Year: 2008

Disclaimer

The game is not supported by code weavers, and I don’t support users of this posting ether. However, comments and corrections are always welcome – spam will be killed. Also note well, I prefer the command line interface, so I do not use file mangers such as Explorer, Nautilus, or Filer often.

Prerequsists:

• Basic understanding of GNU/Linux user accounts and permissions
• Having a working GNU/Linux distribution installed (Ubuntu or Debian recommended)
• The ability to understand file paths and simple file operations (e.g. copy) without a photograph or explanation of how to copy/move/delete files.
• Legal copies of both SWAT 4 and SWAT 4: TSS, total of 3 CD-ROM

Step one: Purchase a copy of “CrossOver Games for Linux” from CodeWeavers, or download the free 7 day trial.

Step two: install Cross Over Games for Linux, hence forth called simply cxgames — for brevities sake!

The installation process is simple, the format I suggest is to install it as root for all users. This basically amounts to executing the install shell script as root, either with su or sudo

$ su - root
# ./install-crossover-games-demo-7.1.0.sh

$ sudo -H ././install-crossover-games-demo-7.1.0.sh

Either way, root will need access to you’re display. Via the su method, on a secure system to will have to grant root this access. The proscribed method is you’ll need to run

xhost +local:root

, and set your $DISPLAY value accordingly once you’ve su’d to root. N.B. a lot of documents say

xhost +localhost

, which will grant everyone on your machine access to the display; instead of adding root.

Once you’ve launched the install script, it will walk you through it — mostly by a graphical installation wizard.

Step Three: Install SWAT 4

Insert your SWAT 4 disk #1 into the drive, and make sure it is mounted. Some Linux distributions are set to automount it like Windows (Ubuntu), others require you to manually mount it. N.B. that secure systems will only allow root to mount file systems by default.

Launch the cxgames windows program installer; this may be in your applications menu (gnome/kde users) or have to be run manually from a prompt. If you have to run it manually, the program you want to execute is /where/you/installed/cxgames/bin/cxinstall, for example: /opt/cxgames/bin/cxinstall.

Since SWAT 4 is not one of the supported games, you’ll want to go with the “install other games” option, and pass by the disclaimer. You’ll thne need to tell it where to find the disk, usually this is just clicking a checkbox but it is quite flexible. You should install SWAT 4 into it’s own “bottle”, because Linux doesn’t care much for spaces (and command lines are fun), a good bottle name is “SWAT4”.

A bottle is just a simulated windows installation, so if desired – every game can be installed into it’s own separate place. This really makes back ups a snap, limits one program screwing with another, and improves situations if you need to make ‘tweaks’ to the bottle. The installer will then create the bottle in your personal space, e.g. /home/terry/.cxgames/SWAT4. N.B. that .files-and-dirs in Linux are considered ‘hidden’ files, in a GUI file manager, you’ll need to b/p to deal with that.

When the installer starts, run it, there is no need to change the default install paths, unless you are installing into a very customized bottle. Since SWAT 4 uses two CD-ROMs, you will have to umount your first disk, and mount your second before pressing “retry” on the change disks dialog. Same thing happens again at the end of the install, to put the play disk back into circulation. When you’re done, you can close the install program and tell the cxgames installer that it has completed, it will warn you for paranoias sake — close it.

Step Four: Launch SWAT 4

SWAT 4 uses a SecuROM based copy protection system, when I set this up – it thought cxgames version of wine was a cd-rom emulator! And refused to run, a quick fix is to google for the ‘swat 4 no cd’. You will need to backup the old Swat4.exe, and then replace it with the no cd fix in order to launch the game.

Since I prefer the command line, I use cp and mv to copy and move files around; rather then copy/pasting icons in a file manager.

$ cd ~/.cxgames/SWAT4/drive-c/Program Files/SierraSWAT 4/Content/System
$ mv Swat4.exe Swat4.exe.orig-1.0
$ cp /path/to/fixed/1.0/Swat4.exe ./Swat4.exe.nocd-1.0
$ cp Swat4.exe.nocd-1.0 Swat4.exe

Now launch the game, either via your applications menu (gnome/kde users), or manually with the wine subsystem of cxgames, e.g.

