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Posted this first in the TIR 2 section ; should have been here!

posted December 30, 2005 03:38 PM
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Hi -- been a while. Posting here ( edit: see above ), but it doesn't really belong here other than I have a TIR 2 -- serial #15370, using software version 3.13. However, this issue is affecting some TIR 3 and TIR 4 users with this sim also.

Without going into a lot of background, the sim has a crash problem for many that has become known as the English Text crash -- so-called because the BoB.exe has a internal name of battle of britain english text.exe, and Windows XP generates this as the 'offending' cause of the crash.

What has been discovered, for myself and another user who tested it first, is that XP SP2 has a feature included called 'software Data Execution Prevention' ; what it does, as simply as I can put it, is lock certain memory registers from executing code. Allegedly, this helps prevent the execution of malicious code. It's more involved, but, trying to keep this short.

It has been suspected that TIR was contributing to these crashes, so as a test, we configured the XP SP2 DEP feature to 'ignore' our bob2 and TrackIR executables. Interestingly, this has proven to be highly successful -- I went from one ET crash every 15-20 minutes, to none at all -- until yesterday.

I might also note here : prior to trying this DEP thing, I had reduced my ET crashes to almost zero by flying the sim WITHOUT TIR enabled. This, and what occurred yesterday, is why I am posting this today.

There is a line in the BoB2 config text file ( BDG.txt ) that allows you to disable TIR in external view; I prefer this, as in BoB2:WOV the external TIR is reversed ( that is, up is down, left is right, etc. ). So, I tried it out yesterday to see how it works.

And got the ET crashes repeatedly. I reset the line in the text file to re-enable TIR for external, and am back to being stable once more.

Upshot of it is, there does seem to be a problem with TIR ( be it 2, 3, or 4 ) and the sim. We users do not know if it is TIR ( all of us are using it in other sims fine ) or somehow in the way BoB2:WOV implements it. The user with TIR 4 was using a TIR 1 when he first started flying BoB2:WOV, and he had none of the problems -- it wasn't until he obtained his TIR 4 that the ET errors began. With my TIR2, they have been there since release.

There are many more posts on this at the Shockwave Tech forums for BoB2, but it was felt that Naturalpoint might want to be aware of it also...in the hope that maybe this was something you might have a answer for. It isn't that we suspect the crash to be totally TIR caused, but it does somehow seem to be involved. By excluding it from XP SP2's DEP routine, two of us have had the crashes almost stop completely, and others have had varying degrees of success. What makes this hard is that the error crash message is a pretty generic Windows message, giving no real clue as to what exactly causes it -- and, unless the code specifically implements the DEP routines, DEP will never be mentioned as a cause -- rather, the old standby 'Exception Access Violation' is given.

Ok...whew...sorry about the length. So....any clues? Ring any bells? Any suggestions?

Now, now -- EXCEPT that!

Hi folks,

Came over to ask about this same problem also.

I can't really add much to what Nealg already said. I'm the user he refers to who had no problems with BOBII and TIR1, but then got repeated English Text crashes when I went to the new TIR4. I turned DEP 'off' for both BOBII and TIR4 on or about 12/21, and have since not had any crashes. Time will tell, though.

The only thing I can add is that I have no problem with the BOBII option to turn TrackIR off in external view. Unlike Nealg's situation, that option works ok for me.

Anything you could come up with or suggest would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Brigs
42298

I am a bit concerned that nobody from NaturalPoint has attempted to answer the abnove problems.

I do, however, have several of my own which have led me to switch off Vector Expansion.

1. When 3d starts, the view can be anywhere and has to be re-centred manually using the TIR centre hotkey.
2. After looking around and particularly after trying to follow a turning enemy, I have to manually re-centre ad nauseam.
3. When I have the enemy in my sights, I have to switch TIR off completely in order to re-centre the reticule in the gunsight.
4. If I look any where other than dead ahead, the reticule 'floats' around both in and out of the cockpit.

If I switch VE off completely within the game, then all of the above problems go away. True, I can no longer 'zoom' backwards and forwards, or peer along the outside of the aircraft but it is worth it.

It seems that I still have to wear the special fitting on my cap to make 2dof function. If I turn my cap round, to use the reflector on the back band, TIR fails to function at all! Can't fathom out this one. I think it is necessary as I get a brief 'split' screen as I look left/right.

I have Pro3. Please don't tell me I need TIR4. I won't buy it because as soon as I do, you will announce TIR5!

Automatic update check tells me I am using the latest version of your software.

[ February 15, 2006, 03:32 AM: Message edited by: borton ]

I will have to test this myself and get back with you. I have not had a chance to test until now.

The problem with the reticle is the same as the problem with the reticle in CFS3. It should be a reflective reticle that only shows up correctly when you are look directly down the sight.

Unfortuneately, niether of the cfs's that support 6dof have reflective reticles modeled which is a pretty sorry oversight.

There is little to no hope for CFS3 but hopefull shockwave will fix this problem because it sure takes away from the fun of having 6dof in a combat flight sim if you cant sight in enemy planes.