Installing Forever Worlds on Windows 98SE or ME

By MrLipid
April 2004

If you are running Win98SE or ME and you followed the installation routine provided on the Forever Worlds CD, your game probably doesn't run.

Here is what actually needs to be done to run Forever Worlds on 98SE and ME. (For all those still running Win98 First Edition, you can stop reading now. Windows Media Player 9 will not run on 98, and without Windows Media Player 9, Forever Worlds cannot be completed. Nor can Forever Worlds be completed without the installation of DirectX 9.0b on Win98SE. That said, there are saved games available at the bottom of this page that can move players past sections that don't work on pre-98SE, pre-WMP9 and non-DirectX 9.0b systems.)

The secret is to install (or reinstall), in a specific order, a specific group of support programs.

Existing Installations

If you have already installed Forever Worlds, do the following. It is not necessary to reinstall Forever Worlds itself.

Step One: Install the latest version of DirectX directly from Microsoft. (You'll find it here.) This is version 9.0b. Even if you have already installed 9.0b, do it again. A reinstall never hurt, and this is as much about getting all the dependencies right as it is about getting all of the apps in place. So, install (or reinstall) DirectX 9.0b. (If you have philosophical issues with DirectX 9, fine. Don't install it. Just don't expect to be able to complete Forever Worlds without using the saved games links at the bottom of the page.)

Step Two: Install Windows Media Player 9 direct from Microsoft. (You'll find it here.) Let WMP9 associate itself with all the files it wants to ... especially the video files.

Step Three: Find the right video driver for your card and download it directly from the manufacturer. If, like I do, you have an nVidia card, version 53.04 seems a bit more stable than version 56.64. I've also heard from some folks that the older Radeon drivers work better. Your mileage may vary.

Step Four: Install the DivX 5.1.1 codec, either from the Forever Worlds CD or the DivX website. Do not install the DivX player.

You are now ready to play Forever Worlds. If you click on the desktop icon and still get the logo-logo-lockup problem, it can be cured, after rebooting, by running a video in WMP9 before asking Forever Worlds to load. After any reboot, it is only necessary to run a video in WMP9 once before loading the Forever Worlds. Once a video has been run, Forever Worlds can be opened and closed all day without a problem.

New Installations

Step One: The installation routine will ask to check for DirectX 9 and, if it is not present, to install it. You don't have a choice here so, if it is not present, say "Yes."

Step Two: You will be asked to install the DivX codec. Install the codec but not the DivX player.

Step Three: Install the game.

Step Four: Once Forever Worlds is installed, follow the steps listed above for an existing installation.

That's it. That's the Secret Sauce that's necessary to put Forever Worlds on its feet in 98SE and ME. Enjoy!

The Pre-98SE and Pre-WMP9 Saved Game Workarounds

There have been attempts to play Forever Worlds on Win98 First Edition using WMP 7.1 and on Win98SE using DirectX 8a and WMP 9. This almost works. Unfortunately, there are two sections in the game (the Administration Room in Part 3 and the Control Room in Part 5) where it doesn't. The cursor no longer responds in these sections, and only a saved game can move the player forward. The following saved games can be downloaded and placed in the Forever Worlds GameData folder.

The POSTADMIN saved game moves the player past any contact with the Administration Office in Part 3, and the PART5-1, PART5-2 and PART5-3 saved games allow the player to experience everything in Part 5 other than the Control Room. Per the Solution Guide, PART5-1 begins immediately after leaving the Control Room (Fig.77) for the first time. PART5-2 starts immediately after the Control Room ("I'm Leafing on a Bee's Back") and just before the Zoom Room. PART5-3 starts immediately after leaving the Control Room on the way to (Fig.82).