Since this 16-year-old game may be confusing to get running, here's how to run it if you haven't setup something like this before.
Things you'll need: - A legit copy of the game on 2 CD's - The 1.3 patch -- Direct link: http://download.fileplanet.com/ftp1/patches/stm_patch_v1.3.exe Optional: - Daemon Tools Lite: https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite - Steam, or any other program to remap controller inputs
-
Install the game from the discs as you normally would. Insert the disc in your disc drive, go to File Explorer --> your disc drive --> Setup.exe (if it doesn't auto-run) and follow instructions. Choose the minimum install if you want to use Daemon Tools to mount a virtual disc, or maximum install if you want to use a physical disc while playing. Don't install DirectX, you probably already have it. Make note of the install directory.
-
Run stm_patch_v1.3.exe (from above) to apply the patch.
-
Run in Vista Compatibility mode. In File Explorer, navigate to the install directory (by default, 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Activision\Spider-Man (TM) Movie'), right-click SpiderMan.exe, select the Compatibility tab, and select Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows Vista. Click Apply. (Note: Vista mode works the best for me on Windows 8.1. Might be different for Windows 10 machines, but if the game messes up, your first instinct should be to change this option.)
OPTIONAL:
-
In Steam, add the game as a non-steam shortcut. Start steam, in the bottom-left click "add a game," then "add a non-steam game," wait for "Spider-Man (TM) Movie" to show in the list, click the checkbox next to it, then click "add selected programs."
-
Configure the controller inputs using steam. With your controller plugged in, select the shortcut in steam, click "Controller Configuration," then make these changes: change the right thumbstick to "joystick mouse," the d-pad directions to arrow keys, the left trigger to left-shift, and the right trigger to keypad 5. This will allow you to use the right stick for the camera, the d-pad for the menus, left trigger as the web combo, and the right trigger as the web swing. You can configure the buttons in the game settings, and you may have to configure your controller in steam BPM settings beforehand. There are other programs that can do the same thing, but I find Steam to be easier.
-
Create a virtual copy of disc 2 using Daemon Tools. Using this, you won't have to insert disc 2 to play the game, and it may make load times faster. With disc 2 inserted: in daemon tools, under "new image," use "grab a disc" to rip it, then under "Images" select your disc image and mount it.
Tips:
-Keep the game in 640x480. For me, changing this adds time to the loading screens and makes it harder to record. -When asked to reset your points, always select "no;" if I select "yes," the game will crash eventually (at least for me). -When using multiple monitors, make the the monitor farthest to the right your main monitor. This will make the game run on that monitor, so when the game changes the screen resolution, it won't mess up the other monitors. -In your split program, if you enable global hotkeys (you may need to run it as an administrator) and set your split key to Enter, then you can use that to split exactly at the beginning of every split by using your keyboard to select a new game and to choose "no" to saving between levels.
