Latest internal Stardock update.

Try this..

from PolMach Forums

Included in this ZIP is a file we hope will fix the following:

1) The endorsement crash problem (Cause: Windows 98 handles INI files differently than other OSes)

2) "Cannot initialize display" (Working attempt here is to try to force into various other modes in the driver to see if we can get around it)

3) Game crashes after intro.

If you're not running into any problems, then don't bother with this.

https://www.stardock.com/private/test102.zip

Unzip into your political machine directory. Only works on the full version and you still need your CD on the drive and such.

24,025 views 33 replies
Reply #2 from PolMach Forums Top
After the patch. Also, you may have problems if you do not have the latest version of DirectX, which is 9.0c.
Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #3 from PolMach Forums Top
Thanks guys!  The US Chamber of Business now appears on my endorsement list.  I didn't have time to run through a whole game and see if it crashed, but I am sure that it won't.  Thanks for being so quick and responsive!  With most games, it be a month before the developers would get the problem solved.
Reply #4 from PolMach Forums Top
Thank you, EinsteinGuy.
Reply #5 from PolMach Forums Top
Hello, Im some one new but with the same problem. I got the game tonight and I have spent my 3/4 of my day off trying to get it to work. I have updated every thing, the game to v1.02, DirectX to 9.0c, my video drivers, and the service pack 2. My game (at v1.01) would just keep playing the music and showing the pics. The pics would pop up and leave slowly. Now (at v1.02) my game locks up. Plus when the game locks up the screen is all messed up. Need help plz. I would like to play the game that I payed for.
Reply #6 from PolMach Forums Top
Ok, tech support. I've played the game 3 times after installing the latest beta. I have noticed that I have not received a single media interview option since the install. Also, when I click the campaign button after winning the game, once I get to the paper bag screen, the game freezes! I also lose my cursor on this screen and when I push a keyboard button, I get a brief note or two of music and then nothing. This happens every time.

If you'll check my previous posts, I'm the guy running windows 98 and I've given you all my pertinent computer data already.
So there is no confusion, the endorsment bug seems to be squashed and I can easily play an entire game. It's just that before, I would usually get at least one option for a media interview, and now I get none, plus the freeze.

I'm not annoyed! I kind of enjoy the process even though I bought a beta version of the game.
Reply #7 from PolMach Forums Top
Can you be more clear about what you mean by "unzip into your political machine directory?" Do we just put the zip file in that directory and unzip it or do we have to run an executable file or what? Sorry for the question but I'm not as computer savvy as a lot of others here. Thx.
Reply #8 from PolMach Forums Top
It means that the file you unzip should be placed into the Pol-Machine directory, and should over-write the previous EXE file.
Reply #9 from PolMach Forums Top
maximas6669, are you able to take a screenshot when the game locks up, or does it lock up your whole system? If you try running in windowed mode (Set WindowedMode=1 in Prefs.ini, located in the data directory of Political Machine) does it lock up? Can you please send me your debug.err file along with a dxdiag report?


Email

bigpez, I'll check out the campaign thing, but I can tell you that I'm definitely getting interview invites. Please check your debug.err file for errors loading questions and let me know if it's reporting anything unusual.
Reply #10 from PolMach Forums Top
When I install the beta patch, I get a Polmachine 1.01 failed to initialize display error
Reply #11 from PolMach Forums Top
cool, will try it out tomorrow. thanks!
Reply #12 from PolMach Forums Top
Scillium, were you getting the failed to initialize display error before?

Please e-mail me your dxdiag report along with your debug.err file and be sure to mention the error in the e-mail so that I don't have to e-mail you and ask what I'm supposed to be helping you with.

