When i run worms 2 on windows 7, the game works with no problem but the colors are all messed up, how can i fix this ? I tried compatibility on all options, nothing worked, still i see messed up colors.

same here, have tried seriously everything, got the colors okay in virtual pc with windows 98se, but then I could not start the game menu, only the worms2.exe, and therefore have to play the same map over and over again, the mouse is on speed or something as well, since it is totally uncontrollable..

Have tried closing explorer before starting the game, even tried the different .bat files to see if there was any difference, have tried different patches, different palett configuration programs, tried the "open the monitor screen fix" but nothing works :(

I am lost, anybody able to help?

Or anybody know where I can buy the cd version of worms 2, since that worked on windows 98 before?

Same here, do you guys have ATI cards?

This solution worked for me but be warned it involves fiddling with the registry. http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/927140-win7-fixing-old-256-color-games-with-distorted-palettes/

The following is 3rdDin8's method which I used:

1. Run your game at least once and exit out of it.
2. Go to your registry and navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\MostRecentApplication" (if you're using 64 bit, go to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\MostRecentApplication")
3. Take a note of the name, game.exe, and the ID, which looks similar to this: 0x02e41c67
4. Remove the '0x' part of the ID and separate the values into pairs, like this: 02 e4 1c 67
5. Take the pairs and reverse their order, like this: 67 1c e4 02
6. Open notepad and add this:

---------
32 bit only

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\<NameOfGame>]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"ID"=hex:00,00,00,00
"Name"="game.exe"
---------

or

---------
64 bit only

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\<NameOfGame>]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"ID"=hex:00,00,00,00
"Name"="game.exe"
----------

*Note: Change <NameOfGame> to whatever you want, leave 'Flags' alone, enter your own ID keeping commas intact, and change 'game.exe' to whatever it is.

7. Save it as 'fix.reg' and run it to import it to the registry.

Here's my example from 'The Hell' mod for Diablo:

----------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\DirectDraw\Compatibility\The Hell]
"Flags"=hex:00,08,00,00
"ID"=hex:8b,c1,c3,34
"Name"="TH.exe"
----------

If you're scared you'll screw up using the registry or just want something quicker you can try this:

1. Open the "Worms 2" folder
2. Open Notepad
3. Paste the following into the Notepad window:

taskkill /F /IM Explorer.exe
frontend.exe
Start explorer.exe

4. Save as "worms2 fix (or anything really).bat" into the Worms 2 folder.
5. Run it. (If you have a shortcut to Worms 2 on your desktop or in your start menu you can link it to the .bat file by right-clicking the shortcut, choosing properties, and in the "shortcut" tab changing the Target to "C:\GOG Games\Worms 2\(filename).bat" GOGWORMS2)

Keep in mind this kills explorer for as long as you're playing so the taskbar won't be visible.

Hi Dwoyor,
there's a lot easier and automated way to do what you just said: DirectDrawFix (originally from the aok file archive, you can find it in google as I can't post links here). This will solve the broken palette issues in all old DirectDraw games on Windows 7 and Vista. The colour issue is not present on Windows 8 (fixed by Microsoft), so no fixes are needed.

Btw, you don't need to run the executable to get its ID. If you have a hex editor, you can get the ID directly from the executable (it's a PE timestamp, aka compilation datetime). Here are the instructions from the dev himself. Note though that all the integer values are represented in little endian: you turn them around (e.g. 038A6EF3 = F36E8A03) ________________
EDIT: I have now posted the windowed mode plugin, which solves the problem for good, by rendering the game in 32-bit color. It's located in this thread.

I've tried this fix & it hasn't worked for me. I've deleted it redownload & reinstalled it still the same. This is the first time i've had a problem like this on with a game on GOG.

Have the same problems. DDFix does not work. compatibility does not work. killing the explorer.exe etc. does not work.The edges of the worms and the environment are flickering. The colours seems to be okay, but its impossible to play the game

Hello. If the standard methods don't resolve the issue, then please try the windowed mode plugin, which I posted in this thread: http://www.gog.com/forum/worms_series/plugin_windowed_mode_for_worms_2_improve_windows_8_performance

Why windowed mode, you would ask? Well, because the wrapper transforms the 8-bit colour graphics into 32-bit, thus eliminating any color issues for good. Just make sure that you disabled all the other compatibility options if you had them enabled before.

Yes working thanks a million StepS. You've save me from putting my fist through my monitor lol. :)
One question. I don't get the colour problem on my laptop I only get it on my desktop pc. Could this be because my pc has a graphics card & the laptop has integrated graphics.

Well, it's not only explorer that could be stealing the palette... Some other things might cause it as well, like programs with heavy use of colors (unfortunately I don't know any such examples, but there certainly are). Also, if the auto-changing wallpapers are enabled, the colours are reset everytime the next wallpaper is changed. But I don't think that it works with explorer.exe killed... And, of course, there may be several explorer processes running for different folder views.

The windowed mode wrapper transforms 8-bit colors to 32-bit, because the system runs in 32-bit, to show up properly. Because the color mode is applied to the whole screen, not just a window (except Windows 8, which no longer has 256 colors and instead emulates them)

aaaah, StepS there are not enough "very" in the world to thank you very much! It works!!!!! epic!!!!

Your Worms 2 ReSolution and Windowed-mode patches work very well! Can you upload the patches to this GOG forum? I think we need a Worms 2 forum specifically for Mods and Patches. I think they're called "Sticky" forums and they have that red orb that stays at the top of the screen. If we had a forum like that then new players will be able to play Worms 2 without any problems.

hi, do you mean attaching a file to a post? If so, I don't see an option for attaching files except pictures here, so I upload the archives to my website and posting them as links. I'll make sure to make mirrors though, just in case something ever goes wrong!

That's a good idea. Make sure there's a mirror for the Worms 2 windowed mode patch on the worms2d.info website too!

Also, I know this is probably a random question, but is there any way your Worms 2 patches can be used on other games that also had inverted-color issues or no-windowed-mode issues? Say for Tropico 1 by any chance?

Yeah, I'll create an article to cover the DD windowed mode for W2, W:A and WWP.
Also, of course you can use the windowed mode in other DirectDraw games. Here's the default package for other games, also as simple to install as to extract into the game's directory: wndmode.zip
Compatibility may vary with different games though. Currently the best games where the windowed mode worked at its best were the Age of Empires (I and II) series. For the rest you may need to experiment with the settings in the ini file. For example, the "ImproveSpeed" setting tries to synchronize the game speed at its normal (100%) speed, enabling vsync, etc. Always make sure you have a backup of the settings file.