Moto Racer 2

Game title: Moto Racer 2
Developer: Delphine Software International
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 1998

Originally developed for: Windows 98, DirectX 6.0
Bent into shape for: Windows 7 64-bit
Result: Working

Problem: Although a 32-bit game, Moto Racer 2 is installed with a 16-bit version of InstallShield, which means that the installer cannot even be started on a 64-bit version of Windows.

Solution: The game has to be installed manually. Create a new directory on your harddisk, into which you want to install Moto Racer 2. Into that new directory, copy the data subdirectory from your Moto Racer 2 game disc. You may exclude the files moto16.dl_, moto32.dl_, and Moto.ex_ from the copy as they are not needed. However, you have to create, within the data subdirectory of your game installation, a new, empty subdirectory called tracks. The only thing still missing now is the main game executable. You should not use the one provided on the game disc (Moto.ex_) but the one from a fan-made patch that was designed to work on Windows XP and above. You can find this inofficial “XP Patch 1.36.3”, for example, at MegaGames. Copy the Moto.exe file contained in the patch archive into your Moto Racer 2 installation directory. You have now performed all necessary steps for a manual installation of the game.

You now need to enter the required information into the Windows registry. Open a text editor (such as Windows Notepad) and copy the following into a new text file:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\DelphineSoft]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\DelphineSoft\MotoRacer2]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\DelphineSoft\MotoRacer2\CurrentVersion]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\DelphineSoft\MotoRacer2\CurrentVersion\Moto]
"DataPath"="D:\\"
"SavingPath"="C:\\Program Files\\MotoRacer2"
"InstallType"=dword:00000002
"Language"="ENGLISH"
"Version"=dword:00000001
"PId"=dword:084b7e75


Note: Please copy and paste the whole block of text as-is, to have the line breaks in the right places.

You will probably have to adjust the three values that are marked red in the example above. The DataPath value should point to the drive letter for your Moto Racer 2 game disc. The SavingPath value should point to the directory into which you copied the game data. For both of these values, see that you also use double backslashes. The Language value, finally, is normally also set by the original game installer. If you want, you can change it to any one of these values: “ENGLISH”, “FRENCH”, “GERMAN”, “ITALIAN”, “SPANISH”, “SWEDISH”.

Save the file with the extension .reg anywhere on your computer and double-click it. Windows will ask you for confirmation. Accept the prompts to enter the information into your registry.

Note: As the registry keys have been entered manually and not by the installer, you will also have to remove them manually again when you want to uninstall the game. After deleting the game’s folder from your harddisk, run the Registry Editor (Start -> Run… -> regedit) and delete the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\DelphineSoft” node. Be careful to not touch anything else. It’s not a big deal if you don’t delete the registry keys, but if you want to do a clean uninstall and not leave behind any clutter, you should do it.

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Problem: When running Moto.exe, the game complains that it does not find WNASPI32.DLL, or it aborts with the error message:

‘The procedure entry point “SUnMapLS_IP_EBP_20” could not be located in the dynamic link library “KERNEL32.DLL”‘

Solution: This is an incompatibility of the original game executable with NT-based versions of Windows. As described in the installation instructions above, there exists an unofficial, fan-made patch to make the game run on Windows XP and above. Download the 1.36.3 XP Patch and overwrite the Moto.exe in your Moto Racer 2 directory with the version contained in the patch archive.

Find the XP patch at MegaGames.

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Problem: When running Moto.exe, the screen turns black for a moment, and then the program crashes back to the desktop.

Solution: This seems to be due to an incompatibility with newer versions of DirectX. You’ll have to force the game to run in software rendering mode. Modern processors should be able to handle the load. Start Moto Racer 2 using the -NoD3D switch to disable Direct3D hardware rendering. Either open up a command prompt, change to the Moto Racer 2 directory and run Moto.exe -NoD3D, or simply create a shortcut for Moto.exe and add the switch to the end of the Target in the shortcut’s properties. You should now be able to play Moto Racer 2.

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Problem: No introduction videos are played. The game switches directly from the copyright screen to the main menu.

Solution: Videos are only played back in Compatibility Mode. Right-click Moto.exe, switch to the Compatibility tab, activate Compatibility Mode and choose Windows 95 or Windows 98 / Windows ME. Other modes might work as well, but these are the ones I tested.