Start up crash

[Punkhunter25]

I installed the game and whenever I try to start it up, it crashes with an error message.

"AppName: starshatter-thegatheringstorm.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: starshatter-thegatheringstorm.exe
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 0015db28"

It said that there was a problem with this file: C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\3112_appcompat.txt

[Bickerstaff]

I installed Starshatter and am having the same problem as punkhunter 25.  When I boot the program I get an error message:
 
"AppName: starshatter-thegatheringstorm.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: starshatter-thegatheringstorm.exe
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 0015db28"
 
Any answers out there.  I have run dxdiag testing and all seems to be fine.  I have downloaded the latest patch (5.0.1).  Nothing seems to work.  Any ideas out there.

[JT]

What kind of hardware do you guys have?  I know some people have had problems trying to use on-board graphics controllers in the past, for instance.

[Punkhunter25]

Unfortunately, yes I do run my graphics off of my mother board, but it does meet the requirements to the best of my knowledge. The only things that I could think of (hardware related) which could cause this problem is low ram, but I have 512mb and my graphics card (based off the motherboard) is read by dxdiag as 64mb meeting the 32mb requirement.

[SF]

  Does the chipset meet what the game needs though?  Most 'integrated' (that is, non-dedicated) video systems lack many of the features needed for gaming (even for games made 3-4 years ago), such as hardware T&L, decent shader support, etc., and lack of dedicated video memory can introduce more problems.  Whatever kind of integrated video you've got (most aren't worth much for gaming), if you plan to do much gaming, I recommend investing in a dedicated video card.  Otherwise, don't expect to be able to play too many games.

[Punkhunter25]

I'm not sure if it meets all requirements such as shadding but lucky for me, I'm getting a new computer but it'll take about 3 or 4 months which will far surpass the requirements. I was just hoping this I could play starshatter sooner.

[JT]

The requirements on the boxed version mention that a 3D accelerator card is "required", but that compatibility with the OpenGL shader model 2.0 is only "recommended".

Also note that while SS:TGS is fairly modern, you don't actually need a massive video card unless you're running it with the dynamic shadows and the detail fully cranked.  A new ATI FireGL V7350 which is just rolling off the assembly line now would run you about C$1800.  A yesteryear ATI Radeon 9250, on the other hand, is only C$100 if you buy from an independent computer shop, and probably only C$25-C$50 on eBay (but you should probably go for up to C$150 for a new GeForce 7600 GS or some such, since that would last you a couple years).