Crashes on ATI card, only in Empires.

I'm suffering some random crashes only in Empires mod (not in other Source mods) since I installed new Catalyst drivers for my ATI videocard. It's a x1800, and I'm sure this issue is driver-Empires related because there was old driver versions that worked fine (before Catalyst 6.7 if my memory doesn't fail). So I kept using old drivers until I was forced to update. Now I can't play more than 10 or 15 minutes, the random crash happens usually by that time, but not always. Switching off anti aliasing seems to help, but in the end it also keeps crashing. This is the secuence: image freezes, sound loop, if I'm fast enough with windows key I can kill hl2 process, if not the loop continues and I need to restart the system.

No one else has the same problem?

 

Try to turn every thing in the Control center to let the program deside, lowering resolution slightly, then turning the control center off. Do each one of thouse at a time, in that order and see if there is any improvements. I had the same issue when I first started. Usualy happens when you set the stats to high.

 

Thx Awrethien, I tried something that seems to work ATM. Under Catalyst AI usually its on low or high. Now I tried to desactivate it and I could play without any hang around 1 and half hour, so maybe was related, we'll see

 

Is this public or private beta release? We're using the new shaders in 1.08 beta so that could be causing the problem.

 

Na this is the public version. Just the ATI Control Center doesnt like Empires if you set the settings to high. It seems to be a bit twitchy such as I can have low resolution but nice anti-alis and detailed models, textures or hight resolution and lower quality models. For some reason if you try to have both it locks up and the only way to get out is to manualy reset the pc. I think my issue is worse than R_yell as I only have an x600/x550 lol.

 

It seems this issue is quite rare among Empires users, then I'm not so sure it's caused by drivers at all because that should affect at most ATI users. Don't know, sometimes overheating is a simpler reason for locks up, and lowering graphical settings may alleviate it.

 

This happened to me once. I was using hte Omega drivers for my 9200. Little did i know, the catalyst driver used for the latest driver was the latest one. So it was incapable and the game kept crashing. I switched back to the catalyst one and it worked fine.

My best suggestion is to downgrade the driver

 

Same thing here. However, I think it's related to refresh rates/what settings the Catalyst (or should I say Catashit) softare forces on your settings. Kind of a mega confliction between Empires settings, system settings, and Catalyst. I had crash problems with Gmod10 and I couldn't even run some games (I finally god Gmod10 to run after many settings tweaked).

I think I have solved my problem (I can run Empires, Gmod10, and CSS with no crashes, besides the usual visual runtime errors you can get with Gmod10) by simply uninstalling the GFX driver/software in safemode, installing in normal startup. If you can't uninstall/install in safemode, just plain remove everything (using the CAT-Uninstall utility from the ATi website) and install the newest version.

Freaking ATI POS.

 

I for one, have never had a problem with my ATI X800 or the corresponding drivers. Then again, I don't play on max settings.

[edit] Try using Ray Adams' ATI Tray tools, I use it, and no problems yet. http://www.guru3d.com/article/atitraytools/189/

 

same issue

I have the same issue. Video freezes, audio loops, if I don't shut down the HL2 process quickly enough, I need to manually reboot the machine.

ATI X850XT PE with latest Catalyst.

What did you all turn down to fix it?

 

It varies on your card and pc. I can have Empires a 1200x1024 with textures and models on high. Ill get a drop in FPS but no crash. But the instant I urn on anti-aliasing or ansotropic filtering I crash after a few minets. But if I lower the resolution or the model/texture detail i can turn in anti-aliasing up to max.... So chose the resolution you want ans slowly up the details. Oh and make sure you have most things set to let the app deside. Not doing so can cause seriouse lag.

 

And to think I know someone who says that ATi is teh own right now *glares at RampantAndroid*

No nVidia card has ever betrayed me in any way other than overheating due to poor stock cooling (PNY sucks!).

 

Actualy Empires is the only game Ive had do this. Its realy odd. Any other issues with games has been with the game itself, a mod, or my own stupidity.

 

i'v had serious problems with my good comp.
the problem first started happening in Empires, then started happening to all programs in an order of decent eg. good games first - then bad games.

screen freezes, constant scream from the tower,
nothing responds, eg mouse, keyboard
so i find a pen and press the reastart button, nothing happens
press the off button, screen goes black, press off button again to turn on.
but has to be done in that order, or nothing happens

after a while, even windows wouldn't work, so comp. was reaformatted, didn't help, then comp. wouldn't get past the first dos screen, and all kinds of letters and symbols appear oll over a black screen.

comp. getting sent away soon.
well, sorry to give the almost life story of my comp.