*** IMPORTANT: READ BEFORE POSTING HERE ***

Important: Read Before Posting Here

Support Forum Rules - Supplied by Castellon
1) If you do not know what you are talking about don't post. No advice from members is better than bad or harmful advice. (First do no harm)
2) If you did not start the thread then unless you are sure the support staff is on the wrong track then do not post in the thread. To many people telling the person with the problem what to do, just confuses them.
3) Recognize that not everyone is a computer expert, The support staff generally have a good idea what the problem is and are leading them through specific steps to identify a solution. Please do not interfere with that process.
4) Spam will not be tolerated in the Support forum.
5) You must start a NEW thread for a problem you are having, do not hijack someone else’s thread to say "help me too", "I have the same problem"
This makes it very hard for staff to track problems and to keep system configs straight. Also just because the problem has the same or similar symptoms, does not mean the cause is related.

fp = FootPrint, this is just a note to say that the posts up to that point have been seen by support staff, but no specific comment was needed. It is a device that helps us track the problems.


What Support is and what it isn’t

You’d be amazed at the things reported in the support forum. This stems from a basic misunderstanding of what the forum is here for. If you look closely, you’ll notice that there are a number of forums for each game and each of these has a specific purpose. Posting a thread in the wrong forum almost certainly means that (1) the question you’re asking won’t get answered, (2) that it may take a while before you even realise that it won’t get answered, (3) wastes the time of the volunteers who support or administer the forum who have to subsequently read it and move it to wherever it should be and thus don’t get to the other forum-specific (legitimate) questions as quickly, (4) clutters up the forum with OT threads since a linked copy is always left on the original forum so you can find where it’s been moved to, and (5) makes it painfully obvious that you haven’t read the stickies.

Of the various forums, three will probably be of most use to you right now if you’re reading this and are new to the Paradox forums:

• General Discussions Forum (GD): This is the forum where you should ask all those questions about how to play the game or make suggestions about how it could be modified to “improve” or adjust it to your tastes. The basic presumption here is that the game is working roughly as the designers think that it should, and you’re looking for help on how to conquer the world or want to give the designers some helpful suggestions for the future.
• The Support Forum: This is where you should report issues directly relating to malfunctions of the game, and most particularly ones involving hardware issues that result in being unable to play the game due to inability to load it or patch it, strange video effects, strange audio effects, random CTDs, and so on. The assumption here is that something is materially wrong with the game (or, more likely, the interaction between the game and your particular computer configuration) and that it needs to be resolved so you can get on with having the joy of playing it.
• The Bug Reporting Forum: This is where you report issues with the actual events and interface. The staff here want to know if there’s a particular event or action that you can help them to identify that is causing the game to malfunction so the code can be corrected. This is also somewhere that you can raise issues about game balance, historical accuracy of events, incorrect spelling or nomenclature, etc. Before doing most of the latter, open a thread in the GD forum to make sure you have a consensus and then, when you report it, provide a link to that original discussion.
• Other Forums: Other forums of interest include the FAQ forum where many useful tables and charts can be found to explain some of the mechanics of the game; the MP forum where most multi-player related questions should be asked; the AAR forum where you can read about other people’s experiences with the game; the Scenarios & Events forum where new events are scripted and where you can get help in designing custom events and edits or even participate in building new scenarios…poke around and you’ll find a wealth of information and help.

For obvious reasons, the Support and Bug Reporting forum staff only respond to issues with the official Paradox release of the game as distributed by their official publishers and will not assist in matters relating to custom scenarios, file mods, save game edits, and particularly not to pirated versions of the software. If you’re having trouble with a custom scenario or edited file, ask your questions in the Events forum.

How to report a technical issue

After you've read the stickies at the top of this forum and completed the most common recommended fixes (a complete self-help FAQ will be forthcoming shortly), if you still have a problem then you should report it here in a new thread. When posting a technical problem, members should include all of the following information to ensure prompt and accurate response from support staff: I thought I’d give you an example using my poor old laptop (which, by extraordinary coincidence, still happens to run absolutely perfectly with EU2) rather than a high tech recent system which will not be representative of many people’s installations.

