[H3SW v0.8.2] Game crashes on the main screen.

I installed the mod on a fresh version of H3 without any mods. The mod works but it runs for a while and crashes on the main screen.

Hello!

Please describe the settings that you have.

1. Your OS
2. Your version of the game
3. Directory where the game is (if it's something like C://Heroes. more problems may appear)
4. HD Mod version (if any)
5. Can the bug be reproduced after repeated actions

Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete Edition [GOG] ver 1.0.1.13
HDD D:/Games/H3 clean
No mods installed only H3SW_v0.8.2
Error occurs after every run from H3SW_v0.8.2.exe file

Mysterious.

For the current moment, the possible solution for this is the installation of HD Mod in the game folder according to the manual: https://heroes2.forumactif.com/t1018-heroes-iii-the-succession-wars-v0-8-2-beta

Might be related to the patcher_x86.dll file. Installing HD Mod will change it, it would be interesting to know the results.

HD Mod website

You can back up your patcher_x86.dll file (located in the root game directory) in case of reverting to an older version coming with the mod.

It works
Step by step i installed:
1. clean version Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete
2. H3SW_v0.8.2_Installer
3. HoMM3_HD_Latest_setup

Running with HD_Launcher with the selected H3SW_v0.8.2.exe
Error window pops up but game starts and doesn't crash


Most importantly, it works

Thank you for the report. In fact, we don't know if we can fix the problem for HD-less version of the mod, because it's obviously the fault of the modding platform. Moreso, such bugs are individual for each user. I don't remember such reports from other people with Win7 x64.

You can use HD Mod settings to change your resolution (including 800x600) so the game would look closer to vanilla.

I think I have identical issue with the new version. I can launch it for the first time, but after that I can't launch it anymore, it gives me only generic windows message "Application stoppped working" etc. Here is my data:

Windows 8.1 64bit
Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete Edition [GOG] ver 1.0.1.13
HDD E:\GOG Games\HoMM 3 Complete
No mods installed only H3SW_v0.8.2
Happens every time after first launch.

I did not try yet HD mod, will try it and see if it works.

I just received information from a fellow Heroes fan that older games with native 800x600 resolution can crash at startup if display settings don't allow it.

Similar thing happens when display resolution is changed and the new one doesn't support a resolution previously set in game settings (concerns other games).

So, for now it's either HD Mod or experiments with the display settings, I think.

It's also interesting to know what happens if a newer version of patcher_x86.dll is used for a vanilla game+h3sw setup. This can be done by having two separate game+mod folders, one with HD mod installed, and the other vanilla.

Orzie wrote:

I just received information from a fellow Heroes fan that older games with native 800x600 resolution can crash at startup if display settings don't allow it.

Similar thing happens when display resolution is changed and the new one doesn't support a resolution previously set in game settings (concerns other games).

So, for now it's either HD Mod or experiments with the display settings, I think.

It's also interesting to know what happens if a newer version of patcher_x86.dll is used for a vanilla game+h3sw setup. This can be done by having two separate game+mod folders, one with HD mod installed, and the other vanilla.

I've checked first with HD mod and indeed it helped, I didn't even get any error.

Then I've tried the clean installation in separate folder, with Mod and copied patcher_x86.dll. And it seems it works as well - I have re-launched it a couple of times and it worked fine.

Sadly, I have still encountered at random moments the same error, which I had experienced in the previous version - exception handle "something something" (I wanted to make a screenshot, but appeareantly it didn't catch it at all), and the game is freezing, I can't even click "ok" to close the error, only task manager is capable of doing so.

Good thing that this autosave is on, since I can easily return to the session... Although I guess it would be more annoying, if those errors appeared in multiplayer session.

Thanks for the report Martius. It may help us solve the problem in the future.

The random errors are tough to solve, as they can not only be from the mod, but also the ERA II platform itself, which the mod is built on.

Sometimes it is possible to figure out the reason for the crash if we can see the window with "EIP" number which has 2 zeroes and 6 other digits (i.e. 0x00XXXXXX, with X is a number or letter). If there are more than 6, we'll never know.

Example:
https://heroes2.forumactif.com/t691-h3sw-v0-8-0-eip0x004fb282-random-crash

Did you play as Necromancer or visit Necromancer castle during the gameplay session when crash occurred?

