CTD & some Statup Hickups

[Anthropoid]

Windows 7 Ultimate - What OS do you use?

Not sure, can you tell me how to determine this? - What version of RTW do you use?

No steam - Are you using steam or not?

C:\SKN Program Files\The Creative Assembly\RSII_Public - Install path

Rome Faction / RTW .exe - Which launcher option have you used (exe, faction etc)

If you are reporting a game CTD please provide the additional details

Dxdiag attached - system specifications, CPU, graphics card

high and midling not highest - graphic options selected (way too many options)

attached, except see below- ideally a compressed save game immediately prior to the CTD so we can attempt to debug

So I'm having a couple issues. The one that prompted me to start the thread is a CTD that has happened twice now exactly at the same point in the game. I can attach the save immediately before this crash, but problem is: you'll have to win the battle first and then choose depopulate Syracuse.

Its winter 555 AUC. I've got an army sieging Syracuse, and the Greek's attack my besieging army at the end of the turn (beginning of next). I successfully defend, wiping out the Greeks and get the "Occupy/Enslave/Depopulate." Since Syracuse is a large city, I choose to exterminate them. Game crashes. Happened twice.

Remind me where the dang save files live for this mod?

The other issue I'm having is, weirdness to get the game to run. Happens pretty much every time.

I open the launcher and set my Faction and .exe and click start. Screen goes black and there is a bit of a pause. Then I get this weird green text in the upper left of the screen. Says something like ENSB verison ##: GTA Vice City (in green text)

Next line it says boris-vorontsov.ru or some such email ??

This black screen with the green text on extreme upper left persists for a bit. Then it changes into a black screen with this green glowy blob on upper left and a small icon that looks like it is not displaying properly. Then some music startsup, sounds like staruppy type music.

At that point, it will sit like that for a long time; as in up to 10 minutes.

The 'technique' I've habitually resorted to to get the mod to run is, Ctrl-Alt-Del, which opens the Task Manager. Task Manager shows up briefly, then its like the game finally gets its act together and pops up again black screen with the music back. Now there is a little progress bar at the bottom too. That thing takes some time but eventually (sometimes pretty quick) the main game start screen comes up and I can play it. This process is literally _every_ time I play the mod.

[Brusilov]

Save games should be held under the faction specific play folder. The path will be something like "c:\SKN Program Files\The Creative Assembly\RSII\Play_Rome\saves". The folder depends on the faction - it could be Play_Rome_One_Turn (or whatever you've selected).

The SKN on the program files folder you've set up are my initials by-the-way. You're not the first (or last) person to use them though!

With the CTD - are there more than one army fighting for Syracuse? Is there an army outside of the settlement?

If there is it could be the 'reinforcement CTD' and the only solution to it is to ensure you kill all enemies or auto resolve the battle.

Some people have reported that if you take a settlement it's best to wait for a few minutes at least before you press the 'occupy/enslave/depopulate' option. Even going for a longer break may help. Basically the game is trying to catch up with itself - this may be dependent upon how good your system is. Also remember this game dates from 2004 or before so it won't use many features on PCs since that date.

The black screen and green lettering are explained in the install thread (here) - look under the Launcher heading. Basically, it's the bloom effect. This means the battles use a brighter light. It does make the UI on the strategy map and elsewhere almost blinding so I don't use it. I know it's possible to toggle it on/off as explained in the install thread.

[Anthropoid]

Thanks for the very helpful reply Brusilov

Wow, you know you guys (and I say that somewhat vaguely, cause I have the sense that there is a large group of you involved in this mod) are AMAZING! Since my CTD after Syracuse, I've gone back to fiddle a bit with vanilla. Mostly to check out Barb Invasions and Alex, which I had not previously played.

It is absolutely amazing how you guys, with this mod, have taken an excellent base game (or at least the 'base game' as represented by the RTW-Complete package, which is probably 2 or 3 years worth of patches and expansions past the original release) and turned it into a masterpiece. I understand that making games for a living is a different matter than perfecting an existing game for a hobby; but you guys have REALLY put CA to shame with how much better you made their game with this mod! It is really really amazing on so many levels: gaming hobby level, social level, technical, artistic, historical, business level, etc. Anyway I digress . . .

Save games should be held under the faction specific play folder. The path will be something like "c:\SKN Program Files\The Creative Assembly\RSII\Play_Rome\saves". The folder depends on the faction - it could be Play_Rome_One_Turn (or whatever you've selected).

The SKN on the program files folder you've set up are my initials by-the-way. You're not the first (or last) person to use them though!

LOL . . . I'm good at following directions though!

