Infinity Engine on VirtualBox host machine

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So, I've recently migrated totally to GNU/Linux hoping that Infinity Engine games could be emulated. The result is outstanding!

My host laptop runs a humble AMD E-450 1,65 Ghz APU with 4Gb DDR3 Ram.

My virtual machine is configured as follows:

Guest OS: WinXP SP3
RAM: 256 Mb
Video Memory: 128 Mb
3D Acceleration Enabled (OpenGL)

Shadows of Amn runs very smooth with all possible graphic effects enabled & /w widescreen mod 3.5. I have even noticed that the Fog of War looks even nicer than on a native Microsoft OS, possibly due to the Linux Radeon drivers (it looks very..."smooth"! I'll post screenshots if you're interested!)

This, with all due respect for the project, renders gemRB obsolete for users who are not purists.

I recommend it for everyone who is interested in *NIX, doesn't play newer games very much and was frightened by the passage!
I will play the other I.E. games on this machine, too, so I will update you on the results (the next one being Planescape: Torment).

I am also totally at your disposal if you need help with GNU/Linux and VirtualBox.

 

Obtaining Windows XP legally can be an issue these days.

Also, I'm genuinely surprised it works so well with only 256mb of RAM. I'd have suggested you try 512mb or at least 384mb for SP2 or 3. Most real machines performed better with 512mb.

 

Windows XP + Infinity Engine do not require that much RAM at all...

If you really want, It is indeed possible to raise the guest memory to 512 Mb without problems. Yet, nothing will change.

Regarding licensing issues, I think everyone should keep their older licenses in case of need.

Else, I don't know.

 

The trouble is that the OEM licenses that around found on stickers on old dead computers aren't transferable. Only retail CDs can be transferred, and most people get Windows with their computer. Upgrade CDs only work if you have an OS to upgrade from.

Although I wonder if an upgrade would work and pass WGA if you used an OEM product key for say Windows 98 or 2000 from a broken computer then upgraded it to XP. Change CD to DVD and change Windows 98/2000 to Vista for Windows 7.

 

Well, in the end you obviously must have access to Windows XP in order to be able to do what I've done.

 

Well, using those OEM cd keys are still a viable option if you are not going to be using a multiplayer game that requires internet access. You can sandbox the machine with no network card or internet access and be perfectly safe from viruses and other ills found by not keeping up with updates.

Microsoft calls it an unlicensed copy aka piracy since according to the license agreement for the OEM copy you can't transfer it to another computer, but it should work just fine.

 

I have tested PS:T and IWD1, both with widescreen MOD.

I count PS:T as temporarily failed: I runs fine without mods, but gives assertion failure error due to "unsupported video mode", which is not the case. I will further look into it.

Regarding IWD1 it runs very fine at 1366x768 with all graphic effects enabled.

Next -> IWD2.

(I will further test PS:T as soon as I'll decide to actually play it, since I still am on BG2:SoA)

 

Welcome to Linux!

Yeah, Oracle VirtualBox is pretty cool software, actually it's quite amazing that it's free...

Although I only use it sporadically, as pretty much all my computing needs are covered by either native Linux applications, or DOSBox or Wine.

For Infinity Engine games I used Wine so far.

IWD2 (GOG version) worked great.

BG2 (GOG version, with ToB installed) worked great at first, but at some point during the second half of SoA started to have some lags during big battles and also crashed sporadically (like once every few hours of game-play).
Not sure if it had to do with the insane number of save-games I have piled up, or the various mods I've installed over time (incl. Refinements HLAs which you're not supposed to use with a game that you've already started without, but I did it anyways), or if it was a Wine problem.
Anyhow, it was still playable and I finished the whole game including ToB with it.
(I played single-player only, not sure about how well multi-player would work with Wine.)

 

I did some more testing today.

I must add that IWD2 doesn't run very well either. Or, at least: the vanilla version runs smoothly, from what I was able to test until now: the problem is the widescreen mod, like in Planescape Torment.

These are, to my knowledge, the two versions of the engine that were modded more heavily by the developers.

They both run vanilla but the engine crashes as if non standard resolutions (widescreen) were not supported, although I run at 1366x768 both BG2 and IWD with no problems at all.

Regarding BG2, it is the IE game I have played on VirtualBox more extensively and can say that the crashes you mention while running the game under Wine never occur. It really is worth a try, Ineth!

I think I will not try Wine, I'll focus, instead, on some way to fix Virtual Box for that as soon as I'll have the time to gather the skills needed to take a look at the source code.

That would be a big chance to learn something!

Regarding Wine, I don't mean to be rude, but isn't it a bit obsolete in its conception?

Sandbox virtualization sounds so much better to me.
I like to keep things separated and my dream idea of computing for the next years is a solid linux host running virtual machines with direct hardware access for games.

I'll try to never run Windows natively anymore. I guess it will be a real challenge with an up to date machine and modern games.

But, well, that doesn't apply to my current machine and is reserved for my future.