Tease

Aurangela, I switched the x86 and x64 parts of my post. I cant edit the original now. Be sure your system is beign properly detected by your browser (firefox mis-reports sadly), and that you ARE getting the x64 bit hotfix.

James, you have a separate thread, I've replied there.

This is funny, I had Nicci's guide open yesterday and was debating a re-write. Glad to see I'm not the only one considering this.

That absolutely rocks! Well done and happy holidays!

In an interesting addition to this thread...

On the original hotfix version (there are now two), I was STILL unable to get past the 169.25 driver (8800GT). I recently updated to the second version of the hotfix, and then a few weeks later to sp2 beta. I didnt retest before beta. Now that I'm on sp2 beta, with that included version, and (after solving the purple screen of death conflict between the driver and the IE security patch), I decided to try the most recent WHQL driver. 180.48_geforce_winvista_64bit_english_whql Crossing my fingers but my machine has been stable 24hrs and I wanted to share this info.

My guess is that there was a serious difference between first and second version of this hotfix. However there may be more to sp2 than meets the eye. If your on the original version, and still stuck on an old driver, switch up. (Up to you if you want to gamble on sp2 beta, I personally am pleased with it on my machine as long as I keep the IE patch far far away from my nvidia driver.)

I cant confirm that the second version of the hotfix is identical to whats in sp2, but I'm definitely liking the sp2 results! At this point saying "I have the hotfix" may not be enough, the correct answer may be "I have the correct version of the hotfix". Something in the first version of the hotfix obviously wasnt "quite right".

169.25 -> 180.48 = ~15FPS better for me.

I will add an update in a few days noting if I remained stable of if traces of the crashing resumed.

PS: Technically, at this point, I have version 1, version 2 and sp2's version all existing somewhere on this system. What their state of behavior is in this combination, I dont know. I'm merely providing all the state information I can in hopes that Tech Support will look into this further.

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In most cases, the PhysX enabled driver I've listed will drastically reduce crashing, but will not eliminate it.

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That's pretty odd.

I should note that the hotfixes listed above are included in Vista SP2, which is currently beta testing. I'm hoping it will be out by the end of January so at least that problem will get stomped on.

I don't agree with the older-games-need-older-drivers statement. This game is still being developed. Tech support routinely asks people to get the latest or near-latest drivers.

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It may be odd. Heck it may be incorrect, however its what I and some others are observing. Best I can do is put it up here as I understand it.

Yeah, I'm currently running sp2's beta and testing to see if I can move off my 169.25 driver (doubtful) although I'd already had the most recent version of the hotfix installed. Sp2 releasing will squash the need to install the hotfix, but I'm not sure it will squash the crashing for the countless folks that are having to do driver rollbacks.

Yeah, tech support does ask folks to go to the most recent driver. Then in my case they threw their hands in the air and left me hanging. It was only through forum support that I found out a driver rollback was in order. I go anything newer than the 169's, I crash.. and thats with the hotfix. Pretty cut and dry like that. Not much they seem able to do for me.

So, let me appoligize to anyone that finds incorrect info here. Best I can say is.. I tried. Good luck.

So much for a couple days, I decided you guys needed an update for the holidays!

Unless you require it for a game other than COX, I highly suggest you utilize the Pre-PhysX drivers I've provided. Once PhysX was enabled, the problems began snowballing. However, I've included them because for some of you, lack of at least the option to try them to reduce your crashing, could be a deal-breaker. In most cases, the PhysX enabled driver I've listed will drastically reduce crashing, but will not eliminate it.

*For 6xxx,7xxx,8xxx Series cards, such as 8800GT*
For Vista 64 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English WHQL 169.25 Pre-PhysX


For Vista 32 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English WHQL 169.25 Pre-PhysX


*For 9xxx Series Cards*

Note: Listing Three Drivers. Try the higher numbered one first. Work Backwards. Use caution if you decide to try the 177.39 WHQL, as it retroactively includes PhysX support. (I did not provide a link.)

