34 réponses à ce sujet

[SteveGarbage]

Hopefully this error isn't unfamiliar to the BioWare brass and others around here - considering we carried on in the demo forum for about 100+ posts. This error, which was present in the demo, is still present in the full version, making the game unplayable (won't boot past the launcher).

For detailed information on the issue, please read over the thread on this same issue in the demo forum ---> HERE

Here are my specific system specs:
MSI K7N2 Delta motherboard
Amd Athlon XP 2700+ processor (single core, yes, I realize it is below the minimum requirements)
2.5 GB RAM
ATI Radeon 4650 (1GB)
Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3

Other notes:
Most recent stable Catalyst drivers installed
Fresh install of Dragon Age 2. Most recent PhysX package (outside of what the game brings in) also installed.

The game installs without a hitch but when you go to play it gives the initial load screen with the error box stating that PhysX failed to initialize:

Rifster wrote...

$#%^@! Game not running

Multiple trouble-shooting efforts were made during the demo run (see that thread for more details on all the crazy crap I attempted to do) to no avail. People in that thread have a couple prime suspects as to why this error persists, either:
A) It is some sort of conflict with AGP video cards running on our older-type systems
or It is a SSE2 error due to the Athlon XP processor, which has presented in other games such as Borderlands.

I've had this game pre-ordered since the day it was announced and am completely unable to use it on my computer. Other people from the demo thread have shown interest in the game but will not be purchasing it because of this error.

We're open to novel solutions to this problem, otherwise we're hoping for some immediate support from the BioWare side. I'm also currently in the process of going through the official support channels with EA to try to seek a solution to this problem.

Thank you for your time. I, and others affected by this crippling error, await a speedy resolution to the issue.

[SteveGarbage]

Also, forgot to include the official log created in the Dragon Age 2 logs folder in My Documents:

Tue Mar 08 11:40:24 2011
================================================================================
LEVEL MESSAGE
Initialize - Verify Platform capabilities
Initialize - Resource Manager
Initialize - World Database
Initialize - Physics
Failed to Initialize Eclipse
[DX11 initialization] Failed to load d3d11.dll. Assuming no DirectX11 support on the system.
Shutdown - Start
Shutdown - Game
Shutdown - World Database
Shutdown - GUI
Shutdown - Input
Shutdown - Graphics

[SteveGarbage]

Updates: I sent an official report through the EA/BioWare Game Support page.

I'm also currently talking with the Live Chat support (although I doubt there is much they'll be able to do help out).

The first person "Kate" asked some questions than gave me something along the lines of "You may not be able to run this game." I got a bit snippy and was transferred to "Nancy."

Nancy suggested the usuals - reinstall video drivers and reinstall the lastest PhysX package - both of which I have tried multiple times to no results. As expected, those fixes did nothing. I am now being transfered to "Tier 2" support.

Modifié par SteveGarbage, 08 mars 2011 - 06:02 .

[SteveGarbage]

Gave up on the live chat - was getting nowhere and didn't have hours to sit around waiting for it.
The normal report was still sent.
I checked in on the beta drivers for Radeon cards, but since I'm AGP and 32-bit, they won't install. I'll have to wait around for the official release then the AGP hotfix before being able to test those, if they install. The latest Catalyst drivers are a bit unstable on my system for some reason.

[SteveGarbage]

From our demo discussion thread:

kazeva wrote...

SteveGarbage wrote...

Unfortunately it's the same old story.
I've started a thread over in the PC Support forum ---> http://social.biowar...0/index/6414339
Please head over and lend whatever support you can to help bring attention to this game-crippling error.

Been working with this demo.First i didnt notice that when debugger hanged there was that error box open.After hitting ok it gives same as watson.I dont know why watson doesnt get that illegal instruction.So i deleted every PhysX files and copied all PhysX files from Bulletstorm.Now debugger stops again after cudart32_30_9.dll but no illegal instruction,it just opens that error box.After ok same.Changed back original PhysX files and again illegal instruction after cudart32_30_9.dll,opens error box and after ok same.So it is something to do with cuda and that illegal instruction(c000001D) is sse2.So far i understand this.Find out that some people got almost same error with Bulletstorm,i didnt but there www.unigamesity.com/how-to-fix-failed-to-initialize-physx-error-message-in-bulletstorm/ two fixes.
Somewhere was used with dao older 8.x physx drivers,but i havent tested those yet.
And can that "Failed to initialize Eclipse" be this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_%28software%29??

