antaren4279

My appologies, I should have clearified: Those who responded to my post that I was false, should take into account that I ment win98 first edition. Although first and second edition differances may not effect BCM, the win98 first eddition is one of the only areas left for why my computer keeps crashing often when playing BCM. The operating system, hard drive, and sound card are the only components in my computer that have not been replaced since buying BCM. I know that the problem is not entirely the sound card, since the game still crashes even after I pulled it out. I've spent the time going over the hard drive with scaning utilities, and I've already formated and reinstalled everything twice. The game's stability seems to be uneffected by whatever drivers I use. I want to get win2k so that I can see if the operating system makes any differance. I would love to replace my sound card, but currently I have easier access to a new OS then any other new hardware. If anyone is running Win98 first edition and is capable of going for more then 2 hours without a single crash (not sitting overnight, actual play and transvers time) please let me know.

Glaver, all your other games work because they do not require what BCM requires out of your machine. Most likely your problem is a combination of stability issues, not any one specific conflict. Here are a few solutions that may help you stabalize: -If you check DXDIAG, see if your video and audio have no problems with dx8.1. A pissible problem is some equipment made before 1999 does not entirely support dx8.1, even though it will work with it. In your profile, your sb-live may be a contributor to stability problems (dissabling sound without removing the card/software is not a complete solution). -I checked out your motherboard manufacturer, there may be some issues with your usb controlers. If you have a normal serial joystick, see if your system is more stable by dissabling your usb controler (both in windows and bios if possible). -Have you tried changing your drivers from the 23.11 to the 22.80 detinator drivers? Other options, including bios functions you might want to experiment with: -Change your ram speed from 133mhz to 100. -Dissable Ultra-DMA. -Check your cpu temperature in your hardware monitor menu. Note any anomylis temperature or voltage usage. -Dissable External cache. This will cause a significant performance drop, but on a few older systems this has helped stabalize systems that otherwise crash constantly. Dissabling L2, internal, any cache will have adverse effects on the computer and may cause the OS to crash upon startup. -Change your oporating system to win2000 or XP. The OS could be a culprit in unstable systems. I could be wrong, but I swear most of the people having the "BCM crashes every X minutes" problem are using Windows 98. Does anyone else have some input on this? [ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Another reason: with allot more of twitchy, pimple faced kids playing the console version of BCM, your bound to get atleast one kid who goes nuts, takes his mom's car, and rams it into the local DMV while screaming something about Gamulians killing his 3 week old AE. Then SC would get sued by the CCMAVM, the Coalition of (stupid, ignorant) Colimbine Mothers Against Violent Media. [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Could someone please email me the 2280 detonator drivers, or give me a link? I've looked everywhere, but all I find are 2311 Det 4 or the 1570 msql certified Det 3. [ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

There is nothing more that bcm needs. Pipe dream indeed... There are no complaints or wishes about what you left out. Posts in this thread will be about how much larger the game can get. How much more in time and computer power is needed to add more cruisers and carriors? How fesible is it to add a new line of ships (i.e. a size class larger then carriors). What hurdles seround the problem of having npc ship subsystems configured the same as pc ships? How much more in cpu speed, memory size, and other recourses would be needed to make npc ships have the same system configuration and damage responce as pc ships? BCM already uses a huge amount of recources. Would these changes double the required specs of the end user? Triple? Take another year of developement? What more could BCTC and BCO offer? Any clue what you would do after those titles? [ 01-06-2002: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Troubleshooting FaqIn this are links to programs that can tell you about your chipsets and tweaking your hardware. There are plenty of people who have already had your problem. Post instead of bothering the guy who is already catering to more then what your $50 entitled you. [ 12-13-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Your complaining about it crashing every two hours? I crash every 30 minutes and I still manage to explore the univers. Hit ctrl+S every time you hyperspace and the crashes wont be but a 5 minute inconvienance. If you want the game to stop crashing, start by lookng at your motherboard. There are plenty of utilities for finding out about your chipsets. You can check to see if the chipset manufacturer has more current chipset drivers then those offered my your motherboard vender. Get some tweeking utilites from the links offered by the troubleshooting faq. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Woops, dont know man. Just nuke em again. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Merphy's law number 2,302: all problems not involving game developement (including all newbie questions) automatically piss sc off. Merphy's law number 2,303: pissing sc off sends you to hell, no pass go and you loose your turn.

I think this is how you find the information: Open the 3000ad/bcm/data folder and open these two INI files: assets.ini and items.ini. The assets.ini file details what ships can take what upgrades by listing the upgrades as numbers. Look up the numbers on the items.ini file and you will find what upgrades a ship can have. If the upgrade is not listed on the ship in the assets.ini file, then that ship can't handle the upgrade. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Aye carumba! Perhaps site holders in the bc webring can offer mirrors.

