Sins of a Solar Empire : Real-Time Strategy. Unrivalled Scale.
© 2003-2013 Ironclad Games Corporation Vancouver, BC. All rights reserved.
© 2006-2013 Stardock Entertainment
Sign Up | Lost Login?

Help Us Track Down the Black Screen

By Yarlen on March 15, 2012 3:30:35 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Yarlen

Stardock
Join Date 01/2005
+157

(Updated - 4/24/12)

Thank to everyone's submissions we've been able to track this issue down for the vast majority of users. 

We've determined that this bug appears to be caused by older Nvidia drivers. If those having this issue can try updating their drivers directly from the Nvidia website for their chipset, that would be great. You must be using driver version 296.10 or higher.

The URL is: http://www.geforce.com/Drivers

Once your drivers are updated if you still hit the black screen crash on startup, please try setting your Nvidia driver as the preferred 3D device as shown here: http://screencast.com/t/RTo1NZaVM

If you could let us know if this works for you, that would be great.

Thank you in advance.

19 Replies
Search this post
Advanced Search
Subscription Options

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #1
unic
Join Date 03/2006
0
March 15, 2012 5:44:19 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Hi, i have this "blackscreen" on my slow computer. If something like the virusscanner or other tools are working on the harddrive i need to wait up to 3 mins before the game launches. But it launches everytime. 

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #2
wizisi2k
Join Date 05/2006
0
March 15, 2012 6:30:39 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I have a delayed launch on my PC as well.  It can take 20-30 seconds for the inital ESRB disclaimer to startup and I am running a NVIDIA card.  Perhaps it is related to a specific NVIDIA driver set or card?

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #3
Greg30007
Join Date 10/2009
+25
March 15, 2012 7:18:36 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I have this on irregular basis. Thing is I do not crash my game sometimes just freezes (not responding)

After a while game starts normally.

How can I help???

there was old post regarding this problem, It did help a bit....

 

http://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/383290

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #4
Nightraid3r
Join Date 04/2008
+20
March 15, 2012 10:58:11 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

ok, i am having this problem and sent in what you asked.  good luck hunting the bug down

 

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #5
cbray
Join Date 01/2012
+9
Stardock
March 16, 2012 9:13:57 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

To clarify, this issue is specifically a crash.  The long hang some people get before the game starts is a separate issue which we can reproduce internally and don't need additional info on.  Thanks!

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #6
Nightraid3r
Join Date 04/2008
+20
March 16, 2012 3:48:17 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

were you guys able to reproduce the crash with the help of the files I sent over?

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #7
MagnusReloaded
Join Date 06/2009
0
March 17, 2012 8:33:56 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Nightraid3r, I'm in the same boat as you. Sent off the files and hoping for the best. I seem to have a funny way of having the issue that no one can solve in PC games. Hlets hope they figure this out.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #8
Yarlen
Join Date 01/2005
+157
Stardock
March 22, 2012 12:05:47 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Nightraid3r,
reply 6
were you guys able to reproduce the crash with the help of the files I sent over?

So far, no luck on reproducing this internally.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #9
bkerrey
Join Date 09/2010
0
March 24, 2012 10:01:53 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I've sent mine in as well. Hopefully you can fix this soon, because I've heard that this game is awesome. I'd just like to be able to play it....

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #10
fallast
Join Date 01/2007
0
March 28, 2012 3:21:04 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I sent my logs in as well, but still haven't received a response. I would love to be able to play the beta lol, as its the only reason i preordered.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #11
Yarlen
Join Date 01/2005
+157
Stardock
March 30, 2012 3:06:32 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Okay, we think we're making progress on this issue. According to the vast majority of dxdiag data that's been submitted to us, this is largely an issue with laptops that have both Intel Integrated Graphics and a secondary video chipset (typically an Nvidia mobile series 4200M, 540M, 555M or 560M). 

If you're having the black screen problem and the above describes you, can you tell us if you hookup your system to one or more monitors?  Do you keep both video chipsets enabled?  If you disable the Intel graphics chipset in your BIOS, does that help?

