App crash issue related to base items (X-posted from the Development board)

Hi,

I've had a strange bug ever since Issue 17 launched : when in base editing mode, the base items display with corrupted graphics in both the lower menus and the item info panel. Moreso, since issue 18, merely being in item editing mode causes CoH to crash and quit after 10 to 60 seconds, which makes base editing all but impossible.

I contacted the technical staff but all I got was the standard "we're working on it" answer... After two months of paying base rent for nothing, I'm hoping someone here may have a fix.

Some infos : I play on a Mac under Mac OS X.5.8, so I can't run the diagnostic program. Actually I play on two different computers, both macs, so it's not tied to my install. I even deleted CoH and re-installed it and the problem remained, so it's probably located server-side (I play on the EU Vigilance server).

Moreso, it happens with all my toons, and a friend of mine has the same issue in his own base (a villain one) and the only common factor we have is that we both play on Macs - we have different models, different accounts, different bases...

I'm joining a screenshot of the issue taken before it started crashing the program. Has anyone any clue? Or should I take it to a Red Name and see if they can help?

Thanks in advance,

Netphenix

Try turning off Geometry Buffers before editing the base, that might help. Failing that, I'd have to do some more testing.

What version number of the CoH application are you running? (You can get that by clicking the application once and selecting File > Get Info from the Finder)

It says I'm running v.1.0.3070 at home.

I found your post on troubleshooting and I was gonna try your Test App Switch trick, but I'm gonna back-up my current client on an external drive first, just in case. I'll see if it solves the issue.

EDIT : nope, didn't work. I'll post a couple screenshots from tonight, made while running the modified Test app in Safe mode.

Where can I locate the Geometry buffers you mention? In the graphical options?

Yes, Geometry Buffers is in the graphics options.

I haven't seen version 3070 yet, but you seem to be using the EU client. See if this one works better for you:

ftp://client.coh.com/EU/MAC_CoH_Installer_EU.dmg

It'll take a while to download but not very long to patch.

Hey there - thanks for the download. Sadly, it didn't slove the issue. I still have screwy item graphics, and I still crash. However, I seem to have found one recurring theme to the crashes. They seem to occur far more often (read : pretty much instantly) as soon as I mess with the lighting in our base, either by adding more lamps or by trying to change the ambient light levels.

Didn't locate the buffer option, but then again I am playing on a French client, so the translation may be weirder than I expect. Would you be so kind as to indicate precisely where in the graphic options this one is located? I'm pretty sure they keep them in the same order.

At least your download link let me know the issue isn't tied to my install. And since one of my friends has the same graphic mess in his base, I can safely assume it's not tied to my account directly. So it's either a Vigilance server issue (but I think we'd have heard about it already), a Mac client issue or one that only affects Mac users on the French server - which could mean just me and my buddy. :-p

Let me know if there's any other info I can provide you to help you track down that bug.

Do you have a very large base with lots of items in it?

I posted screenshots of this very same thing happening. Here. I also found another post with this happening with someone else, but I can't find it now.

I'm in the middle of a very long support ticket right now. For awhile, they wanted to push it off as an nVidia problem. They contacted me again for more info, so I'm sending crash reports and such. I really don't expect it to get fixed, but you should open a ticket as well. Maybe with more data they'll figure out whatever the hell it is that's wrong.

I am kind of curious to see if anyone with ATI video sees the same corruption in the base editor.

@ Nunix - I did... Several times in fact. After the first couple times they asked me for diagnostic files from the PC tool despite teh fact that I'm on a Mac, I finally got the standard "we already know, we're working on it, sit tight" reply. I'd have loved to give them more data, but they never asked for mac-related info, just Windows stuff I couldn't provide. Maybe I should have contacted the American support instead of the European one, but I'm unsure how to do that.

@ Cuppa : No, not really. We're still on the basic 8x8 plot with half a dozen 2x2 rooms and the essentials - two t-pads, one rez circle, a control orb with a couple aux, an energy crystal, crafting table, invention table, personal vault and salvage rack, plus some decoration... Nothing like some of the other bases I'm seen of heard about.

And actually yes, someone with an ATI card does - me. :-p
One of my macs is a mac pro under 10.5.8 with a 2.66GHz chip, 6Gb of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 card, the other is an iMac under 10.5.8 with a 2.8GHz chip, 2Gb of RAM and an ATI Radeon HD2600 card. So as you can see, pretty different setups.

Does the icon corruption/crashing occur on the ATI Mac as well?

I asked about the base size because there was an old base editor crash that had to do with the number of items in the base. It was supposed to have been fixed though.

Yes, it occurs on both computers in pretty much the same way. That was what led me to think it wasn't tied to my hardware install, beyond being Mac-specific. As for the items in my base, I'd have to count to be sure, but frankly if we're over 50 or so I'd be amazed.

I'm not sure what config my friend has but I know he's on a iMac so I'd assume he's got an ATI too. Since he's got the same bug as well, I could check.


EDIT = his card is the same ATI Radeon HD2600, but his iMac model is a smaller one with a 2.4GHz chip

imac 24inch mac osx 10.5.8
2.4GHz intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
ATI,RadeonHD2600

fairly much the same problems, item icons in base editor=corrupted/glitched, crashes are regular whilst editing base, moreso when changing lighting and wall/floor/ceiling colours.

CoH v. 1850.201007290124.28T4 (as displayed on the updater)
CoH file version 1.0.3068

EDIT: just updated CoH version using the account page, to v.1.0.4462.
during a complete base redesign(less then 30 items including rooms) received and Assertion Failed notice and got booted.
I did not however, get booted during the re-skinning of the walls or re-colouring of the base, I got booted whilst placing items vertically in the entry room (first room i get to on a redesign).

I used time machine to back up my HD, then deleted the CoH folder (preferences went to desk top), then did a clean install of the newer CoH version.

I have the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and having the base editor graphics problems. The times that mine seems to crash is completely random but it can happen regularly in the "place item" section and scrolling through all the items. Our base is the small hidden spot and we have about 40 items in the base total.