I had given up on replaying this game until reading posts recently in the help forum.

Tried installing it on my Windows 7 system, including using their "troubleshoot compatibility" option, and it appears to install, but won't start up. I get the following error message:

Error in module sprites[]
->Direct 3D init failed. Code:(80040154)

Dunno what that means; and can't get the program to start.

Ideas??

Didn't Mystery of the Druids have a choice of whether to use hardware 3D graphics or not? If you can find the option to use software mode, you shouldn't get that 3D error.

I can't remember if the software vs hardware 3D option was something in the options menu or if it was in a separate program in the game folder or Start Menu that you'd run to configure the game.

It's an option in the Launcher. Choices are "start game" or "Settings."

Under Settings you can choose between "hardware", "highest quality" or "highest performance."
Tried all three choices, but it didn't seem to help.

It might be an issue with SafeDisc. I have the very earliest version of MOTD.

The problem is related to your video configuration. Can you post you video specs?

Also, are you running a 64 bit version of 7?

Edit -

If this is a fairly new PC, maybe all you have to do is install DirectX 9. Have you installed version 9 in the past?

Just located the system requirements - and it looks like the game requires DX8 (included on the disc). Did you allow this to install?

Remember this, Tally Ho?
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcMm/MotD.htm



I wonder if this isn't a game for Virtual PC.

I found reference to an update to allow the game to work with Vista (motd_vista_update.exe). But according to ***this web archive page for House-of-Tales*** it doesn't work with the 2001 release of the game. They say it's only for Vista, but at the time the patch was made Vista may have been the latest version of Windows. If you've got one of the other versions you can download it here if you want to try it
http://www.gamefront.com/files/files/6836422/motd_vista_update.zip

AZ - yes, 64 bit Windows 7
Also ran dxdiag, it is DirectX 9
Don't think it gave me the option to install DX 8 or not.

Jenny - I sure do remember. That walkthrough was a LOT of work. Chasing a couple of dead-ends, 'specially the cat.

I will try the update, but I know my version is the original (SafeDisk and all) so my hopes are not up yet.

Now I get a message: "The program cannot start because fmod.dll is missing."

also I tried installing DirectX 8; no help there.

That was a nice walkthrough you wrote. The game really needed one too.

I played Mystery of the Druids with DirectX 7 back when I was using Windows 98 to play my games. So I don't think it really needs DirectX 8.

Sorry the patch didn't help. There is a NoCD to take care of the SafeDisk, but I don't know that SafeDisk is the problem either.

This may be one that isn't going to work outside of Virtual PC or VMware.

You can find FMOD at the site below - copy it to the game folder.

FMOD Studio

Well, that got rid of the FMOD error; but it just opened the door to more errors; mostly having to do with graphics problems.

I guess I will just have to set up an old computer to get this game going. Thanks anyway for all the help.