Update: You can fix this issue with a single download! Original Post: 2.2 has introduced a comm crash bug that occurs often when you jump in and out of your CV. If it happens to you, you can usually get out of the crash by a simple Alt F4, then rejoining the server. No need to reboot your comp. With luck, you should be able to Alt F4, rejoin, and jump back into the CV in under a minute. Different systems may handle the crash differently, so figure out what works best for you.
Edit: 2.21 seems to have eliminated the accompanying error message that comes with the crash, but not the crash itself.
Protip: You never have to reboot your computer if you run all games in windowed mode. And make sure you have a dual core machine, so that task manager doesn't get locked out of starting.
Does the same principle apply to quad-cores? also windowed mode in an FPS is really annoying, as clicking outside the screen accidentaly switches focus (I believe)
Get yourselves a G15 keyboard from Logitech, install a program that runs task manager on the keyboard and you'll simply be able to shut down any program that crashes or locks your computer. The only thing it can't help with is a complete hard lock from something like overclocking your fsb, cpu or videocard too far.
Would getting the CV stuck under the map count as a Com crash? I've pulled that off many times on emp_bush.
When you crash (you hear looping sound) just press ctrl-alt-del to close the game and switch to taskmgr.
Yes, it applies to all multi-core setups. Also, most First Person Shooters "lock" your mouse cursor to the center of the screen, so that isn't a problem.
I've gotten this crash many many times now, to the point where Im getting fed up with empires altogether. Half the time I can get the task manager up, but a good deal of the time it freezes completely and I have to reboot. Not good for my machine. And it's fucking bollox cause I am constantly voted into the comm. Please find a fix for this soon as it's a serious issue if it's crashing the whole system so easily. btw, I don't get the usual error log dump so I've nothing to send...sorry. The times that it is recoverable its a memory related issue. 2gigs of RAM should not be giving memory related issues... I had a similar issue with Dark Messiah of Might n Magic (also Source based) and was told it was lack of RAM by an ignorant and obnoxious dickhead (he's the guy who writes those guides on tweak guide) which was bollox cause I played through the whole game at least once before this bug reared its ugly head. This seems to be the same memory related error message (I'll note it exactly next time I get it).
If it's really fixed and clientside how about a quick hotfix release that doesn't need updated servers, that possible?
Is this the comm crash that gives you some error message about trying to read some memory address (when you can manage to alt + tab out). I can never tell if the crashes I get are known bugs or side effects of my tweaked out Dell 'buisness' laptop with 3rd party drivers.
At the request of CoffeeBurrito and with MOOtant's authorisation, I'm posting a fixed Client.dll that a few of us have been using. There is still 1 bug floating aorund, but this fixes the majority of bugs. Extract it to empires/bin, you will still be able to connect to servers so don't worry about differing versions or anything. http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4mowyoqzjtq http://rapidshare.com/files/180766152/Client.rar One point to make, this is a .rar not a .zip, if anyone can't open a .rar, I'll reupload ASAP, but this was the form coffeeburruto gave it to me in so I never got round to repacking it.
