Topic: Please Help - SFC III - Game looks great, but keeps crashing!

[ceedj]

I hope someone can help me here. This has been EXTREMELY frustrating, especially since the game seems great.

Specs:
1.4 gHz AMD Athlon T-Bird
VIA K7VTA 133mHz bus (BIOS current)
Windows 98SE (fresh install - 1 day old)
GeForce 2 MX200 - 32MB (43.45 Detonator Drivers)
Creative SB Live! Value (Last drivers released on 5/2000)
512MB RAM (PC100)
40GB Western Digital HD 7200RPM
DirectX 8.1 (frresh install)
Nothing Running In Background


I have done:

An install with DX8.1, 9.0 and 9.0a.

Tried both patches.

Updated ALL drivers.

Just finished a complete OS reinstall.

Color depths and resolutions are set to suggested.

Lowered Hardware Acceleration (Audio) as suggested.

The game just won't stop crashing. I can get about 30 secs of gameplay in any mode before it dumps me to the desktop with this:
Unhandled Exception! in Version 1.00 Build 435
SFC3.EXE caused an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION in module D3D8.DLL at 0167:0889413D

EAX=0000002A  EBX=0106D9C0  ECX=00004000  EDX=00308000  ESI=0C4504EC
EDI=04F00020  EBP=0C450640  ESP=0127FA8C  EIP=0889413D  FLG=00010206
CS=0167   DS=016F  SS=016F  ES=016F   FS=2FBF  GS=0000

0167:0889413D (0x030002FF 0x02FF0300 0x031B031B 0x030002D5) D3D8.DLL
 

...or some variation like it. It's usually an error in the D3D8.dll, but it's happend to other dll's as well.

When I upgraded to DX9 (before the OS re-install), I used the Beta patch with the same results, except the machine would hang and I'd have to hardboot it. Also, it seems to crash faster with the patch.

Last night I did a complete OS reinstall, put in my newest drivers, DX8.1 (from the game disc) and then the game. Same result.

I really want to play the game, but I'm at about my wits end. This is the only game I've bought in 5 years that just plain won't work. Help. Please?

Thanks in advance.
-CJ  

[NannerSlug]

i had this error when i was running an ati card.. you said you changed the depth..

question about how you ran the patches.. did you do this:

1) uninstall sfc3

2) delete the sfc3 folder completely

3) reinstall sfc3

4) run beta patch (or simply run the dx 9 fix)

[Tulmahk]

You should be running DX9, not DX8.  Also, if you apply the beta patch, DON'T apply the movie patch or the DX9 patch.

Of course, it could be that your system simply isn't going to work with the game.  In the world of PC gaming, that happens from time to time.  There are so many hardware configurations out there, some are bound to have problems with intensive applications like games.  Freelancer, for example, refuses to run on my system under any circumstances, even though I have more than the minimum requirements.  There's just some hardware incompatability hiding deep inside.

That doesn't mean "give up", though.  Keep at it for as long as you deem necessary, but not to the point of sanity loss.  Good luck!  

[ceedj]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I'm using dx8.1 because it works better with my Audio apps (Sonar, Wavelab, etc). I tried 9, but for some reason, it doesn't like my sound card. And I'm not upgrading to XP until I find a suitable replacement for cetain apps that won't work in XP.

This is such a shame. The game looks AWESOME. Just can't play the friggin' thing. Maybe I should try to trade for SCF2 EAW?

BTW - What exactly does the error I posted above mean anyway? I've looked everywhere and no one seems to know what it is. Ideas?

Thanks again,
-CJ  

[ceedj]

I hope someone can help me here. This has been EXTREMELY frustrating, especially since the game seems great.

Specs:
1.4 gHz AMD Athlon T-Bird
VIA K7VTA 133mHz bus (BIOS current)
Windows 98SE (fresh install - 1 day old)
GeForce 2 MX200 - 32MB (43.45 Detonator Drivers)
Creative SB Live! Value (Last drivers released on 5/2000)
512MB RAM (PC100)
40GB Western Digital HD 7200RPM
DirectX 8.1 (frresh install)
Nothing Running In Background


I have done:

An install with DX8.1, 9.0 and 9.0a.

Tried both patches.

Updated ALL drivers.

Just finished a complete OS reinstall.

Color depths and resolutions are set to suggested.

Lowered Hardware Acceleration (Audio) as suggested.

The game just won't stop crashing. I can get about 30 secs of gameplay in any mode before it dumps me to the desktop with this:
Unhandled Exception! in Version 1.00 Build 435
SFC3.EXE caused an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION in module D3D8.DLL at 0167:0889413D

EAX=0000002A  EBX=0106D9C0  ECX=00004000  EDX=00308000  ESI=0C4504EC
EDI=04F00020  EBP=0C450640  ESP=0127FA8C  EIP=0889413D  FLG=00010206
CS=0167   DS=016F  SS=016F  ES=016F   FS=2FBF  GS=0000

0167:0889413D (0x030002FF 0x02FF0300 0x031B031B 0x030002D5) D3D8.DLL
 

...or some variation like it. It's usually an error in the D3D8.dll, but it's happend to other dll's as well.

When I upgraded to DX9 (before the OS re-install), I used the Beta patch with the same results, except the machine would hang and I'd have to hardboot it. Also, it seems to crash faster with the patch.

Last night I did a complete OS reinstall, put in my newest drivers, DX8.1 (from the game disc) and then the game. Same result.

I really want to play the game, but I'm at about my wits end. This is the only game I've bought in 5 years that just plain won't work. Help. Please?

Thanks in advance.
-CJ  

[NannerSlug]

i had this error when i was running an ati card.. you said you changed the depth..

question about how you ran the patches.. did you do this:

1) uninstall sfc3

2) delete the sfc3 folder completely

3) reinstall sfc3

4) run beta patch (or simply run the dx 9 fix)

[Tulmahk]

You should be running DX9, not DX8.  Also, if you apply the beta patch, DON'T apply the movie patch or the DX9 patch.

Of course, it could be that your system simply isn't going to work with the game.  In the world of PC gaming, that happens from time to time.  There are so many hardware configurations out there, some are bound to have problems with intensive applications like games.  Freelancer, for example, refuses to run on my system under any circumstances, even though I have more than the minimum requirements.  There's just some hardware incompatability hiding deep inside.

That doesn't mean "give up", though.  Keep at it for as long as you deem necessary, but not to the point of sanity loss.  Good luck!  

[ceedj]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I'm using dx8.1 because it works better with my Audio apps (Sonar, Wavelab, etc). I tried 9, but for some reason, it doesn't like my sound card. And I'm not upgrading to XP until I find a suitable replacement for cetain apps that won't work in XP.

This is such a shame. The game looks AWESOME. Just can't play the friggin' thing. Maybe I should try to trade for SCF2 EAW?

BTW - What exactly does the error I posted above mean anyway? I've looked everywhere and no one seems to know what it is. Ideas?

Thanks again,
-CJ