--Cari

Email
Reply #13 from PolMach Forums Top
My debug.err file cannot be opened with my current install of win98. It asks me to associate a file with it so that I can open it. I've tried this process before and I get much confused with it. If you could give me the exact procedure for associating, let's say, notepad with it I'd be much obliged. Or, I guess, I could just attach it to you and you could look at it. Is that feasible?
Reply #14 from PolMach Forums Top
I figured it out! I hope you don't mind, but here is the debug report. Fyi, HAL is my renamed "My Computer"

Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Could not find a Drengin.net Serial No.
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Could not find political machine serial in registry subdirectory PM1.
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Can't find political machine serial in registry subdirectory PM.
Debug Message: Can't find any serial numbers.
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 1234dc
Debug Message: Added fonts: font2 font1 Arial13B Arial16B2 Arial10
Debug Message: Added fonts: Arial12 Arial12B Arial14 Arial14B Arial16
Debug Message: Added fonts: Arial16B Arial18 Arial18B
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: Issues Loaded
Debug Message: Issues Tweaked
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\60SecQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 14 questions from Data\HardHitterQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\JoeUserQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 9 questions from Data\KingQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 22 questions from Data\NightTimeQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 19 questions from Data\OMaleyQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\SawyerQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Question Files Loaded
Debug Message: Special Interest Loaded
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Unhide opening menu.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: ******* GameStarted *******
ASSERT ERROR in file .\Source\Animation.cpp at line 32.
Debug Message: Trying to add animation that already exists. Disaster avoided
Debug Message: ******* GameStarted *******
Debug Message: ******* GameStarted *******
Debug Message: ******* GameStarted *******
Debug Message: ******* GameStarted *******
Debug Message: Error. String Not Found. Book:IssueUtil String:
Debug Message: Error. String Not Found. Book:IssueUtil String:
Reply #15 from PolMach Forums Top
heres mine cause im having a problem too


Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Could not find a Drengin.net Serial No.
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Could not find political machine serial in registry subdirectory PM1.
Debug Message: Could not open reg key.
Debug Message: Can't find political machine serial in registry subdirectory PM.
Debug Message: Can't find any serial numbers.
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: Device type: D3DDEVTYPE_HAL. Hardware rasterization. Shading is done with software, hardware, or mixed transform and lighting.
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high and low resolution modes.
Debug Message: Invalid call
Debug Message: Error creating device. Trying other behavior flags.
Debug Message: Current behavior flags are using hardware vertex processing. Trying mixed.
Debug Message: Invalid call
Debug Message: Failed to create device with mixed vertex processing. Trying software.
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 369e99
Debug Message: LoadAllModelsInDirectory: No files matching mask *.mdl.
Debug Message: LoadAllModelsInDirectory: No files matching mask Gfx\*.mdl.
Debug Message: LoadAllModelsInDirectory: No files matching mask Setup\*.mdl.
Debug Message: Added fonts: font2 font1 Arial13B Arial16B2 Arial10
Debug Message: Added fonts: Arial12 Arial12B Arial14 Arial14B Arial16
Debug Message: Added fonts: Arial16B Arial18 Arial18B
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
**** Script Error **** : Data\MichaelT.Muha.Candidate (L:5 C:10) - parse error, expecting `STRING_LITERAL' or `NUMBER' or `FLOATNUM' or `'(''
**** Script Error **** : Data\CoreMaps.PolMap (L:2 C:6) - parse error
Debug Message: No data definition files at path Data\*.PORTRAITS
Debug Message: No data definition files at path Data\*.ADIMAGE
Debug Message: Issues Loaded
Debug Message: Issues Tweaked
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\60SecQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 14 questions from Data\HardHitterQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\JoeUserQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 9 questions from Data\KingQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 22 questions from Data\NightTimeQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 19 questions from Data\OMaleyQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Loading 15 questions from Data\SawyerQuestions.questions.
Debug Message: Question Files Loaded
Debug Message: Special Interest Loaded
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: MemMan: Unable to find pointer in GetBlockInfo. Memory system: EditFields
ASSERT ERROR in file \Projects\pear\Source\memman.cpp at line 581.
Debug Message: Initialize Tilemaps
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Reply #16 from PolMach Forums Top
bigpez, well your questions look all right to me. At least, it's not reporting any errors. And you still aren't getting any interviews?

