Beyond Good and Evil launches but doesn't work on this computer. It spouts out an error that the game isn't installed, which I checked into on the Steam forums. Apparently it means that the game's path has been incorrectly configured. This may mean it's incompatible with Win7. Either way there's no way for the end user to fix it, as the game didn't create any entries in the registry.

I'll be testing a few games over the weekend but nowhere near as many as last week. Next up on the list are Al Emmo and Thief: Deadly Shadows.

e: Thief does not launch.

Rise of Nations and Hotel 2 would not work.... on windows 7 got Error 4062 was a game in use,,,, only 2 games I DL at this time....

If it tells you a game is in use, try killing the GameTapPlayer.exe process in Task Manager and reloading the My Games page, that's what works for me. It's also the only way to actually delete a game.

Have I mentioned how terrible Gametap's download manager is? I think I might have. It's really really really really terrible. The coders don't read the forums but I'll just say it anyway. Keep the plug-in for Browser games and make the Download Manager a very simple, very thin frontend/client. Think Steam, without the clutter. Just a list of your queued games to launch/download with configuration options.

Anyway. Al Emmo launches, plays, etc. It's every bit as ugly as people have been saying. And obnoxious too. Unfortunate, because I liked their Sierra remakes.

Runaway launches.. or does it? The official game launcher opens, but it is completely blank, with just one option: Exit. Another for the pile.

I personally don't like the direction Gametap has taken. Like many others, I too run Windows 7 RC (both 32bit and 64bit). I don't think that most of the problems Win 7 users are experiencing are directly linked to Win 7. Vista users are experiencing their share as well.

When Gametap moved to a browser based launcher I guess they overlooked the fact that both IE and Firefox had new versions on the way. Most opt for the latest browser version to take advantage of the latest features etc.
I hope that Gametap realizes that the browser plug-in method is too problematic for a number of reasons. Go back to a standalone launcher. It doesn’t need to be as detailed as the last, just something simple. If you insist on moving forward with these browser plug-ins at least increase your support.

And another thing... You advertise this new method as “Beta”. Being an experienced alpha and beta tester, I’ve never seen a company force all subscribers to use a new method while it’s still in “beta”. Allow customers (especially since we pay) the option to help you test would be more appropriate. If this is no longer a beta take beta off of the top of your site. In my opinion, this feels like a early beta test. If you want to draft everyone to be your testers give us something in return.

If these issues can't be addressed soon, I'll be taking the appropriate actions required to get my recent renewal refunded. I know that someone from Gametap at leasts reads some of what is placed in this forum. If they don't, then they obviouslty don't care about their customers...

Jack Keane launches and works, although rather slow on my system-- I didn't expect to be a very next-gen game based on its style but other than the rather low-poly character models, the evironments themselves are very much like a cartoony Xbox 360 game with large draw distance and nice effects.

Testing Post Mortem next.

Post Mortem does not launch, but realMYST launches and works just fine.

Right, me again. I saw that there was a major-ish update to GameTap so I decided to try games on Windows 7 again. Since the BG and Planescape games are gone for now, I tried Lionheart again and also Post Mortem, since a newer poster said it didn't work for him. FireFox (3.5.1) minimized as if the game were launching, but nothing launched. No error, the program just hanged there. The same thing happened with both games. I had to end task on the gametapplayer process and refresh in between tries. Finally, I tried Heroes III again (which was working before) and that still works.

In reading the Win7 information from MS, I noticed that the Pro and Ultimate versions will have an additional download with the Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP license. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-xp-mode.

ComputerWorld (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132119/Windows_7_gets_virtual_XP_mode_) stated that both are free including the XP license.

Has anyone used Virtual PC with XP emulation as an option for most unplayable games?

gimmly22 wrote: In reading the Win7 information from MS, I noticed that the Pro and Ultimate versions will have an additional download with the Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP license. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-xp-mode. ComputerWorld (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132119/Windows_7_gets_virtual_XP_mode_) stated that both are free including the XP license. Has anyone used Virtual PC with XP emulation as an option for most unplayable games?

