[Solved]No map when creating game

[PLivesey]

Hi,

I looked to see if this had been brought up before, but couldn't find it, so I apologise if it has.

When creating a new game on the latest patch (3.1.2.0) I do not see any planets etc. when I generate a map.  This makes it very hard to pick my starting position.  I have tried generating a new map but it doesn't help.

2nd screenshot is just to show after changing some options, and the map seed, the problem doesn't correct itself.

Edit: In case it is useful, I am using windows 7 64-bit and am loading the game through steam.  This happens every time I try to create a new game.

Edit 2: Updating my graphics driver has no effect?  Shall I just reinstall or can this be solved?

[keith.lamothe]

Would have posted earlier, I just have no idea why this is happening   I'll ask Chris.

[x4000]

Can you look in your AI War data folder (the folder in the big long textbox under Settings), and see if there are any error text files in there?  Most likely there is a Direct3DLobbyDrawError.txt file, or something along those lines, which should help us to figuring this out.  It's apparently something really rare and specific, as we can't duplicate it and no one else seems to be having the same problem.  A reinstall of the game probably wouldn't help, unless there is some sort of missing asset or something, but we can't really know until we see whatever error files it happens to be logging, which should tell us pretty definitively what is up.  Sorry for the trouble you're having there!

[PLivesey]

Thanks for the reply.

Here is the error it is throwing up:

SlimDX.Direct3D9.Direct3D9Exception: D3DERR_INVALIDCALL: Invalid call (-2005530516)
   at SlimDX.Result.Throw[T](Object dataKey, Object dataValue)
   at SlimDX.Result.Record[T](Int32 hr, Boolean failed, Object dataKey, Object dataValue)
   at SlimDX.Direct3D9.Device.Present(Rectangle sourceRectangle, Rectangle destinationRectangle, IntPtr windowOverride)
   at AIWar.GameForm.DrawDirect3DLobby() in C:\vcprojs\AIWar\GameFormParts\GamePanel.cs:line 3501

And it seems to give that error a few times a second.

[x4000]

Shoot, I thought I had responded to this already, but just realized I had not.  My apologies!  This is a pretty generic error, unfortunately.  It could be as a result of some other error happening first and then triggering this, or it could be something internal is wrong with DirectX9.  Given that the background is clearly rendering for you, I'm guessing it is not something overly universal.  If there are any other error files at all, or anything else in that one error file mixed in with all the D3DERR_INVALIDCALL instances, then those would be supremely helpful to us.  If not, I'd suggest simply trying to reinstall DirectX9 and/or SlimDX to make sure that nothing is wrong with them:

DirectX 9.0c: http://www.arcengames.com/dl/dxwebsetup.exe
SlimDX March 2009: http://www.arcengames.com/dl/SlimDX%20Runtime%20(March%202009%20SP1).msi

There are many versions of DirectX 9.0c, they keep coming out with a new version about every 3 months and have been for years, so it's possible that in whatever version you have something is simply broken with rendering to a specific window handle.  If that's the case, then installing the DirectX 9.0c version that AI War directly expects should fix that issue without affecting any of your other programs, because all of those versions are supposed to live side-by-side, and a given program (like AI War) will only default to using a newer or older version of those dlls if the version it expects is not present.  Near as I can tell, anyway, as the MS documentation, is not verbose on this topic.

This is definitely an unusual one.  Hope that helps!

[PLivesey]

Reinstalling DirectX and repairing my slim has fixed the problem.  Now I can play AI War once more!

Thanks for the help!

[keith.lamothe]

Well, sorry it took so much trouble, but glad to hear you're up and running again

[x4000]

Definitely, glad to hear it's fully up and working now!

[PLivesey]

Hi,

Hate to reply to this again.  I have recently updated to the Children of Neinzul, and I have the same issue with the map.  I have reinstalled the DX and repaired my slim DX, but it doesn't seem to have worked.  Any ideas?

Thanks.

[keith.lamothe]

Well, it may be that something else on your computer is "fighting" about what versions of directX and/or slimDX should be on your machine.  In any event there really isn't much we can do about something where a reinstall/repair of directX/slimDX is the resolution because that's stuff the app itself doesn't influence.  Pretty much the only thing we can is totally change the game to use something other than slimdx... however, that's exactly what we plan to do over the next couple months in porting the game to Unity.  Unity will probably use either directx or opengl on your system depending on what it detects, and theoretically if your directx install is seriously hosed you'll still have a problem, dunno, but we'll also be reworking the lobby quite a bit so perhaps it will become a non-issue (though if you're having problems with the primary graphics library used in the game that doesn't bode well for post-lobby either).

Anyway, here's hoping this problem evaporates with the engine move

[PLivesey]

Thanks for the quick reply!  I do hope it fixes it, as I would love to be able to play AI War once more.

[GreatStalin]

Hi!

I just recently tried to play a game of AI War, and have come upon the exact same issue.

If it's of any help, I'm also on WIndows 7 64bit, playing the game on Steam!

[x4000]

This is a pretty generic error, unfortunately.  It could be as a result of some other error happening first and then triggering this, or it could be something internal is wrong with DirectX9.  Given that the background is clearly rendering for you, I'm guessing it is not something overly universal.  If there are any other error files at all, or anything else in that one error file mixed in with all the D3DERR_INVALIDCALL instances, then those would be supremely helpful to us.  If not, I'd suggest simply trying to reinstall DirectX9 and/or SlimDX to make sure that nothing is wrong with them:

DirectX 9.0c: http://www.arcengames.com/dl/dxwebsetup.exe
SlimDX March 2009: http://www.arcengames.com/dl/SlimDX%20Runtime%20(March%202009%20SP1).msi

There are many versions of DirectX 9.0c, they keep coming out with a new version about every 3 months and have been for years, so it's possible that in whatever version you have something is simply broken with rendering to a specific window handle.  If that's the case, then installing the DirectX 9.0c version that AI War directly expects should fix that issue without affecting any of your other programs, because all of those versions are supposed to live side-by-side, and a given program (like AI War) will only default to using a newer or older version of those dlls if the version it expects is not present.  Near as I can tell, anyway, as the MS documentation, is not verbose on this topic.
Hope that helps!

[GreatStalin]

Guess I should have mentioned that I'd tried the fixes you'd suggested to PLivesey!

I know there isn't much you can do, but I just thought that it'd be comforting to know that the issue is happening to more than just one person rather than an unusual unique case.

[keith.lamothe]

It is good to know it isn't totally unique.  We hope that the Unity version will fix it for both of you.

Just to be clear, if you just press "Start Game" (albeit sight-unseen) or load a saved game, it works ok?