[jjmounes]

Before I post my issue I am going to put up some preventative messages

-I know GMA 950 and 1.6ghz Atom is paltry and not for gaming. Why the **** do you think I am playing games from the 90's? Telling me my computer can't handle your awesome mod or that I should "just buy a new one" is ****ing stupid, because I am trying to get games working on a netbook, not my desktop.

-Freespace 2 looks and seems awesome, and the original campaign runs buttery-smooth so far. It seems to be a pefect netbook game.

-Do not tell me to update drivers, I am no idiot.

-Do not tell me to scan for viruses. Are you kidding?

-Do not ask me to reinstall the game. Been there.

-Windows 7, GMA 950, Atom 1.6

Anyway I have seen one post on the GoG forum about this same specific issue. The game crashes to desktop the first time a "capitol ship?" torches the intruder (the bel-something). I am using FSO- it's great how easy this community has made installing it with the convenient .exe.

What settings should I start with. Obviously compatability modes, resolutions, and color depths have already been tweaked. I am using standard up-to-date intel drivers.

I am sorry but searching your forum only finds a seething mass of "I ****ed with (modded) the game, now it's not working and/or I don't know how to install drivers" type issues. We need a solution to this issue. If I remember right, it carries to win XP. I know there are people who play this game on this computer just fine, there are "working" reports left and right. We need to solve this issue.

fs2_open.log is not present in my /data folder.

I am launching using fs2_open_3_6_5.exe

[The E]

I would first like to ask you to calm down, and read the big fat thread marked "READ BEFORE POSTING" found here: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=56279.0

While I doubt that there's a solution to your specific problem there, it will tell you how to generate an fs2_open.log, which is what we'll need in order to help you.

Now, believe it or not, but this is the first report of that specific combination of Hardware and OS making trouble I've seen. So please provide the fs2_open.log so that we can get this started.

I am launching using fs2_open_3_6_5.exe

wat.

Okay. You are using an executable that is what? 6 or 7 years out of date? Where did you get it? I mean, we are at 3.6.12. Chances are that that bug has been fixed ages ago.

[Snail]

Probably got it from some old package or download site.

[General Battuta]

Get 3.6.12. If you want a (comparatively) easy installer use the FreeSpace Open Installer, ignore the warnings it gives you about 3.6.10.

[jjmounes]

I start with that defensive preamble because most users refuse to help me once they find out I am trying to run software on a netbook, simply because it's a netbook and they don't like them, don't feel they should exist, and have some weird psychotic bias against people who enjoy computers so light they blend right in with our college books.

You have no idea how much of a ***** it usually is. I have even had people tell me I couldn't play Diablo II because my GMA chip is too ****ty.

[General Battuta]

Well we have plenty of people playing stuff on **** like an Intel Integrated so we're used to it.

But yeah, hopefully 3.6.12 will work.

[Jeff Vader]

Why the **** do you think I am playing games from the 90's? Telling me my computer can't handle your awesome mod or that I should "just buy a new one" is ****ing stupid, because I am trying to get games working on a netbook, not my desktop.

Someone (like me) might say that the MediaVPs are too much for that machine. But FSO itself should run well and we encourage you to use it because
- better performance than with the retail engine
- better compatibility with OSes newer than Win98
- you can actually use your netbook's native resolution.

-Do not ask me to reinstall the game. Been there.

Actually, with your bleeding-edge 3.6.5, we would like you to reinstall FSO.

What settings should I start with. Obviously compatability modes

Erm, no. Not with FSO. You won't need any compatibility modes.

I start with that defensive preamble because most users refuse to help me once they find out I am trying to run software on a netbook, simply because it's a netbook and they don't like them, don't feel they should exist, and have some weird psychotic bias against people who enjoy computers so light they blend right in with our college books.

You have no idea how much of a ***** it usually is. I have even had people tell me I couldn't play Diablo II because my GMA chip is too ****ty.

