Larian Studios Forums Divinity II The Dragon Knight Saga / Flames of Vengeance (English) Technical problems [PC] Support FAQ - The Dragon Knight Saga

1/ Support Introduction (Hotfixes, Patches, Support Tool) [UPDATED 10 November 2010]
2/ Known problems and Troubleshooting
3/ Recommended System Requirements
4/ Minimum System Requirements
5/ How to find posts that may already have the answer to the question I have?
6/ Where can I find the manual of Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga?
7/ Where can I find the readme.txt file of Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga?
8/ Can’t find a solution to your problem?
9/ Good to know
10/ First Aid topics
11/ Technical forums
12/ Websites
13/ Social Communities
14/ When I try to play I can only see the interface, the rest of the screen is black.
15/ The game seems to be waiting for a disc.
16/ The world won't show.
17/ Having graphical problems
18/ A heads up on the frame rate of 30 FPS [UPDATED 10 November 2010]
19/ Hotfixes and the Support Tool
20/ I can't get the game to run, spinning logo in the bottom corner and then the game crashes
21/ My game keeps crashing after the ending video, preventing me from using my save to continue with the add-on Flames of Vengeance.
22/ Crash to desktop
23/ Crash after selecting new game
24/ Crash on each video or movie scene
25/ Crash after ending video of ED
26/ Difficulty slider is missing or invisible
27/ Characters and assets are transparent and/or assets look like shadows
28/ The Dragon Stone is not working
29/ Gamelogic freezes but visual still updated, cannot move anymore
30/ I have F-Secure Internet Security and now my game won't run anymore
31/ Sending us your save game: how to and which information to include in your email

1/ Support introduction

If you encounter difficulties installing or running Divinity II - The Dragon Knight Saga or Divinity II - Flames of Vengeance, do not hesitate to contact our technical support department by email or via the official forum.

Before contacting support, we suggest that you first try to install the hotfixes / patches listed below and check our technical support forums:
http://www.larian.com/forums/

Hotfixes / Patches
Hotfixes and patches for The Dragon Knight Saga
Hotfixes and patches for Flames of Vengeance

Support Tool
Should this not help you, please download and run the following support tool which will create a diagnostic report.
Please send the report.xml generated by the tool to support@larian.com together with the following information:

1/ Name of the game?
2/ Type of problem? In order to help you most effectively please describe the problem as clearly as possible.
3/ When does this problem occur?
4/ Does this problem occur each time?
5/ It's possible that support will ask you to provide us with DirectX Diagnostic report. If you already attach it to your initial mail, it will allows us to offer you faster support.

-click Start
-click Run
-in the Open box, type dxdiag and then click OK
-in the tool that pops up, click the button "Save All Information" and choose a location for the file.
-attach this file to your email.

6/ It will also help us if you can send a screenshot of the error message.

2/ Known problems and troubleshooting

* On some systems, switching between Divinity II - Ego Draconis and Divinity II - Flames of Vengeance may take some time and may briefly show a black screen.

* To be up to date on the latest version, you should install the latest patch of the game available on www.divinity2-saga.com

* Do not play with a No DVD crack or with an illegal version of the game. The game contains hidden security measures which will degrade game functionality in case it detects a crack is being used. One example is the inability to jump, but there are plenty of others.

* Make sure you meet the minimum specs. These can be found on the box.

* Adjust the options to your specs. If you're trying to play on high or extreme, and you're experiencing stuttering, adjust your options. Try to put your settings on high instead of extreme. Work down from there.

* The latest version of DirectX9.0c needs to be installed. Also on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

* Install the latest version of PhysX and the Visual C++ redistributables. Up to date versions at time of release can be found on the DVD in the support directory or online at the following links:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...0ff-b072-9112bab119c2&displaylang=en
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...ab7-a40d-3802b2af5fc2&displaylang=en


* Update your graphics and audio drivers as well as your Operating System.

* If you have a dual core AMD CPU, try installing AMD's very own Dual-Core Optimizer and other CPU related drivers. Re-installing these can help if you have severe stuttering.

