Rodwil100

Check over at the UBI forum. It's a problem with the program's code and it is wide spread. Folks are tweeking everything imaginable to get this program to run right. The only hope seems to be V1.1. We'll see. http://forums.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=400102&f=38610606&m=2711085752

Reading the posts, I see that a lot of us are having the same kind of problem . . . namely, Lockon locks up. I see various, specific scenarios described, but all in all, the lock ups seem to be happening during campaign mission loads or mid-campaign during a mission or during a single missions . . . or pretty much anywhere, anytime the program is running. I see posts that suggest this is WIN XP SP2 related and this has been solved in the Flaming Cliffs add-on. Has LOMAC addressed problem in our forum? Will this be patched for the existing customers? Interestingly, I don't see the forum overrun with reports of this problem. Clearly it's not wide spread.. It seems a lot of us are running the game without problem. If this is a hardware issue, it would be helpful for LOMAC to provide us with a hardware MEL (Minimum Equipment List). However, if this really is a hardware issue, it seems very strange that running at mid settings, Half life 2, Doom 3, UT 2004, Farcry, Call of Duty, MSFS 2002 and 2004 and Falcon-4-all-modded-up have never locked up. To call these graphically demanding games is a huge understatement. These are the most graphically intense games currently available for us normal folks. However running at low settings, LOMAC lockups every time. What could it be? Hardware? I have an Abit IS7 MB (current bios), a 3.2 P4HS/800 FSB processor with 2 matched Corsair XMS PC 3200 512meg sticks-o'-ram running in duel channel mode, a WD 250 gig EIDE HD @ 7200 rpm (caviar 8 meg-o’-ram version) and a 350 watt Enermax PS. Saitek X45 sticks. There's nothing hot dog about this system. Just stable, solid components. Video is a Ti4200. (66.93 driver) Clearly, this is the lightest part. With the other games, frame rates will drop when the action gets too intense, but they never freeze the system. LOMAC always requires at least a CTR-ALT_DEL program shutdown to recover from a LOMAC program freeze. Sometime I will pause the game to answer the phone and come back and the game has shut itself down. Sometimes the mouse and keyboard are completely dead and it's necessary to pull the plug on the box and reboot the system. Interestingly, after a power-down reboot, LOMAC will allow a mission to load that it had previously refused. What's up with this? Anyone remember Windows 95. I know, we are all trying to forget! We had QEMM ram memory managers and all kinds of junk to keep our ram allocations under control. This really feels like the same kind of problems. In the old days, programs would try to load memory into ram locations already in use and programs would freeze . . .or they would not properly unload memory after a process shutdown and try to reload the next process into the same memory location . . . another freeze, and the drama would continue. Farcry (and all the others) load and unload memory like crazy and run just fine. Those jungle sequences are absolutely thick with graphic content. My system is "flat out". In Farcry, sometimes I can hear the hard drive just crankin' during game play. Frames rate may slow a bit . . . but is does not freeze . . . and I've never had to cold boot to get the next level. That would be rediculous! But when ever I hear the hard drive go off during LOMAC game play, I hold my breath, then whisper a quiet "Come on, baby. Stay with me". After a cold boot, LOMAC works better, at least for a bit . . . until memory gets loaded up again???? I wish I knew! . . . but my best guess is this is a memory management issue that has to be addressed with programming changes within the LOMAC program. This really feels like the LOMAC "engine" has a memory management problem. XP (SP2 or not) is an adequite platform to run an intensively graphical program. LOMAC needs to address this stability issue for this version of their game. If it's fixed in Flaming Cliffs, we would really appreciate a patch for our game, released now . . . and entirely separate from the "pay-for" Flaming Cliffs add-on. This is a game crippling issue for many customers. If you are having problems, speak up. The developers need to know. This is the best way for the LOMAC team to find out how they can help their customers. It’s a good thing . . . and LOMAC’s the greatest military flight sim yet created . . . by an amazing and dedicated developement team.

LOMAC pixel shader mod/tweek Thank for the replys. I found a tweek that is supposed cause the program to utalize a more efficient pizel shading scheme. Overall, LOMAC is very demanding on hardware . . . Actually, relitive to modern games, I think it's too demanding. I expect this is because UBI did not have the millions of manhours it probably takes to really make a game like this silky smooth on a moderate machine. (I am still amazed at the smooth action and detailed eye-candy I'm getting from my 4200/64 with UT 2004 and Doom 3.) Try the site at <http://www.fellblade.net/projects.htm>. Download and install the LOMAC pizel shader mod (Custom Shader - ps1.1). I installed the mod and no lockups . . . at least last night. We'll see. This is a great game, but we may have to work out the kinks outselves. All in all, hats off to UBI. We flight simmers aren't exactly a mass market and they did a great job . . . probably without a lot of corporate support. Thanks to the LOMAC team!

I am experiencing frequent system freezes during game play. Often the freezes will occur during the rollout after an expecially explosive A-10 bomb run, but it has occured just cruising at altitude looking at the scenery. The screen just freezes. Sometimes ctl-alt-del will allow me to shutdown the LOMAC program . . . but often, a hard (read "pull-the-plug") shutdown is the only way the system will recover. I have 1.02 patch and a relitively modern system. Abit IS7 MB/2.8 P4 H/T. 350 watt Enermax P/S. 2 matched Corsair 512mb sticks (that's a gig), memory timing set to default, a TI 4200/64 meg/AGP4x video card. Everything at default clock speeds. DirectX 9c and all drivers updated. The rig has been stable and untouched for over a year. I know the video card is a bit light, but it's hanging in there until the PCI-X cards get better. I just can't run the video sliders full blast. This really feels like a main memory management problem, but it appears it is not my RAM instillation. Memtest86 runs are perfect. Also . . . and for example, all the the other modern, hardware stressing sims work fine. Far Cry. Doom 3, UT2004, BMS's Falcon 4 mod, MS Flight sim 2002 and 2004 all run flawlessly. For all these sims, I have to keep the graphics off the stops or they they slow to a crawl, (that's the old TI 4200 card) but I have never had a lockup with any of these games. Any ideas?