Game Crashing

[DrkPhnix 0]

Hello,

 

I'm getting back into SF2 after being away for about a year. I have a new PC (finally) and have been slowly building my SF2 install. Recently it's started crashing on long missions. I have not timed it, but it does not seem to matter if it's a campaign or single mission, nor which aircraft are present.

 

I tried searching but was "lock ups" was all I could think to search for (being a sim forum "crash", or derivatives, would probably return hits relating to flying into the ground), and was told that there was a problem with the search terms. So I checked the KB and did not find anything, then I checked the TW official forums and saw nothing there. So I'm starting to suspect something with the mods I've done.

 

I'm running SF2:V, with all the latest patches from TW installed, then I installed the Vietnam upgrade from eburger, got the latest version for that plus the Sept 2011 patch. After that, I started adding aircraft. I added the MF F-14 pack and didn't seem to have any troubles. Then I started going after older craft, trying to stay only to SF2 downloads, save for the Flight of the Intruder edition A-6, which I needed the cockpit from per the Vietname upgrade. The A-5Av3, the EA-6B, MiG-21 Complete Pack, the MiG-15, the MiG-19S, the Buccaneer, the F-11F-1, the F9F Cougar, the Early Sabres pack, the F-101 super pack, the B-70, the YF-12, the F-103, and the F4D-1 Skyray.

 

I think that is everything. The SF2V_AG-XP_v2 patch really ate a lot of frames and I had to start turning options down, but I think the crashes started happening later in the plane adding, I'm thinking around the time of the 101s or B-70, but I tend to think it's coincidence because the crashes happen even with Rolling Thunder campaign missions.

 

 

My system is a custom build - Gigabyte Z68 chipset motherboard, Socket 1155 Core i5 2400, 8GB of Corsair RAM, PNY GF GT440 card with 1GB, a PC Power and Cooling 650W PS/u 80+ Silver certified, a LightScribe DVR-RW, and some old 120GB SATA HDD I found in another system. Everything is using stock coolers, and housed in a full tower Lian Li case, the case is the biggest Full Tower I've ever seen and I've been using full tower cases since the 486DX50 days. It dwarfs the components inside, has 2 intake fans and 2 exhaust fans set up with Molex connectors, and of course the power cables are all braided.

 

I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit. Ran all available updates for Windows, got the latest drivers for all hardware, then set up my Cougar and finally SF2. The crashes started happening under ForceWare 280, but now I'm on 285.6 and they still happen.

 

I have not seen this issue with the Rise of Flight Demo, nor IL2 1946, which is also patched fully (but no mods). One thing I have noticed is that those 2 games run higher frame rates with the same res (1280x1024) and the card's 3D options turned up higher. When the fighting breaks out in SF2 near Hanoi, I have seen the frame rate drop as low as 10fps. Over the Gulf the frame rate will kick up to 60 or so, and on single missions on clear day it's as in the 80s.

 

I will also note that I ran through Crysis (1) with all options ingame maxed at the above res, but had to turn FSAA off, but left Aniso at 4x. For SF2 I turn them both down to 2x because of the frame killing tendency of big battles,

 

Heat comes to mind, but stock coolers ought to be able to handle this I would think. The card is equipped to run much higher resolutions with up to 8x in both Aniso and FSAA, and since my old P4 3.2 w/GF6800 could run it (albeit with much lower res and all options cranked way, way down) I don't think the CPU is being taxed here. The HDD is quite slow, but I can't see that causing crashes. Anybody have any thoughts?

[Wrench 9,429]

you know the VietnamSEA terrain is both nation and year limited, right? If you've only got SF2V, you'll be running into various and sundry problems with "allowed years", "allowed missions" and "allowed nations"

 

SF2V is only good for one thing:

the Southeast Asian war.

SF2V is not the best choice for an expansive, many modded game

 

the terrain ini says it all:

 

 

[Terrain]

TerrainFullName=Vietnam, Southeast Asia

 

--major snippage--

 

LimitedNations=TRUE

GroundObjectTexture=green

 

[AllowedMissionTypes]

FriendlyMissionTypes=SWEEP,CAP,ESCORT,STRIKE,CAS,SEAD,ARMED_RECON,RECON

EnemyMissionTypes=SWEEP,CAP,ESCORT,INTERCEPT,STRIKE,CAS,SEAD,RECON

 

[AllowedDates]

StartDate=8/2/1964

EndDate=4/30/1975

 

SF2 and/or SF2E are much more liberal in respect to modding 'the hundred year span'

 

as to the other issues, sorry I can't help there. Try removing ALL the mods, running the game straigh out-of-the-box, and see what/how the frame rates and playability is. That'll help narrow it down to addons or machine issues

[DrkPhnix 0]

I did not know that. Another reason to consider purchasing the other products I guess. However, even with campaign missions which do not use any add on planes (to my knowledge, I've only seem 17s. 19s, 21a, and An2 Colts) I still have the crashes. Everything is fine, then suddenly whatever you're looking at freezes and the only way out is to control-alt-delete and open task manager; by which point there is a "has stopped responding" window.

 

 

The frame rate did drop once I ran the Vietname add-on mod/patch. But only in campaign missions. I take that as a factor of the increased level of objects on the map, plus AI actions in the form of AAA, SAM, and air activity on both sides (there is lots going on).

 

I hate to have to reset it to zero and start again, but I suppose I just may have to.

 

For the record, my old install on my old P4 machine was basically the same in nature, SF2V, the afforementioned addon pack, plus many, many planes, ranging from WWII to "what if"/future (F-29s, etc). I only had The Range and the Vietnam terrains installed, and it ran fine... slowly, but fine. The main differences were there were fewer TW patches (I think it was Dec 2009 level) and most of the aircraft I added were SF1 vintage, whereas this time I have the latest TW patches and stick to SF2 downloads.