Game locks up under XP, not a sound problem

Looks to me like the game is crashing due to code malfunction, when it tries to identify the pods. I doubt it is simply an error on the graphical representation of the pods.

Assuming you don't have any mods running, it could be a corruption on the CD. Take it back where you bought it and have it exchanged?

Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Well as I bought the game when it first came out and thats definatly over 30 days I know I can't take it back. I didn't have this problem when I first bought it I know that, I beat it a couple of times and stopped playing for a couple years, just started again about 2 weeks ago.

If it is a code malfunction when trying to ID the pods/cargo, wouldn't there also be an issue with the contacts list, where it also lists the pods cargo? Since I removed the HUD window in the upper left hand of the screen, which gives all the info on a target, I havn't had a lockup.

Whew! this is a tough one.

Does it also crash when comms are active (when you see the faces or ship of someone who is talking to you? (it could be a video codex issue?)

Did you perhaps extract the resource.zip to your game?
Note: Thats NOT(!) a suggestion, just a question.

Have you had any mods active since your last re-install of the game?
(The mod names please)
Have you changed any ini files like for the ucp scanner or such?

Can you see the pods well visually if you get real close to one?

What happens if you target a pod and use the weapon zoom?




Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Heh yeah, it's driving me a little crazy as well. Actually it does not crash when someone is talking, how I found this out was mainly cause clay was talking to me when I first switched through some cargo pods, but as soon as his face disappeared and it switched back to give me all the stats in that upper left window, it froze.

/edit Reread your post MT and realized it was a different question then what I thought, to clarify, no the comms do not cause the game to freeze. In addition it seems that if I have a comm message incoming I won't lockup until after the message is done if I have a pod targeted. /edit

I did some more things to try and figure out if I could narrow down what else might cause the freezing...I loaded up the ship with a cargo pod, saved, then exited the base, undocked the pod and targeted it. I did this about 15 times without using ANY joystick input, that means not moving it at all, no targeting, no rotating the ship, nothing, and I locked up none of the times. After each time I quit then came back to give the game a chance to reload, as if it were when I first started the game. I then did this another 15 times, only after undocking from the pod I moved the joystick around and either used the keyboard to cycle targets or used the joystick to cycle the targets or simply target the nearest object in that direction. I froze up 14 out of 15 times. So for some reason the joystick has a huge factor in causing the freeze. I used two joysticks for the test, half and half (roughly) A Logitech Wingman Digital Extreme (yeah, i know it's old) and a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro.

Now here is where it gets fun, as I said before, when I delete that particular HUD Window, which gives the 3D representation and health/cargo/subtargeted system of the ship/pod/station it doesn't matter if I use the joystick or not, cause I don't seem to freeze.

I have tried it with the resource.zip unzipped and zipped, I also tried the game without any mods active. That attempt was tried right after a reinstall and patch so it was a fresh game, still locked up. The pods do look nice visually if I get close to one yes, and I havn't tried the target/weapon zoom, havn't used the sniper cannon too much and if it was going to freeze I'm pretty sure it would freeze before i got to zoom in on it.

PS Other then changing the flux.ini and default.ini for customjafs (when I use the mod) and for changing/adding keys, other then that I havn't messed with them.

Some mods can screw up the save in your game, thats why I asked about that. Also Hex editing in Saves can really screw stuff up.

It does seem to be joystick orientated. Have you tried using a different USB port for your Joystick? (Or, Is the Wingman stick not USB in the first place)
The joystick may be be overloading your system considerably and thus also occasionally causes the other grafic issues you reported too?
Some weaker systems have problems on the input side if you use a USB mouse (together with a USB keyboard, Joystick)
I once had lockups in the GUI while in the trading screen due to to an intermittantly bad connection in the cable of a USB optical mouse.

On the graphics side:
The view in the HUD target window is the "wire mesh" of a model and not a special seperate avatar.

There is a developers mode switch that allows you to see the wire mesh of all models in the game via a keybind, directly on the screen. Information on how to set up the command "Show Bounds" is included in the pog_scripting SDK.
Using that would allow you to look at a pod to see if somehow, the mesh for that pod is corrupted (I'm assumming it's always the same pod type?).


Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Are u running background programs that have just ANYTHING to do with graphics/video, things like kazaa (mediap player which is integrated in it) DVD progs in tray or anything like it?

___________________
The sum of all Fears...