More Awesome Than You!

I've been playing for weeks now without any problems when suddenly last night I got the Wonderful Return of the Black Screen followed by the announcement my monitor was going to sleep during the middle of playing >:(.

Looking through the Log files this morning, I see that the "AppErrors" and "AudioErrors" files have been modified at the exact same time as when my game crashed. They are all audio errors, such as "ERROR TSAudio: Failed to initialize sound" and "ERROR,TSAudio,Failed to GetSoundDefinition for sound".

I have noticed for months that the sound in my game can be "glitchy". So, as per my subject line, can sound errors cause the game to crash? And if that is the case, can I simply replace the sound file without having to uninstall and reinstall?

I have all EPS and stuff packs.

I think if you load your game for one second, then close it, you will see exactly the same errors in those files - I understand they are useless data left over by EAxis.

If your PC is trying to go into hibernate mode, the obvious answer, to me, would be that it doesn't recognise that the PC is in use, and has reached the time when it is programmed to hibernate.  Just turn off hibernate mode altogether, and it shouldn't happen, and you save quite a large slice of hard disk space.

Thanks for the suggestion, ZZ, but my computer isn't set to hibernate. This only started happening after I installed a new video card last month. After weeks of battle and very helpful suggestions from people on MATY, I thought I had it all sorted out until last night.

I am just totally perplexed about why would it run fine for almost two weeks, multi-hours of gameplay and then just suddenly start doing it again. The only error files I can find are the audio ones so I have no other ideas. ???

Did you put in an ATI card? I have had this happen to me from time to time. I thought it was the card itself, or maybe the motherboard, but if you are having it happen occasionally too...

This has happened to me too, and it is utterly baffling. I always end up having to turn off the computer. I'm using a Radeon 9200. Piece of shit, yes, but what's sad is the intergrated card doesn't do the shit that this card does. :(

Is it the monitor that is shutting down, or does your PC itself shut down too?  Have you checked all the settings that the video card has, just in case there is something not right there.  Just suggestions, not at all sure if they are any use, but sometimes these settings get altered.  I had this problem when Windows Update decided I ought to install the world time clock update - and when I did, all my settings had been completely lost.  I had to do a system restore to get them back and informed the updater it could keep the darned clock update!

Proper crashes tend to be generated by sound and missing mesh errors more than coding errors which tend to allow the game to continue or material errors which cause pretty blue or red effects.  So yes I think it is perfectly possible your problems could be caused by a problem (or missing) sound file.

I have an ATI card and I'm having the same problems as KellyQ.  What'd possibly going on?


I have the same/simular video card.  The same card my brother made the main video card for my computer!


What setting should I check and alter?

It's just the monitor, the computer continues to run but the monitor shuts off and will not come back on. I end up having to manually turn the pc off because nothing will make the monitor resume.

I have a XFX Nvidia Geforce 7600. B and Hegelian(sorry if I am misspelling that) have been quite helpful with suggestions and ideas and I really thought it had been squared away. The only other thing I could think of was to check the error logs and hence my post regarding the sound.

We had a few of the screens at work start doing that the other week. Dell machines. Turned out to be a problem on the motherboards.

What?  I have a dell

My sympathies.

And the screens can't be switched off/on independently?

I have the same, or very close, graphics card to yours, which got better when I got rid of the drivers that came on the installation cd with the driver, and used the (supposedly identical, but apparently not) drivers that I downloaded a while back to upgrade my old graphics card.  Do you by any chance still have a copy of your old drivers?

I don't have a dell, I have an HP. I've already updated the motherboard, the BIOS, chipset, etc., etc.,

ZZ, I am using the newest drivers from Nvidia's website. What version are you using?

edited to add: I can tun the monitor off but when I turn it back on, it remains "asleep"  (I guess)  because it remains black until I restart the whole damned computer

At least pop into your bios then and make it so the machine turns off when you push the power button. It might save crashing out of Windows or turning off the power if your screen goes on the blink again. New motherboards / video cards / hard drives etc are not always fault proof. Doesn't sound like a sims problem to me, sounds like some kind of hardware.

I think that the problem is your video card - nvidia had a problem with Seasons and now it has it again with BV. I think that your monitor is going to sleep because it is getting no signal from the video card and thinks you have turned the machine off. Try adding the line

boolprop useShaders false to your userStartup.cheat and see if it improves things. If it does then what you were experiencing was the nvidia/BV 'bug' and you'll need to leave that in until a proper nvidia patch comes out.

Actually, I recall having this exact same problem a while back, immediatly after I upgraged my graphics card to a nvidia geforce. I had downloaded the updated drivers, and my moniter was continually turning itself off and getting strange graphics effects. Rolling back to the previous driver stopped it, so I haven't been quite game to update the driver since then.  :-\

Already did that, less then a week after installing the new card. :-\

93.71 - from the website, not from the installation disc (supposedly the same, but there were some distinct differences in how I was able to customize my desktop) and I just didn't like the effects I was getting, so I switched to the one I'd downloaded for OFB, which seems to be working fine for me. 

I have problems with my game, but they are not due to my video drivers, I'm pretty sure, as if they were, then every lot would present problems, and not every lot does.  Damned attraction markers that don't all get deleted, I think....)

Well I replaced the sound file with the original from the cd and I downloaded and installed the drivers that ZZ is using. While I don'thave glitchy sound now, my monitor is still going to sleep at inopportune moments.

I am considering doing an RMA with the card but in all honesty, I don't think it is the card. I think it is something to do with TS2 because that is the only time it happens. I am out of ideas though.  :'(

Well, I'm afraid I am just as baffled as you, KellyQ, and I'm all out of suggestions. 

It isn't your card..

It is the game.. otherwise I wouldn't have the exact same issue as you.

I had the same issue with my nvidia 5900 when it came to seasons, I got the 7600.. same issue.  EA just seems to rush Maxis to release things without properly testing things as thoroughly as things need to be tested. 

I mean you can try a 7800 or one of the cards from the 8 series, but I bet the issue would be there.

And you can flash your bios and tweak the settings.. still gonna be there.  Maxis just has to patch this buggy lil ol expansion.

Well, no doubt they will, eventually, and I shall await everyone's reports.  Meanwhile, I still haven't removed the cellophane from my copy of BV! ;D

Unless one gets a great pre-order deal on an expansion.  I'd advice holding off a bit until at least the first patch is released and a few hacks are updated.  This is the first time since University that I jumped on an expansion on the day of the release, won't be doing that again.

Well, I did get a reasonable deal on mine, but since the release date in the UK is later than the US I'd then had a chance to read up on all the glitches, which seems about the worst load of rotten tomatoes EAxis has ever had the nerve to release as a "finished product" so I haven't even looked at it yet, and I shan't until someone can assure me that the patch works and all my favourite hacks work or are now obsolete, and it won't destroy my game......

Actually this started happening before I installed BV, so I do not think it has anything to do with the newest EP.

But all the other problems I've been reading about, specifically relating to BV, are what's made me wait.  This EP doesn't fire me with that much enthusiasm at the moment, I was never that keen on Vacation when I played Sims1 either, and I can wait for the new custom content etc.  My sims in my present game can only just afford the essentials, holiday abroad can wait awhile!

I love my Dell. Brand new, but it had Vista installed. So I coundn't really play the game well w/ the graphic card that came with it.
So I replaced it with a ATI Radeon X1900, 256mb.
Slapped another gig of ram in it, and it purrs like a kitten. I LOVE IT... Oop's did I already say that? ;)

BTW, I have the same sound errors, but they only come up in the cheat line.

Those errors have been there since the base game, check in your logs folder, they're there.  Delete them, load your game for one second and exit - they're back.  As I said, they are just stuff that got left behind.

 
Seasons had the same video crash issue, it was resolved with last patch that came out in July though. 

Anywho...

I installed the beta drivers Nvidia has on their website.  I knew it wouldn't fix the audio clipping but I was hoping it would help with the crash.  So far the game is running a bit more stable, but I haven't had a chance to really run it through any heavy tests yet.  I haven't gone to a vacation lot yet.. that test will be today.. whee.. tests.  Nothing beats paying for something that puts me back into troubleshooting mode.  @#$ if I liked to troubleshoot I wouldn't have quit my last job.. @#$#.


The only reason I get the expansions is for the interactions and little supernatural extras such as the werewolves, vampires and plant people.  But Bon Voyage offers a little more than just visiting new lots, there's the secrets like finding Big Foot.. finding the ninja.. the witch doctor.. and learning new interactions during vacations.  Of course to be honest, the new Insimenator is out and I can just use that to get the sim to pick up everything without ever having to leave the lot heh.

93 version driver is pretty old--You might try the drivers at Guru3d.com. I believe your card was on the list. Run a search based on your card....

