OK. A few days I downloaded this game from GOG using Galaxy and, although I couldn't find a way to play it without using Galaxy, I caved in and decided to give it a go today.

So I double clicked the game icon that was installed to desktop and got a Galaxy page - with "Play" greyed out - however when I closed that page down there was a small menu box on screen holding a few choices - including "New" - so I clicked on "New" and the game fired up.

BUT

As soon as the game started, a small box appeared overlaying the centre of the screen (with the game carrying on playing underneath it).
And in that box it said :-


You'll need a new app to open this ms-gaming overlay link.

[Then a picture of a little icon - which might be a Microsoft icon.]

And under that the text carried on with :

Look for an app in the Microsoft Store.

Then another little box with a tick in it. And the words "Always use this app."


I couldn't interact with this box, anything in it OR the game in any way and had to use Ctrl/Alt/Del to get back to Desktop !!

Does anyone know what the heck this all is ????

There must be demons in your game! I have never seen anything like that. When you first open the launch icon, the play will be grayed out for a few seconds. Just wait for it to activate and go from there. Depending on the game, if you wait a few seconds, there may be a new box that opens up with "Launch the Game." It seems like it is older games that have that option, but not always.

I found this on YouTube.

Hi. And thank you both

AND .... I'll take a look at that link, Marian

Thanks for that link, Marian! Sorry, I had to run in town to pick up my truck. Mad, if none of these work, let's switch to email so we can exchange pictures. Go to the game folder and grab a screenshot and sent it to me. We'll figure this out!

Hi.

First :
I watched the utube link, Marian, which told me how to change a setting in Game Bar from ON to OFF.
But the setting was already showing as OFF

Second.
I'll email you, Draclvr

EDIT :
In the meantime I'm going to download the game to Win7 and see if the same problem occurs

Curiouser and curiouser, Mad!

Mine were showing as ON and I've never had this issue! Curiouser and curiouser indeed!

Messed about for several hours since I last posted here but couldn't make any progress so I capitulated - and uninstalled/reinstalled yet again.
And THIS time got a working game with no silly overlayed box !!

[Of course, when that happened I immediately checked the "Game Bar Control" thing and it was still in the "OFF" position so I have no idea what made the game work without it this time.]

Anyway, I have emailed my huge thanks to Draclvr for her willingness to try and help


But I'm exhausted now. Techie stuff always completely does me in. So off I go now to try for some sleep

Really glad to hear it's sorted, Mad! I hope you can get some sleep now.

Excellent! That was going to be my next suggestion! I have a feeling that overlay thingie was just a one-off that wouldn't happen again with a little patience when the game is loading the first time.

Mad, I'm a little late with this but with regard to putting a game icon on your desktop, you have to go into the drive the game is installed on, into the GOG Galaxy folder, games folder, game and you should be able to put a shortcut from there. I just did this with Atlantis Lost Tales.

I'm referring to this post in the Darkside forum. The desktop launch will include Galaxy because that shortcut is from the Galaxy. Go in through your drive and check it.

"Right clicking on the desktop Launch Icon brings up a very long path.
I have written it out below and HOPE I've got the spaces and apostrophies etc etc etc all in the right places !!

"C:\Program Files (x86)GOG Galaxy\GalaxyClient.exe /command=runGame /gameld=1171230643 /path="C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Skyrim Anniversary Edition"

As you can see, Galaxy is also mentioned in THIS path several times, so I'm not inclined to think I have a "go ahead".

Yet I know in the past I've seen instructions to swap launch icons (and avoid playing the game using Galaxy) on this very board - and more than once - so was hopeful I'd be able to do that with this game."

Hi.

I tried that fairly early on in my efforts, oldbroad, and it didn't work.

But what I did notice with this latest download/install was that a launch icon was NOT placed on the Desktop.
And Galaxy decided that itself.

All previous installation procedures either showed an option to have one OR it was just put there anyway without an option.
This time there was NO option and it WASN'T put there.
I have to click on the Skyrim icon within the game files - which opens the Galaxy page - and then I have to hit "Play" on that page.
And doing that does now launch the game properly.

What a rigmarole it has been to get this game to work !!!! 😱

Okay, sorry. I knew you went into the game file but wasn't sure about the Galaxy files and whatever so just thought I'd mention it. Must be a Skyrim thing! By the way, didn't you say you always use Mods when you play these games? I read that you can't use Mods with this version. I don't play these games so I have no idea what I'm even talking about, so forgive me if this is worded wrong or sounds stupid!

Oh, I'm always grateful for your suggestions, oldbroad

But as to "Mods" ??
It's totally the other way round for me. I never use them - I wouldn't know how !!

However, I do tend to need the cheat "God Mode" for some RPGs.
I'm just not a good enough fighter

Ah, my rememberer is backwards then!

oldbroad, hagatha makes extensive use of mods, so that may have been who you are thinking about!

Could be Drac!

Mad,

I have the non-Galaxy download version of the new Skyrim from GOG installed, and the desktop shortcut points to:

"F:\GOG Games\Skyrim Anniversary Edition\SkyrimSELauncher.exe"

Thank you, Uncle Reg! Much appreciated.

Thanks Uncle Reg

I don't usually use Galaxy to download games from GOG - and didn't originally with Skyrim either !!
I just downloaded the game back-up files as I usually do.

But when I tried to launch the game, I was told there were files "missing". [Which has never happened before.]

So, I thought, to be on the safe side, I'd better RE-download and USE Galaxy.

And what a mess THAT brought on

Anyway, I do at least now have a working game in play. So I'm feeling better

[But Galaxy downloads will never be my first choice.]