Hi,
Yesterday, I bought the Resonance adventure game from the Steam online store.
However, after I downloaded and installed the Resonance game, it always freezes and hangs up at the main title screen.
I emailed Wad Jet Eye Games - the developer of Resonance for technical support and they suggested some solutions for me such as changing the display video settings, but the suggested solutions did not work for me in solving the constant freezing and hanging up problem.
The developer at Wad Jet Eye Games advised me to ask for help here at Adventure Game Studio, because the Resonance game was built using the AGS game engine.
The developer at Wad Jet Eye Games thought the freezing and hanging up problem was mainly caused by the AGS game engine and not by the game settings itself.
I would greatly appreciate if anyone at Adventure Game Studio is able to help me to resolve this display issue that I'm currently having.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Advgamer
Hi guys. I've exhausted my knowledge of AGS trying to help this customer, so I sent him here. Hopefully someone smarter than me can help him! :)
Not that I have any guesses yet, but what are things that may cause problems at the title screen?
- Video. It was already told that user tried different video options though. Do I understand correct, that you tried setting different renderer too?
- Sound. Have you tried running with sound and music disabled (in setup)?
- File operations. From what I know AGS engine make autosave on start automatically. The engine version that is used for Resonance stores it in OS-dependent folder (e.g. Users/<Username>/Documents on Win7) and that should not cause problems... in theory.
Certain antiviruses may cause problems when running large-size executables.
Advgamer, I hope that's not too much to ask, but have you ever tried any other AGS games (including non-commercial ones)? If yes, did you ever had any similar problems with them?
By the way, what operating system do you run the game under?
Hi Crimson Wizard,
- I've tried setting different video settings, such as changing from Direct3D to DirectDraw and changing the game's resolutions to different resolution settings.
- I've not tried running with sound and music disabled (in setup). I'm going to try to run the game with the sound and music disabled (in setup).
- Are you suggesting that I disable my anti-virus? I will try disabling my anti-virus.
- I have not tried other AGS games, as Resonance is the very first AGS game that I have ever bought in my entire life.
- I'm running the game under the Windows 7 operating system.
Thank you very much for your help.
Best regards,
Advgamer
I'm on Win 7 and I think I had to run Resonance as an administrator, but I suspect you've already tried that.
Hi Crimson Wizard,
I have tried disabling the sound and music (in setup), but it did not work, as I still experienced the freezing and hanging up problem.
I have tried disabling my anti-virus, but it did not work either.
Hi Ali,
I have not tried running Resonance as an administrator.
How do I run Resonance as an administrator?
What are the list of steps that I have to take to run Resonance as an administrator?
Thank you for your help.
Best regards,
Advgamer
Hi Ali,
I tried running Resonance as an administrator by right-clicking on the Resonance desktop icon and then selecting "Run as administrator", but the game still froze and hang up.
I guess I have to try other solutions instead.
2 things that are most often and you probably tried:
So I'm guessing you tried running the game from Steam and from the folder directly? (should be something like Steam/steamapps/common/Resonance, try winsetup.exe and resonance.exe)
Also might try verifying the cache integrity? Maybe something didn't download properly. In steam go to Library, then in the list find Resonanace and right click and select Properties. A new windows opens, choose the Local files tab and then click on "Verify cache integrity" (it doesn't hurt if you also press on the "Defragment Cache" option after this) and wait till it's done (might seem like it stopped but just let it finish). If Steam then downloads something, that was probably the problem.
Also, a very farfetched idea that was probably mentioned as well - http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=44758.0 problem was solved via Virtualbox...I have no idea if this even remotely resembles the problem but still might be inspiration.
To be honest I never used Steam, so I am unaware of any problems that may be related. Can be there's some networking going on? Just a random thought, may the game freeze because it's being blocked by firewall or something like that?
Hi Anian,
I have tried to run Resonance directly from its folder and I have also tried to verify the cache integrity, but these two methods did not solve the freezing and hanging up problem.
I have just downloaded and installed the VirtualBox software, but I do not know how to use it to run Resonance.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
I would be very happy if someone could tell me exactly how to use VirtualBox to run the Resonance game.
Thank you.
Hi Crimson Wizard,
I do not think that the game freeze is caused by a firewall blockage.
I emailed this guy who is able to run Resonance smoothly and he told me that he is running Resonance in Windows XP.
He said that Windows XP is the most stable platform for running both old and new adventure games.
Maybe Windows 7 is causing the game to freeze...
I can only run AGS games, made with an older AGS version, if I set my monitor to 16 bit colors. Have you tried that?
Well, I have Win 7 x64 and I run Resonance without problems.
