Error when launching game after update

[Wrapye]

<p>After getting the update to test, I launched the game, and got the following at the 'adding character to zone' part.  I was launching to character select, not to a particular character.</p><p><img src="http://www.duckandcats.com/images/error.jpg" width="513" height="191" /></p><p>I'm using the default UI, no eq2maps or such.  The game is installed on the E: drive, but there is no directory structure like that present.  Running Nvidia GTX260 with 182.50 drivers on WinXP x64.  I did a full file scan, no change.</p>

[Greyquill]

<p>I would try this post in the support forums first <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=419917">http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=419917</a></p><p>I had this exact same problem last summer. I traced my particular issue back to a window auto-update. Had to actually downgrade my video driver via the manufacturers website. Good luck. This particular error is nasty to work around.</p>

[Dirty Jack Rackham]

<p>Someone else in another thread mentioned this error. <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?start=240&topic_id=444895#5032201" target="_blank">Here's the link.</a> You might want to give their solution a try and see if it works for you too. The error may be related to GPU shadows with AntiAliasing turned on. Apparently they don't play so well together.</p>

[Wrapye]

<p>Interesting.  I don't have the issue with the Live version of the game, never had.  I've tried updating the drivers to the most recent version and still have the error.  I can't find the recommended version of driver for my OS in the NVidia archives (for some reason their archives for WinXP x64 ends somewhere in 2007, even though I know they have had drivers for it all along.  They just aren't maintainig the archive page for some reason).</p><p>I hope I don't have this issue when live hits, and I really would like to test some of these changes now.</p>

[Dirty Jack Rackham]

<p>They just reintroduced GPU shadows. Since this isn't available on the live servers yet, it wouldn't be an issue. Check and see if disabling Anti Aliasing helps.</p>

[Wrapye]

<p>No dice.  Found 182.08 drivers for XP x64 via Google.  I went to Guru3D.  The driver remover that had been there had been pulled at the request of the authors, but they had another that they recommended that was shareware/freeware.  Ran it twice in Safe Mode to make sure all was gone, installed 182.08.  Same error.  Disabled AA (and AF for good measure).  Same thing.</p><p>Now, the new shadow model had been on Test before, when they were working on GU51.  No problems then, but that might have been with an earlier build of video drivers as well as whatever changes they made to the shadows.  Live works fine, which is why I didn't change the DirectX9.c drivers, though maybe I should check to see if those have changed recently as well.</p>

[Wrapye]

<p>Found a more recent version of DirectX9c that came out in March.  Installed that.  No change.</p>

[R/T93]

<p>Thats the same exact error people are getting trying to enable GPU shadows with AA enabled.</p><p>I think your config is trying to force your shadows on, and its instantly crashing.</p>

[Wrapye]

<p>Okay, removed a line from the eq2.ini file about aa and edited the eq2_recent.ini to make shadow type 1 instead of the 2 it was.  Now I can launch.</p><p>Not being able to have AA enabled with the GPU shadows is something that should have been caught before getting to test, IMO.</p>