Orzie wrote:

Sometimes it is possible to figure out the reason for the crash if we can see the window with "EIP" number which has 2 zeroes and 6 other digits (i.e. 0x00XXXXXX, with X is a number or letter). If there are more than 6, we'll never know.

Example:
https://heroes2.forumactif.com/t691-h3sw-v0-8-0-eip0x004fb282-random-crash

Did you play as Necromancer or visit Necromancer castle during the gameplay session when crash occurred?

I've managed to make screenshot when using some external software (normal print screen didn't work).

In my case I was playing as Warlock (situation where I took screenshot), but previously I had crash when playing as a Knight. So I guess it's not related to which side I'm choosing.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to show entire message, when it appears, entire game is frozen and I can't do anything with that error message. Only CTRL+ALT+DELETE and closing in task manager is helping.

The EIP number is 8-digit. This means that the problem cannot be figured out easily.
However, if we see this number in another crash again, this will be helpful.

We will have to check if the problem appears in v0.8.1.

So, was there any system in what you did, or you just played normally?

Orzie wrote:

The EIP number is 8-digit. This means that the problem cannot be figured out easily.
However, if we see this number in another crash again, this will be helpful.

We will have to check if the problem appears in v0.8.1.

So, was there any system in what you did, or you just played normally?

I have experienced similar issue in previous version (0.8.1), but I was playing on almost identical configuration as mentioned earlier - Windows 8.1 64 bit, GOG version of Heroes 3 etc. Only difference is, that this time I had to use that HD mod to not crash during launch. And seems like after installing this HD patch I can still launch the "vanilla" mod by launching the application (so not through HD launcher) and it works in the same manner, as when I made a test with swapping file patcher_x86.dll on vanilla Heroes 3 + Mod.

Aside from that - the issue appears when I tried to play on single map with AI (so single player) but also when I launched hot-seat multiplayer.

And in all cases I did not reach Necromancer castle (nor I played as Necromancer).

Thank you for the information.

The only thing to check left is playing the clean WoG (without H3SW) in similar circumstances.
If the game behaves in a similar way, it's the fault of the platform.
Of course, no Commanders, no special options, no nothing. Just the game, as clean as possible.

To turn H3SW off, one needs to go to the Mods directory of the game and open list.txt.
Deleting the "The Succession Wars 0.8.2" line is the trick.
Restoring the line returns everything back to normal.

Orzie wrote:

Thank you for the information.

The only thing to check left is playing the clean WoG (without H3SW) in similar circumstances.
If the game behaves in a similar way, it's the fault of the platform.
Of course, no Commanders, no special options, no nothing. Just the game, as clean as possible.

To turn H3SW off, one needs to go to the Mods directory of the game and open list.txt.
Deleting the "The Succession Wars 0.8.2" line is the trick.
Restoring the line returns everything back to normal.

Done, tested it on single scenario map against AI.

Played quite long, but didn't had a single crash during an entire game.

Not sure if it will be helpful, but I've managed to make another screenshot from that sudden error (during gameplay). It seems to be identical in terms of the message (again, I could not click on 'ok" or do anything with it, this time I had also to use cursor to remove the "black" from the screen - it's a bit tough to make a screenshot, as standard print screen won't work and I had to use some external software to capture it).

BUT - on the plus side, I've noticed that this error is now showing rather rarely. I need to play quite long until this error appears, and not always, sometimes I have session without this error at all.

I guess it doesn't make sense to document more of these? Since the message is the same.

(technical stuff - again the same as previously, Win 8.1. 64 bit, GOG version of Heroes 3 Complete + mod and played the vanilla version + mod + file patcher_x86.dll from HDD mod).

It might be beneficial to keep track of this EIP number which is shown on the text window. If it is the same, or very similar, then it will make more and more sense to try figuring out the actions (or multiple chains of actions) which lead to the crash.

Besides, there is a crash log generated somewhere in the game directory. HD Mod has its own version of it - if it was generated successfully, it would be nice to have a look. It’s not always generated though.

Orzie wrote:

Besides, there is a crash log generated somewhere in the game directory. HD Mod has its own version of it - if it was generated successfully, it would be nice to have a look. It’s not always generated though.

Don't know if I'm looking wrong or what, but couldn't find a single crash log in entire folder (searched through game's folder and mod's folder). I also tried those Local/LocalRow/Roaming folders (which are storing save games and other stuff in Windows 8.1), but also couldn't find anything. Guess it wasn't generated at all in my case.