@HandsFree, Resonance is made using one of the latests versions of AGS, so I doubt that's the case. Those made on older engine, like Ben Jordan 8, for example, will require that indeed (my Windows switches to 16 bit on its own).
@Advgamer, two questions:
1. Have you tried running game in a window rather than a fullscreen?
2. Have you tried setting Compatibility mode (like compatibility with WinXP)?
Regarding VirtualBox. If you really want to use it same way as suggested in that thread Anian gave, you should first create a virtual drive using that program, then install Windows XP there (you should have WinXP ofcourse). Then install Resonance on that virtual WinXP.
Here I found some tutorial: http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/15/installing-a-windows-xp-as-a-virtual-machine-on-virtualbox/
I'm able to run Resonance on Windows 7, so there's no fundamental incompatibility between the game and the OS (though there are always variations between different computer setups). I would try some other AGS games (most are free); that would really help narrow down what the problem might be. See here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/Games.aspx) for games to try. Maybe try the demos (http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/) for Gemini Rue or Blackwell Deception as well, to see if it might be a problem with how Wadjet Eye distributes the games, somehow.
Quote from: Snarky on Tue 25/09/2012 21:26:01
it might be a problem with how Wadjet Eye distributes the games, somehow.
...Like their logo bears Pharaoh curse? :=
I was thinking more something to do with the installer, or possibly use of the Steam plugin. :P
I too ran Resonance fine on Windows 7. I can't remember whether or not this was the case, but was there an installer with Resonance? Perhaps you have to run that as an administrator instead of/in addition to the game itself?
I tried Crimson Wizard's suggestion of running Resonance in Windowed, rather than full screen and running the game in 256 colours, and I managed to solve the freezing and hanging up problem.
However, even though I got Resonance running in Windowed format and in 256 colours, I could not hear any dialogue during the cutscenes and the colour was greatly distorted.
I found it really weird.
Now, I have another problem - no audio during cutscenes and the colour is messed up.
Also, try this fix (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46598.0). It may not fix your problem, but worth a try.
Hi Iceboty,
I tried your fix, but it did not work for me.
I'm considering downloading and installing and running Resonance on my second computer which is using Windows XP, instead of Windows 7.
Thank you for your help.
Best regards,
Advgamer
Quote from: Advgamer on Wed 26/09/2012 02:16:49
I tried Crimson Wizard's suggestion of running Resonance in Windowed, rather than full screen and running the game in 256 colours, and I managed to solve the freezing and hanging up problem.
However, even though I got Resonance running in Windowed format and in 256 colours, I could not hear any dialogue during the cutscenes and the colour was greatly distorted.
Advgamer, 256 colors is a really bad choice, ofcourse the colors will be broken.
Can you, for example, change not to 256 colors, but to 16-bit, and run windowed? Will the game run then? (Actually I wonder what if you just run it windowed without changing colors of display at all)
Regarding sound, have you enabled sound after you disabled it in setup last time? What options do you set for music and sound settings?
You say there's no sound during cutscenes. Is there sound during normal game?
I suddenly remembered that on some systems you may experience problems related to performance settings. See this (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=42635.msg566229#msg566229) for details (and guess who started that thread :=).
So, if you haven't done so, try to experiment with the performance settings (or whatever they're called in your system, as long as it provides a means to change them) and see whether it works.
Quote from: Iceboty V7000a on Wed 26/09/2012 09:38:52
I suddenly remembered that on some systems you may experience problems related to performance settings. See this (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=42635.msg566229#msg566229) for details (and guess who started that thread :=).
Um... lol? :)
Perhaps a page should be made in AGS Wiki with list of known solutions for running AGS games? Such knowledge tends to be easily forgotten.
Yeah, the performance mode may be the key.
Also, try changing the display resolution (the windows settings, not the game setup) to 16 bits (you may have 32 now). This worked for me.
Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Wed 26/09/2012 08:24:15
Quote from: Advgamer on Wed 26/09/2012 02:16:49
I tried Crimson Wizard's suggestion of running Resonance in Windowed, rather than full screen and running the game in 256 colours, and I managed to solve the freezing and hanging up problem.
However, even though I got Resonance running in Windowed format and in 256 colours, I could not hear any dialogue during the cutscenes and the colour was greatly distorted.
Advgamer, 256 colors is a really bad choice, ofcourse the colors will be broken.
Can you, for example, change not to 256 colors, but to 16-bit, and run windowed? Will the game run then? (Actually I wonder what if you just run it windowed without changing colors of display at all)
Regarding sound, have you enabled sound after you disabled it in setup last time? What options do you set for music and sound settings?
You say there's no sound during cutscenes. Is there sound during normal game?
Hi Crimson Wizard,
I tried running Resonance in Windowed format and in 16 bit, but the game still froze and hung up.
I have enabled sound after I disabled it in setup last time.
The options that I set for music and sound settings are DirectSound (Hardware mixer) for digital sound and default MCI Music Device for MIDI music.
Yes, there was no sound during cutscenes, but there was sound during normal gameplay.
At this point, it seems that I'm still only able to run the Resonance game ONLY in Windowed format and in 256 colours.
Thank you for your help.
Seeing that the problems mainly lie in the cutscenes, maybe it is some driver settings related to video-codecs/directplay/media-player/whatever which are responsible in playing them (I don't have this game, so it's just my wild guess that the cutscenes are FMVs).
It depends on what, exactly, Advgamer is referring to by "cutscenes", but the game does indeed start with a recorded video. So if there's a codec/video playing problem, that could probably cause most of the observed issues. If he could try other AGS games and get them to play, that might support this theory.
Oh hey, just noticed this thread. There are two videos in the game and they are both ogg theora, which should run in AGS with the built-in codec.
Is the game crashing right when you open it? Do you even see the wadjet eye logo at the beginning? Or is it crashing after you hit new game?
Here are my preferred settings that work perfect on my Windows 7 computer.
(http://i.imgur.com/hMciE.png)
Some computers play nicer with Direct Draw, so if the above settings don't work, change the Direct 3D to Direct Draw and try it.
What are your computers' specs?
Alternatively if it is video causing the problem, try finding the video files in the game directory and rename them to .bak, open the game and you should get an error but the game should continue.
If this doesnt resolve the problems its not a codec issue
The problem is, if they are OGG Theora files (as mentioned by Vince 12) they're most likely embedded into the game's data files, so you cannot remove/replace/rename them.
Hi Vince Twelve,
I saw the Wad Jet Eye logo at the beginning, but the game only crashes at the main title menu, and the mouse cursor froze and I was unable to move it.
I tried following your preferred settings and I got the game running smoothly successfully for the FIRST TIME!!!
YEAH!!!
After so many crashes, I got the game working well!
The preferred settings are:
- Resolution: 640 X 480
- Select "Run in a window instead of full-screen"
- Graphics driver: Direct 3D 9
- Graphics filter: 2x nearest-neighbour filter
- Select "Side borders on widescreen monitor"
- Digital Sound: Default DirectSound Device
- MIDI music: Default MCI Music Device
- Select "Use speech pack if available"
Anyone else that is also experiencing consistent crashing of the Resonance game should use the above settings to run it perfectly without any problems.
Thank you very much for your help, Vince Twelve!
You saved me a lot of frustration in getting the Resonance game running well!
My computer's specifications are:
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire Z5801
BIOS: BIOS Date: 07/22/11 17:59:47 Ver: 04.06.04
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500S CPU @ 2.70GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8136MB RAM
Page File: 3977MB used, 12292MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Best regards,
Advgamer
Good to hear! Enjoy the game!
Hi Vince Twelve,
Are you one of the designers and programmers of Resonance?
This is because when I paused the game, I saw a photo of you in one of the options in the paused menu.
I like the Resonance game so far, even though I have yet to complete it.
It seems like a very fun adventure game.
Thank you again for your help, otherwise, I would still be struggling to get the game started!
I suppose if I ever encounter any similar problems with other AGS games, I can probably use the same settings to solve them as well.
Best regards,
Advgamer
That's me! I designed the game and was one of the programmers. I also did a handful of art and bunches of other stuff. Have fun!
Hi,
Is it ok to post a problem of my own in this thread concerning Resonance?
I just bought the game through Steam, but can't launch it. Whenever I try I get an error: Unable to load plugin 'agsteam.dll' and a message to post on the AGS Technical forum. The error occurs when I launch through Steam or through the winsetup application on the steam folder.
Does anyone have a solution for this problem?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Robin! What OS are you using? Can you try making Steam delete local content and re-download the game?
or alternatively, "verify integrity of game cache".
Is there a agsteam.dll in the game directory? If that file isn't present that is the problem. Both mine and Vince's methods should work to fetch that file for you.
If not, a bit of a shot in the dark but try running as administrator, and also check your antivirus isn't deleting files it shouldn't (I've found mine doesn't like winsetup.exe)
Hey, thanks for the replies. Sorry I didn't answer. Here's the solution I actually came across on another forum the same day, if anyone should have the same problem: I just hadn't updated windows in a while, after that it worked. Stupid me :).
Glad you got it figured out! Enjoy the game!