I think that XP Mode in 7 doesn't really support DirectX, so it's not a viable option for gaming.

Amfortas wrote: I personally don't like the direction Gametap has taken. Like many others, I too run Windows 7 RC (both 32bit and 64bit). I don't think that most of the problems Win 7 users are experiencing are directly linked to Win 7. Vista users are experiencing their share as well. When Gametap moved to a browser based launcher I guess they overlooked the fact that both IE and Firefox had new versions on the way. Most opt for the latest browser version to take advantage of the latest features etc. I hope that Gametap realizes that the browser plug-in method is too problematic for a number of reasons. Go back to a standalone launcher. It doesn’t need to be as detailed as the last, just something simple. If you insist on moving forward with these browser plug-ins at least increase your support.

You bring up a good point that I didn't think of before. Browsers are upgraded all the time. When you are depending upon a browser plug-in to run a system, you have to be on top of it. Sadly Gametap started from behind and it's pretty tough for them to catch up. They don't have all of the problems with Vista solved and 64 bit support is terrible. And this fall, PC's with Windows 7 will be sold. And from what I've read, 64 bit will be standard while 32 bit will be for low end, starter systems. Gametap has basically three to four months to get with it. Otherwise, I'm afraid they'll be losing too many customers.

macnbc wrote: I think that XP Mode in 7 doesn't really support DirectX, so it's not a viable option for gaming.

Right. It's no more viable than running an instance of XP in VirtualPC 2007 would be. The thing to keep in mind about XP Mode is that you're still running a virtual environment even though the shell of the VM has been hidden away. The video card that's emulated is still the ancient S3 Trio with a whopping 4 MB of video memory. I actually attempted XP Mode with some older games (pre-DirectX) and even those were so slow as to be unplayable. This feature is intended mostly for business applications in an effort to entice large companies with investments in legacy software to upgrade. That's why it's only offered on the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Win7 and not the Home Basic/Premium versions.

xero wrote: macnbc wrote: I think that XP Mode in 7 doesn't really support DirectX, so it's not a viable option for gaming. Right. It's no more viable than running an instance of XP in VirtualPC 2007 would be. The thing to keep in mind about XP Mode is that you're still running a virtual environment even though the shell of the VM has been hidden away. The video card that's emulated is still the ancient S3 Trio with a whopping 4 MB of video memory. I actually attempted XP Mode with some older games (pre-DirectX) and even those were so slow as to be unplayable. This feature is intended mostly for business applications in an effort to entice large companies with investments in legacy software to upgrade. That's why it's only offered on the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Win7 and not the Home Basic/Premium versions.

From reading these last few posts, every one is looking at VMWare's Virtual PC. I was talking about Microsoft Virtual PC w/ XP being offered free to buyers of Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate. It is available as a beta (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx). According to some of the publications available on the site, it integrates all drivers into the XP environment. This sounds like an unstable situation, but if it works, many of GameTap games should work fine.

VirtualBox recently added support for DirectX and OpenGL in version 3, but we shouldn't need to be talking virtualization. Windows 7 is very much still Vista under the hood, it's the reason drivers are interoperable between Vista and 7. Compatibility isn't beyond GameTap, I just hope they can get it done in time enough that these forums don't explode (again) in October

gimmly22 wrote: From reading these last few posts, every one is looking at VMWare's Virtual PC. I was talking about Microsoft Virtual PC w/ XP being offered free to buyers of Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate. It is available as a beta (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx). According to some of the publications available on the site, it integrates all drivers into the XP environment. This sounds like an unstable situation, but if it works, many of GameTap games should work fine.

