I've enjoyed Grand Prix 3 on Windows for many years, but always struggled to get it to work on Linux with WINE - until recently. The graphics with the later wine releases are pretty good, the problem is speed and fluency. By far the best result has been obtained with PlayonLinux (latest version 4.4) with processor occupancy in hardware mode only exceeding 100% in extreme external view cases (like the start of a race viewed head-on). So job done? Alas, not quite - the essential acessory program GPxPatch.exe, which adds so many useful features, resolutely refuses to fire up the main program. This is the PlayonLinux console output when 'wine GPxPatch' is entered in:
PlayOnLinux: /home/john/.var/app/com.playonlinux.PlayOnLinux4/data/PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/GP3Again/drive_c/Program Files/Microprose/Grand Prix 3 > wine GPxPatch
002c:err:wineboot:process_run_key Error running cmd L"C:\\windows\\system32\\winemenubuilder.exe -a -r" (126).
00a8:err:ntoskrnl:ZwLoadDriver failed to create driver L"\\Registry\\Machine\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\winebth": c00000e5
003c:fixme:service:scmdatabase_autostart_services Auto-start service L"winebth" failed to start: 1359
The GPxPatch.exe Dialog Box Appears. You Press 'Start GPx' and a message box says 'An error has occurred'. That's all. Windows error message appears if selected and always gives:
Starting log
GPxPatch version: 3.30
GPx version detected: decrypted GP3 1.13
Verbosity level is 0
OS version info: Windows NT 6.2 build 9200
Total physical memory: 2047 MB (free: 2047 MB)
Executing GP3.exe
Error writing process memory: (5) Access denied.
Error writing process memory: (5) Access denied.
*** error injecting code: (5) Access denied.
Then there is a final console line output: 00e4:fixme:ntdll:NtQuerySystemInformation info_class SYSTEM_PERFORMANCE_INFORMATION
Curiously, running 'wine GPxPatch' from a terminal does work, BUT the game speed is much, much slower, as though it were bypassing the PlayonLinux engine altogether!??
My system details are:
Hardware: Self-built PC using:
AMD Ryzen 5 4500 CPU
NVidia GeForce RTX 3060 Graphics Card
16 GB DDR 4 RAM
OS: Linux Min 21.3 Cinnamon v 6.0.4 (Ubuntu Version)
PlayOnLinux running Wine version 8.1 (staging)
I've tried everything to troubleshoot this. Such a shame to fail at the last fence when so near to succeeding! If anyone can figure out a solution, I'd be most grateful.