With the CTD - are there more than one army fighting for Syracuse? Is there an army outside of the settlement?

Mmmmm . . . . nope. Just one Roman army of about 1100 men or so. What happened was the Free Greeks war decced me (I'm still focusing on Iberia and Macedonia and hadn't bothered to annex Syracuse) and immediately started to siege Akragas. A turn later I managed to put together an army of about half Lucanis and besieged Sourakousi, expecting that'd get their attention. It did! Their army taht was besieging Akragas (1500 men??) as well as the defenders in Syracuse (~400-ish men) both engaged me on the next turn. The first time I played it through the bastiches actually surprised me and deployed the smaller force RIGHT behind me and because the Greek colors blend in to the mini map and tactical grass colors on the tactical screen I didn't notice it until they were peltering me with javelins from behind! I did barely manage to win that one but it was close and costly. However, I more or less wiped them out (might have been less than 60 or so who escaped). I didn't wait or anything after the battle though and it CTDed right after I clicked Exterminate.

The second time, I naturally took a better defensive position far away from where the sallying defenders spawned and had a much better outcome; still might have been a few survivors though. Again, CTD on Exterminating.

So in brief, to answer your question: no not multiple armies besieging the place, BUT, multiple armies involved in the battle from the sallying defenders / siege lifters who ran over from Akragas. So, I'm guessing the same bug as the one you mention might account for it.

I'll try your suggestions and see what I can get.

Also, will check out the install thread for more details on these startup weirdities.

If there is it could be the 'reinforcement CTD' and the only solution to it is to ensure you kill all enemies or auto resolve the battle.

Some people have reported that if you take a settlement it's best to wait for a few minutes at least before you press the 'occupy/enslave/depopulate' option. Even going for a longer break may help. Basically the game is trying to catch up with itself - this may be dependent upon how good your system is. Also remember this game dates from 2004 or before so it won't use many features on PCs since that date.

The black screen and green lettering are explained in the install thread (here) - look under the Launcher heading. Basically, it's the bloom effect. This means the battles use a brighter light. It does make the UI on the strategy map and elsewhere almost blinding so I don't use it. I know it's possible to toggle it on/off as explained in the install thread.[/QUOTE]

[Anthropoid]

Refought the battle of Syracuse 555 AUC a third time and won it again. Tried some different stuff and learned a bit from it

When it was all said and done 10 of the Greeks escaped. So I left it with the "Occupy Settlement" screen for a while; probably 5 to 10 minutes.

Decided to try to save it right there when I got back and hit -Esc- -> crashed

I think I'll see if auto-resolving fixes it, though I'm likely to get my butt kicked or even lose the battle.

Weird thing is, I've fought like 90 battles with this mod (probably two to three times that with vanilla) and this is the first time the app/mod has ever done this. I wonder if it is something particular or if I have to look forward to this cropping up periodically from here on out or what?

[dvk901]

Unfortunately, though we have done everything possible to fix the after battle CTD's, when the 'Occupy\Enslave|Exterminate' screen pops up I suspect there were multiple causes for the CTD's that occurred. We eliminated one of them (the quotes), and corrected the issue with there not being any escape routes for AI armies...but there still has to something causing these other than that.

I would just bit the bullet and auto-resolve that battle. I'm certain this is not going to happen all the time.

[ur-Lord Tedric]

Unfortunately, though we have done everything possible to fix the after battle CTD's, when the 'Occupy\Enslave|Exterminate' screen pops up I suspect there were multiple causes for the CTD's that occurred. We eliminated one of them (the quotes), and corrected the issue with there not being any escape routes for AI armies...but there still has to something causing these other than that.

I would just bit the bullet and auto-resolve that battle. I'm certain this is not going to happen all the time.

This particular type of CTD (long experienced in vanilla too) is one I have associated with making changes to files.

Are you running any Anti-Virus software and, if so, which one?

[ur-Lord Tedric]

....... Screen goes black and there is a bit of a pause. Then I get this weird green text in the upper left of the screen. Says something like ENSB verison ##: GTA Vice City (in green text)

Next line it says boris-vorontsov.ru or some such email ??

This black screen with the green text on extreme upper left persists for a bit. Then it changes into a black screen with this green glowy blob on upper left and a small icon that looks like it is not displaying properly. Then some music startsup, sounds like staruppy type music.

At that point, it will sit like that for a long time; as in up to 10 minutes.......

I just re-read your OP more carefully this time - I must admit it put me off a little at first and I had concentrated on the later posts.

But what's above screams 'virus' to me. I would urge a good suite of scans and some malware checkers.