Crash on max settings in STALKER-Call of Pripyat at Quad CrossfireX

[Kesker]

The game crashes during level loading on Quad CrossfireX 6970 when
in game video options is set to max.I have to ctrl+alt+del to quit the task in order to return to desktop.

Resolution and antialiasing does not matter at this problem.

It only crashes with 4 way CrossfireX on,if i disable CF or set it to 3 way,2 way it works.

It crashed since catalyst 10.8(if we remember correct) to the cat 10.12, we tested on my brothers rig.(4x 5870 eyefinity6) So this isnt a new problem and it started with 5870s

Catalyst 10.6 and 10.7 was working with Quad Crossfire on 5870s.

Since there is no way to use cat 10.6-7 on Radeon HD 69xx family,the game is impossible to play with all possible performance on Quad Crossfire 6970.Although it works with cat 10.6-7 with 4x 5870,it doesnt have the performance improvements of the later catalyst revisions.

The benchmark works ok though.

I think catalyst team only tested game through benchmark programme,so they didnt notice this problem as there were so many performance improvement to this game in various catalyst revisions.

I dont have any problem at the other games i play.I saw some other people reporting this exact problem at catalyst threads

After i bought 6970s i thought it might work on my system since these are somewhat newgens.

When i fired the rig,i got disappointed to see the same behaviour of my bros rig which is suffering from this issue nearly 5 months.

We submitted this to catalyst crew feedback,hopefully Spyre can help so this will get sorted out faster.

EDIT : This Problem is fixed on catalyst 11.6 and later.

[Ulysses 31]

Call of Pripyat has been crashing since 10.6 orso for me when I load a game in DX10/11 and higher than medium presets. Forced to play in DX9 when I use high presets.

[bittermann]

No offense but how many people have quad crossfirex 6970's?

Your not even maxing out 2 in crossfire I bet?

I'm only complaining because I'm jealous!

[Kesker]

Originally Posted by Ulysses 31

Call of Pripyat has been crashing since 10.6 orso for me when I load a game in DX10/11 and higher than medium presets. Forced to play in DX9 when I use high presets.

Thanks Ulysses 31 ,i checked some catalyst threads to find other users experiencing these though couldnt find the people i saw earlier.(I remember your post about this)

I think there is also one more member that experiences this bug.

[Kesker]

Originally Posted by bittermann

No offense but how many people have quad crossfirex 6970's?

Your not even maxing out 2 in crossfire I bet?

I'm only complaining because I'm jealous!

Yeah i know not much people uses these setups though this games scaling is good.

I believe you heard horror stories about quad cf scaling so i uploaded some of my previous benchmarks.

Single 6970 2560x1600 4xAA maxed out settings benchmark programme

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4...60cat1012a.jpg

Quad 6970 2560x1600 4xAA maxed out settings benchmark programme

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/4...60cat1012a.jpg

The modes other than sunshafts are cpu limited(4 ghz i7 930)

[bigtabs]

Dual vs Quad benchies might be a little less kind though I'm guessing?

[Kesker]

Originally Posted by bigtabs

Dual vs Quad benchies might be a little less kind though I'm guessing?

I didnt run a dual bench,though i made a tricf benchmark because i bought last one later.

It is 87 day,81 night,85 rain,57 sunshafts at the same settings

[DON3k]

I can confirm this issue. At some point one of the Catalyst 10.x releases has broken CrossfireX in quad setup.

Clear Sky and CoP will crash in DX10 or DX11 in 4X Crossfire.

My 2xHD5970 setup will crash 100% when I attempt to start a new game or load a save if CrossfireX is enabled. If I disable Crossfire, the game then loads and runs fine using a single 5970. Its built-in crossfire works fine, so both GPUs on a single card will run the game.

DX9 will work in quad. The original Stalker, Clear Sky or CoP will all run 4xGPU if you select Enhanced Full Dynamic Lighting. This runs the game in DX9 and it will work fine. This is a completely crap solution, since who wants to run a game that utilized DX10 or more importantly DX11 in DX9 mode? Seems like all the best eye candy is noticeably missing.

I haven't tried lowering the quality of the in-game settings, to see if it would run Quad in DX10/11, but I know it will run on a single 5970 maxed out fine in both modes.

I am now running the 11.01 Hot Fix drivers with the 11.01 Crossfire profile, but this has solved nothing.

Oh, and as someone else mentioned, the Stalker CoP DX11 benchmark runs fine in Quad.

Here's my 11.01HF results:

[snedie]

I managed to diagnose the issue that causes the crash. As most of you probably know, any 32 bit application can only use around 3.8GB of RAM (iirc).

Now, due to an over site by the developers of the game, they have allowed their engine to address over this limit, resulting in an application crash. The crash happens when the game attempts to load the textures into RAM, which on a quadfire setup means a LOT of textures.

For anyone who still has the game installed I'm hoping you can verify my findings on this. Please do the following (Dual screens+ are useful - You need over 4GB RAM):

- Start task manager and place onto a screen not occupied by the game
- Start CoP
- In the options menu, set the game to Adv DX11
- Go into the Advanced page
- Set Textures to the minimum position
- Set everything else to their max
- Restart CoP
- Launch again and load your save game/start new game
- Watch your RAM usage during the map load
- If the map loads, note down the current RAM Usage
- Exit CoP, minus the system RAM usage from the note taken to give a value of RAM used by CoP

If your game failed to load the map still then you have a different issue and should not continue past this point.

Now we will test if the game will crash with max textures:

- Go into the Options menu > Under Advanced change Textures to Max
- Restart the game if told to do so
- Again, watch your RAM usage
- Load save/start new game
- The game should crash close to the end of the load screen
- When it does, note down the current RAM usage (Will be very high)
- Again shut the game down and subtract system usage from the noted total

Your result should be 3.6~3.8GB.

As you probably guessed at this point the way to prevent the crashes is to adjust the Texture settings until the RAM usage does not exceed 3.8GB (for me this was 80%).

Hope this helps some of you.

[DON3k]

Yeah, it seems that the game hits just under 3.7GB as it begins to load, then crashes.

I tried one notch down, on the texture detail, which it looks like the game clicks-down at about 25% per movement on. At 75%, it still got to 3.7 and bombed. But at 50%, the load finished at an even 3GB and launched.

I'm going to try to contact the maker of Stalker, to see if they're interested in logs, or helping to figure out the issue.

Still, wonder why DX9 works with max? Memory Usage, with Max Textures in DX9 was only 1.6GB - That's a huge difference...

BTW: I don't know if you've looked at ....Appdata/Roaming/xray engine/ but it will dump logs there. They all indicate that Out Of Memory is the error.

[snedie]

Originally Posted by DON3k

Still, wonder why DX9 works with max? Memory Usage, with Max Textures in DX9 was only 1.6GB - That's a huge difference...

BTW: I don't know if you've looked at ....Appdata/Roaming/xray engine/ but it will dump logs there. They all indicate that Out Of Memory is the error.

I think the texture sizes are heavily affected by DirectX version, how I don't know.

I did notice those logs, but I never bothered to read them. Good to know it's definitely a memory issue though. A strange thing you may want to try:

- Set the preset setting to maximum
- Enter the Advanced page
- Manually change everything back to their true max (Preset Max doesn't change AA etc)
- Set textures to 50%
- Restart the game
- Load a map
- Quit the game
- Start, go to Options>Advanced
- Set textures up a notch
- Restart if needed
- Load a map

For some reason, after performing the steps prior to "change textures to 75%" you are able to increase the texture size without to much of a RAM increase.

I managed to get my textures all the way to 100% doing this (Restart and map load prior to each step seems to be needed) and I see around 3.2GB of usage for the game (5GB~ Approx Sys Total).

[Kesker]

Thanks for messages all and thanks for info snedie.

I tried your method and it loads with texture detail at %75.It crashes at %100 with 3.5 gb ram usage.

For 5xxx Quad CrossfireX users,you can use cat 10.6 with textures at full and it will work.Though you wont have the performance improvements of the newer catalysts.(You can use newer catalyst application profiles though)

I suspect that the cat 10.6 drivers use less ram than newer drivers at this game,we didnt checked the ram usage at 10.6,so can you please try those drivers and let me know how much ram it uses?
I cant try it as i wrote before because 6970 wont work at older drivers.

I wouldnt expect a game patch as this game doesnt have a single patch according to steam history until now.

A driver fix is more realistic for now.

Also i talked with some quad sli users and they dont have this problem.

It does work with 3 gpus selected in catalyst control center regardless of texture detail,resolution,settings and driver version.

[DON3k]

I contacted a member of the team that creates the "Complete' mods for STALKER. They are supposed to be releasing their CoP 'Complete' mod on the 9th.

Here was his comments on the issue:

From: Pavel Dolgov
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 5:05 PM

Hi, I'm not aware of any solution, but I know about the issue, I think having just 2 6970s will crash the game on loading in Dx11 too.

I will post this thread on my blog too, since [CoP] Complete will have even more textures to load than vanilla.

[caveman-jim]

I think CoP has memory management problems; try launching it from a fresh boot, no other apps running.

[DON3k]

Unfortunately it's not as simple as not enough free memory, etc. The basic issue is that the 32-bit application does something 32-bit applications simply can not do - exceed the maximum memory which a 32-application can use. So if I had 12gb free RAM, this error would still happen, since the engine seems to lose its mind and goes beyond the 2GB memory limit that a 32-bit app is supposed to be limited to.

A Closer Look at 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit Windows

Most 32-bit software will still function because of a Microsoft emulation layer. This emulation layer, known as Windows on Windows 64 or WoW64, enables 32-bit programs to run as though on a 32-bit version of Windows by translating instructions passing in and out of 32-bit applications into 64-bit instructions. Emulated programs act as though they are running on an x86 computer and operate within the 2 GB of virtual memory that a 32-bit version of Windows allocates to every process. However, despite Wow64, 32-bit programs on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 cannot take advantage of the larger 64-bit address spaces or wider 64-bit registers on 64-bit processors.

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709


32-bit

Static data - 2GB
Dynamic data - 2GB
Stack data - 1GB (the stack size is set by the linker, the default is 1MB. This can be increased using the Linker property System > Stack Reserve Size)

Note that on 32-bit Windows, the sum of all types of data must be 2GB or less. The practical limit is about 1.75GB due to space used by Windows itself

64-bit

Static data - 2GB
Dynamic data - 8TB
Stack data - 1GB (the stack size is set by the linker, the default is 1MB. This can be increased using the Linker property System > Stack Reserve Size)

Note that the limit on static and stack data is the same in both 32-bit and 64-bit variants. This is due to the format of the Windows Portable Executable (PE) file type, which is used to describe EXEs and DLLs as laid out by the linker. It has 32-bit fields for image section offsets and lengths and was not extended for 64-bit variants of Windows. As on 32-bit Windows, static data and stack share the same first 2GB of address space.

Resolving the Problem

If you are running a 32-bit application, you will need to switch to a 64-bit build and run on a 64-bit variant of Windows. But even on a 64-bit variant, you must reduce the size of static data.

http://software.intel.com/en-us/arti...tions-windows/

[kn00tcn]

hey wasnt there some app or loader that lets you run 32bit apps past 2gb (up to 4)

[Ulysses 31]

Originally Posted by DON3k

Unfortunately it's not as simple as not enough free memory, etc. The basic issue is that the 32-bit application does something 32-bit applications simply can not do - exceed the maximum memory which a 32-application can use. So if I had 12gb free RAM, this error would still happen, since the engine seems to lose its mind and goes beyond the 2GB memory limit that a 32-bit app is supposed to be limited to.

the .exe file has largeaddressaware flag so the app can use more than 2gb.

[DON3k]

Yes, it can use up to 4, apparently, but the game engine, and the amount of data it attempts to load, reaches 4GB and bombs.

Here's my Task Manager, showing the XRay engine at the time of crash:



Here's some specific info, which the XRay Engine Logs will display:



As you can see, its virtual machine space reflects a 4GB system, though your system can have much more, like 6 or 12 gb of actual RAM.

Here's the info from the log:

Application: XRay Engine
Computer: GAMING-PC
User: Administrator
Date: Saturday, March 12, 2011 8:44:44 PM

Error Reason:
----------------------------------------
xrEngine.exe caused BREAKPOINT in module "g:\games\steam\steamapps\common\stalker call of pripyat\bin\xrCore.dll" at 0023:0026E12E, xrDebug::backend()+174 byte(s)

User Message:
----------------------------------------
Expression : Ran out of memory
Function : CRender::texture_load
File : D:\prog_repository\sources\trunk\Layers\xrRenderDX10\dx10Texture.cpp
Line : 414
Description : D3DX11CreateTextureFromMemory( HW.pDevice, S->pointer(),S->length(), &LoadInfo, 0, &pTexture2D, 0 )

[Dungeoncrawler]

I know with the Complete mod installed, I could run cop with textures at 75% with the hd6990. However, since adding the 6970 to the equation I cannot load the game.