I'm still having the nVidia crashing issues as well.  GeForce 7800 on my machine, and the newest beta drivers (163 or 164 I think, I'm not at home to check right now).  The driver nVidia put out for Seasons fixed the problem, but BV messed it up again.  The beta drivers seem to work a bit better- I can play for longer now, and I don't always get the game's BSoD, but now I'm having the same kind of crashing that you are describing where the moniter just falls asleep randomly like a narcoleptic.  Nothing else on my comp has been changed except for the video driver.  As far as the game itself, I haven't changed anything other than installing the EP and the fix for the tour guide spawnage.  I'm considering switching to the 93 driver ZZ mentioned.  Is that driver only for the 7600, or can I give it a shot?

I have the problem of my monitor going to sleep but it is intermittent, and it doesn't happen during the game, it only happens when I am starting my computer.  I have 2 GForce 6800 XT and since the new drivers I haven't had one video glitch or blue screen--Thank God.  Mine started happening after I got a new monitor.  Can't seem to find the problem.  I think this Problem is probably more of a hardware problem than a game problem--Mine didn't correspond with any new Sims release.

I wouldn't blame BV. Or Nvidia.

Like I said, I have an ATI card. And my computer has been doing it off and on since at least Pets.  ::)

I didnt have sound errors until University.  Now I have to disable my sound drivers before I play so it doesnt lag.  Myaudio device also isnt compatible with the game so I never bothered updating the drivers bc I didnt think it would matter

Last night my game crashed due to a sound glitch.  The stereo skipped and I was immediately looking at my desk top no message either.

I've only once had a sound-related game crash, and it occurred when my household of playable Uni students performed music at a community lot. I had cancelled the action to play an instrument from one of my playables and then immediately queued for another of them to play the same instrument. I think that's what caused the crash, but I don't remember if I also had a hack -related problem with instruments, or not (it was a while ago), or if/how I ever fixed it.

I used to get sound related crashing when Uni came out, it happened right up until Nightlife at which point it stopped happening.  My guess is that there was a bug that someone at EA found and fixed *crickets chirping* no really, they actually fixed that one in an expansion :D

I have not played BV since the first couple of days really (hubby begs, whines, winges and moans for me to come heal him on EQII and lays on a guilt trip whenever I try to play TS2) so I have not yet experienced this new possible sound crash. 

I do recall that only a very small number of us had this problem, a search of the bbs tech help section may dig up an old thread I started way back then as well as a couple of others.  I recall spending a very long time trying to figure out the cause but ultimately all I had was that it was related to more than three money trees becoming harvestable at the same time (it was the sound of that happening that would cause a crash/sound loop and would force a reset of the pc). 

As I recall I only encountered one or two others on the bbs getting it, and I think I once came across a post here that seemed very much like my own experience.

Someone mentioned elsewhere here that they suspected EA had used a lot of old Uni code for BV, I've been thinking this myself to be honest with the Barista/Tour Guide problems seeming so similar, the way hotels operate is very similar to dorms, very old bugs resurfacing that had previously been fixed, and now this sound crashing that you are experience.  There are some things on the bbs that also seem familiar, I saw a mention of something that sounds very much like the old NPC/Slowdown bug (which I'm quite concerned about actually - this is a far worse scenario than the tour guide issue).

Just curious, are the sound issues connected to Realtek, because I get a boatload of errors connected to that one.

No it wouldn't have been for me, back then I was using a soundblaster - I forget which one exactly though.  Possibly the 5.1 version

Yup. With Uni, I had a consistent crash to desktop problem if I had too many money trees (http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,921.msg32701.html#msg32701) (where "too many" was ['url=http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,2808.msg80491.html#msg80491]more than five[/url]).

The money tree crash to desktop was fixed temporarily by downgrading my audio quality to Medium, and permanently when I installed NL :D.

Seems that mainly audio errors may cause crash in
1.When two or more the same loops playing in the same time it may lead to very high output audio level and overload game audio engine.
As result it may provoke game crash.
2.Since game audio splitted to several(don't know how much exactly and don't want to know :)) audio streams,when number of  playing sounds > than number of audio streams it theoretically may cause game crash.
3.When on lot loading too many sounds activated(for ex.if you have lot saved with somebody playing pinball,somebody watching TV
etc. in the same time) it may provoke loopcycle effect(something like tatatatatata ;D) with some sounds after lot loading and may cause game crash.In this case need to reload this lot again and immediately enter in pause mode for a few seconds,it can help to stop
any possible loopcycle effects.
Sondcard may provoke crash too(in most cases loopcycle crash when audio buffer overflowed),but this is another story.

So I need to go turn off a few things with complicated sounds and see if that helps.  Thanks Alexx!  I've got a similar set up to TrilinK.  I've had some crashes and some really laggy play especially at the 'hood screen since adding Seasons.  I've been weeding downloads anyway, but I'd assumed it was graphics related.  "Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups"  I've never thought about my sound set up at all!