Thanks in advance!

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #12
Greg30007
Join Date 10/2009
+25
April 3, 2012 4:40:29 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

[e digicons]:'([/e]

Last update screwed my game as well. Now I am getting black screen MD as well which never happened to me before. 

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #13
Yarlen
Join Date 01/2005
+157
Stardock
April 3, 2012 10:33:35 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Right-Click on Rebellion in your Steam Library -> Properties -> Local Files -> Click Verify Integrity of Game Cache. Odds are some of your files were messed up.

Failing that, you can Delete Local Content and reinstall.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #14
Greg30007
Join Date 10/2009
+25
April 4, 2012 10:44:19 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Reinstall fixed things for me

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #15
MikeDH
Join Date 04/2008
0
April 5, 2012 3:17:39 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Hi,

i've read the post and i have a suggest. What if the players with the Mobile cards set this card to use in first place for 3D Applications? This is an option in the Nvidia Global Driver Settings. Per default the intel hd card is used to display 3D to help the battery stay longer. But it's only a guess.

There is a video on youtube which describes it:

http://youtu.be/xdWRwrH98YU

Regards,

Mike

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #16
Zplintz
Join Date 04/2012
0
April 16, 2012 10:10:14 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I guess I am being thick - but where is the black screen on loading bug in that last clip?

From what I saw it was no loading screen at all.

 

From my own point of view I occasionally get an "empty window" when running some games (not just Sins). It doesnt happen very often and I havent managed to work out what does it (ie I cant make it happen everytime).

My suspicion is that it is AV and the Windows security falling over each other as game is loading. If I right click and close the app from the taskbar (or end the process from task manager if I don't want to wait) and reload it has always worked on the second attempt.

I do not think this is specific to Sins though.

 

[EDIT] Suppose I should Add - MicroTower - ASUS, quad i5, 8gb ram, Nvidia GTX260 (I think - its been a while since I looked), Win 7 Ultimate 64bit, ESET Business AV/ESET Home Smart (nothing changed when I changed app).

So far this has been an occasional problem on Sins, CIV 5, SWTOR, Dragon Age, Machinerium, and F1-2010 that I can remember off the top of my head.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #17
Cuppurnicus
Join Date 09/2008
0
May 26, 2012 5:55:06 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I've updated my nvidia drivers and I still can't play. I get a "mini dump" window and the game closes with the standard program has stopped working message. The advice about selecting the GPU doesn't apply. There's is no such selection available in my nvidia control panel.

On a side note... would it really be so hard to make a single player campaign? The game is really a little boring and a tad tedious at times with no goal to push for except for some x-box inspired achievement log, which is lame.

Instead of the standard swarm it up method, why not make fewer ships that are more effective? That's some strategy!

Oh, btw, My system is a desktop that I built myself. The MB does have it's own video chip that I've left disabled. I use one monitor and one video card. The card is an Nvidia GTX460ENGTOP and the MB is an MSI NF980-G65.

 

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #18
Ryat
Join Date 06/2006
+333
May 26, 2012 6:21:54 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Cuppurnicus,
reply 17
On a side note... would it really be so hard to make a single player campaign?

No its not hard to make a campaign, but it is hard to make a good one. Which is what the devs wanted but due to the amount of required work it takes to do such a thing they decided to forgo one.

Maybe Sins 2.

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
Reply #19
Cuppurnicus
Join Date 09/2008
0
May 29, 2012 4:07:10 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Yarlen,
reply 13
Right-Click on Rebellion in your Steam Library -> Properties -> Local Files -> Click Verify Integrity of Game Cache. Odds are some of your files were messed up.

Failing that, you can Delete Local Content and reinstall.

I should have read all the posts! This fix worked for me.

Thanks!

Reason for Karma (Optional)
Successfully updated karma reason!
View all recent posts
Mark all posts as read  •   Delete cookies created by the forum  •   Return to Top
Stardock Forums v1.0.0.0    #108436  walnut3   Server Load Time: 00:00:00.0000703   Page Render Time: