Technical Problems with Fallout 2? Check here!

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:21 am

I already made similiar thread to Fallout 1 forum, and since Fallout 2 is even more buggy and have more problems to work, I saw it fit to make similiar thread here so that it would be easier to find solutions to problems conserning getting Fallout 2 work.

Again, all patches can be downloaded from No Mutants Allowed - Your Post Nuclear News Center! even the unofficial 1.05 patch, which I recommend very mutch.

Here are some basic things to do if your Fallout 2 doesn't work:
-Reboot the computer
-Install newest patch
-Reinstall the game
-If running under Win XP:
*Try to change the compatibility mode to something else (Win 95 and 98 should be good)
*If you have SP 2 installed, remove it, cause it may cause some problems.
-If running under Win7
*Make sure you install and play the game as administrator
*Compatibility mode may be needed to run the game properly
-If running with older ATI videocards, it may be necessary to use Omega drivers to get the game
working. You can find those from the manufacturer's website.

Problem: Different Problems with car (ie. disappearing, head missing...)
Solution:
This is bug, which can be corrected by patching

Problem: No cd error
Solution:
Besides what mentioned at the beginning of the post, you could try these:
Reinstall using Humongous (sp?) installation. This way, the game doesn't ask for cd. If you have this problem after patching, make sure you are using newest version or at least newer version than the game was before the patching. Also check that the patch you are using is indeed for your version of the game, cause there is several different versions available.

Problem: The game freezes and the Skill -button has turned to unusable
Solution:
If the skill -button has changed, then you are experiencing the legendary too-many-items -bug. This bug is caused by too many items in one map, including the character's inventory plus lockers and merchants' inventory in particular area. There is no way to fix this bug than loading saved game before the bug occurs. FIrst warning of the bug is that the skill -button turns to unusable. You can prevent this to happen by not having lots of items in inventory and not dumping everything in one place. Instead sell/drop things in different locations.

Problem: The game crashed when boxing in New Reno
Solution:
This is again bug, which have no way to repair, as far as I know. The boxing is VERY unstable, and the game has very high rate to crash during it. Best way to get around this is to save before every fight, so that you don't have to load too far away...

Problem: No cd -error while patching the game
Solution:
First check that the patch is for your version of the game. If this doesn't help, then it may be just random bug, that should disappear if you try long enough. Rebooting between tries can also help.

Problem: Objects starts to be drawn over character
Solution:
Besides basic stuff, you can also check if updating videocard drives or DirectX helps.

Problem: Error message "error initializing video mode" while trying to install Fallout 2 in computer with 2 videocards
Solution:
It's not quaranted, but if you disable one or both cards, the game works

Problem: Black Skilldex-button
Solution:
This is legendary too-many-items bug, more of it can be found under "The game freezes and the Skill -button has turned to unusable"

Problem: The game crashes in "Please stand by" -screen under Win XP
Solution:
End "Imgicon.Exe" task by using you taskmanager

Problem: "Can not load Font" -error
Solution:
Reinstalling with humongus should correct this, as removing SP 2 if you are using WinXP
If this does not work, then see below:
It seems that the problem is caused by corrupted master.dat file. To get around this, you must uninstall the game, delete manually all the files which were left by unistalling (one of those files is that master.dat) and after that install the game again.
If you do not remove the files manually, then the corrupted master.dat file stays.
I believe that the corruption is somehow caused by Children Patch.
Also, Xanthre posted another method to solve the problem. This method requires to edit some files as well as some copying...
[QUOTE=xanthre]
Complete installation steps via this site...(No Mutants Allowed - Your Post Nuclear News Center!) I installed the humongous install.

Now the particular problem with "couldn't find/load text fonts" is due to a mal .cfg setup. The game needs a reference point for its fonts and audio whether it be from the cd or from your harddrive.

I created a folder on my desktop to keep ALL my fallout 2 stuff organized. Therefore I now have a folder located at c:\documents and settings\"user"\desktop\fallout 2
*note: "user" = whatever your computer recognizes you as... i.e. your name, default user, etc. If you don't know, go to your start menu, click on search, type "desktop" in your text box and click search. You can find your address there.*

When you get your fallout 2 folder filled with the necessities, you are going to have to open up notepad and highlite, copy and paste this next part...

[sound]
music_path1=c:\games\fallout2\data\sound\music\
music_path2=(CDROM):\data\sound\music\

[system]
critter_dat=c:\games\fallout2\critter.dat
critter_patches=c:\games\fallout2\data
master_dat=c:\games\fallout2\master.dat
master_patches=c:\games\fallout2\data

Now... I had to change some text in here.
After each "c:\" I had to change "games" to documents and setings\myname\desktop

Careful... when I installed my game, it created another Fallout 2 folder within my already created fallout 2 folder. So in this case, I had to have two "fallout 2" in my line... thus... i.e. c:\documents and settings\myname\desktop\fallout 2\fallout 2\data\sound\music\

Be sure to type your folder names exactly as spelled... i.e. Fallout 2 not fallout2 or vice versa. Once you are finished, go to file and click on saveas.

save it as fallout2.cfg and save it in your fallout 2 folder

This error should be fixed. Good luck.

Oh yeah, don't forget to read all of the steps on that site I promoted at the top. Get the patch too and save it in your fallout 2 folder.
[/QUOTE]

Problem: The screen of game is not in correct position on screen/problems with picture
Solution:
Upgrade you videocards drives and DirectX. Also, if the above doesn't work, High Resolution Patch could fix the problem, which can be obtained from http://www.nma-fallout.com

Problem: Not enough memory -error
Solution
Patching and/or reinstalling should solve this one

Problem: The game doesn't start when you try to start it second time
Solution:
This is caused by virus. Run your virusscan

If anything new comes out, I'll update them here. Also, if you want to comment/add something, you can post them here.

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:58 am

Problem: Moving in the wilderness is very fast, thus player does not get as many encounters
Solution:
The problem can be fixed by the special patch. You can download it [url="http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/dload.php?action=file&file_id=620"]here[/url]

Problem: Car disappearing after Big Jesus teleports player to the Stables. When player leaves the Stables by stepping on the exit grid the game shows that player is in the car, but whenever enter a location the car would not be there.
Solution:
You can get around this by running in the world map, avoiding all encounters and thus avoiding entering any maps, until you run out of fuel. Car will appear in that map, and everywhere after that.
Problem: Error message stating that there is not enough memory
Solution:
This problem apparently relates to the fact that the game can not understand the size of today's HDs. So, you have to make a bit editing on fallout.cfg -file.
First, open the file, then locate the following section:

[system] <-----look under this paragraph
art_cache_size=130
cdlock=C:\Programs\mIRC\download\cdlock.dat
color_cycling=1
critter_dat=C:\Games\BlackIsle\Fallout2eng\critter .dat
critter_patches=C:\Games\BlackIsle\Fallout2eng\dat a
cycle_speed_factor=1
executable=game
free_space=20480

Don't mind about other settings, what we need to change is the one "free_space=20480". Just change the number to something else, like 0, and the game should work.

Also, as suggested by Yemetha, you could change the number to something else than 0, like 2048. This way you could avoid some further problems relating to free space, as the game can now understand the space it's trying to reserve, and has enough free space if needs arise.

Of course, you must make sure you have enough free space on your HD before trying this

)

mark0217 · Post by **mark0217** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:01 pm

I have this issue that pops up after the beginning (passing the trial), I get near the big plants near that crazy man's garden, and the screen goes black, freezing the game... I have XP with SP2 incorporated, so I can't really uninstall it... What can I do?

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:06 am

Firstly, welcome to GameBanshee!

[QUOTE=mark0217]I have this issue that pops up after the beginning (passing the trial), I get near the big plants near that crazy man's garden, and the screen goes black, freezing the game... I have XP with SP2 incorporated, so I can't really uninstall it... What can I do?

[/QUOTE]
Hmm... I remember reading of it somewhere, but can't find anymore where...
Have you tried to change the compatibility mode to something else?
Have you patched?
Have you tried to change your screen resolution and ammount of colours?
Have you tried to upgrade your videocard's drivers and DirectX?

Just some quick thoughts...

BananaFish · Post by **BananaFish** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:30 pm

Can't load

my friend gave me Fallout 2, and it's not as badly as or is as scratched up as fallout 1 ((which worked PERFECTLY)) i cleaned it like 1 or 2 times, and it comes up with an error saying it can't find the Setup.exe when i hit install, and sometimes it just craps out on me and ends up not responding... been forever playing this game, i really want to

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:44 am

Try to check if you can manually access that file by using My Computer.
If you can't then it's definately scratched cd...

At times, the ammount of scratches doesn't mean that much as how the cd has been scratched. Couple of scratched situated in exact location may cause more harm than few other scratches...

The symptons you describe definately signs for bad cd.

BananaFish · Post by **BananaFish** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:12 pm

hmm

i found Setup.exe but when i click on it, My Computer craps out on me...this sucks

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:54 am

BananaFish wrote:i found Setup.exe but when i click on it, My Computer craps out on me...this sucks

Okay, does other cds work properly? If yes, then the cd is too scratched. If no then you have problems with your cd drive.

BananaFish · Post by **BananaFish** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:56 am

yeah

my Fallout 1 works like a charm, Arcanum had a bit of some difficulty, but it actually loaded when i put the disc in for the 30th time (scared the bananas out of me, don't ask how i did it, lol) and my friend's burnt System Shock 2 worked...but i guess it narrows it down, the CD has gone to heaven, any ways i could fix this without spending a fortune on fixing the CD, this game brings back memories and i miss it dearly...yes, i am passionate about Fallout 2...:laugh: but still, any ideas/theories

Avane · Post by **Avane** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:00 am

I had a 'missing files' problem when I first tried to install Fallout 2 from the White Label DVD version distributed by GSP which has F/O, F/O2 and F/OT all on the same disc. I could play both F/O and Tactics but not F/O2 'missing video files'...Anyway, I emailed their tech support and was told to unistall the game, then physically remove all F/O2 files from my computer, then do the option for the HUMUNGUOUS install for F/O2 and voila it worked. If you're doing it from cd's don't know if you'll have the same options. But if passionate (as you say) and will to part with a very few coins; I got the dvd with all three games, for £3.29 plus p&p.