For Vista 64 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English 177.79 Pre-PhysX
Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English WHQL 175.16 Pre-PhysX
Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English WHQL 174.74 Pre-PhysX

For Vista 32 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English 177.79 Pre-PhysX
Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English WHQL 175.16 Pre-PhysX
Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English WHQL 174.74 Pre-PhysX


*For 2xx Series Cards*

Note: Listing Two Drivers. Try the higher numbered one first. Work Backwards.

For Vista 64 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English WHQL 177.41 PhysX Enabled
Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English 177.35 Pre-PhysX

For Vista 32 bit users:

Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English WHQL 177.41 PhysX Enabled
Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English 177.35 Pre-PhysX

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For Vista 64 bit users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
Windows Vista All (Global) x86 sp2 Fix245313 Vista 6000 2529929 10/22/2008 12:25:04 AM

For Vista 32 bit users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
Windows Vista All (Global) x64 sp2 Fix245313 Vista 6000 3177788 10/22/2008 12:26:21 AM

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The two bolded parts need switched.

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Thanks for this info, but it wont let me edit the guide at this point. Hopefully in the next day or two I can repost it with a bit more information.

Plans changed. TLs with RL issues. Dangnabit.

I'd still like some art, but leave it date-less if possible. More multi-use in nature.

We'd love to do adult-centric, however it has to get past Ex and Niv for approval as a flyer. Meaning it has to stay within the TOS guidelines I suppose. Since I recall this game being PG-13, I see no objection to that.

Jello Shots in the Abyss, Hami's Buying!

I'll be blunt: I'm no artist! Hell of a coordinator, but not artistically inclined in the least. I need some assistance if anyone has a little free time.

I need an image to use for a player event flyer for a Vill (redside) Hami Raid, New years Eve, 10:30pm CST, Freedom Server.

It doesnt have to be fancy just useable. Please?

@Tease

First post after a redname! Woot!

That said, while I'm enjoying many aspects of the merit system, it makes me regret my and my hubby's altaholism. A bunch of merits spread over 12 different toons, that would add up to something, but in turn currently gets us nothing = sad faces.

Oh, and lets teach contacts to always give their arc in order and make it easier for anyone on the team to "step into" a contact with an eligible teamate so that they can get the merits to. This is an MMO, not solo-for-profit.

I'd like to see storyarcs bumped up by about 1-2 merits per arc, particularly those with major named kills, like killing the sea witch in lorenzo's arc in sharkhead. I'd like to see GMs bumped up another two to three merits. I'm sad for what the merit changes will bring to ITF when its been datamined from all the speed runners. I wish villains had a few more SF options as I go through several of them regularly and pickings are slim.

Just my 2.5 cents, adjusted for inflation.

Theres a 174.xx whql driver i found on guru3d's site. The person I asked to used an early 179 which improved their situation w/o curing it.

I've also heard that 9x's need to disable aero and the side bar - but I've heard that debated.

The Vista Error thread in my sig line please. While its not complete, as this is still a work in progress issue, its currently the best I have to send people to read.

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Is there an ETA on when the mission crashes will be fixed? I've had the same story arc mish crash three times today. If it's the mish itself, can I go back to the Widow, cancel this mish and still get my patron power by continuing with next mish in quest?

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If you havent dropped a mish in 3 days, yes you can drop that current mish (yes you want to auto-complete) and get the next one no issue with progressing that way. You cant autocomplete more than once in 3 days. I'd be curious to know if the next mish still crashes for you, if so its toon related not mish related.

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So, have you guys given up on fixing the RSF? That tech has been broken for way too long.

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Tech is broken? By following following some basic things like avoiding aoe stealth, I havent glitched that tech in months, and I run RSF a couple times a week. I'm curious what your doing thats causing him to still freak out on you. Used to happen to us almost every RSF. NPCs freaking otu from aoe stealth isnt specific to him, its an NPC issue in general. Those powers should be turned off when dealing with an NPC. Simple and no more freak-out.

Sweet!!

