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Red sky at night, fortune hunters delight: Crimson Skies


Crimson Skies

A guide to running the alternate history flight sim, Crimson Skies in Win10. This game was developed in 2000 by Microsoft/Zipper. Set in the late 1930's this sim is set in a steampunk/alternate history universe where the USA has failed as a state and split into divided nations. Travel and transport is primarily with airships and retro-futuristic aircraft. The player takes on the role of Nathan Zachary, leader of the Fortune Hunters, a band of air pirates.


For the remainder of this article Crimson Skies will be referred to as CS.


Strategy


The strategy for playing on a Win10 platform is a standard install, followed by the last cumulative official patch. There are primarily two unofficial sets of patches, the csfix patches allowing the game to run on modern hardware and dgVoodoo2 patches allowing the game to run in combination with the dgVoodoo2 DirectX wrapper.


This guide will be using the dgVoodoo2 patch in combination with dgVoodoo2 as this allows the application of anisotropic filtering, mipmapping and Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA) to improve visuals.


Those on an earlier Win Vista/7/8 platform may wish to try the earlier csfix unofficial patch. Those that experience graphical issues on a Win10 platform may wish to try the later csfix patch and may benefit from using the csfix patch by dege. For these reasons the unused unofficial patches are also included in this guide.


Version and patch history


A brief look at the released versions and patch history of CS.


Initial retail release


The initial retail release was in September 2000, developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Microsoft. The initial release version being v1.00. The initial release featured a number of game breaking bugs, fixed with the release of the first patch. This release features a 32-bit installer app making it compatible with the Win10 platform.


Crimson Skies Update, Version 1.01


Developed towards the end of September 2000 and released soon after, this was primarily a bug fix patch correcting issues in v1.00. This patch uses a 32-bit installer to install the fixes, so remains compatible with a Win10 platform. From the release notes:


Single player saved games can be inadvertently reset to the first mission by playing multiplayer or by customizing a plane in Instant Action. Once this reset occurs there is no way to recover the lost mission state, short of replaying the Campaign. Crimson Skies Update, Version 1.01, specifically fixes this problem.


This is not a recommended patch having been superseded by the Version 1.02 patch. This patch is available from:



Crimson Skies Update, Version 1.02


Developed during November 2000, this patch fixed multiplayer issues and enhanced stability and performance. This patch is a cumulative patch including the version 1.01 update fix. It uses a 32-bit installer to install the fixes, compatible with Win10. From the release notes:


Crimson Skies version 1.02 fixes several multiplayer, stability, and performance issues that include:


  • Reduction in players dropped when launching multiplayer games via the MSN Gaming Zone.

  • Improved stability in multiplayer games.

  • Harder to use hacked planes in multiplayer games.

  • Reduction in swap file size.

  • Improved mission load times.

  • Improved performance throughout the user interface.


This is a recommended patch for the initial retail release (v1.00) only. This patch is available from:



Budget re-release


Most budget re-releases occurred in 2002 on various budget labels (e.g. Xplosiv). Later international releases would also occur in 2004, 2005 & 2008. These releases were normally pre-patched to version 1.02, so the official patches are not required. They use a 32-bit installer, compatible with Win10.


The release notes are included below (converted to pdf):



Unofficial patches


These unofficial patches are listed in release date order. There are 2 sets of unofficial patches, the Crimson Skies Fix (csfix) patches and the dgVoodoo patches, requiring the use of dgVoodoo2.


Crimson Skies Fix (csfix) (December 2011)


This appears to be the initial fix. Various settings are controlled through a csfix.ini file. It is a file replacement patch distributed as a zip archive. The contents should be extracted to the CS installation folder, overwriting any files as required.


DirectX wrappers are not recommended with csfix as the system DirectX libraries are called directly by csfix.


This release may be more appropriate for Win Vista/7/8 platforms. The release notes are included below for reference:



This patch is available from:



Crimson Skies Fix (csfix) v2 (September 2017)


A revised csfix more suited to Win10 platforms. It comes in two versions, using a normal/unstretched HUD and a stretched HUD version more suited to high resolutions. It is a file replacement patch distributed as a zip archive. The contents should be extracted to the CS installation folder, overwriting any files as required. This patch is available from:



Crimson Skies (dgVoodoo) v2 (September 2017)


A patch for Win10 platforms consisting of a fixed executable for each supported high resolution.  It comes in two versions, using a normal/unstretched HUD and a stretched HUD version more suited to higher resolutions.


It is a file replacement patch distributed as a zip archive. Once extracted the desired resolution should be chosen and the appropriate file copied into the CS installation folder, replacing the existing file.


Once installed a suitable dgVoodoo2 wrapper is required with appropriate configuration. This patch is available from:



csfix patch (January 2020)


Created by dege (of dgVoodoo2). The csfix patch allows the use of the dgVoodoo2 DirectX wrapper with the csfix. It uses patched csfix files to use DirectX libraries in the game installation folder (supplied by dgVoodoo2) rather than the system DirectX libraries.


More details can be found at the VOGONS post, Crimson Skies (Microsoft Games).


It is a file replacement patch, distributed as a zip archive. Once a csfix patch is installed the contents of this patch should be extracted to the game installation folder replacing the existing csfix files. This patch is available from:



Retail media


This guide assumes any physical cds will be ripped to an image file, to reduce wear and tear on media and drives. The retail version of CS does not contain cd audio and can be ripped to a data only .iso format.


