Subject: The Guild Gold Edition (Europa 1400 Gold / Die Gilde Gold)

I found the hint in this thread (german only):
http://www.gilde2.de/social/thread/7491 (link is dead, sorry. All informations here!)

1. Copy a new build of "ddraw.dll" in the Guild Gold main folder (where the exe files are located)
2. Use the "GildeGold.exe" (NOT "GildeGold_TL.exe")
3. If you have problems with wrong colors or doubled/distorted graphics, activate the "Reduced color mode" in the compatibility settings of the "GildeGold.exe" and set it to "16-bit (65536) colors" (Right-click the exe and select Properties from the drop-down menu. Select the Compatibility tab.)

This new "ddraw.dll" (DDrawCompat) you get from the original source:
https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases
https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases/download/v0.5.1/DDrawCompat-v0.5.1.zip (last tested build from Nov 2023, 870 KB)

DDrawCompat is a DLL wrapper aimed at fixing compatibility and performance issues for games based on DirectDraw and Direct3D 1-7. You can see that the new DLL is being used by the game by the fact that a "DDrawCompat-GildeGold.log" appears in the game folder when you exit the game.

This procedure also fixed the problem with missing graphics on the right side of some menus (for example missing paper in annual account or missing slots in handcarts...), problems with fast scrolling and problems with mouse clicks.

___________________________________________
Other useful hints:

Sometimes the resolution slider in the graphic options menu cannot be moved to a higher resolution (freezed at 800 x 600). In this case you can set the resolution manually in the "game.ini", section [Gfx]:
[Gfx]
...
cur_res=0 --> for 800 x 600
cur_res=1 --> for 1024 x 768
cur_res=2 --> for 1152 x 864

The windowed mode can also only be set manually. In section [General] in the "game.ini" you can write:
[General]
...
Bildmodus=DIRECTWINDOW --> for windowed mode
Bildmodus=FULLSCREEN --> for fullscreen

Worked perfectly for my needs :) thank you very much

You sir are a legend!

Thank you very much for this! Every time I wanted to play this recently, I balked because the choice between a bunch of graphics being cut off and crappy performance wasn't a good one... No longer is that the case!

This solution works for my case in which the lag already started on the menu screen.

When i copy that dll ist only get a Blackscreen when the intros are gone. I hear the starting-music, but nothing more.
Edith: works, got an old version.

Do you know anything more specific? I still get the black screen with every version of the file i tried so far.

There is no "GlideGold.exe or GlideGold_TL.exe in the game folder.

There should be a Europa1400gold.exe. Try that.

Thank you OP for this. It completely fixed the low FPS issue.

[mistaken comment]

I don't know what i meant there. It only works for me, if I set Bildmodus=DIRECTWINDOW in the game.ini

I installed the ddraw.dll file in the main folder and this is what I get:

-Using the Europa1400Gold.exe I can view the 4 opening movies then the software just shuts down.

-With the Europa1400Gold_TL.exe I can get all the way into the main menu but then the screen is black.

I also tried changing the ini file but nothing I did there worked. Tried different resolutions. Tried toggling on windowed mode, but then the game would just render with distorted colors and two game screens side-by-side.

For me the two green game screens problem was solved by using the reduced color mode fix:
3. If you have problems with wrong colors or doubled/distorted graphics, activate the "Reduced color mode" in the compatibility settings of the "GildeGold.exe" and set it to "16-bit (65536) colors"

But that brings me to my main problem:
I can either run in windowed mode 1024x768 which is really tiny on my screen and use the dll and be low fps free
or I can go fullscreen mode and have insane flickering of all kinds of elements as long as I use the dll.
So anyone found a way to get the game running in fullscreen mode with the dll installed?

It doesn't seem to work for windows 11 I always get "application load error 5:0000065434"

Tested with Win 11. Works Here. Without the DDrawCompat-DLL it is laggy and slow. With the DLL it runs smooth. I have tested the newest DLL with version 0.5.1.