STICKY: Having an IN-GAME problem? Here are some tips!

You can tell us anything...really!

(1) IF you plan to switch between the game and something else a lot, run it in a window. You can do this via an option in the game's video settings. 

(2) The game will run in any high resolution your system will support.

(3) User created data files and preferences are in the %mydocuments\my games\galciv2 folder

(4) IF you run into some problem please let us know the following things:

  • What OS you running?
  • Is it English or a particular language (Swedish, German, Japanese, etc.)
  • What video card do you have?
  • What kind of CPU do you have?
  • How much memory you have

(5) If you run into a serious problem (i.e. game won't start, crashes, etc.) there is a debug.err file in your GalCiv II directory. Post the contents of it here.

(6) UPDATE YOUR VIDEO DRIVERS.  We're serious about this. If someone responds to this post with a "Game occasionally CTDs, here's my debug.err" and there's a video driver from 2004 in it, we'll find you ;p

(7) The game should run on pretty much any system that supports DirectX 9C.  YOU MUST HAVE DIRECTX 9C or later installed.

(8) There are some first generation Intel Extreme adapters that don't work with the game.  We're talking very old ones (i.e. <2003).  They don't work because they don't support True Type fonts in games. Nothing we can do. There's no work around other than to get another card.  Based on the beta, this shouldn't be an issue as nobody ran into it.

(9) DO NOT use this thread to ask whether the game will work on your system. If you have doubts, wait for the demo. If you can play any other recently released game, then you can run this.  (last time we put a thread like this up we had people with monster machines asking if they could run the game on it).

(10) IF THE GAME CRASHES ON YOU we want to know why. In Stardock Central in the "free stuff" area there's a program called Smart Exception.  Install that, run it, and if the game crashes, it will create a log that will tell us literally what line of code it crashed on.  Email [email protected] or [email protected] the file and we will take a look.  Don't forget to tell us what you were doing when it crashed to help us figure it out.

Good luck!  We'll be checking this thread regularly.

PLEASE only post if you're having a problem of some kind.  Thanks!

ALSO:

Galactic Civilizations II Knowledgebase: Click Here
General Stardock Knowledgebase: Click Here
Submit A Trouble Ticket: Click Here

39,235 views 92 replies
Reply #2 Top
Ok, it works on fullscreen only if I start the game on the same resolution than my desktop one. I Hope it can help some people with the same problem
Reply #3 Top
Had a strange Bug just now:

1) Tried to design a new starship
2) Pressed "Save Button" and nothing happened
3) When I click done I get the message "all changes will be lost" (or sth. like that) -> No Ship afterwards

Tried this a few times then exited the Shipyard dialogue, suddenly a box poped up with the name of my former starship creation (no further text or pic, though). After I clicked ok the game crashed to the desktop...

Huh?

WinXP (german), 1GB Ram, AMD64, ATIX850

Now it seems to work...
Reply #4 Top
Odd problem... I'm getting no sound at all!

EDIT: I see I need to download the multimedia pack (sticky went up while I was writing this)

Ignore this post.
Reply #5 Top
I am getting the same issue as DocDVD, with more details.

1). Notification of ship being built pops up.
2). Select "Go to"
3). Select Shipyard
4). Make new ship, press save
*** At this point, the description dialog does NOT come up.****
Exit the screen by pressing done.
5). The report screen comes back up.

*** At this point, your custom ship does NOT appear in the build options. Attempting to re-enter the shipyard results in a CTD. ***

I have been able to reproduce this consistently. Using the shipyard normally (not from the build completion pop-up) works fine.

Specs: Windows XP x64
Language: English
Video: Nvidia 6600
CPU: AMD Opteron 246
Memory: 2 Gig
Reply #6 Top
Im getting the exact same bug as Alectavi and DocDVD. I can reproduce it everytime also.

Windows XP
English Lang
Nvidia 5900XT
AMD athlon 64 3.4
2Gb Memory
Reply #7 Top
I've had this happen once as well. Sometimes the Name and Add Description window ends up behind something else and then there's a CTD. I now save while working on the ship and it seems to be ok.
Reply #8 Top
I also had this failure to save a ship design issue.

Windows XP SP2
English
Nvidia 6600GT
Pentium 4 3GHz
1.5 Gb Memory
Reply #9 Top
Issue: Dissappearing Mouse

Windows XP SP 2
English
Nvidia 5200 MX (with latest drivers, promise! )
AMD Athlon 1600
1 Gb memory

I cannot find my mousey at the title screen to push one of the buttons - new game, metaverse, options, etc..
GCConfig I tried enabling hardware cursor and no dice. Please help. Thx.
Reply #10 Top
After I alt-tab out and then try to come back, the game displays a black screen but with a working game cursor. Nothing seems to cure the black screen after the alt-tab. I'm forced to kill the app and use a save game. This isn't a terrible problem but is kinda irritating. I'd rather not run in windowed mode.

Windows XP SP2
DirectX 9.0C
GeForce 6800 GT, drivers 81.98
Athlon, 1Gb memory
Reply #11 Top
don't know why but I was playing at a lesser resolution, probably default, but once desktop res match game rez everything was cool. Mouse appears, can play game fine.
Reply #12 Top
Ok, another "Problem":

Game crashed to the desktop while playing (did nothing special, only pressed the TURN button).

Seems that fried my Autosave-Game as the game now crashes everytime I load that savefile (so I lost abot half an hour playtime) - I'm not sure wether the game tried to make a new autosave (and crashed during that action consequently frying the save) or if it has other reasons.

