Worked great day one.

[sisco]

I am so sick of games being released like this, it is complete BS. Anyhow, my game worked great the first day, now it crashes and forces a reboot everytime after the initial splash screen. I have updated my video drivers (I am running an NVIDIA 6600GT) tried the beta drivers, edited the .ini file, upgraded my audi drivers, etc. etc. Here is my scan info:

 

SWKotOR]

ReportDateTime=2/15/2005 10:38:25 AM

SysInfoVersion=v1.00.60

GameExists=1

GameVersion=v2.00.424

GameInstallLocation=C:\Program Files\LucasArts\SWKotOR2\

 

[OS]

Name=WinXP

Version=Windows XP v5.1 build 2600 Service Pack 1

Service Pack=Service Pack 1

Status=Pass

 

[swapFiles]

C:\pagefile.sys=1536

C:\pagefile.sys=1536

 

[CPU]

CPUCount=1

CPUSpeed=2247

CPUFamily=15

CPUModel=12

CPUStepping=0

CPUVendor=AMD

CPUName=AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200+

Status=Pass

 

[Memory]

RAM=1024

Status=Pass

 

[Disk Free Space]

C: (NTFS), UNICODE=112.71GB

Status=Pass

 

[CD-ROMs]

DriveLetters=H:\

Drives=TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552B

 

[Video]

Video Card Name=NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT

Video Memory=128

Desktop Resolution=1024x768x32 @ 60Hz

DirectX=DirectX 9.0c (4.09.00.0904)

OpenGL Version=1.5.2

OpenGL Vendor=NVIDIA Corporation

OpenGL Renderer=GeForce 6600 GT/AGP/SSE2/3DNOW!

NVidia Driver=6.14.10.6766

Vid Card Status=Pass

Vid Card Driver Status=Pass

GL Status=Pass

DX Status=Pass

 

[Audio]

Sound Card Name=Creative Audigy Audio Processor (WDM)

Status=Pass

 

 

;Game Options from swkotor2.ini

 

[Display Options]

FullScreen=1

Disable Movies=0

Disable Intro Movies=0

Sort Modules=1

Width=640

Height=480

BitsPerPixels=32

RefreshRate=60

 

[sound Options]

Number 3D Voices=29

Number 2D Voices=64

2D3D Bias=1.50

EAX=3

Sound Init=0

Disable Sound=0

Force Software=0

 

[Graphics Options]

EnableHardwareMouse=1

FullScreen=1

RefreshRate=60

Width=800

Height=600

Emitters=1

Anisotropy=1

Frame Buffer=1

Soft Shadows=0

Brightness=57

V-Sync=0

Texture Quality=2

Anti Aliasing=0

Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1

 

[Game Options]

TooltipDelay Sec=1

Disable Movies=0

 

[config]

firstrun=0

 

[Keymapping]

Action286B=8

Action286A=7

Action285B=10

Action285A=9

Action284B=54

Action284A=51

Action283B=54

Action283A=51

Action282B=69

Action282A=73

Action281B=53

Action281A=76

Action280B=69

Action280A=73

Action268=52

Action265=58

Action264=57

Action263=43

Action262=85

Action261=84

Action260=83

Action259=82

Action258=81

Action257=80

Action256=79

Action255=78

Action254=77

Action253=31

Action245=75

Action244=55

Action243=67

Action242=74

Action241=87

Action240=56

Action239=68

Action238=82

Action236=83

Action234=81

Action232=80

Action230=79

Action228=78

Action226=77

Action225=70

Action224=90

Action223=31

Action222=25

Action221=24

Action220=29

Action219=28

Action218=42

Action217=87

Action216=65

Action215=63

Action214=60

Action213=62

Action212=61

Action211=66

Action210=59

Action209=71

Action208=89

Action207=72

Action206=30

Action205=55

Action204=67

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have already resigned myself to having to wait for a patch but maybe some guru knows what the problem is, aside from the fact that software companies don't give a crap for customer satisfaction. Imagine if the auto industry ran like this.

