WA unofficial FAQ V1.1

[Muzer]

Read the notice. You can help other people with referenced quotes, but if it's on a site where you post help to people in general, like on an FAQ site, you can't. Most FAQs are copyrighted. And linking to www.wmdb.org isn't infringement as it's not exactly copyrightable material, one link. It's just directly copying something for your own FAQ site. I was giving examples to clarify.

[flamesnipr]

Having trouble on Windows XP. Installation goes flawlessly with the self-installer provided in the sticky. When the game is started up, there is a WORMS ARMAGEDDON HAS PERFORMED A FATAL ERROR. and it automatically closes. Have also tried the /nointro thing and downloaded the latest Direct X, not using Nvidia graphics either.

[Muzer]

What graphics card are you using?

Does it generate an ERRORLOG.TXT file (located in your WA folder that you chose in the installation)? If so, post it so the devs can check it out.

[franpa]

if it doesnt generate such file then update your game to 3.6.28.0 ! or post every single detail about the error message (click more info then copy+paste it here)

[Muzer]

He said he used the alternative installer which does install the update.

[Sartoris]

I've got the same probelm. I install the game, and the three patches/updates (WA_Update-3.0.5.0_Beta_2.exe, WA_Update-3.6.26.5_Beta.exe and WA_update-3.6.28.0_Beta_Installer.exe), but when I try to run the game an error occurs, saying: Worms Armageddon has encountered an error. Detailed information about the error is on errorlog.txt

Attached is the rather longish errorlog.

I hope you can help, thanks for any efforts in advance

[SgtFusion]

Installing all three updates is unnecessary. Just 3.6.28.0 will do. And when does the crash happen? Does it happen when you try to run the program, when you try to start a game, or after a game? If the last case is true, I may be able to advise you.

[franpa]

Originally Posted by Sartoris

I've got the same probelm. I install the game, and the three patches/updates (WA_Update-3.0.5.0_Beta_2.exe, WA_Update-3.6.26.5_Beta.exe and WA_update-3.6.28.0_Beta_Installer.exe), but when I try to run the game an error occurs, saying: Worms Armageddon has encountered an error. Detailed information about the error is on errorlog.txt

Attached is the rather longish errorlog.

I hope you can help, thanks for any efforts in advance

Why are you installing older beta versions and not just the latest? o_O

[CyberShadow]

What operating system are you trying to run W:A under?

Does 3.6.26.5 work?

[Sartoris]

Thank you for your replies.

The error occurs before I manage to enter the program: to put it simply, I start Worms Armageddon from Win XP, the screen goes black and the error is shown, I click "ok" and the whole thing crashes back to desktop.

I installed all three updates because I read somewhere this was a wise thing to do for some reason. I tried uninstalling and running the game after installing just the first update, then just the second and then just the third, as well as combinations of first and second (just because I thought it might help, as crazy as though it might sound). So to answer your question, CyberShadow, the update you mention does not work.

An important fact I forgot to mention is that I was able to run the game successfully for several weeks before the error suddenly occurred.
I tried using system restore several times but it did not help.

[CyberShadow]

Check if Windows Update installed any new drivers, particularly the video card driver.

You could also try getting the very latest driver from the manufacturer's web site (the drivers on Windows Update are often not the latest version).

[Shirdel]

I had a problem a little bit like it. My advice is to download the latest patch, then the latest update (3.6.28.0). Hope this helps.

[Muzer]

Random text so the caps filter won't activate.

YOU DO NOT NEED THE PATCH! IF YOUR VERSION REQUIRES IT THE INSTALLER WILL DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IT AUTOMATICALLY!


HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SHOUT THIS BEFORE IT IS HAMMERED INTO EVERYONE'S FEEBLE BRAINS?

[thomasp]

Originally Posted by Muzer

Random text so the caps filter won't activate.

YOU DO NOT NEED THE PATCH! IF YOUR VERSION REQUIRES IT THE INSTALLER WILL DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IT AUTOMATICALLY!


HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SHOUT THIS BEFORE IT IS HAMMERED INTO EVERYONE'S FEEBLE BRAINS?

Muzer - try highlighting it as well

[Sartoris]

Thank you for your help and advice, but the problem just went away on its own. The stupidity of Windows knows no bounds, i guess.

Cheers!

[franpa]

I found another process that steals the colour palette from W:A under Windows XP. It comes with nero 8 and is run at startup and remains running in the background, I have no idea what it does, but disabling it does not prevent me from burning CD's and DVD's. the file in question is below.

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nero\Lib\NMIndexStoreSvr.exe

[CyberShadow]

If you google for that file name, you'll find many other interesting stories about it.

Ahead Software never was a good software developer in my book...