[SteveGarbage]

Update: Working with the EA official support. I had to send them over some information, so they're at least taking some steps to look at it. I'll keep everyone update on it.

[Randomactss]

Did you disable the start cut scene?

Oh and it may just be a time to get a new computer... You don't need to spend 3k for a new one even 1k will get a beast of a machine. You could get a computer that is miles better then yours for ~$700

[SteveGarbage]

Also - some information from people in the demo thread who can't post over here because they're not owners yet:

NoAng3l wrote...

I've been watching this thread since the beginning and was REALLY hoping the problem will be resolved with the release of the game. I'm also running an old system and am in no position to buy a new one. But I will definitely buy the game ... one day, if not on Friday, then maybe in a half a year or so >_>.

hANGhOHN wrote...

i also watch this tread because i have the same prob. athlon xp and ati card. i didnt buy the game until the error is fixed. its unbelievable that there is NO SUPPORT!!!

kazeva wrote...

Didnt even think that Eclipse is engine cause error is what it is.Doesnt sound good.
Anyway,three new games,similar physx problems and different specs.This should still be Ageia PhysX.It could work.
SteveGarbage yep i wont edit it.
One thing came in mind.If it is trying to use GPU PhysX.

VelvetV wrote...

Guys who post and want their post to be copied over, please list your system specs, otherwise how should Bioware work out the solution blindfolded!



My post for copying over:

I didn't buy the game yet because the demo didn't run for me with "Error initializing PhysicX", and people who bought the game said that the problem persists, so once it's fixed I'll gladly make a purchase. I'm following the thread to see when and how the solution comes up.

My specs:
Windows XP SP3
Athlon XP 2700+ (ran DA:O just fine)
RAM 3gbs
GeForce 6600GT AGP
(the last one is below reqs, but I'm going to ask my cousin for borrowing her superior AGP videocard once I buy the game, it's listed just to show the full setup I used to try to launch the demo)

Error log:
Wed Mar 09 11:20:40 2011
========================================================================
LEVEL MESSAGE
Initialize - Verify Platform capabilities
Initialize - Resource Manager
Initialize - World Database
Initialize - Physics
Failed to Initialize Eclipse
[DX11 initialization] Failed to load d3d11.dll. Assuming no DirectX11 support on the system.
Shutdown - Start
Shutdown - Game
Shutdown - World Database
Shutdown - GUI
Shutdown - Input
Shutdown - Sound
Shutdown - Graphics

hANGhOHN wrote...

I didn't buy the game yet because the demo didn't run for me with "Error initializing PhysicX", and people who bought the game said that the problem persists, so once it's fixed I'll gladly make a purchase. I'm following the thread to see when and how the solution comes up.

My specs:
Windows XP SP3
Athlon XP 3200+ (ran DA:O just fine)
RAM 4gbs
ATI Radeon X1650, 512mb. Omega-Driver 3.8.442.
DirectX 9c

[SteveGarbage]

Randomactss wrote...

Did you disable the start cut scene?

Oh and it may just be a time to get a new computer... You don't need to spend 3k for a new one even 1k will get a beast of a machine. You could get a computer that is miles better then yours for ~$700

Wouldn't help. It doesn't even boot into the game. The loading screen - the Kirkwall insignia pops up and then it gets the error. It never even gets into the game proper - not to the EA/BioWare movie or anything.

As for getting a new computer - if you think I'm playing on my old junker for the fun of it, just wow. I've parted out some upgrades pieces for $275 total and even THAT is a stretch. Crap salary + bills + wedding expenses = no money. Kind of like telling a homeless person to go out and buy a house. Trust me, if I could afford it, I would.

[Randomactss]

I'm just sayin, your lucky XP is even still supported...

