Patch 1.04e on trial (betapatch)

[Johnnie]

Calvinus:

Yes you can un-intall CA antivirus easily.

[Johnnie]

Calvinus:

Can't find the WW1 ini. file.

[calvinus]

Look in the game folder, you will find the WW1.ini file.

[calvinus]

I installed your antivirus. No crashes yet (2 turns), but the general performances of the whole PC dropped down dramatically. Generic mouse lags, not only in the game. The antivirus is terribly intrusive and popups appear continuosly, for everything...

[Johnnie]

Calvinus:

I'll try without my antivirus, but I've never had it effect another game.

[calvinus]

Ok, I finally spotted the CTD, running in debug mode with the development environment running behind the game (so I can find the reason) and... puff! No information on when/where/why... like if the crash is "outside" the game application! No thread inside the WW1 app looks affected, but the crash is there and it's unbelievable!

I think it now time for me to uninstall the CA Antivirus...

Anyway, I played some scenarios with no problem, and 2 turns of GC... Palestine 3 times, at the end of the combat Palestine (3rd time)... puff! CTD with no debug info.

[Johnnie]

Calvinus:

If you tell me how to do it, I'll send you the info on my next crash. I do get the "windows has encountered a problem & must shut application down" message. Tell me how to save it and send it to you.

[Johnnie]

Are you saying the antivirus caused your crash ?? If so, I'll try playing with it disabled.

[Johnnie]

Calvinus:

I may have it. Took your suggestion about AI Log, and since I have made the change I have played grand campaign and gotten past the first turn 3 times in a row with no crashes.

For those who want to try this fix, go to game folder WW1 Configuration Settings (not Configurator) go down to Output and change the last setting from LogfileAI=1 to LogfileAI=0.

What does "Logfile" do anyway ??

[Franciscus]

Calvinus:

I may have it. Took your suggestion about AI Log, and since I have made the change I have played grand campaign and gotten past the first turn 3 times in a row with no crashes.

For those who want to try this fix, go to game folder WW1 Configuration Settings (not Configurator) go down to Output and change the last setting from LogfileAI=1 to LogfileAI=0.

What does "Logfile" do anyway ??

I would bet that if on (1), it permits the creation of logs of the AI "thinking", that can be open and studied. In the log folder there are in fact several "AI" html files with very interesting info about AI thinking in the strategical and tactical level. But I think that making logs or not has no influence whatsoever on the way the AI plays.

I will try playing also with this disabled (when I have time to play ... leure

PS1 @Calvinus: why html files and not only txt files ? They are indeed more visual appealing, but maybe this can be a cause of some problems ?
PS2 @Calvinus: I would like to know what is the meaning of other parameters in the ini file, specifically:
[RESOURCE]
UseResBanks=0
UseMetalBorders=0
LowDetail=0
:bonk

[calvinus]

Calvinus:

I may have it. Took your suggestion about AI Log, and since I have made the change I have played grand campaign and gotten past the first turn 3 times in a row with no crashes.

For those who want to try this fix, go to game folder WW1 Configuration Settings (not Configurator) go down to Output and change the last setting from LogfileAI=1 to LogfileAI=0.

What does "Logfile" do anyway ??

Hurrahh!!!!

The LogfileAI=1 creates the AI logs ([game dir]\Logs folder):

AiNation.html
AiPlayers.html
AiBattles.html
AiArmies.html
AiNavies.html

You can read this logs using Internet Explorer (or Mozilla or whichever internet browser you wish!), so being able to "read what the AI thinks"

Now I suspect that your antivirus intercepts the creations of this html files believing this is a virus attack.....

[calvinus]

PS1 @Calvinus: why html files and not only txt files ? They are indeed more visual appealing, but maybe this can be a cause of some problems ?

I use html exactly because they contain a lot of informations, and I must see something visually appealing...
To be sincere, I never thought that an antivirus could detect the generation of such files as a threat!!!! Absurd...

Indeed I tried the antivir of Johnnie and I must say it's really intolerable to my opinion... It looks even worst than Norton Antivirus!

PS2 @Calvinus: I would like to know what is the meaning of other parameters in the ini file, specifically:
[RESOURCE]
UseResBanks=0
UseMetalBorders=0
LowDetail=0
:bonk

Very very old stuff coming from the original graphics engine of Great Invasions... forget it, but do not remove!

