Topic: Help: game doesn't play quite right on new computer (xp pro not vista)

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I got a new system with xp pro and all is well except that the map's border never shows in f-1 thru f-4 mode.  It's there on the tactical map though. I have checked screen display settings and tried fresh installs, including from a second copy I have and it still happens. There are also occasional large white diagonal flashes in the corner of the screen. I've wound up warping off the map several times in battles when it wasn't my intention. 

[Dash Jones]

Wish I could help, but don't know anything to suggest.  Sorry.

[Panzergranate]

Check that you don't have a French helmsman on your ship as this will cause running away from a battle!!

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I get to blame this on Ensign Picard?  Maybe Daystrom impressed human engrams on my ATI HD 3850...

[Panzergranate]

Have you tried the various patches on Battle Clinic for such problems??

I've never had any problems with VISTA and games, including SFC. However XP seems to have huge problems with games that run OK on everything else, including VISTA, as one of my friends moans how cetain games just crash out on his XP machine.

However, he discovered that when he managed to finally unsucribe with AOL (it is possible to do eventually) a lot of stuff would run.... strange that!!

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Thanks. I'll have to check out battle clinic.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I only found some sfc 3 patches.

[Pestalence_XC]

I got a new system with xp pro and all is well except that the map's border never shows in f-1 thru f-4 mode. It's there on the tactical map though. I have checked screen display settings and tried fresh installs, including from a second copy I have and it still happens. There are also occasional large white diagonal flashes in the corner of the screen. I've wound up warping off the map several times in battles when it wasn't my intention.

First, which game are you trying to play ?

Next which video card?

Do you have all updates from Microsoft Update such as XPSP 2 and all recent updates?

Have you updated the motherboard drivers for your system from Intel / AMD ?

Have you updated your video card drivers from NVidia or ATI ?

Are you using the correct compatibility mode for the game?

Have you disabled Visual Themes for the game ?

Which exe file are you using to launch the game ?

Which version of Direct X are you running?

Did you patch the game?

Did you patch the game with an Anti - Virus program running?

Please give me this information so I can give you a solution to your problem..

If you have not done any of the above, then I suggest that you post relavent information so I can Direct you to the proper files you need to install and also make sure that your system is completely up to date.

[Don Karnage]

it must be op since he mention that he found patch for sfc3 only in battleclinic

the white flash i have see a few my self but i never warp out of the system because of that

the game s mostly fine, just a bit slow it there many mods on the screen or big one like KB10 or a pack of fighter but it wont last.

but its a old computer so i don't expect much of it.

so the flash problem make you warp out of the system, hmm weird, its a rip in space that trow you out of the system or the computer sense a danger and warp out



pestalance, what you ask him about making sure that he got the latest driver for all the card in the com remind me of the question i get when i have problem with a game i try but keep crashing after i load a game, like always they can't help you,

do you have the latest patch?

did you update windows?

have you updated you're video card driver?

i hate wen the keep asking the same question, yes all is up to date and the game keep crashing.

op is working not bad on this com, i can't wait to get my main com back so i can play without problem.

[Pestalence_XC]

it must be op since he mention that he found patch for sfc3 only in battleclinic

the white flash i have see a few my self but i never warp out of the system because of that

the game s mostly fine, just a bit slow it there many mods on the screen or big one like KB10 or a pack of fighter but it wont last.

but its a old computer so i don't expect much of it.

so the flash problem make you warp out of the system, hmm weird, its a rip in space that trow you out of the system or the computer sense a danger and warp out



pestalance, what you ask him about making sure that he got the latest driver for all the card in the com remind me of the question i get when i have problem with a game i try but keep crashing after i load a game, like always they can't help you,

do you have the latest patch?

did you update windows?

have you updated you're video card driver?

i hate wen the keep asking the same question, yes all is up to date and the game keep crashing.

op is working not bad on this com, i can't wait to get my main com back so i can play without problem.

The reasons they ask the redundant questions is because if there is a driver conflict with the software, or a driver conflict with a Windows update, it can be spotted right away..

Any smart IT techs will know what the latest drivers are and which drivers work for the latest update from Microsoft.. Sometimes a Windows Update breaks things..

Also some people may be new to their systems, or just starting to venture into the world of online gaming and have no clue about maintaining their system properly..

Updates should realistically be checked every 3 days for all your most used software / hardware..

lesser used items need to be updated at least 1 time per month..

Also, staying up to date on Direct X (Usually in the Microsoft Updates) helps a lot..

Take the Radeon 9600

Drivers from Sept 2004 to Feb 2005 would cause SFC EAW and OP to CTD when trying to log into the Dynaverse..

