Go Back   Forums > Abandonia.com > Games Discussion
Memberlist Forum Rules Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Search Forums:
Click here to use Advanced Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-01-2015, 08:37 PM   #251
JustForLogin
Lurker

 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1
Default

Hi.

I just registered here.
The reason I'm posting is that I tried to find a fix for the crash related errors which make it impossible to have a really long game and nothing worked for me BUT some others reported that they didn't have or had less crashes. This post is intended to summarize everything helpful I can think of related to the game.

For crash issue testing I used one of my savegames which would always crash next round. None of the fixes worked for me. Maybe a fresh start would also have been necessary but I doubt it.

Tries to fix the issue:
1) I tried to optimize the Dosbox .conf file, which didn't work:
output=ddraw
memsize=64 (and also with 63)
cycles=max
core=dynamic

What I forgot to change and was mentioned earlier was to change

mpu401=intelligent
to
mpu401=uart
or
mpu401=none

I guess that doesn't matter as this only affects midi which M.A.X. doesn't use ?

2) The official 1.04 patch (I have version 1.01) made the game crash by just loading my save game.

For those who still want to give it a try:
English patch version 1.04: scroll to the bottom link or Ctrl + F "last entry"
German patch version 1.04: http://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/2523

3) I searched for the 1.56 inofficial patch which was really, really hard to find and which didn't work either. And let me tell you that: This patch is so hard to find because it introduces some new, also game crashing bugs and also changes the keybinds and some things in the game to the earliest version of M.A.X. which is the reason this was actually taken down and why it is so hard to find.

One of the 1.56 bugs was: Exiting the game will cause and endless loop of text spam inside Dosbox which requires Alt+Tab and then a task kill.

Also all previous save games won't work with this patch and the other way around.

Patch 1.56 download:
http://www.sal4.de/new/max/maxrun156.rar

4) Then I stumbled upon this post:

http://www.gog.com/forum/m_a_x_serie..._for_all_of_us

It's contents in short:
M.A.X. uses Dos 1.97 which has an error related to memory:
"A bug in our DPMI INT 31h/0800h caused mappings of 4MB or to be misaligned."

As far as I understood this bug exists either within the Maxrun.exe inside the M.A.X. folder because the Dos 1.97 executable is somehow part of the Maxrun.exe or something.

The workaround to this:
1) Get the program PMODE/W
2) Search for a Dos extender (which I heard of for the first time)

copy the Maxrun.exe inside the folder of PMODE/W's file, named Pmwbind.exe and either type in the command prompt or text code of your .bat file:

PMWBIND /U MAXRUN.EXE
=> Upon code execution this will create a new file called Maxrun.le

What's to do with this file ?
Well, as far as I understood PMODE/W has now removed the buggy 1.97 that was part of the Maxrun.exe and created that new, fixed file, named Maxrun.le.

This ".LE"* file can't run on it's own.
*Line Executable -or- Linear Executable

The .LE file needs a Dos extender to run:
http://maximumhoyt.blogspot.de/2008/...ternative.html

I went with Dos/32A with it's file Dos32a.exe
I copied both files inside the M.A.X. folder.

Next I edited Dosbox' .conf file I have for M.A.X. and replaced the starting parameter Maxrun.exe with the parameter

Dos32a.exe Maxrun.le

so that the Dos32a.exe will execute the Maxrun.le and all that within Dosbox.

Well that didn't fix my permanently crashing savegame but maybe I should have started a fresh game or whatever.

Deep down I fear it's no use and the crashes will continue even after a new game.

[Casual information:]
To get Dosbox running to execute the game you want you need to know the drive your game is installed on, it's path and which executable starts the game.

As Dosbox is a command prompt and no GUI you need to navigate to your game's folder and start it's executable.

Dos (and Dosbox) commands:
1) mount letter path:\

[Example:]
mount c e:\Dosgames\KKND\

[Does this:]
Tells Dosbox that the drive e and the path E:\Dosgames\KKND will be viewed to the game run as if it was the drive c alone.

Mounting is required to acutally be able to browse drives and folders within Dosbox.

2) dir/p

[Does this:]
This command will list the files and folders that are within the path you're currently in.

3) letter:

[Example:]
c:

[Does this:]
Browses to the drive you've picked and, in case you've been in any of the drive's sub-folders before, you'll automatically land there again instead of the main path of the drive.

4) cd path

[Example:]
e:
cd Dosgames
cd KKND

[Does this:]
Browses from outside of a folder to inside of the named folder if it exists as a sub-folder of your current path.

Better pick names of less than 9 characters because Dos requires the use of 6 characters + ~1 etc. numbers in case the folder name is more than 8 characters.