I'm definitely referring to the XP Mode as part of the new Virtual PC. I gave it a whirl on a pretty beefy machine during the RC just to see how it operates. Essentially what it does is run a hidden instance of Virtual PC in the background and has some interesting ways to probe the virtual machine for info. It's capable of pulling running windows out of the VM environment and displaying them as if they were running natively on your Windows 7 desktop, and it integrates programs that you install there into the Windows 7 Start menu.

All in all, it's pretty awesome that it can do all that, but it doesn't help the fact that it's still running against emulated hardware in the background. It's great for business apps, but not an ideal solution to run PC games that are incompatible with Win7.

If there is a good list of working and nonworking Windows 7 games please post the link. I couldnt find anything but this one so I am adding to it. I have personally verified almost everything on this list. Others are from threads were multiple people have stated work/not work about a game title..

Win7/32bit
8600GT
I have tried UAC, admin, run as Windows XXX tricks. I do have a clue and so far have been able to get all apps working either in Win 7 or in XP mode EXCEPT for Gametap. Most Gametap games have been downloaded 3-4 times if they didnt work to insure it was a good download, or at least increase the chances.

I know GT doesnt support Win7, but maybe this can help others not waste all their time downloading to find out it doesnt work. If anyone has tricks I am missing - yes updated Phys/Video/DX9++++ etc also lol

I will try more as I can, but about to give up and check back in a few months and see if its worth keeping my subscription.

Work:
Hitman: Contracts
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Shining Force
Sam and Max
Last Express
Baldurs Gate
Icewind Dale
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun
Al Emmo
Baseball Mogul 07
Fallout
Grandia II
Insecticide
Interstate 76 Gold
Jack Keane
Marble Blast Gold
MDK
Mr. Robot
Sam & Max
Voyage
Civ IV
Jericho
Sacred Gold
Overlord
Fallout Tactics
Heros of Might & Magic V
Jewelcraft
Cradle of Rome
Tomb Raider
Bloodrayne II






Dont work
Trine
Mechwarrior
Bloodrayne
Prey
Beyond Good and Evil
Theif
Rise of Nations
Hotel 2
Planescape
Baldurs Gate II and III
Puzzlequest
Lionheart
Fishdom
Treasures of Montezuma
Alien Shooter Vengence
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Freelancer
Dark Fall
Deus Ex (Regular or GOTY)
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Hitman Codename 47
Konami's NES Collection
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Return to Mysterious Island
Second Sight
Sid Meyer's Pirates!
Soul Reaver 2
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Typing of the Dead
X-Com
Fallout
Shattered Union
Titan Quest
Psychonauts

Ligge wrote: Win7/32bit 8600GT I have tried UAC, admin, run as Windows XXX tricks. I do have a clue and so far have been able to get all apps working either in Win 7 or in XP mode EXCEPT for Gametap. Most Gametap games have been downloaded 3-4 times if they didnt work to insure it was a good download, or at least increase the chances.

I'm not a gamer but I use to love playing tony hawk pro skater. The only reason I signed up on this site is to play pro skater 4. Of course my nicest computer is running win7. I can run the demo fine but when I launch the full game out of gametap.com nothing loads. I've tried running the gametap.exe in different compatibility modes with no success. I wanted to buy the game but can't find it anywhere for PC but here. Needless to say I'm not too happy.

here is my list (text file) confirming many of the mentioned games and a few others, with more information (sha1 checksum, size of a data file, on-disk gameid, problems, 64-bit capability. I will probably make a searchable database for this since GameTap won't spend the time to.

Is there anywhere that Gametap has even stated that they care about all the Windows 7 users that cant use their service for squat?

I just spent almost $200 on STEAM games the last week that normally would have gone to Gametap for purchase/downloadable games but since they cant get my subscription working I didnt trust them to make my downloadable games working too.

All my nonGametap games work fine in Win7 that I have tried and thats got to be nearing around 50 games by now.

I went back and tried a few more the last week and will try a few others before I update the list again above, but my subscription is up soon and if there is no move by Gametap to correct any of this or rven repsond to us I wont be staying.

