Total FF7 Game Crash

[Oberon227]

First I'd like to say, Qhimm, great forum.  I just borrowed FF7 from a friend and started playing it, and I've been surfing this forum for a while trying to get FF7 to run better.

I'm having a problem running FF7 now.  I have W98SE, NVidia GForce3, and a secondary video card, an NVidia 16 Mb card.  My problem is that I reciently formatted my computer and I didn't have the GART drivers installed for my GForce.  So it was running in PCI mode.  FF7 worked fine and I was happy.  But then I realized my oversite and installed the GART drivers and now FF crashes immediately.  No Eidos intro, no nothing.  Just a resolution change and a blank screen.  I have the latest DirectX, video drivers, Riva Tuner, FF7 Config V 1.02.  I've tried many things to get it to work and nothing has worked yet.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated since I think I'm starting to exibit withdrawl symptoms.
Thanks

[Threesixty]

Are you trying to run FF7 in hardware mode? Does it work okay in Software mode? Does the 8 bit pallet test say pass?

If so, you need the FF7config.exe from the TNT patch.
Copy that over......Don't check any of the nvidia options....select your Hardware mode.....

That usually works.

But, something isn't right......
Normally the hardware mode wouldn't even be an option in the regular FF7config.exe, because it won't be an option, that's why you must use the FF7config from the TNT patch, so the option will be there.....

But you say you have two video cards? Well....I guess the above won't work....could be that you have a video card confict and loading those drivers woke up the sleeping video card....and instant 3d conflict. Might have to remove that unused videocard....and if it's intergrated....you'll have to hope that there is a jumper or something in bios to deactivate it....if not........your stuck.

Hopefully you just installed the whole TNTpatch....if you did that, you did it wrong....Don't use the FF7.exe from the patch or you'll get a black screen. The FF7.exe from the patch only works if the 8 bit pallet says failed and if you check the TNT options in the FF7config.exe.....you can fail it with Rivatuner.....but it's easier just using the FF7config.exe methiod I discribed in the beginning.

[Oberon227]

Don't use the FF7.exe from the patch or you'll get a black screen.

*sigh.
Thank you very much.  Somehow I didn't realize that I shouldn't copy FF7.exe from the patch and that was my problem.
Just in case you're curious, my GForce is on my AGP bus, but my other card is on one of my PCI busses.  I would suggest two monitors to anyone.  It's really nice.  

Slightly off topic as well, but I've noticed that just about everyone says to disable the 8-bit textures as a way to fix the strange text in hardware mode.  During all this I also noticed that disabling 8-bit textures in RivaTuner cause FFConfig to detect a fail and automatically set the rendering mode back to Software.  That's why the NVidia check box is there because that disables the 8-bit pass/fail.  Anyone who reads this might want to check that out.  It might just be me though, but I'm just happy FF works again.
Thanks again.

[Aaron]

You should use FF7.exe and FF7Config.exe from the patch, and disable 8-bit Palleted textures using RivaTuner, and run the game in TNT mode.  With the TNT box checked, you should be able to select Hardware Accelleration even though it failed 8-bit palleted textures.  If you are using the original FF7.exe instead of the patched one, the game will crash if you try to run in TNT mode.  (The game will also crash if you try to run in TNT mode with 8-bit palleted textures enabled.)  Anyway, that should fix the text problem.

[Oberon227]

Ok, thanks Aaron.  That does clear up the text problem with Direct3D, but now I have a problem with gridlines apearing all over the screen.  I remember reading something about that in the forums here, so I'll take a look for it.  But if you have a link, or the solution, that'd be apreciated.
Thanks guys.  I feel like such a newbie.  

[Aaron]

Erm, check your graphics card and disable any FSAA or Antistrophic Filtering.

In Windows XP with an nVidia graphics card:
Right-click Desktop -> Properties
"Settings" tab
"Advanced" button
Pick the tab for your GFX card.
Go to the "Performance and Quality" setting.
(I think this should be the same in Win98)

If these are set to "Application Controled" they should be ok, but if you still have a problem, try forcing them both to "off."

[The Skillster]

if you still want to use FSAA, please check the FSAA thread somewhere in the Game Tweaking Forum
http://forums.qhimm.com/viewtopic.php?t=2549

[Oberon227]

I tried both Application Controled and Off Aaron, but neither worked.  Thanks anyway.  I guess I'll just stick to Software Rendered.  I have a decient processor and it's not like I'm running a state of the art game right?  
Thanks for all your help guys.

[Oberon227]

I know I'm not supposed to post two posts in a row, but this one is completely different.

Unfortunately while trying to get it back to a software rendering mode, I've somehow messed it up again.  So please remind me what a working configuration should be.
Sould

Original FF7.exe
TNT Patched FFConfig.exe (but not on NVidia mode)
8-bit textures enabled
On Software Render mode

be a working configuration?
I had it working a few minutes ago, then I tried the hardware mode!  This is so frustrating...

[Aaron]

Hmm, try with both original files.  I don't think you need the patched FFConfig.exe to run on software mode.  8-bit textures shouldn't matter one way or the other -- you should leave it on to avoid messing up other games.

Or you could try with both files patched.  This should also be fine in software mode.

[Threesixty]

...If it worked before, just uninstall the game and reinstall it.....I think your saves will still be there; but you might want to copy them somewhere just in case. What exactly is it doing....because Software mode should work regardless of the TNT patch.



Those are the only two methiods of getting hardware mode working.

One you need Rivatuner.....and need to disable 8 bit pallet and use the whole patch and the other is to just copy over the FF7config.exe file; which I think is better, because you don't get the Odin glitch...or the wind glitch. (there is a part in the game where you have to pass a creavis with wind and one has a tornado....the animation won't show using the Rivatuner methiod.)

As for the Gridlines.....that's a pretty common side effect. It's usually going to be the anti-alaising....but I found that sometimes it's the leveling... I have no idea what leveling is, but somewhere in Rivatuner, In textures, I thing....it's buried in a button called, Textures. There is a place where you can force levels. Forcing the level to zero, would get rid of the gridlines.

They moved it in the newer Rivatuner, though.... it used to be right on the "Main" Texture Tab menu, but now I think it's under optimize or something. I don't have Rivatuner on this "work" WinNT machine I'm using now....so I can't tell you exact instructions. Maybe tonight, if I remember.

BTW: FF7 works okay on my machine....but I'm still using an old Geforce 2 card and Win98SE.

[Aaron]

The other is to just copy over the FF7config.exe file; which I think is better, because you don't get the Odin glitch...or the wind glitch.

The problem with this one is the text gets messed up on a GeForce3+.  However, you may be able to fix the text by using older drivers.

[Oberon227]

And now, this is where it gets better.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling and it still doesn't work.  I'm going to try again and let it do it's own thing (default install options).  Unfortunately I won't have time for the next day or two, but I'll let you guys know how it turns out when I do.

However, thanks for the advice on the gridlines Threesixty.  If I get it working and that happens again, I'll try the leveling thing.

[Oberon227]

Finally!  
It's working.  A few uninstalls and reinstalls and a DirectX reinstall later, it's working.  It's in Software mode, but it works in Hardware mode too, but with the font coruption, and I don't feel like trying to fix it and breaking the game again.

But thanks for you help guys.  It was apreciated.  And now off to play a few hours worth.