 

(your brakes don't work? we're sorry, maybe if you tried running the winshield wipers while applying the brakes, oh already tried that? Hmm, well I guess you have to park it until we can get a mechanic to fix the problem. The only thing is that all of our mechanics are working on next years model, you may have to wait for awhile.)

 

This is just wrong.......

[justin20031009]

I don

[sisco]

I don

[Drakron]

Actually they dont ... true that are ususally less bugs in console titles that in PC but people that got Morrowind Xbox version got the same as the PC version and could not even patch the game.

 

Anyway in case of the problem ...

 

Modern games have a copy protection that scans youir computer looking for virtual drives and CD/DVD burn software and if they find it, the game will not run.

[Master Dahvernas]

Actually they dont ... true that are ususally less bugs in console titles that in PC but people that got Morrowind Xbox version got the same as the PC version and could not even patch the game.

 

Anyway in case of the problem ...

 

Modern games have a copy protection that scans youir computer looking for virtual drives and CD/DVD burn software and if they find it, the game will not run.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That is only half-true.

 

Copy protection usually prevents one from installing a game initially instead of preventing it from running after the initial install. If it isn't going to install, it isn't going to let itself be installed and then not run. That makes no sense.

 

If you are referring to compatibility problems with virtual drives and other things, then yes. That is a possibility, but again, if it isn't going to install in the first place that is usually where the problem lies in most cases.

 

Also, there is this myth that pirated games can't be patched and or won't run properly. Not only can these games be patched, but some in fact run better than retail versions because of the fact the copy protection has been taken out that easts up resources in the background and slows game processes down.

[Drakron]

Well I have "The Sims 2" and installed it find and when trying to run it prety much said "sorry, I detect a virtual drive and cannot run" ... had to remove all CD burning software I had on my computer before it would run.

 

I am sure that if I reinstall CloneCD it would give that message back, the lanch scans the registry for such entries and if it founds it ...

[Darth Makaan]

mine just keeps crashing to the desktop

[Adraeus]

I think most people who have problems with most PC games are simply not oriented towards optimizing their computers out of the default state. If you bought a pre-packaged computer, I have no sympathy for you. If you want maximum performance for less cost, build your own custom computer.

 

It's common sense. Keep your system updated. Make sure you don't have any programs running that directly interface with your display too (e.g. WindowBlinds). In fact, uninstall it! You don't need it! It hurts display performance. If you want a "cool" interface, buy a Mac.

 

Also, optimize your operating system. If you're running Windows XP goto: Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Advanced | (Performance) Settings | Click Adjust for best performance. Disable Active Desktop. Remove any backgrounds. Download TweakUI (Powertoys) and optimize further. Change your Windows Theme to Windows Classic, turn off all Effects, and change your Windows and buttons to Windows Classic style.

 

Other tips: Disable antivirus software. Download and use Ad-Aware. Don't run Internet Explorer ever again... use Firefox.. Change processor scheduling from Programs to Background Services. Tweak your virtual memory settings. Use EndItAll to shutdown background processes for maximum allotment of system resources. There are tons of sites that will hold your hand and walk you through the process step-by-step.

[Master Dahvernas]

I think most people who have problems with most PC games are simply not oriented towards optimizing their computers out of the default state. If you bought a pre-packaged computer, I have no sympathy for you. If you want maximum performance for less cost, build your own custom computer.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And I suppose this makes you... What? Superior?

 

I know a lot of about comptuers and custom build them and know how to optimize them to get the maximum amount of performance as well...

 

But none of that matters if the game itself, the coding, isn't optimized.

 

Look at "Vampire: Bloodlines". Look at the PC version of Halo. Both those games just were not coded properly and can bring AMD64 4000+ PCs to their knees with memory leaks and bad shader implementations because they aren't optimized right just like KOTOR II.

