Level loading problems? Post here

[thegrommit]

I've seen a lot of people having problems with black screens or crashes when they're loading a level. For some people, running the game from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive fixes the problem, whereas others have no problem using a CD-RW drive.

My personal theory is that the copy protection scheme is causing this, but with all the noise in the forum it's difficult to get a handle on the problem.

Sooo, if you're having problems with loading levels or gamesaves, please post here with the following information:

1) Operating system
2) Brand and model of drive
3) Name and version of anti-virus program (if any)
4) Description of problem - keep it short and to the point.
5) Version of the game (1.0, 1.1, 1.2 etc).

If it works for you, feel free to post the same information.

Try and avoid commentating on other aspects of the game, as this is an attempt to gather information on one specific problem. With any luck, Ion may remove or change (perhaps once per session) the way the copy protection works.

Also, don't talk about circumventing the copy protection - it'll more than likely get you banned or this thread deleted. And that won't help anybody

[johnb]

i had black loading screens but they dissapeared after i installed "enditall" and closed most of the hidden programs. As far as i am concerned the problems lies to Norton hidden files that interfere with the game.

1) Windows ME
2) Samsung CD-R/RW SW-224B
3) Norton Antivirus 2004
4) I have a problem loading the Lower Seatle Slums after the first greasel fight in the greasel pit. I get a crash to desktop.

[Mr. Perfect]

I get the black screen when changing levels. It hapens randomly and at no one particular level. After a few minutes the game crashes and my mouse cursor changes to a CD. I can't shutdown Windows because a processe called Ion Launcher.ex is running. I have to kill the power manually and reboot.

Windows 2000
Sony 50x CD-ROM
DE:IW with 1.1 patch

Also, I could not install the game from the Sony CD-ROM. I had to use my HP CD-RW to install, but I can only play the game on the Sony. If I use the CD-RW some damn disk verification procces tells me it can't verify the cd and crashes DE:IW

Windows XP Pro
Memorex 52x CDRW and a Liteon DVD drive, niether run the game correctly
AVG Virus Shield
I can't start a new game, screen goes black.

[mgeorge]

Win XP Home
Philips CDD4851-CDR/RW (no firmware upgrade)

Since I got the game I haven't been able to play for any length of time. I will sometimes be able to load a level but everytime I try to go back or foward to another, get to a black screen for several minutes then to desktop with error message "unable to authenticate disk in time period". Have tried everything to no avail. Would like to play this game. Thanks.

My sentiments exactly. I consider myself to be a fairly hardcore gamer, and I really enjoyed the first Deus Ex when it came out in 2000. This whole thing really puzzles me though. I more than meet the minimum specs, as I've got a 1.5ghz P4, a 128mb GeForce4 Ti4600, and 768mb of PC800 RAM. I've got DX 9.0b, the latest Detonator drivers, and all that other good stuff.

Alot of people here complain about performance issues, but they don't bother me, as I'll be the first one to acknowledge that any poor performance is a result of an inadaequacy on my end. When the game fails to load when all the neccessary components are in place...then I've got a problem. After all, there are alot of other quality software products out there, but I chose DXIW in a leap of blind faith because of my tremendous respect for Warren Spector and the amazing legacy of the original as one of the finest action/rpgs of all time.

As much as I appreciate the effort spent by fellow gamers trying to solve hardware issues on this forum...it would be nice to get some input from the devs on this.

Originally posted by thegrommit


1) Operating system
2) Brand and model of drive
3) Name and version of anti-virus program (if any)
4) Description of problem - keep it short and to the point.

1. Windows XP Professional
2. TDK DVDRW 0404N
3. None at all.
4.

Game will load occasionally in fast mode and I can take a few steps before a crash and repeating sound. Or game won't load at all and crash during load screen.

If I run the game in debug mode, the game will load, and run for a little while, and then promptly crash.

good luck finding meaningful data out of that.

1) Windows 2000 Professional
2) Pioneer 16x DVD Slot Drive
3) AVG Virus Shield (Free Edition)
4) Frozen-up "Loading..." screen on v1.0, black screen on v1.1. In v1.0 I was able to alt-tab out and end DX and the Loader program, which were not responding according to Task Manager.

