WinXP crash on start, even with latest patch

[shinygerbil]

Have you tried replacing the "bootloader=random" line with "startmap=garden"? (Or any other level, for that matter) As mentioned in one of the threads linked to above, I found that the problem on my laptop (HP pavilion ze5400) was to do with the world map. So, if you skip the world map and go straight to the first level, you might get at least temporary success. Although as soon as you need to go onto the next level, you'll need to use the world map and you'll crash :/ but at least it'll help isolate the problem...

It is most probably a Windows driver problem - on Linux, I can even get the pixel shader working, though it slows the game down to a crawl. But HP and ATI just don't do updating old graphics card drivers, and we can't expect everyone to change OS just for a game. So, we can either find hacked or alternative drivers that will work (which have proved so far to be elusive), or we can hope that maybe IV (or indeed any person who could fiddle with the game enough) can come up with a workaround just for this small range of problem cards. It seems there are enough people on the boards alone who have this problem, let alone others who probably swore and cursed for a while then simply took the game back, or gave up. I nearly did.

[turbomax]

this is my blackbox:

=========================
DARWINIA BLACK BOX REPORT
=========================

VERSION : win32-full-v1.3
ERROR : 'Couldn't open language file language/(null).txt'

=========================
====== PREFERENCES ======
=========================

ScreenColourDepth = 16
ScreenWidth = 800
ScreenHeight = 600
ScreenRefresh = 60
ScreenWindowed = 1

=========================
====== STACKTRACE =======
=========================

retAddress = 0042120A
retAddress = 00422309
retAddress = 00422294
retAddress = 0048FF42
retAddress = 0048FD99
retAddress = 004B34C6
retAddress = 00425E4D
retAddress = 004D20B6
retAddress = 7C816D4F
retAddress = 00000000
pls HELP

[xander]

Did you install the patch in the same directory as your original Darwinia install (do you have an older installation of Darwinia -- you didn't give us a lot of information)? Also, have you been messing with preferences.txt at all? You should open up preferences.txt (it should be in the Darwinia directory), and look for a line that says 'TextLanguage = english'. If that line is not there, add it; if it is different from the above, change it. Let us see if that works (unless NeoThermic has more information, using his stack trace tools of doom).

xander

[turbomax]

If i add to preferences.txt other text game crash but no error text this is my new blackbox:
=========================
DARWINIA BLACK BOX REPORT
=========================

VERSION : win32-full-v1.3
ERROR : 'Failed to open mouse cursor resource icons/mouse_selection.bmp'

=========================
====== PREFERENCES ======
=========================

ControlMethod = 1
ScreenColourDepth = 16
ScreenWidth = 800
ScreenHeight = 600
ScreenRefresh = 60
ScreenWindowed = 1

=========================
====== STACKTRACE =======
=========================

retAddress = 0042120A
retAddress = 0049BAD3
retAddress = 00499E7C
retAddress = 0048FCF5
retAddress = 004B34C6
retAddress = 00425E4D
retAddress = 004D20B6
retAddress = 7C816D4F
retAddress = 00000000

[xander]

It looks the data files are missing. Could you please give us a little more information. Did you install the patch over an older version of Darwinia? Are you installing Darwinia clean? What, exactly, did you do, step by step? Also, are there three .dat files in you Darwinia directory (language.dat, main.dat, and sounds.dat)? Have you changed the names of anything? Have you extracted the .dat files (they are files compressed using the Rar algorithm, i.e. they are .rars with the extension changed to .dat)? You have now posted two blackboxes, each basically saying that data is missing -- could you maybe help us understand where that data may have gone?

xander

[kyoshi]

Crash on startup here also.

Sony Vaio Laptop
P4 2.8GHz, 1Gb RAM, ATI Radeon IGP 340M Graphics chipset
Windows XP SP2 + all security updates
Latest Omega Drivers 2.6.87 (Catalyst 5.12)
DirectX Version 9.0c
Latest audio drivers from Sony for the SoundMAX integrated audio (they are dated Jan 2004)

No blackbox is created.

[henrygodwin]

Another crash on startup here, couple of seconds of sound then it crashes - Event log shows atioglxx.dll causing the problem. The demo works fine, so looks like its this world map thing.

Compaq presario 1.33 Ghz
ATI IGP 320
WinXP SP2 with all updates
DirectX 9c
Latest Omega Drivers

[NeoThermic]

Can both the previous posters try the fix entitled 'Oh good god Darwinia just crashes!' in this thread?

NeoThermic

[kyoshi]

Code: Select all

RenderLandscapeMode = 1

Still no joy, even after this fix. :[

For the record it works great on my desktop machine, and as a coder I can only imagine the troubles getting a game doing on so many platforms with the same codebase.

Darwinia rules, and so do the Devs. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and can get back to patching :]

[henrygodwin]

I tried RenderLandscapeMode = 1 with the same crashing results...

Just having a read of this topic http://forums.introversion.co.uk/darwin ... php?t=2947

[estel]

Weirdly similar symptoms, albeit without a Windows error.
I fixed it by closing xfire :s. Ahh well...

[valis]

Same problem here. HP Laptop with ATI radeon IGP-340M (RS200M) Mobile chipset.

Bought the game when I was on the road and sans wireless access. When I've had time I've checked this thread (over the last month) and still no fix seems to be found. Downloaded the demo and it worked fine, so it seems presently the only solution is to quit the game and change the ini for each level u need to play?

There must be some way to fix this for ATI mobility users... ATI probably isn't going to take any note, especially since most of the older laptop users require Omegadrivers or something similar (this is the only game I've even had to install Omega for so far, and it didn't help).

[shinygerbil]

'Fraid so. There's still been no official word from the devs about this one, unless I've missed it..

[Mister_Pibbles]

I took the main.dat, sound.dat, and language.dat from my Steam directory and moved them to "C:\Darwinia", then put the patch in there. That gets it to run like the normal game for anyone looking at the fixes and not being able to edit preferences.

Changing BootLoader to StartMap works fine for me, but I was wondering if anyone could list the level names (in order). Thanks.

[NeoThermic]

Changing BootLoader to StartMap works fine for me, but I was wondering if anyone could list the level names (in order). Thanks.

Not to sure about the casing, but here goes nothing:

garden
containment
mine
generator
yard
escort
pattern_buffer
receiver
biosphere
temple

Do note that you can do mine, generator and yard in any order, and thats the same with pattern_buffer and receiver. Escort comes avalble at some random point, but its optional.

NeoThermic