Okay, but this place isn't the rest of the world. You may get hostile responses if you are hostile yourself, but otherwise, we'd like to get along with people.

[QuantumDelta]

Even if .12 doesn't work at least you'll be able to use a .12 or .13 debug build to let people have a look at what the problem might be, because your initial post wasn't really wrought with details.

I do think installing the game(read; FSO stuff, obviously) with the open installer Battuta linked is probably your best bet.

[jjmounes]

Why the **** do you think I am playing games from the 90's? Telling me my computer can't handle your awesome mod or that I should "just buy a new one" is ****ing stupid, because I am trying to get games working on a netbook, not my desktop.

Someone (like me) might say that the MediaVPs are too much for that machine. But FSO itself should run well and we encourage you to use it because
- better performance than with the retail engine
- better compatibility with OSes newer than Win98
- you can actually use your netbook's native resolution.

-Do not ask me to reinstall the game. Been there.

Actually, with your bleeding-edge 3.6.5, we would like you to reinstall FSO.

What settings should I start with. Obviously compatability modes

Erm, no. Not with FSO. You won't need any compatibility modes.

I start with that defensive preamble because most users refuse to help me once they find out I am trying to run software on a netbook, simply because it's a netbook and they don't like them, don't feel they should exist, and have some weird psychotic bias against people who enjoy computers so light they blend right in with our college books.

You have no idea how much of a ***** it usually is. I have even had people tell me I couldn't play Diablo II because my GMA chip is too ****ty.

Okay, but this place isn't the rest of the world. You may get hostile responses if you are hostile yourself, but otherwise, we'd like to get along with people.

Way to be an asshole, paraphrasing me. I said I had already ruled out all compatability modes, color depth settings, and reoslution settings. Putting words in someone's mouth is a lot more hostile than telling off PC eletists preemptively.

I said nothing about FSO. Again, paraphrasing HOORAY. I greatly appreciate the information that FSO was out of date, as I was given these files on a disk by a friend and I assumed updates for such an old game would have been long finalized. A simple enough mistake and not one deserving of some assholish retort.

If I have enough fun, I might even install it and set up mods on my modest Core2Duo/8600 setup. Well, it's modest now anyway- before the 8800 OC burned out and four years past, ha!

[General Battuta]

FSO development has never stopped, we're rolling on towards the 3.7 milestone. 3.6.12 came out about...what, five months ago?

[Jeff Vader]

I said I had already ruled out all compatability modes, color depth settings, and reoslution settings.

You said that "Obviously compatability modes, resolutions, and color depths have already been tweaked". To me that means that you've set some compatibility mode. And I was just trying to say that you do not and even should not do that with FSO, or fs2_open, or "awesome mod" or whatever you want to call it. If I misunderstood what you were trying to say, then OK, my bad.

I said nothing about FSO.

Uh, yes you did.

asshole

That I am.

[jjmounes]

FSO development has never stopped, we're rolling on towards the 3.7 milestone. 3.6.12 came out about...what, five months ago?

A testament to it's quality.

THis automated FSO installer appears to be downloading some very large files- I really appreciate that service, but I would hope there was a standalone installer somewhere, to make it future-proofish. I do not mean a set of a half dozen files that must be extracted and placed either, I mean a definitive .exe containing all necessary files to get FSO online.

I mean, it would suck if this method worked and then five years from now I decided to revisit and found the automated service which made it all possible to be adandoned.

Anyway it's still running... I don't really understand why all the .ogg files need to be replaced (they aren't just media files?)

[Jeff Vader]

THis automated FSO installer appears to be downloading some very large files- I really appreciate that service, but I would hope there was a standalone installer somewhere, to make it future-proofish. I do not mean a set of a half dozen files that must be extracted and placed either, I mean a definitive .exe containing all necessary files to get FSO online.

I mean, it would suck if this method worked and then five years from now I decided to revisit and found the automated service which made it all possible to be adandoned.