[franpa]

Where is it stored in the registry under Windows XP? I've looked under both trees at...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run

[CyberShadow]

I don't know. It might be started by a shell extension or something. You could try renaming/deleting the file and seeing if that breaks anything.

You could check with "msconfig" (standard Windows utility) and HijackThis (more comprehensive 3rd-party one).

[balver]

Originally Posted by franpa

Where is it stored in the registry under Windows XP? I've looked under both trees at...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run

I recommend AutoRuns.

[franpa]

It is not listed at all by AutoRuns and is not present in the registry location the msconfig says.

Either it is hidden o_O. (wouldnt put it past microsoft to have the feature to hide registry keys completely.) or I don't know o_O also I found the other spot I was thinking of before for startup programs/viruses/hijacks/malware. (it is not present here either)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon


I already disabled it via msconfig and no error messages pop up or anything during bootup or the use of nero.

[balver]

Why don't you uninstall Nero and use something more lightweight instead? For instance ImgBurn or InfraRecorder.

[franpa]

Do both of thoughs support compilations? or only copying a disc as is?

[balver]

Originally Posted by franpa

Do both of thoughs support compilations? or only copying a disc as is?

Yes, they do. In ImgBurn it is called Build Mode (see screenshots). And in InfraRecorder it is very much like in Nero (screenshot).

They have much more features than creating compilations and copying discs. You can read about them on the pages I linked in my previous post.

Oh, and they both have great advantage, which Nero doesn't. They're free

BTW. I use ImgBurn. I was using Nero 7 before, but I needed full Unicode support which at the moment was absent in Nero.

[Nitroblood]

I would like to thank the Author of this Post for the time he has taken to help others "like me" with getting the game to work, the information posted was all i needed to get my Vista 64 able to play WA.
After a 5 year abscense from the game i'm ready to take my role as T17 champion again and i will be helping a few friends return to the game also.

Thanks again

ALxBBx

[bonz]

Originally Posted by Nitroblood

take my role as T17 champion again and i will be helping a few friends return to the game also.

Good to hear!
Make sure you come by here: http://worms2d.info/Worms_on_GameSurge

We need some T17 games after months of non-stop Hysteria playing.

[Run]

Originally Posted by Nitroblood

After a 5 year abscense from the game i'm ready to take my role as T17 champion

oh no you don't

i'm afraid that title belongs to me

[KRD]

Oh my, a Bible Basher.

Get them all playing again and into the IRC channel Bonz linked to please, AL. Thank you.

[yakuza]

1.4) I can't get WA to work on vista.
WA does not officially support vista. However, WA in itself usually works on vista, the fault is usually the vista graphic card drivers. Make sure you follow 1.3 first because your problem may not be vista-specific. After that, try running WA as an admin (right click - run as administrator). Also, use compatability mode for a supported OS. The most important thing, make sure your graphics card's drivers are FULLY UPDATED. For NVIDIA cards, as of the time of writing (ISO date 2007-08-01) the best bet to fix all problems would be to use the latest drivers on their site. Try opening WA's folder whilst playing (i.e. running from WA.EXE instead of a shortcut). Sadly, if you have an Intel chipset or Graphics Card, due to Intel's drivers not supporting an old technology imperative for WA (namely DirectDraw), you can't run WA. go pester Intel about it. However, this doesn't work with all people so try at own risk, but some people find that if you install the XP drivers for your card, it will disable Windows Aero (glass) but WA will work. Again, this yeilds nothing but a BSOD with some people. Also, if you can run the game but it's all in funny colours, first try the above fixes, then go here.

This is what has worked for me on Vista 32bit Intel Chipset SP0 and Vista 64bit Intel Express Chip (from this year, so relatively new) SP1.

Install. Apply latest patch. Right click shortcut. Disable desktop composition (translated from Spanish, might have a different name), it's below the disable visual themes.
That's all you change, don't need XP compatibility, in fact, that stops my WA from working.
Then accept. Right click shortcut, run as Admin.
Menus will be slow. Rest runs normally except you can only minimize once you're actually in a game (with your worms).
Tested on two different Desktops. Gigabyte Motherboards. Inter Express Chipsets. Both Nvidia cards (7900gt and 9800gtx*).


I suspect SP1 fixes most issues, might want to add this stuff into the FAQ.

*If it works with this card, I don't see how it can't with others since this one has pretty crap compatibility with older games.

Edit: if you launch the game and it shows with messed up colors most of the time, there's a workaround. Open any random Vista folder, leave it open and then run WA.

Also: WA does work on Intel Chipsets. Both PCs of mine had them. AFAIK it's Intel Mobile Chipsets that don't allow the game to run at all. (Although I did get mine to work on my laptop with that chipset, it seems 99% of the people can't)

[yess]

First post should be updated to reflect that 3.6.29.0 is the latest version