PresidentMuha, you can't have a period in the character's name. It's best not to have any non-alphanumeric characters in the character's name. Rename MichaelT.Muha.candidate to MichaelTMuha.Candidate and then open it in notepad and take the period out of the header as well.
Reply #17 from PolMach Forums Top
With the new internal update, will the game now work with the Intel810E chipset (the drivers are fully updated)? I had the game but was getting the "failure to initialize display" error and Ubi's support told me that the game would never work on my computer (I did try the windowed mode, nointro, changing the values in the .ini file and v1.01upgrade -and combos of these- before returning it). Stardock support was very helpful but Ubi convinced me to give up on it and get a refund even though it seems like a great game. Thanks!
Reply #18 from PolMach Forums Top
rugbyshawn,

For the people I have been working with who have the Intel 82810E chipset, the test exe will allow Political Machine to start, but it fails to load the fonts. I'm still trying to figure that one out.
Reply #19 from PolMach Forums Top
i got it to work finally, but it only works right after i re-install the game. if i wanna play again, i cant load anything up after the selection of a candidate screen. if theres any help for you guys out there to see what the hell is wrong with my version, when you select the candidate... it doesnt tell you what state he is from. all it says is republican from (blank)... if you create a candidate, you cannot select a state too.


help!
Reply #20 from PolMach Forums Top
PresidentMuha, as I said above, it's your custom candidate. You can't have a period in the character's name. It's best not to have any non-alphanumeric characters in the character's name. Rename MichaelT.Muha.candidate to MichaelTMuha.Candidate and then open it in notepad and take the period out of the header as well.
Reply #21 from PolMach Forums Top
How do you open the debug.err file? It's listed as an "unknown application."
Reply #22 from PolMach Forums Top
You can pick notepad or wordpad off the list to open it. It's really just a text file.
Reply #23 from PolMach Forums Top
Well folks,
My son is over from college this weekend and I suggested that he try the game, bugs and all. He was skeptical at first, being a first person shooter type, but once he got into it, he was hooked! That is, until he got to the O'Malley program.

CanElf, for your info, that was the first time I've seen a tv camera on the game screen since the latest update, so I guess that the update doesn't affect the possibility of a tv program after all. However, once my son clicked yes on the option screen, the game froze! I have come to the conclusion that this game is unplayable in campaign mode using windows 98. I can indeed finish a campaign, but I have yet to advance to the next campaign because the game freezes when advancing from my victorious election to the next campaign. And now, I dare not ever go to any tv option as that will likely end in a frozen computer.

I'd like to enjoy this game, and suggest it to others for purchase, but I'm getting to the point where it's just to frustrating to play. Could you folks at tech support please let me know if you are determined to fix all problems or not? Otherwise, without proper support, I'll have to reluctantly uninstall the game. I do hope that you can produce a proper patch at least before the real election.
Reply #24 from PolMach Forums Top

Bigpez, we will certainly work with you to try and eliminate your problems.

Have you updated your NVidia drivers since you ran the dxdiag report that you posted on the 8th? The date for your driver listed in that dxdiag report is a year older than what NVidia has posted for their latest Windows 98 driver.  If that's the case, your driver may be lacking support for some of the changes between DirectX 9.0b and DirectX 9.0c. 

Otherwise, it may be that it's having trouble loading the graphics for the interview forum and I'll have to work with you on that. 

Reply #25 from PolMach Forums Top
Unfortunately, the latest nvidia drivers, i.e. any of the forceware drivers hang my system. I can't even run the dirext x diagnostics for direct 3d etc.
However, I want to restate that all of my programs work fine with the last non-forceware drivers. I run flightsim 2004; tiger woods 2004; Rise of Nations 1&2; literally 30 or 40 games, none of which gives me any problem whatsoever! I'm fairly sure that I tried to install the latest iteration of forceware (July) and had to go back to my pre-forceware installation. I think, maybe, the interview debug option would be the best.

Thanks Nakor!