Crash to Desktop Always

[citycowboy 183]

Hi, my game SC4Deluxe crashes all the time on this computer, especially when I zoom in or out. I've had older, smaller computers that run the game just fine. 

Asus laptop

Windows 8.1 with Bing

Intel(R) Celeron (R) CPU N2840 @ 2.16 GHZ

RAM is 4.00 GB, 3.89 usable

64 bit OS, x64 based processor

Intel(R) HD Graphics, speed 2167 MHz, DirectX version 11.2, Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.0, OpenCL 1.2

and 3982 MB of physical memory. 

 

Am I missing something? Is it just the video card? If so, what kind should I get? How can I improve this to at least let me play the game?

Also, where did the 'crash to desktop? check here first' and 'cant find it' threads go?

[rsc204 21,836]

Regular CTDs, especially when zooming are usually caused by multi-core being active (Windows default) for your game. To change this simply right click the desktop shortcut for SC4 and select "Properties". In the window that appears, add the following to the Target line:

 -CPUCount:1

It's important that you don't forget a space between what exists there currently and the command above. Likewise the syntax is exact, meaning you must type exactly what you see here. But that should be enough to prevent most of the instability problems from running SC4 on a modern PC.

[citycowboy 183]

thank you, but I don't have an SC4 button on my desktop. I have the launcher though. Is there another place that would allow me to get to the properties area for SC4?

 

[rsc204 21,836]

If using SC4 launcher, there should be an option to set the # of CPU cores to 1 somewhere, which is the same thing.

No shortcut tells me you've either the Steam or Origin version of the game? It's easy enough to set the same command on the Steam version, only you'll find it inside the Steam application. Goto the library, find SC4 and right click it, once more selecting properties. Now there should be an option "Set Launch Options", which is where you can add these commands instead. As for the Origin version, let me know if you use that, I'd really have to look it up having no experience with it personally.

[citycowboy 183]

this is the Amazon download

I've downloaded it on about 50 computers now!

[citycowboy 183]

In my target box it reads

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe"

Do I delete this?

[citycowboy 183]

wait that might be just a shortcut.

[citycowboy 183]

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\SC4Launcher.exe"

is the launcher target. 

i can't find the actual SimCity file. 

[citycowboy 183]

somehow by copying and pasting the two lines i posted here, the launcher has gone missing, and it isnt in the recycling bin! Now I can't play SC4 at all!

[citycowboy 183]

What happens if I run it in compatibility mode?

 

[rsc204 21,836]

You really should slow down, if you are not sure about something, it's better to wait for an answer rather than mess about with things you don't understand.

4 hours ago, citycowboy said:

In my target box it reads

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe"

Do I delete this?

No, you simply add to the end of it the command I gave you before:

4 hours ago, rsc204 said:

 -CPUCount:1

So it reads:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CPUCount:1

That first part is the link to the application to run, without that the shortcut doesn't work.

4 hours ago, citycowboy said:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\SC4Launcher.exe"

is the launcher target. 

i can't find the actual SimCity file. 

But the launcher is not SimCity 4, so logically it will have a different target, SC4 is the one you posted before. Again if you are using the Launcher app, run the shortcut where you configure the launcher settings and just find the CPUCount, # of cores or whatever option (it really shouldn't be hard to find), then set this to 1 Core. That way the launcher will just take care of it for you.

3 hours ago, citycowboy said:

somehow by copying and pasting the two lines i posted here, the launcher has gone missing, and it isnt in the recycling bin! Now I can't play SC4 at all!

??? Where did you paste the lines? So you have shortcuts on your desktop for either SC4 or the Launcher app. Did you delete those? Pasting some lines into the properties will not do this. Did you remove the target line? If you did then tried to run it, Windows would have come up with an error. This states it can't find the application and asks if you want to delete the shortcut, is this what you've done?

You can make a new shortcut, it's very easy. Open My Computer and browse to the installation directory for SC4, i.e.:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\

Here you will see the SC4 Launcher application, SC4Launcher.exe. If you want to re-create it's shortcut, simply click and hold with the left mouse button. Press and hold Shift+CTRL on your keyboard (note how the look/text changes when you do this), now drag it across to the desktop and still holding the Shift+CTRL keys let go of the mouse button. Ta-da, instant shortcut. If you do make a shortcut for the launcher application, you must set the CPU through Launcher to ensure this works correctly.

ONLY if you do not intend to use the launcher to run SC4, should you do the following steps. Navigate to the Apps folder (assuming you've got the SimCity 4 Deluxe folder open from above). Find the file SimCity 4.exe, again as with the previous instructions, use Shift+CTRL and drag it to the desktop, making a new SC4 shortcut. Now you can do the steps I first mentioned to add the command to the end of the line.

1 hour ago, citycowboy said:

What happens if I run it in compatibility mode?

Nothing. It's not required to use SC4 and is unlikely to have the slightest effect on the game. Some people don't seem to accept this viewpoint, but I can assure you applications either need it or they don't, SC4 doesn't need it.

