CCG:ZH will cause a "serious error" and/or lock-up

[Guest JRock]

C&C:Generals will cause a "serious error" and/or lock-up my computer when Skirmish play with AIs

 

Let's see, where to start.

 

Systems this occurs on:

 

Old system:

 

Asus A7N8X Deluxe v1.0, original BIOS

512mb Kingston DDR400 pc3200 cas2.5 ram

Radeon 9500 Pro 128mb - Catalyst 3.5

Antec 400watt ps

40GB WD SE 8mb/7200

AMD XP 2200+

Every part stress tested - memtest86, etc

 

New system:

 

Asus A7N8X Deluxe v2.0, 1006 BIOS

1GB Mushkin DDR400 pc3200 cas2-2-2 ram

Radeon 9600 Pro 128mb - Catalyst 3.7

new Antec 400watt ps - yes, even replaced that

80GB Maxtor 8mb/7200

AMD XP 2500+ Barton

Again, every part stress tested where applicable

 

Audigy 2 on both systems, just latest driver installed - no other Creative software.

Both are WinXP Pro with all security patches, SP1, DirectX 9.0b, Norton AV 2k2 with all latest virus defs, most extra windows Services disabled. Yadda yadda.

 

Is this the AI coding being done poorly and over-tasking my CPU when there are a lot of units in the game? That's what it feels like.

 

Once I'm anywhere somewhat far into a skirmish game with a couple other AI, it starts to chug.... chug.... chug...

 

Alt-tab and it's not using excessive ram (maybe 300-350mb in use max), the processor's max temp according to MBM5 is 52C peak which is fine and shouldn't cause any issues. Defragged all hard drive partitions. Tried saving the game, closing down, rebooting, anything, everything, loading up the game, and it still chugsmoooooooothchugsmooooooothchugsmooooooothchug. Pausing every other second.

 

Complete rebuild of system included fresh harddrive, new installation of XP Pro, etc. Same issue still found.

 

NortonAntiVirus is disabled. MBM5 only takes a reading every 8+ seconds, not every other second, so it's not that either. Nothing else really running.

 

Anyway, here's the error I've seen. Keep in mind other times my system will just lock-up or reboot.

 

 

I just want to play the damn game... skirmish is my favorite part of any C&C game and I can't play even a 2v2 game with 3AI without this happening. I always play with $50k starting money so I'm sure that speeds up how quickly the AI gets a lot of units and makes the problem more noticeable. Is EA going to fix this?!

 

Heck I played a 1v1 skirmish last night during which my PC simply died or something. Scared the **** out of me to have the system sort of partially just power down. And yes, I'm using an APC UPS (and it's working properly) to avoid any power spikes/dips.

 

This is absolutely unacceptable. I just spend ~$800 this week replacing every piece of my system trying to find out what was causing this and apparently it's not any of the hardware I've replaced, so I'm guessing it's the game's coding.

 

There are a few other people reporting suspiciously similar issues on the C&C:Generals forums so I am hoping that proves at the least that it's not just me, and hopefully that it's something coded wrong/inefficiently with the AI.

 

One person on their forums said "ah yes, the 'serious error'. Too many AI units in the game will cause this" and that makes sense because it could be lousy pathfinding coding overloading the CPU 'til it poops itself and locks up the system or Windows can catch it in time and close C&C:G and give me that error message.

 

But then when my system can lock-up or crash with just ONE AI, I get worried.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Here's hoping they patch this game soon. =

[Guest Disposable Hero]

When I see this message I know there is something wrong with my own AI script. So I don't know if ur using the standard AI but when you make some changes to the script it can cause this eror to appear...so remember what you changed!

 

In normal gameplay i never get this message.

 

good luck

[Guest JRock]

Well I've been playing skirmish maps that are made by 3rd party map makers. I don't know whether or not each of them has any AI scripts in them, but I'm pretty sure most of them don't.

[Guest JRock]

Update: problem surfaces even in a 1v1 skirmish (1 AI vs me) on a 1st party map (came with ZH).

[Guest]

i have the same problem, it is only in skirmish play also

[Guest]

i have the same problem........ indeed only with CCG: ZH singleplayer....

 

this sucks!

 

can anyone help me?

 

Greetz, RedCC200

[Guest Guest]

I have this same Problem as Well, Using Win2k instead of XP, with all the appropriate patches. Any time (including in Multiplayer) skirmish AI ais activated, my system crashes. Here's hoping someone knows how to fix this.

[Guest]

I HAVE FOUND A WAY!!!! (well it works for me in skirimish )

 

wwhen u start the game, just open a saved skirimish game. when its loaded, then exit the game. now u can play skirimish

 

Greetz, RedCC200

 

i hope it works m8s

[Guest RedCC200]

that message above this one is mine, forgot 2 log in

[Guest]

This happened too me 100% of the time when playing skirmish on Zero Hour but not Generals. About 15min into the game with 7 AI's, it says serious error. I've tried it on both of my PC's, a P4 2.4/1GB RAM/4200Ti/Intel 865 mobo and a Celeron 1GHz/512MB RAM/GF4 MX440. Intially I thought it might be the nVidia grafx cards, then searching around on the net and found that it happened on Radeon 9600XT, 9800 grafx, you name it. Luckily I didn't go out and spend hard earned $200 on another grafx card to test it out. The conclusion is that it's the game code/bug problem.

 

 

Johnny

[Guest]

When I first purchased CCG:zh i had a different problem, it wouldn't install so I tried fixing all of my computer things and that was never the problem. So the real problem was when I took a look at my game discs and noticed it had a very small part of the shiny part of the CD missing. So I got some new discs and installed and now everything runs great. SO I suggest that everyone takes a look at your game discs and see if there is a missing party of the shiny stuff, that could be all the problem for some of you but still my game slows down in skirmish when many units are on the map.

[Guest]

There are CRC and checksums implemented. So, if a file is corrupted, it will not install at all and you won't be able to load the game. It's entirely different from the "serious error" failure mode which happens 1/2 way into game play. Just a piece of info I thought some of you should know. Cheers.

 

Johnny

[DeadEye 0]

This happened too me 100% of the time when playing skirmish on Zero Hour but not Generals. About 15min into the game with 7 AI's, it says serious error. I've tried it on both of my PC's, a P4 2.4/1GB RAM/4200Ti/Intel 865 mobo and a Celeron 1GHz/512MB RAM/GF4 MX440. Intially I thought it might be the nVidia grafx cards, then searching around on the net and found that it happened on Radeon 9600XT, 9800 grafx, you name it. Luckily I didn't go out and spend hard earned $200 on another grafx card to test it out. The conclusion is that it's the game code/bug problem.

 

 

Johnny

 

7 AI's? Overheating perhaps............... :roll:

[Guest]

I've thought about overheating. But it's not that. It failed on both of my PC's and the CPU temperature on my P4 was around 45degC and it was 29degC on my Tualatin Celeron when it failed. I even opened up the casing and blew cold hurrican air into it using a 40cm home fan but it still failed when playing Zero Hour. But it ran like a charm with Generals. Now I am playing Generals when I wanna do compstomp with multiple AI's until (hopefully) a patch is released.

 

I've Googled the net and tons of people came across this "serious error" failure half way into Zero Hour when playing with multiple AI's. And like me, they could play Generals with no problems with the same number of AI's. Why not you try it for yourself and play a comptomp game on the Twightlight Flame map with 7 AI's, with 3 on your side if you want. Cheers.

 

Johnny

[Guest kris]

but remember when ZH first came out, everything seemed to move smoother and faster, but now it appears this is not the case for heavy AI games.

 

I also hate the fact that EA has to go and blame your system for its own problems. This is just an indication that the engineers are really not interested in addressing the real problem that exists within their game and think that stupid end users will just deal with it. This way they can avoid tech support calls and pass them off to computer manufacturers, etc.

 

Really low class move if you ask me.

[ulf86 0]

I have also problem with CC Generals Zero Hour.

I haven`t even seen game, because after executing generals.exe I get serious error in top of starting bluescreen or if I use nocd crack, then error is that or wrong disk.

Game is original, but when it didn`t work, I d/l other version.

That didn`t help, same errors in same places.

I also have CC Generals, working without errors.

