RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

SE IV is a wonderfull game, however when I battle with large fleets I too often get RANGE CHECK ERRORS. Does anybody know if this is common and/or if there is a solution to this?

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nmoppa:
SE IV is a wonderfull game, however when I battle with large fleets I too often get RANGE CHECK ERRORS. Does anybody know if this is common and/or if there is a solution to this?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have the same problem. HELP!!!

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

I really need help on this on. I have progressed to having developed hugh fleets but when I battle other hugh fleets this error all the time occurs. HELP?!

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Malfador most likley knows about it, but your best bet is to save every turn for a while, and ship MM a copy of the save game from JUST BEFORE you generate the range check error in combat. If they have the save game, and you can tell them which battle you fought that caused the problem, they may be able to figure out why it's happening and get it fixed.

John

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

How large of a fleet? how meny ships and of what size? Have not seen this yet. I have a top of the line computer so I can test this and see if it is a game or system resource error for you.

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

My scripting abilities are limited so the best I can advise regarding what a Range Check error is.

When programing, some varitables, called intergraters, set the parameters of the program. When a specific set of circumstances occurs and data is generated out side of the relm of the program, a Range Check error is created.

In this case, the range check errors are more likely being generated because of the ever changing variables of the game. They have to be reported in order to be fixed. MM needs the save game files and as close of a discription as possible to what you did just prior to the RC error.

As for combat RCE's I get them all the time now. It is extremely frustrating, and a real pain in the tail. Often, I just close the game and go to bed.

A good way around the RCE's is to play Tatical. (Be sure you do not tell the game to resolve combat) or it will crash again.

RCE's are the BSOD of SEIV. I sincerely hope that they are squashed before the game developes a negative reputation for crashing.

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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Thanks for the response, guys. I'm happy at least somebody else also seems to have these problems. Mailing to MM is still impossible, so I could not yet send them my complaints and files. I use to play SE IV with the largest universe possible, 200 stars, the highest level of AI players etc. This of course means it takes a lot of time before you are able to build large fleets. Large fleets in my terms are fleets of over 30 ships with large ships of at least Dreadnought class (1000KT) or Base ships (1500 KT). I normally let the computer resolve the combats, because tactical combat (non auto)Lasts for ages with large fleets. If a fleet of 25+ ships attacks an enemy fleet of more than 10 ships (usually also large ships) it's almost shure you will encounter this problem. And that's very annoying. If you don''t want to resolve battle in tactical combat mode, this means you can only go ahead with another turn and look what the enemy will do. It's even more anoying if the AI decides to attack a system with cloaked ships in it, because the same thing happens then. Does anybody know if MM also checks these forums, which would mean they anyhow are informed about these problems?

By the way, The RANGE CHECK ERROR seems not only a problem with SE IV. I used to play the latest Reach for the Stars and with large fleets battling the same goes for this game.

Finally, I don't think these errors have something to do with my computer's capabilities. I have a Dell Pentium 3 600MGH with 512 MB memory and 30 GB Harddisk

[This message has been edited by nmoppa (edited 07 January 2001).]

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Does anybody know contact info on beta testers? Just to be able to send them the problems we encounter.

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MAYBE THIS IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE &lt;Worf facing another critical fight&gt;

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

You're talking to one right now. I'm a beta tester (one of the first 50 that is)
ICQ 7267491
e-Mail [email protected]
Intergrators, heh. Just need to fix your (atrocious) spelling. Its integers. Usually, (well, in C, and it could depend on the system) is a variable that goes to 65536 or so.

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

I had a RCE in my game with EEE. I had 53 ships the EEE had 68. This is a late game scenario (we are the only two left out of 6). I am running a poor second with "only" 100 or so planets) but am near the end of the research tree). Any way, we are about turn 15 of the 30 for this combat when bam...RCE. and the only save game I have is for about 20-30 turns before this occurred. will this help if a knowledgable person got this save game?

my system is a athalon 500/128 mb ram system. running win98se.

I said to heck with that game and started another one.

I am also using Rambies EA shipset with Mephisto's MOD and patch 1.19.

[This message has been edited by pathfinder (edited 08 January 2001).]

[This message has been edited by pathfinder (edited 08 January 2001).]

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Thanks Instar, my spelling needs all the help it can get. I guess its a side effect of thinking faster than I can type, and I can type 65 WPM. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Before reading, know that I have patched the game to V 1.19...