People had to roll back to the July 2004 Radeon Catalist Drivers because the "latest" drivers were broke and did not work with SFC II at all..

This is why any competent Tech will ask these things..

Now PC companies and most Software Developers are blind to the fact and assume that you either never upgrade you drivers / system board, or you have everything updated and the system should be working fine..

Those people are idiots.. a new Driver for your Video Card can even make XP or Vista not boot to GUI, only Safe Mode.. Every computer system is different and the only way anyone can get a basic understanding of where to start is to start with the basics and work into deeper issues...

First category to ask is

System Specs :

CPU

Ram

Vid Card

Sound Card

Next is software

Anti-Virus

Firewall

OS version

Direct X version

Next are updates

Microsoft

Adobe (Flash Player)

Direct X update

Video Card Drivers

System Board Drivers

Network Card Drivers

Audio Card Drivers

Manually installed OS Drivers

Manually installed Hardware Drivers

Then we go into commonly known problems with the Software (example OP)

Launching game from wrong EXE

Vid Card and Drivers currently being used

Universal Plug and Play service running

Patching game when Anti-Virus is running

Network Ports for game not configured properly in Firewall / Router

Patching game with Saved Game file in game

Next we go into System Hardware and conflicts

getting a DXDiag report posted..

get a System Configuration report posted

Using these 2 items we can check if there is an IRQ sharing conflict with hardware on the computer (which most likely cause problems with most software)


See there are a number of steps to follow, but you have to have a base line of where to start.. and to just assume that someone has latest drivers or updates or system board updates is stupid.. 90% of people have never gone to Intel or AMD and got the latest drivers for their CPU or Hard Drive, or the chipset on their main board, or updated the drivers for their network card or updated the USB port drivers, or flashed their HDD or their CD / DVD Rom drives.... Have you gone into Device Manager and updated each piece of hardware that is listed ?

Or does the Driver Details mostly say Microsoft Generic Driver?

Most people don't understand that updating the system includes the system Bios chip flash, CPU, Ram, Motherboard Chipset, Network Card, Sound Card, Video Card, Monitor, Disk Drives, Hard Drive, Hard Drive Controller card, etc... these are all separate downloads that sould be acquired from the manufacturer of the device / card, not any from the Microsoft update site, unless otherwise unavailable from manufacturer.

There is a reason I ask these things... I'm not one of those Computer Company morons that have no clue as to what they are saying.. they just read a script.. I ask because I know how the SFC games work on 90 percent of system configurations under XP and older OS system environments (give or take the latest Geforce and Radeon cards built withing the last 8 months).. I'm currently writing the book on SFC games and Vista..

If you notice my signature.. I've been on the SFC team from the beginning.. well actually Sept. 1999... I have come across most of the problems that people have had with any SFC title and I help solve them every day...

I ask questions that seem run of the mill not to get knowledge of what their system has, but to see what they have that will break an SFC title....

Hope that this makes sense.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I got a new system with xp pro and all is well except that the map's border never shows in f-1 thru f-4 mode. It's there on the tactical map though. I have checked screen display settings and tried fresh installs, including from a second copy I have and it still happens. There are also occasional large white diagonal flashes in the corner of the screen. I've wound up warping off the map several times in battles when it wasn't my intention.

First, which game are you trying to play ?  OP

Next which video card?  ATI HD 3850 512 mb version

Do you have all updates from Microsoft Update such as XPSP 2 and all recent updates? yes

Have you updated the motherboard drivers for your system from Intel / AMD ? store said they did

Have you updated your video card drivers from NVidia or ATI ? store said they did

Are you using the correct compatibility mode for the game? yes

Have you disabled Visual Themes for the game ? no

Which exe file are you using to launch the game ? modified it according to forum info here earlier

Which version of Direct X are you running? 9.0c

Did you patch the game? yes

Did you patch the game with an Anti - Virus program running? yes, my bad always have and it didn't affect play on old computer.

Please give me this information so I can give you a solution to your problem..

If you have not done any of the above, then I suggest that you post relavent information so I can Direct you to the proper files you need to install and also make sure that your system is completely up to date.

thanks. will try the anti-virus bit when i get home and have a shot at it.

[Pestalence_XC]

OK.. Do not go by what a Store or Manufacturer state as the latest driver.. Card manufacturers like ATI update drivers every 28 to 35 days... You constantly need to check for latest drivers..

