Crash To Desktop

[fratleyslayer 0]

I have just downloaded this game, and every single map, excluding the first tutorial has crashed me to desktop, sooner or later. I have Sim city 4 Deluxe; and have not downloaded a single thing except for the patch off the sim city website(which did little to no avail)

I run a Windows XP 5.1 Build 2600

Compaq Presario 061

Processor speed: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+, MMX 3DNow

Memory 3070MB Ram(even though i have 4 sticks of 1gig ram.. hmm)

Page File is 3877MB

DirectX is 9.0C

Graphics card is Nvidia Geforce 8600GT

Please help this poor fool who is getting irritated of SC4 crashing

[SC4BOY 20]

for an AMD dual proc, you'll likely have to set affinity for SC4 to "single processor" OR go to AMD website and get the "Dual Processor Optimizer"

[screamingman12 30]

What is the size of your video card's memory? Occasionally graphics cards will share memory with the system (what may be going on here) and the video card simply doesn't have enough to handle SC4.

[fratleyslayer 0]

i have the optimizer, but couldn't get it to run, so i thought it's automatic. Hopefully..!

But today it seemed that the optimizer kept it running for longer(if it was even working, maybe i'm crazy) it ran for about an hour.. i was psyched it wouldn't crash anymore and.. bam! i flippin hate it lol

the graphics card is 512mb, it is one of the top-end graphics cards at the moment, so i'm almost sure it isn't the graphics cards fault.

[pepsi71ocean 2]

If you can't get the Optomizer to work, go into Task manager and hit set Processor Affinity. And simply uncheck the core(s) you don't want it to run on.

EDIT: the 8600 GT is old technology, the 8800 series is now being dated by the new 9 series of chipsets basted on a new die processor size.

[fratleyslayer 0]

umm... lol

sim city came out a few years ago, my chipset came out this year; just because it's already being dated by new graphics cards doesn't mean it is anywhere near bad.

if i can run the best graphical game out there(crysis) with zero lagg/delay i think i am fine with sim city 4.. lol

oh and btw* ctrl+alt+delete(task manager) doesn't have a set processor affinity anywhere i see.

[waway625 72]

Originally posted by: screamingman12 What is the size of your video card's memory? Occasionally graphics cards will share memory with the system (what may be going on here) and the video card simply doesn't have enough to handle SC4.quote>

eliminate the theory that video ram as the culprit

i just tested now and the max vRAM usage ive recorded is 55mb on one of my biggest cities (14mb file size)

im having this CTD issues too

specs are

E6300 @ 2.8Ghz

2Gb RAM

8800GT 512mb

i also have about 3gb worth of plugins.and sadly CTD are a common occurence, ive noticed though that setting processor affinity to one CPU reduced it but did not entirely eliminate it..

Originally posted by: pepsi71ocean If you can't get the Optomizer to work, go into Task manager and hit set Processor Affinity. And simply uncheck the core(s) you don't want it to run on.

EDIT: the 8600 GT is old technology, the 8800 series is now being dated by the new 9 series of chipsets basted on a new die processor size.quote>

the 8600GT may not be a very good card but its more than enough for  SC4.

and FYI

the 9 series cards are almost identical to the 8800s (especially the G92 8800s)

the 9600GT (G94) is the same architecture but of different clock speeds and number of shaders and even the 9800GTX is rumoured to be a G92 card with higher clock and memory speeds..

[IFUM 1]

It's an "Access Violation". Check MyDocs>SimCity 4>Exception Reports. There you find info about the bug. It's not funny, when it happen. I have get this bug many times.

[therealcdg 0]

From what I've observed it seems like higher end graphics cards tend to make SC4 crash more often. It seems to have something to do with prop draw speed.

[thiosk 0]

I'm replying to this thread as I have made some fresh observations (and, incidentally, this was the top of the google list when I searched for "crash to desktop simcity 4 simtropolis")

My system is highly advanced compared to system specs, im running a core i7 on vista 64 bit.

