Another no sound issue

[sam0t]

Another no sound victim with Panzer Corps here. Seems like there are quite many with this problem. All the other games and sounds work just fine, only Panzer Corps refuses to make a sound.

Panzer Corps Log.txt contains the following lines:

Version 1.01 (Sep 19 2011)
WINDOWS VERSION: 6.1.7601. Platform ID: 2. CSDVersion: Service Pack 1
mciSendString(open "D:\games\Panzer Corps\.\Audio\Music/menu.mp3" type mpegvideo alias Music/menu) failed.
Error: 'A problem occurred in initializing MCI.' (code: 277)

With Google one finds a rather suiting KB-article @ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232547 which suggests to update Windows Media Player. I have Windows 7 64-bit installed so the latests Windows Media Player 12 is already installed. Ran the latest DirectX redistributable also, no change.

[VPaulus]

ORIGINAL: sam0t

Another no sound victim with Panzer Corps here. Seems like there are quite many with this problem.

Yes indeed, more than the devs and publishers wanted for sure. Maybe 20 or 30 people complained. Although, I do believe that the game sold a little more than that.

All the other games and sounds work just fine, only Panzer Corps refuses to make a sound.

Your other games probably use DirectX as the API for controlling sound and Audio. Panzer Corps use MCI. Probably your system's MCI is broken.
Normally by a codec pack. Very often K-lite.
Anyway to be sure could you please post your DxDiag?
We were able to help most of people and get a workaround at least.
I hope that your case can belong to list of the successful ones.

[sam0t]

I have attached the DxDiag. The only thing I can see off base are that the Realtek sound driver is bit old. But then again sounds work with everything else so I doubt that is the issue. And in addition to that, the GFX Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series should be be 6800 Series.

I have no codec packs installed and only use Foobar2000 and Media Player Classic Home Cinema as Portable install for media. I have been mostly playing Panzer Corps with my laptop, an all Intel Core5i based syste, in which all works fine. Can almost swear that Panzer Corps worked fine couple months ago with my main system - for which the Dxdiag report is for - and only thing I have done since is install some Windows updates and updated AMD drivers to CCC 11.8.

Feels like this is like you suggested a purely Windows issue, hopefully the Devs or somebody else can provide a solution to the issue [:)]

[IainMcNeil]

As VPaulus said is it is usually because the music player is broken on the users PC. The only way to fix it is to fix the player, nothing the game can do can fix it. Vpaulus is the expert on that though so I'll leave it to him! Just wanted you to know its probably not an issue with the game but with a corrupt file of some sort on your machine.

[VPaulus]

ORIGINAL: sam0t

I have attached the DxDiag. The only thing I can see off base are that the Realtek sound driver is bit old. But then again sounds work with everything else so I doubt that is the issue. And in addition to that, the GFX Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series should be be 6800 Series.

Well you can always update, the sound driver. But I too agree that probably it wouldn't solve the issue.

I have no codec packs installed and only use Foobar2000 and Media Player Classic Home Cinema as Portable install for media. I have been mostly playing Panzer Corps with my laptop, an all Intel Core5i based syste, in which all works fine. Can almost swear that Panzer Corps worked fine couple months ago with my main system - for which the Dxdiag report is for - and only thing I have done since is install some Windows updates and updated AMD drivers to CCC 11.8.

Usually it's easier to solve this issue when there are pack of codecks involved with it. Not your case. I know that some kind of media players can also broke the MCI, but foobar2000 seems to be such a "clean" player, that I doubt that it could be related to it.
As for the MPCHC, I've more doubts. But if it's portable it shouldn't tweak the system... but I'm never sure how far the portables can mess with systems or not.

When you say you've no sound are you referring to the voice on briefings and music as well the in game unit sounds?

Your DxDiag, in terms of codecks/filters is quite identical to one I have with one of my systems. The only thing I've different, besides I can hear all Panzer Corps sounds, is that I have some ATI filters installed and you've none. I've an older version of the ATI drivers. Anyway did you installed the ATI HDMI audio driver?

Your problem could be caused by some third party program. Maybe you could use a software called Process Monitor for monitoring real-time file system, registry and process/thread activity.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysi ... s/bb896645
I know that this a bit more technical approach.
This user was brilliant is finding which process was interfering with sound.
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26917
I know his problem was slightly different from yours, but you can take a look at the thread.
You see I can't pinpoint the solution, I can only hinting.
In that user thread I posted links for other threads, that you can also take a look.

