Help please - error with game
 

Please bear with me, I'm sure this has been answered before, but couldn't find it:

I just got a new laptop and installed SEIV and then downloaded the current patch and modpack. Loaded it all up and then on the second turn, with my first colony ship I get:

Range check error (er... maybe Range index...) everytime I try to move it to a warp point. The game then crashes. Argh!

I have tried this 3 times and can't get it to work - what do I do?!?! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/blush.gif(

My system is Windows ME (didn't know if that mattered)

Thank you!

Jason2

Re: Help please - error with game
 

What modpack would that be? TDM?
What happens if you have your ship wait a turn before proceeding?

If the error only occurs when your ship tries to warp, it could be a corrupted map, with the destination of the warppoint not falling inside a system.

In any event, post the savegame, and we'll find your problem.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jason2:
Please bear with me, I'm sure this has been answered before, but couldn't find it:

I just got a new laptop and installed SEIV and then downloaded the current patch and modpack. Loaded it all up and then on the second turn, with my first colony ship I get:

Range check error (er... maybe Range index...) everytime I try to move it to a warp point. The game then crashes. Argh!

I have tried this 3 times and can't get it to work - what do I do?!?! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/blush.gif(

My system is Windows ME (didn't know if that mattered)

Thank you!

Jason2<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This sounds exactly like the bug I reported on the "Any More Bugs?" thread. In my case I get the same crash if I try to move the ship anywhere (not just to a warp point), it happens with no mods installed (ver. 1.41), and with any savegame file I've tried -- including games started on the laptop. On games started on the laptop, the game runs normally until I build my first ship and try to move it, then I get a "Range Check Error" and the game crashes.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

Did you solve this? This is exactly the problem. I have uninstalled and re-installed and cannot move ANY ships ANYWHERE ! The game is unplayable!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in total SEIV withdrawal - HELP!

Jason2

How do I load a saved game to the forum for you to look at???

Re: Help please - error with game
 

When you're typing a post, right below your password box is an attachment box.
Don't fill in anything there, but click the link right beside it "Upload your files"

Enter your Login/Password if required, and browse to your files.
Click "upload", and wait
The "file upload manager" window will eventually go to a blank white box, or say "upload successful" once that happens, your upload is successful, and you can close the manager.

The attachment field will read something like "437214.txt". This is GOOD, don't change it. That text file lists all of the various files to include in your post.

When you post, there'll be file icons down the right side of your text.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jason2:
Did you solve this? This is exactly the problem. I have uninstalled and re-installed and cannot move ANY ships ANYWHERE ! The game is unplayable!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in total SEIV withdrawal - HELP!

Jason2

How do I load a saved game to the forum for you to look at???<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry Jason, I don't have a solution yet. I've tried all the obvious things I could think of and I reported the problem to Aaron at MM about 2 months ago. He requested a savegame file (which I sent him), and I haven't heard since. Maybe Suicide_Junkie can help us both :-).

LLB

Re: Help please - error with game
 

I had the same problem, with my new system using Windows ME. The good news is, I "think" its solved. Reinstall the game, then shut down using "hibernate". I did this, and everything seems to be working fine now. Hopefully this can be fixed in an upcoming patch.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

Oops sorry, I meant first uninstall, then shut down using "shutdown", then reinstall, and subsequently shut down your system using "hibernate".

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fredgorch:
Oops sorry, I meant first uninstall, then shut down using "shutdown", then reinstall, and subsequently shut down your system using "hibernate".<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I tried the uninstall/reinstall dance with no joy. I got the impression from Jason2's Posts that he had too. (I don't see what the hibernate shut-down would contribute to a potential solution, so I'm a bit dubious about that step.)

Maybe we don't have quite the same problem, or maybe I'm just missing something.

L.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

We very well may not have had the same problem. But......I uninstalled and reinstalled at least 10 times, with all different variation of no patch, 1.35 patch, 1.41 patch, TDM Modpack 1.71, 1.80. What I noted was that if I uninstalled, then shut down, then reinstalled, the game ran fine, for hours, until I shut down. Then I got the range check errors when I loaded a save game, or when I started a new game. So I thought maybe I just had to leave the computer on forever in order to play. It also made me think that possibly there was some setting stored when I shut down that was causing the range check error. In fact, Win ME has a hidden file on the C drive (forget the name right now, its not backup but its something like that, maybe restore?) that isn't present on Win 98. In any event, I can play now so long as I shut down with hibernate.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fredgorch:
We very well may not have had the same problem. But......I uninstalled and reinstalled at least 10 times, with all different variation of no patch, 1.35 patch, 1.41 patch, TDM Modpack 1.71, 1.80. What I noted was that if I uninstalled, then shut down, then reinstalled, the game ran fine, for hours, until I shut down. Then I got the range check errors when I loaded a save game, or when I started a new game. So I thought maybe I just had to leave the computer on forever in order to play. It also made me think that possibly there was some setting stored when I shut down that was causing the range check error. In fact, Win ME has a hidden file on the C drive (forget the name right now, its not backup but its something like that, maybe restore?) that isn't present on Win 98. In any event, I can play now so long as I shut down with hibernate.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fred,