 

My point is that it doesn't matter if you are a casual PC gamer or some hardcore "leet" PC gamer who thinks consoles are for dummies. However, it is relevant in that PC games have no standards when they are released and it shouldn't matter if you are some "geek" who knows the inside and out of a PC. The game should WORK and well relatively well, but that is not the case these days, so everyone, regardless of their PC skills, suffers.

[Adraeus]

How does holding an opinion make me "what? Superior?" I think you read too much into my comments. I meant no offense and I don't appreciate the tone of your reply.

 

Videogames, whether for consoles or desktop computers, have standards which are influenced by buyer behavior, market research, quality assurance practices, company mission statements, other internal documentation, and lots of money. What doesn't have standards are desktop computers. With consoles, you can be reasonably certain that every unmodified console will have the same hardware. That's because consoles are mass produced for pennies per and sold at 800-2000% their manufacturing costs. Desktop computers, however, may vary regardless of shabby attempts at desktop computer standardization via Dell, IBM, Alienware, etc.

 

Console game development is facilitated due to the lack of component variance. Still, that didn't help KotOR 2 because the publisher, LucasArts, pushed the game out too soon in order to capitalize on a dual platform release. Rremember that LucasArts has been and is poorly managed in this way. For instance, they released Star Wars Galaxies just after the alpha spiral. With KotOR 2's 60-man QA team, which is managed by the publisher (not the developer), they failed to stablize and optimize the software. Moreover, Obsidian was given the unpatched KotOR source code to work with so many old problems from the initial release of KotOR reared their ugly heads.

 

I disagree with both your claims that PC games have no standards and that all games do not work well. I've played every major new release since 1995, and many of which are extremely stable, playable and fun. It's quite melodramatic to promise yourself things like, "I will never buy a PC video game again." (Not that it was you who said that...) If you have consistent problems with a game which renders the game intolerable, then remember that games are products too, and products have warranties. Return the game according to the instructions in the Limited Warranty section of the game manual: "LucasArts warrants to the original consumer purchaser only that the media furnished in this Software will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from date of purchase (as evidenced by your receipt)."

[Poot]

That is only half-true.

 

Copy protection usually prevents one from installing a game initially instead of preventing it from running after the initial install. If it isn't going to install, it isn't going to let itself be installed and then not run. That makes no sense.

 

If you are referring to compatibility problems with virtual drives and other things, then yes. That is a possibility, but again, if it isn't going to install in the first place that is usually where the problem lies in most cases.

 

Also, there is this myth that pirated games can't be patched and or won't run properly. Not only can these games be patched, but some in fact run better than retail versions because of the fact the copy protection has been taken out that easts up resources in the background and slows game processes down.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had Alchol 120%, a virtual drive program, installed on my PC and Far Cry and Doom 3 installed but would not play since it detected Alcohol 120%. Activision would not give me ANY support till I removed these products. That sucks big time. I fixed my own problem by downloading a 'fixed' exe and the game played great. I think this is extreamely stupid that some had to get a 'fixed' exe to play a game that you purchased. I had to do the same thing with Far Cry. I do buy ALL of my games, pirating is for SOBs who want to put people like Troika and the other great development houses out of business.

 

Poot

[Master Dahvernas]

How does holding an opinion make me "what? Superior?" I think you read too much into my comments. I meant no offense and I don't appreciate the tone of your reply.

 

Videogames, whether for consoles or desktop computers, have standards which are influenced by buyer behavior, market research, quality assurance practices, company mission statements, other internal documentation, and lots of money. What doesn't have standards are desktop computers. With consoles, you can be reasonably certain that every unmodified console will have the same hardware. That's because consoles are mass produced for pennies per and sold at 800-2000% their manufacturing costs. Desktop computers, however, may vary regardless of shabby attempts at desktop computer standardization via Dell, IBM, Alienware, etc.