* If you get the error message "couldn't create renderer", change your desktop resolution to a lower resolution, and try starting the game. In the game's options screen, check the box that says "don't use desktop resolution" and apply.

* Another way to resolve the "couldn't create renderer" error message is to put the windows font size to 100%. Larger values can cause the error message.

* If you are a developer yourself, don't run the game with DirectX in debug.

* Don't try loading a save game that was created with a newer version of the game.

* Disable Crossfire / SLI for this game.

* If you are on Windows Vista / Windows 7, disable desktop composition.

* The game uses WMV which is natively supported by Windows. Do not install extra codecs. Some strange codecs or packs may have messed up your codec database and may have affected WMV playback. In some cases, codec related problems have lead to the game crashing before or after the main menu.

* If the intro movie does not play, you need to:

a/ download and install the WM9 Codecs from Microsoft's website here

b/ download and install the hotfix that is described in this Microsoft article:
32bit XP
64bit XP

* If you are experiencing securom problems and the DVD is not recognized anymore, where once it was, try disabling antivirus software when launching the game. Also do not run DVD emulation software.

* If you are experiencing behavior similar to playing with a No DVD crack, but you are playing with the normal EXE and with the DVD in the drive, check the DVD disc and your disc drive, and contact SecuRom Support.

* During compatibility testing we have noticed that on some systems performance can increase by disabling PhysX acceleration in the nVidia control panel (or setting it to CPU)

* If you are experiencing stuttering, please close any background applications that could be the cause of this. (Virus scanners, optimization tools ...)

* If you are having trouble using the middle mouse button in the game, please verify you have set the middle mouse button correctly in your windows mouse settings or mouse brand specific software.

3/ Recommended System Requirements

Operating system
Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2, Microsoft® Windows Vista® **

Processor
Intel® Core™2 Duo 2.6 Ghz or equivalent

RAM
2 GB for Windows® XP, 3 GB for Windows Vista® / Windows Vista® 64

Graphics card*
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 with 512 MB RAM or equivalent

Optical Drive
DVD-ROM

Sound card
DirectX® 9.0c compatible sound card

DirectX®
DirectX® 9.0c

Minimum required hard disc space
13 GB

--

* Divinity II will not work on integrated graphics cards.
** You will be required to install DirectX 9.0c to run the game. DirectX 9.0c is included with this copy of the game.

4/ Minimum System Requirements

Operating system
Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2, Microsoft® Windows Vista® **, Microsoft® Windows 7

Processor
Intel® Core™2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or equivalent

RAM
1024 MB for Windows® XP, 2048 MB for Windows Vista® and Windows 7

Graphics card*
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7600 series with 256 MB RAM or equivalent

Optical Drive
DVD-ROM

Sound card
DirectX® 9.0c compatible sound card

DirectX®
DirectX® 9.0c ®

Minimum required hard disc space
13 GB

--

* Divinity II will not work on integrated graphics cards.
** You will be required to install DirectX 9.0c to run the game. DirectX 9.0c is included with this copy of the game.

5/ How to find posts that may already have the answer to the question I have?

One of the key benefits of the forum is that it enables commonly asked questions to be answered once, for the benefit of all. Before posting your question, it is always worth checking to see if it has already been asked - and answered! You can do this via the Search function.

Using the Search function, you can perform a quick keyword search, or click on the "Advanced" button to search by more specific criteria. Various options are available, both for how the search term is specified and for controlling how many forums you want to search. This is where the specificity of topic subjects is important; making it much easier to locate precisely what it is you're after from a list of search results.

The search button is located at the top of the page, to the right.

6/ Where can I find the manual of Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga?

The manual can be found on the Divinity II DVD and is called:

English version: manual_en.pdf
French version: manual_fr.pdf
Italian version: manual_it.pdf
Spanish version: manual_es.pdf
German version: manual_de.pdf
Polish version: manual_pl.pdf

Adobe Reader Installer is also located on the DVD in the support folder, to read the manual.

7/ Where can I find the readme.txt file of Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga?

