Planes missing in combat during replay

[Barb]

Hello,

This is a shared similarity with my other issue ("Weird things happening during replay") appearing about the same time - on a turn I had noticed "non-materializing raids" there was no air-to-air combat, but on the next turn I had noticed missing plane graphics in A2A combat. This also transited to no planes in Air to Ground and Air to Naval combat. So I am seeing just the "Combat graphic", but no ship/plane/flak/fire/explosions graphics.

Before that all was well, combat replay working as designed.

So far I had tried to reinstall the game - yet the issue happened in the new installation too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Barb

Hello,

This is a shared similarity with my other issue ("Weird things happening during replay") appearing about the same time - on a turn I had noticed "non-materializing raids" there was no air-to-air combat, but on the next turn I had noticed missing plane graphics in A2A combat. This also transited to no planes in Air to Ground and Air to Naval combat. So I am seeing just the "Combat graphic", but no ship/plane/flak/fire/explosions graphics.

Before that all was well, combat replay working as designed.

So far I had tried to reinstall the game - yet the issue happened in the new installation too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Combined with your other problem on failure to show combat, I am beginning to think your graphics memory is faulty. I am not sure if there is a diagnostic utility for graphics cards but I would try to see if there is a way to test the card while it is still installed in the computer.

[Uncivil Engineer]

I'm fairly certain this is a graphics issue. I had a similar experience playing one of the mods. I hadn't downloaded all the art required for the mod, so some plane types didn't show up on the screen even though they flew the mission (according to the reports). Not sure what your situation is, but I would check the art files in addition to checking your graphics drivers (and settings).

[Barb]

Hmm, weird - I did fresh install, so ART files should be there. It is also an original (stock scenario) game with no art mods installed.

Can someone post a specific plane-top path within WITP:AE directory (e.g. Ki-43-IIb Oscar)?
I had also tested my graphic card by two programs available for free (HeavyLoad and FurMark) - no problems were detected. I am also using the latest drivers for my graphic card.

I just experienced it 3rd turn in a row in the same PBEM.

[Lowpe]

I get this problem occasionally when I have lots and lots of other programs running or have switched into and out of the the program with other programs running and finally have gotten it when I haven't shut down windows in a long time.

[Lokasenna]

FYI, but actual memory faults in windows almost always result in an instant crash and restart. On rare occasions, they will produce a BSOD first. Those are basically the only two options if your memory is actually faulty (be it graphics or otherwise).

[Barb]

No instant crashes, nor blue screen of death happening.

I am usually starting the game after booting from fresh (restart/turn on, login, wait for the usual start-up processes to finish their jobs, insert USB with saves - open the directory of saves, open Mozilla Thunderbird, save game file, close Thunderbird, Start the game - watch replay).

So a system memory should be mostly clean and available. I am completely puzzled. [&:]

[Korvar]

Here are some things to try:

1. Make sure you've got your DirectX updated. Download the updater file from Microsoft DirectX Web Installer.

2. Experiment with combinations of the -dd_sw and -deepColor switches in the shortcut to the game executable file. Both on, both off, one on / one off.

3. Update your video card drivers. You may have an integrated or a dedicated/discrete graphics card. An example of integrated graphics is Intel HD Graphics (i.e. built into your computer's motherboard) whereas a dedicated graphics card is usually either nVIDIA GeForce or ATI/AMD Radeon. Where you get the drivers depends on what type of card you have.

3a. If you have integrated graphics, it is possible that too little RAM memory is being set aside for it in your computer's BIOS. WitP:AE requires 128 megabytes of video memory with 256MB recommended. Unless your computer is a lot older, pretty much any relatively recent dedicated graphics card will have much more than that. Integrated graphics is a bit trickier because it 'borrows' your regular system RAM to use as VRAM (video RAM). The amount that is set aside is typically set in the BIOS.