Setting the processor affinity works well in many cases for dual and multicore computers.  However, as an above poster stated, this will often only reduce-- not eliminate-- crashing.

As my game progressed, things got downright sluggish.  So after three bouts of crashing while trying to put a damnable monorail over a bunch of highways and avenues, I said some nasty language  and opened the graphics options.

I set the graphics acceleration from hardware to software--

this fixed my problem entirely, in conjunction with the dual core affinity check.

I highly reccomend software acceleration if you are using a newer video card.  My game performance went through the roof and I have experienced no further crashes.

[Hendrick4life 1]

Where is this Option for a nVidia 9700m GT? I Cant find it anywhere I know this is a permanent fix, Alot of people have said it worked.

[Brianga26 7]

Originally posted by: thiosk

I'm replying to this thread as I have made some fresh observations (and, incidentally, this was the top of the google list when I searched for "crash to desktop simcity 4 simtropolis")

My system is highly advanced compared to system specs, im running a core i7 on vista 64 bit.

Setting the processor affinity works well in many cases for dual and multicore computers.  However, as an above poster stated, this will often only reduce-- not eliminate-- crashing.

As my game progressed, things got downright sluggish.  So after three bouts of crashing while trying to put a damnable monorail over a bunch of highways and avenues, I said some nasty language  and opened the graphics options.

I set the graphics acceleration from hardware to software--

this fixed my problem entirely, in conjunction with the dual core affinity check.

I highly reccomend software acceleration if you are using a newer video card.  My game performance went through the roof and I have experienced no further crashes.

quote>

I am not really sure how to do any of this? I need a line by line break down. I am not a cpu savvy person, at least I thought I was until reading this thread. How do I change my Hardware to software ??

[tungston 19]

You can change the game rendering in the game graphics options.

[Brianga26 7]

thanks man! I appreciate it.. I love this game, and I will probably continue to play it.. unless Cities XL

[Stef42 0]

My game would crash after playing for a few minutes.

When I changed the game rendering to software all the problems were gone.

And I'm not using affentity with the CPU, while I have a dual-core.

Saving the game as many times as possible is handly if the game is crashing rarely

[kingdiz_55 12]

This is probably one of those transit enabled crashes.

[Hendrick4life 1]

I dont know wtf it is. I have done Software Rendering, Single CPU, Nothing WORKS!!!! Dangit I cant play for 5 Seconds without a CTD. Literally..... Its pointless to even load the game. Gosh It erks me.

[Hendrick4life 1]

I dont know wtf it is. I have done Software Rendering, Single CPU, Nothing WORKS!!!! Dangit I cant play for 5 Seconds without a CTD. Literally..... Its pointless to even load the game. Gosh It erks me.

[PattyO 0]

Well, I'm no technical expert, but it sounds like a conflict in the plugins folder. Does it crash in region view or just after you load a city? If it crashes in city view, I'd say check your plugins to make sure there isn't a conflict there first. Then start worrying about software rendering etc.

[Hendrick4life 1]

It happens after City Loading. Ill Remove the plugins & See.

[QPhunk 0]

Ok, so, I have a brand new computer. A brand new instance of Sim City 4, including all official updates. I'm a pro IT. I've tried all the supposed "solutions" on every blog on the internet. NOTHING WORKS! I've been playing this game for years and it always crashed sometimes. Recently, no matter the specs, all machines I play it on crash OFTEN. Yes, that's right. Often.

I mean I've tried everything. Hyperthreading in the BIOS, grahpics card mods, using no plugins, changing the graphics in the game, hardware, software, screen res, RAM maxed out, all new drivers, etc.. . It crashes within seconds of loading any city. Making a new city. Every aspect of the game crashes constantly. No matter what I try. 

[deleted]  Please temper you replies with some tact. tungston 

It's not your graphics card, or your processor, your OS, or your RAM. It's not how you render graphics from within the game. It's not the addons, or unoffical patches. Updates from Maxis are bogus....  So, what is it?!

