Spring RTS Engine

Hi. I am using SpringSP on Windows Vista and it crashes before I even get the opportunity to start the game. Load SprngSP, click on Skirmish, and then...

Error occurs as Maps are loaded: Unitsync assertion failed .unitsync.cpp:592: Don't pass a NULL pointer or an empty string to GetMiniMap.

I was previously using Windows XP on the same machine and it ran fine. I've rebuilt my machine with Vista and everything but Spring is working fine.

Anyone else having this problem? SpringSP seems unable to load the maps.

Any ideas? Thanks, Steve.

I've ran SpringSP on Vista fine for quit a while now. Your issue isnt a Vista problem.

I'd look through your map folder for any map that has a filename such as ".sd7" or ".smf". This is oviously an issue with the way you've set your spring install up combined with antiMS/antiVista syndrome.

I'm not sure what you're saying... I have 11 maps in the maps folder. My installation of Spring is identical to how I was running it on XP. The problem I am talking about occurs when I try to run a single player game using SpringSP.

In addition if I try to host or join a battle on the Spring Multiplayer Battleroom, I get a different error. This time it relates to my display driver:

"Needed extension GL_ARB_texture_env_combine not found"

It's an ATI Card and again it worked fine under XP. I do definately have the lastest drivers - I made sure of that when I rebuilt my machine.

I have seen other people complaining of problems with ATI cards... Can anyone else help ?

Thanks, Steve

PS. I do not suffer from AntiMS/AntiVista syndrome, and I would appreciate a more constructive and helpful response.

Needed extension GL_ARB_texture_env_combine not found

This is most definitely an issue with bad ATI drivers. Considering the status of the ATI drivers, and the very recent release of the latest range of dx10 ati cards, these drivers aren't very mature and haven't had the many months of work that nvidia have had during their head start.(And ATi have always been rubbish at OpenGL performance and support anyway).

So untill an ATi driver just happens to fix this issue your buggered.

However there may be another cause for it. Some Graphics cad drivers cant take being installed on top of earlier or future versions. If you dont to a full uninstall of the previous drivers, the two can get muddled up causing crashes and errors. This is the case with nvidia drivers (newer drivers force an uninstall though), I'm not sure about ati drivers.

Also is your vista install exactly the same as your XP install? It isnt a different version of spring for example?

btw 64bit or 32bit Vista?

Either way even if you fixed your issue with SpringSP theres still the problem with spring itself and your ATI drivers.

The build is exactly the same on both Vista and XP: I used the same installation, map and mod files for both. It seems SpringSP cannot locate the map files and I can only attribute this to security changes in Vista. I will play with the permissions and maybe even the registry and see if I can work around that.

As for the ATI driver issue, I'm not sure what I can do. I did have problems with the driver - there is no Microsoft certified driver available so I'm having to use the best match available, though it is the latest version.

Thank you for your suggestions. I will try to work around this and, if I do find a way, I will post the solution on this thread.

Steve.

SpringSP could be trying tor each archivecache4.txt which doesnt exist because it cant be written.

where would it be trying to write this file?

The strangest thing...

I opened SpringSP just now... and... it started! all maps, mods and AIs loaded up and selectable. Very very strange, I haven't changed anything at all!!!

BUT, I did have a new problem, which confirms a permissioning problem did exist - When I quit SpringSP, I got a new message: "SpringSPgfx: an error occured whilst saving settings, Path/File access error: 75".

I adjusted permissions on the Spring folder - added write and modify permissions to my user account and re-applied across all files and subfolders of "c:\program files\spring" - and SpringSP appears to be working properly at last. So thats all the file system problems fixed :)

I still have driver issue so I can't start a game yet, but it's a step forward at least. I intend to resolve this and will post here if I do.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks, Steve.

In relation to this problem:

"Needed extension GL_ARB_texture_env_combine not found"

Is this extension an absolute requirement for the game to start, or is there something I can disable in graphics settings that will remove the need for it?

I suspect the former... maybe I'm clutching at straws!!

Steve

Its one of those fundamental must haves of 90% of all openGL programs.

If you don't have that extension then you can safely assume you don't have OpenGL support as most OpenGL full screen apps use it.

I'd uninstall all your gfx card drivers, then install brand new ones afresh, then complain vigorously to ATI.

If you do try reinstalling youe drivers, use drivercleaner as well.