Well, this Installer works so that it downloads stuff from the Internet. And it does that based on a configuration file it accesses, which is also on the Internet (or at least that's how I've understood it). Therefore, new stuff cane be included into the Installer quickly and painlessly. And you, as an end-user, can simply rerun the Installer at any point, and it will then assess what components of your installation should be updated and what new components are available.

And because the Installer works in this manner, it is kept up to date quite well. At least better than any of the offline installers there have been.

[Fury]

Way to be an asshole, paraphrasing me. I said I had already ruled out all compatability modes, color depth settings, and reoslution settings. Putting words in someone's mouth is a lot more hostile than telling off PC eletists preemptively.

I said nothing about FSO. Again, paraphrasing HOORAY. I greatly appreciate the information that FSO was out of date, as I was given these files on a disk by a friend and I assumed updates for such an old game would have been long finalized. A simple enough mistake and not one deserving of some assholish retort.

Frankly, you're being much more hostile here than any other people who have replied to you. So please, drop the attitude. Here newbies are gladly helped regardless of their situation, as long as they behave.

You get what you order.

[jjmounes]

Paraphrasing is going to get a retort from anyone, regardless of post count.

[QuantumDelta]

Being a smart ass will get you a retort from anyone, regardless of ignorance.

You've had your help now go do what you've been told to and see if it's fixed, if not come back with more information and a log, because really, at the moment you're just causing ****.

[General Battuta]

Did you select 'The Works' option on the installer? If so you're about to be buried under a whole ****load of stuff. You only need to select the 3.6.12 executables.

I mean heck I can give you a direct link to the thread with those executables if you want to do it that way.

[Thaeris]

Battuta's more qualified in the tech-support department than I am, but I'm very leary of Turey's installer. In the past, we'd have situations where it would install out-of-date software, the software wouldn't be there, etc. I'm not sure how much better it is now, but I think you'd do well to learn how to do a manual installation of FSO.

When you do such an install, all you need by default are the .exe files and the launcher - the mediaVPs are pretty hefty and might not take to your netbook well. Older versions of the executable files will have a standard and Inferno build, such as 3.6.12 which is the current official release. However, I'd advise anyone to take the Inferno builds over the standard unless specifically directed to do otherwise. Note that both vesions will also make use of a debug build, often noted with a "_d" at the end of their .exe title. There are also two Launcher versions out there - I make use of the standard version (mine is 5.5f); there's also the WXlauncher (though I believe I've heard it has some problems with syncing mods in FRED). Oh yes, before I forget, you might grab the version of FRED goes along with the build of your choice...

Thus, in a nutshell...

-Get the .exe build of your choice, and if you can benefit from SSE or SSE2 builds do so (you'll need to research your computer's processor to know which version is best. For instance, my Intel processor makes use of SSE2, so I use that build). Also get the debug version of this build.

-Get the appropriate version of FRED in relation to your build and itc corresponding debug build.

-Get the Launcher of your choice, or the one which works for you.

-Then, drop these things in your FS2 main directory. Use the launcher to select the build to run, and then launch the program. It's that simple.

If you're already aware of that, that's swell. Again, I think it's better to do a manual install. From using the installer my first time around, I can say that manually installing the software is a much better idea, though taking the time to be careful is also a sharp decision.

[General Battuta]

The installer will remain my first line of advice because of how mind-bogglingly stupidly complex finding all the threads buried in this forum can be.

We really need to get a method of installation that's less bloody retarded, preferably one that involves downloading a single file and clicking it.

[chief1983]

Working on it Batty!

As for defending the Intel GMA, it _is_ a ****ty card, at least when it comes to OpenGL support.  I'm not going to slam netbooks, I tend to like them, and I know a guy who runs EVE Online, Sins of a Solar Empire, and several other modern games on a netbook (even FSO!).  But, the Intel chip sucks for Freespace, whether it's in a netbook or anything else.  It should still run the game, but it's not going to handle many of the more recent additions as capably as even low end Nvidia or ATI offerings.  But it should run without crashing at least.