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Smurphy's still laughing... all the way to the bank!

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Smurphy owns the bank!

Base Editing Crash

Server: Freedom
Zone: Base, out to Shark.
Character name: Nuclear Tease
Time: 12/8/2008
Location: Any
Mission: Any
Mission Contact: N/A
Bug Description: I had been in base, editing for a number of hours. In and out of the edit window, in and out of the plot upgrade window. Finally I needed to craft a teleporter so I tried to zone to shark (as my cap beacon refused to link! ) I got this error. I suspect you really dont want me to call Cryptic up eh?

"City of Heroes encountered an error. Please report this to Cyrptic Studios on the beta forums. Thank you."

Assertion failed

Program: ...am Files (x86)\City of Heroes\CityOfHeroes.exe
Time: Mon Dec 08 06:51:42 AM
Process ID: 2248
File: c:\src\utilitieslib\utils\superassert.c
Line: 1857
Expression: 0

Error Message: CRT abort() called

ERROR: swDumpStackToBuffer - timeout (258) waiting for dumpHeap is NOT corrupted
Last windows SYSTEM error: Not enough storage is available to process this command.

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None of the official threads in the "Issue 13 Bugs (Open)" section can be replied to.

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Thats because Ex already told us they were locking that section of the forum and to use this thread.

Thanks for this info goes to Zloth (and various other forumites), which is where I picked it up from.

I'm compiling this mostly for my own benefit so I have something I can link to every time this issue comes up (at least twice a week, LOL).

[u]Vista Error 13/Vista Error 14/ "graphics driver has stopped responding"[u]

All three of these are different ways of indicating the same error. There is some minor variance between them, often indicating whether its vista 32 bit or vista 64 bit.

Unlike many bugs we see, that happen on old machines with old hardware, this bug series shows up on newer hardware with the most recent drivers. We're beginning to reach the point of CoX being an "old" game, and as such the newest drivers are not always the right answer.

The remedy may require one or both parts of the available solution, but is generally very fixable and not immensely difficult. Please dont let the length of the steps scare you, as I've tried to be as detailed and clear as possible on what is a fairly simple process.


[1] [u]Start by applying the Vista Hotfix appropriate for your operating system[u]. Be sure to select the most recently dated version. (Click View and Request Hotfix Download, at the top of the first page to see versions available. )

<ul type="square">For [u]Vista 64 bit[u] users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
Windows Vista All (Global) x86 sp2 Fix245313 Vista 6000 2529929 10/22/2008 12:25:04 AM

For [u]Vista 32 bit[u] users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
Windows Vista All (Global) x64 sp2 Fix245313 Vista 6000 3177788 10/22/2008 12:26:21 AM

Microsoft will send you an email with the link you need to access the download and the password you need to be able to unpack the download to install it. You'll need to reboot afterwards.

"That fix seems to help with folks who get crashes in the 'hours' timeframes, especially 64-bit users. It doesn't seem to help with the folks who get an error number (13?) from OpenGL when they go down." -Zloth[/list]
[2] Assuming that #1 did not entirely fix your problem, its time to [u]do a driver roll back[u]. This requires rolling back to a driver that had a OpenGL implementation that was using the same calls as the game uses. (The game is now referencing calls that are said to be obsolete and have been removed from the newer driver.) Below I'll list the driver *I* SUGGEST you download. Others have found stability on slightly different versions of the driver, but all are generally at least as old as the one I list. If the driver I list does not get you stable, select an older (lower numbered) driver and try again. (My husband prefers the 163.xx series for his PC.) For stability, I like to stay with WHQL certified drivers, but not everyone agrees.

