Damm Range Check Errors

[Derek]

Hmm, interesting. Why would the hardware matter? I mean, my programming skills are C and Basic (not VBasic, just Commodore 64 Basic... ) so I can't really say, but as I understand the Windows enviroment, you don't write directly to the hardware, but rather to the OS. If this is true then the hardware shouldn't matter at all. Of course, this is assuming the programming is done correctly. If shortcuts are taken, and the game is writing directly to the hardware, then all bets are off. This could, of course, explain why there is no wheel mouse support...

Derek

Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
There was a thread a few months ago where some RCE's were traced directly to a series of Dell laptops, so there are definitely some hardware (& possibly OS) issues out there...

[Gandalph]

[quote]Originally posted by Derek:
<snip>Why would the hardware matter?<snip>

That is a question that a lowly PC Tech like me cannot answer, I only know for sure that it does. As an example, I had a system go haywire on me that took me 3 weeks to figure out that Macafee AV and the LS 120 Superdrive could not get along in the same system.

Having built 1,000's of new and used systems, I can definitely tell you that some hardware/software configurations just don't get along, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for it. I would suspect the way the Windows HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) communicates between the hardware and the software's API(Application Programming Interface, IIRC), but alas, I am not an Engineer. They get paid WAY more to screw the things up that I get to fix.

[Phoenix-D]

"I can't really say, but as I understand the Windows enviroment, you don't write directly to the hardware, but rather to the OS. If this is true then the hardware shouldn't matter at all."

This assumes the hardware plays nicely together in the first place. Not always.. sometimes components don't like each other, but only show it in taking up more resourses, crashing at odd times, etc.

Case in point: Mechcommander 2. I think someone tried to get a little too tight with their code on that one, and didn't leave much room for error. The end result is that if your system is even SLIGHTLY off what MC2 expects it to do, it'll run like crap. The game was running better on some people's PII 400s than their new machines, better and higher (HIGHER) resolution on some machines, etc.

Phoenix-D

[mac5732]

In the poll thread, it appears that the majority of the forum members (at least so far) build their own systems, so is this a correlation to the RCE's, index errors etc. Reason - when one builds their unit they apply a combination of various hardware software operating systems. It would be interesting if in the poll the question was also asked as to who experienced numerous, medium, fair or none etc in regards to the RCE's along with which type of computer they used. Example only

Home made comp, Windows 982E, Nivida, 128 mem, 733, medium amt of RCE's

Dell laptop 256 mem, Win 2000, ati numerous

this might give us more of a possible insight into systems vs hardware software, or both.

my opinion only

just some ideas mac

[Gandalph]

The poll does not allow correlation of the questions. I could have added RCE, but would only end up seeing how many people are bothered with it, not what type of system configuration. This is something that would have to be done by hand in a question thread much like jimbob's SEIV Platinum thread.

[RWittman]

Here's a question, Has anyone ever seen an RCE in any other application software, I have not. I think that this is an application issue rather then an O/S one.

Not that system config would not have an impact on the RCE problem, but as I see it, there is some bug(s) in the SE4 code.

I would guess that an RCE is like an invalid table (matrix) lookup. Dim a table to 10,000 and then read index location 10,001. Boom, RCE.

Any thoughts?

[RWittman]

[ May 19, 2002, 07:31: Message edited by: RWittman ]