[Tamas]

The AI logs are very interesting actually.

[Franciscus]

Yes, they are interesting, but not at all to 99% of the players and only occasionally (?) for the rest.

So, I suggest that Calvinus makes an option on the configurator to turn on or off the AI logs (something like "AI logs" ) that by default would be off. Nut...I mean "hardcore" gamers could allways turn it on and it would be one less source of potential conflicts and resource consumption. Anyway, if they can be the cause of Johnie's problems it would be even more intolerable to suggest that a gamer uninstall it's antivirus software that presumably works fine in his system and with other games, than changing this option.

My 2 cents

[Johnnie]

Franciscus:

Good point. I would guess that 99.999% of users would not even know that such a log exists.

In any event, my antivirus is a free add on of my internet provider, which is a relatively large provider, I think. After some setup adjustments, it has been hassle free. I've used it for years on two machines and I would think, being free, it is a popular choice. (CA Secuirty Suite antivirus, for others who may wish to try this fix).

In any case, thanks to Calvinus; and I hope I'm now CTD free. I'll be playing later today and will let you know.

Sorry, but I cannot bring myself to use one of those happy face smilies.

[Offworlder]

Am I the only one who has more crashes with the e version than the d version of the patch?

That's my feeling....

[Franciscus]

...or you are the only one playing much, now...

[Offworlder]

Hehe I am... trying. Having spent the past week shuttling between my computer station and the loo due to... well you can guess I have actually clocked a lot of time on the game.

Darn tomorrow its back to reality...

[Johnnie]

Offworlder:

Before I applied the fix described above, I too was less stable with 104e than 104d. I think others (at least vonRocko) were as well.

Try the logfile fix described above.

Calvinus:

Four straight grand campaigns started and played into the second turn. No CTDs.

[Offworlder]

Tnx. Will do

[calvinus]

Johnnie, I'm really happy for you!

Next patch will have the LogfileAI disabled by default!

[calvinus]

Am I the only one who has more crashes with the e version than the d version of the patch?

That's my feeling....

If you have frequent and randomic crashes... two suggestions:

1) search the cause in the anti-virus (or try disabling the LogfileAI);
2) do you have them only in 2nd (or 3rd) play inside the same game session? If so, always quit the game and start a new play... the game will run much more stable...

Thanks,
Calvinus.

[Offworlder]

Followed your advice and changed the logfile.

Worked like a charm! Thanks Johnnie and Calvinus

[tagwyn]

Sounds like Joffre talking about the German right wing's threat in Aug 1914. LOL. apy:

[Franciscus]

Next patch will have the LogfileAI disabled by default!

Great !

[dougbush93]

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but I am getting numerous crashes when I click to save a game in progress with 104e using Vista-64 with the sound off.

[calvinus]

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but I am getting numerous crashes when I click to save a game in progress with 104e using Vista-64 with the sound off.

Never had a crash on savegame, running with Vista-32. It seems that every config has different problems...
The savegame procedure simply creates two text files (.SAV & .MAP), so what can give such a noise to the PC???

Anyway... do you have these crashes during a particular phase? With a particular savegame? Or with all scenarios?

[calvinus]

Talking about the LogfileAI feature, just to give my humble opinion about the Antivirus, I believe it's absurd that an antivirus consider the creation of a html file like a threat and makes the executable crash... I tested a lot of antivirus before releasing the game, but I never seen such an untolerable behaviour.

[dougbush93]

Never had a crash on savegame, running with Vista-32. It seems that every config has different problems...
The savegame procedure simply creates two text files (.SAV & .MAP), so what can give such a noise to the PC???

Anyway... do you have these crashes during a particular phase? With a particular savegame? Or with all scenarios?

I agree the savegame crashes were very odd. Maybe just a Vista thing. I've done a complete computer restart, and changed that AI Log setting to 0 as suggested in an earlier post, and no CTD since then. Into September '14 of the CG, using 104e.

Doug

[calvinus]

As said in another thread, I will set by default the LogfileAI=0 inside the next patch... but I remain yet puzzled why hell some antivirus consider the creation of html logs as a threat and makes the game crashed...