I require installation help.

Stargem on 31/5/2004 at 00:13

I require help with installing Arx Fatalis. The first sign of trouble was when I placed the game CD into my disc drive, and the auto-run process did not begin. From there, I used the "explore" ability of the disc drive to forcibly examine the CD. I managed to start the installation, but after it was finished, the patched version of the game would crash whenever I have tried to play the game.(Crashes immediatly.)

I installed it on a separate, weaker computer. It worked. That computer is too weak, however, to play the game effectively.

Shadowcat on 31/5/2004 at 04:56

Just to be sure, you're using patch v1.17, yes?

You say you want installation help, but it sounds as if it installed just fine.

I would suspect it is a driver problem. This is usually the case in such situations.

Try upgrading or downgrading your video drivers first of all. DirectX and audio are also common offenders with this kind of gaming problem.

What are your OS, hardware and driver specs?

Stargem on 31/5/2004 at 07:24

I am using the latest patch. I also installed the latest GeForce 3 drivers (50.xx), and attempted such for my audio drivers.(SB Live!, Gamer.)
No driver down-grading has been attempted.

My computer specifications:

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 3
Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Gamer 5.1(16 bit/EAX)
CPU: AMD Athlon Thunderbird 900 MHZ.

Shadowcat on 31/5/2004 at 11:32

I've had a quick search at (http://arx.rpgdot.com/) and their forum, but did not find anything. You might have better luck. It's a useful site in any case.

The latest official GeForce drivers for XP (56.72 dated April 1st 2004) appear to be WHQL Certified, so it's a bit irritating if those are the problem. The last patch for Arx was released on October 15th 2003, so you may want to try a driver from that period. The archive is here:
(http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp-2k_archive.html)

The last of the 4x.xx driver series (45.33) is in fact dated October 9th 2003, so that could be a good one to try out in case the jump to the 5x.xx series of drivers caused a conflict between Arx and the GeForce 3.

Using a Detonator/Forceware removal utility may also be a good idea, as nVidia drivers are notorious for leaving files behind after you uninstall them, and this sometimes causes problems. Here's one I've used successfully:
(http://www.guru3d.com/detonator-destroyer/)

Before you do any of that, however, play around with your display settings. Turn off anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering (if you have them enabled), and see if that helps.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Stargem on 31/5/2004 at 19:25

I have attempted the driver removal procedure and the anialiasing/antistrophic methods. They failed.

Shadowcat on 1/6/2004 at 02:04

And no joy with the 45.33 drivers? :/

I don't have Arx installed at the moment, so I can't check the options, but see if there's a "safe mode" or some way to disable sound completely when you run it. That would allow you to rule out (or pinpoint) the sound drivers as the problem.

I'm afraid I'm a bit stuck for further suggestions off hand -- I've not experienced this sort of problem with the game myself. A search for "crash" in this forum turns up 27 threads which I've not looked through, but which might elicit some assistance. You could also ask at the general <a href="http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=81">Troubleshooting</a> forum here, or the Arx forum at arx.rpgdot.com

Failing that, send email to <a href="http://www.arkane-studios.com/">Arkane</a> -- they've been very willing to help folks in the past; they might have some idea as to what the problem is.