• Country version of Game and the patch you are using (1.01, 1.02, etc)
  Example: I am using EU2 Strategy First version 1.05
• Operating system (Win9x, WinMe, Win2000, etc.) and build.
  Example: I am running WinXP Home SP1 (5.1 Build 2600)
• Computer Make, Model, CPU & speed
  Example: Compaq Presario 17XL262 Notebook w/ Intel PIII 600MHz
• Memory (RAM - the more you have, the better off you will be!)
  Example: with 256Mb RAM
• Free disk space on the hard drive where the game is installed
  Example: 1.8Gb free on my HDD
• Video Card brand, model number, current driver version and video memory
  Example: Video: Rage Mobility AGP w/ driver v6.13.5.10.779 and 8Mb Video RAM – used to drive both the laptop monitor and an IBM P200 monitor.
• Sound Card brand, model number and current driver version
  Example: Sound: ESS Allegro PCI Audio w/ driver v5.12.01.11667
• DirectX Version Installed
  Example: DirectX v8.1 (4.08.01.0810)
• Other potentially useful hardware components or configurations
  Example: I also use a USB-connected MS Internet Pro Keyboard and Logitech USB Trackman mouse.
• Mention that you read this thread before posting
  Example: I think that’s everything you asked for in the sticky
• A clear and detailed – yet concise – description of the problem you’re having. The more detailed information you give us, the faster we’ll be able to solve your problem.
  BAD Example #1: I keep having CTDs!
  GOOD Example #1: When I first try launching EU2 the status bar gets about half way and then I get a CTD.
  BAD Example #2: My f***ing sound doesn’t work
  GOOD Example #2: My sound seems to cut in and out with a crackling buzzing noise when it happens.
  BAD Example #3: My cat died yesterday. On the way home from the vets I decided to stop off at the pub, and then…
  GOOD Example #3: <blank…just get into the details of the problem you’re having>
• Top priority is given to those who supply all the necessary information with their original report and who phrase it nicely.
  BAD Example: You bastards had better help me in the next five minutes or I’ll never buy another Paradox game.
  GOOD Example: Please help me…pretty please…with sugar on top

Almost all of the information above can be obtained by looking at two utilities that are on everyone's computer (although the path might be a little different depending on your OS and specific installation):

• Start-->Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->System Information
  This will provide most of the OS and hardware specifics we're looking for.
• Start-->Run, then type dxdiag.exe and click Okay
  This opens up the DirectX diagnostic window that also gives you some of the hardware details but, more importantly, will quickly show you the sound, video and DirectX information that we'll need.

Taking a couple minutes to give us the information we need will go a long way to ensuring that your problem is solved as quickly as humanly possible. Keep in mind, though, that the support staff are volunteers who have careers, families, and other responsibilities that may prevent them from answering your question immediately. Try to be patient and give them a little time to find a solution to the problem and respond to it. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, you will get at least an acknowledgement (and in most cases, a probable solution) within 24 hours.

Since we aren’t all IT professionals and almost every member’s system is unique these days, we may have to attempt several different possible solutions before we find the right one. It’s also possible that you will be temporarily referred to another support site (MS knowledge base, etc.) to resolve some issues. Please try to be patient with this process and report back in the original thread with your results – whether successful or not. You can go a long way to helping yourself and others by letting us know when a problem is solved since we are continually in the process of building and maintaining a database of problems and fixes. This may also enable Paradox to adjust their code and installations to reduce issues in future patch and game releases, so you may end up having yourself to thank when the next patch or game comes out and everything goes smoothly.

Thanks for your patience and your assistance.



For your convenience, here's a "template" that you can copy and paste into your post along with the appropriate answers:

__________________________________________________


Technical Problem

I have a technical problem that I need your help with please.

Game Version & Patch (incl. country):

OS & build/SP:

Computer, CPU & speed:

RAM:

Free HDD space:

Video (brand, model, driver, memory):

Sound (brand, model, driver):

DirectX Version:

Other:

I read the stickies but I still have the following problem:

• <Here's where you tell us what the problem is and give us as many details as you can.>