[SteveGarbage]

SteveGarbage wrote...

Here's the official response I got from EA Support. My computer is currently at my brother's house (since I traded him) and I've had some difficulty with the newer releases of the Catalyst drivers and system stability. But if someone else out there wants to try these steps and report back, let me know how it works out:

Greetings,

Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience still caused to. I investigated the issue and could confirm in Dxdiag records that the video card is not updated.This can be caused by out of date drivers for your video adapter. You should update to the latest graphics driver available for your video adapter.

Concerned Video Manufacturer Site:
ATI Technologies Inc. - http://www.atitech.c...ort/driver.html

If you have any difficulty with this, please update this question and let me know which part you're having difficulty with so that I can walk you through it.

NOTE: Even a brand new computer could be in need of a driver update. Check with your computer or card manufacturer.

- You will also need to lower a Hardware Sound Acceleration setting on your computer to "basic". To do this, follow these steps:
· Click the Start button in the bottom left hand corner of your Desktop.
· Click on "Run".
· Erase any text already in the run prompt.
· Type in: dxdiag
· Click the OK button.
· Select the sound tab at the top of the tool.
· Set the Hardware Sound Acceleration Slider to "Basic".
· Click "Exit" in the bottom right hand corner.

Try to play the game on window XP compatibility mode.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292533

Hope this help!!!

Thank you,

Kach
Electronic Arts,
Online Customer Support.

Got this response back from EA. Since my computer is currently at my brothers (I traded him PCs temporarily since his DOES work with Dragon Age 2). One of the other people with the problem in the demo thread attempted the solution - update drivers, set sound to basic - with no results.

I've encouraged others to file trouble reports with the EA support page in hopes of getting a solution to this problem.

Still waiting for some acknowledgment from EA/BioWare that this issue will be more deeply investigated and that some sort of patch or workaround is being developed. There are several people who want to get the game but are holding off until this issue is resolved. I already have the game, but once I return my brother's PC to him, I too, will be unable to play it unless this error is resolved.

[SteveGarbage]

This issue still appears to be unresolved. I will be testing the Beta Patch that was announced, although I don't think anything in it addresses the problem that we're having.

There are many more people showing up in our Demo support thread, so I implore people to check it out. As alway, we'd appreciate some official support with this problem.

[kjdhgfiliuhwe]

Just an fyi, the game doesn't require PhysX. At all. I have it loaded on both my home comp and laptop. My laptop does not have PhysX installed and runs the game just fine on DirectX 11, High details, High Resolution Textures using the Nvidia 267.26 drivers. Well, outside of the random freezing/unresponsiveness that can sometimes occur. But, that's an entirely different matter.

So, it's very, very strange you'd even be told an error about PhysX. Not to mention, highly unlikely someone on EA support is going to be able to help with. What with the game not actually needing it.

Modifié par kjdhgfiliuhwe, 14 mars 2011 - 01:58 .

[Gorath Alpha]

Fact: there are two PhysX versions, and the one in the game installs totally automatically. It is meant for CPUs, and the game most certainly will not run without it. That is a fact. The second type runs in hardware, and specifically with nVIDIA graphics cards, so it is included in the Geforce drivers.

[SteveGarbage]

Well, since I have my brother's computer on loan, someone in the demo thread suggested temporarily disabling SSE2 somehow. If I manage to do that and the problem presents on this PC (which is running perfectly) that would pretty much declare that yes, it is a processor conflict with older, non SSE2 processors, namely the Athlon XP family which most of the people with the problem have.

[SteveGarbage]

Apparently someone in the demo thread said that the Beta Patch worked on their PhysX issue, but myself and others didn't have any luck with it. We're trying to gather more information about that person's system specs to see what may have triggered it.

[SteveGarbage]

Just to keep the topic alive and hopefully in the minds of people:
The 1.01 patch did NOT fix this problem yet. Still waiting for additional support and hope its being looked into.

[SteveGarbage]

Another week, another post. Haven't found a fix for this problem yet. Hope to see a solution soon, thanks!

