General tab, just make sure your GPU is selected under Adapter(s) to use / enable (3). The right side shows the DirectX tab, we can ignore the middle tab. Here you must select the VRAM and Resolution (4), which depend on your hardware/settings. Everything else should be the same as in the screenshot. Once done, click Apply, then OK and dgVoodoo will now be used when running SC4.

Edit: Aug 2021
I should add, when using dgVoodo2's Virtual 3D Accelerated Card, it messes with how the card is detected by SC4, meaning it won't run in "Fast Card" mode, which would be sub-optimal. Simply replace the original files in the main SC4 install folder (one folder back from Apps as shown in the example above), with these updated versions:

Graphics Rules.sgr
Video Cards.sgr

That will ensure Fast Card is active when using dgVoodoo2 and that gives you optimum performance in-game.

There is an option "dgVoodoo Watermark" on the DirectX tab, when ticked you'll see the dgVoodoo logo appear whilst running SC4, which allows you to check if the wrapper is being used.

[Lowfat Milk from Walmart 40]

7 hours ago, rsc204 said:

This sounds suspiciously like you've an older disk-based install still lying around. Did you previously use such a thing? If you forgot to uninstall it before installing the Steam Version, you might be having problems because the wrong version is being launched. This fails because the drivers needed to validate the on-disk DRM have been removed from Windows. If this sounds like it might be an issue, you should uninstall all versions of SC4, reboot your computer, then install just the new one.

Usually the problem failing to initialise Direct Draw or something else graphics related, wouldn't occur unless either your computer couldn't display the archaic Intro video format, solved with -Intro:off command or until it gets past the splash screen, showing the SC4 logo.

Nah, I never owned the disk version. I've only played on steam. I went into the launch options and put everything correctly like -intro:off too. Do I have to go into the actual sc4 files and put it in there?

[rsc204 21,808]

If you are launching SC4 from within Steam, you only need the commands in the Launch Options screen.

If appears you may need to consider trying dgVoodoo again. 

[GR0NK 0]

On 3/3/2021 at 12:56 PM, rsc204 said:

Just to add, here are some step-by-step instructions for switching to dgVoodoo in case you need that.

Download the latest version as a .zip file, inside the zip are two files:

dgVoodoo.conf & dgVoodooCpl.exe, copy both to your INSTALLDIR\SimCity 4\Apps folder (i.e. where the main SimCity 4.exe file resides). Now, still in the .zip file, open the MS\x86 folder, additionally copy the following four files from there, D3D8.dll, D3D9.dll, D3DImm.dll & DDraw.dll, into the same folder as before.

Now your Apps folder should have all these files present (1):

On the left I've ran dgVoodoo from the Apps folder (double click (2)).

Check the Yellow Box shows the correct path for your SC4 Install, but if you've followed along it should already be correct.

At the bottom, on the left is the General tab, just make sure your GPU is selected under Adapter(s) to use / enable (3). The right side shows the DirectX tab, we can ignore the middle tab. Here you must select the VRAM and Resolution (4), which depend on your hardware/settings. Everything else should be the same as in the screenshot. Once done, click Apply, then OK and dgVoodoo will now be used when running SC4.

Edit: Aug 2021
I should add, when using dgVoodo2's Virtual 3D Accelerated Card, it messes with how the card is detected by SC4, meaning it won't run in "Fast Card" mode, which would be sub-optimal. Simply replace the original files in the main SC4 install folder (one folder back from Apps as shown in the example above), with these updated versions:

Graphics Rules.sgr
Video Cards.sgr

That will ensure Fast Card is active when using dgVoodoo2 and that gives you optimum performance in-game.

There is an option "dgVoodoo Watermark" on the DirectX tab, when ticked you'll see the dgVoodoo logo appear whilst running SC4, which allows you to check if the wrapper is being used.

Did everything here, but I get an error saying "Could not initialize Direct Draw."

[Ulisse Wolf 4,412]

42 minutes ago, GR0NK said:

Did everything here, but I get an error saying "Could not initialize Direct Draw."

Be sure to download the two files that are present in the Post (Graphics Rules.sgr & Video Cards.sgr) and check if dgVoodooCpl.exe uses the Dedicated GPU 

[rsc204 21,808]

Can you start by telling us what video card you have and which version of Windows you are using. Failing to initialise DDraw shouldn’t be possible with dgVoodoo enabled, so do double check you’ve all the correct files and settings again, most likely something is wrong there. 

[Busta -CASE- 140]

Hello @rsc204 I recently said that the dgvoodoo config had worked fine (it did), but since I changed tabs and came back to the game, it keeps on loading in windowed mode, not showing the entire screen, can't look the saving and exit buttons unless I hide the task bar (which I don't like to do). Please, can you see what might be wrong? I attached the correspondent screenshots, I use a 2k monitor with a GTX 1080Ti, and I copied the Graphic Rules and Video Cards files you uploaded. Thanks in advance!

  Edited February 28, 2023 by Busta -CASE-  
I scrwed up my dgvoodoo Configuration.

[Turnstyled 486]

I used to get gridlines over buildings with dgVoodoo2. Now, though, I can say that using the latest version of dgVoodoo2 (2.8 as of this post) and following all of the steps that @rsc204 provided earlier in this thread is much more stable for me than using dxwrapper. Admittedly, I had compiled dxwrapper wrapper myself, so I was newer code than the latest dxwrapper release from 2021. I have yet to experience a crash using dgVoodoo2 2.8 and the .sgr files provided earlier in this thread whereas I have experienced crashes using dxwrapper. I am running SimCity 4 in 4K on a high-end Nvidia 30-series/Intel Alder Lake system running Windows 11.