[Diablow]

One of the first DX11 games and no 64 bit exe.Great job gsc.

At least you can use CFF explorer to make a laa flagg on the xrengine.exe

One 6970 is enough and 2x6970 cf is way enough vor all above >1920x1200 and 8xAA/16xAF and maybe even downsampling.quad crossfire is definitely senseless.

[Kesker]

Thanks Diablow i will try this app soon

[minaelromany]

A little showing off here








Sunshafts bench @1920x1080 and 5760x1080

QuadFire scaling is pretty good with this game and I haven't had a single crash with it

In fact , the only crashes I got with QuadFire were with Lost Planet 2 and Dirt 3

[DON3k]

Good news!

Today, for the hell of it, I fired up STALKER:COP. Not sure why, since no recent Catalyst release has made any difference, and was blown away to discover the game launched!

I checked my settings, and I'm in DX11, all sliders maxed (except AA) and yet, the game is launching!

I'm even running the STALKER:COP Complete 1.01 add-on, and it is running fine!

I know in the previous CAT 11.5, it was not working. I tried it then.

Here's a couple of screenshots, where you can see my 2X 5970s evenly loaded. Ignore GPU5 - that's an nVidia for Physx.

I'm running CAP 11.6 CAP2, in case that makes a difference, and CAT 11.6.

Here's a couple of linked screenshots showing Memory load (1.6 GB) and in-game screenshots with GPU Load and DX version displayed in the upper-right corner: SHOT1 SHOT2

Anyone else want to give it another try, and see what happens?

No build notes mentioned fixing this issue, so it could be an inadvertent fix in the latest Cat release.

I may post some further screenshots once I'm into the game further, as I wanted to quickly come and let others know, so I just grabbed a couple from the beginning of the game.

I will also try Clear Sky in DX10.1, which also used to bomb if running Quadfire.

[DON3k]

Confirmed - S:Clear Sky w/Complete 1.1.3 ran without issue in DX10.1

SHOT1 SHOT2 SHOT3 SHOT4

[graphicnoob]

Originally Posted by DON3k

Good news!

Today, for the hell of it, I fired up STALKER:COP. Not sure why, since no recent Catalyst release has made any difference, and was blown away to discover the game launched!

I checked my settings, and I'm in DX11, all sliders maxed (except AA) and yet, the game is launching!

I'm even running the STALKER:COP Complete 1.01 add-on, and it is running fine!

I know in the previous CAT 11.5, it was not working. I tried it then.

Here's a couple of screenshots, where you can see my 2X 5970s evenly loaded. Ignore GPU5 - that's an nVidia for Physx.

I'm running CAP 11.6 CAP2, in case that makes a difference, and CAT 11.6.

Here's a couple of linked screenshots showing Memory load (1.6 GB) and in-game screenshots with GPU Load and DX version displayed in the upper-right corner: SHOT1 SHOT2

Anyone else want to give it another try, and see what happens?

No build notes mentioned fixing this issue, so it could be an inadvertent fix in the latest Cat release.

I may post some further screenshots once I'm into the game further, as I wanted to quickly come and let others know, so I just grabbed a couple from the beginning of the game.

I will also try Clear Sky in DX10.1, which also used to bomb if running Quadfire.

I would go with the inadvertent fix option. This often happens where many errors are connected in to one thread and one fix seems to pass pretty smoothly through the tin can telephone if you know what I'm saying. There is always one point where the troubleshooting starts again. For example, I am integrating Rage images with my email marketing campaign and whenever I run in to issues this is my go to fix.

[DON3k]

Just a follow-up to report that my play-thru of STALKER:COP with Complete Advanced was great. No real issues and excellent game play throughout. Very stable.

[kn00tcn]

some fixes arent mentioned in any notes

[Ulysses 31]

Originally Posted by Diablow

One of the first DX11 games and no 64 bit exe.Great job gsc.

At least you can use CFF explorer to make a laa flagg on the xrengine.exe

As far as I know all S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games have LAA enabled with latest patches so why would you need to mess around with CFF explorer?

[Kesker]

I can confirm that starting with cat 11.6,this problem is fixed.

Thanks Ati for eventually fixing this bug.