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Crash to desktop


CaptnKarob
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My BCMG crashes to the desktop every time I play usually around 3 to 5 minutes into the game. It happens every time I destroy an enemy ship, and sometimes when I change targets. Sometimes it happens seemingly random. (I know how hard it is to debug random errors)

I have contacted Dreamcatcher Tech support with no luck. I bought a new video card (NVIDIA GeForce 2) and upgraded my RAM to 256 MB. I know my rig insn't great but it is better than the reccommended minimum requirements. (See my updated system profile)

I uninstalled and reinstalled the game with no change.

Someone please help? I REALLY want to play this awesome game!

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I have experienced similar CTD. With Norton Diagnostics, I found that one of my memory modules has a single failing bit. This may cause the problem.

Did you install the latest patch? Defrag'ed your HD? Updated all your hardware drivers?

I'd suggest 384M if not 512M of RAM as well.

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Also check to make sure you actually applied the patch properly. You can tell by looking at the version number on the lower-left corner of the main menu or by opening the BCSETUP.INI file in Notepad. The version is at the top of the file. Those two numbers (in the Main Menu and in the INI file) should match.

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Thanks SC,

I am fairly certain that I did install the patch properly. I copied it to the Battlecruiser program directory and executed it there as instructed but I will check the version when I get home.

My RAM checked out OK.

Dreamcatcher tech support thinks I have a defective CD.

I have tried everything I could think of.

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Some general thoughts:

1. Check your BIOS settings. If you need a guide, I will try and dig one up. If you are new to your BIOS exercise some caution as well as write down everything you change.

2. Make sure you have a large enough swap file. You may want to monitor and log your system stats, specifically memory usage or paging. I don't recall what utilities there are for '98 off hand, again if you need me to I will be happy to dig something up.

3. If you have the means, either try the game on a clean install of '98 or install 2000 or something on your system and try that. Depending on your free space perhaps you can dual boot to save your main OS.

Just shooting in the dark here, not claiming to be an expert. If something wasn't clear just PM or email me.

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I tried again last night to get BCMG to run for more than a few minutes. I completely uninstalled and reinstalled just as directed in the FAQs, I double-checked my bios settings to make sure my on-board video was disabled (it was), I stopped every non-critical service running and STILL the game crashes! I have tried everything I can think of - everything in the FAQs and all the suggestions from this forum all to no avail. All my drivers are current, I have the latest Windows Media Player (9.0), DirectX 9b, I doubled my system memory to 256MB and bought a brand new Nvidia GeForce 2.

Here is some more information about the problems I am having:

I start a new game and accept all the defaults in setup. I watch as my BC departs from GALCOM. When the Bridgeviewer comes up, I select the Mars jump gate in the NID and the game minimizes to the desktop. I click on the taskbar icon and the game is maximized again, but I have no Icons. I have the NID, Tacscan, and CVD windows, the HUD and the system status display (minus the Icons on the left of the meters), but no alert indicators or ship/missile icons. Even the image of the Earth is gone. If I mouseover any item I see a blue box where it is supposed to be and clicking it brings up the correct menus. If I go into any other screen (like tacops or perscan) and go back to the bridge everything is normal again. I turn on A/P and HJ to the Mars Jumpgate. I go through thew jumpgate and try to cycle through available targets with either the , or the . keys and I immediately crash to the desktop.

Please help! I have been waiting for YEARS for a game like this and I REALLY want to play it.

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quote:


Originally posted by CaptnKarob:

I start a new game and accept all the defaults in setup. I watch as my BC departs from GALCOM. When the Bridgeviewer comes up, I select the Mars jump gate in the NID and the game minimizes to the desktop.


Looks like you borked something real good. Try uninstalling, killing the folder, reinstalling and then running the game WITHOUT patching it. If it works, then apply the patch. If it fails to work, there's your problem. But if it does not work in both cases, then its something on your end. Keep looking.

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I will try that SC, but it had the same problem before I had the patch. Come to think of it, it did it when I tried to play the BCM E2 demo version too. The next thing I will try is a new sound card...

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I have also had crashes and they are usually at the most inopportune times (like right after capturing a starbase). I would reload the game and the crash would occur again in the same place. After I uninstalled BCMG I searched through the registry using regedit to see what the program might have left behind. There were numerous entries all over the place but after I cleared them all out and reinstalled the game it seemed to stabilize. Your problems could have been caused from the original crash corrupting one of these entries.

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I don't have the Indeo codec (don't have internet access at home so I can't get the fix from Windows Update). Could that be my problem? I used the /n parameter to disable the Dreamcatcher logo and I thought that was the only thing affected.

BTW - I installed a new Soundblaster 16 PCI sound

card - great sound, but didn't fix my problem.

Now, the only parts of my rig that haven't been upgraded are the motherboard, processor, and power supply.

Edit: I just found and downloaded the Indeo 5.1 codec - I hope it works on XP.

[ 08-11-2003, 10:12 AM: Message edited by: CaptnKarob ]

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quote:


Originally posted by CaptnKarob:

Edit: I just found and downloaded the Indeo 5.1 codec - I hope it works on XP.


I've used it and it works fine on XP over here.

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