Game runs jumpy after 1.09 patch

[JScott991]

After installing the 1.09 patch (though this might not be related to the problem since I hadn't played much since the late Spring), the game now runs jumpy most of the time.

When starting up the game, it will sometimes stick on the initializing graphics step. It will pause for a considerable time before loading the game. When the game is loaded, the cursor will jump around the screen rather than flow evenly. When attempting to play, the game will run fairly slow, but be extremely jumpy, with the mouse cursor jumping around.

In response to the problem, I updated my video drivers to the latest Nvidia ones, but this did not solve the problem. The problem does not always occur, but it usually does. It is hard and rare to get the game running smoothly and I don't do anything differenly on these few occasions when it boots up properly (not pausing for a long time on the graphics step, the cursor moving properly, etc.).

I have been playing the game since March and did not have any of these problems before.

My computer specifications:
600 Mhz Intel Pentium
128 MB of RAM
16 MB Nvidia TNT2 graphics card
Soundblaster Live Value
20 GB HD (5 GB free space)
Running US Version 1.09 of the game

Please help or I'm afraid I'll have to give this wonderful game up. Its just become unplayable.

Jeremy Scott
jcs21212@aol.com

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Please read the thread "Running Problems" in this forum.
If you did not have these problems before then something has changed on your computer.
Try to think what you have installed since March. There is almost certainly something running in the background that is taking some of the processor time. Check that all Firewalls, anti virus, auto CD insert etc is off.

 

[JScott991]

Uglyduck,

Thank you very much for your response.

Sadly, there is nothing running the background of my computer that could be causing this machine. The only difference between now and before, is that instead of being on a University LAN, my computer is now on a LAN at my house with one other computer only.

The only program running in the background is the graphics utility program for my Diamond graphics card and that has always been on since I received my computer.

My question is why this problem only occurs sometimes and why sometimes it does not occur? Why can I tell that the problem is going to occur because it lags ONLY on the graphics initialization step? It seems to me that this is an EU problem. If the problem was with a background application, wouldn't it occur all the time? If the problem was other than EU, why would it only lag on the graphics Initialization step?

Thank you,

Jeremy Scott

 

[unmerged(1095)]

This is a tricky one!
Have you tried uninstalling and running without the patch to see what happens? I ask as you state that you have had the probs since installing the 1.09 patch.
You shouldnt really need it with your system but try downloading "cacheman" from outertech.com. It is a free small download and will tweak you virtual memory settings for your system. (It is easily turned off!)

Meantime I will let this post filter thro to Patric and Co for any ideas? Ths isnt the first time I have seen a post with the "stuttering" mouse problem.

 

[JScott991]

Uglyduck,

Thank you again for all of your help. I will hope to hear something from you on this issue.

I think this is some type of a graphics glitch or something with EU. I still am baffled about why this occurs sometimes and not others. I have been running the game a lot and seem to get the problems about 75% of the time.

I will try things on my end.

Thank you again,

Jeremy Scott

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Clutching at straws now but can you not borrow another graphix card and try that? Or you might try reseating the card itself as they can "rise" in their slots after a while.
You havent installed another mouse by any chance? - optic ones can cause problems with resource intensive programs.
Is there anything in start/programs/start up folder? We are looking for anything that is "polling" the machine and causing interrupts.
Are there any conflicts reported in Device Manager?
Gawd this is hard at long range....

 

[JScott991]

Uglyduck,

Some answers to your questions:

My graphics card is probably not the problem unless it conflits only with EU. I play a lot of other games that require higher graphics performance than EU and they work fine with it. I did check to make sure it wasn't loose and it is in there tight (like most things are when the manufacturer puts them in).

The only program that comes on when I start the machine is Diamond's Incontrol Desktop manager, the utility that goes with my graphics card. This has been installed since my computer was purchased and it certainly was installed in March, April, and May when I was playing EU with no technical problems at all.

There are no conflicts in my device manager and I still use the same mouse I've always used, which is a regular Microsoft Micron wheelmouse.

Thank you again for all your help. I wish I could get this solved, but it seems I'm going to have give EU up. Everything I've tried has failed miserably.

 

[JScott991]

A clue

I have recieved this error a few times when closing the game after it runs jumpy.

One other thing, once the game runs well (smoothly), I can exit and restart it as many times as I want and it will continue to run well. Weird, isn't it?


EUROPA caused an invalid page fault in
module EUROPA.EXE at 0167:00428320.
Registers:
EAX=00a5da04 CS=0167 EIP=00428320 EFLGS=00010206
EBX=005c2138 SS=016f ESP=00a5d9c0 EBP=00a5d9e8
ECX=24d45130 DS=016f ESI=00000000 FS=37f7
EDX=bff7687a ES=016f EDI=81751f30 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 41 04 85 c0 74 07 50 e8 13 47 16 00 59 c3 90
Stack dump:
0058e5ea 81751f30 00000000 005c2138 00a5d9c4 00a5d7f0 00a5da04 00594140 005c2148 00000000 00a5de4c 0058e5af 24d45130 00000008 046b004e 00428320

 

[JScott991]

No response on that error message?

 

[unmerged(1660)]

Try updating your sound driver. Sounds silly, but try it.

 

[unmerged(1403)]

try the following, it is worth a shot

try running the game while your computer is disconnected from the network, if the problem id resolved well we can narrow it down to LAN issues.

also check your graphic hardware acceleration you do that by right cliking on your desktop, going to properties, settings, click on advanced, then go performance.