Whenever I try to tell a ship to do anything in a system that it's not currently in, or I turn on a minister of any kind for a ship,
I get the range check error. And when I DO get this error, it locks the game up.
As I recall, SE3 would just do the necessary warps to get to the next system, but here, this causes unfortunate problems with
queuing orders. Because of this, it forces me to hold each ship's hand from system to system, instead of giving it one main order
and then letting the ship's crew or whatever do the nitty gritty stuff of how to get there. By the way, I am playing the game with over 200 stars in the quadrant.

No one has complained about range check errors that come in this name shape or size, so perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am running Windows 2000...

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Did I just say that?

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

I'm running on W2k too but have not encountered this problem. Try re-installimg the game from scratch and add MODs carefully. As it seems, large numbers of units (like the EA produces in my MOD) can provoke the RCE.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Justin Case:
Before reading, know that I have patched the game to V 1.19...

Whenever I try to tell a ship to do anything in a system that it's not currently in, or I turn on a minister of any kind for a ship,
I get the range check error. And when I DO get this error, it locks the game up.
As I recall, SE3 would just do the necessary warps to get to the next system, but here, this causes unfortunate problems with
queuing orders. Because of this, it forces me to hold each ship's hand from system to system, instead of giving it one main order
and then letting the ship's crew or whatever do the nitty gritty stuff of how to get there. By the way, I am playing the game with over 200 stars in the quadrant.

No one has complained about range check errors that come in this name shape or size, so perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am running Windows 2000...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

I had the exact same problem but fixed it in the following way, and no problems since:

I installed v1.19 over a base v1.0 copy. I got RCEs like you describe. After much re-installing and testing, I found that if you install v 1.1 over v1.0 and THEN install v1.19 over v1.1 the RCEs go away. It appears, to me at least, that 1.19 _doesn't_ fully encompass the changes of 1.1. OR, something, at least, is different.

Good luck.

Alarik

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Thanks Alarikf, however this will not solve my problem, because I exactly did what you describe as your solution to the problem. Further, I have NOT installed any MOD's, so that also didn't cause the problems

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MAYBE THIS IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE &lt;Worf facing another critical fight&gt;

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Interesting... I'll have to try that.

I haven't installed any mods, so there's nothing to worry about there.

When I bought the game, V 1.19 was already out, so I just installed that.

Thanks...

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Has anyone gotten a range check error that didn't change the number of systems past 100 in the settings? I got the error starting the game, I wonder if using more than 100 systems has anything to do with it. Plus I added a mod for different kinds of systems. Plus I just started playing the music.

I never had it happen before until I did these and other mods.




[This message has been edited by Emperor Zodd (edited 09 January 2001).]

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Well, I always play with 250 systems, use my mod for more types of standard systems, play mp3 music and have a load of other mods (including Mephisto's). Also I have 4 different installations; 2 for my mods in progress, 1 for playing and 1 original patched to 1.19 with no changes in it. I don't remember having ANY range check errors so far in any of those installations.
It is quite possible that you have something on your computers that causes this problems; hardware (graphic cards or sound cards with possibly old or bad drivers, defective components etc.) or software (some programs and anti-virus programs can cause problems). Check anti-virus first.

If you cant figure it out, send a mail to MM with your save games that contain that problem, describe that problem in details and don't forget to specify your computer configuration. It is most likely that you have something that I don't that causes you guys these problems.

As for strategic combat errors, I almost never use strategic combat so, most likely, that is why I don't get errors. However that one sounds like an big, ugly, slimy bug that just begs to be squished. You definitely have to send saved games with it to MM.

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

I managed to get a range check error by firing *worm hole gun*, the one that teleports enemz ships in random locations.
I got that error right before firing it on the same enemy ship for 5th time in the simulator.
Maybe the error happened because computer tried to teleport my enemy out of the screen area?

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

It's highly unlikely that your graphics settings would have anything to do with a range check error.

SE4 has a very simplistic graphical design. No 3D graphics(that I know of), and most are just simple bitmaps.

Hell, I bet you could run it without the drivers to your card installed, and just have the standard VGA drivers running...

Re: RANGE CHECK ERRORS
 

Important news from MM. I have send my save game file to them and received an email back today with following contents:

Thanks for the savegame. We will be releasing a patch to fix up your
problem later this month.

Aaron

THANKS TO MM and more specific to AARON!

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MAYBE THIS IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE &lt;Worf facing another critical fight&gt;