[EM 2.188] Height Map Error? *FIXED 2.208*

[Autopilot]

got this every time at 50%

Height map error 7.0.0.0.0.0png
and 8.0.0.0.0.0png....

Whats going on now? So many weird things go wrong....

[Vice]

That's probably a result of one of two causes. The file operation to extract those heigmap images failed due to interference or a past problem resulted in leaving corrupted files behind. Perform the game's cleanup operation, then relaunch and test again. Make sure the game is included in any exception list for any security programs you may have running in the background. If it happens again, please e-mail me a screenshot of one of the errors you see (starwraith.com > contact).

Edit: are you still using a system with an integrated display system? If so, that could also be part of it, although it's strange it occurs at a basic file operation. If you'd like me to review your system for possible causes, just send me an updated msinfo report on your system in its current state. The one I have is pretty old now.

Edit X2: I've reviewed another msinfo report from a player also using an Intel integrated display system who encountered the same intermittent problem. So it could simply be related to that display system using up or otherwise interfering with enough system memory resources that it prevents loading those files. Only options might be to change settings to try and lower the memory overhead, free up more system memory, or use a dedicated video card.

[Edited on 1-6-2013 by Vice]

[Autopilot]

Ah, it's strange because this only happened when trying to get on to the server Cati Alpha V. Galactica 1 works fine still, it always has....
I'm in the process of ditching this ridiculous laptop and purchasing an awesome PC that eats laptops as snacks.

Thanks man! Although I was hoping it wasn't a memory thing.... I simply thought it was because I was using the default No 3d Cockpit and the server didn't like it.... Guess that was wrong lol!

[Munshine]

It also happened to me once yesterday when I updated to 2188 and joined again the server Olympus Prime (which was also updated by the way). The next time, it was fine. I think I need to add Evochron in Comodo's exception list each time there is an update.

[Munshine]

Update: these height map issues are also occuring with Comodo uninstalled. When connecting on server Olympus Prime, the game failed at ~50% :


Even if I reinstall the game lauching the clean up process, it is occurring again and again.

I don't understand why it has occurred only once yesterday and now it's systematic.
ps: Nvidia card 8800GTS


EDIT: if I switch back and forth between SP and MP, I can connect because the game was already loaded once and it's loading faster the next time in multi.

But the issue is still here, if I jump directly into MP.




[Edited on 1-6-2013 by Munshine]

[Vice]

MP can change where points in memory are used, although the file error indicates just a basic file operation failed. Do I have a msinfo report on your system Munshine? If not, please send me one following the steps here: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/faq.htm#8

Also, try running the game with the 'Run as administrator' option and see if the frequency of the error changes at all.

[Munshine]

Thank you for your support. I sent you the msinfo report by email.
The game on my system is run with administrator rights.

[Vice]

Thanks for the report. Although it's tough to say for sure, the error on your system appears to be a failure when the game attempts to extract and convert the heightmap image file for loading (so it happens even before it attempts to load the image). This suggests disk access interference, as though something is stopping the game during a file conversion process necessary to load those image files.

Then comes trying to establish what is causing it. The first step I'd suggest would be checking into Avira since it's on Steam's list of potential interfering programs and you have four of its persistent tasks running in the background at the same time. First step would be to try any exception list or 'gaming mode' it may offer first. Then if that doesn't changes things, uninstall it completely and use something else in the meantime for protection (ie MSE or Avast), then launch and test again for changes. See if the behavior changes at all.

If we can't pin down what it is exactly, one thing we could try is I could send you a replacement exe that severely slows down that loading process to see if it then becomes less of an issue. This will be a last resort test though as it could slow the loading process down to as much as requiring a 5-10 minute load time, which isn't a very practical option

[Munshine]

Thanks for your diagnostic. I will try what you said . For your information, yesterday it loaded again fine in Single player. Then I quit and switched to multiplayer and the game was also loading fine and a lot faster.

Although since the expansion, the loading is very slow comparing to the 1.8xx. I've noticed indeed that the game is "struggling" at ~50%. So I will try with Avira uninstalled.

The harddisk is also becoming old. According to Hdd Status, its overall fitness is 85% now and its performance is still 100% but Its spin up time has decreased over time. So I was thinking actually that the low loading was causing the failure and was hoping that speeding up the loading process would fix the issue.

[Munshine]

Thank you very much for the new test build, this error is gone.
More details in the mail I sent you.

[Vice]

Thanks for the follow up on your results, glad it appears to be fixed on your system. For anyone else encountering this error or an error related to the collision system (involving objects 15000-16500), if you'd like to try the test build to confirm it fixes such problems on your system also, please send me a quick e-mail (starwraith.com > contact) and I'll reply with the link to download the installer.

Edit: The fix has been applied to the next official update, version 2.208, so the test build is no longer needed to fix the issue.

[Edited on 1-8-2013 by Vice]