The readme file can be found on the Divinity II DVD and is called:

English version: readme_en.txt
French version: readme_fr.txt
Italian version: readme_it.txt
Spanish version: readme_es.txt
German version: readme_de.txt
Polish version: readme_pl.txt

Location: …\readme\readme_XX.txt

8/ Can’t find a solution to your problem?

For questions about the game or in case you are experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer services via the following email address: support@larian.com

Please also mention which game it concerns and what operating system you use.

You will typically receive a reply within 1-2 business days. However, response times may vary considerably during busy periods.

In order to help you most effectively please describe the problem as clearly as possible and attach your DirectX Diagnostic. To create a DxDiag, follow these instructions: click Start, click Run, in the Open box, type dxdiag and then click OK. In the tool that pops up, click the button "Save All Information" and choose a location for the file. Please attach this file to your email.

It will also help us if you can send a screenshot of the error message.

9/ Good to know

1/ Troubleshooting

If you have problems with the screen display or running the game, or if the game crashes to desktop, you can either change the game settings or your computer’s system settings. Please make sure that you are using all the latest drivers for your hardware.

NVIDIA (GeForce): http://www.nvidia.com (International)
ATI (Radeon): http://www.ati.com (International)

If the problems persist, make sure that you are using the standard settings, because functions such as “ATITruform”, “Full screen antialiasing (FSAA)” or deactivated “VSYNC” can create display errors.


2/ Update Microsoft DirectX 9

Even though DirectX 9.0c is always called that, there are different versions of it. Every couple of months, Microsoft releases updates to DX9.0c and they haven't changed the version number in any of these updates. So whether you have the version of 2004, or you have the up to date version of 2009, there is no way of knowing what "version" you actually have without looking at the dates of your DirectX dll files.

For our game, you need to at least have the version that was released in February 2007. Of course, other games may require newer versions, so the safest is to download and install the latest version Microsoft offers on their website here: English DirectX9c

If you don't want to download it, you can also install the version that came with the DVD. Explore the Divinity II DVD and start the following program:
[DVDROMDRIVE]:\Support\DirectX\DXSETUP.exe

Vista/7 users: you have DirectX 10/11 but that does NOT mean you have DirectX9.0c! You need to install this too!


3/ Update Nvidia PhysX drivers

Make sure you have the PhysX drivers installed that we shipped with the game OR the latest PhysX drivers that you find on the nVidia website:

Get the latest here.

Or install from Divinity II DVD: [DVDROMDRIVE]:\Support\PhysX\PhysX_9.09.0428_SystemSoftware.exe

A second very important step to get PhysX installed right: run the following exe from the Divinity II DVD: [DVDROMDRIVE]:\Support\Larian\PhysXRegInstaller.exe


4/ Install the Visual C++ redistributable files

Make sure the Visual C++ redistributable files are installed. You can install them from our DVD:
[DVDROMDRIVE]:\Support\Visual C++\vcredist_x86.exe

10/ First Aid Kit

We want to stress the importance of certain obligatory steps in getting Divinity II to work if it doesn't. This topic will also contain some tips for choppy frame rate or stuttering, etc.

First Aid Kit (1) available at our forums (English):
http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=403286#Post403286

First Aid Kit (2) available at our forums (English):
http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=391012

11/ Technical forums – Helps, Tips and Tricks

To find a solution to your problem or to discuss technical issues, please visit the technical sections in our forum:

Technical Problems:
http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=50&page=1

If you are looking for gameplay tips and tricks for Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga, please visit the help sections in our forum:

Help, Tips and Tricks:
http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=51&page=1

13/ Social Communities

Are you on Facebook or Twitter? Please join us.

Facebook fanpage

Divine Tweets

Please subscribe to the Larian Studios YouTube Channel

14/ When I try to play I can only see the interface, the rest of the screen is black.

We are looking into the cause of this problem but so far some customers got helped as follow:

I found a solution. I thought I might share it with you. It's a bit weird but it works.
Go to C:/Users/[usename]/AppData/Local/Divinity 2/Profile
Open "graphicoptions.xml" change the variables ScreenWidth and ScreenHeight.
I change them to ScreenWidth="1440" ScreenHeight="900" and it works.
Changing the resolution in the game menu does nothing and it seems to always come back to 640*480.

Hope this helps you.
If you need more help, please contact support@larian.com

15/ The game seems to be waiting for a disc

Visit this thread for the solution.

16/ The world won't show

Visit this thread for the solution.

17/ Having graphical problems

Visit this thread for the solution.

18/ A heads up on the frame rate of 30 FPS

If you are bothered by the frame rate being limited to 30 frames per second, the following thread shows you how to remove it.

http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=424718#Post424718

We are working on a more comprehensive solution.

UPDATE

19/ Hotfixes and the Support Tool

The Suport Introduction has been updated with the hotfixes / patches and the Support Tool.
For more information, please browse to the top of this forum thread.
The info is listed under 1/ Support Introduction.

20/ I can't get the game to run, spinning logo in the bottom corner and then the game crashes

Problem

"I can't get the game to run. It crashes right after the usual ads displaying (e.g. Larian Studios, Focus Home...). From there on a logo keeps spinning at the bottom right corner of the screen and then the game crashes. I have never made it to the intro movie or the menu."


Customer was playing with

-Version: downloaded version
-Game: The Dragon Knight Saga - French


Solution

In the Nvidia control panel the PhysicX setting was set to "automatic" causing the game to crash, but changing it to "processor" instead did the trick.

21/ My game keeps crashing after the ending video, preventing me from using my save to continue with the add-on Flames of Vengeance.

Problem
"After the ending video I have a loading screen with the DKS logo in the bottom right of the screen, then a second loading with the loading bar in the middle, then the game crashes. The problem is that I can't use my character to continue with the add-on Flames of Vengeance."

Solution
The problem got solved by installing the AC3filter audio codec.

Customer was playing with
-Version: downloaded version
-Dragon Knight Saga - French (Steam)

22/ Crash to desktop

Problem
The game crashes to desktop.

Solution
There are multiple things that could cause this issue and the following solutions have already helped people who had the game crash to desktop.

1. If you have an nVidia card: please go to the nVidia control panel and set your PhysX setting to processor instead of automatic. Then check if Divinity II works. (You should also be able to specifically disable PhysX hardware support for this particular game.)

2. Could you try changing the resolution setting to the lowest possible that your screen can handle and then try starting the game? As soon as it starts up, you can change the resolution in game.

Changing the resolution manually is done in this file:

Windows Vista and Windows 7: C:\Users\[WindowsUser]\AppData\Local\Divinity 2\Profile\graphicoptions.xml

Windows XP: C:\Documents And Settings\[WindowsUser]\Local Settings\Application Data\Divinity 2\Profile\graphicoptions.xml

Right-click and choose edit, or open it in Notepad or another text editor.

Change the following values and set them to a safe and low resolution, for example:

ScreenWidth="800" ScreenHeight="600"

Save the XML file and try to boot the game.

If that doesn't work, try to manually change these options in the same xml file:

UseHDR="0" UseDesktopResInFullscreen="0" ShadowTimeSlicing="1"

Save the XML file and try to boot the game.

3. There may be something wrong with your audio codecs. Try installing the AC3 Audio Filter codecs from the following URL:

http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter/releases

4. It may be possible that the intro video cannot be played and that the game hangs on this. Our game uses WMV which is natively supported by Windows, but some codecs may break this support. To disable video's, look for this XML file:

C:\Program Files\[Installation Folder]\data\globalswitches.xml

Right-click and choose edit, or open it in Notepad or another text editor. Change the PlayVideo option to 0:

PlayVideo="0"

Save and exit, and start the game to verify.

23/ Crash after selecting new game

Problem
User can get to main menu. When he clicks new game, there is a loading screen and then a crash.

Solution
This issue occurs when there is something wrong with the audio codecs of your computers. You can easily fix this by installing the AC3 Audio Filter codecs from the following URL:

http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter/releases

24/ Crash on each video or movie scene

Problem
The game crashes when a movie or video is played.

Solution
Our game uses WMV which is natively supported by Windows, but some codecs may break this support.