 

Console game development is facilitated due to the lack of component variance. Still, that didn't help KotOR 2 because the publisher, LucasArts,  pushed the game out too soon in order to capitalize on a dual platform release. Rremember that LucasArts has been and is poorly managed in this way. For instance, they released Star Wars Galaxies just after the alpha spiral. With KotOR 2's 60-man QA team, which is managed by the publisher (not the developer), they failed to stablize and optimize the software. Moreover, Obsidian was given the unpatched KotOR source code to work with so many old problems from the initial release of KotOR reared their ugly heads.

 

I disagree with both your claims that PC games have no standards and that all games do not work well. I've played every major new release since 1995, and many of which are extremely stable, playable and fun. It's quite melodramatic to promise yourself things like, "I will never buy a PC video game again." (Not that it was you who said that...) If you have consistent problems with a game which renders the game intolerable, then remember that games are products too, and products have warranties. Return the game according to the instructions in the Limited Warranty section of the game manual: "LucasArts warrants to the original consumer purchaser only that the media furnished in this Software will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from date of purchase (as evidenced by your receipt)."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

All I meant was is that compared to console games... PC games are released in unfinished and unoptimized states simply because publishers know that gamers will wait for a patch (and that factor itself is what has kept this industry afloat in my humble opinion; if games could not be patched I bet you consoles would flat out destroy PC game sales even more than they do now because there comes a point when even the most tech savy "geek" says enough-is-enough) and have no other choice.

 

Yes. Smart and savy gamers (consumers) who know their product and know this field (as far as a hobby goes) know not to buy something at launch as with most new products as there will inevitably be problems...

 

But the vast majority of us (gamers), even the tech savy ones, still rush out and buy half-finished products to get our "fix"... Gaming fix... And this is why there really are no "standards" in the sense that, as an analogy, you may be a gear head (really into cars), but you'd never rush out to get the latest BMW 2006, if BMW had repeatedly produced cars that only started half the time and were missing things like the brakes for instance... And BMW itself wouldn't last long in the car industry as well (all legal and safety obligations aside) due to sheer negative word-of-mouth...

 

Yet how many times do certain publishers and developers put out crappy, unfinished games, GET a lot of negative feedback from gamers... Yet still turn these obscene profits?

 

Because there is no standard this industry (to my limited knowledge) is held to in terms of quality assurance other than products can't destroy your PC (physically or otherwise),or harm you in any way (physically or otherwise).

 

Why is this?

 

I know this is a multi-faceted topic and doesn't have one concrete answer... But it's getting worse and worse because the PC Games market is rapidly giving way to the console market because a good 90-95% of the time the games that are released do work out of the box... No tweaking of a system (console) needed... As well as the ease of use of just popping in the DVD -- not even installing the game -- Hitting a few buttons and then you're off and playing.

 

I also realize that, as you and others know, consoles are a specific set of hardware so developers know what to expect once that game is loaded onto that particular platform and there should be no surprises or compatibility issues. I understand that.

 

However, I also think part of why the PC games industry is allowed to get away with putting out unfinished products is that they often fall back on this excuse that there are infinite number of hardware configurations, so they can't possibly test them all...

 

When they don't really need to test every single one (impossible), but at least need to test the game for the flaws we are finding in KOTOR 2 that should be obvious for anyone playing the game on any large amount of time and on a variety of systems (low to high-end).

 

Crashes to Desktops, the workbench losing upgraded items, scripts and cut-scenes not triggering correctly, slow frame rates in areas that shouldn't be that graphically intense even on low to mid-range systems, the Swoop Racing bug, the Pazak Den glitch where you don't actually play the female T'Welik yet she says you beat her, etc, etc.

 

Why are there no standards to any of this?

 

Would GM allow a car that had no doors to roll off the assembly line? How about a car with brakes that only work some of the time, but not all of the time?

 

Of course not.

 

Part of the reason is because there ARE standards for that industry both internal and external (National Transportation Safety Board) as well as state and federal guidelines (cars without doors are dangerous!).

 

A car is a product. So is a video game (software)? Where are the regulations in terms of QUALITY (vs. safety)?