In v1.1 I had to to a hard reboot to get out.

HOWEVER, in v1.0 I finally managed to get things running by reinstalling, NOT TOUCHING ANYTHING (which included vid configs, .ini tweaks, etc..), and actually got the game to load up. After that initial load up, I did all my tweaking, and have been playing ever since.

Haven't tried out v1.1 yet, cause I wanna play some first

I shouldn't have any virtual drive software installed, because I just did a fresh reinstall of win2k last week, and have since then only installed Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, Office 2k, AVG, Nero (which isn't active), and Warcraft 3.

1) Windows XP Pro (SP1)
2) OEM DVD-ROM Drive (unknown manu.)
3) Norton Antivirus 2k4 (same problems experienced while 2k3 was installed)
4) Frozen loading screen in 1.0, black screen in 1.1.

I fixed this problem by disabling RPMS in Alcohol 120%. The problem did not change whether I was using the image copy or the original. After disabling RPMS, removing my one virtual drive, and rebooting, the game loaded the first level just fine. (Note: Simply disabling RPMS and rebooting may not be the solution, but after reading a SecuROM FAQ, I do believe this was the proper fix.)

I did just experience a black screen crash after the first Greasel fight, BTW. I don't suppose Dave Georgeston is working at Eidos now?

[DazedDeus]

1. Windows XP Home SP1
2. Lite-On 48X CD-Rom
3. Norton System Works 2002
4. Intermittent freezing when loading to levels. I get the black screen that the people here have already mentioned. Alt-tabbing early on or hitting the windows key gets the game loading. If I wait too long it becomes impossible to get the level to load. So far I've had success with this as I've only failed to load a level once after deciding to let the program finish its job.

Playing on Deus Ex: IW version 1.1

[BadBubby]

I've played through twice without a single CTD, but I'm using a hacked copy that doesn't do CD checks, so your suspicion that the CD check is causing problems could be correct.

Edit:

Also, don't talk about circumventing the copy protection - it'll more than likely get you banned or this thread deleted. And that won't help anybody

You're not going to resolve anything with your head in the sand.
The devs almost certainly ran the game without CD checking, so it's not surprising if this is the weak link in the package.

I tried that for test purposes, but was still unable to get the game to load correctly.

[LtTripMD]

Originally posted by astatine
1) Windows ME
2) Samsung CD-R/RW SW-224B
3) Norton Antivirus 2004
4) I have a problem loading the Lower Seatle Slums after the first greasel fight in the greasel pit. I get a crash to desktop.

i'm having the EXACT problem.

1) windows XP
2) OEM CD-RW
3) Norton 2002
4) i was having occassional crashes on level loads, but it was always better on the 2nd try. now i'm stuck in the Greasel Pit after ~2 dozen attempts of trying to exit.
i get a "fail to authenticate" error.



HELP!

trip.

[thegrommit]

Originally posted by BadBubby
You're not going to resolve anything with your head in the sand.

The devs almost certainly ran the game without CD checking, so it's not surprising if this is the weak link in the package.

Remove your foot from your mouth and think about where you're posting and the reason for this thread.

FYI, I'm just a gamer trying to help out other gamers - I have no connection to Ion or Eidos.

[Nickb285]

Here's a unique (maybe) problem:

1. Windows XP Pro
2. 52x CD-Rom drive (unknown manufacturer)
3. None at the moment
4. When I load a new level, the loading screen clicks off and I see the desktop with a large white box in the upper left-hand quadrant of the screen. Not really a problem, as it goes back to the game when done loading, but it's distracting and annoying, considering the amount of loads in the game.

[BadBubby]

Originally posted by thegrommit
Remove your foot from your mouth and think about where you're posting and the reason for this thread.
FYI, I'm just a gamer trying to help out other gamers - I have no connection to Ion or Eidos.

So?
You, yourself say that you suspect that it is the copy protection scheme that is causing this. How do you expect to prove or disprove this without input from those of us not using copy protection?

Edit:
FYI, I cannot use the official release because three virtual CD drives are a permenant part of my computer setup.

[thegrommit]

Originally posted by BadBubby
So?
You, yourself say that you suspect that it is the copy protection scheme that is causing this. How do you expect to prove or disprove this without input from those of us not using copy protection?