5) cd..

[Does this:]
Leaves the sub-folder you're and goes one up in the folder hierarchy.

[Example:]
While inside the E:\Dosgames\KKND folder this would go to E:\Dosgames and show the sub-folders of the folder Dosgames when dir/p would be used.

Dosbox can run individual .conf files with the command prompt -conf
-> Example: Doxbox.exe -conf MySettingsFileForGameABC.conf

The .exe executable file to run the game normally is either an executable with the game's name, a short term for the game's name, a file containing "start" or "run" as part of it's name or "main".

[Example:]
I have Dosbox installed on drive D within the folder Dosbox (D:\Dosbox).
My Dos games are installed on drive E within the folder Dosgames and there within a sub-folder for the specific game that I refer to, like KKND for example (E:\Dosgames\KKND).

To start KKND's KKND.exe file I use two files:
A .bat file which contains all the text I'd normally have to type manually in the command prompt each time.
A .conf file for optimal configuration for that specific Dos game and most likely some start parameters.

What the .bat file does:
Starts Dosbox and tells Dosbox which .conf file to use.
-> Text within the .bat file:
@echo off
Dosbox -conf KKND.conf

What the .conf file does:
Aside from the optimal settings for the refered game at the end of the file it contains all the gibberish that I'd usually have to type within the command prompt each time I want to start my game:

mount c e:\Dosgames\KKND
c:
KKND.exe

Dosbox presents the path E:\Dosgames\KKND to the executable of KKND as if it was within the drive C which is useful for some games that require drive c to be installed but not really important otherwise.

Dosbox key bindings:
Ctrl + F12 increases the cycles
Ctrl + F11 decreases the cycles
Alt + Tab changes between fullscreen and windowed mode

And as last entry...
A very good fan site (file and content wise) that has the patches and a tutorial how to get multiplayer running.
http://tauronr.netii.net/dl_bse/fnc_...ads_bgbd2.html

------------

Ignore this:

Google tags so that this fucking trainwreck of a search engine actually manages to find that hard to gather information:
Interplay
M.A.X.
Mechanized Assault and Exploration
Stack Overflow
assertion failed
smartlst.cpp, line 189
error errors
crash crashes
bug bugs

Edit:
Untested: 1.56 version with Dos extender
Now tested. Result: When saving a game manually in 1.56 it'll crash MAX but the savegame will work when loading it after a restart. Autosave works without any issue so enable it in the options.
1.56 didn't help at all to get around the "Stack Overflow!!!" error.

One thing I forgot: On page 25 someone wrote that
-having a Maxrun.exe with version 1.03
and
-having a Maxrun.exe with version 1.04
was a workaround for him whenever a crash occured. In case of crash proceed to switch one version with the other until the next crash occurs.

Haven't tested THAT yet as that requires me to find the 1.03 patch and test that with and without Dos extender but as far as I can tell Dos extender didn't help anyway so as long as 1.04 and 1.03 save games are compatible with another this could work.
Will give it a try when I'm in the mood in.

The one thing 1.56 does well is unlock rounds so that the player gains control back but had rounds freeze with it nevertheless. Also the workaround for that is to load the quit and then load the autosave.


Bottom line:
No fix possible. The game will inevitably crash at some point.
The game's .exe needs to be fixed / reprogrammed.

Bugs exist when unit names are manually changed or too often due to upgrades being applied. I also noticed a cost calcluation bug for the -cost research, displaying other values in the construction menu as price than used by the game.

Last edited by JustForLogin; 09-04-2017 at 12:35 PM.
JustForLogin is offline                         Send a private message to JustForLogin
Reply With Quote
Old 29-12-2017, 01:14 AM   #252
guest053
Guest
Default

Where do you find pre-patched saves for the unofficial 1.56 patch? The only place I found them was in a modified warez copy of the full game, which I'd like to avoid. Also a user named "Xcoronner" posted an "Enhancement Pack" for the game on page 14. Although the DOSBox components are likely obsolete, he implied that it included a custom launcher of some type, which would be really convenient. Reupload if you got it please!
                       
Reply With Quote
Reply


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Mechanized Assault and Exploration (M.A.X.) Masterofmymind Troubleshooting 2 16-12-2008 07:23 AM
Max Mechanized Assault And Exploration -> No Video And Cannot Finish Level Fragment Troubleshooting 11 22-09-2007 03:11 PM
M.a.x Mechanized Assault And Exploration Problems MadWolf Troubleshooting 8 18-12-2006 02:00 PM
Mechanized Assault & Exploration (max) Bunnylove Troubleshooting 13 24-04-2006 11:09 AM

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump
 


The current time is 06:25 AM (GMT)

 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.