There may be something wrong with your video or with your audio codecs. Try installing the AC3 Audio Filter codecs from the following URL:

http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter/releases

You may also try to uninstall your video codecs and re-install the Microsoft codecs.

If all else fails, disable videos. If you want to disable videos, look for this XML file:

C:\Program Files\[Installation Folder]\data\globalswitches.xml

Right-click and choose edit, or open it in Notepad or another text editor. Change the PlayVideo option to 0:

PlayVideo="0"

Save and exit, and start the game to verify.

25/ Crash after ending video of ED

Problem
The game crashes after the ending video of Ego Draconis

Solution
The problem seems to be solved by installing the AC3filter audio codec. ( http://ac3filter.net)

26/ Difficulty slider is missing or invisible

Problem
Cannot change difficulty because the slider is missing or invisible.

Solution
Quit the game and then remove this file:

Windows Vista and Windows 7: C:\Users\[WindowsUser]\AppData\Local\Divinity 2\Profile\settings.dv2

Windows XP: C:\Documents And Settings\[WindowsUser]\Local Settings\Application Data\Divinity 2\Profile\settings.dv2

If you cannot find the files, make hidden files visible. After deleting the file, restart the game.

27/ Characters and assets are transparent and/or assets look like shadows

Problem
Characters and assets are transparent and/or assets look like shadows

Solution
Quit the game. Look for this file:

Windows Vista and Windows 7: C:\Users\[WindowsUser]\AppData\Local\Divinity 2\Profile\graphicoptions.xml

Windows XP: C:\Documents And Settings\[WindowsUser]\Local Settings\Application Data\Divinity 2\Profile\graphicoptions.xml

If you cannot find the files, make hidden files visible.

Right-click the file and choose Edit, or open the file in a text editor like Notepad.

Change the resolution manually to reflect the native resolution of your screen.

E.g. ScreenWidth="1440" ScreenHeight="900"

E.g. ScreenWidth="1280" ScreenHeight="1024"

E.g. ScreenWidth="1600" ScreenHeight="1200"

28/ The Dragon Stone is not working

Problem
Player reports that the Dragon Stone is not working.

Solution
The Dragon Stone is disabled on purpose in some regions. It is disabled in regions where it is impossible to change into a dragon, or when a scripted event is taking place.

29/ Gamelogic freezes but visual still updated, cannot move anymore

Problem
After a few minutes of playing, the game freezes. The game doesn't react to the cursor, the npc's keep walking on the spot, the game doesn't react to any input. The game is installed on another drive than C: and is running on an AMD computer.

Solution

1. Install the game on the C drive.

2. Install the AMD Dual Core Optimizer and restart your pc:
http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/dyn...32-4756-aafa-4d9dc646342f&ItemID=153

30/ I have F-Secure Internet Security and now my game won't run anymore

The issue is caused by "F-Secure Internet Security".

Solution

-Open F-Secure
-Go to task/settings
-Click manual scanning
-Click open excluded item list ("Liste mit ausgeschlossenen")
-Click objects tab
-Make sure to check the exclude objects check box
-Click ddd
-Then add the launcher/application

31/ Sending us your save game: how to and which information to include in your email

When our support people ask you to send a save game, this is how you can do this.

Your save games can be found at the following location:

If you are having Windows XP the saves are in the folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\ %username% \Local Settings\Application Data\Divinity 2\Savegames

If you are having Windows Vista or Windows 7 the saves are in the folder:
C:\Users\ %username% \AppData\Local\Divinity 2\Savegames

If the AppData folder doesn’t appear it’s because it’s hidden.

Please have a look in the following forum thread to show hidden folders:
http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=436154#Post436154


To load your save game in our test lab we need the following information:

1/ Which version are you playing?
Ego Draconis or Ego Draconis + the add-on Flames of Vengeance or The Dragon Knight Saga.

2/ Is this the DVD version or the digital version?

3/ When it’s the digital version: where have you purchased the game?

4/ The language version of your game (English, French, …)

5/ Did you install a patch? If yes, please refer to that patch please.

Email your save game and your information to support@larian.com

Thank you.