[xMotorx]

If you look at the physx dll files in the dragon age 2 folder you will see that the game is using physx version 2.8.4.4. Quick google search shows that PhysX SDK 2.8.4.4 is compiled with SSE2 and the Athlon XP does not support sse2.

[SteveGarbage]

xMotorx wrote...

If you look at the physx dll files in the dragon age 2 folder you will see that the game is using physx version 2.8.4.4. Quick google search shows that PhysX SDK 2.8.4.4 is compiled with SSE2 and the Athlon XP does not support sse2.

We assumed it had something to do with SSE2, but were hoping there would be a fix for it.

[MaxPayne37]

Being below minimum specs might be the unfixable problem...

Modifié par MaxPayne37, 29 mars 2011 - 06:16 .

[mikey3k]

MaxPayne37 wrote...

Being below minimum specs might be the unfixable problem...

True, there is no guarantee that you will be able to play a game if you do not meet the minimum requirements and there is a risk it won't work at all and technically the developer is not responsible.

I believe SSE2 acceleration is an integral part of physX on the CPU so I am not sure if Bioware can fix it. But if they do get it working on a circa 2002 CPU, I'd be curious what the performance is like since the CPU would be a bottleneck compared to your more modern GPU GPU. I feel bad that you cannot play the game, good luck.

edit: When people from that thread say they ran DA:O "just fine" on practically ancient computers, I'm curious as to what "fine" means heh. 

Modifié par mikey3k, 29 mars 2011 - 08:59 .

[SteveGarbage]

mikey3k wrote...

MaxPayne37 wrote...

Being below minimum specs might be the unfixable problem...

True, there is no guarantee that you will be able to play a game if you do not meet the minimum requirements and there is a risk it won't work at all and technically the developer is not responsible.

I believe SSE2 acceleration is an integral part of physX on the CPU so I am not sure if Bioware can fix it. But if they do get it working on a circa 2002 CPU, I'd be curious what the performance is like since the CPU would be a bottleneck compared to your more modern GPU GPU. I feel bad that you cannot play the game, good luck.

edit: When people from that thread say they ran DA:O "just fine" on practically ancient computers, I'm curious as to what "fine" means heh. 

Yes, obviously there are risks to running below the minimum. I think myself and everyone else out there doing it acknowledge that.

As for SSE2 - it HASN'T been a critical part of the PhysX infrastructure until this recent version. PhysX 2.8.4.4 is the first build of the software to utilize SSE2 instructions, likewise making it the first version that won't function on older processors - notably my Athlon XP that does not have SSE2 capabilities.

As to performance - perhaps its not perfect compared to more modern computers, but I could admirably run Origins on high texture quality and high lighting effects with it really only bogging down in some areas. And Mass Effect 2 ran extremely well on my old clunker even at very high graphical settings. As a matter of fact, it ran WAY smoother than Mass Effect did on the same setup.

It's not an impossible thing to fix. For the game Dogfighter the developer released a patch that allowed "legacy" PhysX support and games like Borderlands were able to be patched to circumvent the SSE2 instructions for older computers. It's just a matter of finding the right pieces and developing a workaround.

Minimum requirements are hardly minimum. Trust me, I've been running games on a system well below the requirements of every game for about the last five years and rarely had any issues, of course, at the cost of some performance (which doesn't bother me at all, I'm used to it).

[MaxPayne37]

SteveGarbage wrote...

mikey3k wrote...

MaxPayne37 wrote...

Being below minimum specs might be the unfixable problem...

True, there is no guarantee that you will be able to play a game if you do not meet the minimum requirements and there is a risk it won't work at all and technically the developer is not responsible.

I believe SSE2 acceleration is an integral part of physX on the CPU so I am not sure if Bioware can fix it. But if they do get it working on a circa 2002 CPU, I'd be curious what the performance is like since the CPU would be a bottleneck compared to your more modern GPU GPU. I feel bad that you cannot play the game, good luck.

edit: When people from that thread say they ran DA:O "just fine" on practically ancient computers, I'm curious as to what "fine" means heh. 

Yes, obviously there are risks to running below the minimum. I think myself and everyone else out there doing it acknowledge that.