If you need the save file(s) just let me know what you need exactly and I can mail it to you - if that would help.
Reply #13 Top
I'm also got a pb with my mouse ... after a while the cursor disappeared, and impossible to get around this pb ... I needed to reboot my PC in order to restore the mouse ....
Reply #14 Top
I'm also got a pb with my mouse ... after a while the cursor disappeared, and impossible to get around this pb ... I needed to reboot my PC in order to restore the mouse ....


Same problem here. Mouse cursor froze although I could still move the screen around. Tabbed to desktop and the cursor was still frozen there. Reboot cleared it.
Reply #15 Top
Scrolling around the map seems unreliable... sometimes i'll push the mouse into the border to scroll and cool, it scrolls, other times it just refuses, and i have to try again. Weird. Seems to happen more at the bottom of the screen.

Also tool tips... sometimes I'll hover the mouse & ill get the tool tip. Other times I have to hover, and then move it a little bit to get it to show (on both occassions I am definately hovering over the button).
Reply #16 Top
Well, this isnt exactly a bug, but it is a problem for me. I dont have a middle mouse button thing, so.... I cant rotate the camera. I mean, the game is playable, but I was just wondering if there was any other way. I cant move my ships around to design them or get different angles on things. Anyone know of an alternative?
Reply #17 Top
2 very minor items.
#1 In the quarterly report, the text only scrolls if the mouse is over the scrollbar, not when it is over the text. This works differently than in e.g. the research screen, where the list of techs scrolls also when the cursor is over the text..

#2 (not in the game at all !! ) When I look at the top of the www.galciv2.com page, I see the message "Welcome null", though I can post under my correct alias. The Metaverse page shows the right alias name.
Reply #18 Top


I had the exact problem as DocDVD with the ship design screen - clicked on 'save', no visible response, tried to close screen and got warning, after closing screen anyway the file requester popped up and subsequently the game crashed to desktop.

I would also like to point out that the textbox for inputting a design name is seriously boggled. If I try to use the delete key or cursor keys it throws up fantasy characters or even key combinations instead of doing what it's supposed to.

-P.
Reply #19 Top


I also had this failure to save a ship design issue.

Windows XP SP2
English
Nvidia 6600GT
Pentium 4 3GHz
1.5 Gb Memory


Same situation here, although I only get it about 90% of the time.

Win XP SP2
Alienware (3.6GHz P4)x2
1GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT with latest drivers (81.98) downloaded yesterday
Reply #20 Top
more minor items:
- when selecting a bonus tile on the colony management screen, the bonus text also only scrolls when the mouse is on the scrollbar, and then IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, opposite to normal scrolling up/down.
- when loading a game, double-clicking on the saved game does NOT load it (you have to press LOAD, unlike in GC 1). I thought I remembered a post from Beta half a year ago that this would be changed, but apparently it was missed.
- On reload, your first ship can show x/0 movement points. (I posted this elsewhere, but this seems a better place)
-There are still errors in the showing of influence zones at the 200 zoom level of the minimap. The behaviour is different when you go from 100 to 200 then from 300 to 200, but both times something is wrong. This was also reported in the Beta (3 or 4, I think)
Reply #21 Top
Got a repeatable crash bug with a save game file - loading the saved game causes instant CTD.

XP SP2
2.8GHz Pentium D
2 GB RAM
GeForce 6800 with 81.98

Edit: this is a situation with one corrupt game file, not a general problem, other game files seem to load fine.
Reply #22 Top
I am getting no sound in the game.

Windows XP Professional
English
Radeon X850 XT Platinum
Sound Blaster Audigy
Pentium 4 Extreme 3.4GHz
2GB Memory

Nevermind, I just found out I have to download the media files.
Reply #23 Top


Got a repeatable crash bug with a save game file - loading the saved game causes instant CTD.

XP SP2
2.8GHz Pentium D
2 GB RAM
GeForce 6800 with 81.98

Edit: this is a situation with one corrupt game file, not a general problem, other game files seem to load fine.



Managed to create a second corrupt game file. This problem seems to occur very early on, around 10-12 turns in.

Edit: Grrr. The end scenario saved game from the first campaign game is also corrupt. This is basically unplayable now.
Reply #24 Top
debug.err from the crash:

Debug Message: Version v1.0 Digital: Bonus Pack last updated on: Mon Feb 20 19:04:13 2006
Debug Message: Could not find a TGN Serial No.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 2/21/2006, 17:42:08
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: ASCENDANT
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Dell DXP051
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A00
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
Physical Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 300MB used, 3637MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 6800
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 6800
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_00C1&SUBSYS_024510DE&REV_A2
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.8198
Driver Date: 12/10/2005 03:06:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_10071102&REV_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: P17.sys
Provider: Creative
Driver Version: 5.12.0001.0315
Driver Date: 6/9/2004 15:16:00
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: Modem #0 Line Playback (emulated)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID:
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 81
Driver Name:
Provider:
Driver Version:
Driver Date:
Type: Emulated
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Debug Message: Running fullscreen.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 6800
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 a67c3d40
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: Clear data definitions.
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\George\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\*.StarSystems
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech ImpossibleTech for PirateShip. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech ImpossibleTech for Starbase. ***
Debug Message: Reading Star Names
Debug Message: Reading Star Names... Done
Debug Message: Killing threads.
Debug Message: Kiling civs.
Debug Message: Killing ships.
Debug Message: Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message: Killing misc objects.
Debug Message: Killing stars.
Debug Message: Killing anomalies.
Debug Message: Killing space resources.
Debug Message: Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message: killing scenario.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Loading
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.