 

And before you start screaming that this is a Liberal stance to get the government involved since most Conservatives (I don't know what you are) can't stand "big government"... Tell me what else is going to change this industry?

 

This whole "police itself" thing (for publishers and devs) isn't working or we'd have games that work better out of the box and be released in better shape.

 

In addition, I also realize it is the publishers who are mostly to blame for the state of the industry right now (right or wrong). They are the ones who hold are the cards and if they say "jump"... Release the game early in an unfinished state... Devs have no choice if they aren't established and want to keep working and have to say, "how high?"

 

So, my point in all of this is that I believe there needs to be more strict QA standards outside the publishers (and devs) established because it doesn't matter if you are a tech savy "geek", or a person who just wants to play a game on their Dell Dimension (if they have the right specs of course) in their spare time. Both are equally important and if this industry had more standards it would benefit both types of consumers in the long run by (hopefully) regulating and fostering better products from the start when they are released.

[Adraeus]

I just got home and I'm really not in the mood to post anything extensive so I'll keep this brief and constrained to a list format.

 

1. "If desktop computer games could not be patched..." is purely hypothetical. Be realistic. (Again, no offense intended.)

 

2. There's more factors involved in influencing the sales data than just patchability. For instance, console games and associated systems are physically portable where lugging around a desktop computer is impractical. Consoles, which are still computers, are convenient for consumers and developers. Desktop computers, however, can be extensively customized, have a better image, and again, allow for further customization of hardware and software via software. Desktop computers are also useful for other purposes; thus, desktop computers are less expensive than consoles from a cost-of-value perspective and yield greater benefits to the end-user. (I understand that newer console systems are becoming more adaptable to user intent; however, I think the trend towards console-to-PC software integration will eventually lead to the downfall of the console system.

 

3. I bought KotOR 2 the second day from release only because I experienced no problems with KotOR 1 and enjoyed the experience. I was dismayed by the demonstrable incompetence of the poorly managed QA team.

 

4. Obscene profits? The cost-of-development, the cost-of-production and the cost-of-distribution for videogames are obscene when compared to the ROI of most videogames. Believe it or not, $49.99 for a new videogame is a fair and reasonable price based on manufacturing costs. However, the problem is that if the videogame's quality is poor, whether technical or creative, the market's perceived value of the product will decline. Us capitalists often say, "a fair price is that which a buyer is willing to pay." That statement only refers to fairness in value versus pricing though. By the way, the film industry's sales exceed U.S. entertainment software sales by 10-30 times the entertainment software's $7-8 billion (2003/2004). That's obscene. There's more investment risk with videogames than with films. (Remember, the minimum operating cost per year for a commercial videogames developer is around $1 million whereas an award-winning independent movie can be made for less than $200,000.)

 

5. There are standards in quality assurance. Look up ISO 9000. Like most standards though, certification is optional.

 

6. I'm Libertarian... so you know where I stand on government-monitored videogames production. The U.S. government can barely monitor its own cashflow considering it is capable of "losing" $9 billion and a few more billion dollars per year here and there. When the U.S. government initiates housing projects, the results are often poor and hazardous. I don't think it's wise to promote governmental project management of videogames development. The results would be worse than KotOR 2's failures...

[Kiwegapa]

To get the thread back on track a bit..

 

sisco, have you got any CD burning software installed? wnaspi32.dll has been known to cause conflicts in some systems. It would be present in the Windows/System32 directory if it's there at all.

 

Your config looks really good. I can't think of any reaosn why sound or video would be leading to your crashes. The patch is in the works, and I urge you to hang on til then. I'm sorry there isn't much more I can suggest.

 

Perhaps double check your computer's temperatures and power supply voltages, if you are able to do so.

 

Good luck, and have faith. KOTOR 2 really does have some excellent touches to it, and the designers did a good job. Once it's able to run, I think you'll enjoy KOTOR 2 as much as the first game.