That's interesting. I don't think we can entirely blame the OS though. I've got two WinME machines: The desktop is a Dell Dimension 4100 1 GHz PIII with 512 MB RAM and a 32MB nVidia GeForce2 GTS graphics card, and SEIV 1.41 (no mods) has run flawlessly on it from day 1; the laptop is a Dell Inspiron 4000 900 MHz PIII with 256 MB RAM and an ATI Rage Mobility 128, and SEIV 1.41 (no mods) has crashed flawlessly from day 1.

Maybe it's something about WinME *and* laptops, and/or (in my case at least) the ATI card that's causing the problem. I don't know, but it sure would be nice to get it fixed.

L.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

I've had the same RANGE CHECK error reported while using Win ME and a Dell P4 1.3 GHz using v.1.41 w/no mods. No SEIV saved games will play and new games crash as soon as I try to move a ship. Reloading SEIV does nothing. Other software works fine.

I did find a work-around. If the computer is used for other purposes for 30 min, the range check error disappears completely. This suggests that some flag is set while the computer is operating. When it is shut off, the flag resets. It may be that putting the PC into hibernation mode fails to clear that flag, and hence the Range Check error doesn't occur.

Since I use my PC sporadically, this is a serious problem and often prevents me from playing SEIV. Please solve the Range Check Error problem with the new patch!

Re: Help please - error with game
 

Redently I have been fighting a lot of "Range Check" errors myself. In my case, they did not disappear with time. But, using the other computer on the LAN I was able to process the same game files that had given me errors without a hint of a problem!

I suspect that there are some temporary files somewhere that may not get cleaned up properly. That would explain why using the computer for other purposes gets rid of the error - the temp folder may get flushed periodically, especially if there is not too much spare space on the hard disk.

I'll need to check those, e.g. wait for the next error and search for all recently updated files. Sounds like fun http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Help please - error with game
 

I've noticed a thread with most of these problems on this site and for other games on other sites- Windows ME. This is a really problematic OS for game playing and unfortunately I understand that XP may be even worse. It looks like gamers will be having a tough time upgrading their systems if the upgrade includes one of the newer OS's. I strongly suggest gamers locate a copy of Win98SE and keep it on their hard drive, just in case...

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by davetox1:
I've had the same RANGE CHECK error reported while using Win ME and a Dell P4 1.3 GHz using v.1.41 w/no mods. No SEIV saved games will play and new games crash as soon as I try to move a ship. Reloading SEIV does nothing. Other software works fine.

I did find a work-around. If the computer is used for other purposes for 30 min, the range check error disappears completely. This suggests that some flag is set while the computer is operating. When it is shut off, the flag resets. It may be that putting the PC into hibernation mode fails to clear that flag, and hence the Range Check error doesn't occur.

Since I use my PC sporadically, this is a serious problem and often prevents me from playing SEIV. Please solve the Range Check Error problem with the new patch!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you, Dave! I haven't had a chance to do any substantial testing, but your work-around seems to work for my machine too. The only clarification I would add is that (on my machine at least) I seem to need to trigger the "Range Check Error" first, then do something else on the machine, then restart SEIV, after which the game seems to run normally. The first time I run the program after a boot it seems to crash no matter what else I might have been doing with the machine since booting it.

Now if we could figure out why my desktop WinME machine has never crashed with the same Version of SEIV installed we might really get a handle on the problem. Meanwhile, I'll certainly second your plea for a program fix.

As an aside, although your work-around is consistent with fredgorch's idea of shutting down with hibernate, I don't think that's viable in the long run. SEIV seems to have a memory leak that will destabilize even my desktop machine after a few sessions, and I seem to recall reading somewhere that WinME has some stability problems with hibernate.

Thanks again,

L.

Re: Help please - error with game
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jpowell:
I strongly suggest gamers locate a copy of Win98SE and keep it on their hard drive, just in case...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This particular gamer strongly recommends Win2KPro, actually. Even 98SE was buggy. XP is supposed to be based off the 2000Pro line... but it has other, more insidious problems that will keep me from likely ever purchasing it.

LL