Motherboard is the same.. Intel releases updates every 3 months.. AMD releases updates every 5 to 8 months.. sometimes sooner if old drivers cause system errors..

to disable Visual Themes, right click on your shortcut / exe file, click on Properties.. in the pop up box, click on Compatibility tab, put check into Disable Visual Themes.. Visual themes may conflict with the Video Driver and the game Direct X rendering engine and cause lag, white outs, or even Crash to desktop...

make sure your short cut is set up correctly.. easiest way is to go into the Starfleet Command Orion Pirates game folder and find StarfleetOP.exe, right click and select Copy.. go to desktop in empty area and right click and select Paste Shortcut.. this way you know the shortcut is directly to the file (sometimes editing the path does not work all that well)

When patching, make sure AV is turned off.. patching may corrupt with AV running, depends on AV company or current definitions.. but best to not take a chance when patching.. so long as you scan the patch file when you download it, it is clean.. (AVs can scan inside exe files for viruses)

Also you may want to reinstall Direct X.. it is not uncommon that a some updates to your system or program crashes can cause Direct X to corrupt. and SFC relies heavily on Direct X working properly.

Next if you are on XPor Vista.. go to Start button, click on Run

type in Services.msc

find U PNP or Universal PNP or Universal Plug and Play... Turn this service off (stop) then right click on the property and select Properties.. set this service to Disable... Your system does not need it if you have all your hardware hooked up already.. It is a service to detect new hardware only.. Even if you have removable devices like Digital Camera.. you system will recognize it without a problem with the service off since the drivers for the device have already been loaded.. Turn the service back on if you get new hardware, then turn it back off after device is installed..

UPnP can cause problems with some Mouse devices in the SFC game.. Especially Logitech Optical Mouse...

Finally sometimes a reboot before playing is necessary to clear Vid Card memory and system memory that may have resident program fragments in them from other programs such as playing movies using Quicktime or Media Player.. sometimes the players do not shut down cleanly..

Run a system check disk (do not scan hard drive for errors).. sometimes this may reset the way Windows opens it's files and it will also correct some of the files that may be too heavily fragmented into a more usable form.

Run a system defrag at least 1 time a week.. 2 times a week is more preferable.. you can set it up for Automatic for the days you are at work so it can scan when the system is idle... XP systems do not really need to reboot except maybe 1 times every 3 months, unless memory is too full..

Also on XP systems, it is recommended to have 1 GB Ram or better.. 512 Mb is barely enough to run the OS and 1 small application much less a game.. XP systems can recognize and use 4 GB ram tops.. Vista recognizes 8 GB ram...

XP will run smooth with 1 GB or better..

If you are still having problems, then let me know and we will start off with full system specs and Direct X report...

OP will run just fine in XP without turning on a compatibility mode.. You may need to disable Visual Themes depending on Vid card Driver version.

On Vista, OP must be set to Win 2K compatibility, Desktop composition turned off and with some Video Drivers, Visual Themes disabled.

Hope this helps

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

system is 3 weeks old runing xp with 2 gigs of ram.

shortcut is set up the way you have indicated.

system is set to defrag automatically once a week.

I'll hopefully get a shot at this, this weekend.  Thanks for your help. 

 

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Thanks and some karma for you! I reinstalled the game and patched with a/v off and disabled visual themes, copied the exe shortcut instead of editing it. I also followed your plug and play instructions and then tested the game and it plays fine. Everything is where it should be and looks right.

Any ideas for a mouse pointer that takes off once in awhile?  It's a corded microsoft optical mouse with usb connector. 

[Pestalence_XC]

Find latest Drivers for Mouse.. Your system may be using the Microsoft Generic Drivers that come with XP.. Look up your mouse model number (should be located on bottom of mouse) and get the proper drivers and mouse should work just fine.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

6.2 download installed. Model is basic optical mouse 1.0.  Pointer just jumped for first time.......so it's better but not solved.

[Pestalence_XC]

Give me mouse model # and I will look into it

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

model 1094 - corded microsoft optical mouse. Thanks.

[Pestalence_XC]

I've found with optical mice is that they are surprisingly sensitive to the surface they're on. On a bad surface they'll often behave exactly as you describe. They seem to not only stop responding, but occasionally misread movement and dart off in completely unexpected directions ... like a mouse scurrying for cover.

The best surfaces for the mouse would be something with a slight texture, and a constant surface. Make sure there's no high contrast text or images as well.

Optical mice use a form of digital camera to sense motion. Example: If a white piece of paper is used it has nothing to base movement on. Or if a mouse pad with a congested pattern is used it will jump sensing images and hopping to parts it remembers. I have also seen where the 3D type mouse pads will cause jumping too because of the split image. Try using a piece of dark graph paper and see if it still jumps.

[Panzergranate]

I use a one handed trackball instead of a mouse, far better.