[NFSRacer]

I just recently started playing FSO on my brand new laptop (which I KNOW can support FSO and it's enhancements), but I've run into an issue that I don't fully understand.  I tried launching the game with BP2 loaded into the launcher, but it kept coming up with a number of error messages saying that some images or some things are missing.  I'm not sure what it was, but it looked like the game just wasn't loading them for some reason.  Even then, when I tried the vanilla version of the game without any of the enhancements, it did run without issue, but there was an odd, if annoying video issue with a red line on the top of the screen that kept flickering, and all the cut scenes all be covered in red to the point where nothing showed up.  I'm not sure what's wrong with the game or my computer, but it's such that I can't play any of the mods at all, aside from FS2 and FSO.  Can someone help me?

[z64555]

Most likely your vid card... Might try and google the symptoms for your particular card, to see if that's indeed the case.

[NFSRacer]

Yeah, I'm not sure that'd work as this is isolated with FS2.  I'll still try it any ways, but I'm serious in the fact that all of my other games runs just fine, other than FS2.

[z64555]

ok, well. Try running a Debug build, attach the debug log (fs2.log, found in your /../FreeSpace 2 Open/data folder) and tell us your PC's hardware spec's ( CPU, GPU, HDD, RAM, and PSU wattage).

[NFSRacer]

As far as I can tell, I'm not really sure what my exact power supply is on my laptop nor my desktop (which can run FS2, FSO, and all the mods just fine, with a few small developer errors, as expected), but my laptop's hardware specs is as follows:

CPU: AMD A6-3420M Quad Core Processor (1.9GHz)
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 6480 Mobile Graphics Card (2GB dedicated RAM)
HDD: (exact details such as type, brand, ect. are unknown) 500GB hard drive
RAM: Previously 4GB RAM now upgraded to 8GB
PSU: 65W Mobile Power Unit with a Lithium-Ion Battery.

Know that I always run my games with high performance power settings any time I play ANY games at all, as well as keep the laptop plugged in as well, both to conserve battery life, and to give me the best possible performance from my hardware (not that I'm expecting anything).  Also, on a side note, I'm not sure the log that I picked out is the correct one.  If not, can you give me a better idea as to where to find it, please?

[attachment removed and sold on the black market]

[The E]

Please generate another log, with BP selected as the active mod.

In addition, please uncheck the "fix color issues on ATI cards" thing in the Launcher's troubleshooting list. You do not need it.

[NFSRacer]

I do know I haven't replied, but I've got a crap-load going on in my life, right now, so I haven't really gotten the chance to get this uploaded until now.  This file debugging file was done just after I ran 3.6.12D with BP2 selected, and as expected, a single error message came up before the game crashed.

[attachment removed and sold on the black market]

[MatthTheGeek]

A/

Code: [Select]

Found root pack 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Game\Freespace 2\blueplanet2\bp2-adv-visuals.vp' with a checksum of 0x241c257fNot necessarily the cause of your issues, but move Freespace 2 to something like C:\Games. FSO has a character limit on absolute filepaths, which make long filepaths a potential bug cause.


B/

Code: [Select]

FreeSpace version: 3.6.12BP2 requires .14 RC or recent trunk. Follow the instructions in the release thread.

[NFSRacer]

I've got BP2 and FSO 3.6.12 on my desktop and BP2 runs just fine on there.  I don't see how it would be any different.

[niffiwan]

The older version of BP2 works with 3.6.12 just fine.  The newer version (i.e. current download links) does not.

[NFSRacer]

Hmm...Well, I'm not sure which version I've got installed on my laptop, but even then, I don't think that fixes the weird video issue I've got.

[niffiwan]

You could just copy your desktop version to the laptop - that should give you a copy of BP2 that'll work with 3.6.12.  If the problems still persist, either the missing files or the video issues, post another fs2_open.log.

[Jeff Vader]

I've got BP2 and FSO 3.6.12 on my desktop and BP2 runs just fine on there.  I don't see how it would be any different.

FSO has a character limit on absolute filepaths, which make long filepaths a potential bug cause.

[NFSRacer]

Okay, and the video issues that I get on FS2 Retail, FSO, and all the mods?  I mean, I can run the games, but the issue I get is this annoying red bar that keeps popping up at the top of the screen and can, at times, cover the entire screen as well.  It does it all the time while in a cutsceen, but even then, it's still highly annoying.  At first, I thought it was only related to FRED2, but I noticed it on the game not too long after.

Okay, I stand corrected. I figured out what the issue was.  It was my version of FSO that I was running.  The Inferno version of 3.6.12 was causing that odd video issue that I was having.  Since I just got version 3.6.14 RC8, it runs better now.

On a side note, is it possible for me to get a heads up as to what the known errors are for the absolute file path problem?  Just so I can keep an eye out for them, because, after a quick test, I have yet to see any issue.

[jr2]

Avoid long paths (c:\my stuff\games\simulators\space\combat\volition\freespace2)

Avoid Program Files and the Desktop altogether


..any others?

[niffiwan]

IIRC the "known errors" for using a path/directory-structure that's too long are FSO logging errors/warnings about not being able to find files.  Or if you're really lucky, it won't complain, and it will just not use the file in question, leading to any number of odd issues

[NFSRacer]

Huh.  Well, I've never had an issue like that before for FS2 or any other title that I've ever played, for that matter.  I'll keep an eye out, but I don't think it'll be that much of an issue...