*For 6xxx,7xxx,8xxx Series cards, such as 8800GT*
For [u]Vista 64 bit[u] users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
<ul type="square">Nvidia Forceware Vista 64 English WHQL 169.25[/list]For [u]Vista 32 bit[u] users: (be sure to click show additional information!)
<ul type="square">Nvidia Forceware Vista 32 English WHQL 169.25[/list]*For 9xxx Series cards*

[Space held for further additions]


*For Laptops*
[u]Vista Laptop[u] Users:
<ul type="square"> Because laptop video cards are often different, if the above drivers do not work for you, I highly recommend you check out LaptopVideo2Go's website for a driver more matched to your hardware.[/list]Generally you want the newest available driver that gets you stable. Rolling back TOO far, older than the 163.xx's, may introduce other bugs.

Also, go pick up a handy copy of Guru3D's Driver Sweeper (free).

Now, to properly - fully - uninstall the old drivers and reinstall the new drivers.
<ul type="square">1. Navigate to the the Programs window: (Start -&gt; Computer -&gt; Control Panel -&gt; Programs and Features)
2. Find the "Nvidia Drivers" listed in the list.
3. Click "Uninstall/Change" near the top of the list. Uninstall your video drivers only, if the option comes up. (The other board drivers are not to blame.) Let it do its thing.
4. Reboot when prompted. As it is rebooting, begin step #5.
5. While the PC is rebooting, before it brings up the first windows splash screen, begin tapping continually on the F8 key. (If it boots into regular windows, simply try again.) This should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu", a black and white "dos" style menu. Use your arrow keys to move to "Safe Mode" and press your Enter key.Once the PC is booted successfully into safe mode...
6. Navigate on your hard drive to where you saved the Driver Sweeper utility to. Run Driver Sweeper and select the Nvidia Display drivers. Clean "sweep" them. Once that is complete...
7. Reboot, again, this time not hitting F8, going back into "regular" Windows Vista.
8. Navigate on your hard drive to where you saved the new drivers to and install them, following any prompts they include.
9. Reboot when prompted.[/list]
These 2 parts of the fix. When used together, should correct this issue. However if it does not, we need to hear from you. Please post a new post, explaining your issue, that you've worked through both steps in this guide fully, and the output from two programs: COH Helper and HijackThis which will assist us in troubleshooting the issue.

Good luck everyone &amp; see you in game!
Tease

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I'm trying to macro:

/macro t "targetcustomnext teammate$$powexec_name Speed Boost"

No dice, it only switches targets w/o applying the SB. Help?

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Try using the macro twice in a row. Otherwise, switch the order around.

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I can click it just as fast as I can, and it just switches targets fast as it can. It doesnt seem to matter the order either. It also doesnt seem to work if i try it with powexectoggleon instead of powexec_name. I'm stumped

I'm trying to macro:

/macro t "targetcustomnext teammate$$powexec_name Speed Boost"

No dice, it only switches targets w/o applying the SB. Help?

Unable to break VG coalition

Server:
Zone:
Character name:
Time:
Location:
Mission:
Mission Contact:
Bug Description: Click coalition. Select coalition in question. Select Break Coalition. "Given Super Group is not in your coalition!" (Even if this is a VG!) Coalition in question is not removed and remains tying up a space in the max coalition count.
Link to Forum Discussions:
LINK

Chat box losing focus, or focus being sent to beginning of line after macro.

Server:
Zone:
Character name:
Time:
Location:
Mission:
Mission Contact:
Bug Description: Chat box losing focus, or focus being sent to beginning of line after macro. We use this bind: /bind H "beginchat /send "TE-TEE" {$name, $archetype, $level}: " Formerly hitting this key from outside the box would auto enter the info and place the cursor immediately behind the content entered so one could type and then hit enter. We're pretty sure enter would cause the box to lose focus. Now, sometimes enter causes lose of focus and sometimes it doesnt. The bigger problem is that the bind itself now either causes lose of focus (on the chat box) (regardless of bind lenght) or it causes loss of focus AND positions the cursor to the very front of the line if the bind is used with any more characters than that. It may be sending the cursor to the front of the line anyways and short binds you just instintively click at the end of the inserted line to type. Not sure on that. However, regardless, now after firing this bind you must click in the chat box and if the line is long, reposition your cursor.
Link to Forum Discussions: