FF8 (pc)..Parade Video Crashing... *help*!

[Evisc]

Recently installed ff8 and have been enjoying it very much.  It plays great on my system, graphics are smooth as a babys bottom (thanks to AA), and have had nary a problem....until...the FMV that takes place when Renoa visits the sorceress/parade(disc 1).  That particular FMV crashes my system for some reason, despite all the FMVs prior to that one working just fine.

This is what happens:  The video starts fine, but as the sorceress walks outside, the fmv freezes momentarily, then it crashes my system to desktop, every time.  I can't figure out why, because all the other fmv's run perfect up to this point.  I normally run in fullscreen with 3d acceleration and high res video.  So, I tried software mode, I tried quarterscreen, and I tried low res video and turning AA off.  Interestingly, the video plays longer if I run with hi res and AA on and full screen.  It crashes sooner on other settings.  Go figure.

Heres my specs:
1.1ghz cpu
win me
GF 4 4400ti
256 ram
pioneer 16X dvd/40X cd
sound blaster live

Is there any way at all around this?  Some kind of work around or am I screwed?  I can't believe I'm going to miss the rest of this great game cuz of this! :erm:   Thanks.

EDIT:  Also, it is patched with the nvidia fix.

[Aaron]

Hmm, as with my last post, I think it's a data problem / CD scratch.  Does the CD look scratched at all?

Open the configurator and go to the Graphics section and tell it to use Low-Res movies.  The movies won't look as good but it'll use a different file, so maybe you can get past that FMV and turn the High-res movies back on.

[Evisc]

Thanks for the reply.  Actually, it gets further into the video on hi res video vs. low res video.  And the cd is in great shape.  It has a few VERY tiny scratches, but not big enough to interfere, or so I thought.  <sigh>


Maybe some kind soul can send me a pc savegame for right after that Parade sequence on disk one?!?!? :love:

[Goku7]

Fascinating.  I've had similar problems in the past on the ending movies of the 4th CD, it'd freeze completely about halfway thru.  Go figure. :p

Oh, yeah, what OS are you using?  I know that XP has problems with FF7, so I'm guessing that it can also have problems with FF8 too.

Still, I think the problem lies in that card in your comp that bears the evil nVidia logo.  The games weren't designed with them in mind in the first place, you know, so it might be that the cards still aren't fully supported.

[Evisc]

Win ME.  Whats strange is it runs all the other fmv's fine.  Just not that one.  I have even tried software renderning.  I hate computers ehhe.

[Goku7]

Since the FMV is essentially using the DirectDraw routines instead of D3D (because its not displaying polygons), switching to software rendering usually would not have any effect on the FMV's freezing or not-freezing.

It is starting to sound like a bad disc..........WAIT!!!!!!!!

Duh, why didn't I see it before?  It's probably WinME.  That OS usually has a tendency to crash whenever you're doing a particularly critical job in any application.  Compared to Win98SE, its not very stable, even by Win9x kernal standards.

Finally, is DirectX updated to the latest version?  That may solve some problems.

[Aaron]

Download Qhimm's FF8FMV and try to extract that movie from the CD.  If it gives you a data read error, there's probably something wrong with your CD.

[Evisc]

Yup..its the cd.  I tried to extract movies from all 4 cds.  Got em all to work, except disc one.  It extracts halfway through disc one then says "stream read error" or something like that.  <Begins to cuss under his breath>  Guess I'm screwed.

BTW, I have never had a problem with win me.  Never crashes or otherwise.  And ff8 is the only game I have probs with, so works for me.

[Goku7]

There may yet be a way out.  Do you have a CD burner?  Sometimes when you burn a damaged CD, the burner is able to reconstruct the data and write it correctly on the new copy.

I do need someone to back me up on this, though, since I think the only edvidence I have for that is just "here-say", so it may or may not be true.

[TrAzI]

if i had that problem i would try it because hey it wouldnt hurt but if it doesnt read write then u just wasted a cd-r but hey i wouldnt hurt to try.

TrAzI

[atzn]

Or I tell u what Evisc.... upload your savegames to some where (b4 crash)... I get pass through that area and send u the savegame back.  

[Aaron]

Well, dunno about that burner-reconstructing-data bit, because when you copy a CD its pretty much a byte-for-byte copy I guess, and it can't copy what it can't read.

Possible solution:  There's a store near here that'll take a scratched CD and put it in this machine that like re-surfaces it (the data is not actually on the surface of the CD... in fact, its closer to the label side than the shiny side) for a couple of bucks.  I know several people who have had this done and it's supposed to always work unless the CD is scratched so deeply that you can see straight through it.  Maybe you can find some place that has one of those things near you?

[Evisc]

Ok I took it to a local game shop here and they "repaired" it.  Now the cd has some faint spiral pattern to it, but its good and shiny.  Anyway, I can see one small fleck on the surface.  And sure 'nuf, it still can't get past that movie.  Game of frisbee, anyone?  I hate that you can only find this game used (for pc anyway), it was quickly becoming my favorite game ever!

Hey FFTactic_boy, would it work if I just emailed the savegame to you?

[atzn]

Ok I took it to a local game shop here and they "repaired" it.  Now the cd has some faint spiral pattern to it, but its good and shiny.  Anyway, I can see one small fleck on the surface.  And sure 'nuf, it still can't get past that movie.  Game of frisbee, anyone?  I hate that you can only find this game used (for pc anyway), it was quickly becoming my favorite game ever!

Hey FFTactic_boy, would it work if I just emailed the savegame to you?

Sure, why not.

e-mail address: [email protected]
And er, just a small warning. Please put your subject as "It's Evisc here" or "FF8 Savegames by Evisc" because I delete mails from unkown people. Thanks.... I'm pretty sure I can get past that part, because I've re-played FF8 on my PC.... infact.  

[Evisc]

Thanks FFTactic_Boy, it's on its way.  I hope this does the trick!

[atzn]

Evisc, I've bypassed that area and saved it for you. I've also included my savegame, just incase if yours doesn't work. Further instructions are included in the e-mail.  

[Evisc]

Let me say that FFTactic_Boy is quite a guy!  He got me past the bad part of the disc, thus saving this very hard to find game!  

I found the culprit, a tiny scratch on the printed side of the disc.  Held up to a light bulb, a pin point of light was coming through, so I was missing that  tiny bit of data.  

Once again, thanks FFT... you're a lifesaver!

[atzn]

I do not think I deserved to be called a 'lifesaver' but I'm just helping out because I'm a bit bored.... anyway I'm just trying my best to help people out in this board, and I'm sure that is why such place exists. FF gamers to help FF gamers.  

As for you disc.... I'm sorry to hear that, well personally I wouldn't buy 2nd hand stuffs (such as ebay)... probably the seller knew that the 1st disc was faulty..... but considering the rarity of FF8, I understand your situation.

Anyway....... have fun with FF8.  

[Evisc]

If only I could find it new, I would snap it up!  But its so hard to find even used hehe.

[The SaiNt]

Another solution is to get someone to make patch of the missing data for you.
Then burn yourself a new disc.

[Rubicant]

ok..you said that a small hole was in a disc, this meaning that you were missing a tiny bit of data. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this error probably goes back to the manufacturing of the disc. Considering the fact that you took the disc to be "repaired" at the game store, your story may not be believable. If you hadn't done anything with the disc beforehand, you could've just sent it in to the manufaturor.

When my dog shredded my ff7 installation disc I threw away all the bits and pieces, so I screwed myself out of a new one. Apparently it's too late for you, as well.

Edit: (Aww crap I didn't realize this topic was so old!!!! Sorry, y'all...)

[atzn]

ok..you said that a small hole was in a disc, this meaning that you were missing a tiny bit of data. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this error probably goes back to the manufacturing of the disc. Considering the fact that you took the disc to be "repaired" at the game store, your story may not be believable. If you hadn't done anything with the disc beforehand, you could've just sent it in to the manufaturor.

When my dog shredded my ff7 installation disc I threw away all the bits and pieces, so I screwed myself out of a new one. Apparently it's too late for you, as well.

He bought the disc from Ebay and apparently the guy who sold him the disc might have known about this anyway.......  

Well anyway.... sorry to hear about your case (FF7 disc wrecked by dog).

[Rubicant]

ok..you said that a small hole was in a disc, this meaning that you were missing a tiny bit of data. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this error probably goes back to the manufacturing of the disc. Considering the fact that you took the disc to be "repaired" at the game store, your story may not be believable. If you hadn't done anything with the disc beforehand, you could've just sent it in to the manufaturor.

When my dog shredded my ff7 installation disc I threw away all the bits and pieces, so I screwed myself out of a new one. Apparently it's too late for you, as well.