Well, even though I've got a hard-copy of the game coming from GoGamer, I just couldn't wait so I bought a copy from GamersGate. I LOVE that site and never have any trouble....but of course, NOW I do!

Here's the note I sent to Florian at Paradox, he's the best.....anyone else buy the DD version and have any similar problem?

"Florian: Good day sir!

Just today I purcahsed and downloaded Imperium Romanum from GamersGate. I've downloaded and played other games from you folks and never had a problem, so this all comes as a surprise. I was able to download the game and install it. I was able to immediately play it, turn the game off, turn it back off an play some more, no problems! BUT, if I turn my entire computer off, then turn it on again, the game will NOT start for me at all. The first time it hangs in the third bink intro movie and forces me to restart my computer again, and then after that it won't start up at all.

I've redownloaded and retried everything three times and the same exact thing happens each time.

Can you help me sir? Please?
Thanks for any help you can give me, this is my last weekend to really game for the next month or so and I was very excited to see the game available for Direct Download.

Take care,
Pat"
_________________


I've also posted this at the Haemimont forum...

pad11 Wrote:Well, even though I've got a hard-copy of the game coming from GoGamer, I just couldn't wait so I bought a copy from GamersGate. I LOVE that site and never have any trouble....but of course, NOW I do!

Here's the note I sent to Florian at Paradox, he's the best.....anyone else buy the DD version and have any similar problem?

"Florian: Good day sir!

Just today I purcahsed and downloaded Imperium Romanum from GamersGate. I've downloaded and played other games from you folks and never had a problem, so this all comes as a surprise. I was able to download the game and install it. I was able to immediately play it, turn the game off, turn it back off an play some more, no problems! BUT, if I turn my entire computer off, then turn it on again, the game will NOT start for me at all. The first time it hangs in the third bink intro movie and forces me to restart my computer again, and then after that it won't start up at all.

I've redownloaded and retried everything three times and the same exact thing happens each time.

Can you help me sir? Please?
Thanks for any help you can give me, this is my last weekend to really game for the next month or so and I was very excited to see the game available for Direct Download.

Take care,
Pat"
_________________


I've also posted this at the Haemimont forum...

Hi Pat,

we have recognized the problem you had with the version and are communication with Gamersgate. Maybe you can send us the DXDiag of the crash and your system specifications to support@kalypsomedia.com. We are sure that we can find a quick solution.

Sorry for any problems - there have been a lot of downloads on Gamersgate since Thursday and this is first error which occured.

Regards

Kalypso Media Support
info@kalypsomedia.com

Kalypso support, thank you for your reply! Any help you can give me will be appreciated and I do realize I'm the only one having this odd problem. Note that the demo ran flawlessly on my machine!

I'll PM you my dxdiag...

pat!

You're not the only one Pat! I've got it happening too. For me it stops at the screen with the gold coin rotating. This is after a reboot of my computer.

OK, that's two folks that I recognize (from CivCity forum; therefore, they have credibility) that have this problem. I was going to download. Now, not so sure until I hear there's a fix.

CB and Pad, thanks for the heads-up.

Vercingetorix Wrote:OK, that's two folks that I recognize (from CivCity forum; therefore, they have credibility) that have this problem. I was going to download. Now, not so sure until I hear there's a fix.

CB and Pad, thanks for the heads-up.

no problem vercingetorix....for me, the key NOW has been to NOT CLICK THROUGH THE OPENING VIDEOS. That, so far, has solved the problem, I'm thinking it has something to do w/ those bink video files and the way they load and unload (in regards to RAM/Caching).

pat!

So, there's a work-around (sorta). Call me impatient (won't wait until 4 March), I'll download today. And, as CB mentioned in PM, no tax, no shipping.

Vercingetorix Wrote:So, there's a work-around (sorta). Call me impatient (won't wait until 4 March), I'll download today. And, as CB mentioned in PM, no tax, no shipping.

It SEEMS to work, but you never know...just make sure that, IF you have the problem CB and I are having, don't panic.

First, do not delete the downloaded files from GamersGate that you put into whichever folder you choose (make sure it's NOT in the same spot that the game will install into, which it probably wouldn't be anyway). Save your USER file. Then do a complete uninstall using BOTH utilities in the Installed Imperium Romanum folder. Then manually delete whatever files are left. Do a regedit and delete the Haemimont Registry.

Using the GamersGate utility, do a Re-Install and once done, slide your saved USER folder into the Imperium Romanum directory that you just reinstalled.

Yep, it's annoying and all told takes about 10 minutes but it is a workaround that allows you do use the DD version and not lose any progress.

hope that helps but ultimately, I hope you don't have the problem!

just don't click through those vids! (although tomorrow, it could be a new problem!).

pat!

I believe there might be a quicker and simpler solution to this and I need to get the game to crash on me again to make sure that Im right or wrong on it. But in essence for me anyway it seems that the solution is to fool the game into thinking that it crashed on the last run so that it skips all the videos and the loading screen and goes directly to the options panel where to change the options again. Im not sure if the file that holds the crash data in the installation folder is the one that triggers the game going straight to the options panel but it seems that if it is, I could make a backup of that file, then when I wish to play insert it into the installation folder so that the game thinks it crashed the last time and skips all the videos and loading screen for me.

