Good afternoon,

I am attempting to launch Fallout 2 on my PC, and I'm having some issues. I get the InterPlay screen with the world, and then the Black Isle screen. When I get to the opening with the picture of people (looks like they're in a computer room), and it starts with "War, war never changes", if I try to skip that screen to get to the menu, I get a screen like the one attached.

I have uninstalled, reinstalled, and followed the instructions in the Windows troubleshooting page. Here is my setup:

OS - Windows 7, 32bit
PC Model - Dell Dimension E521
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (3.1 GHz)
Memory - 3GB RAM DDR2 PC2-5300
GPU - nVidia GeForce 6150 LE (onboard)
Monitor - SyncMaster 920NW

When I get the screen in the picture, I can still hear the music like it's at the main menu, so it didn't crash. Has anyone seen this and does anyone know how to fix this?

Have you tried editing the config file to change the video mode? That was the first thing that came to mind when seeing that. Haven't experienced anything like that though.

I did not install any mods. It was just a straight install from GOG. I originally tried the resolution mod, but when I installed it, I got a blank screen instead of anything (no Interplay screen, no Black Isle screen, etc).

I installed the first mod, it looks like #3 is included with it. I still get the blank screens with that. If I go into f2_res_Config.exe, I've tried playing with some of the settings, but nothing seems to work. I even turn off the hi-res patch, and I get the same issue, although now the Interplay and Black Isle screens look worse. I'm not really sure what #4 will do for me, should I be using the DirectDraw files to see what is going on?

Have you tried changing compatibility modes? That helped me with a few of my issues with the game (although they were different than yours). I think I chose Windows XP SP2...

If that doesn't help, maybe try changing graphics options via the start menu option? The only other thing I can think of would be to make sure you have updated video card drivers.

So, I thought I was using the most recent drivers. I went to the nVidia site and did the driver checker thing and it told me I was using an old version. I then remembered, when I upgraded to Windows 7, the nVidia driver was causing Chrome to run very slow so I downgraded to an older version. I removed all of the Fallout 2 installation and any mods, upgraded the display driver, reinstalled Fallout 2, and tried to launch it without any mods. Same error. Installed the Unofficial patch, and launched it again and it seems to be working. I haven't started playing yet, but I can get to the menu now at least.

While the immediate issue was solved, I thought I could add the following advice:

If you use patch for Fallout 2 Restoration Project, you should not use the Unofficial Patch. If you want just bugfixes (and children for versions that lack them), use Unofficial Patch. If you want the additional content of Restoration Project, use that patch without Unofficial Patch, since RP already includes the bugfixes of UP.

Also, the GOG version of Fallout 2 comes with an older version of Sfall, so while installing the newer version of Sfall with RP or UP is optional, you should do that with GOG version. However, the OP said that he/she installed only the Unofficial Patch and that Fallout 2 launched without apparent issues, so I think that he/she will be just fine.

By the way, at least on my computer selecting New Game from main menu causes black screen with the GOG version with or without patches. However, that is just a cosmetic issue, since moving the mouse causes the character selection/creation screen to appear properly.