[Cobraroll 138]

May I jump on the bandwagon and say I have the exact same problem? SC4 Deluxe, works perfectly, but every now and then the screen goes black, and bam, there's my desktop. It has happened both before and after I installed mods. The PC was high-end in late 2005, has never been connected to the Internet, and runs The Sims 2 with every exp. pack perfectly. It's XP.

It happened while I was saving once, and when I restarted the game, the entire city I had been saving had been chewed out of the map. Literally, it's just a hole there now when I look at it in region view, just as if the region had punched a hole right through it, or the entire city has been "taken out". What's weird, though, neighbour deals still work and the city name is still there.

My solution? Save often. Swear a little when it happens and it's a long time since last I saved.

[MOREOPTIONS 4]

I have one for you, I jest re placed my hard drive and re installed my game... so after than Teraformer and sc4mapper, I downloaded a couple maps and loaded them to the game, the 1st one ,, Good to go, so then I did the next one.. and ran the game again,. loaded the area, than went to play a city and right to the desktop I went out of my game... re-started my game, and went back to on of the old zones and tryed to play a city and to the desktop again.. no more will i be able to open any city, even removed the new zones... dident work,.. still crashed to the deskop.. anyone have a clue what went wrong?????????

[laritza 0]

i'm 9600GT (Core 2Quad 2.33GHz 4Gb ram) and crashing all over. I'm gonna try this downgrade to software and see what happens... thanks guys!

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Well, I just read through this entire tragedy.  Nobody mentioned the swap space problem that often results in an ACCESS DENIED crash.

Unfortunately SC4 is not only a legacy game, but it is a memory hog.  Everything is loaded into memory when the game starts, including all your plug-ins.  Then, as the city grows, tables in memory are expanded.  If, when the program does a request for more memory space, it is refused, the program crashes as noted above.

Here are a couple of fixes you can try:

1. With systems with GPUs made after the release of the game (2003), make sure that advanced features such as anti-aliasing are set to "application selected" so that the game can turn these features off.  It doesn't undertand these, can't use them, and they cause trouble.
2. Make sure you have lots of virtual memory (swap space).  In the past, this has had to be as much as 4GB to allow the game to page its memory tables, which is done by the O/S.  If you can, set your swap space to at least 4GB.  If you have a large suite of plug-ins, make sure they are converted to .dat files which can be done with Ilive's lot2dat program.  These are much smaller, so are of advantage when loading and accessing these lots.  It works for lots and for BAT suites as well.  You need to include all parts of the BAT lot in the .dat.

This is an old problem caused by the fact that most users are not programmers any more.  The game really wants a geek, sometimes, to get it to run.

[JoeOh 20]

I'll try to add something to try. Go to your application properties by right clicking on the SC4 icon and add the command: -CPUCount:1

For example I have this as my shortcut link: "C:\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -f -intro:off -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -CPUCount:1

This forces SC4 to only use one CPU on dual/quad core systems. This is really useful if you don't have the affinity option.

So far my copy of SC4 deluxe seems to be running much smoother and hasn't crashed yet. I can only hope this is a permanent fix for me as well as others.

(btw, playing SC4 on a 32" HDTV monitor @ 1080p is schweeeeeeeeet!)

[ryanspringer2294 0]

I put it exactly as you have it, however when i click ok, iget a message box saying the Target is invalid 

[Yuu Caa Sim 55]

@ ryanspringer2294: You will have to change the portion of the line ' "C:\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" ' to wherever your SimCity 4.exe is located.

When you make a shortcut of the exe, just use the path that is given. Then add on at the end of the target field "-f -introff -CPUCount:1".

Also, the portion "-CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32" should be used only if your monitor can display at 1920x1080. you can change the 1920x1080 to whatever the current resolution of your screen is.

In summary:

Make a shortcut of you .exe and then add on to the end of the Target field (copy the line below)

-CPUCount:1

[ryanspringer2294 0]

Thanks

Since that, I have had not had a single CTD.

I hope this continues to work.

Also, if someone can get in touch with joelyboy911, can they please ask him about the udi planes?