Under Vista 32 SP1, WinXP 32 SP3, 64 SP2 and Windows 7, I was not able to duplicate any of these problems on two computers. I cannot crash my computer with the movies, cause the audio to skip / trim in-game (or in the FMVs) or anything else listed on this or other similar threads. In XP, I have full hardware acceleration. I did not change the sampling rate. I did not try the game out on Ubuntu with a Windows emulator. I have the latest DirectX drivers. I did not run the executable in compatibility mode. I have all of the latest fixes for every OS. I never tweaked a single setting anywhere.
Here are the two computers I tested it on:
Desktop:
OS: WinXP 64-SP2 and Windows 7 Build
Intel Quad 9550 OC'ed
ASUS Rampage
8 GB DDR3 OC'ed
ASUS TOP ATI 4850 512 MB x 2 Crossfire OC'ed
Creative Titanium Series
Raid 50 x 6 - 750 GB Hitachi Ultrastars
Netbook:
OS: WinXP 32-SP3, Ubuntu, Vista 32 SP1, Windows 7 Build
MSI-Wind U100
1.6 ghz ATOM OC'ed to 1.98 ghz
2 GB DDR2 memory
160 GB 5400 RPM
Intel GMA OC'ed to 400 mhz
For both computers, I have the following in the background (besides regular ATi device drivers, etc.):
Daemon Tools
AVG Anti-Virus
For both computers, here is my movie setup:
K-Lite Codec Pack 4.9.5 (no media player classic installation, H.264 installed, everything else untouched). Uninstalled Quicktime. Google and download QT Lite 2.9 (or latest). The latest Real Player Alternative is installed on both systems. Both computers have the newest VLC player.
*Winamp with iTunes lossless codecs
From the 1.02 patch (the GoG version is 1.04):
For movies, possible fixes and explanations:
"Problems With Movies
Many users have experienced compatibility problems when DirectX and
QuickTime are used in conjunction with one another. We have
"discovered" several things which might help if you don't see the
movies:
1) Completely uninstall and reinstall QuickTime. The version on the CD
was current as of September, 1999 but there may be a more recent version
at
http://www.quicktime.com 2) Open QuickTime setup from the Windows Control Panel. In the
drop-down list select "Video Settings" and uncheck the box for "Enable
Direct Draw Acceleration".
3) Some have suggested that installing DirectX Media and the latest
verison of the Windows Media Player might help.
4) If the movies are playing, but poorly, this may help. Create a
shortcut for Septerra.exe. In the shortcut's properties, add -d to the
end of the Target line (be sure to include a leading space). This will
cause the engine to play the movies back at their native resolution
rather than doubled. With 1/4 of the pixels to render, it should be
better.
5) If you're just sick of messing with it, put -m on the Target line
instead (with a leading space). This causes the engine to not play
movies at all. I don't recommend this - I think the movies are
terrific, but it's there if you need it."
I have two other computers, but neither are meant for playing titles. I have access to an i7-975 Intel system with Vista 64 Ultimate, 3x SLI GTX 260 and Creative Titanium, but I don't know when I will be able to test it out on there. After I can run this game on there, I will post my results.
Here is the link to Septerra Core files:
http://valkyriestudios.com/Septerra/
As mentioned before, GoG is already running the 1.04 version.