[rsc204 21,808]

On 09/02/2023 at 8:52 PM, Busta -CASE- said:

but since I changed tabs and came back to the game, it keeps on loading in windowed mode, not showing the entire screen, can't look the saving and exit buttons unless I hide the task bar (which I don't like to do).

First off apologies I didn't respond to your post sooner, must have got lost on a busy day or something.

There are two ways that this behaviour can be controlled, either through dgVoodoo or in the settings in Steam for launching SC4. Since you've got 'Application Controlled fullscreen/windowed state' active, you should check the setup in Steam by doing the following (quoted from here):

Quote

Set Launch Options

1. Open your Steam Library
2. Right click the game's title and select Properties
3. On the General tab you'll find Launch Options section
4. Enter the launch options you wish to apply (be sure to separate each code with a space)

The command to set Full Screen for SC4 is -f, conversely -w sets Windowed mode, so if -w exists change it to -f, if not then add -f to any existing commands.

Note that if you are using a 3rd party launcher, these settings need to be handled in that application rather than Steam directly. You may also find handing control of this to dgVoodoo directly get's you full screen mode too, just un-tick the option I mentioned before.

One last thing, whether through Steam or any third party launcher you have, you need to check the settings are set to match those in dgVoodoo2.

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

These options set Full Screen, 2k resolution, disable the intro and prevent CTDs whilst zooming/scrolling, if using Steam to handle this, you can copy paste that line into the Launch Options.

Don't forget to download the special 32-bit .exe for SC4 from the dgVoodoo2 support thread, nor that this file needs the 4GB Patch applied before using it with the Full NAM controller, although everyone should use this regardless if playing a modded game.

[artdan95 1]

On 22/12/2022 at 11:34 PM, GR0NK said:

Did everything here, but I get an error saying "Could not initialize Direct Draw."

I have followed all the steps and i get that same error

Steam version, Windows 11.

[Ulisse Wolf 4,412]

27 minutes ago, Awesomedan95 said:

I have followed all the steps and i get that same error

Steam version, Windows 11.

Follow this guide

 

[Skieriver 40]

On 2021/3/4 at 1:56 AM, rsc204 said:

Just to add, here are some step-by-step instructions for switching to dgVoodoo in case you need that.

Download the latest version as a .zip file, inside the zip are two files:

dgVoodoo.conf & dgVoodooCpl.exe, copy both to your INSTALLDIR\SimCity 4\Apps folder (i.e. where the main SimCity 4.exe file resides). Now, still in the .zip file, open the MS\x86 folder, additionally copy the following four files from there, D3D8.dll, D3D9.dll, D3DImm.dll & DDraw.dll, into the same folder as before.

Now your Apps folder should have all these files present (1):

On the left I've ran dgVoodoo from the Apps folder (double click (2)).

Check the Yellow Box shows the correct path for your SC4 Install, but if you've followed along it should already be correct.

At the bottom, on the left is the General tab, just make sure your GPU is selected under Adapter(s) to use / enable (3). The right side shows the DirectX tab, we can ignore the middle tab. Here you must select the VRAM and Resolution (4), which depend on your hardware/settings. Everything else should be the same as in the screenshot. Once done, click Apply, then OK and dgVoodoo will now be used when running SC4.

Edit: Aug 2021
I should add, when using dgVoodo2's Virtual 3D Accelerated Card, it messes with how the card is detected by SC4, meaning it won't run in "Fast Card" mode, which would be sub-optimal. Simply replace the original files in the main SC4 install folder (one folder back from Apps as shown in the example above), with these updated versions:

Graphics Rules.sgr
Video Cards.sgr

That will ensure Fast Card is active when using dgVoodoo2 and that gives you optimum performance in-game.

There is an option "dgVoodoo Watermark" on the DirectX tab, when ticked you'll see the dgVoodoo logo appear whilst running SC4, which allows you to check if the wrapper is being used.

Hi, I followed your guide step by step. However, when the game is running, I find it still using Intel GPU with software rendering, which leads to so many yellow lines freezing on the screen when moving the picture.  

[rsc204 21,808]

You may have to tell the game to use Hardware Rendering once more if you’ve previously been using software. That setting is in SC4 itself and not part of the dgVoodoo setup. From the Region View screen, find graphics properties and set to Hardware then restart the game.

Note that software rendering doesn’t use your Video card at all. You do need to have dgVoodoo correctly configured for your NVidia/ATI GPU, if in doubt check the ‘watermark’ option and you should be easily able to tell if dgVoodoo is running or not. If it is, it should use the selected card provided Hardware Rendering is selected in SC4. 

[Ulisse Wolf 4,412]

5 hours ago, Skieriver said:

Hi, I followed your guide step by step. However, when the game is running, I find it still using Intel GPU with software rendering, which leads to so many yellow lines freezing on the screen when moving the picture.  

I have made two tutorials on how to corectually configure SC4. Follow the tutorial for the version of SC4 you use as the versions differ somewhat in the procedures to be performed

(The tutorial is in Italian language but English language tutorial will be released soon)

 

[QuantumChicken 82]

Sorry for necro'ing this. I have Windows 11 23H2 with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950x @5.70Ghz, 64GB DDR-5200 and an RTX 2080Ti. I also have legacy rendering installed and enabled in windows. I cannot get hardware acceleration working on SC4 Steam edition even when using dgvoodoo. When I launch the game, it says error initialising direct draw, but loads up in SW mode anyways. I also tried running in Vulkan with DXVK, but it just crashes to desktop.