SPWAW 8.0 - 8.30 & Me [General Discussion]

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: RBWhite

Downladed INF updates & installed them.

Downloaded the Hyper Threading test utility.

Rebooted, entered cmos enabled hyper threading.

Finished reboot, Installed HT test utility, ran it, all was fine.

Ran SPWAW 8.30 no changes with screen still blacks out.

System resourses meter spiked

Well my main machine here has an Intel 875P chipset with hyperthreading enabled and a ATI RADEON 9800 in the AGP 8x slot. Except I am using an Intel Motherboard as well. A D875PBZ to be exact.

And I do not have that issue nor issues with any games Matrix or otherwise.

So that would lead me to believe its still somehow a motherboard related issue with how ASUS has done something. Or else still something on the software/config level that is different.

Have you tried running it under SAFE MODE? Maybe do a parrallel install of XP, bare bones, to c:\WINTEMP or something.

Out of ideas beyond that, but likely Matrix isn't to blame for your issues...

As a side note I've bought nothing but Intel chips and boards for years and honestly while this or that may not be quite as fast I've never had many of the issues that AMD people and so forth seem to get. Intel Motherboards are rock solid just like their chips and its worth the extra $$$ in my opinion. I even stuck with them during the RAMBUS phase and never had trouble with those either.

That said If I ever did buy a non-intel motherboard it would be an ASUS.

[Bodhi]

Probably not important, but I think the autorun.exe may be made by Matrix using the AutoPlay Media Studio software of Indigo Rose.

OK, fine you're having a problem with SPWAW, but to go from there to "problems with some or all of Matrix Games", as you stated in your original post, is probably more a function of your frustration than fact.

BTW, are you saying that the screen "blacks out" only when with hyperthreading is activated?

[RBWhite]

Bodhi

Yes to the Autoplay media.

Yes to the Hyper Threading question.

[RBWhite]

Veldor


Thanks for the info and help.



Rick White

[Bodhi]

Well Veldor above seems to be able to run with hyperthreading enabled, although he doesn't specifically mention running SPWAW. I'd tend to agree with Veldor; it seems it may be system specific rather than a problem with "some or all of Matrix Games", especially as you seem to be the only one experiencing this problem. Of course this won't help to reduce your level of frustration at all.

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: Bodhi

Well Veldor above seems to be able to run with hyperthreading enabled, although he doesn't specifically mention running SPWAW. I'd tend to agree with Veldor; it seems it may be system specific rather than a problem with "some or all of Matrix Games", especially as you seem to be the only one experiencing this problem. Of course this won't help to reduce your level of frustration at all.

I had run SPWAW on this computer before but looking at it am unsure of what version since its not installed at the moment so since I happen to have the same chipset but different motherboard I am downloading SPWAW v8.2 and will see. SLOW download site though.

SPWAW I am 100% sure is a single-threaded app so it couldn't benefit directly from hyperthreading. The only other thing that could run on the other "virtual" processor would be other system functions programs and elements and thats not the job of Matrix or the developers but rather the responsibility of the drivers, OS, and hardware itself. Likely there is some sort of unproper queuing or contention with AGP access to the video card.

Should be easy to verify if 8.2 works for me. If it doesn't well.. We will see.. [:D]

[RBWhite]

Bodhi

You might want to read back through some of the threads in the tech support by gamers for gamers forum. Just a thought.

I did mention SPWAW quite specifically.

Thanks

Rick White

[Bodhi]

ORIGINAL: RBWhite

Bodhi

You might want to read back through some of the threads in the tech support by gamers for gamers forum. Just a thought.

I did mention SPWAW quite specifically.

Thanks

Rick White

I know you mentioned SPWAW, it's in the thread title after all, I was refering to Veldor stating he was running Matrix Games without problem.

I have nothing better to do so I went and looked in the "tech support by gamers for gamers forum", and found a couple of threads on SPWAW. From what I could see there's only about 4 people that posted, yourself, Black Cat, Voriax and Seraphim2150 that are having problems.

You yourself suggested Seraphim2150's problem may be a Sound card one. Black Cat is running an Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.80GHz according to his DX Diag report, will hyperthreading be an issue with this?

Maybe a few more people who are having a problem can try to turn off hyperthreading to see if it really is the cause of the problem.

Last official word I saw from Matrix was that they were looking at the problem, but it seems to be system specific ("We´re working on this. The problem is it´s not reproducable, some have the problem some not, with identical hardware and drivers. The vast majority has absolutly no problems running it under XP (without any tweaks or mech.exe direct start)" - Marc S).

