Game crashes at Brennans Triumph

[Gracie]

Hello folks. Whizzy new computer. XP SP2 and Nvidia Geforce 8800 GT. Son installed X2 and it ran perfectly until you choose to enter Brennans Triumph, then it CTD's with error message.

As my son is not on broadbandat home, I have it here for the week while he is away working in Belgium. I uninstalled and reinstalled the game, saved the .savs, upgraded to 1.5, put the 'nocd' files on, and ran the game again, from an old .sav. I got into Brennan's Triumph and listened to Hissing Sid saying his piece, etc, and all was well. I came out of the game and went back in to repeat the success, but this time it crashed.

So disappointed for him.

Wondered if you could suggest what the problem might be.

Do you want the DX data?


AHH! I had a look at the .sav files, since they were the only old bits of data on the computer, and I saw that there were two .savs for the same time. I relabelled one, and got into the sector without any problems, I then docked and saved. I quit and then went back in from a previous sector .sav, and that worked OK, then I quit and started from the Brennan Triumph .sav, with equal success, so hoping all is Ok now. About to switch off and restart and try again, just to make sure. So, if I don't come back...

[pjknibbs]

Er...what do you mean by "put the nocd files on"? The 1.4 (and later) patches for X2 remove the copy protection anyway, so if you're doing something other than just installing those, you may be causing yourself problems.

[Gracie]

I went to the downloads and saw that I could upgrade to 1.4, so did, then saw that the copy protection download was to do with 1.4, so downloaded that, then, when I had installed those, upgraded to 1.5.

The game was crashing before and after these changes, but it hasn't done so since I renamed one of the .savs that were created of the same date and time.
I am thinking that one of these was corrupted, and so the game made a good copy of the .sav. Whatever, it seems to have solved the problem. I shall go in again tomorrow again, just to see how things are

[Gracie]

hello, thought I had solved this problem, but go back in today and it crashes as you go into Brennans Triumph for the first time. I looked at the .sav files again, and again there are two .savs for the same time. I wonder?

As I got in yesterday without crashing, after I renamed a .sav file which was also one of two the same, I docked and saved in the sector as a precaution, so the game can continue from that point and hopefully there will be no more problems - but I would like to know what might be causing the ctd as it will be me, not my son who has to put it right (HA!) if it happens again later on in the plot.

ps. I think the dual .sav is a normal procedure as X3 also has two datestamps and time the same. I guess one is a background autosave. Oh well....

[CBJ]

Please don't create a new thread to continue the same issue. It just makes it more difficult for people to follow the history. Threads merged.

As far as I'm aware all crashes in BT were fixed prior to 1.4 If you have a problem with a particular savegame then the problem is most likely saved in that savegame (though how it got there I have no idea, unless perhaps the game was started when an earlier version was installed). Starting a new game might be one way to avoid it.

I don't quite understand how you can have two .SAV files "the same". Windows does not allow two files with the same name in the same folder, and if they didn't have the same name then they weren't the same anyway. Perhaps one of them had a different file extension (by default these aren't always visible in Windows Explorer because some fool at Microsoft decided it would be easier if people couldn't see this useful information), in which case it wouldn't have even been seen by the game anyway.

If you just mean that the timestamps are the same then that's normal, though the one called X99.SAV should be deleted once saving is complete, and there is something distinctly wrong (with your system) if it isn't being. In fact if it isn't deleted and cannot be deleted then the game will probably crash next time you try to save.

[pjknibbs]

Maybe that's the problem--doesn't the game do an autosave on entering BT? If it crashes when X99.SAV exists and it tries to save on entering that sector it would explain Gracie's mysterious problem.

[Gracie]

same date and time, not name. IIRC X09.sav the other x21.sav.

I think it is a normal pattern ( no visible X.99 btw) as I see the same duplication on my copy of X2, which doesn't crash at that point in Brennans Triumph, or any other. I have got past the troublesome spot by saving in sector on the occasion I did get in without crashing, and hope that will be enough. I too think the .sav file(s) are where the trouble lies, and my advice to son will be to eradicate all .savs and start afresh if he gets any more crashes.
Thank you for your help.

[CBJ]

If it's not the same name then it isn't "duplication". Given that we're talking partly about auto-saves, perhaps one of the auto-save slots (X20, X21 or X22) has a corrupt or read-only file in it.

[Gracie]

CBJ, the duplication is to do with the date and time being identical on two differently named saves. I hope I have cleared that up now. I think it is a normal feature.

I have advised son that, if it crashes at some future point in the game, to delete all the .savs and start a fresh game. It has saved 'normally' both before and after the crash-point. I thought it may be something to do with the cut scene. Immediately before the cut scene there is an external view of the ship banging into the gate, with sound effects, and then you are in the cockpit,looking into the sector, but still hearing banging noises. Then Hissing Sid starts to say his piece, and the game crashes.

Anyway, thank you for your help. i will give the computer back this coming weekend and see how he gets on with it. Hopefully there will be no more problems.