Hmmm, I also downloaded from the New Zealand server. Although I have installed without any problems, my game crashes every 10 minutes now. I've done everything I can think of, including reinstalling my o.s. I've spent hours at the video card tweaking sites, but the problem seems to be uneffected by anything I do. Before I go and rip apart my computer, I'll redownload from the L.A. server and report back tonight when I have some time to test. "What? Monday? Where the hell did the weekend go? @#@#%@#%#%!!!" BCM IS the virus. [ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

A full system format? Hmmm, not sure if I'm ready for that, considering I'm chalk full of movies I have yet to burn. Well, I guess I can predict my night right now: I'll spend the hour reinstalling the os, installing all the damn drivers I need, and then when I finally get to the game it will crash the same way again. I think what I'm going to do is look around at everyone's profiles. Most of the people here built thier machines and have detailed profiles, its time I get a new motherboard anyway. I just wish I could figure out why my machine crashes more then a drunk late to his aa meeting. [ 12-09-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

Yup, several times by now. I've tried a veriety of things, but I cant seem to place where the error is. I have a hunch that it may be time to reinstall my os. I'm somewhat hesitant on taking the hour to reinstall and reconfigure the computer just to play this game, but I DID buy a new video card just to play the game so I'll probably do it. The major thing I havent tried is removing my sound card and seeing if the instability is caused by the sound blaster. If I remove it, then I have no joystick. This is the only error message I've ever gotten, the rest of the time have been CTD. EXPLORER caused a general protection fault in module USER.EXE at 0003:00008fb3. Registers: EAX=000024b8 CS=17b7 EIP=00008fb3 EFLGS=00000246 EBX=00000000 SS=0d57 ESP=00008cf6 EBP=00008cf8 ECX=00020d9f DS=16bf ESI=00002cf7 FS=0d77 EDX=816cf2f0 ES=0d9f EDI=00000001 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: 8e c6 26 39 06 16 00 74 4c 8b 36 4e 01 0b f6 74 Stack dump: 8d1e0000 24b890a8 0d7716bf 00010000 007e0000 00100000 02800000 000001e0 00010d9f 7c160080 02a18d48 148c16ff 01bf0002 8d5c01bf 00380000 0043630c [ 12-09-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

I would also like to add my problems here. I was crashing constantly until the rc5 patch. The game ran fine with that patch. Then when I patched the rc9, the game is crashing constantly now. Every 10 minutes a crash, accessing logistics and trying to fix my craft will make the game crash. Docking and trying to use logistics there will make me crash. What is this rc9b I saw a few posts up?

Haha, thanks sc. Even though cruisers cant cloak, that extra tank is a cargo hold saver. [ 12-08-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

I hope this is not an exploit hole that gets pluged, but I found a way to make millions without using inflation or drones. All cc's, both cruiser and carrior, have irridium fuel tanks. I start off at the home starbace (e.i. galcom hq) where the prices are low. Stock up on as much irridium as you want. Then, go looking for a friendly bace that is atleast 2 jumps away from a major bace (e.i. in the Lyrius system). Iridium uses its own storage, making it ideal for trading. My personal rout is from galcom hq to Wrath starbace in Lyrius. First thing I do is sell everything onboard my ship. It is risky but worth the quick buck. I get around 1.1 million after selling all cargo on my ship, then I stock up on as much iridium as I can. The round trip from Galcom to Wrath and back is $39k in radium if baught from Galcom. The profit in selling iridium from Galcom to Wrath is +64%. The first trip yeilds around $40k in profit after feul bill. The next trip yields 2.8 million total. After 5 or 6 trips, I can afford all the upgrades and artifacts I want with $10 mill to spare. If my ship were a carrior, I'd have used a random by now. There are tons of trends in the prices from starbace to starbace. Radiation Control units can yield up to 30% in profit. Plutonium and krypton can also yeild upwards of 50% and more. Minding drones can have up to 500k in profit if you look hard. If you want to make money quick sell everything you have, you can buy it back when you have a nice reserve of cash.

I wish cruisers had some ability that carriors did not. I know that the ability to fly faster and shoot longer is a definitive advantage over carriors, but it sure would be nice if the carriors kept the research ability, but the cruisers were the ones with the cloak. Then again, the current trend in ship abbilities may have other factors that I do not see. For instance, the multiplayer patch may sevearly limit your ability to play with carriors online. Perhaps I am not using my ship to the fullest of its capabilities. Oh well, time, experience, and multiple deaths will hopefully sharpen my skills.

Need not said, I have allot to learn. Thank you for the suggestions. It sounds like I need to ... pay more attention to things. By the way, when you say 'hj somewhere and drop off some leaches,' can leach or crab mines see cloaked ships? [ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: antaren4279 ]

well, here's my first topic post...hope sc doesnt find a reason to deleat it anyway, i'm flying a garid around and i love the speed and short range firepower, but in multiplayer how in the world is someone like me going to fight against a good carrior with the phased cloaking device? i've tried carrying the device around just in case it would give me the ability to see other cloaked ships. i've thought about ways of fighting a good commander in a cloaked ship. i've devised the following options: -run away, my ship is faster -mine a jump point, but i dont think mines see cloaked ships -wait in one spot and see if i can find where he's shooting me from, and blindly fire in that direction as you can see, i cannot think of a way to deal with this situation. please help.

doh...chalk up another one for the clueless newbie

report for r7: just want to say thanx derek for being so fast on the patches and game issues ... and allowing my ass to get back onto the forums. the game still crashes, but not anywhere near as frequently. in a 5 hour session, the game crashed 3 times. Deleted a bunch of inconsequential crap by someone who has not been paying attention or reading the game manual. [ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]