At present there is no release of the game on digital platforms.


Game management


As a windows game running natively, the installation folder will be created by the CS installer. However some limited game management is still useful for files used in the CS setup.


The installation folder and setup files for CS and other Windows games can be found in the same folder (my own, as an example):

D:\Games\Win\<Game folders>
D:\Games\Win\Crimson Skies Setup

The following setup folders can be used:


  • cd - to store any cd images.

  • conf - to store any HOTAS profile configuration files.

  • docs - to store any useful documents, manuals, etc.

  • patch - to store a copy of recommended patches.


Installation


Installation is straightforward and requires running the installer app (setup.exe) from the cd (or cd image). The installation steps are summarized in the gallery below:


  • The initial setup menu begins the installation (screenshot 1).


  • The installer will state that DirectMedia is being setup and will check the DirectX version and may ask if you wish to install DirectX. Do NOT install DirectX, as a later version will already be present.


  • The next dialog asks you to choose an installation folder. The default Program Files folder should NOT be used and an alternate folder chosen. A Complete install should be chosen. A desktop icon is left to personal preference (screenshot 2).


  • During the file copying portion of the installation, a 1930's style 'radio play' of Nathan Zachary and the Fortune Hunters will start playing and adverts shown for other products. Due to the speed of modern hardware and cd images the installation will finish moments after the radio play starts, cutting it short (screenshot 3).


  • Once complete the final next steps menu is shown (screenshot 4).



Patching


If the initial retail release is installed, it should be patched to v1.02 using the official Crimson Skies Update, Version 1.02. This is distributed as a zip archive. Once the 32-bit installer executable is extracted it should be run.


Budget re-releases are already pre-patched and install v1.02 of the game.


Unofficial patches


This guide uses the Crimson Skies dgVoodoo v2 (September 2017) patch on a Win10 platform. This guide uses the stretched HUD version due to the higher resolutions used.


This patch is distributed as a zip archive, when extracted the contents of the patch are a set of folders, one for each of the supported higher resolutions (see screenshot). A resolution should be chosen and the contents of the selected folder copied into the CS installation folder, replacing the existing file.


Crimson Skies dgVoodoo v2 patch contents
Crimson Skies dgVoodoo v2 patch contents

dgVoodoo2


This guide uses the latest version of dgVoodoo2, version 2.86.5 (at time of writing). This can be obtained from the dgVoodoo2 GitHub repository in Releases. To install:


  • Download dgVoodoo2 (dgVoodoo2_86_5.zip) and extract to a new folder.


  • Copy the following dgVoodoo2 files to the CS installation folder. Note: the paths are not important you just need to add the files:

dgVoodooCpl.exe
MS\x86\D3D8.dll
MS\x86\D3D9.dll
MS\x86\D3DImm.dll
MS\x86\DDraw.dll

  • Download and extract the dgVoodoo.conf in the below zip file, to the CS installation folder:



Note: This configuration uses desktop as the DirectX resolution. You may need to change this if your chosen resolution does not match your desktop resolution.


HOTAS config


Joystick, throttle and rudder pedals are supported. Configuring axes may not be required if your HOTAS has 4 axes or less. When using devices totaling more than 4 axes, a virtual controller can be used, limited to 4 axes, as CS will automatically try to detect the HOTAS controller.


For those using controllers from multiple vendors, the vJoy/Joystick Gremlin combination may be required instead of vendor specific HOTAS profile software. You may also have to use HidHide as a device firewall, to hide your real controllers, so only the vJoy virtual controllers are detected by CS.


The physical axes to Windows axes were configured as follows:

Physical axis

Windows axis

Joystick x-axis

DX_X_AXIS

Joystick y-axis

DX_Y_AXIS

Throttle

DX_Z_AXIS

Rudder

DX_ZROT_AXIS


Running


The game is run with the following:

crimson.exe

First run


During the first run of the game the following dialog boxes are shown (see gallery):


  • The Microsoft licence agreement is shown. You must Accept to continue.


  • The Select Video Device dialog is shown. The Video Device should be set to dgVoodoo DirectX Wrapper.


  • The Screen Resolution can be set to 640x480 or whatever is available, as this setting is ignored by the patched executable.


  • The Don't ask anymore checkbox can be checked as these options are also available as in-game preferences.



Configuration


In-game configuration options are found in the Preferences menu (see gallery).


  • Game options and Audio are left to personal preference.


  • In Video settings, Graphics should be set to dgVoodoo DirectX Wrapper.


  • The Resolution setting is not used and can be left unchanged.


  • All other Video settings can be set to their max setting. Clutter Detail and Shadows can be checked.


  • In Controls settings, Controller Type should be set to Joystick/Key. Using the axes assignments in HOTAS config, the game correctly sets the axes.



Example video


Crimson Skies running in 4K

Finally...


Credit and thanks go to:


  • dege for dgVoodoo2 and the csfix patch.

  • GamePressure for hosting csfix and the version 1.02 update patch.

  • Internet Archive for the creation and hosting of the Crimson Skies patch collection.

  • ModDB for hosting the version 1.01 update patch.

  • PCGamingWiki for hosting the version 1.02 update patch and unofficial csfix and dgVoodoo2 v2 patches.

  • soggi.org for hosting the version 1.02 update patch.

  • WSGF for the unofficial csfix and dgVoodoo2 v2 patches.


Good hunting!

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