Of course it could be something stored in the registry that tells the game it crashed last time too, I don't honestly know, or it could be the presence of the cvdata._cl file still being in the folder of the games installation when we try to start the game. I'll check to see. Be right back.

pad11 Wrote:

Vercingetorix Wrote:So, there's a work-around (sorta). Call me impatient (won't wait until 4 March), I'll download today. And, as CB mentioned in PM, no tax, no shipping.

It SEEMS to work, but you never know...just make sure that, IF you have the problem CB and I are having, don't panic.

First, do not delete the downloaded files from GamersGate that you put into whichever folder you choose (make sure it's NOT in the same spot that the game will install into, which it probably wouldn't be anyway). Save your USER file. Then do a complete uninstall using BOTH utilities in the Installed Imperium Romanum folder. Then manually delete whatever files are left. Do a regedit and delete the Haemimont Registry.

Using the GamersGate utility, do a Re-Install and once done, slide your saved USER folder into the Imperium Romanum directory that you just reinstalled.

Yep, it's annoying and all told takes about 10 minutes but it is a workaround that allows you do use the DD version and not lose any progress.

hope that helps but ultimately, I hope you don't have the problem!

just don't click through those vids! (although tomorrow, it could be a new problem!).

pat!

Hiya! Pat! Thanks for your support help. If it shows up that it has to do with the videos we may be able to fix it soon. If any other reason occurs, please let us know. We are trying to fix all minor bugs occuring.

Kalypso-Support Wrote:Hiya! Pat! Thanks for your support help. If it shows up that it has to do with the videos we may be able to fix it soon. If any other reason occurs, please let us know. We are trying to fix all minor bugs occuring.

no worries! I'll post here if it starts happening again w/ out clicking through the vids!

I'd just like to thank you all for being so active here. It's great to know you all are on top of what's happening and are interacting w/ us users!

later,
pat!

Okay only tested it twice but it appears that if there is a file named cvdata._cl in the installation folder then the game will start up in that safe mode where it brings you directly to the options panel which so far always lets the game start up.

The caveat of this method of a work around is that you have to reset your options each time you start the game. So to do this work around, get the game started then alt tab to desktop, open windows explorer and navigate to the folder where you installed the game. Inside you will see the file named cvdata._cl (the game must be running as when you quit the game it deletes this file), so right click on that file and choose copy, then paste it back to the folder as a copy.

Now when you next want to play go to that same folder where game is installed and right click on that copy of the file and choose copy and paste it again, now take one of the copies and rename it to cvdata._cl and start the game. It will skip the videos and take you directly to the options panel which you will need to reset to your liking agian.

Try this Pat! and see if it allows you to play without having to uninstall and reinstall each time. Or don't, it's up to you or anybody else that might experience this same weird startup situation which as Pat might have elluded to may have to do with teh bink videos maybe.

City Builder Wrote:Okay only tested it twice but it appears that if there is a file named cvdata._cl in the installation folder then the game will start up in that safe mode where it brings you directly to the options panel which so far always lets the game start up.

The caveat of this method of a work around is that you have to reset your options each time you start the game. So to do this work around, get the game started then alt tab to desktop, open windows explorer and navigate to the folder where you installed the game. Inside you will see the file named cvdata._cl (the game must be running as when you quit the game it deletes this file), so right click on that file and choose copy, then paste it back to the folder as a copy.

Now when you next want to play go to that same folder where game is installed and right click on that copy of the file and choose copy and paste it again, now take one of the copies and rename it to cvdata._cl and start the game. It will skip the videos and take you directly to the options panel which you will need to reset to your liking agian.

Try this Pat! and see if it allows you to play without having to uninstall and reinstall each time.

Oh man that's SLICK CB! Well, my fingers are crossed that this won't happen again...IF it does, I'm definitely trying this method to see if it works!

Thanks man! Big BIG help! I mean the uninstall/reinstall works but it was getting really REALLY tedious! Big Thumbs Up!

pat!

Kalypso Support et al: Well, it's been three days and not a single problem, all because I've STOPPED trying to click through the opening vids...while I cannot say for sure, the issue I was having may lie there somewhere! Just thought I'd give you all an update....

pat!

Downloaded and installed from GamersGate. No problems, even clicked-though the opening screens/graphics without problems.

Nothing I did or can take credit for. I just got lucky with my configuration, I guess.

Vercingetorix Wrote:Downloaded and installed from GamersGate. No problems, even clicked-though the opening screens/graphics without problems.

Nothing I did or can take credit for. I just got lucky with my configuration, I guess.

Good deal V! Seems it's a rare thing that only a few folks are having trouble with...

later,
pat!

I was about to say the same thing. Many bugs in software are hardware/software dependent and what effects some, doesn't affect all else they'd be a whole lot easier to track down and fix.

As far as I know however, Pad11's Alienware laptop and my desktop have absolutely no commonality between them other than they both have Nvidia as our video suppliers but both use differenty cards completely.

I do a fresh reformat and reinstall of windows xp pro sp2 and all my programs about every 3 months or so, so my last reformat and reinstall was just under 2 months ago from recollection so it's still a pretty clean system, so Im not sure what that leads to really.