I don't want to lead you further down the 3a path unless the other options are exhausted, as the BIOS is a place where a computer can be really screwed up if the wrong changes are made.

[Barb]

Hello, thanks for the tips.
1. DirectX: version 12
2. I am not using - dd_sw, will try removing -deepColor
3. Drivers are latest, i have dedicated graphic card with 1GB RAM
3a. 8GB RAM computer with Win 10 - should be enough to support Graphic card.

However the game worked normally in june 2016 (about 10 turns back). The curiosities started to appear from day-to-day.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Barb

Hello, thanks for the tips.
1. DirectX: version 12
2. I am not using - dd_sw, will try removing -deepColor
3. Drivers are latest, i have dedicated graphic card with 1GB RAM
3a. 8GB RAM computer with Win 10 - should be enough to support Graphic card.

However the game worked normally in june 2016 (about 10 turns back). The curiosities started to appear from day-to-day.

Sounds like your troubles coincided with Win 10 patches after the initial upgrade. Speculation on my part.

[michaelm75au]

The game interface uses DirectX 9c. Wonder if there is some sort of conflict between DX9 in game and WIN10

[PaxMondo]

Michael,

Great to see you here! Thanks for all the superb support!!!


[&o][&o][&o][&o]

[MrKane]

ORIGINAL: michaelm

The game interface uses DirectX 9c. Wonder if there is some sort of conflict between DX9 in game and WIN10

I can see this issue on Win7 so it is not win10 issue only . In my case the easy way to reproduce issue is ctrl-tab during combat resolution phase and from time to time game will restore dx surface without air planes bitmaps. If I can guess I will put money on theory that bitmap is simply not reload back to video memory after loosing dx surface during displaying combat resolution phase. If you need more info or run do some "debug runs" to get some logs I will be ready help you.

[Barb]

I had run the performance monitor on memory during combat replay - I will post the screen in the evening. Free Memory (unused) didn't drop below 300MB during the replay.
I will also try to find when I had DirectX12 installed to my computer. However I was running the game on Windows 10 since spring with no problems...

[Korvar]

The 1st thing to try is to use the -dd_sw switch, even if you are not having slow interface response issues (the most common thing this corrects). In my own experience, this is the most important switch for use in Win 10.

I am running WITPAE on a computer with almost the same specs on Win 10 and it runs great; so it IS possible for WITPAE and Win 10 to play well together (as you experienced before). Both -dd_sw and -deepColor are enabled on my setup, and it plays as well if not better than it did on Win 7. Buttery smooth playback, no graphic glitches, responsive interface, no crashes.

One consideration is that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (major update release) could have tweaked something on the Win 10 side. I blocked my Win 10 from updating to it because of problems early adopters were reporting. Yet the update didn't roll out until Aug 2, and it sounds like your issues started well before then.

[Barb]

I had played with -dd_sw switch in my launcher. So far it seems it had worked out! Plane silhouettes appeared again on combat screens.
I will monitor the game for a few more turns to see if the problem was cured permanently.

On the other hand it has a side effect - a map scrolls too fast in the game, but I will play with the map scroll delay settings to adjust accordingly

[Korvar]

I'm glad it worked out [:)] - I also had to tweak the map scroll delay; I ended up setting mine to '1'.

[AcePylut]

I'm having an issue where maybe 1 out of every 10 air combats will actually show up in the combat replay, or give me the "results" page. And when it's that 1 out of 10, the planes are missing.

I see ground and naval combat fine, no problems. This has to be a bug in the game somewhere.

I can provide the combat replay to you if you want, and pm you the password since it's a PBEM.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Korvar]

I don't think I'll need the combat replay at this point - it's probably a configuration issue...

The answers to these questions will help get us started:

What version of Windows are you using?

What's your computer's CPU?

What WitPAE executable shortcut switches are you using, if any?

[Barb]

AcePylut - I had experienced the same issues you are facing now. I tried to include -dd_sw into the command line switches - and it worked!