Game unstable with 1.07 + betas

[Owl]

OK, separate thread then:

I wrote:
"I'm running the latest version, latest patch of EU2 and my computer has had a major upgrade since the bad old days when I started playing EU1 and it crashed all the time. But now it's unstable again ..... five or ten minutes of play and bang - CTD.
There are a couple of wars going on, ships and armies moving around, the music is on, the game is at normal speed and resolution is at 800 x 600.


The system is a Pentium 4 with GE Force 4 graphics, 256 RAM etc.
Windows ME.

It runs Morrowind and various other games without hesitation.
It was running fine with 1.05 ....
It was running fine with 1.07 - only one CTD as far as I can remember.

What is this "AVI_back" business all about? "

Ironfoundersson and Castellon advised me to change the AVI folder first, as there is a known problem with the start-up movies.

I don't understand how the folder containing the intro movies would have any effect once the game has started, but in any case I can confirm that I had already changed the folder name in order to speed up loading.

So - next suggestion please! Has anyone else found the game LESS stable after installing the beta patch?

 

[unmerged(9404)]

Is this happening with just one game you are playing?
What year is it?
What country are you playing as?
Are you playing with any mods?
Can you see any events happening just before the crash?

It can be a game specific bug, EU2 can sometimes record something wrong (e.g. double province ownership) Nothing can be done against that except finding the bug in a save file (a lot of work!)
If it is around a specific event it can work to reload the game as another country play a few months until the ai handled the event and than reload as the original country. (preferably use a country on the other side of the world)

If it happens with different game, than the problem is a bit bigger. Just in case do a complete uninstall, removing everything in the folder (maybe keep the save games you like to keep) reinstall and hopefully it works.
BTW are your video-card and music-card updated?

About the movies: I think the Bink player that is used for the videos sometimes clashes with EU2.

 

[Owen]

Try starting a completely different scenario (not Napoleon, unless you've fixed it, it's bugged in the latest beta). This should check to see if it's event or hardware/game engine related.

EDIT: IMHO Owl, your sig would look much better if it said "Exit, pursued by Bear". That sounds much more like stage directions.

 

[Owl]

Originally posted by Owen
Try starting a completely different scenario (not Napoleon, unless you've fixed it, it's bugged in the latest beta). This should check to see if it's event or hardware/game engine related.

EDIT: IMHO Owl, your sig would look much better if it said "Exit, pursued by Bear". That sounds much more like stage directions.

It's not an event, because it happens at different dates ..... I'm playing Siena in GC, it's 1439 and this has been happening every few minutes (ranging from one or two minutes to about twenty). I play a few game months, save again, it crashes and I go back to the latest save each time.

As for the stage directions, they are by Shakespeare (Winter's Tale) and thus incapable of improvement.

 

[Castellon]

The problem with the Bink player is that on some configurations the Bink player does not remove itself from memory, there by causing conflictsduring the game!

Have you updated the video driver?

 

[Owl]

The video driver hasn't been changed since the system was upgraded, no .... but as I mentioned above, everything seemed fine until I installed the beta patch.

The system runs everything else it is asked to.
I don't have other programs running in the background.

It LOOKS exactly like the early-EU1 CTDs, when the system was trying to do lots of troop movements and message boxes at the same time and just collapsed.

I'll try playing without the music again; I don't think that's a likely cause but it might give the program one less thing to worry about.
I'll also move the AVI file out of the EU2 folder just so that I can be 100% certain it's not running ....

 

[Owen]

Originally posted by Owl
It's not an event, because it happens at different dates ..... I'm playing Siena in GC, it's 1439 and this has been happening every few minutes (ranging from one or two minutes to about twenty). I play a few game months, save again, it crashes and I go back to the latest save each time.

As for the stage directions, they are by Shakespeare (Winter's Tale) and thus incapable of improvement.

I'd already thought of that, but it could be an event with an offset.

Strange they don't sound Shakespearean enough.

 

[Castellon]

Originally posted by Owl
The video driver hasn't been changed since the system was upgraded, no .... but as I mentioned above, everything seemed fine until I installed the beta patch.

The system runs everything else it is asked to.
I don't have other programs running in the background.

It LOOKS exactly like the early-EU1 CTDs, when the system was trying to do lots of troop movements and message boxes at the same time and just collapsed.

I'll try playing without the music again; I don't think that's a likely cause but it might give the program one less thing to worry about.
I'll also move the AVI file out of the EU2 folder just so that I can be 100% certain it's not running ....

Try an update on the video driver, Also you have no Mods installed right?

 

[Owl]

Originally posted by Owen
[..]Strange they don't sound Shakespearean enough.

No, it's one of his more Pythonesque moments, but it's always been a favourite of mine ...
http://www.bartleby.com/70/2433.html
(see line 64)

And Castellon, no I don't have any mods of any kind.

 

[Owen]

Originally posted by Owl
No, it's one of his more Pythonesque moments, but it's always been a favourite of mine ...
http://www.bartleby.com/70/2433.html
(see line 64)

How very odd.

 

[Castellon]

Guys both of you know better than to have this discussion in this thread. Take it to PM or OT please.

 

[Owen]

Originally posted by Castellon
Guys both of you know better than to have this discussion in this thread. Take it to PM or OT please.

We've stopped now. Promise. Sorry Castellon.

 

[Castellon]

Originally posted by Owl
And Castellon, no I don't have any mods of any kind.

Let me know if an updated video driver makes a difference.

 

[marriott2234]

I'm having the same CTD problem. I have clean install + 1.07 patch, no mods at all. I've played both Byzantium and Novgorod and the crash happens at different dates but within 10 minutes of starting. The dates do not appear to be the same for each country as I went several winters with Novgorod, but Byzantium crashed within the first year.

 

[AndrewT]

... and have you done everything previously suggested? Renamed the AVI folder? Updated video and other drivers? Reinstalled? Played with no sound? Slower speeds? Lower resolutions?

 

[Owl]

OK, working better now ..... might get really daring later on and switch the music on again.

 

[Castellon]

Originally posted by Owl
OK, working better now ..... might get really daring later on and switch the music on again.

Great, Good luck.

 

[Owl]

Originally posted by Castellon
Great, Good luck.

Not sure what the problem WAS, now! It's gone, anyway. It looked like I already had the latest video driver, but I downloaded and installed it again to make sure. And renamed the AVI folder again.

Played for an hour last night, with music, even managed to crank up the game speed and fight another war.

 

[Castellon]

Your computer knew you had consulted me, and it got scarred, as it should have!

 

[Owl]

Originally posted by Castellon
Your computer knew you had consulted me, and it got scarred, as it should have!

More like - it had spent the previous three hours playing the Sims and had completely lost its marbles ...