$ /opt/cxgames/bin/wine --bottle ~/.cxgames/SWAT4 ~/.cxgames/SWAT4/drive-c/Program Files/SierraSWAT 4/Content/System/Swat4.exe

Then go ahead and test the training level or something like that. SWAT 4 must take care of first run chores before you install the path. When you’re done, just exit the game like normal. In the vent of catrostrophic disaster, you should be able to ctl+alt+function key to vtty, login to a command prompt, and us the ps and kill commands to terminate the process, cxgames also has it’s own way of nuking bad windows processes hehe.

Step Five: Patch SWAT 4

Because the patch checks for a legit copy of SWAT4, we have to replace Swat4.exe with Swat4.exe.orig-1.0, otherwise the patch will fail and scramble a few game files.

$ rm Swat4.exe
$ cp Swat4.exe.orig-1.0 Swat4.exe

Now insert you SWAT 4: TSS disk and run the installer, just like when you installed SWAT 4. Except use the same bottle, by selecting it from a list of existing bottles when prompted for a bottle to use. Once the TSS installer pops up, click the button to install the SWAT 4 1.1 patch.

Step Six: Test run SWAT 4 1.1

Now you need to use a no cd fix for SWAT 4 1.1 in order to continue, download it and do like in Step Four.

$ mv Swat4.exe Swat4.exe.orig-1.1
$ cp /path/to/fixed/1.1/Swat4.exe ./Swat4.exe.nocd-1.1
$ cp Swat4.exe.nocd-1.1 Swat4.exe

and launch the game as in Step Five.

Step Seven: Installing TSS

If you left the TSS installer open from Step Six, fine, if not, open it again — same exact way.

You will have to replace the no cd fixed Swat4.exe with the original one from the path, else the TSS installer will bomb out on you.

$ rm Swat4.exe
$ cp Swat4.exe.orig-1.1 Swat4.exe

Now get the TSS installer up and click the install swat 4 tss expansion pack button. Then proceed through the installation process; you shouldn’t have any major problem, as long as you remembered switch executables first.

Step Eight: Run SWAT 4: TSS

Now you should be able to launch SWAT 4: TSS, when I did it… there was no problem with the Swat4x.exe file in the expansion pack, but the game soon refused to run, having verification problems, despite being a legally paid for copy, with the legally paid for copy in the drive. So one will need to employ another no cd fix to be able to use this legally paid for copy of the game.

$ cd ~/.cxgames/SWAT4/drive-c/Program Files/SierraSWAT 4/ContentExpansion/System
$ mv Swat4X.exe Swat4X.exe.orig
$ cp /path/to/fixed/Swat4X.exe ./Swat4X.exe.nocd
$ cp Swat4X.exe.nocd Swat4X.exe

You can launch it the same way as SWAT 4, but in the case of the command line, the path changes. Just like on Windows, from ContentSystemSwat4.exe to ContentExpansionSystemSwat4.exe.

Known Issues

If the game and your display are not running at the same resolution, moving your mouse pointer to the ‘edge’ will make it scroll outside the window, effectively creating a pan and scan across your display. I have a 1600x1200px primary screen and a 1280×1024 secondary screen. Having SWAT in 1024x768px mode, was horrible… edit: this happens even when the game and X screen are at the same resolution.

I have yet to determine under what conditions dual heads will work, but luckyally most X Window Managers handle dual heads better then Microsoft Windows (in my indignant opinion), at least that has been my experience under FreeBSD 7 and Ubuntu GNU/Linux 8.04 with X.Org 7.2,a nd Windows XP Media Center Edition. So the main problem is a question of mouse handling.

Because of the way things work, people who use mods (e.g. SSF) may have problems launching them, without a corresponding no cd exe. Other wise the game seems to be useable, I’ve only to acertain whether or not graphical performance can be maintained.

My word, wouldn’t it be heaven to only need windows to play Raven Shield once in a blue moon?