This is the latest, I havent compiled as much from other people since I have found it is a YMMV situation. A few games I have tried multiple times still fail for me but others state they worked... I have an open log and issue with GT now to try and get some better answers because hopefully by now they all know XP mode (VPC) isnt an answer and the "run in compatibility mode" doesnt seemt o do much better. If it has an astericks I have personally tested or tried multiple times before adding it to the list.

Work:
Burgertime *
Aveyond *
Fallout : Tactics *
Syberia *
Damnation *
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Platinum *
Call of Duty 2 *
Hitman: Contracts *
Heroes of Might and Magic III *
Shining Force *
Last Express *
Bloodrayne II *
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell *
Voyage *
Baldurs Gate
Icewind Dale
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun
Al Emmo
Baseball Mogul 07
Fallout
Grandia II
Insecticide
Interstate 76 Gold
Jack Keane
Marble Blast Gold
MDK
Mr. Robot
Sam & Max
Jericho
Sacred Gold
Heros of Might & Magic V
Jewelcraft
Cradle of Rome
Tomb Raider

Dont work:
Civ IV Beyond the Sword *
Trine *
Mechwarrior *
Bloodrayne *
Prey *
Puzzlequest *
Titan Quest *
Evil Genius *
Far Cry *
Overlord *
Syberia II*
Beyond Good and Evil*
Silent Hill 2*
CivCity Rome *
Thief
Rise of Nations
Hotel 2
Planescape
Baldurs Gate II and III
Lionheart
Fishdom
Treasures of Montezuma
Alien Shooter Vengence
Freelancer
Dark Fall
Deus Ex (Regular or GOTY)
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Hitman Codename 47
Konami's NES Collection
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Return to Mysterious Island
Second Sight
Sid Meyer's Pirates!
Soul Reaver 2
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Typing of the Dead
X-Com (Error: "Couldn't Create Process")
Fallout
Shattered Union

Any Heroes of Might and Magic IV players with Windows 7? I would like to get confirmation if that game is also one of the ones awaiting a patch for us Win7 users, or if it is another problem. It's currently just telling me that the CD-ROM isn't in the drive and closes the game launch.

Jamfee77 wrote: Any Heroes of Might and Magic IV players with Windows 7? I would like to get confirmation if that game is also one of the ones awaiting a patch for us Win7 users, or if it is another problem. It's currently just telling me that the CD-ROM isn't in the drive and closes the game launch.

In my experience this seems to be related to a bad download. Just my 2 cents on what seems to have worked in the past when I get that error on games that dont otherwise offer a key needed and provided.

I just downloaded it (Heroes IV) and it seems to work fine. I launched it and went into a new scenario and then quit.

I just downloaded Fallout, it does this weird thing where it will switch to where colors look like the negatives of a camera. I am running Windows 7 64 bit, any tips?

I wonder what their excuse is now. Windows 7 was released in October so Gametap can’t hind behind the we don’t support “beta OS’”.

Amfortas wrote: I wonder what their excuse is now. Windows 7 was released in October so Gametap can’t hind behind the we don’t support “beta OS’”.

There is no excuse. They simply do not support Win7. Period. If it works for you, great, if not, too bad. I have had an open ticket for over a month now and when I have asked them about it their answer was "we didnt get what we asked you to send" - yeah I call BS on that since I sent it multiple times. I had an older machine crash last week and it was my kids XP machine for Gametap. I didnt have the original OS so I put Win 7 on it, downloaded and installed Zoo Tycoon for them and when I launched it from the desktop icon I got a message saying they only supported Vista and below and IE7, Firefox and to please use that combination.

Hello Gametap... you rocked before Metaboli got you and now, well... not so much.

I wont be renewing next round, most of my friends already cancelled. Its a shame as I was a big supporter as this was the best thing going for cheap and reliable gaming entertainment out there. Now its just a nonworking old POS unless you have an OS that is also an old OS.