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Brand new laptop can't run PotC?

A

alan_smithee

Corsair
Storm Modder
The game still works fine on my creaky old desktop (after trying some other games I felt like seeing what was new in the build - flattered that my Capn' Hook skin is one of the starting character options), but it will not play on my brand new laptop.

I thought at first it was just some fault of the Russian SLiB Add-on, since I hadn't tested the stock game first. But then I reinstalled PotC vanilla and even that has the same problem: Everything will work fine until the actual start of the game, when you're in the ship's cabin. I get a loading screen, I wait a bit, then blam - CTD. So far my laptop works great for games, especially from around this same time - it even plays Morrowind without a hitch (until I modded it to death anyway). The error I get from the modhelper is "The method call is invalid For example, a method's parameter may have an invalid value," right after the command line to "BeginScene."

I can post the whole report but I don't see anything in it to suggest what's the deal here - it all looks like the game is loading normally.

So that's the long version; short is, my brand new laptop (I don't know the video specs offhand but I can look them up if someone tells me how; the processor and ram and shit should all be more than adequate) will run every game I own except PotC.
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> Alan
Good to see you around. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

Over the years I've noticed many people having problems with stock POTC on laptops.

On board sound, on board video, video ram, video drivers, all have been stated as problems.

Sorry I can't be of any help. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
 
Hey Petros good to see you too. What's new of yours in pre-13?

It's just good to know that other people have the same problem, I guess. Still, bizarre, the way every other game works...
 
This may or may not help. A member named Captain-Gwynn had a problem with her laptop. Her thread is located on page four of this section "POTC Technical". The thread is dated 5/16/05. Think there are other similiar thread around this time also, but am not sure. Hope this helps.
 
<!--quoteo(post=161363:date=Sep 12 2006, 10:15 PM:name=alan_smithee)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alan_smithee @ Sep 12 2006, 10:15 PM) [snapback]161363[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Hey Petros good to see you too. What's new of yours in pre-13?
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I think you were here for all the characters, 15 in total.

Since then I've been tinkering with ships.
Mostly re-skins, but I've also learned to do a little rigging, locator and walk file work.
Done 8 so far and 2 more I'm still working on.
 
<!--quoteo(post=161405:date=Sep 13 2006, 08:37 AM:name=Thomas the Terror)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thomas the Terror @ Sep 13 2006, 08:37 AM) [snapback]161405[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
what 2 ships are you working on now?
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<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> Thomas

The Ketch (two mast sloop) and the Treasure/Royal Galleon which are not released yet.

Actually, I've also started working on a new War Galleon but if it just replace the old one.

I'm thinking of working on a Caravel as well.
 
Hello Alan Smithee! Nice to see you again! Sorry to hear about your laptop troubles. I wished I knew how to help you, but I don't really have any idea... <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
Greetings Alan Smithee, creator of much enjoyable content in past years.

It'd probably be an idea to detail the specs of the laptop as far ye can. Ergo...

If ye be running XP then maybe try:

Start> All programs > Accessories > System tools > System Information. The first summary page should give a lot of useful info.

On my own laptop (running XP Pro) this is where it gives the basic specs (OS, service packs installed, maker and model, Total Physical memory/RAM etc). If your not running XP at all, then...er, pass.

Best place I can find to tell the processor etc is by right clicking on My Computer and choosing properties. Usually makes it pretty clear.

To tell the GPU, best idea I can think of is to right click on the desktop and choose properties, then choose Settings (and possibly Advanced if it still isn't clear what card it is).

Of course now I feel like I'm 'teaching my grandmother to suck eggs' as the English expression goes.

I doubt anyone can really suggest much until the specs are known. POTC works on some laptops since I only use my old Dell Inspiron 8600 and it has always run fine (only problems I've ever encountered were my own fault). My own graphics card is a rather antiquated ATI Radeon Mobility 9600, using the gamer created Omega drivers (mainly since Neverwinter Nights won't work otherwise). I've never tried Morrowind on it, but I can't see a reason it wouldn't work.

Apologies if my suggests are incomprehensible or faulty...I'm not a techie by trade, and I've been hitting the rum this evening (have to say Mount Gay Eclipse is very easy to drink).
 
New problem, let me get to that first since I can 'resolve' the old one by just not trying to play PotC on my laptop.

So on my desktop I installed B12, then the pre-13 base, and then the latest (I think from around Sept. 5) pre-13 update... So far everything else works fine, but when I successfully board a ship and slaughter everyone I don't get the screen that's supposed to come next, where I can capture the ship and its cargo &c. I just get sort of a view of the ocean, without any HUD components. I can still access my F1 and F2 menus, and can change the speed of the game, but without the capture ship screen I am, shall we say, sunk.

I suspected at first it was maybe because I forgot to run that program that sets up all the english or russian loading screens, but so far that hasn't fixed my saved game (and I haven't tried starting a new game, i just set it aside after this). I also hadn't tried playing the game without the latest update, so I dunno if I would still have this bug on the pre-13 base. Thoughts?
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As for my laptop specs, it's WinXP Home (Toshiba Satellie)...
[System overview]
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 14 Stepping 8 GenuineIntel ~1862 Mhz

Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 113.62 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.20 GB

[display]
Name Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27A2&SUBSYS_FF001179&REV_03\3&B1BFB68&0&10
Adapter Type Intel® Calistoga Graphics Controller, Intel Corporation compatible
Adapter Description Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family
Adapter RAM 128.00 MB (134,217,728 bytes)

I am not even sure what all that means or if it gives any indication of my laptop's mixed performance with video games...
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> alan,good te see yer mug in these water again mate, never tried play'n POTC on a laptop,but if memory serves me right,most problems were related to onboard video chipset an drivers, <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=161625:date=Sep 15 2006, 12:28 AM:name=skull)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(skull @ Sep 15 2006, 12:28 AM) [snapback]161625[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> alan,good te see yer mug in these water again mate, never tried play'n POTC on a laptop,but if memory serves me right,most problems were related to onboard video chipset an drivers, <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Hmm a quick search of the forums suggests thinks ain't looking good:
<a href="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7352&hl=Intel" target="_blank">http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php...52&hl=Intel</a>
The suggestion here is do with the T&L support. I believe the 945GM Express supports T&L, but only on the software level, so if POTC engine wants T&L in the hardware...no go.

<a href="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7481&hl=Intel" target="_blank">http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/index.php...81&hl=Intel</a>
This thread also covers the same issues in the second page. Pieter and Skull should know better what the conclusions were.

Otherwise...
For that graphics card you could looking at updating the drivers (providing the latest ones aren't already there). Full details of the card are here:
<a href="http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/945gm/index.htm" target="_blank">Intel 945GM Express</a>

The following link is for new graphic drivers for XP Home:
<a href="http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df-external/filter_results.aspx?strTypes=all&ProductID=2301&OSFullName=Windows*+XP+Home+Edition&lang=eng&strOSs=45&submit=Go%21" target="_blank">Driver 14.4 24 Aug 06</a>

Maybe that'd be worth trying first?
 
To Alan: It sounds to me like you are using the September 10 update, which was bugged that way. You should download the Build 13 Beta version from my site and install that. Don't bother with the other updates on there. The Build 13 Beta version is the most recent release.
 
Pieter: I'll try the beta... maybe it will fix my new problem, using just the pre-13 base, which is that now my boarding operations get stuck in the captain's cabin, after I beat him. There's no unlockoed icon for me to go any farther... can't leave the room.
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Basically, as for my other issue, I suspect that my problem is that all my laptop's stuff is -too new-. There are a lot of older games that I just can't run at all.
 
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