BananaFish · Post by **BananaFish** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:08 pm

thanks

i already have 1, and i am not a big fan of tactics, see, it gets to the Autoplay screen, i hit install, and it craps out, i think the CD is dead, so i need a new CD or like, how do i clean it without having to spend like 20 some odd bucks on a cd resurfacer

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:35 pm

BananaFish wrote:i already have 1, and i am not a big fan of tactics, see, it gets to the Autoplay screen, i hit install, and it craps out, i think the CD is dead, so i need a new CD or like, how do i clean it without having to spend like 20 some odd bucks on a cd resurfacer

Well, not sure how easi it is to get those in your country, but at least here I found pack of cd cleaning towels very cheaply, about 10 euros one pack, which contains about 200 such small towels... You could try to search your local pc store...

Also, you should be able to find totally new cd as well very cheaply... If none of your local stores sell it, then you could try to look from places like Amazon or Ebay...

rmkryan · Post by **rmkryan** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:34 am

Patch Download

How do you properly download nd install a .rar file?

KINGPIN13 · Post by **KINGPIN13** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:03 pm

New Age problem

Ive been playing all fallouts since day one stopped but went back to tactics now.I run the game but it crashes down my whole computer after 5 mins of play.anyone know what could it be??

nugiyen · Post by **nugiyen** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:54 pm

Ok, im in a pickle.

The error you pointed out error initializing video mode, is fixed by disabling the videocard, yes. My problem is i'm able to load the game but after that I only get a green or black screen(I even see all the intro movies fine).

The reason of course can only be that I do not have a videocard enabled running it solely through windows standard settings.

Now here is my problem, im running it on a labtop, and I do not have any way of changing my video card or adding an extra/different one so disabling it isnt really an option for me. It's a Via chrome9 HC IGP (S3?).
I have also have had a hard time trying to track down a diffenret driver or anything like that.

So if anyone know a solution to my problem it would be much apreciated.
As a side note, I have tried all the other suggested solutions that I could find on this site and google, mostly consisting of administrative rights, compatebilities, changing resolutions, chaning colors in different ways.

darkman1111 · Post by **darkman1111** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:24 pm

hi all,i just wanted to play fo2 in xp sp2 windows,i intalled the game but im getting this error :
Problem: The game crashes in "Please stand by" -screen under Win XP
Solution:
End "Imgicon.Exe" task by using you taskmanager

...Only thing is that there is no imgicon.exe in my taskmanager,i just freeze after 1 second when the stand by mode of the game ends..any idea?thanks.

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:48 am

Sorry for the late response.

You could try to check if there is some other application that causes this error. The work to find it can be tedious, but it may help.

First of all I suggest you to remove your computer from any internet connection. This is because if you happen to accidentally shut down something related to your virus scan or firewall, nothing is able to enter your computer.

After that, start closing programs from the Task Manager one at a time. Between each program, try to run Fallout. If the problem exists, close another program. Keep in mind which program you have closed last as if the game starts running properly, you have found the cause of the problem.

After you have done this reboot your computer to reeactive all the programs again. Now, only end the task you ended last before the game begin running properly. Start the game and see if it works. If it does, the problem is solved. If doesn't, then you have to repeat the searching. To do this reboot your computer, end the task that you have already found out, then start endind tasks again in order, starting the game between each task. Do this untill you have found out the second cause.

Do the last part untill you have found all the tasks which need to be ended before the game launches correctly. Just remember to reboot the computer each time you have found new task that may cause the problem. Also be sure that your computer is not connected to internet while doing this just to secure your computer. After you have found the task or tasks, if you aren't 100% sure none of them have anything to do with the security of your computer, you must disconnect your computer from web before ending those tasks and running the game, and rebooting the computer after quiting playing and reconnecting again.

This may help you if the problem lies in the tasks your computer is running. I have solved couple of such problems with this solution.

PsychoGoatee · Post by **PsychoGoatee** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:48 pm

Hi, I'm getting the "couldn't find/load text fonts" error when I try to load up Fallout 2.

I've installed the official 1.02d patch, and I've tried everything suggested. I have all humongous install with all the required files, the cd in the drive, my config file matches the actual file locations, etc.

Still get that error whenever I try to load up the game, so I can't play it.

Any suggestions?

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:56 am

Steve's XP Games Corner

This *might* help you.

fallout2boy · Post by **fallout2boy** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:42 pm

Task manager open trouble

My fallout 2 freezes at stand by screen (only loads it about 1/6 of the way before freezing) i saw your P and S on how to fix that and when i try to open/ alt+tab as soon as it shows up on my screen fallout 2 closes