I put topic about this in http://forums.cncnz.com/viewtopic.php?p=4357

because I didn`t notice this one.

 

Still needing help to play game !

[BoMbFuNk.Mc 0]

id like to agree with you, but only if by adding the fact that, Generals isnt a game made by Westwood, Westwood never let us down :]

[Guest The Person]

I have the same annoying problem. I hope EA releases a patch soon that resolves this issue. I know it is not a hardware or software problem on my system and I am running a pretty fast system so I know it is not a performance issue.

 

It is the only game that causes my system to crash.

[Guest KFRMP]

I got this error too. whenever we have a massive LAN Game after short time generals zh crashes with this fatal error on evere computer who is connected to the lan server. cannot be the game stops like this in a 3 on 3 lansession. i think the have to sign up the system requirements higher because the requirements signed on the box are to low for langaming ... sure not for 4 players at same time against AI but a 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 never will be working on these systems.

[Guest]

I would like to say to all of you, I AGREE, it's not a problem with our hardware, its the game, its a great game, but something about that serious error message must be done, EA must take responsibility and be held accountable for THEIR mistake. CNCGZH is an expensive game (fairly), and now a bunch of people cant play it, so it seems that EA DOES NOT CARE, THIS PISSES ME OFF!!! If Westwood did something like this, they would apolagize and make a patch, BUT EA HASNT, they need to realize that THEY NEED US, WE DONT NEED THEM, they need to make a patch and apolagize, or start losing all of their customers that Westwood brought them. Also, the Ladder System in Renegade aint what it used to be, another example of EA's crapiness.

 

I have googlized the net looking for help, none of it works, my problem happens when i try to load my usa campaign, it crashes, someone should write a lot of angry letters to EA.

 

Plus i think EA is discontinuing the CNC SERIES!!!!

 

I MISS WESTWOOD!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Phred02]

The problem I'm having is that it is crashing after about 15-20 minutes (black screen), but i can run Neverwinter Nights and Tiger Woods 2k4 with no problems...any ideas?

 

AMD 2200+

Radeon 9600 xt

512 MB ram

Soundblaster Live X-Gamer

[Guest Guest [metalslug2004]]

I have a p4 3.0 ghz w/hyperthread

2gig of sdram

 

ITS AN ALIENWARE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!

 

And I am getting all of the above errors as you all....

 

 

 

EA......can eat me

 

(slightly annoied if you catch my drift)

[Guest Giet]

Recently I encountered a problem with C&c Zero Hour. I had one of the first Ati radeon

graphic card (64mb). Recently I replaced it by a Ati Radeon 9600XT (128DDR).

I installed the new (Catalyst 4.1 XP driver). Rebooted the system.

Then I started C&C zero hour, the game gave a ...Serious error, check for virusses,

overheating, blablabla.

Two days of pain in the head, I resolved the issue. It isn't the hardware.

(c&c generals (not zero hour..) worked fine with this card).

Ok, here we go....

-Deinstalled C&C Zero Hour

-Removed everything in the register with 'zero hour' (searched for 'Zero Hour'), deleted

-complete keys, not only values.

-rebooted

-Reinstalled Directx 9(

-Rebooted

-Removed de Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour map in the 'My Documents' folder, move

you're save games !!!!

-Befor the reinstallation of Zero Hour, kill all running processes (through the taskmanager), processes

such as a virusscanner, running programs (not explorer.exe) and kill all none system critica processes

with you're login name (eg. administrator or userxx). Make sure that you see the processes for all users.

-Reinstalled C&C Zero Hour, no patching !!! to version 1.02 (sorry multiplayers :-(. ). The

1.02 patch is bad coded, pfff EA are losers !!!!).

-Rebooted

-Started zero hour and it worked !

 

This worked for me, now I'm one happy dude :-), playing zero hour with full detail

 

System Specs:

Intel P3, 933 Mhz

512 Mb memory

Ati Radeon 9600xt 128DDR

Sound Blaster Live!

Promise UDMA 133 controller

80 Gb MAxtor hd / 8mb cache

300 Watt Power supply

Sony DVD burner

Creative DVD player

Win Xp Pro

DirectX 9b