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: Bodhi
Maybe a few more people who are having a problem can try to turn off hyperthreading to see if it really is the cause of the problem.

If more people had the same issue and turning off hyperthreading solved it it still wouldn't mean it was a problem with the game itself. It would just mean something isn't right with the hardware, drivers, firmware, etc. for more than one person.

Besides, after timing out a couple times on the download, I finally downloaded the latest SPWAW and It loads just fine for me. Started a game up no issues. I have the same core chipset and processor, just a different motherboard. And hyperthreading is enabled.

So that ends that...

[Bodhi]

ORIGINAL: Veldor

If more people had the same issue and turning off hyperthreading solved it it still wouldn't mean it was a problem with the game itself. It would just mean something isn't right with the hardware, drivers, firmware, etc. for more than one person.

Granted, but why would the problem manifest itself only with SPWAW?

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: Bodhi
Granted, but why would the problem manifest itself only with SPWAW?

Yeah were in a "Paradox" aren't we? It can't be his machine since every other thing works besides SPWAW on that machine yet it can't be SPWAW since it works for every other person including ones with the same chipset with hyperthreading enabled.

I would bet if he tried enough programs/games, especially ones of an older age such as SPWAW that he would find others with problems on that machine.

Even if he didn't a conflict for a single piece of software and the particular environment is not all that uncommon. So they are making a certain DirectX call or whatever in SPWAW that isn't being made anywhere else. Initializing the screen a different way. Whatever it must all be valid code or it wouldn't work for the rest of us.

Something, some application, some driver, is interfering in his case with how hyperthreading behaves with this particular app.

My suggestion... Take out all non-essential hardware including sound card, network card if possible (or disable it) etc etc and then try the app again. Then try it in SAFE mode, then try a base-level parrallel install.

Good chance it would work but don't know if it would be worth all that trouble.

If it were me I'd just buy a new motherboard. I'd bet money it would solve the issue, since mine works. Then Ebay the ASUS one. In the end out far less $$$, time and frustration than any other method...

[RBWhite]

Bodhi

Well I'm not sure you read enough, if you were too continue back and more in-depth you would find referecnes to WITP, HTTR, KP, BIN and others.

Black Cat's problem was an admitted video display problem. He also had the purchased version SPWAW Generals Edition.

It was obvious Searphim2150 had a sound card problem.

Maybe I should have used the term Potential Problem for some or all.

You and Veldor appear to be experienced programmers.

The last official word you read was Marc S. responding to my thread, I also have a responce from Tech support@Matrixgames on my problem, stating they are aware of the problem and had two Techs from Tech support working on it, and that a solution would to be included in the 8.30 patch. But if you look at the patch summary no technical updates are included for the free version of SPWAW 8.30.

There is another 8.30 patch for the purchased SPWAW Generals Edition but you must have a registered game to get it?

So, with all that said, I will with great reluctance except yours and Veldor's conclusions.

Thanks for your in-put

Rick White

[RBWhite]

Veldor

By the way the ASUS motherboard was not purchased on Ebay.

First you state if you were to ever buy something other than an Intel motherboard it would an ASUS. Than you trash this ASUS motherboard.

Oh well

No need to respond I got your number.

Rick White

[wodin]

RBWhite,

How long have you been using a PC for games or anything for that matter?

the reason I ask is that if you have been using them for awhile you will surely realise that all games and even apps have compatibilty issues. NOTHING can be done by any developer to overcome them totaly. The reason being is the way PC's are built. All different makes put together.

A good example is Windows XP service pack 2.

[RBWhite]

1985

started with an 8086

Whats wrong with service pack 2

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: RBWhite
By the way the ASUS motherboard was not purchased on Ebay.

Could you quote me where I said it was? I said you could buy a new motherboard for less than a hundred bucks like mine and then SELL the ASUS one on Ebay(thats what the phrase "Ebay it" means) thus probably only being out $25-$40 but then not having the issue since youd essentially have my hardware config then.

And if you had my hardware config and STILL had the issue then that would prove without a doubt it was something else on your system. Software, Settings, whatever.

[RBWhite]

"Then Ebay the ASUS one"

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: RBWhite

"Then Ebay the ASUS one"

To Ebay = To Sell on Ebay

Common slang phrase.

[RBWhite]

Then forgive my misinterpretation off what is common slang for something I really have no use for and never will. Ebay