Now I'm going to suggest something that I don't like to suggest. I think there's a great chance of you solving your issue by installing a codec pack. Why because if it's true that sometimes they broke, it's also true that sometimes they can fix issues. But it's always risky. It's your call.
If you decide to go this way, take a look at this threads:
tm.asp?m=2909801
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28183
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28084
The 7.7.5 and 7.7.7 seems to be working with Panzer Corps.

Remember to create a restore point before trying anything, just to be sure you can go back.

Please report back with your findings. Your feedback is always precious.
Any doubts just ask and I'll answer if I know how.
I'll keep monitoring this thread.

[sam0t]

Thanks for your replies, took your advice and researched some more of the issue. However quite fruitless were the findings


@Vpaulus

I have not separately installed the ATI HDMI driver, I believe it is installed with the AMD CCC driver pack.

When you say you've no sound are you referring to the voice on briefings and music as well the in game unit sounds?

When I start panzer corps, I get click sounds in the autorun windows when moving mouse cursor over the buttons like Play-button. When I start the game, there is the macho background music playing but no Intro Video. When I press any button on that stage I get the Panzer Corps main menu, but after that, no sound at all, no music or sound effect.

I ran the process monitor and filtred only actions which involved .wav and .mp3 files. When I run Panzer Corps the following exe:s access the sound files

PanzerCorps.exe
autorun.exe
MsMpEng.exe
svchost.exe

I agree what you say with the codec packs, but out of curiosity I will test one of the codec packs and see if it makes a difference. And yes I will make a system image before doing so

[sam0t]

Right,

At least something changed after K-Lite 7.7.7 Install. During the install of K-Lite, I got the informed that a directshow component is incorrectly installed. In attachment the Error 1.

Next thing I fire up the panzercorps and the start Video intro works, also the sounds work in main menu and in the game, but after I move any unit in game, the game crashes. Error 2 in the attachment.

So indeed there seems to be codec problem that much is clear, but K-Lite only changed the issue with Panzer Corps. [&:]

[VPaulus]

ORIGINAL: sam0t
I have not separately installed the ATI HDMI driver, I believe it is installed with the AMD CCC driver pack.

Maybe now. But not with the old packages.

ORIGINAL: sam0t
So indeed there seems to be codec problem that much is clear, but K-Lite only changed the issue with Panzer Corps. [&:]

Because nowadays, most programs don't use MCI as the API for controlling sound. They use DirectX.

It seems one of the components of DirectShow is not registred. And the problem lies around that. I've expected that with the installation of the codec pack it would have solved the issue.

Anyway now the problem seems to be only with the wav. If you hear the music and the briefings in the campaign, that means, that mp3 is now working.
You could replace the wav files with mp3 files. That probably could work. Ok, you still had the problem in your system, but besides Panzer Corps, it seems nothing in your system is using MCI.
There's a conversion done by a user: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4085857/Audio.zip
You would have to replace all the wav files (do always a backup) for mp3.

Still you can now, after having installed the codec, try to monitor it with process monitor again. MAybe you could find a clue.

You can run Codec Tweak Tool (provided by K-lite) and try take a look at the DirectShow filter configuration.
In one of my machines I had a similar issue. And it was by try and error that I was able to make it working.

[sam0t]

VPaulus, thanks for your effort in looking to this problem.

I backed up and replaced the audio folder with the MP3 converted ones, but no fix. Naturally not since I had already restored the system image without K-lite codec pack installed. I'll give the Codec Tweak Tool a try, but if no fix, I am going to let this slide and just play Panzer Corps with my laptop. Bit slower but still playable.

[VPaulus]

Have you removed the wav files from the audio folder after/before copying the mp3 files?
Do you hear the briefings when you play the campaign?

I was thinking more of the tweak tool with K-lite installed. But anyway give it a try. You can always also try installing other codec pack besides k-lite. But only you can evaluate, if it's worth the trouble.

Anyway, please report back.

[sam0t]

Great news VPaulus! [:)]

Just before quitting I thought to give the CodecTweakTool v507 a try, no harm trying right? And indeed it fixed things.

Ran the program, chose fixes-button and applied all the fixes available (re-register base directshow filters, detect and remove broken VFW/ACM & directshow codecs/filters). Afterwards the Panzer Corps intro video and all the music/in-game sounds work. So it seems my windows codec/filter settings had gone wrong at some point and fixing them corrected the problems. No additional codecs like K-lite pack needed.

Thanks a bunch for the solution!  [&o]