I suggest you Read and digest before continuing this line of discussion.

The point of this thread is to gather information on what combinations of hardware/software have a problem during level loading, not to discuss methods of bypassing Eidos' (the publishers) chosen method of copy protection. While you haven't crossed the line, you're skating very close to it (IMO - I have no authority here).

[BadBubby]

Originally posted by thegrommit
I suggest you Read and digest before continuing this line of discussion.

The point of this thread is to gather information on what combinations of hardware/software have a problem during level loading, not to discuss methods of bypassing Eidos' (the publishers) chosen method of copy protection. While you haven't crossed the line, you're skating very close to it (IMO - I have no authority here).

I am discussing software combinations that may be relevant, and haven't raised any points about how to bypass copy protection. You raised that issue. I simply stated that I had, and that I experienced no CTD whatsoever, and that there might be a connection between the two, as you yourself surmised.

Don't be so touchy.

Edit:
1 Win2K
2 Plextor 48/24A (not used) + Creative 5X PC-DVD + three Elby clonediscs
3 Systemworks 2003
4 No problems

The system has been tweaked to reduce max framrate to 70 FPS. Also, nearly always running EMule at same time.

[Glassboy]

1. Windows XP Professional
2. Samsung DVD-ROM SD 616
3. Norton Antivirus 2002
4. Problem:

CTD on level load from "Templar Church" to "Templar Compound".

I've tried No-CD Patches and they haven't fixed this problem, and yes I own the game.

I also own the game and tried a number of no-cd patches to see if that would allow me to start the game , but I was not successful either.

[Ssockss]

When I load a new level, the loading screen clicks off and I see the desktop with a large white box in the upper left-hand quadrant of the screen. Not really a problem, as it goes back to the game when done loading, but it's distracting and annoying, considering the amount of loads in the game.

I have the exact same problem, only with me ( I don't know about him) a loading session is about a 1 minute affair, which is very annoying considering all the loads in this game. Also the loads are only sucessful about 3/4 of the time, with the other 1/4 being anything from the game quitting to totally freezing my computer. This has got to be fixed, and it's obviously the CD authenticating which seems to take place during loads.

1 windows xp
2 generic cd-rw, ROM speed unknown, at least 42x though
3 norton antivirus 2002
4 see description above

Not having found a working solution to these problems here, I resigned myself to calling the Eidos tech support number. I live in Pittsburgh PA, so making a long distance call to California to wait in line was not my first choice, and after waiting about 45 min I was able to reach a tech support rep. He told me that all of these problems are being caused by SecuROM, which is, as I'm sure most of you know, is Sony's propreitary Copy Protection system. He also told me that they get hundreds of emails every day from people complaining about these issues, and have begun work on a fix which they expect will be out mid to late January.

As great as all that is, it still doesn't bring me any closer to playing. If any of you have any legal alternative which may resolve the conflicts with SecuROM, I'd be more than happy to try them.

1) Windows 2000 Professional (fresh install)
2) Plextor PX-W1210A 12x10x32x
3) None
4) All Blue Screen of Death on level load... no Crash To Desktop

The BSOD goes too fast so I am unable to see what the error is. However,I took the .dmp file that Windows 2000 created and it said that it was a FAT filesystem error (that was the error that appeared in the BSOD.) So I am wondering if it has anything to do with the CDROM. I am thinking about converting my filesystem to NTFS to see if that solves the problem.

I am disappointed by Eidos's lack of QA for this game. The original Deus Ex was written very well and I never had any problems.

However, Deus Ex II has BSOD's on a three day old install of Windows 2k with SP4 and all of the security updates. I am VERY disappointed and hope that Eidos will resolve this problem. I know that they are resolving it for Sony CDROMs, but I do not have a Sony CDROM. The problem will still lie for me and I am sure it will for many others as well.

Concerned Gamer

Matt Schaller

[the mighty parthos]

1. winxp home
2. polaroid DVDRW IDE 1004 / CyberDrv CW078D CD-R/RW
3. Norton System Works 2003
4. Black screen upon loading from Win or when inside game.
At times game just crashes to desktop.
It would seem there is some truth to what bubby says.