game keeps crashing randomly

hello i just installed city of heros and vista service pack 2 and i keep haveing grphic problems in game like when i am in a mission the screen flickers and the game randomly locks up on me any help will be good

---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at July 22, 2009 18:57 (-05:00)
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.lh_sp2rtm.090410-1830)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 1545
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A05
Central Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T3400 @ 2.16GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 3034MB
.Net Memory Report: 2058MB out of 3033MB available
Page File: 4606MB (1687MB currently in use)
C Drive: (WDC WD1600BEVT-75ZCT2) 48664MB out of 137586MB (35%) free
E Drive: (WDC WD1600BEVT-75ZCT2) 8747MB out of 14999MB (58%) free
F Drive: (TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-L633B) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\Windows
DirectX: DirectX 10
DirectX Diag version: 6.00.6001.18000 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.

No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: (blank)
Video Device Name: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer / Chip: Intel Corporation / Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Video Memory: 1292 MB
Driver Version: 7.15.0010.1576
Driver Date: 12/9/2008 12:25:16 AM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: Speakers / Headphones (IDT High Definition Audio CODEC)
Driver File: stwrt.sys
Driver Version: 6.10.6124.0000
Driver Date: 12/14/2008 11:13:54 PM

Sound Device Description: Independent (R.T.C.) Headphones (IDT High Definition Audio CODEC)
Driver File: stwrt.sys
Driver Version: 6.10.6124.0000
Driver Date: 12/14/2008 11:13:54 PM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: 0G848F
Motherboard Version:
BIOS Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
BIOS Name: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A05
BIOS Version: DELL - 27d90219
BIOS Release: 20090225000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1366x768
3D Resolution: 1366x768 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes

Physics Quality: None
Maximum Particles: 50000
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: None
Anisotropic Filtering: None
Texture LOD Bias: Crisp
Water Effects: None
Bloom: 1.000 (turned off)
Depth of Field Enabled: No
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: Yes
Shader Detail: Low (no world bumpmaps)

World Texture Level: Medium
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 0.800
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: No
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: No
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 1.000
Music Sound Volume: 0.600

Show Advanced Graphics Options: No
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.300
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: Unknown bytes/second
Current Game Version: 19.20090702.5T2
Installation Directory: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found

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This is your main problem, as I see it:

[ QUOTE ]


Video Device Name: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family



[/ QUOTE ]

That video card (if you want to insist on calling it that) is fine for opening Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Solitaire games and the like, but it is woefully inadequate for serious gaming.

You could try to see if there is an updated driver available from Dell, but knowing how OEM's are about updating laptop video drivers I consider it very doubtful that a new one is available.

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If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.

Black Pebble is my new hero.

okay i appreciate your reply but the grphics card works fine on all my other mmos like star wars galaxies guild wars world of warcraft lord of the rings online but if it is wrong for gameing how is it i can play anyother mmo but this one and my drivers are up to date and i dont have the money to go and buy a better graphics card

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I've seen no other MMO that will stress a system as much as CoH will and show up it's failings as much either.

As I said, I doubted that Dell would have updated drivers for your graphics card. Most OEM's are bad about not keeping updated drivers for laptop video cards.

If you reread my post, nowhere did I suggest you purchase a better graphics card. It is highly unlikely that you can change the video card anyway.

Not that I'd recommend it in the first place. It's a budget laptop with a budget video card that is, IIRC, technically below specs for this game.

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If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.

Black Pebble is my new hero.

I'd recommend trying to start the game in Safe Mode (on the updater, before you accept the EULA check the tick box next to "Safe Mode", then click Accept) to see if it'll work. If the resolves your problem, then you can try starting the game normally, and then going into the Graphics options, setting it to Custom (or Advanced? can't recall which it's called) and set most all the options as low as they'll go, and slowly work some up until you find where you have the best visual with still having decent performance).


But yeah, Intel's graphics solutions are about as low end as you can get (their top of the line stuff is similar to the mid-range stuff from Nvidia and ATI from several years ago). Unfortunately, the manufacturers like putting in really low quality graphics into all their machines... even while every other piece is actually very good.

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i tried what you said about launching the game in safe mode and i still have the same problems but i did some searching and acording to microsoft COH is not compatiable with windows vista if there is any hope in getting the game to work then some one please help on this if not i dont see the point in playing this game

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The game is not officially supported on vista however for those of us with enough hardware its usually workable. I say that because your card is not able to offload the additional strain.

That said, although I havent looked into it, make sure you have the most recent video driver available for your card AND the most recent chipset driver for your board. Thats where you'd start if its at all possible on your system.

I'd probably also download tweakCOH (google for it, its free) and use it to set your graphics to absolute minimums for the game itself after you potentially get it working in safe mode.

I'll cross my fingers for you, but I sure wont hold my breath. We arent kidding when we say the requirement on nvidia cards is the 6+6 rule, meaning both the first and second number of the card must be AT or HIGHER than six. This game is highly system resource intensive.

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Kingtex, Co* is the program I use to *KILL COMPUTERS* for testing purposes. If it doesn't work for 20 minutes, then the computer itself is no good.

Co* is not like (the game what's name shall not be mentioned), Crysis, L4D, any of those. It will *KILL YOUR COMPUTER* if it's not up to snuff.

Co* works fine in Vista. I'm living proof, I only use Co* on Vista at home now (unless i'm forced to use my lappy, then it's Windows 2000... old laptop. For reference, single core P4 2.0G 1M ram, Geforce MX440 Go 32MB... and yes it *still* works. I only use one character called "Notebook Warrior" on that one because of the GUI on it is smaller than my home one. )

That being said, the amount of hurt that Co* is performing on your CPU, memory, mainboard, and yes, the pitiful little Intel Express chip for video, is massive. To give you perspective, you have a fully loaded semi tractor trailer for everything else in the computer... and are ready to haul it all... but the engine? That'd be your video card in this case... it's a 4 cylinder Escort motor from the 80s. Pretty much not going to haul that load... if it does, it's not long till it overheats.

THAT being said, the Intel Express does work... and it's more about turning down the graphics to a playable level. After that, it's heat. Check ALL vents, and any fans. Prop the back of the computer so it's off the table (I have to do that will my Dell lappy, it gets too hot otherwise and starts to shut down while playing Co*)

If you're playing it and have *any* ports covered, or the heat sinks are clogged with dust (can 'o air time) or it's getting heat soaked from being on the table, all these are the most likely given your description... but not the absolute answer.

And if you can't figure out what's wrong with your computer (because that's what the problem is, I'm sorry to say), then yes, with that computer, it may be at a point of what is "the point of playing this game." You need to get a better laptop for Co*, honestly... but that doesn't mean it can't work on your computer. You just gotta do your homework to make it happen.

And after all *THAT*... post up a Hijack This log Maybe there's something else we can help to get you that little bit that makes it all work... No promises, k?

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August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012

I've been doing a small amount of research since so many times we get comments of "well, my computer runs X, Y and Z MMO's without any problems so it should run CoH".

The majority of the major MMO's that get listed here are running on DirectX, not on OpenGL as CoH does. Yes, WoW can run in OpenGL, but the default installation runs it in DirectX mode. From what I've seen, it's not always easy to get it to run in OpenGL mode.

Even a certain MMO that is scheduled to be released in a few months by a game studio that we are (mostly) all familiar with is running on DirectX with their new engine instead of the OpenGL engine they created previously.

The DirectX vs. OpenGL status of the games is likely why the other games don't have some of the problems that CoH has. Video card manufacturer's, especially ATI, don't always write drivers that handle OpenGL very well.

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If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.

Black Pebble is my new hero.