As for SSE2 - it HASN'T been a critical part of the PhysX infrastructure until this recent version. PhysX 2.8.4.4 is the first build of the software to utilize SSE2 instructions, likewise making it the first version that won't function on older processors - notably my Athlon XP that does not have SSE2 capabilities.

As to performance - perhaps its not perfect compared to more modern computers, but I could admirably run Origins on high texture quality and high lighting effects with it really only bogging down in some areas. And Mass Effect 2 ran extremely well on my old clunker even at very high graphical settings. As a matter of fact, it ran WAY smoother than Mass Effect did on the same setup.

It's not an impossible thing to fix. For the game Dogfighter the developer released a patch that allowed "legacy" PhysX support and games like Borderlands were able to be patched to circumvent the SSE2 instructions for older computers. It's just a matter of finding the right pieces and developing a workaround.

Minimum requirements are hardly minimum. Trust me, I've been running games on a system well below the requirements of every game for about the last five years and rarely had any issues, of course, at the cost of some performance (which doesn't bother me at all, I'm used to it).

Your issue may be that the latest PhysX drivers on the NVIDIA site are 9.10.0513, which according to the description, only support up to SDK 2.8.3, whereas the PhysX drivers included with the latest video drivers are 9.10.0514, which may include SDK 2.8.4 support. Maybe try downloading an NVIDIA driver that has the 9.10.0514 build in it, extract it manually, and try to just install the PhysX portion if possible?

[SteveGarbage]

MaxPayne37 wrote...

SteveGarbage wrote...

mikey3k wrote...

MaxPayne37 wrote...

Being below minimum specs might be the unfixable problem...

True, there is no guarantee that you will be able to play a game if you do not meet the minimum requirements and there is a risk it won't work at all and technically the developer is not responsible.

I believe SSE2 acceleration is an integral part of physX on the CPU so I am not sure if Bioware can fix it. But if they do get it working on a circa 2002 CPU, I'd be curious what the performance is like since the CPU would be a bottleneck compared to your more modern GPU GPU. I feel bad that you cannot play the game, good luck.

edit: When people from that thread say they ran DA:O "just fine" on practically ancient computers, I'm curious as to what "fine" means heh. 

Yes, obviously there are risks to running below the minimum. I think myself and everyone else out there doing it acknowledge that.

As for SSE2 - it HASN'T been a critical part of the PhysX infrastructure until this recent version. PhysX 2.8.4.4 is the first build of the software to utilize SSE2 instructions, likewise making it the first version that won't function on older processors - notably my Athlon XP that does not have SSE2 capabilities.

As to performance - perhaps its not perfect compared to more modern computers, but I could admirably run Origins on high texture quality and high lighting effects with it really only bogging down in some areas. And Mass Effect 2 ran extremely well on my old clunker even at very high graphical settings. As a matter of fact, it ran WAY smoother than Mass Effect did on the same setup.

It's not an impossible thing to fix. For the game Dogfighter the developer released a patch that allowed "legacy" PhysX support and games like Borderlands were able to be patched to circumvent the SSE2 instructions for older computers. It's just a matter of finding the right pieces and developing a workaround.

Minimum requirements are hardly minimum. Trust me, I've been running games on a system well below the requirements of every game for about the last five years and rarely had any issues, of course, at the cost of some performance (which doesn't bother me at all, I'm used to it).

Your issue may be that the latest PhysX drivers on the NVIDIA site are 9.10.0513, which according to the description, only support up to SDK 2.8.3, whereas the PhysX drivers included with the latest video drivers are 9.10.0514, which may include SDK 2.8.4 support. Maybe try downloading an NVIDIA driver that has the 9.10.0514 build in it, extract it manually, and try to just install the PhysX portion if possible?

As far as I'm aware, you can only get your hands on the 2.8.4 pack if you're a developer, which I'm not. But in any case, it's not a problem with the install or the files itself, I believe. The Dragon Age 2 installer properly installs the PhysX components. The problem, I believe, is that those PhysX components use a type of coding that my older processor can't compute. Basically it's like the PhysX files which use SSE2 are written in Chinese but my old processor can only read English, so to speak.