[citycowboy 183]

all the things you're saying the computer is saying isn't valid. 

[citycowboy 183]

and it doesn't leave anything in the launcher. 

[rsc204 21,836]

7 hours ago, citycowboy said:

all the things you're saying the computer is saying isn't valid. 

If you are having trouble following along, it's better you tell us what part you don't understand. Similarly, if you get stuck or something doesn't look right, stop and tell us what's going on. When you use such generalisations it's almost impossible to know how to help you. Obviously there is some point in my instructions where you are not getting the expected result appearing, but to suggest everything I've told you doesn't work simply can't be right.

The fact is, you've found the Target Line of shortcuts, because you've posted the contents exactly as I'd expect them to appear.

7 hours ago, citycowboy said:

and it doesn't leave anything in the launcher. 

I said in my last post that you must either run the launcher and configure this setting there OR configure it in the shortcut for SC4. Adding this command for the shortcut to the launcher won't change a thing.

When you open the launcher, do you see a configuration screen with options? Look through the pages or "tabs" of this screen. There you will find the option you need to alter for the CPU settings.

[citycowboy 183]

when i type 

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CPUCount:1

into the target on the launcher tab on the right in the launcher, then go to the launcher tab on the left to launch the game, it disappears, and says is invalid. 

I think it has something to do with the quotation marks. 

[citycowboy 183]

C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe

was able to go back into the launcher and make the launcher work again. 

however, 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe -CPUCount:1

makes it say it cant find sc4. 

[citycowboy 183]

ok i tried typing it in without quotes, and it took it, im guessing it was because before i was copy pasting and it became fancy keys or whatever. However it crashed when I saved an empty tile and exited to the region, so im not sure if it worked. 

[CorinaMarie 29,771]

8 hours ago, citycowboy said:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe

was able to go back into the launcher and make the launcher work again. 

Ok, so doing it this way makes the launcher work. Does that mean it also loads the game too and you can save tiles soon after the game loads without any crashes? If so, that part seems to be repaired. Then the next step is to leave that line alone once it is fixed and follow thru with @rsc204's next step:

10 hours ago, rsc204 said:

When you open the launcher, do you see a configuration screen with options? Look through the pages or "tabs" of this screen. There you will find the option you need to alter for the CPU settings.

While I haven't used a launcher myself, it seems logical (based on my programming background) that once you set up the CPU option via a settings tab the program will take the C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe and combine it with the -CPUCount:1 on its own which it then sends to the command interpreter and this last part is done behind the scenes (as in you won't see it happen).

[citycowboy 183]

the launcher works now. it is this launcher:

Yes, it still crashes when you save. It won't let me add to the target line. 

[rsc204 21,836]

2 minutes ago, citycowboy said:

Yes, it still crashes when you save. It won't let me add to the target line. 

You don't need and shouldn't add anything to the target line of SC4 launcher. The command is for the main SC4 application, it won't work if you add it to the SC4 Launcher app, since the app won't recognise the command or even if it does, simply won't pass it through to the SC4 application.

Once again, you must find the option for changing the CPU count (or # or CPU cores) within the SC4 Launcher application instead. This is because SC4 launcher changes the way the game starts, precisely to provide a more user friendly solution to these situations.

[twalsh102 1,601]

OK, I use SC4Launcher as well.  Once Launcher is started, you need to go to the Hardware and Audio tab, and in the CPU section, make sure the Cores box reads 1.

  Edited November 9, 2017 by twalsh102  

[citycowboy 183]

14 hours ago, twalsh102 said:

OK, I use SC4Launcher as well.  Once Launcher is started, you need to go to the Hardware and Audio tab, and in the CPU section, make sure the Cores box reads 1.

Bingo! Thank you it works now! And thank you RSC for helping!

[citycowboy 183]

Should I use openGL or directX rendering? 

[twalsh102 1,601]

Usually DirectX is recommended, but it may depend on your video card.  If it's working for you wherever you have it, it might be best to leave it where it's at.  Mine is set to DirectX.

[CorinaMarie 29,771]

Agreeing with what Tim said, DirectX is recommended as the hands-down best provided it will run on your system.

[rsc204 21,836]

It breaks down as follows:

• DirectX rendering gives the best results in terms of visual fidelity, game performance and compatibility with high res or HD textures.
• OpenGL rendering also utilises your GPU hardware, but the implementation for SC4 wasn't really finished. As such many setups simply don't work very well with it, leading to graphical issues.
• Software rendering is meant as a last resort compatibility mode. I.e. if neither of the above work with your hardware, it always should, since it removes the video card and its drivers from the equation. The drawback being that your CPU which is already strained now has to do the additional work of the GPU too.

[citycowboy 183]

Ok, thanks. DirectX works fine. Oh and rsc, thank you for the diagonal filler pieces. They are the most popular tiles in all my cities.

[elderhippie 2]

Try this... it worked for me, and I've got all sorts of plugins added to the game: Reduce your resolution.